Belle & Sebastian / Music for Your Heart - Live 2026.03.05 Metropol, Berlin, Germany

Belle & Sebastian are doing a tour with two nights in most cities visited, in which the first show centers around Tigermilk (1996) and the second on If You’re Feeling Sinister (also 1996). I often find full-album shows gimmicky and pandering (see here or here for egregious examples), but I have also seen a few that were fun. And I mean, these are two great albums! Plus, Belle & Sebastian’s shows never disappoint.

Music for Your Heart, the solo project of Sandra Zettpunkt, was the opening act. She appeared with Raymond McGinley of Teenage Fanclub, who was also involved with her only solo record to date, Turning Marvel (2009). She sang and played electric guitar, and he mostly played similar parts on guitar, adding some embellishments and on rare occasion a lead line. Before a few previous nights on the tour, she said she hadn’t been on stage in 18 years, and this was her first time playing with McGinley. Once a drummer in a variety of 90s Hamburg bands (and briefly a bassist in Parole Trixi), she said she used to play with a drum machine, but it stopped keeping time and she gave up on it. With these credentials, I was surprised by how tame and placid her set was. She was sweet and her plaintive melodies had some charm, but there were no dynamics whatsoever, and audience chatter competed with her for volume. I wanted to like her, but I found myself bored.

[Music for Your Heart with Raymond McGinley.]

Belle & Sebastian came out to a recording of Stuart David reciting a description of the recording sessions for Tigermilk, a nice way to include a touch of the founding member who left the band in 2000, and then, as expected, the band played the album straight through. They did a fantastic job of it. “The State I Am In” is such a classic that I was fully into it right from the first note. “Electronic Renaissance” has become such a banger with the higher production values they can afford to give it on stage these days, and I love that five people were playing keyboards (including Stevie Jackson on keytar!), not even counting Stuart Murdoch playing the melodica solo. “I Could Be Dreaming” featured a recording of Isobel Campbell (the other absent founding member; she left in 2002) reciting the lines of Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” as heard on the original recording. “We Rule the School” nearly had me crying, it was so beautiful.

[Belle & Sebastian.]

Naturally, the two missing members were sorely missed, as was Mick Cooke, the band’s trumpeter who was initially a guest performer before joining full-time and eventually leaving in 2013 (right before the first time I saw the band live). Of course, in the meantime the band has been joined by bassist/guitarists Bobby Kildea and Dave McGowan (coincidentally also a member of Teenage Fanclub), and Sarah Martin has grown more confident in her voice. She sang Isobel’s parts while also playing an array of instruments (violin, keyboard, flute, shaker, tambourine), despite that she wasn’t present for the first album and only joined in time for Sinister. The band were also augmented by an unnamed cellist/keyboardist/flutist and an unnamed trumpeter, and since I was up in the second balcony, I couldn’t get a good enough view to discern if they were the same people I’d seen before in those roles.

The band left the stage for a break but came back quickly for the advertised second set of favorites. Other than “Simple Things”, they indeed played several of their best singles and regulars, including “The Boy with the Arab Strap” with the standard tradition of inviting a bunch of people to come up and dance on stage. As it drew towards the end, Stuart jumped into the pit and ran around the crowd. For once they even managed to end the song in a fitting way instead of letting die an awkward death. I could complain about predictability in the setlist, but that feels a bit on the nose. For the encore, Stuart made a show of asking for suggestions, ultimately accepting the one from a Polish guy he’d met before the show, but I could see he’d already pulled up the lyrics for “Lord Anthony” on a screen. “Another Sunny Day” might’ve actually been somewhat more spontaneous.

[Audience members on stage for “The Boy with the Arab Strap”. I love that Dave was drinking a beer while playing the keyboard and that a stage hand had to keep Stevie’s mic stand stable while the stage shook from the dancers.]

Naturally, a full-album performance of a great album is well-primed to go over well (as opposed to a newly released album, for example), but it helps even more when the band can bring something extra to it. The songs were all played in similar arrangements to their recordings, but the additional members and better instruments made for a fuller sound and more proficient performance. And it seemed like they were having fun. That makes a big difference. Stuart told some stories and explained a few songs, most notably that “My Wandering Days Are Over” was about the formation of the band and “I Don’t Love Anyone” was born out of a period of frustration and loneliness, but no longer represents how he feels. I still love the hyperbole of it. I guess that’s the whole deal with this band, or at least their early work: I know some people cringe at this sort of earnestness and playfulness, but I find it charming and welcoming. I want to hang out with the characters in the songs. And tomorrow, I will do it again.

Set 1 (Tigermilk):
01. The State I Am In
02. Expectations
03. She’s Losing It
04. You’re Just a Baby
05. Electronic Renaissance
06. I Could Be Dreaming
07. We Rule the School
08. My Wandering Days Are Over
09. I Don’t Love Anyone
10. Mary Jo

Set 2 (“Favorites”):
11. Simple Things
12. I’m a Cuckoo
13. Seymour Stein
14. A Century of Fakers
15. I Want the World to Stop
16. The Boy With the Arab Strap
17. I Didn’t See It Coming

Encore:
18. Lord Anthony
19. Another Sunny Day

Scores:
Music for Your Heart: D+
Belle & Sebastian: A
Tigermilk: A-

The Last Dinner Party / Sunday (1994) - Live 2026.02.22 UFO im Velodrom, Berlin, Germany

The Last Dinner Party had one of my favorite albums of last year (even if their debut was even better), so when a friend expressed interest in going to this show, I was sold. That said, it was a tough choice considering that Magdalena Bay, one of my 2024 faves, were playing the same night at the Columbiahalle.

Sunday (1994) opened the night. Despite the name, they are not a tribute act for The Sundays, although they do make a version of dream pop. However, they unfortunately leaned a little harder on the pop than the dreamy side. Paige Duddy’s vocals were excellent (as was her dress), but the music was a bit cheesy and uninspired. Despite having four performers on stage, they relied heavily on backing tracks for acoustic guitar, keyboards, and even vocals. That sapped a lot of the energy from the performance. The one heavier song they played was a marked improvement.

The Last Dinner Party took their time coming out but launched right into a strong set. With a sizeable stage setup, they deftly tore through most of their catalog, pausing only for two security incidents until the encore break. They played every song from last year’s From the Pyre, nine from Prelude to Ecstacy, and the unreleased but regularly performed “Big Dog”. With all five members contibuting vocals and all but Abigail playing a variety of instruments, they regularly moved around in different configurations to highlight various instrumental and harmony arrangements.

[The Last Dinner Party in peak witchy vocal formation.]

The vocals might be the band’s strongest point, and all five contributed flawless parts. Abigail’s voice may be the centerpiece, but when Lizzie and Aurora sang lead, I was impressed by just how strong and nuanced their voices were as well. I’m a sucker for intricate harmonies, and they provided them in spades. On top of that, their musicianship shone. Aurora moved between piano, synth, keytar, and sax; Emily played mandolin and flute in addition to a variety of guitars; Georgia added some synth bass; and Abigail even sat down at the piano, although I don’t know that she actually played. I saw a stage hand playing acoustic guitar off to the side for one song (I think it was “I Hold Your Anger”), but there was also what sounded like a violin sample. Otherwise I didn’t hear any backing tracks. The drums were played by Dave Adsett, who seemed somewhat relegated to the background. I was pleased to notice that among Emily’s guitars was a St. Vincent signature model.

When the band came out for the encore, they were accompanied by a large choir, who it turned out were the D-Dur Dykes*! They’re Europe’s largest FLINTA* choir and conspicuously more visible than the trans choir I sing in, but I also know them because a friend sings with them, although she wasn’t there that night. They added an especially dramatic flair to “Beautiful Boy” and a brief closing reprise of “Agnus Dei”. That was quite a surprise and a very cool enhancement to the set.

[The Last Dinner Party with the D-Dur Dykes*.]

As a major label band, I expect a certain level of professionalism, budget, tightness, and show. Without a doubt, The Last Dinner Party delivered. I wouldn’t say the same for the openers, but they were pleasant enough. I’m still thrilled by the bonus feature of the choir! Apparently “Beautiful Boy” has not been a regular feature of the sets this year. (They’ve even been debuting new songs on other nights, too!) It’s great to see a relatively young band still at the height of their powers, not yet thoroughly disillusioned by a corrupt industry or cashing in without putting in any effort. I’m excited to see them continue to grow.

Setlist:
01. Agnus Dei
02. Count the Ways
03. The Feminine Urge
04. Caesar on a TV Screen
05. On Your Side
06. Second Best [with false start]
07. I Hold Your Anger
08. Woman Is a Tree
09. Gjuha
10. Rifle
11. Big Dog
12. The Scythe
13. Sail Away
14. Sinner
15. My Lady of Mercy
16. Inferno
17. Nothing Matters

Encore:
18. Beautiful Boy [with D-Dur Dykes*]
19. This Is the Killer Speaking
20. Agnus Dei (Reprise) [with D-Dur Dykes*]

Scores:
Sunday (1994): C+
The Last Dinner Party: A

P.S. Thanks to Ali!

Mark Burgess - View from a Hill (2007)

I’ve been a Chameleons fan for ages (yet another instance where I got into them right after they broke up, in this case for the second time), but I seem to do a poor job of following news about them. With their history of record label relationships gone sour and dodgy distribution deals, they’re hard to keep track of. Somehow I didn’t even know this book existed until recently!

[View from a Hill.]

There are a few versions of View from a Hill. It was originally published in 2007 by Guardian Angel, then later edited and republished in 2014 by Mittens On. My copy is from 2010 by Metropolitan and seems to be the original text. The first thing one notices is just how big the book is! It’s 555 pages with rather small print. No wonder it was subsequently edited, although the later version is still around 480 pages.

And unfortunately, this is a book that could really use some better editing. Apart from countless typos and some poor formatting, it’s just way too much. There are 65 pages about Burgess’ childhood and adolescence before he gets to the point of forming his first band, The Clichés. I cannot imagine who in their life is interested in that level of detail about which schoolkids and teachers were idiots in the early 1970s. I ended up skimming sections out of boredom.

Once he gets to the Chameleons, of course things get more interesting. I love reading about the origin of their classic songs and how the band navigated their music career through the many tricks and contrivances of the industry. Of course, reading about how thoroughly they got screwed over time and again is hard, but I appreciate that Burgess stresses to readers the important of good management. I always admired their independent-minded approach, although I’m sure it cost them quite a bit in terms of their reach and financial success.

Once the narrative gets to the Strange Times era circa 1986, it’s clear that Burgess wasn’t doing well, presumably from stress, but it’s unclear exactly what was going on with him. He describes some scenarios of blacking out and having visions, supposedly not caused by drugs. His relationship with his bandmates was disintegrating and he felt misunderstood by everyone. Somehow he got hung up on the idea of going to Israel, and he ultimately went and brought along Sally, a younger friend that later becomes his first wife. He spends 45 pages describing their time in Israel, where they apparently spent a few months having spiritual experiences and hanging out with Palestinians, until he panicked that his newfound friends might have nefarious intentions. They fled and returned to England, where Burgess finally seemed to be at peace and see things more clearly.

After a successful final tour of the USA with the Chameleons, he quit the band, although he doesn’t go into much detail about what exactly the conflict with guitarist Dave Fielding was all about. He accuses Fielding of being drug-addicted, mean-spirited, lazy, and financially short-sighted, but it really makes one wonder what the other sides of the story are. (Certainly Dave’s recent habit of leaving nasty comments on Mark’s YouTube videos doesn’t put him in a good light.) When the band ultimately reforms around 2000, there is conspicuously far less detail about that period, and Burgess lays the blame on their second breakup squarely on being ghosted by Fielding. Clearly Burgess’s relationships with drummer John Lever and guitarist Reg Smithies was better; Lever performed in Burgess’s subsequent band The Sun and the Moon, his solo albums, and early incarnations of ChameleonsVox, and Reg has joined a semi-reformed Chameleons in recent years.

The rest of the book is all over the place. Burgess doesn’t go into too much detail about The Sun and the Moon, his solo career, Invincible, or White Rose Transmission, only describing record label difficulties, some interpersonal struggles, and the occasional concert, but never describing songwriting or lyrical subject matter. He spends more time writing about renovating a rich Londoner’s Scottish manor, doing manual construction labor elsewhere in Scotland, hating the image-conscious culture of LA, working the Manchster City ticket counter, and contributing writing and design for the 1996 video game Drowned God. The final 30 pages are an extended treatise on metaphysics and politics. It’s a lot.

It’s hard to recommend this book. The sections closer to the music were great, but most of the else was tedious, obscure, or outright superfluous. I could never tell what Burgess really wanted to convey. I mean, his journal entry from 1986 on the state of affairs in Israel-Palestine is right on and just as accurate today, and back in 2007 I also thought that Germany handled their difficult legacy well. I no longer feel that way, but I still prefer the socio-political climate here to the USA, as Burgess did/does compared to the UK. But I would’ve been better off not knowing that Burgess edited a UFO newsletter for a while.

I’ll admit I enjoyed his description of the transcendent acid trip on a hill that inspired the great song and the name of the book, but did I really need the story about a young man’s unexpected encounter with a trans woman? I was amused that Burgess got into UNIX, but I wish he could’ve done better than describing every woman as beautiful and few other adjectives. I suppose that if, like me, you can’t resist reading this book, you should feel no hesitation or shame in skipping large sections of it.

Score: C

Wednesday / Bleary Eyed - Live 2026.02.09 Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany

Wednesday put out one of my favorite albums of 2025. I liked Rat Saw God (2023) but it didn’t rise above the tidal wave of shoegaze albums that have been hitting the shelves lately. (Yes, I’m aware that metaphor is dead.) Bleeds was another matter. The songwriting leveled up and the country touches hit just right and made for a truly unique blend.

Bleary Eyed also put out a solid album last year, Easy, which took their sludgy shoegaze and made it a bit more psychedelic and synthy. I was excited to catch them for free. I didn’t like that they just used backing tracks on stage, but I understand the choice, and it did add some texture. Otherwise, they laid down some heavy, thick layers of distortion. Naturally they didn’t quite have the same depth as on record, but that was easily made up for by the sheer weight of their sound. It felt great to move with their rhythms. However, I found the lead singer’s voice bland, and the second vocalist was unfortunately undermiked. The drummer leaned hard on his crashes, but they both fell over a couple songs in. Karly Hartzman ran out to right them, which was sweet. The Buc-ee’s t-shirt was weird, though. I watched Buc-ee’s take over in my years of visiting and living in Texas and I do not appreciate the owner’s right-wing politics. Anyway, I enjoyed the set!

 
[Bleary Eyed, with Karly Hartzman righting the cymbals.]

Wednesday initially picked up right where Bleary Eyed left off, again playing heavy shoegaze based on lurching, distorted guitars, but with the added touch of most of the lead parts coming from Xandy Chelmis’s pedal and lap steel. I didn’t realize those were his parts! Of course you can use the same sorts of pedals on those instruments, but I’d never seen it done before. But by the time they played “Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)”, the country side came out, and I appreciated the shift in style. There was far more shoegaze than country in the set, but I loved the way the two sides bled into each other.

Considering how many end-of-year lists Bleeds ended up on, they unsurprisingly played almost all of it, skipping only “Carolina Murder Suicide”. I suspect I wasn’t the only relatively recent convert in the crowd. They also played several cuts from Rat Saw God and a couple older songs for the more dedicated fans. “Elderberry Wine” and “Townies” both elicited great crowd response.

Karly expressed disappointment at the moshpit the previous night in Hamburg and hoped for a better showing on this night. Maybe she did a better job advocating for it, or maybe the crowd was just in the right mood, but one formed right in front of me and I formed part of the outer ring. They went hard. I rarely can handle being that close to the action, but I didn’t want to give up my perfect spot in the middle of the room, and I was feeding off the energy as much as the band was!

The band played really well. I missed MJ Lenderman, of course, but his touring replacement Spyder (Jake Pugh) was satisfactory. Karly’s voice was in good form, and for once I could hear it exceptionally well. (Maybe my position helped, but I think the sound crew were on point, too.) She said there would not be an encore and that they would just play straight through because the last songs put such a strain on her voice. I mean, they could’ve just done them as an encore, but whatever, it doesn’t matter. Somehow I knew they’d end with “Wasp”, a short, thrashy song that Karly screams through the entirety of. I’d normally find that too aggressive, but in that context, it kind of worked.

I had a great time, and the bands were a great fit together. Well done to whoever organized that!

[Wednesday. Note Karly’s bejeweled guitar as seen in the “Elderberry Wine” video!]

Setlist:
01. Reality TV Argument Bleeds
02. Got Shocked
03. Fate Is…
04. Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)
05. Hot Rotten Grass Smell
06. Candy Breath
07. Phish Pepsi
08. Twin Plagues
09. The Way Love Goes
10. Gary’s II
11. Pick Up That Knife
12. Quarry
13. Elderberry Wine
14. Bitter Everyday
15. Townies
16. Bull Believer
17. Wasp

Scores:
Bleary Eyed: B
Wednesday: A-

Niko Stratis - The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman (2025)

With a title like this, how was I gonna not read it? I could read books by trans women about rock music until I die. Alas, this is the only one I know of.

So, naturally, what is dad rock? My first thought was the music my dad, or my partner’s dad, or any stereotypical, white, cishet, US-American father would listen to. Stratis admits to initially leaning the same way, but ultimately subverts expectations and goes based on vibes, specifically honing in on what she describes on her blog as “someone taking what they have learned, through time and skill and failure, doing their best to impart that knowledge as an act of communal guidance.” In that way, dad rock is whatever she wants it to be, and it transcends gender and age. It is perhaps no coincidence that my dad likes most of the bands cited in the book, or he probably would if he listened to them. Incidentally, they’re pretty much all white and cis. Then again, my own list of trans inspiration tunes is also very white and cis.

At any rate, it’s no surprise to find chapters on Wilco, R.E.M., or Fleetwood Mac, but the real treasures are the deeper cuts, like The Mountain Goats, Neko Case, and Sharon Van Etten (even if she mistitled “We Are Fine” as “It’s Alright”). I have to admit, I was especially surprised by Haim, Julien Baker, and Waxahatchee, all of whom are younger than Stratis (and, except for Este Haim, me). But viewed through the lens of artists that want to share the wisdom they’ve learned through experience, it all makes sense. There is a great mix of artists I already knew and loved, artists I sorta knew and now know better, and a few that were new to me. Because of the variety of subgenres and generations, that will probably be true for anyone interested enough to read it. She finally sold me on The Mountain Goats, she reminded me that The National did have a couple solid albums once upon a time, and she reaffirmed my love of “Fake Plastic Trees”.

I love the way Stratis combines stories from her life with stories about the bands and their songs, even if her personal connections to the music generally have more to do with alcoholism, loneliness, depression, and economic struggle than with explicit queerness, transition, or femininity. But that’s part of the beauty of it: Stratis becoming who she is today is a summation of all these things, and of course no trans person’s journey follows the same path. Surviving bullying, isolation, gruelling labor, and grief is how she became who she is now, and music is an ideal vehicle to carry her through it all. It’s a pleasure to hear her interpret these songs through the lens of the struggles she went through and share the wisdom she’s gained from them. And I like that she stuck to the bit and assigned a song even for the final chapter, which was mostly just acknowledgements!

Score: A-

Chromatic Apparition - Zwischen den Jahren

I've released a new album! I've been sitting on it for nearly a year but it's time to share it. It's a sort of spiritual successor to Preserve the Absurd, which is to say it is improvisational and mostly instrumental. I don't know what it is exactly, but I like it enough to share it. I hope you like it too.

There are six tracks of varying lengths and moods, created with guitar, bass, ebow, drum samples, and lots of analog synthesizer. I started working on "Lorbeerblätter" in 2021 at the same I was making "Orbit" and kept recording bits and pieces as time, energy, and inspiration allowed. I'm happy it's finally out in the world.

2025 in Review

Musically, 2025 treated me well. I finally have been going to more shows again and actually reviewing most of them! I saw a lot of great concerts, including several from bands that put out my favorite records of this year and the last. I also went to the opera for the first time and wrote my first theatrical review in ages. And on top of that, Soltero released a new album that I appear on!

Here are my favorite releases of 2025:

• Ian Fisher - Go Gentle - Ian’s album-length memorial to his mother, who died after a long battle with cancer, is honest, uplifting, and moving. It’s heavy, but it doesn’t wallow or feel weighed down. It’s a great set of songs that offer some comfort in trying times. He also released “Con Artist Narcissist” and “Will You Will Be”. The former kinda speaks for itself, and the latter is a critique of AI. Both are great. They’re a throwback to his more directly political writing, but even sharper and bitterer.
• Genau Genug Orchestra - Enough - Dave Benjoya is a regular Soltero collaborator so of course I’m biased, but I love all the little worlds his songs inhabit. The genres shift faster than I can process, and the wordplay moves even faster than that. The arrangements are as splendid and nuanced as the politics.
• Greet Death - Die in Love - Slowcore-shoegaze with a variety of influences, mostly splintered into two distinct sounds: thick distortion with gloomy vocals (from Logan Gaval), and sweeter pop with meek vocals (from Harper Boyharti). They are joined in abject sadness. I’m reminded of Merchandise. “Emptiness Is Everywhere” is beautiful and makes me miss my family of origin.
• The Last Dinner Party - From the Pyre - Not quite as exciting as last year’s Prelude to Ecstacy (which I came late to), but their sharp drama and elaborate arrangements shine. I appreciate their gender politics, and Alan Moulder’s mix is superb, especially for the vocals.
• Lutzilla - Nebenbei retten wir die Welt EP - A couple songs are recordings in higher fidelity from the First We Tape Manhattan mini-album from 2022, but the real gems are the new songs. Lutz’s critiques of capitalism and social media continue to ripen, as does his voice. I love all the backing vocals and extra musicians. It’s a much fuller picture than anything he or they have done yet. And Uli’s bass tone continues to be fantastic!
• Mogwai - The Bad Fire - Certainly darker than As the Love Continues (2021), but the quality is just as high as ever. They continue to pack a lot of emotion into their music without relying on many words. They also released the soundtrack to The Bombing of Pan Am 103, which is dark, not very dynamic, and trapped within the confines of the form.
• Nation of Language - Dance Called Memory - The shoegaze and Cocteau Twins moments are sparser than advertised, but I love them regardless. Their last album, Strange Disciple (2023) didn’t excite me as much as the first two, but this time around they did a great job bringing new influences to their standard successful model.
• Chappell Roan - “The Subway” - I didn’t find “The Giver” particularly exciting, but this is a perfect slice of queer pop with great little touches all over. Her voice is in fine form.
• Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory - s/t - Wow, collaborating with her own live band has truly brought out the best in everyone involved. “Indio” is the only dud. I love the synthier arrangements and Devra Hoff’s foregrounded bass. The direct, humanist, socially conscious lyrics resonate with me.
• Stereolab - Instant Holograms on Metal Film - Six years after reuniting, they finally have a new album! It’s more in line with their latter-day material, which is to say it’s a bit formal, stiff, and clean. The fidelity is superb, and the wide array of synthesizers is impressive, but I wish there was more raw energy, noise, and excitement. Sadier’s lyrics are still on point, but her phrasing is tight and restrained. I know she can still shout “La Resistance!” on stage, but I miss that here. Regardless, it’s still Stereolab, and the music is beautiful, intricate, and captivating despite my complaints. The non-album double single “Fed Up with Your Job” / “Constant and Uniform Movement Unknown” is similar, but I like that they’ve brought back their chaotic discographical abundance. (There’s even a tour-only 7” single that I missed and still haven’t heard!)
• Wednesday - Bleeds - The country-shoegaze, pedal steel + distortion strategy is a winner. The harsh realism of the songwriting makes it all the more emotionally devastating, as if the two most visible members breaking up wasn’t enough on its own.

Here are a few honorable mentions:

• The Chameleons - Arctic Moon - See the live review for details. The album has some great songs, but there are only seven total, perhaps because they’re all so unnecessarily long. It’s better than last year’s EPs, which felt a bit slight, especially since 6 of their 8 songs were just rerecordings of some of the band’s earliest songs. It’s great to have Reg back in the fold; he also did the album artwork in their classic vein. (The Where Are You cover, on the other hand, is awful.)
• James David Fitzpatrick - I Feel Pretty Good About It [EP] - three “spontaneously composed” pieces of layered guitar with some analog synth and field recordings. Quite similar to Cup Collector and equally pleasant.
• Geese - Getting Killed - A bit overhyped, but it undeniably rocks. Cameron Winter’s voice grates on me a bit and the buzzing picked bass bugs me. Nonetheless I enjoy the chaos.
• Pale Blue Eyes - New Place - After two solidly impressive shoegaze-pop albums, I suppose expecting a third on the same level was optimistic. It’s still good, but not as exciting or fresh. The lyrics are simpler and the arrangements more predictable.
• Kassi Valazza - From Newman Street - 60s-indebted country-folk-psych that reminds me of Quilt and the lazy heat in Austin.

And here are a couple other 2025 releases that I have opinions about:

• Big Thief - Double Infinity - Well, they dealt with the departure of their bassist by going maximalist. Certainly getting Laraaji on most of the songs is a coup. Regardless, it’s a bit by the numbers, even if the vibe is as warm as ever.
• Peter Murphy - Silver Shade - I hate the obviously AI-generated album art, but for his first proper studio album in 11 years, it’s better than I expected. It’s not unlike Lion (2014) and features the same core crew of collaborators, but it’s sonically a bit richer. The best songs are the aggressive opening salvo of songs featuring Trent Reznor and the sweet closing duet with Boy George. The middle gets a bit bogged down and repetitive. It might help if the lyrics were a little more approachable.

I also caught up on some more great records from 2024 that I’d initially overlooked:

• Deary - Aurelia EP - Blissful blend of shoegaze and dreampop in the vein of Slowdive. Their s/t EP from 2023 is also solid and leans a bit more Beach House.
• Isolation Berlin - Electronic Babies - “Ratte” is so relatable, and “Verliebt in dieses Lied” captures a magical feeling. But the heavy parts get a shade too dark for my taste.
• Sunshy - I Don’t Care What Comes Next - MBV ripoff, but so good. Focuses on the upbeat, brighter side, but still full of heavy distortion. Pretty middling lyrics as expected for the genre.