*RIYL (recommended if you like)
General Manager’s Pick — Maddie Van Beek ’22.5
Album: “Friends That Break Your Heart” — James Blake
Genre: Experimental R&B
RIYL: Bon Iver, Moses Sumney, slowthai, SZA, JID, SwaVay, Monica Martin
Blurb: If you’re looking for an album to rip your heart out, this is it. I don’t think I will ever get sick of James Blake’s voice or his carefully composed instrumentals. In “Friends That Break Your Heart,” Blake abandons his usual fragmented and disrupted sound for something more linear, leaving the lyrics center-stage. Despite its simplicity, “Friends that Break Your Heart” takes you on a vivid and heart-wrenching journey.
Library Manager’s Pick — Kyle Hooker ’24
Album: “Running On Ice” — Vertical Horizon
Genre: Folk/Alt-Rock
RIYL: Jackopierce, Dave Matthews Band, Gin Blossoms
Blurb: This is another album I came across while filing CDs at the station. I had heard of the band before but was not familiar with their songs. Overall, it’s a really strong album with great vocals and harmonies. I especially like track three, “Fragments.”
Music Director’s Pick — Chad Kim ’23
Album: “La Araña Es La Vida” — Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds
Genre: Psych, Garage Rock
RIYL: Frankie and the Witch Fingers, KGLW, Post Animal
Blurb: Instead of thinking of this relic of the dune as an exploration of alternative-psych-garage-rock, this album serves as an impeccable example of the developing eco-genres known as SandCore or DesertCore. This album sounds like movement, just like your feet on hot sands at noon, and each track imbues the individual with the solar energy of a thousand suns to fuel typical desert-rat antics. My top track is “La Araña,” but any track on this album is honestly a gem.
Tech Director’s Pick — Dan Frazo ’23
Album: “Somewhere Flowers Grow” — Electric Looking Glass
Genre: Psychedelic Rock, Baroque Pop
RIYL: The Byrds, Drugdealer, The Marias
Blurb: Channeling ’60s-esque psychedelic energy akin to some of Laurel Canyon’s best, Electric Looking Glass isa time machine of finely aged sounds and effects. Think Earl Grey meets Champagne, polka dots meet zebra stripes, analog meets digital — Electric Looking Glass seamlessly merges opposite phenomena into a smooth, sappy, spirited bit of self-recorded music in “Somewhere Flowers Grow.”
Concert Manager’s Pick — Luke Robins ’23
Album: “Summer’s Over” — Jordana and TV Girl
Genre: Dreamy Bedroom Pop
RIYL: Jay Som, SALES, Beach Fossils, Kate Bollinger
Blurb: This collaboration from Jordana and TV Girl dropped earlier this month when the two were touring together. The album centers Jordana’s voice among catchy instrumentals buried under light ambient sounds and audio fuzz. With an aesthetic that melds bedroom pop, garage and a stoner coffee shop, “Summer’s Over” delivers a fun and worthwhile listen.
