1) Suki Waterhouse, “Loveland” / The British pop singer lands yet another knockout punch of an album—her second stellar effort in three years and third of the decade. Waterhouse understands how a great pop song sounds but never paints by the numbers, following her creative curiosities into the best sorts of places.
2) Margo Price, “Days of Unrest” / The country singer’s new, somewhat surprise protest album leans musically toward the Texas-Mexico border while highlighting both the timeliness and timelessness of our current political crises. This is a crucial musical document.
3) FATHERS, s/t / A supergroup to a certain type of listener, this soul-jazz collective (composed of Kenny Beats, Kiefer, CARRTOONS and Nate Smith) unites for an inaugural album that is smooth as hell but, like a bird who seems to glide along the surface of a pond, is always churning.
4) Paige Lewis, “Canon” / Known as a poet, Lewis tells a story both intimate and epic in their debut novel. A feat of voice and rhythm, “Canon” is a more ridiculous (positive) and progressive counterpart to those getting their fill of the Odyssey thanks to Christopher Nolan and Matt Damon. There are wild moves here, but never any false ones.
5) The writing of Matt Jakubowski / Whether in his chapbook “Ghost in the Rain” (which I’m savoring at a rate of one small story per sitting) or this bent verse, I’m currently delighting in and appreciative of Jakubowski’s unique economy of language.