Back again for more weekly new music recommendations. Thanks for joining us!

Over here in South Africa we are about to go to level 3 in the lockdown. This basically means 66% of all staff can go to work and everything is open again…with the exception of all the fun stuff like partying with friends and family, pubs, restaurants and sports.

Oh well, praise whatever god (oj the churches are still closed – so perhaps not) or thing you worship, if you are still safe and for the fact we still have music…here are a few of my favourite submissions I have received recently. Please support them in whatever way is possible to you if you like them (especially with social media love).

 

Central Heat Exchange

Track: Help Me Understand From: Help Me Understand (single) Label:  Sunroom Out: Now

Lovely, warm jangly indie-pop married to that precious Young Marble Giants sense of difference and lo-fi sparsity. A truly precious aesthetic.

sunroom · Central Heat Exchange – Help Me Understand

 

Made of Stone

Track: Seasons From: Seasons (single) Label:  District Records Out: Now

Beautiful dream-pop textures, with enough dazzling, chiming jangled riffs, to take the sound firmly into ambient rock territory, without the usual threat of over indulgence.

 

Max Gowan

Track: My Kind From: Last Companion (album) Label:  Z Tapes Out: Album out 05.06.20

The very slightest of Hanemoon fuzz and the muted isolated, jangled riffs, of a Harrison Whitford type act, make this one of those tracks that seeps slow burning beauty out of every musical pore.

 

Joshua Ackley

Track: Working Class From: Working Class (single) Label:  Self released Out: Now

Ryan Adams style musical theatre juxtaposed against the slightest of post-punk credence and massive late 80’s dream-pop textures. A totally enthralling sound from start to finish.

Joshua Ackley · Working Class

 

The Adam Brown

Track: It’s Emotion From: It’s Emotion (single) Label: Self released Out: Now

Montreal based act, that courses Parker Longbough style fuzzy lo-fi, through the sort of precious C86 pop-rock stylistics of Super 8, to provide all manner of dynamism.

 

The Tisburys

Track: Fading Light From: Fading Light (single) Label:  Self released Out: Now

Infectious Thin Lizzy 70’s inflected grooves, imbued with the jangly modernity of the best of today’s folk rock.

 

Esclavo Creativo

Track: El Roce From: Vos Tus Mundos (EP) Label:  Self released Out: Now

Occasionally gloriously jangly…occasionally dulcet twised Pavement riffs…and always different and slightly psyche. A leftfield, but glorious vibe from this Argentinian act.

 

White Jackets

Track: Hard Times From: Hard Times (single) Label:  Pinetree Music Out: Now

Finnish duo, marry Billy Idol snarl and grumble to all manner of late 80’s post-punk jangle and synths, to create a massive forboding urgency amid undeniable beauty.

 

Uoh!

Track: Capicua From: Capicua (single) Label:  El Octavo Out: Now

Stunning instrumental jangle, that seems to find new ways to layer on added beauty at every conceivable drop. Immense stuff from the first Uruguayian act we have featured.

 

Lee Sullivan

Track: Day To Day From: Well (EP) Label:  Self Released Out: EP out now

Sydney based act, mixing the slightly hazy. slow burning psyche, with the salacious jangle of mid era The Byrds and all wrapped up in lo-fi production at it’s best.

 

Dropping Ugly

Track: Going Going Gone From: Going Going Gone (single) Label: Self Released Out: Now

Imagine the folk inflections and vocal intonations of early Bright Eyes and add a heightened sense of ‘pop’ and you are just about in the right  ball park as this superb Richmond, Virginia, based trio.

 

The Juniper Berries

Track: Give Up Yr Ghosts From: Give Up Yr Ghosts (single) Label:  Earth Libraries Out: Now

Think the janglier inclinations of Elliot Smith and the idiosyncartic riffs of Built to Spill /  Pavement type acts and you have stumbled across the weird, but ultimately beguiling aesthetic of the latest act from an Earth Libraries label, that is in crazy good form !!!

 

Montecore

Track: Ott Sauce From: One Night (EP) Label:  Gigantic Noise Records Out: EP out now

Chicago based act that just about manages to surpress the melodic edge that courses through a driving Krautrock sound that you cannot helped being consumed by.

 

Our Friends

Track: Rockets (Let’s Go) From: Shards (EP) Label:  Self released Out: Now

Sweeping Wake In June style jangly riffs contrasted against fuzz-pop strains and impassioned vocals. If post-punk did not actually end in 1988, this could actually be the modern version.

 

Morgues

Track: Animalistic From: Morgues (single) Label: Self released Out: Now

Babygirl style, massive dream-pop, that engulfs the listener with beautiful textures from every conceivable angle. An impressive debut from this Sydney based duo.

 

Always Tired

Track: We’re Just Gonna End Up Back Here Anyway From: We’re Just Gonna End Up Back Here Anyway (single) Label: Self released Out: Now

Scrappy, scratchily melodic, pop punk out of New York, imbued with the sort of impersonalisation that makes the best foundation for ‘that’ indie deadpan sound.

 

Chad Reynvaan

Track: Permanently Lost From: 21st Century (album) Label: Self released Out: Now

With the leftfield melodies of early era Wilco, this Anchorage based act manages to weave potted melodies among the all manner of  beguiling fuzzy strangeness.