Nostalgic and mellow releases
This week’s new releases either remind us of someone we used to know or ARE from someone we used to know. Either way, what bliss.
Local
Rag Dogs, Finger Painted Dreams
Sweet mellowness floats over “Finger Painted Dreams.” Soft mandolin and fiddle work with gentle vocals to create a record that sounds peaceful and whimsical all at once. It makes us happy and sad, drifting into a zen melancholy.
Cory Fay, Greetings From The Apocalypse Club
“Greetings From The Apocalypse Club” feels like Cory Fay’s most fleshed-out work yet. It’s got the garage band quality we’ve grown to love from the artist, with deeply emotive lyrics and storytelling that will knock you out of your seat if you’re paying attention.
New Albums
Willie Nelson, First Rose of Spring
Yes, Willie Nelson is still making music. And we still feel lucky for it. Even if Willie’s voice has changed over the decades he’s been performing and recording, he’s still an extraordinary musician. “First Rose of Spring” is a record of tracks that sound like love songs, even when they aren’t.
Dizzy Box Nine, Faster Than Anticipation
Yes, KBGA loves garage band rock, don’t @ us. But, to be fair, there’s a reason we like it. The grungy vocals with energetic guitar and drums make us want to get up and jam. It’s reliable without being boring.
New Singles
Remington Super 60, Still near
This track has got that grainy, fuzzy quality about it that makes it sound like we could have heard it at a dance in the 80s or we’re listening to it a year from today. “Still near” is a soft, casual jam that we can play at any moment.
Bill Callahan, Pigeons
Okay, hear us out, but this is the kind of track we were expecting from Bob Dylan’s record last week. It’s almost spoken-word, reminiscent of Dylan’s “Freewheeling” days. The style makes the love story rise above the barely-there instrumentals.
Courtney Marie Andrews, How You Get Hurt
Maybe we’re just feeling REALLY nostalgic this week, but this track reminds us of Joni Mitchell. Not necessarily the vocal quality, because Joni is incomparable there, but the uber-vulnerable songwriting that seems to make the rest of the track unnoticeable. Regardless, it’s good, even if it makes us a little misty.
Dizzy, Roman Candles
Aw, do you remember being young and in love? We do. This song brings us back and reminds us of what it feels like to believe that the person we’re with will be with us forever. That blind optimism might have diminished now that we’re grownups (lol), but it’s nice to reminisce.
Assembled by music director Meghan Jonas