Weekly Release Spotlight
That one perfect album that we (and you) almost missed.
“Collapsed in Sunbeams” by Arlo Parks
Arlo Parks’ debut album “Collapsed in Sunbeams” is a breath of fresh, thoughtful, air as Parks incorporates poetic genius into her bright indie songs. Inspired by photographers on this album, Parks has said in a press release, “I want the experience of listening to my songs to feel like you’re looking down the lens of a camera.” Not just an album, or photo album, “Collapsed in Sunbeams” lends itself like a rich novel to hours of interpretation and conspiracy theories, as Parks utilizes both immediately accessible statements like “It feels like nothing’s changing” and visually stunning statements, “I could picture terror swirling in your iris,” both lyrics from “For Violet.” What’s at the heart of this album, these collapsing sunbeams, are narratives that shake and reverberate in your memory, like falling for a friend or wishing you could protect your loved one from the “Black Dog” that stalks them.
At times on “Collapsed in Sunbeams” Arlo plays with R&B influences, “Hurt” for example, but Parks does so much to update the sound. What remains on the album isn’t a perfect audio reference but the nostalgia you might feel listening to one of your favorite 90s R&B songs. The whole album sounds nostalgic thanks to its blend of bright and melancholy sounds and themes. Parks carefully considers the dark and the light on this debut, which makes this album not just a breath of fresh air, but a thoughtful breath of air.
By Emma Chekroun
"PUSH" by Jocelyn Mackenzie
Romantic and ethereal, Jocelyn Mackenzie’s debut album “PUSH” is the perfect album for daydreaming. At the heart of “PUSH” are lush string arrangements mixed with pop style choices. If you’ve been one of many binging “Bridgerton,” a Netflix original Regency era Romance series, this album offers a similar feel for those who remember the show’s string quartet cover of Billie Ellish’s “Bad Guy.” “PUSH” is arranged entirely for a string quartet and mixes in an exhilarating beat to complement the albums’ classical instrumentation. A must for those that need to escape with a Regency era pop fantasy.
By Emma Chekroun
"Two Saviors" by Buck Meek
This Weekly Release Spotlight is Big Thief guitarist, Buck Meek, and his down-home twinged release, “Two Saviors.” Produced in the heat of New Orleans with no more than a week for recording and no headphones to hear the progress Meek and his producer Andrew Sarlo were making, this album sounds intentionally rough around the edges, adding to the sense of sincerity felt listening to the album. In a press brief for “Two Saviors” Meek described songs on the album as “little prayers and visions from within the constant flux of pain, healing, and discovery.” Meek hopes these songs and visions will provide perspective to himself and others, and that responsibility comes through in the somewhat authoritative and confrontational tone of songs like “Candle” and its lyrics “If you don't have a candle, Let me burn on your mind.” Additionally, Meek’s album does just that, it commands the listener’s head, heart, and ears with Meek’s imperfect country singing style and the album's bare but intentional music choices.
By Emma Chekroun
"Welfare Jazz" by V*agra Boys
“Welfare Jazz” by Sweedish post-punk group V*agra Boys, is a bubbling cauldron of regret and emotion with some light jazz touches mixed throughout for good measure. It’s not enough to call this album noisy or explosive, instead, Viagra Boys uses a variety of bubbling and gurgling sounds to give a sense of propulsion that makes the album pop without relying solely on overwhelming dissonant instruments and jacked up vocals. At the time of writing songs for the album frontman Sebastien Murphy said in a press release, he was “taking drugs and being an asshole” and this album is him coming to terms with not liking the goals he had for himself. This comes through clear on songs like “Into the Sun” where Murphy questions through a hoarse voice “What kind of person have I become?” Through thirteen tracks and deep personal reflection, Murphy and his band create a new and engaging post-punk experience on this sophomore record.
By Emma Chekroun
"McCartney III" by Paul McCartney
Half a century after his first solo release and the start of the ‘McCartney’ trilogy, Paul McCartney closed out 2020 by unexpectedly releasing “McCartney III.” Like many artists this year the former Beatles star found himself with an excess of time in lockdown. It took ten years for McCartney to release “McCartney II'' after starting the ‘McCartney” series in 1970 and now, fifty years later, he’s set down to complete work that’s fallen by the wayside. “McCartney III” sounds like a cool 2020 update to the new wave sound of “McCartney II.” Songs such as “Deep Down” provide a more soulful version of McCartney while others like “The Kiss of Venus” provide a folksier sound more akin to the sonic offerings of McCartney’s band Wings. Despite coming late in the game, “McCarney III” was one of the great and innovative releases of 2020 from a classic rock artist.
"Dreams (Fleetwood Mac Cover- Single)" by Rachel Lime
This weekly release spotlight is plucked straight from our K Local for December. On her debut release, Rachel Lime completely reimagines Fleetwood Mac’s 1970’s hit “Dreams,”' as an 80s alternative pop song. Lime’s singing on “Dreams'' swaps out Stevie Nicks’ flowy delivery for a slightly more jolted pace, but Lime keeps the same sense of expressiveness in her voice that made Nicks’ song so addictive. In an interview with Off the Record Host Joely Kelzer, Lime said the arrangement for her cover of “Dreams” came from her own song “Sweet Dreams.” When Lime realized her original song and Fleetwood Mac’s shared the same chord progression, she got the idea to make her unconventional cover. Lime said in the same interview that with “Dreams’” resurgence in popularity, no doubt thanks to a recent trend on TikTok using the song, it just made sense to make it her first release. To check out more of the interview visit our Instagram at radiok770, and keep your eyes peeled for Rachel Lime’s next release.
By Emma Chekroun