Today I am taking Stilgar’s advice.
So, this week’s postcard for you consists of some tracks that I’ve been enjoying recently. Nothing more, nothing less.
We’re kicking off the postcard with an oldie that’s somehow avoided my detection until now. I’d originally heard ‘Laminated Cat’ on Jeff Tweedy’s underrated solo acoustic album from 2017, Together At Last. I didn’t recognise it from the Wilco albums I knew, but then again, there are a lot of Wilco albums, and thus my investigation went no further. That is until earlier this week, when out of the blue Meg put on the original version by Loose Fur whilst getting ready for the day. Apparently Loose Fur are a supergroup of Jeff Tweedy, Jim O’Rourke and Glenn Kotsche - how this slipped through my radar I do not know, but I can only apologise and hand in my indie credentials as soon as is appropriate. Joking aside, this is a cracking track. It’s one of those smart songs where the apparent simplicity of its structure hides a wealth of complexity. The sounds on this track are fascinating; each instrument seems to be crackling and humming with some kind of hidden electricity, buzzing in and out of sync with the ever driving drum beat. By the time the track really unfolds in its second half it’s impossible to not be stuck in its trance. If you’re at all a fan of the 2000-2010 heyday of indie music, this one has got to be on your to-listen-to list.
Now from something old to something very new. Glasshouse Red Spider Mite are a band I encountered last weekend at Homegrown Festival, a new multi-venue one-day festival in Brighton aimed at showcasing emerging talent from the city. It was an incredible day of music; we managed to end up catching a very respectable eight bands for our £20 tickets (!!!), all of whom were impressive in their own ways, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s edition. However, Glasshouse were the real standouts for me. I’m a sucker for slowcore, particularly when it evokes that feeling that each instrument or part of the music is perfectly placed within the sonic space of the track. This band deliver that feeling in spades. ‘Erstwhile’, the track I’ve included here (and the only track I can include as they’ve only released one song so far!), unfurls like the new frond of a fern, slowly revealing more beauty and complexity the longer that you pay attention to it. I’m really excited to see what these guys do next, and I’m sure that this won’t be their only inclusion in a postcard for you this year.
The final track I want to highlight today is by another artist I was introduced to live in the last couple of weeks. I caught Kiran Leonard supporting William Doyle in London, and was immediately mesmerized. I am fascinated by musicians who are entirely overtaken by the music that they are playing; where it seems like they are merely a conduit to some other force beyond the veil of rational thought. He opened his all too brief set with the piece I’ve included here, called ‘What Dust Is’, and he immediately cemented himself as someone that I needed to pay attention to. Whilst the track was stunning performed solo, the full band version on his record Trespass On Foot pt. 2 is a real thing of beauty that manages to keep you captivated throughout its impressive runtime. Banjos, choral vocals, wiry guitar parts, violin, cello and tape effects exist in a thriving ecosystem within the song, jostling for space but never for your attention. His new album came out last Wednesday, and it is a real stunner. It’s a little more direct than the track I’ve included here, but no less complex. If you like your music emotive and experimental, make sure to give it a listen this week.
But that’s not all! As a little bonus, I also want to give a shout out to Alex M who contacted me on Instagram to suggest the final track included this week - ‘Here Right Now’ by Justin Boyd and Garrett T. Capps. It’s a beautiful piece of ambient music that sounds like you’ve been accidentally caught in a beam of a old radio transmission sent out to space. What a perfect closer for this week’s postcard.
As always, you can find the link to the Tidal playlist here. I hope you find something in this week’s postcard that piques your fancy. Next week we have another reader requested theme… get hyped people.
Postcard 14: 22/04/2024.
Loose Fur - Laminated Cat
villagerrr - Neverrr Everrr
Cassandra Jenkins - Only One
The J. B.’s - Theme From King Heroin
Shabaka (feat. Moses Sumney) - Insecurities
Kiasmos - Flown
Glasshouse Red Spider Mite - Erstwhile
Kiran Leonard - What Dust Is
claire rousay - sycamore skylight
Garrett T. Capps & Justin Boyd - Here Right Now