If you’re anything like us, you’re probably overwhelmed by the sheer number of albums being released on a weekly basis.
Popdust’s weekly column, Indie Roundup, finds the five best albums coming out each week so that you don’t have to. Every Friday, we’ll tell you what’s worth listening to that might not already be on your radar.
Andrew Bird, Hark!
If you’re of the “it’s never too early to listen to Christmas music” camp, look no further than the new holiday album from indie folk veteran Andrew Bird. Just a year after his last proper record, My Finest Work Yet, Bird’s latest album is a hodgepodge of original material as well as re0imaginations and covers of both Christmas classics and deep cuts.
The 13-track album features Bird’s interpretations of John Cale’s “Andalucia,” John Prine’s “Souvenirs,” and the Handsome Family’s “So Much Wine” remade as “Greenwine.” Allow Bird to help dig you out of your seasonal depression with ethereal harmonies, peaceful guitar and banjo plucks, and of course, his trademark whistle.
For fans of Fleet Foxes, Beirut, and Grizzly Bear.
Nothing, The Great Dismal
Blending the abrasive tendencies of metal with glimmering shoegaze melodies, four-piece rock band Nothing are rounding out their first decade together with their fourth studio album, The Great Dismal. A fitting title for the relentless storm that is 2020, The Great Dismal finds itself at the crossroads of a looming apocalypse and the band’s real-life hometown of Philadelphia.
“The Great Dismal refers to a swamp, a brilliant natural trap where survival is custom fit to its inhabitants,” frontman Domenic Palermo says of the record’s origins. “The nature of its beautiful, but taxing environment and harsh conditions can’t ever really be shaken or forgotten too easily.” Featuring contributions from beloved singer-songwriter Alex G and contemporary harpist Mary Lattimore, The Great Dismal drowns out the noise of the world with both horror and beauty.
For fans of Hum and Ovlov.
Oneohtrix Point Never, Magic Oneohtrix Point Never
Daniel Lopatin, the electronic musician and producer best known as Oneohtrix Point Never, returns today with Magic Oneohtrix Point Never. This record follows a jam-packed past few years, with Lopatin releasing two EPs and a full-length album as Oneohtrix Point Never in 2018 and scoring the Safdie Brothers’ cult-favorite drama Uncut Gems last year.
Taking inspiration from classic American radio formats and quirks, Magic Oneohtrix Point Never is a slightly more conventional side of Lopatin; standouts on the album include the melodic “I Don’t Love Me Anymore” and “Long Road Home,” the latter of which features vocals from Caroline Polachek. But even among its poppier moments, Magic Oneohtrix Point Never is a sprawling project that’s sure to please fans of OPN’s ambient work.
For fans of Tim Hecker, John Maus, and Grouper.
Sinai Vessel, Ground Aswim
Caleb Cordes recorded his latest album in rural Texas, after his project Sinai Vessel pared down from a trio back to just a solo project. With these circumstances, Ground Aswim sees Cordes shift from melodic emo of Sinai Vessel’s 2017 breakout Brokenlegged to rootsy folk-rock. This album was recorded live and uses minimal overdubs, with the resulting rawness allowing Cordes’s vocals and songwriting to take the spotlight.
For fans of LVL UP and Slaughter Beach, Dog.
Knox Fortune, Stock Child Wonder
After landing a feature on Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book track “All Night,” Knox Fortune has become an exciting underground figure in Chicago’s music scene. The producer and songwriter born Kevin Rhomberg returns with Stock Child Wonder, another collection of Knox Fortune’s idiosyncratic electronic pop. Combining conventional melodies with off-kilter production and a retro appeal, Stock Child Wonder is a feel-good record to fend off the upcoming winter gloom.
For fans of Grapetooth and Gus Dapperton.
