Failure of All Pop #38 by Glenn Donaldson

Due to work from home and the pandemic, I listened to and made more music than ever, probably to keep the dark clouds at bay. I didn’t eat out as much too, so that money was channeled into the indie vinyl industrial complex. I tried to avoid streaming (mostly) and concentrated on physical releases, even CD’s which are often cheap and not controlled by the internet gods. There were other new releases I wanted to luxuriate in (Hotline TNT, Toner), but I’m still waiting on some pre-orders that probably got caught in the great vinyl slowdown of 2021. There were a ton of releases I wanted to get, like all that Swedish DIY magic (JJULIUS, Monokultur, etc.), but alas I am only one man on an hourly wage…

Here are some sounds that I got a lot of enjoyment from this year.

New Music:

Reissues:

  • The FallMiddle-Class Revolt (Demon Records)
  • CindytalkWappinschaw (Dais)
  • MelvinsGluey Porch Treatments (Ipecac)
  • SeamHeadsparks (Numero Group)
  • Screaming TreesInvisible Lantern
  • The CleanUnknown Country (Merge)
  • Durutti ColumnSex & Death (Factory Benelux)

Rediscoveries/Older Stuff I’ve Been Playing a Ton:

Bonus Review:

Robert Stillman – What Does it Mean to Be American? (Orindal/KIT)

Here’s an upcoming LP by a UK (but via Maine) artist that caught my ear. Both Orindal and KIT are labels you should follow, both eclectic but easy to love, and this is no exception. Stillman is a one-man avant-jazz band. Immediately, I thought of Tori Kudo’s universe of amateur orchestras, but this is maybe more like Don Cherry’s hippie-era or a laid-back Soft Machine gone DIY. A more contemporary reference point could be The One Ensemble of Daniel Padden, but really this is a fresh stew of free-jazz, mellow folk, film soundtracks and ???

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