UNSLUMP! Volume XI: September 2024
UNSLUMP! Volume XI: September 2024
Wake up your ears with Doechii, Peel Dream Magazine, Silverbacks and more.
What’s cooking? Welcome to UNSLUMP! The Music Recommendation substack. If you’re getting this email, that means you are finding yourself in a music SLUMP (bad), and I am here to give you some recommendations (good)!
My thoughts go out to those affected by the recent storm- here’s a mix to get you settled, grounded, and grooving. September is weird- it’s the busiest month in the event season as everyone gears up for the holidays (I can’t wait for Halloween…), so I’ve been HUSTLING this month. It’s time to sit back, relax, and listen to some good stuff.
UNSLUMP! can’t feature em’ all, but here’s this month’s top 7 for you to try!
If you’re local to Seattle, don’t forget to check out the concert radar at the end of the letter.
Follow along on Spotify. (Sorry, Apple Music users).
7 - Jock’s Labyrinth - JOCK (Labyrinth) [September 2024]
For fans of: Joy Division, TRUE NOISE GOTH, mood lighting, lighthearted arguments
San Francisco “true noise goth” band JOCK graces us with their first EP, Labyrinth. Labyrinth weaves metallic, industrial sounds and stream of consciousness vocals into a project that lives and breathes. The album screeches and sways, rounding out with lots of tongue-and-cheek humor. There’s an infectious energy to the project, leaving me excited for JOCK to make it out to Seattle.
Other standout tracks: “Down in Hell”, “Desperate”, “Blue Jocktober”
If you’re local to the Bay, make sure to catch JOCK at their next show, and check out the JOCK ARCHIVE for more info on the band’s past gigs.
6 - Wish You Well - Peel Dream Magazine (Rose Main Reading Room) [September 2024]
For fans of: Stereolab, rock tumbling, Sufjan Stevens, mushroom foraging, indie rock, transcendental meditation, krautrock
Los Angeles’s Peel Dream Magazine’s fourth album is one I’ve been excited for since stumbling upon their 2019 single, “Wood Paneling”. Starting off the mix with “Wish You Well”, 2024’s Rose Main Reading Room is an album for early mornings; a trip to the library, a long bike ride, a cup of coffee on the front porch.
The project of multi-instrumentalist Joe Stevens, Peel Dream Magazine floats effortlessly between genre, mixing krautrock, indie pop, contemporary classical and electronica to create romantic, nostalgic soundscapes. Rose Main Reading Room is an observation of New York City and its landmarks: The American Museum of Natural History, Grand Central Station, Central Park and more are mentioned within the album’s 15 tracks. Many have compared the album to Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois, and for good reason- The album was inspired by childhood trips to Manhattan and the New York Public Library.
5 - Something I Know - Silverbacks (single) [September 2024]
For fans of: Fontaines D.C., 80’s pop, lots of slapback, karaoke bars
Irish band Silverbacks, formed by brothers Daniel and Kilian O’Kelly, are back with a new single leading up to their album Easy Being A Winner, out October 18th. Silverbacks is a new discovery for me, and this album is their first release since their 2020 debut, Fad.
“Something I Know” is a track that sounds like Guided By Voices meeting Stereolab at a dive bar. With a killer drumbeat and bassline that shines, the song is exciting and fresh- it makes me wonder what the rest of the album will be like.
I especially love around 2:00 in the track, when everyone but the vocalist falls away, leaving room for the bass to really groove. Plus, the clarinet and “sermon” at the end of the track come from Daniel and Kilian’s dad, John!
4 - Live For You - Thee Sacred Souls (single) [July 2024]
For fans of: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, James Brown, disco, Rod Stewart, Hot Chocolate
This is the type of music that gets right into my brain stem and causes me to shiver and shake. Do you like rainy day soul? Old school disco? Harmonies so tight you clench your butt a little bit? (Graphic, but I’m not sorry). If you said yes to at least 1.5 of these- you’ve GOT to check out this track from Thee Sacred Souls- full album out October 4, but I just couldn’t wait until the October edition to share this one with you!
TSS is from San Diego, California, and has been active since around 2020. I first discovered them with this song, which instantly won me with its charm and contagious rhythm. Their upcoming album, Got A Story to Tell, is produced by Bosco Mann of Daptone Records, known for being the bandleader and producer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Thee Sacred Souls has a deep appreciation for the musicians that have come before them, a reason why their music is so timeless.
3 - Cowboy in a Frame - Maddy Kirgo (Shadow on my Light) [August 2024]
For fans of: Dolly Parton, Faye Webster, golden hour, Stevie Nicks, MJ Lenderman
Maddy Kirgo! “Cowboy in a Frame” is a beautiful lullaby of a song- Kirgo’s joy is infectious as the banjo that weaves expertly in and out of the choruses and verses- The song is a short one, but the entire album is sweet- its simplicity is beautiful and deeply appreciated!
Shadow on My Light is a 10 song cool drink of water. Kirgo’s take on country music is stretched in the lens of MJ Lenderman and his Asheville ilk- Kirgo can fit in right with the best of them.
Kirgo collaborated with Video Age’s Nick Corson and Duncan Troast, also a part of the New Orleans indie scene, and together, they recorded in various living rooms around the city.
2 - Blue Dada - Dummy (Free Energy) [September 2024]
For fans of: The Breeders, psych-pop, concerts with projections, headphone-wearing, bands that remind you of other bands but in a really comforting way, shoegaze classics
Dummy, formerly Baltimore dream-pop group Wildhoney, has evolved into something new, yet familiar. Free Energy is a warm blanket, it’s a mental break, it’s taking a “self care day” off from work. It’s rolling out your neck and shoulders.
I like that when I first listened to Free Energy, I didn’t know what I was hearing. Although the band claims they used mostly guitars, the processing and distortion is artful and interesting, making this a great album for headphones. The album digs into dance music, backbeats and heavy bass, while still flirting with 90s-era Breeders and surf rock - the album shines brightest when singer Emma Maatman is at the forefront, with her voice hearkening to an early Kim Deal.
Other standout tracks: “Soonish”, “Nine Clean Nails”, “Nullspace” (Nullspace was one of the coolest live performances I’ve seen- imagine a band playing along to bubble sounds, and making them appear fully musical. It was SO NEAT!)
1 - BOILED PEANUTS - Doechii (Alligator Bites Never Heal) [August 2024]
For fans of: expansive production, MIA, sampling, whisper rap, R&B, witty lyrics, comical ad-libs
I have my friend Emma (of music blog NOISE.) to thank for this album- an exquisite listen from beginning to end. I especially enjoyed her review of every track on the album!
Tampa-based “Swamp Queen” Doechii graces us with a lot of tracks on this album, but a runtime of under 50 minutes makes it a surprisingly easy listen, with no one track overstaying its welcome.
The album has tracks for fans of Fresh Prince-esque vinyl scratching (“DENIAL IS A RIVER”), Glass Animals-adjacent (Heat Waves, not their new stuff) grooves (“WAIT”), and pitch-slowed backing vocals (“DEATH ROLL”). There’s a lot of variety here, and because of the quick nature of the tracks, it might take a while for all 19 of the tracks (!) to stick with you, but hey, maybe that’s alright?
From Doechii in regard to the album’s title, Alligator Bites Never Heal:
The alligator performs a spinning maneuver known as the "death roll" to submerge and dismember its prey underwater. This past year I've grappled with what felt like a relentless death roll in my life... A dance of drowning in my own vices, battling differences with my label and a creative numbness that broke me. [...] In my research about alligator attacks, I found that a common thread in each survivor was that the main reason they survived is because they fought back. This mixtape is my fight back. I am nobody's prey; I was born to be the predator.
🎵 Seattle Show Radar: October 🎵:
10.1 Previous Industries at Barboza (Open Mike Eagle, Video Dave, and STILL RIFT) - Tickets
Check out their album, Service Merchandise
10.1 Faye Webster at Paramount Theatre - Tickets
10.1 Nia Archives and HiTech (US) at Neptune Theatre - Tickets
Silence Is Loud is one of my favorite albums of the year so far, I can’t wait to see Nia live!
10.2 Santigold at Showbox SoDo - Tickets
10.3 illuminati hotties, Daffo + Maddie Ross at Neumos - Tickets
My friend Wyatt plays guitar for Daffo, happy he’s coming back to Seattle!
10.3 SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE, Winter at the Crocodile - Tickets
10.4 Hello Mary, Bleary Eyed at Barboza - Tickets
10.5 Foxing, From Indian Lakes, Black Ends at the Crocodile - Tickets
10.6 Chanel Beads, Mary June Dunphe at Barboza - Tickets
Album Your Day Will Come is electric- should make for an interesting live show!
10.7 GEL, MSPAINT, Destiny Bond, The Mall at the Crocodile - Tickets
10.7 ANOHNI and the Johnsons at the Paramount Theatre - Tickets
10.8 Show Me The Body with High Vis, Special Interest, BIB and BEARCAT at the Showbox - Tickets
10.9 Cassandra Jenkins at Barboza - Tickets
10.11 + 10.12 Robyn Hitchcock at Fremont Abbey - Tickets
10.13 Nation of Language, Blonde Redhead at Paramount Theatre - Tickets
10.15 Brittany Howard & Michael Kiwanuka at Paramount Theatre - Tickets
10.16 Shannon and the Clams at the Neptune Theatre - Tickets
10.17 Unwound - New Plastic Ideas—30th Anniversary at the Showbox - Tickets
10.18 Hinds at the Crocodile - Tickets
10.19 RY X, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith at St. Mark's Cathedral - Tickets
10.19 Nilüfer Yanya, Lutalo, Angélica Garcia at the Crocodile - Sold Out, but I AM GOING TO FIND A TICKET!!!
10.22 Mdou Moctar, Rosali at the Crocodile - Tickets
10.23 Charli XCX & Troye Sivan present: Sweat at Climate Pledge Arena - Tickets
10.26 LIVE ON KEXP: Nilüfer Yanya - First come, first served (Free)
10.29 The Psychedelic Furs and the Jesus and Mary Chain at the Paramount Theatre - Tickets
10.30 Modest Mouse: Good News For People Who Love Bad News Anniversary Tour at the Paramount Theatre - Tickets
10.31 Vundabar at Neumos - Tickets
That wraps up Volume XI of UNSLUMP! Let me know what you thought of this month’s picks, I’d love to know your favorites!
Until October - Stay out of the slump!
Jess
Okay I'm obsessed with your newsletter! Going to feature it in mine next week :) I looooove that you're rounding up all the Seattle concerts, so helpful.