Presenting this week’s collection of streamable albums: The latest from Washed Out, Psychic Teens, Julianna Barwick, and Typhoon. Dig into those and more below.
1) Washed Out, Paracosm. “[“It All Feels Right”] is hardly your standard chillwave fare, nor the dip into the Balearic beat pool that was 2011’s excellent Within and Without. With an assist from that LP’s producer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter), the new single is lush with diverse instrumentation and flush with vintage exotica vibes, perhaps as refracted through the Avalanches’ sampledelic kaleidoscope. The dreamy orchestral affair fittingly celebrates warm weather and pleasant escapes — throwing its hat in the ring as an early contender for Anthem of the Summer.” — SPIN (via iTunes)
2) Julianna Barwick, Nepenthe. “Julianna Barwick makes grand, gracefully sweeping choral music that’s so swoonily lovely, it’s far too easy to lose sight of the craft that went into making it. Barwick takes small vocal phrases and bits of instrumentation, samples them and loops them impeccably to create a sound that tentatively recalls the impossible lushness of Enya when it’s not fanning out into sounds that can be experimental, spare, artful and alluring… Barwick has assembled a string of lovely, imaginative, hypnotically enveloping albums — the latest of which, Nepenthe, surrounds countless fragments of her voice with subtle snatches of piano, strings and even, in ‘Pyrrhic,’ tiny effects that recall Sigur Rós.” (via NPR)
3) Typhoon, White Lighter. “Kyle Morton writes songs for Typhoon as if they were the last works he might ever create. His band is big by rock standards, with somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen members playing mighty, powerful songs whose instrumentation conveys big, bold joy… They’ve put out some memorable music, but the new White Lighter takes the promise they’ve shown and delivers completely. The uplifting melodies and rhythms that sway and swing, mixed with lyrics about hopeless dreams and cold realities, works so well.” (via NPR)
4) Psychic Teens, COME. “The Psychic Teens blur shoegaze-swelled guitar lines, beefy surf-punk bass lines, and echoes of post-punk forefathers moaning from the grave — all punctuated, of course, by a little bit of clairvoyance… The result is the band’s hypnotic second release, the stunning COME, a never-get-clean call-and-response record offering a darker, moodier version of the clanging-and-banging nü-pigfuck of bands like Pissed Jeans, Pop. 1280, and Destruction Unit.” (via SPIN)
5) Jesse Woods, Get Your Burdens Lifted. “Hazy, scorched-earth imagery populates [lo-fi strummer Jesse Woods’] first album. Out August 6 via Guns in the Sun Records, Get Your Burdens Liftedis a collection of nine broken-hearted, quietly ambitious songs. It’s a record of half-remembered, alcohol-soaked memories, ones filled with shattered glass and broken jaws, cold blood, and dreams that turn ‘inside-out.'” (via SPIN)
6) Ras G, Back on the Planet. “Ras G may be a born-and-raised Los Angeleno, but he’s also a bona fide ‘Brotha From Anotha Planet,’ as an earlier album’s title made clear… A deep dive into any section of the man’s oeuvre will reveal truth aplenty: abstracted Jamaican dub, digitized African polyrhythms, Eno-esque forays into ambience, noise-addled rap beats, space-oriented free jazz and — when he’s feeling generous — sampled wisdom from the god Sun Ra… Ras’ latest is Back on the Planet… The 16-song set’s titular opener hits hard but serves as a necessary reset before ‘All Is Well…’ grabs ahold of your ears with a groove that’s as lovely as it is utterly hypnotic.” (via SPIN)
7) Dumb Numbers, Dumb Numbers. “Australian songwriter Adam Harding writes songs with the bubblegaze hooks of 4AD dream-pop and the cuddlebug sludge of Bleach-era Nirvana, both on display on his self-titled debut… After spending years directing music videos and hanging around L.A., he has a formidable Rolodex of alt-rock heavy-hitters, a few of whom he recruited to help out: Sebadoh founder Lou Barlow, Melvins drummer Dale Crover, Dinosaur Jr. drummer Murph, Best Coast’s Bobb Bruno, and Emperor X’s Chad R. Metheny. This swift nine-song suite mixes their many talents with cheery hooks, spiraling solos, chiming harmonies, and no shortage of Bullhead-era Melvins feedback.” (via SPIN)
8) Outfit, Performance. “Since they first emerged in 2011, Liverpool’s Outfit have issued a number of apocalyptic-pop singles… and the R&B-inflected 2012 EP Another Nights Dreams Reach Earth Again. Now, the noir five-piece are ready to drop their self-produced debut album, Performance, on August 12. The 10-track mood piece marries tight, dance-friendly live instrumentation and meticulously crafted samples that draw from field recordings and everyday noises. Despite their tendency to skew dark, Outfit are often compared to another synth-savvy U.K. crew: Hot Chip.” (via SPIN)
9) The Icarus Line, Slave Vows. “The bad-boys of internet 1.0, the Icarus Line, have abandoned the nü-romantic/Birthday Party/shoegaze sexiness of their last few records and have dove headfirst into broken glass for something a little more feral and fanged. Fifth album Slave Vows welcomes you to theFunhouse, with seven- and 10-minute long dirges that cycle with crusted-over riffs, desperate yowls, interminable drones, and at least one song that devolves into the type of Albert Ayler-fueled noise breakdowns beloved by the Stooges and MC5.” (via SPIN)
10) Bare Mutants, The Affliction. “In the absence of new music from the Ponys, fans of noise-streaked rock can turn their lonely eyes to Bare Mutants. The Ponys haven’t put out a studio album since 2007’s bracing Turns the Lights Out dropped via Matador, but the Chicago band’s frontman, Jered Gummere, is back leading a fresh five-piece. Bare Mutants, who also include members of Mannequin Men and the 1900s, will release debut full-length The Affliction on August 9… Both [‘Crying With Bob’ and ‘Growing’] are patiently sculpted works rich with fuzzy guitar, garage-rock organ, and echoing baritone vocals.” — SPIN (via Pitchfork)
