Baker's Dozen: Beach House, Yeat, and Artists Whose Other Thing I Like More Than Their Main Thing
Baker's Dozen is a weekly thing for paid subscribers where I share music I've been listening to along with some thoughts around it. All revenue generated from this newsletter goes towards the National Network of Abortion Funds; so far subscribers have donated over $1,600.
Def Rain, "June"
Def Rain have apparently been kicking around for the last decade-plus, but I only gave them a listen around their 2020 album Exit. They kind of do a High Places-esque thing throughout, very texturally engaging, hints of coldwave but much, uh, warmer.
Little Brother, "Goodmorning Sunshine"
I thought Little Brother's comeback album from 2019 was great, this track is a pretty good example of why—the production is a little tricky but very straightforwardly pretty, and I've always had an affinity for Phonte's voice (would be great to get another Foreign Exchange album!).
Max Richter, "Little Requiems - Cello Version"
One of those tracks that I earmarked to revisit and was like, "Hm, yeah, this sounds very pretty in a grim way." That's pretty much it.
Beach House, "Illusion of Forever"
Last week I did the buzzy double-album I didn't really like (Big Thief), now I do the buzzy double-album I really do. Feels like Beach House are underrated at this point due to sheer reliability, there are certainly worse crimes to be guilty of but I think Once Twice Melody will stand the test of time as one of their more, if not most, impressive albums. I think this is one of the best songs they've ever done, pretty nice how they manage to sneak one or two of those in every album. What a band.
Yeat, "Outsidë" [ft. Young Thug]
One of my favorite songs of the year, obviously not a huge shock that I love something that sounds "like this." Young Thug sounds very light and limber.
Cold Beat, "Crimes"
The last album to be released on DFA got more attention for being the last album to come out on DFA than it did for being, well, pretty damn good! Feels like Cold Beat really came into their own with this one, hope they keep on keeping on down this path.
Damedot, "WYF@"
At this point, Detroit rap albums are like emo records to me: first listen I'm like, "Hmm, ok, I'll revisit," and then I revisit and I'm like, "OK, this is pretty dope." Love the sing-song cadence Damedot slips in and out of on this, The Umbrella Again is quite long but he keeps things interesting enough throughout.
Joan Shelley, "High on the Mountain"
Still need to listen to the new Joan Shelley album but I really enjoyed this one too, she has a great voice especially.
Bat for Lashes, "So Good"
Lost Girls seemed like a miss to me, but this song bangs. Bat for Lashes seems like a project that's always dipping in and out of view in terms of overall awareness and popularity, things have cooled since the days of "Laura" (what a song) but she's clearly still capable of bringing the heat every now and then.
Japanese Breakfast, "Abandoned Grounds"
Still have yet to really "get" into any of Japanese Breakfast's albums, if anything I've been kind of shocked that people love them so much—I just don't hear a ton of "there" there in the songwriting. But her score for Sable is something else entirely and really showcases her capability at setting a variety of moods, as someone who plays a lot of video games and listens to their scores in isolation her work is a cut above the rest. This track in particular gives me chills.
Boy Scouts, "Momentary Love"
Had the urge to put "Get Well Soon" on here instead, but I've been listening to that song for two years straight almost constantly. This one gets a little less play but is just as unassumedly stunning to me...I love the guitar breakdown in between verses, and Taylor Vick's voice hits a real sweet spot for me. I haven't listened to Wayfinder yet, but after how good Free Company is, I'm sure I'll be featuring a track from that one in the future too.
Hurray for the Riff Raff, "PRECIOUS CARGO"
LIFE ON EARTH is a very solid album, there's nothing on the level of "Pa'lante" but, like, how often do you even get to write a song as incredible as that one? This one might be my favorite, but that could change in the future.
DigDat, "Die a G"
I'm so used to hearing American rappers over drill/grime beats now that it's a little disarming when I hear a British guy do it. Or maybe I'm just saying that. Who knows!