August 2025 - More Than One Kind of Song Came Out of Lockdown
Albums
DAIISTAR - Good Time
A lot of what’s coming out right now was conceived during lockdown, and you can definitely see it in the themes. Loneliness, isolation, grief, fear, uncertainty… it cuts across media and culture, with varying degrees of directness, and it often results in art that’s difficult or cathartic. But not always. Once in a while, you get something like Good Time.
I suppose the timing was right. DAIISTAR formed a few weeks before lockdown began in the spring of 2020, and as the pandemic dragged on, the songs on Good Time offered them “a glimmer of light … There was something to look forward to and [they] kept [their] heads in the future,” as guitarist/vocalist Alex Capistran said.
You can hear that on the album. Good Time is an sundrenched, major-chord psychedelic haze, with hooky indie rock guitars and dreamy vocalizations. It gets better every time I listen to it, which I’ve done on about 40% of my long drives over the last few months. And if I think about what it must have been like to work on these songs, perfecting them over months and years, I can see how it would have been a relief to create something so light when things were so dark.
I want to talk about the album’s reception for a moment, because nearly all of the coverage I found was either on blogs by some random internet weirdo like me, or in publications based in DAIISTAR’s hometown of Austin. People love to say that things are dead. Disco, Burning Man, San Francisco, chivalry, Elvis… the list goes on, but in pretty much all cases (and all but two of the above), any modicum of closer inspection will show that the allegation is ridiculous. Weird Austin is still weird, and the music and the music publications are still there too, no matter how many tech bros film demos there.
Decius - Decius Vol. II (Splendour & Obedience)
As it turns out, I’ve been following the career of Lias Saoudi (aka Meat Divine) for nearly 10 years without even knowing it. He’s the voice of Fat White Family (see “Feet”) and Moonlandingz (see “Vessels”), and generally one of those weird-dudes-who-I-kinda-know-who-he-is that crop up in music once in a while. In fact, Decius is a supergroup of sorts. In addition to Saoudi, you’ve got Quinn Whaley of Paranoid London (see “Love One Self”) and Warmduscher (see “I Got Friends”), and Luke and Liam May of Trashmouth Records. Those guys have all made some fantastic music, and the horny-AF low-fi electronic sound of Decius makes a lot of sense as what would come out if you threw it all in a blender and poured it into bandcamp.
The other guys seem very willing to let Saoudi do the talking in interviews. He has a lot to say about the creation of each song and its inspiration, but the story I’ve read over and over is that he originally created the Decius persona at Berghain, the legendary nightclub in Berlin, when he was able to get in. Berghain is legendary for their bouncers’ pickiness, and he would regularly get turned away, even while he could hear his own music playing inside.
I’ve actually only heard Decius on a dance floor once, and I have to tell you, I don’t actually think it works. I mean, I love this music - It’s sleazy, weird, and hooky… it actually makes me a little uncomfortable in a good way - but I couldn’t really figure out how to dance to it, in spite of the fact that it’s so obviously inspired by dance music. It’s a little too slow, a little too subtle, for that. But man, it’s a lot of fun to listen to.
McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!
Music bloggers love a concept album and McKinley Dixon loves to give them to us. This one is a story about three kids trying to grapple with the death of their friend. They contemplate loss, leave monuments, and try to find a ritual that might just bring him back. Hence the title, Magic, Alive!. As you might expect, the album dips into some heavy themes: loss, death, grief, the meaning of friendship, and magic, but the overall tone is far from oppressive. The fantastic jazzy beats make it feel much more free than that.
He’s always been pretty incredible, and each album has built upon the previous one, thematically and sonically, including a lot of repeated collaborators - especially Alfred. and Ghais Guevera. As he said, “The way I write, they’re all different records, but they’re all in the same world. It’s sort of like Wes Anderson, for lack of a better example. Different movies, but the same people come in, so you’re aware of how he does it. There’s a familiarity that is inherent in his movies because of that, and that’s sort of what I’m trying to do.”
There’s also an ongoing arc in his music in its increasing instrumental complexity. The previous album, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? (inspired by the Toni Morrison books), incorporated a lot of jazz elements, often with live instrumentation. Magic, Alive! takes that idea to an extreme. It’s orchestral jazz maximalism, so dense that you could listen to it dozens of times and not hear everything.
Kit Sebastian - New Internationale
New Internationale’s influences are infectious all on their own: Turkish instrumentation, French cinema, American psychedelia, and sultriness. I’ve noticed a lot of sultriness coming out of the Anatolian peninsula lately. I wish I knew more about the musical history of that region so that I could put in in better context, but sultry neo-psychedelia definitely seems to be a theme over there, or at least a theme of the music that makes it to the US. My mind immediately goes to Gaye Su Akyol and Elif Çağlar because I wrote about them recently, but there are countless more.
That said, Kit Sebastian is more of a blend of cultures. The Turkish influence is very clear - vocalist Merve Erdem was born in Türkiye and frequently sings in Turkish - but together they’ve lived all over the world, including France, Italy, and St. Louis (???) before finally meeting in London.
There’s a lot going on here. There was a dizzying array of instruments involved in making this album: Turkish clarinet, santoor, oud, gangsa, zither, and harpsichord, in addition to all the instruments that are more readily recognizable to a US/European ear. I’d recommend spending some time with it and giving it more than one try because it takes a while to sink in.
Peter Perrett - The Cleansing
I’ll admit that before I heard The Cleansing, I had no idea who The Only Ones were, which is kind of embarrassing in that they wrote the song “Another Girl, Another Planet,” which was covered by The Replacements in 1997 and then again by Blink-182 in 2005 (Ok I’m less embarrassed about not knowing that one). But the thing is, they just didn’t release all that much music. In fact, Peter Perrett comes up regularly in Reddit threads about squandered talent. Addiction is a serious thing, and in this case, it led to a very talented musician being nearly lost in obscurity.
The Only Ones broke up in 1981, leading Perrett into a career-killing spiral that lasted until 2008, and then a long recovery period until finally quitting everything in 2015. In that 34 year period, he’d occasionally quit for a short time and release a single or two, or tour with The Only Ones briefly before relapsing again. It wasn’t until 2017 that he finally started releasing music again with the help of his two sons, and stayed sober to continue releasing music until the present day.
He’s 73 now, and the 20-track double-album The Cleansing is a frank look back at his life, the years he lost to addiction, the state of the music industry, and a death that he suspects is not far off. It’s heavy stuff, but it’s also truly great rock music. Its perspective is clear and the music is catchy. He’s clearly acquired a lot of wisdom in his life, and he rarely sounds truly broken and dejected. Instead, I just get the sense that he lived through a lot and finally gained strength in the final stretch.
In interviews, Perrett frequently talks about the music Johnny Cash produced in the last years of his life, and how he feels that he’s on a similar trajectory. I think it’s a very fair comparison, because if I’m honest, I think this is the best stuff I’ve heard from him. He also seems to have picked up some aspects of Cash’s “Man in Black” look, and he wears it well in video for “I Wanna Go With Dignity” - I find it haunting how composed and dapper he looks in the suit, sunglasses, and hat, and how frail or even grotesque he looks when he takes it off.
It’s a heavy story, but I’m glad to know that he found a way to have one last triumph.
Tracks
Sunflower Bean - Nothing Romantic
I love those 80’s rock harmonies in what is otherwise a 90’s rock song. I saw these guys a few months ago and they were awesome, and actually much harder than how it came out on the album Mortal Primetime. Both versions are great, but it’s interesting how different they are. I also found it very endearing that at the end of the show, Julia Cumming said, “Thank you, Medford!” Not only did she know that she was more-or-less in Boston, she even knew the name of the obscure almost-suburb that doesn’t even have a T stop. I appreciate that.
GLOK, Timothy Clerkin - Empyrean
Alliance is a weird album, the kind where track-by-track, I flip between loving it and hating it. This track, I love. “AmigA,” I love. “Scattered,” I love. “Nothing Ever,” I hate. Go figure.
And apparently it’s a Dutch DJ and the guitarist from RIDE? Go figure again.
Population II - Le thé est prêt
Quebec is getting in on the psych-rock too. The album Maintenant Jamais has a lot of good stuff on it, and a lot of stuff that strikes me as like, well, fine. But this song is pretty great, and these guys are going on tour with one of my favorite bands this fall, Frankie and the Witch Fingers. Every band I’ve seen them tour with has been amazing, so I’m optimistic about this one too.
Rahill, Beck - Fables
If you listened to this track and thought, “Hey, is that Beck?” then you’re more observant than I am. I actually thought that maybe it was some other Beck until bandcamp confirmed it. But nope, that’s the guy. I have to remember - he’s not always ironic. Remember Sea Change?
Anyway. This is just a nice dream-pop track. Enjoy!
Jael, Sister Nancy - Nancy Junglist
It really makes my life difficult when people name themselves things like “Jael.” Like, is this the same as the R&B guy or the R&B girl or the other R&B guy or the other R&B girl? Or is this a totally different Jael who just does jungle remixes of classic songs? I wish I could tell you.
Miss Monique, Genesi, Carl Bee - Nomacita
If you like melodic techno (which I do), you might know the name Miss Monique, a DJ/label head/producer formerly from Kyiv (now Portugal). She plays a mean techno set, and produced this track that I’d very much like to hear mixed live, but for now I’ll settle for it being in my headphones.
Kabin Crew, Lisdoonvarna Crew - The Spark
Now, if you’re listening to this and thinking, “Um, is this a bunch of rapping Irish 10-year-olds?” well, yes. Yes it is.
But um, it’s pretty good? Kabin Crew was created as an attempt to create an anthem for Cruinniú na nÓg, a holiday celebrating the creativity of Irish children. The song took off so fast that it actually caused a minor controversy when the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris and his Fine Gael party used the track in a campaign ad without giving credit. The world is a weird place, dude.
Anyway, Kabin Crew also has another banger called “Sound of the Northside.” I think the kids are a little older on that one, but you can’t argue with the flow. That, I’m told, is how they do it in Cork.
dodie - Old Devil moon
This cover comes from a compilation called Chet Baker Re:imagined, part of the “Re:Imagined” Blue Note series. I’m not sure what the colon is doing there, but why not? They’re free, I guess. As you might imagine, it’s a collection of modern renditions of Chet Baker songs, several of which are pretty good.
As for dodie, she began her career as a YouTuber. She published her first video with an original song in 2011, which means that at the time she would have been [does math] 16. Now, she has three albums of jazz-inflected pop out there. I’m partial to “I Feel Bad For You, Dave,” the video for which stars Jeff Goldblum and a would-be murderer played by someone named Camara “Miles” Hall. I haven’t been able to find much about him, but I like him in this. He kinda looks like Richard Ayoade’s character Moss in The IT Crowd.
cumgirl8 - ahhhh!hhhh! (i don't wanna go)
I think it’s important to have some music in your rotation that you don’t understand. It usually turns out that you either love it or hate it, but it takes time to decide. This album, the 8th cumming, is weird in a way I haven’t heard before. A way that makes you go, “Um, is it supposed to sound like this?” (see “Karma Police,” which sounds nothing like the other “Karma Police”)
I’ve seen cumgirl8 twice, both times as an opening band. I don’t remember very much about it, but both times I remember thinking “I’m not sure what this is, but it’s fun to watch.” I had pretty much the same reaction to the video for “ahhhh!hhhh! (i don't wanna go),” which features a pretty good (and confusing) bit in which Susan Sontag makes out with herself.
I confess that I haven’t spent that much time with the 8th cumming as a whole, but this song is definitely the most accessible. It’s been stuck in my head on and off for a week, especially when I’ve been invited to something and I don’t wanna go.
Samara Cyn - Katana
I’m a sucker for a good bassline, but who isn’t? Samara Cyn is primarily an R&B singer, which puts her a little bit outside of my wheelhouse, but this is a pretty great rap track.
Getdown Services - Dog Dribble
Getdown Services has a couple good singles now (see “Crisps”) and a pretty clear direction to go as a dance-rock band. There’s a lot of silliness here, as well as mock-sleaziness. This one is quite a lot more rock-flavored than their previous album, so I’m curious to see where the next album goes.
Sextile - Disco
I wasn’t happy that I didn’t have any industrial in here yet.
BIG WETT - SHE GOT THAT THING
With tracks like “Eat My Ass,” “NUMBER 1 PUSSY,” and “Bags,” you probably won’t be terribly surprised that a lot of what BIG WETT does is repeat dirty stuff. This track, though, is also a beautiful production with lots of warm, gently undulating synth sounds to balance out the over-the-top lyrics. And honestly, “She got that thing / I like it” is pretty tame for her (the second part of the lyric is more characteristic).
Sorry - Waxwing
I’m really excited for Sorry’s new album COSPLAY to come out in November. They have a number of singles that I absolutely love (see “Starstruck” and “Let the Lights On”), and I haven’t heard anything quite like the dissonance they use. In this one they also do a really grimy reimagining of “Hey Micky!” and I’m here for it.
La Sécurité - Detour
I’m not sure whether La Sécurité reminds me of Gut Health or vice versa, but it probably doesn’t matter because I like them both.
DoFlame - Drunk Talk
Once in a while I put on GET BENT! thinking that maybe this will be the time I get into it. It’s a creative take on both hardcore and hip-hop that I feel like I should like, but I have a really hard time with that particular tone of screaming, unfortunately. It’s a personal flaw. I’m cheating here by calling out a track in which he’s not doing that.
Anyway, you should go listen to it because it is good and maybe you’re better about that than I am.
Skeleten - Love Enemy
I love how that guitar adds a bit of spice.
Lord Huron, Kristen Stewart - Who Laughs Last
Everyone loves a driving song about someone driving.
Alice Longyu Gao - yAPPER
I did “Little Piggy” last month, but I wanted to include this one because it’s a completely different side of Alice Longyu Gao. One that I’m surprised that I like, but here we are.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Freedom of the Night
Disco is not dead (see above).
Lenny Pearce - Macarena
I won’t try to talk you into it. I’m just going to say that it’s a pretty great remix, but no one’s making you listen to it if you don’t want to. It’s ok for us to disagree sometimes, Reader. Boundaries are important.