Top 10 for week ending in 9/18/21

10. Torres – Thirstier (Merge)

“[Thirstier] exudes a strong sense of adaptation and growth from an artist who was once feeling lost and left alone in a time of losing everything she had worked towards. The album is driven and shameless, reflecting that of one who is done bending backwards for those who do not have her back. This confidence shines through her new record and hopefully creates a path for more records in the future.”

– Merrill L.

9. Faye Webster – I Know I’m Funny haha (Secretly Canadian)

“The smooth vocals offer a consistency that’s warm and comforting. Sprinkles of jazz add some color off the top. And her serene, folksy instrumentation is coated with a gorgeous frost of pandemic era blues… if this record were a cake, it’d be red velvet.”

– Louie A.

8. Kississippi – Mood Ring (Triple Crown)

“While fans of Kississipi’s first major project may have been drawn in by the album’s emo and indie rock influences, Zoe’s ditched the house shows. Mood Ring is a highly produced piece of pop, made for a much bigger stage. The work employs synths and autotune to its advantage, delivering edgy hooks in bright and colorful packages.”

– Mia M.

7. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Butterfly 3000 (KGATLW)

“…this record trades the band’s iconic rock-driven style for synths and MIDI sequences to create an uplifting record detailing the process of growth and metamorphosis using the symbol of — you guessed it — butterflies… this record is full of psychedelic lyrics and catchy rhythms that stay with you long after the first listen.”

– Casey C.

6. DARKSIDE – Spiral (Matador)

“Spiral is meticulous and captivating, inspiring visuals and generating an out of this world atmosphere for the listener with its delicate fusion of sounds. The album pulls the listener in with each and every song with its blending of Jaar’s falsetto vocals, Harrington’s nimble-fingered guitar playing, versatile percussion, and the overall manipulation of sounds that seems so complex and becomes something so effortless.”

– Merrill L.

5. Clairo – Sling (Republic/Fader)

“Radiating with near-total resignation and then quiet anger and then resignation again, Sling plays as if it exists more for Clairo than for her audience, making it clear from the outset that this record is intended to be 44 minutes of Clairo working through some stuff, but nevertheless welcoming us along for the ride.”

– Meg M.

4. King Woman – Celestial Blues (Relapse)

“[King Woman’s] second full-length record is borne from a delicate mix of doom metal, post-rock, with a bit of biblical imagery sprinkled in… Esfandiari’s breathy vocals take center stage here, surrounded by strong riffs and rudiments that back up her voice beautifully.”

– Casey C.

3. Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee (Dead Oceans)

“Michelle Zauner defined this album as her singing about joy rather than the sadness steeped in her previous albums after the death of her mother in 2014… in tracks like “In Hell” and “Posing in Bondage” Zauner lapses into reflective sadness, but the melancholy is so beautifully executed one barely notices the sad nature of her lyrics.”

– Casey C.

2. Liars – The Apple Drop (Mute)

“…the release of [Liars’] seventh album Mess was followed by the trio’s disbanding, leaving Angus Andrew alone on the project. Two lonely, bereaved albums later and Angus seems to have fully grieved the breakup. This record sounds like a maturation of the previous two releases, attaining a clarity that was absent. With this direction the final Liar seems to be in the midst of a new era.”

– Louie A.

1. Indigo De Souza – Any Shape You Take (Saddle Creek)

“…a sincere and beautiful narration of love told over the course of the many years in which De Souza wrote it… The range of De Souza’s vocals are astonishing and at times reminds one of Willow Smith and Pretty Sick simultaneously. A very nice intertwining of saccharine bedroom pop and indie guitar riffs make this a great listen all around.”

– Casey C.

 

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