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Imperial Teen • Now We Are Timeless
Merge • released 2019-07-12
Incredibly smart power pop overflowing with fat analog synth lines and enough earworms and hooks to launch a sonic fishing expedition.
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Mhaol • Something Soft
The first thing to know is that it's pronounced "male." The important thing to know is that the Irish trio make the sort of rickety racket with metronomic drums, aggressive bass, spiky guitar, and disaffected vocals that immediately gets my attention
The Rare Occasions • Big Whoop
There is a lot of smart indie guitar pop out there these days, and this effort showcases this band’s ability to easily traverse that range, from anthemic hook-laden singalongs to richly harmonized earworms, with many unexpected stops in between.
Mikal Cronin • Switched-On Seeker
A fully synthesized version of Cronin’s previous album, this retake offers the same moody melodies as “Seeker”, this time filled to the brim with the warble and saw of old-tyme synthes.
The Mountain Goats • Songs for Pierre Chuvin
No topic is too esoteric for John Darnielle to base an entire Mountain Goats album on, not even the persecution of pagans as a wave of Christianity moved through Europe in the middle ages.