The Fortnightly Playlist, April 21st, 2024

Well, this was a big release weekend, wasn’t it? If you know me, then you know I’m a longtime Pearl Jam fan. If you know my wife, then you know she’s a Swiftie. With both albums dropping on Friday, there was a lot to listen to. In addition, New Age Healers released their latest a day later, and it is fantastic.

I still am loving Mary Timony’s newest album, Untame the Tiger. As the veteran of numerous groups, this is her first solo album since 2005, but she’s been far from quiet in that time. Over the last 30 years or so she’s given us music through projects such as Autoclave, Helium, Hammered Hulls, Ex Hex, and M. Timony Band. I think this solo record may be her best release yet of all these projects.

Pearl Jam’s 12th full-length album comes after what feels like a short 4 years since 2020’s Gigaton. Not sure if that’s because latter day Pearl Jam albums seem to come further apart or if that’s the Covid years messing with me again. In the interim since Gigaton, Vedder released and toured in support of his album, Earthling, Ament released multiple solo albums and film score, Gossard released the final Brad album partially recorded before the death of Shawn Smith in 2019, McCready contributed to Ozzy Osbourne’s latest album, and Cameron released music with supergroup 3rd Secret. This album feels far more cohesive than Pearl Jam albums of the last couple decades, and there are good reasons for that. The band bringing songs to the group mostly formed, and then finished them together, but on this record there was a return to writing together in a shorter period of time. The result is what I think is their best overall record since 2002’s Riot Act. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve had some excellent material between then and now, but this is the most cohesive and consistent album since then in my opinion.

I have a lot of love for the new Charlie Parr, New Age Healers, Chicano Batman, and Kacey Musgraves albums lately as well. They’re well worth your time.

Tracklist:
Iron & Wine – You Never Know
Hurray For The Riff Raff – Alibi
Orville Peck, Willie Nelson – Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Eachother
New Age Healers – Radiate
Pearl Jam – Upper Hand
Taylor Swift – But Daddy I Love HimMary Timony – Dominoes
Gary Clark Jr, Stevie Wonder – What About the Children?
Chicano Batman, Say She She – The Way You Say It
The Dandy Warhols, Slash – I’d Like to Help You with Your Problem
Beyonce – Tyrant
Charles Lloyd – Lift Every Voice and Sing
Charlie Parr – Pale Fire
Adrianne Lenker – Sadness As a Gift
Kacey Musgraves – The Architect
Erika de Casier – Believe It
Pearl Jam – Got To Give
Kim Gordon – Shelf Warmer
Jeff Johnson, Phil Keaggy – Floating In This Confluence

The Fortnightly Playlist, April 7th, 2024

This edition is a big one. I’m really loving this new music from Charlie Parr, Mary Timony, New Age Healers, Kacey Musgraves, Brimheim, Charles Lloyd, Salt Cathedral, and the new Beyonce album (no escaping that one).

So let’s talk about that big album everyone is talking about because there are a couple issues I have… not so much with the album itself, but with the problematic marketing scheme. First off, anyone who heard “Beyonce is releasing a Country album” and then listened to it may find themselves divided. To start the conversation, it’s a blinding album. It’s an incredible, genre-spanning masterpiece… and that’s why all the headlines saying “Beyonce is releasing a Country album” were reductive misrepresentations. Also, Beyonce herself saying that this album was about reclaiming the Black roots of country music feels no quite honest. Yes, there are elements of Country music woven throughout. And yes, there are players included such as Rhiannon Giddens who features on the banjo on “Texas Hold’em”, but unless you are digging into the liner notes there is little to point the listener to those vaguely-referenced roots of Country music. Perhaps what annoys me with this is that I would not be judging it on this criteria if not guided to do so by all of this press that came out before the record. I would just be listening to this incredible masterpiece, and enjoying it. So much of the conversation has become “is it Country or not?” and it seems like that does this album an injustice.

If you know me then it’s no secret that my all-time favorite band is Pearl Jam, and I’m so excited for their new album out on the 19th. However, there’s another rock album I’m almost just as excited for right now, and that is The Spin Out by New Age Healers out the very next day. These first two singles we’ve gotten from New Age Healers, the title track featured on my last playlist and All Wrapped Up featured here, are both among my favorite songs this year. I’ve enjoyed the band before now, but I think these new songs are on a new level for them. Definitely give them a listen!

So many favorites this edition! Charlie Parr, Mary Timony, Chicano Batman, Kacey Musgraves, Iron & Wine, and Gary Clark Jr all out with albums are in the running for my favorites this year.

Tracklist:
Empress Of – For Your Consideration
Beyonce – Ameriican Requiem
Gary Clark Jr, Valerie June – Don’t Start
The Black Keys – This is Nowhere
Waxahatchee – Bored
Charlie Parr – Portland Avenue
Adrianne Lenker – Candleflame
Kacey Musgraves – Jade Green
Iron & Wine, Fiona Apple – All in Good Time
Mary Timony – Untame the Tiger
Francis of Delirium – Alone Tonight
Blondshell, Bully – Docket
New Age Healers – All Wrapped Up
Dandy Warhols – Root of All Evil
Chicano Batman – Parallels
Ibibio Sound Machine – Mama Say
Brittany Davis – Never
Shabazz Palaces, Lavarr the Starr – Cinnamon Bun
Brimheim – Fell Through the Ice
Salt Cathedral – Off The Walls
Erika de Casier – Lucky
Charles Lloyd – Defiant, Tender Warrior
Julia Holter – Something In The Room She Moves
Ride – Last Frontier
Kim Gordon – Trophies