Top Moon Tunes 2018 Volume 3
In just less than a month since Part 2 The Moon presents Part 3 of monthlyish top tuneage and just in time for Ēostre
As usual it is embedded below via Playmoss and so playable via any old interweb connected device and for the first time is fully available via Spotify
To prove the crisis in guitar music it kicks off with 5 tracks from singer-songwriter guitarists, but then does include some folksiness, some Top Pop and a little soul and ends with a powerful slice of "art pop, drone and post-metal". It is the least achingly Anglo-Saxon of the year so far and contains not one artist from a Brexshit voting nation, but is rather Trumplyland heavy.
Below the playlist there is a bit of guff on each artist.
Ms Heynerickx is from Oregon in Trumplyland and was brought to my attention via God Is On The TV on the release of this track as a single. She has since released an impressive debut LP of punky folk. This track is one of the more striking numbers and I hope her follow-up has more like it.
2. Courtney Barnett - Nameless, Faceless
Ms Barnett is a multiple Moon offender since the release of her initial EP releases as an album in 2014. And pretty soon after last years release with Kurt Vile, she is back with this excellent piss take of interweb trolls.
3. Lucy Dacus - Night Shift
I have been aware of Ms Dacus from Richmond, Virginia in Trumpyland, thanks to the AV Club making her debut LP one of their albums of the year in 2016, but it did not quite float my boat beyond the single I don't want to be funny anymore. It was self-released and apparently recorded in a day and Historian, her debut LP on a record label, is a step up sonically. It is reminiscent of Sharon Van Etten, but with a bigger sound and instrumentation similar to later period Delgados. On the brilliant Timefighter the guitar sounds positively Brian May like. Historian is The Moon album of the month and this track has the chorus and best opening line of the year so far.
4. Margaret Glaspy - One Heart Two Arms
Ms Glaspy is from California but is now Brooklyn, Trumpyland based. She first featured on The Moon on A Best of 2016 with the excellent You and I from her debut LP. For her entry I wrote "the whole LP is strong songwise with just a couple of tracks getting a bit too M.O.R. I hope the marketing types don't push her too much in that direction and her next steps are more PJ Harvey like. Well, she has recently released a new 3 track EP and the lead track Before We Were Together is a poptastic tune which could have been ruined by over-production but thankfully isn't. This track is her at her most PJ Harvey like with a great guitar sound and the remaining track is of a similar vintage. The EP is however a "bookend" to her LP a as she told NPR: "I've started to write a little bit with other instruments and in more of a MIDI world, which has been a really fun departure and has challenged me. I suppose everyone, in some way, has their ceiling in what they're able to do on an instrument. I think that I've been excited to try different things lately because I've been playing so much guitar in these tours and it's been fun to try other things, other processes."
5. Martha Ffion - No Applause
This is the first re-offender in the Top Tunes of 2018. She is an Irish songwriter based in Glasgow in the Land of More Enlightenment to the north of The North and she has now released her debut LP. It is one that has been brewing for a while and it is a very fine 10 track album, but one that could do with a couple more tracks like this one to give it a bit more oomph. This track was actually first released as a single back in 2015 and on Playmoss it is that version that is featured via Bandcamp.
6. Aidan Moffat & RM Hubbert (feat. Siobhan Wilson) - Cockcrow
Mr Moffat produced The Moon album of the year in 2016 and now he is back with a collaboration with RM Hubbert and this first release from it is an extremely promising start. It also features up and coming singer-songwriter Siobhan Wilson, who released her debut LP last year, and they all hail from The Land of More Enlightenment to the north of The North.
7. Superorganism - Reflections On The Screen
This is one of the more reflective songs from a very promising debut LP from a bunch of citizens of nowhere. They are a collaboration between The Eversons from New Zealand and 17 year old Orono Noguchi, a fan they met on tour in Japan, and this track is one that highlights her brilliant voice. They are hard to categorise, but one obvious comparison is Gorillaz and Ms Noguchi would make a great future collaborator for Mr Albarn. They apparently begun working together via the interweb from various parts of the world, but have now got together with 3 other members and are based in London, the island of (relative) enlightenment within Brexshit Blightly.
8. Janelle Monáe - Make Me Feel
Ms Monáe, from Kansas in Trumpyland, first featured on The Moon back on A Best of 2013 where I said "Exceedingly talented stuff with the best thing I have heard Prince do for decades." Well this new track is very reminiscent of the sadly late Purple legend and it turns out that it was inspired by a synth line that he wrote. It is also a very promising indicator for a new album that has been a long time coming.
9. Father John Misty - Mr Tillman
Father John Misty or Josh Tillman is a multiple Moon offender appearing in Moon yearly best ofs since 2012 and with a post for his 2015 album. He has said he will be following-up last years rather overblown effort soon and this first single is encouraging. It continues his habit of self-mythologising, but it is one of his more poptastic and amusing tracks. It is best to not take his Father John Misty incarnation too seriously and he is at his best when he does not take himself too seriously.
10. Unlikely Friends - All The Cameras In Japan
This duo are from Seattle in Trumpyland and were, unsurprisingly first brought to my attention by A Finest Kiss and there debut album featured on The Moon back in 2015. This follow-up is thankfully more consistently great and more diverse, with this track being one of many highlights. They are still rather like REM at their most muscular but with a bit more They Might be Giants.
11. Kevin Morby & Waxahatchee - Farewell Transmission
Mr Morby from Kansas, Trumplyland first appeared on The Moon via A Best of 2016 part 1 and he should have re-appeared on a Best of 2017, but I managed to miss the release of his last LP and only got round to listening to it on the release of this track. It is part of a double A side release and both tracks feature Katie Crutchfield aka Waxahatchee, from Birmingham, Alabama in Trumpyland, and she is an artist I have checked out with the release of her last two albums, but they have not quite managed to float my boat despite her wonderful voice.
12. Darlingside - Futures
Some actual folk music brought to my attention by FRUK from a band from Boston, MA in Trumpyland. It is s very modern type of folk music that has been very well described by NPR as "exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop". This track is just one of many highlights.
13. Chad VanGaalen - Pine and Clover
6. Aidan Moffat & RM Hubbert (feat. Siobhan Wilson) - Cockcrow
Mr Moffat produced The Moon album of the year in 2016 and now he is back with a collaboration with RM Hubbert and this first release from it is an extremely promising start. It also features up and coming singer-songwriter Siobhan Wilson, who released her debut LP last year, and they all hail from The Land of More Enlightenment to the north of The North.
7. Superorganism - Reflections On The Screen
This is one of the more reflective songs from a very promising debut LP from a bunch of citizens of nowhere. They are a collaboration between The Eversons from New Zealand and 17 year old Orono Noguchi, a fan they met on tour in Japan, and this track is one that highlights her brilliant voice. They are hard to categorise, but one obvious comparison is Gorillaz and Ms Noguchi would make a great future collaborator for Mr Albarn. They apparently begun working together via the interweb from various parts of the world, but have now got together with 3 other members and are based in London, the island of (relative) enlightenment within Brexshit Blightly.
8. Janelle Monáe - Make Me Feel
Ms Monáe, from Kansas in Trumpyland, first featured on The Moon back on A Best of 2013 where I said "Exceedingly talented stuff with the best thing I have heard Prince do for decades." Well this new track is very reminiscent of the sadly late Purple legend and it turns out that it was inspired by a synth line that he wrote. It is also a very promising indicator for a new album that has been a long time coming.
9. Father John Misty - Mr Tillman
Father John Misty or Josh Tillman is a multiple Moon offender appearing in Moon yearly best ofs since 2012 and with a post for his 2015 album. He has said he will be following-up last years rather overblown effort soon and this first single is encouraging. It continues his habit of self-mythologising, but it is one of his more poptastic and amusing tracks. It is best to not take his Father John Misty incarnation too seriously and he is at his best when he does not take himself too seriously.
10. Unlikely Friends - All The Cameras In Japan
This duo are from Seattle in Trumpyland and were, unsurprisingly first brought to my attention by A Finest Kiss and there debut album featured on The Moon back in 2015. This follow-up is thankfully more consistently great and more diverse, with this track being one of many highlights. They are still rather like REM at their most muscular but with a bit more They Might be Giants.
11. Kevin Morby & Waxahatchee - Farewell Transmission
Mr Morby from Kansas, Trumplyland first appeared on The Moon via A Best of 2016 part 1 and he should have re-appeared on a Best of 2017, but I managed to miss the release of his last LP and only got round to listening to it on the release of this track. It is part of a double A side release and both tracks feature Katie Crutchfield aka Waxahatchee, from Birmingham, Alabama in Trumpyland, and she is an artist I have checked out with the release of her last two albums, but they have not quite managed to float my boat despite her wonderful voice.
12. Darlingside - Futures
Some actual folk music brought to my attention by FRUK from a band from Boston, MA in Trumpyland. It is s very modern type of folk music that has been very well described by NPR as "exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop". This track is just one of many highlights.
13. Chad VanGaalen - Pine and Clover
Yet more great non-folk music brought to my attention by FRUK. It is from an album from 2017 but I was introduced to it only recently due to a FRUK post for the video for the track Host Body. Mr VanGaalen hails from Calgary in The Land of Enlightenment to the north of Trumplyland and this track is from his 8th LP. His listed genres on Wikipedia are Indie rock, folk, electronica, but on this album his sound can be best described as modern rock 'n|' roll.
14. Holly Miranda - Exquisite (feat Kyp Malone)
Ms Miranda is from Detroit, Trumpyland but is now new York based and this track is from her 5th solo album plus two more LPs with The Jealous Girlfriends. She was only recently brought to my attention by GIITTV and The VPME. This track featured TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone and begins with a line taken straight from John Lennon's Jealous Guy, but then develops into a wonderful slice of Top Pop and is taken from a fine album described by the VPME as "her finest and most consistent work to date."
15 . Anna von Hausswolff - The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra
Ms von Hausswolff is from Sweden and so will be not be losing her citizenship of The (relative) Union of Enlightenment, and will also continue to not use the Euro. I have been made aware of her by GIITTV and The VPME for a few years but have filed her under (very impressive) style over substance. However, with her latest album the style is still very powerfully impressive, but also the tunes are at least more obvious as evidenced by this track. There are only 4 other tracks on the album but this is the second shortest and as a whole it clocks in at over 40 minutes. It is her 4th LP and her sound has been described as "art pop, drone and post-metal".
14. Holly Miranda - Exquisite (feat Kyp Malone)
Ms Miranda is from Detroit, Trumpyland but is now new York based and this track is from her 5th solo album plus two more LPs with The Jealous Girlfriends. She was only recently brought to my attention by GIITTV and The VPME. This track featured TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone and begins with a line taken straight from John Lennon's Jealous Guy, but then develops into a wonderful slice of Top Pop and is taken from a fine album described by the VPME as "her finest and most consistent work to date."
15 . Anna von Hausswolff - The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra
Ms von Hausswolff is from Sweden and so will be not be losing her citizenship of The (relative) Union of Enlightenment, and will also continue to not use the Euro. I have been made aware of her by GIITTV and The VPME for a few years but have filed her under (very impressive) style over substance. However, with her latest album the style is still very powerfully impressive, but also the tunes are at least more obvious as evidenced by this track. There are only 4 other tracks on the album but this is the second shortest and as a whole it clocks in at over 40 minutes. It is her 4th LP and her sound has been described as "art pop, drone and post-metal".
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