Daily Jam - Pinned Together, Falling Apart

It feels a little bit like they may have been a little forgotten over the years, but i think you could make a pretty convincing case that "No Cities Left" from Montreal band The Dears is one of the best albums of the '00s.  Dense, layered, and emotional stuff, it can put you in the same kind of state as listening to Morrissey does, but without all the baggage and bullshit.  Check out "Pinned Together, Falling Apart," a track that moves from a cacophony of orchestral noise to silence to aching lament.  It's our Daily Jam.

Edward Scissorhands

It's maybe a little weird that there's an Edinburgh producer who decided to call himself Edward Scissorhands, but all names aside, the music is cool.  New album "Mere Mortals" is a strange collection of instrumental hip-hop that pulls its sounds and samples from post-punk and industrial rock rather than funk or soul or psych or whatever.  It makes for some total metal machine music.  Check out the album opening "The Gatekeeper" below and get the record here.

Daily Jam (Covers Week) - Rodeo in Joliet (Live)

Did you know that there was a jazz fusion Jesus Lizard cover band?  And that their name is The Jazzus Lizard?  And that after releasing a couple of albums in the late '00s (with four-letter word titles of course), they released a live album recorded at Austin's The Lost Well in 2017 with some assistance from David Yow himself?  Well, now you do.  Let's finish off covers week here with this weird and wonderful take on "Rodeo in Joliet," our Daily Jam.

Alto Arc

Yesterday saw the release of the debut, self-titled EP from supergroup Alto Arc.  The band consists of Trayer Tryon of Hundred Waters, producer Danny L Harle, Deafheaven's George Clarke, and makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench.  Death Grips and Hella member Zach Hill even shows up for a track.  The project's result is a hard describe mix of electronics, screaming, noise, soaring synths, and an all around gothic vibe.  It's cool, and you probably won't hear anything else that sounds quite like it today.  Check out the album opening "The Model Gospel" below and get the EP here from Sargent House.

Daily Jam (Covers Week) - If You Have Ghosts

It kind of flew in under the radar last year, but we got a pretty excellent tribute album to the late, great Roky Erickson called "May the Circle Remain Unbroken."  One of the highlights was Chelsea Wolfe's absolutely haunting take on "If You Have Ghosts."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Robert Stillman

Yesterday evening, i came across this wonderful and experimental mix of jazz and blues from American ex-pat Robert Stillman and his new "What Does It Mean to Be American?" LP.  "Cherry Ocean" is a slowly moving piece consisting of piano, woodwinds, and whispered, mumbled vocals, and it's been haunting me for the last few hours.  It feels like moving in a surreal dream state.  Check it out below and then head here to order the whole thing from Orindal Records.

Fawn

All the former Chromatics members are moving on with new projects and new music.  It's bittersweet, but i am digging on the new jams.  The latest comes from Nat Walker with her new project Fawn, which notably includes Glass Candy's Ida No in the mix.  Check out the dreamy and melancholy "Graffiti in the Hall" below.  Hopefully there is more to come soon.

Friday Horror Trailer - The Curse

 

Daily Jam (Covers Week) - Needle of Death

Neil Young has been in the news a lot lately, so let's listen to him.  In 2013, the legendary artist recorded an album for Jack White's Thrid Man Records entirely in a refurbished 1947 Voice-o-Graph vinyl recording booth.  It gave the whole record a very raw and lo-fi aesthetic.  Listen to his devastating cover of Bert Jansch's "Needle of Death" below, our Daily Jam.

RIP Betty Davis

Oh man, i just found out that funk icon Betty Davis passed away yesterday at 77.  The cult artist released three fantastic records back in the '70s that were mostly overlooked at the time but garnered more acclaim when reissued in the '00s.  They're all worth your time.  Listen to "In the Meantime" from her debut below.  RIP Betty Davis.