Baker's Dozen: Kacey Musgraves, Toro Y Moi, and Echoes of SOPHIE
Baker's Dozen is for paid subscribers of Larry Fitzmaurice's Last Donut of the Night newsletter, featuring a playlist of stuff I've been listening to lately as well as some thoughts around it.
Porridge Radio, "Trying"
Lights out! Porridge Radio! Turn that shit up! I thought Every Bad was very much an "almost" record for me, but Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky was a huge leap in terms of the band's sound and songwriting—all bangers honestly, I still doubt I even chose the right one to highlight here, that's how good it is. Dana Margolin also has a great guest spot on the new Metronomy album, which I've mentioned around here in the past.
Weird Nightmare, "Sunday Driver"
Bio work disclaimer, but METZ's Alex Edkins delivered a very solid solo record earlier this year as Weird Nightmare, carrying some of METZ's noisy crunch alongside some very clear Guided by Voices-y power-pop gestures and, in this song's case, anthemic shoegaze-esque stuff too. The recofrd itself was a bit of a pandemic project, but I do hope he makes another one!
Flume, "ESCAPE" [ft. KUČKA and Quiet Bison]
"Flume sucked," my friend told me after going to Bonnaroo this year. I believe it! He's been largely unremarkable for most if not all of his career, except for when he ate ass on stage at Burning Man. His latest album Palaces is one big snooze for the most part; this song has some spiky and appealing flashes of late, great legend SOPHIE's inimitable production style—and it's thought of as inimitable for a reason, too.
Moneybagg Yo, "Real Luv" [ft. Summer Walker]
I promise that this is the last Moneybagg track I'll post for, like, three months. Maybe.
PUP, "Totally Fine"
I interviewed PUP frontman Stefan Babcock earlier this year for the newsletter, go check that out if you haven't already. The Unraveling of PUPtheband isn't my favorite PUP album—I'm still a The Dream Is Over guy at heart—but this is an all-timer for them, I'm sure it has been going off live too.
Cola, "Gossamer"
Just when I was really getting into Ought, they broke up—but some of those guys formed a new band, Cola, and their debut from this year carries a lot of the same charms that Ought's material did, but doesn't necessarily feel like "new band, old sound" either. There'll always be room for indie rock that sounds like this when it's this capably done.
Kacey Musgraves, "Can't Help Falling in Love"
I warned you I'd be Elvis-posting one more time...this is a very lovely and straightforward cover from someone with a beautiful voice, not much else to say about it. Sounds like it could be in a Chipotle commercial.
Daniel Rossen, "Unpeopled Space"
Also interviewed Daniel (who, as a paid newsletter subscriber, might be reading this now, if so hi Daniel) for the newsletter earlier this year, go check that out. I saw Robin Pecknold refer to You Belong Here as the year's best album, and it is indeed quite excellent, his songwriting style is like candy to my brain. I saw him live earlier this year and was absolutely spellbound, too. What an artist.
Toro Y Moi, "Way Too Hot"
Another bio disclaimer...one thing I appreciate about Chaz is, despite being pigeonholed by the media early in his career, he's always kind of just done his own thing from album to album and been sneakily influential in the process (you can obviously hear his mark on acts like BLACKSTARKIDS). So when he throws this very psych-y jam on the back half of his latest Mahal, which spans Ethiopian jazz and Sea and Cake-recalling post-rock and even some futuristic electro touches, you're like, OK, of course he is.
Alexisonfire, "Blue Spade"
Wow, this song is heavy as fuck...very doom metal-y, I honestly never listened to Alexisonfire during their initial run and really did not like the comeback album this song is from—but, this song! Good stuff imo.
Andy Stott, "0L9"
I suppose I prefer Andy Stott's 2019 release It Should Be Us to last year's Never the Right Time because, frankly, I have no recollection of listening to the latter even as I'm someone who regularly enjoys what he does. Stott gets as exploratory as his sound allows him to on It Should Be Us, this track is more of the help-I'm-trapped-in-a-well techno that he's become so well known for, but there's some jungle and ballroom references elsewhere that show he's got his ear to other things even as the sounds sound, well, familiar.
Liturgy, "GOD OF LOVE"
Liturgy's music can be thrilling or mind-numbingly boring, which is what makes listening to them so exciting, if that makes sense...obviously this is in the "thrilling" category, you think I'd purposefully share something boring with you??? Looks like we're getting a new Liturgy album in 2023, that's exciting.
Jacquees, "All You Need" [ft. Quavo and Bluff City]
Here's another one who just dropped...gotta check that out. King of R&B was honestly an embarrassment of riches to me, similar to Porridge Radio a record where I'm already like, "Is this really the one, though?" But it feels like it to me.