2024 Music Enjoyer Part 3
Jukebox hits from another timeline
Today’s selections all feel like preternaturally dusty gems that got beamed in from an alternate timeline where the height of 1970s analog recording glory never went away. I’m tough to please when it comes to vocals, but every one of these acts just melt my soul with voices that feel so beautifully, brokenly, passionately human. High(er) planes drifter psych blues to ease these blood-red times.
Jimi Tenor with Cold Diamond & Mink - Is There Love In Outer Space?
MAN this one slays me y’all. If you’d told me 20 years ago that this would be the eventual evolution of Jimi Tenor…I would have been skeptical, to say the least. But the man is on an excellent streak of collaborations with artists who gel perfectly with his talents as a vocalist and flute-god, and I am here for it. It sounds like the dream of a late-night performance from the hotel lounge at the end of the universe. The title track alone has to be one of the best things I’ve heard all year, and the entire album is incredible. If you find yourself wanting more, do yourself a favor and check out more stuff on Timmion Records; they’ve been a home for top-shelf funk, soul, blues, and top-shelf artists from all over the world for years and years now — especially noteworthy is how they balance mind-blowing reissues of forgotten rarities with current artists pushing it all forward.
Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee
I have to admit I’d never heard Patrick Flegel’s previous band, Women, so I was totally unprepared for how stunningly good Cindy Lee is — a triple album (!) with nary a bit of filler to be found. Who does that??? Every one feels like it’s been plucked from the jukebox of another timeline, every track hazed with a bewitching patina of smoke and memories of every nickel its ever sung for. Impeccably fuzzed guitars, the grittiest drums you’ve ever heard, and reverb-breathing vocals that give lyrics to the winds that rule the wide-open plains between places you’ve never been.
Faun Tempol - La Oprika
This album of grandly psychedelic brain-candy from North Carolina band Faun Tempol will have you double-checking the release date: yes, it’s 2024, not 1976. Sprawling tracks of baroque majesty (like the incredible opener) blend seamlessly into experimental sound-collage and effortlessly perfect pop masterpieces (like ‘Sleeping Couch’ and ‘Amor Fatigue’). Just put it on and get ready for a ride. Fun fact: they also have the excellent taste to share a label (Funk Night Records) with another perennial favorite of mine, Misha Panfilov.
Hugh B - Brainwashing
I absolutely fell in love with Australian guitar-magician Hugh B’s album from last year on Not Not Fun Records, Live From The Gonsch, but even that didn’t prepare me for the utterly beguiling charms of this perfect EP of wistful, sun-faded, sand-worn beach memories. I know there are technically no vocals on this, but frankly I think the guitar should count in this case; some of the most perfectly lyrical and expressive playing I’ve heard in forever. Throw it on repeat and drive into the sunset, send us a postcard from wherever you wind up.
TAMTAM - Ramble In The Rainbow
If you know me in “real” life, there’s a non-trivial chance you’ve heard me rant before about how absolutely brilliant the People’s Potential Unlimited (PPU) label is at everything. And yet even I, dear reader, was totally unprepared for them to put out something like this — a kaleidoscopically magical revelation of utterly perfect, yearningly nostalgic psych-pop from Japanese group TAMTAM. If you’ve been a fan of Khruangbin over the last 10 years like me, you’re gonna be right at home, though they’re ultimately drawing from a whole other well of influences. Do yourself a huge favor and just dive in for a full refill of all your empty heart-containers.
OK that’s it for today, I’ll be back soon with more musical wonders from 2024, take care y’all <3.