Rick Larson: As a young “punk,” in a manner of speaking, I would join the full-throated accusations of “sell-out!” to those bands that dared to strive financially for something more than a dingy rent-controlled apartment and peanut butter straight from the jar for dinner. Those days are long gone. Especially in this era of Spotify tossing a couple of kronor to the creatives, you need to make your money where you can. So, I was happy to hear Militarie Gun’s recent ‘Do It Faster’ in a Taco Bell commercial. Get paid, young fellas! And then, ‘Uncontrollable Urge’ soundtracked a spiffy Apple VR ad. If even one person learns that Devo’s debut was and is one of the great guitar punk records of all time, this is a positive development. Plus, the spud boys get some cash for assisted living.
Otherwise, I’ve been easing into 2024 with some DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ’s August 2023 release, Destiny. This is not my favored musical style, but these compositions have a rich texture and a measured velocity. ‘Honey’, in particular, is audio CBD. This album clocks in at 4 hours long, about the duration of a decent gummy with comparably pleasant effect. It’s an election year, so I’ll probably be revisiting this one at increasingly higher doses.
James Spearing: It’s a new year but my WWSA (white woman solo artist) problem shows no sign of slowing. Kaeto is my latest addiction. Her songs are catchy and familiar, but in way that makes it incredibly hard to pin down exactly who she sounds like. Give ‘No Body’ a listen and see if you get addicted too.
Meanwhile the rest of the year is shaping up nicely with early singles from artists due to release some albums to look forward to. Khruangbin are back with ‘A Love International’ and Elkka with ‘Passionfruit’.
Finally something sunny to brighten up the grey, dark days. It’s ‘Lagoinha (Minha Nave)’ from COLLIGNON which brings together sounds imported to Portugal from all over the world. It’s the joy we need to start moving on from the most miserable of months.
Tom Burrows: Happy New Year. I decided to start January with acceptance. Acceptance that I was never going to listen to the dozens of saved albums from last year that I still hadn’t ‘listened to properly’, so I wiped the slate clean. Took the pressure off and picked up new releases instead. For most of the typically paltry first month of the year, I grasped at anything that might feel rewarding. I liked ‘No Caffeine’ from Marika Hackman’s latest album, but a Big Sigh was not the energy I needed. Kali Uchis’ forays into reggaeton were welcome, but didn’t hold my attention for long. I half-heartedly tried the new Sleater-Kinney record, but I’d heard their best days were behind them. So, in the end, I listened to a few old favourites, and patiently waited until Friday 26th January – then played The Smile’s Wall of Eyes repeatedly until I wrote this. New year, same me.
Fran Slater: I had my contribution for this written in my head, and then, on the day or writing, I listened to the newly released album by The Smile and, in particular, the song ‘Teleharmonic’. So yeah, for this to be accurate, I have to start by saying that ‘Teleharmonic’ is the best thing I heard in January.
Despite that late entry, I’m happy to say that January had already been a surprisingly bumper month for great new music. I was already a big Marika Hackman fan, but with Big Sigh it feels like she has released her most adventurous album yet and one that is likely to appeal to a wider audience than what came before. Folly Group’s album is a mixed bag, but songs like ‘Strange Neighbour’ really shine. And Lily Seabird’s ‘Alas,’ is full of mournful, playful acoustic songs with a grungy edge that place her somewhere between the music of Big Thief and Phoebe Bridgers.
This month’s two real standouts for me, though, are from opposite ends of my musical spectrum. Daudi Matsiko writes wry, quiet, folky tales and performs them with a really measure intensity – his album The King Of Misery is an absolute cracker. But if you want something to have the opposite effect and bash you squarely across the eardrum, then let me recommend Snow As A Metaphor for Death by Sentries.
Matt Paul: Well Im not as brave as Tom to chuck out all my leftover albums from 2023 that I have earmarked to catch up on. And I’m glad I didn’t bin them off, as I’ve got round to listening to some gems, with Blondshell, Bully and DEBBY FRIDAY. But clear and away, my most listened to album has been i’ve seen a way by Mandy, Indiana. It is weird nightmare fuel noise rock. If I actually had got round to listening to it last year, it may have actually beaten Mega Bog to be my favorite album of the year.
I also want to mention the rare January release that I really loved: SPRINTS with the album Letter to Self. Scuzzy, post-punk with an engaging and dynamic vocalist. We all had a lot to say about it on the most recent podcast.
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