No Expectations 086: Valley
Excellent new LPs from Lutalo, Merce Lemon, the Clearwater Swimmers, and more.
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Headline song: The Clearwater Swimmers, “Valley”
Thanks for being here. After last week’s interview with Wild Pink’s John Ross, a bunch of folks signed up for No Expectations—paid and free subscribers. I’m elated by the response. Though I wish I had brought back the Taste Profile series sooner, I’m so happy to welcome the new readers. If this is your first No Expectations, this LP roundup is a solid starting point for what you can expect. If you want longer reads on individual artists, check the Discography Deep Dive series or these essays on Dead & Company and Goose.
As always, you can upgrade your free subscription to a paid one or tell a friend about a band you found out about here. I appreciate you all so much.
10 New Albums Worth Your Time
The Clearwater Swimmers, The Clearwater Swimmers
It's hard to think of a better record to help you ease into autumn than the Clearwater Swimmers' self-titled debut. These 10 perceptive and folksy songs thrive on simplicity with unfussy arrangements while evoking classic albums like Strange Geometry, Harvest Moon, and Magnolia Electric Co. The project of Maine-born songwriter Sumner Bright which evolved to a full-fledged band after a move to Queens, this group thrives on hushed, lived-in intimacy that can morph into an apocalyptic squall of blown-out electric guitars and twang. It’s all anchored by Bright’s soft but compelling tenor. He sings of fleeting, subtle moments with grace and unflinching openness. There’s not a dud on the record, but opener “Valley, single “Heaven’s a Bar,” and “River” especially soar.
The Dead Shakers, So I Guess I Keep Making Albums Until I Die?
Burlington, VT’s Kevin Bloom dedicates the new album from his wildly collaborative project the Dead Shakers to the late Norma Tanega, the influential folk and experimental songwriter. From the opening cover of her tune “Now Is the Time,” it’s clear her mesmerizing and unconventional approach to making music had a profound effect. Across 20 acid-washed and sprawling songs, So I Guess I Keep Making Albums Until I Die? is an opus of left-turns and thrilling psychedelia. It features a who’s who of Burlington’s thriving music community, including collaborations with Zack James (Dari Bay), Nina Cates (Robber Robber), Greg Freeman, Cotter Ellis (Goose), Sam Snyder (Overhand Sam), Izzy Hagerup (Prewn), and several more. I could point out individual songs that floored me, but this is an album best listened to in full and in a single sitting. It’s a trip.
fantasy of a broken heart, Feats of Engineering
It's always great when you hear the first notes of an album and realize it's going to be something you'll love for a long time. That said, it might be even more rewarding if you wildly oscillate between being floored and wanting to turn it off. This happened with the playful, confounding, and ultimately electrifying Feats of Engineering from New York City's fantasy of a broken heart. It's an album that reminds me of Sparks, early Arcade Fire, and also the vampire puppet musical featured in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (as my girlfriend pointed out this week). Whatever aversion I had to the earnestness and theatricality in the vocals was quickly extinguished by how much fun these manic and unpredictable songs are. I kept coming back to it. You might already know fantasy of a broken heart's Al Nardo and Bailey Wollowitz as touring musicians with both Water From Your Eyes and This Is Lorelei. So, if you dig those bands, this is a no-brainer. If not, this collaboration might be more your thing.
Kate Bollinger, Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind
Los Angeles’ Kate Bollinger has been steadily releasing singles since 2019 and collaborating with artists like Drugdealer and Paul Cherry but Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind is her first full-length effort. It’s a strikingly pretty debut, which tastefully draws from the well of Laurel Canyon breeziness and classic ‘70s-indebted songwriting. Released via the excellent label Ghostly International, its 10 tracks are all anchored by Bollinger’s airy and dynamic soprano along with organic and jazzy folk-pop arrangements. “Any Day Now” brings a subtle pep while the understated “Lonely” is unequivocally stunning. It’s a chill vibe throughout but it’s never lethargic or stagnant. A fuzzy electric guitar enlivens “Sweet Devil,” while “God Interlude” is pretty much perfect pop especially as it eases into subtle twang in its final third. If you dug the left-field songwriting of this year’s excellent Dana Gavanski record or the pristine production palette on the latest Clairo LP, there’s a lot to love here.
Lutalo, The Academy
Lutalo’s The Academy is a beguiling and masterful LP that’s a document of a singular talent. Across 12 tracks, the Vermont-based, Minneapolis-raised songwriter Lutalo Jones transforms a familiar palate of knotty indie rock and warm folk into something alien and mesmerizing. Every reference point I try to muster to ground this album feels unsatisfactory. Their voice jumpw from cooly plainspoken like Kurt Vile or a baritone Labi Siffre to expressive, booming, and dynamic on rocking numbers like “Broken Twin” and “The Bed.” Jones, along with co-producer Jake Aron (Snail Mail, L’Rain), decamped to the famed Texas studio Sonic Ranch and recorded each instrument themself. The Academy is the first entry in a saga of albums Jones has planned out and this chapter mostly deals with nostalgic meditations on family, friendship, and growing up. They’re a smart and empathic writer, especially on tracks like “Big Brother” and the shoegaze haze of “Oh Well.” As a composer, they can thread the needle between Built To Spill-indebted guitar theatrics to plaintive acoustic numbers with equal virtuosity.
Merce Lemon, Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild
Last summer, a mutual friend of Merce Lemon’s sent over the private Soundcloud link to the mixes for the Pittsburgh songwriter’s Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild. While I know it’s annoying when music journalists talk about hearing records early, I bring this up because it still hasn’t come close to exiting my regular rotation. It’s that good. There’s both a lightness and palpable power to her voice and an observant humanity to her writing. Recorded with Lemon corroding along with Colin Miller and Alex Farrar at Drop of Sun studio in Asheville, there’s wailing pedal steel from Xandy Chelmis (Wednesday, MJ Lenderman) and soaring, feedback-heavy guitars from Lemon, Reid Magette, and Farrar. These textures add heft to her already-sturdy tunes. Tracks like “Slipknot” exude restlessness while others, like the single “Backyard Lover” find a glimmer of hope in debilitating grief. Few records can capture the intense vulnerability of bedroom pop with ambitious, country-tinged arrangements that jump from breathtakingly gorgeous to dirge-like and pummeling. She’s the real deal: a songwriter’s songwriter with an uncompromising and free vision.
Styrofoam Winos, Real Time
If you’ve listened to MJ Lenderman’s masterful 2023 live album And the Wind (Live and Loose!), you’re familiar with Styrofoam Winos, who opened those shows and guest on the closing cover of “Long Black Veil.” The Nashville trio is Lou Turner, Joe Kenkel, and Trevor Nikrant: all accomplished solo songwriters who combine for some of the most effective heartland rock of the year. There’s an ease to their chemistry that’s endlessly charming on songs like the ambling single “Angel Flies Over,” the quietly stunning “Master of Time,” and the relentlessly catchy kiss-off “Rollin’ With You.” These three are just undeniably good at writing songs and really, that’s all you need. This album is the platonic ideal of what Steven Hyden calls “a patio album.”
Tasha, All This and So Much More
Seven years ago, I interviewed the Chicago-raised songwriter Tasha at VICE and premiered one of her first-ever released songs in “Lullaby.” I was impressed then by how lived-in and inviting her songs already felt despite the sparse arrangements but each successive release has gotten fuller and more expansive. Now, Tasha’s based in New York and just wrapped up a long stint as a performer in Illinoise, the Sufjan Stevens-inspired musical that hit Broadway this year. All This and So Much More her latest LP is her most adventurous yet but it never loses the coziness of her more stripped-back early releases. Opener “Pretend” is lush and enveloped in hazy synths but it steps into a higher plane when Tasha’s comforting yet commanding voice reaches the chorus. There have been few things more rewarding in my career than witnessing Tasha take risks and grow from a good songwriter to a great one.
Ulna, Gazebo
As a member of Bnny and the now-defunct Cafe Racer, Adam Schubert has been one of Chicago’s most beloved indie rock sidemen. Ulna is his solo project, which serves as a vessel for his uncompromising folk-rock songs that excel in unflinching honesty and minor-key knottiness. His latest full-length Gazebo is a bittersweet and observant look at his own childhood. For all the hurt feelings and suburban angst, Schubert approaches the material with a keen eye for emotional resonance and learned lessons. Come for his excellent songwriting that evokes Girls, Built to Spill, and the Microphones, and stay for guest appearances from Squirrel Flower’s Ella Williams and Bnny’s Alexa Viscious. It’s the kind of album that slowly seeps into your brain and doesn’t let go.
Weak Signal, Fine
In May, Rosali recommended Weak Signal’s last album War&War as part of her Taste Profile interview with No Expectations. The New York trio of Tran Huynh, Sasha Vine, and Mike Bones make deceptively simple no-frills rock music that takes as many cues from Iggy Pop (who is a fan) as it does the Velvet Underground and Yo La Tengo. It’s noisy, immediate, and totally rips. Fine, which came out last month, is the band’s most accessible collection yet (even though it opens with 90 seconds of feedback). The riffs are bombastic yet tasteful and Bones sings with a sardonic, lowkey delivery that imbues humor and antipathy in equal measure. One song, called “Rich Junkie,” is an acid-tongued ripper about how money can allow you to skirt the rules. Elsewhere, “Wannabe” boasts a breezy chorus that’s as close to pop songwriting as they get while “Barking At the Moon” exudes frantic punk energy. This is a record with modest ambitions that still bests so much of 2024’s rock offerings with bigger press budgets and label backing.
What I listened to:
The No Expectations 086 Playlist: Spotify // Apple Music
1. The Clearwater Swimmers, “Valley”
2. Weak Signal, “Wannabe”
3. The Dead Shakers, “My Garlic and Me”
4. Waxahatchee, “Much Ado About Nothing”
5. Styrofoam Winos, “Master of Time”
6. Merce Lemon, “Slipknot”
7. Ulna, “Secrets”
8. Lutalo, “Oh Well”
9. Kate Bollinger, “I See It Now”
10. Wild Pink, “St. Catherine St.”
11. Tasha, “Pretend”
12. Kassie Krut, “Reckless”
13. Warm Human, “Mercy Me”
14. fantasy of a broken heart, “Tapdance 1”
15. fantasy of a broken heart, “Tapdance 2”
Gig recap: Grateful Shred at Outset (10/5).
If you thought you’d make it through a No Expectations without a reference to the Grateful Dead, I apologize because it’s not going to happen this week. Last Saturday, I returned to Outset to catch the second night of Grateful Shred’s weekend run there. It’s a supergroup featuring members of Circles Around the Sun’s bassist Dan Horne, guitarist John Lee Shannon, and keyboardist Adam McDougall along with singers Mikaela Davis, Austin McCutchen, as well as drummers Alex Koford and Austine Beede. Grateful Shred is a cover band that boasts already-established musicians who lovingly translate the Dead’s oeuvre into a party-minded fast-paced show. If you think Dead & Company performs too leisurely, this is the band to see. It was a blast and of the two nights I could’ve attended, I’m happy I caught the setlist with “Eyes of the World,” “Not Fade Away,” “Cold Rain and Snow,” and “Turn on Your Lovelight.”
Gig recap: Nilüfer Yanya, Angélica Garcia, Lutalo at Metro (10/7).
Monday night shows are a good way to start the week. I first saw Lutalo last summer open up solo for Katy Kirby at the Empty Bottle. While that was a good set, the full band experience is undeniably excellent. For this run, they’ve brought bassist and Friend of the Substack Lily Seabird along with drummer Micah Rubin (The Brazen Youth) to round out an electric and energetic trio. While Lutalo played and recorded everything themself on their studio effort The Academy, the songs translated to a live setting seamlessly. Next up was the Los Angeles-raised, Richmond-based artist Angélica Garcia, who’s dropped the expansive Spacebomb-band sound of her earlier albums for experimental, danceable pop. Headliner Nilüfer Yanya was excellent too, playing a professional 90-minute set that featured a ripping PJ Harvey cover of “Rid of Me” as well as her fantastic singles like “painless” and “Method Actor.” She’s already a star and will likely be onto even bigger rooms shortly.
Gig recap: A. Savage, Greg Freeman at Empty Bottle (10/8)
Amazingly, Greg Freeman has never played the Empty Bottle and he’s never played a stripped-down gig in Chicago. That changed Tuesday when the Vermont artist opened for Parquet Courts’ songwriter A. Savage at the iconic Ukrainian Village venue. Joined by violinist Scott Daniel (Flower Problem, Hannah Frances), Freeman played a set favoring new material from an album that’s likely coming out next year. Songs like “Curtains,” which is already a live staple and was released on a charity comp soared in the intimate setting, while I Looked Out favorites like “Colorado” and “Long Distance Driver” were transformed into sparse, brooding, and downtempo renditions. You could hear a pin drop: rare for a solo show at the Empty Bottle and rarer for a support act. Don’t be mad, but attending two shows in a row Monday and Tuesday meant that I couldn’t stay for all of A. Savage’s set. I had work in the morning!
What I watched:
Hannah Frances on Audiotree Live (Full Session)
Keeper of the Shepherd, the new album from Chicago and Vermont songwriter Hannah Frances, is my most-played LP of 2024. If you’re somehow still on the fence or haven’t checked out her work, this Audiotree session featuring her Chicago backing band is a perfect place to start. What pros! What performers! It’s magic.
What I read:
How to break free of Spotify’s algorithm (Tiffany Ng, MIT Technology Review)
But what we’ve gained in convenience, we’ve lost in curiosity. Sure, our unlimited access lets us listen to Swedish tropical house or New Jersey hardcore, but this abundance of choice actually makes our listening experience less expansive or eclectic.
Most of us access music through streaming services: over 600 million of us worldwide, to be exact. And claiming over 30.5% of this population, nearly double the share of any other streaming service on the market, is Spotify. With its game-changing release in 2015 of Discover Weekly—a generated playlist that tailors song selections to a user’s listening habits—Spotify presented personalization as the remedy to our overabundance of options.
But in efficiently delivering what people seem to want, it effectively eliminated choice and removed humanity from the entire music listening—and music discovery—experience.
The Weekly Chicago Show Calendar:
The gig calendar lives on the WTTW News website now. You can also subscribe to the newsletter I produce there called Daily Chicagoan to get it a day early.
"I See It Now" has become one of my favorites of the year, such a great song.
damn josh this clearwater swimmers record has me crying at 9 am