1) Tennis, “Face Down In The Garden” / The music of partners Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley has been a constant presence since I discovered them through their 2017, mid-catalog record “Yours Conditionally.” The pair creates from a deep well of pop history while always looking up and out. “Face Down …” is intended to be the last record under the Tennis name and what a swan song—this is sleek, sexy, sharp songcraft that accesses new dimensions of desire.
2) The music of Nation of Language / I dig just about everything this Brooklyn trio puts on record but, about once a month or so, I have a stretch where all I want to listen to (anywhere, anytime) is their propulsive 2021 anthem “Across That Fine Line.” And I seek out just about every live video or alternate version I can find. This is one of those stretches.
3) Lonnie Holley, “Tonky” / Every Lonnie Holley album feels like an event, a quietly humane event. The 75-year-old musician and artist calls up the likes of Mary Lattimore, Open Mike Eagle, Isaac Brock and Saul Williams to once again enrich and illuminate the best truths this world houses.
4) Broncho, “Natural Pleasure” / On their first record since 2018, this Oklahoma band creates an alluring unity between dreamy pop and earthy Americana. These songs swirl around the listener and get under the skin in all the best ways.
5) The Golden Dregs, “Godspeed” / The British band creates a subtle masterpiece with “Godspeed,” a burrowing, beckoning record marked by its craft and dark charisma.