Replay is a monthly music selection: five albums or EPs, chosen for no other reason than that they stayed. No scores, no rankings, just the feeling of listening to something that made you want to listen again.
Westside Cowboy – It Goes On · Universal Music
Indie rock / alt-country / post-punk
It Goes On by Westside Cowboy feels like the kind of debut album you discover slightly too late, when everyone insists the band was already destined for something big and, annoyingly, they were right. Nervy guitars, almost cheerful melancholy, and a restless energy make it feel like everything might fall apart, but somehow never does.
If you love Westside Cowboy, you might like: Geese, Horsegirl, MJ Lenderman
Lambchop – Punching The Clown · Merge Records / City Slang
Folk / country / gospel / experimental
Punching The Clown is what happens when a band with three decades of restless experimentation suddenly decides that less might, inconveniently, be more. Kurt Wagner’s weathered voice, a banjo, a guitar and a ghostly choir are enough to make these songs feel both ancient and strangely contemporary. I liked it because it’s tender, funny, mournful and quietly unsettling.
If you love Lambchop, you might like: Bill Callahan, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Smog
Corey Lingo – Blue Valentine · CLR / Natra
PluggnB / Contemporary R&B / Pop Rap
The EP Blue Valentine is Corey Lingo at his most lovesick and weightless, floating somewhere between bedroom R&B and the hazy digital world of PluggnB. At just five tracks, it feels less like a grand statement than a collection of late-night thoughts. Perfect music for overthinking someone who probably isn’t thinking about you.
If you love Corey Lingo, you might like: Lil Shine, Summrs, Autumn!
Frances Chang – been thinking bout confession · RVNG Intl.
Experimental pop / art pop
With this album I feel like Frances Chang wanted to opening a door to a room that may or may not exist, then quietly wondering why you followed her inside. Built around an old piano, fragile strings and strange electronic details, the album turns introspection into something almost cinematic. I loved it.
If you love Frances Chang, you might like: Cate Le Bon, Cindy Lee, ML Buch
James Ivy – The Seams · FADER Label
Indie rock / alternative pop
Built around guitars, fragile vocals and flashes of glitchy production,The Seams sounds like James Ivy finally stepping outside his own head, only to discover there’s still plenty of baggage waiting outside. It turns creative paralysis into something surprisingly warm and superb. A deeply personal record that somehow makes indecision feel universal.
If you love James Ivy, you might like: Radiohead, Roy Blair, The 1975