Your New Music Monday picks for January 16 celebrate a reunion, a Montreal rocker and the re-emergence of Laura Marling:
Watching the evolution of Laura Marling over the years has indeed been an honor and a privilege. From her very first appearance on Jools Holland all the way up to now, her confessional style of songwriting has celebrated several rebirths as well, culminating in some stellar work. Semper Femina is Marling’s sixth album and “Wild Fire” pointedly addresses how women and men view ourselves and each other through the lens of societal norms, and about how, in the end, it all comes back to having compassion for oneself.
Sonic perk-me-ups are a Monday must, and Montreal’s post-punk laureate Tim Darcy‘sย “Tall Glass Of Water” is a stout one, made to order. Stylistically speaking, Darcy will no doubt draw (unfair) comparisons with the Velvets and Violent Femmes, but make no mistake, this isn’t Tim Darcy’s first time at the rodeo. He’s already put in quality time fronting the four-piece Ought, and on February 17, his solo debut Saturday Night will land via Jagjaguwar. Oh, and Saturday, March 18 brings him to Trees in Dallas!
Fearlessly flawless three-part harmonies and insanely skilled riffs take center stage on “Only Songs,” the lead single from The Wild Reeds‘ sophomore release, The World We Built, arriving with bells on April 7, courtesy of Dualtone. If you happen to be in Austin during SXSW, they’ll be making the rounds, but if you decide to skip the March madhouse and stay home, good things come to those who wait: they’re at Club Dada on April 21.
Reunited and it feels so good, as Peaches & Herb once crooned, and to the delight of Slowdive fans, last week’s announcement that they’d signed with Dead Oceans and will be releasing their first song in 22 years was a sweet follow-up to the news that their fellow shoegazers Jesus & Mary Chain also had a brand new album landing this spring. “Star Roving” is pull-you-in-at-first-listen classic Slowdive, with signature spacey guitars and the vocal interplay between Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell.
Happy listening!
XOXO
Gini.
