Music Suitcase: Favorite Albums from June 2019
Each month I listen to far too much music and share my highlights with the class. I found more albums to like in June than maybe any month since I’ve been doing this blog, and many more than I’ve mentioned here; these are the ones I couldn’t leave out. Bedouine’s sophomore album is definitely the big winner for me but beyond that, these aren’t necessarily in any exact order.
Bedouine, Bird Songs of a Killjoy
Syrian-born, ancestrally Armenian and Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Azniv Korkejian (or just Bedouine) centers her sophomore album in a familiar vein of acoustic folk but makes use of more intricate guitar work and orchestral strings. Thoughtful and often cryptic lyrics accentuate a powerful songwriting voice resonating through deceptively soft, subtle music. Highlights: “Sunshine Sometimes,” “Bird Gone Wild,” “One More Time”
The Black Keys, Let’s Rock!
The Keys’ 9th album is full of the old-fashioned, bluesy rock-and-roll they do best. It’s soulful, vibrant and incredibly hooky — suggesting that the duo’s 5-year-hiatus was just what they needed .Highlights: “Go,” “Shine A Little Light,” “Every Little Thing”
Santana, Africa Speaks
Santana may be the only legendary rock guitarist of the 70s to’ve been humble enough to escape the guitar virtuoso ghetto, continually collaborating with comparably talented peers. Flamenco legend Buika provides vocals on this tribute to African music and culture. Highlights: “Breaking Down The Door,” “Yo Me Lo Merezco,” “Candombe Cumbele”
Buddy and Julie Miller, Breakdown on 20th Ave. South
This husband-and-wife pair of veteran singer/songwriters’ first collaborative album in a decade showcases Julie’s voice and songwriting, and Buddy’s guitar and production skills. Highlights: “Breakdown on 20th Ave. South,” “Feast of the Dead,” “Spittin’ On Fire”
Fruit Bats, Gold Past Life
Designed to be a sweet, easy-going antidote to troubled times, Eric D. Johnson’s 7th album is full of catchy choruses as satisfying melodies. Highlights: “Lingering Love,” “Gold Past Life,” “Cazadera”
Bill Callahan, Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
The Smog frontman’s first folk album as a father is intimate, warm and heartfelt. Loosely structured, as usual, the music wraps itself around his ever-thoughtful lyrics. Highlights: “Writing,” “747,” “What Comes After Certainty”
The Raconteurs, Help Us Stranger
The rockiest Raconteurs album yet, the supergroup rages its way through concurrent guitar storms and blues revelries held together by solid craftsmanship. Highlights: “Don’t Bother Me,” “Bored and Razed,” “Sunday Driver”
Stef Chura, Midnight
90s-influenced indie rock, the Detroit artist’s 2nd album fills out Chura’s own finger-picked guitars with an amped up indie rock sound engineered by Will Toledo. Highlights: “Scream,” “Method Man,” “Sincerely Yours”
French Vanilla, How Am I Not Myself?
Danceable feminist art punk with a saxophonist in the band, Sally Spitz and her crew’s sophomore album packs a punch but grooves all the way through. Highlights: “Suddenly,” “Lost Power,” “Sensitive (Not Too Sensitive)”
Heather Nova, Pearl
The Bermudian artist’s 11th album is, as always, a capable, guitar-driven alt-rock vehicle or her singing. She’s at her best here when she gets a little weird. Highlights: “Some Things Just Come Undone,” “All The Rivers,” “See Yourself”
Kate Tempest, The Book of Traps and Lessons
A stark, tense collection of lamentations and wake-up calls, the South London emcee delivers her hip hop poetry over textured, often orchestrally augmented beats. Highlights: “Three Sided Coin,” “Keep Moving Don’t Move,” “All Humans Too Late”
Perry Farrell, Kind Heaven
The Jane’s Addiction frontman and Lollapalooza founder’s latest is experimental throughout, oscillating wildly between mad rock genius and head-scratching synth pop. Highlights: “Snakes Have Many Hips,” “Pirate Punk Politician,” “More Than I Could Bear”
The Ocean Blue, Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves
The mature, subtle dream pop made by this Hershey, Pennsylvania band actually suits them more as 40-somethings than when they were teenagers. Highlights: “It Takes So Long,” “Paraguay My Love,” “The Limit”
Bruce Springsteen, Western Stars
A soft concept album about the freewheeling west, specifically California at the turn of the 1970, with a period-appropriate pop sheen and some country twinges. Highlights: “Chasin’ Wild Horses,” “Hello Sunshine,” “Western Stars”
Hot Chip, A Bath Full of Ecstacy
The British band’s 7th proper album really does feel like a warm bath, one of enlightened electro-pop, danceable and meaningful in equal parts. Highlights: “Spell,” “No God,” “Melody of Love”
Yeasayer, Erotic Reruns
Yeasayer’s 5th album commits hard to groove-laden indie pop. It’s perhaps not as distinctive as their best work but it’s loads of fun and super catchy. Highlights: “Fluttering in the Floodlights,” “People I Loved,” “Let Me Listen In On You”