by PJ Wascher

Three months in and I’m still hanging in there. I’m back with the third monthly edition of the 5×5. This was a tricky month. I’ve been listening to lots of good music, but most of it has been singles for future albums. Finding five albums of note this month was a little tough. One of my most anticipated albums (Michael Kiwanuka) was pushed back two months and a few others have been misses. I’ve finally gathered enough music, just missing my monthly deadline. To mix up this month though, I’m going to flip the format and talk about the songs first. There have been a lot of good songs released this month that I’m very excited about.

Five Songs

1. Dark Necessities by Red Hot Chili Peppers

I love Danger Mouse and it’s been way too long since I’ve listened to this band. This album might be coming out at just the right time…

2. Lies by Jane XØ

These vocals will grab you immediately. The bass drop will keep you wanting more.

3. Lupo by Cairobi

Dreamy guitars and a great bass guitar hook. Full album coming out in late June.

4. Morning Light by Stone Cold Fox

Don’t harsh my mellow man! This thing just stays in an easy head-banging groove. Perfect summer jam. Love the guitar solos.

5. Call of the Void by Great Pagans

I’m a little late on this one. I’ve been into trippy pop music since Tame Impala’s album last year. This is following in that pattern.

 

Five Albums 

1. The Colour In Anything by James Blake (released May 6) *In My Top 10

Easily the biggest release on my music calendar so far and it did not disappoint. James Blake is back with his unique sparse sound. The album has great depth and is the perfect palate cleanser when I’m ready to slow it down. I find I have to be in a certain mood to break out Blake’s music, but I’ve been in that mood quite a lot this month. It’s a great album and will probably be on my end year list if current trends hold up. Despite the length of time (3 years) he’s taken to release this album, I’ve been surprised by how long the album is. Featuring noticeably more music than any of his prior releases. Even with the extended length the quality has stayed constantly sharp. I’ll admit I’ve still got some work to do to dig all the way through it.

2. To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere by Thrice (released May 27) *In My Top 10

Time to rock out! I’ve got a high school friend that has sworn by this group for over a decade, but I’ve never taken the time to listen. Man do I regret that. Not many bands left that can rock out like this. I may be in the wrong listening circles, but I just can’t find enough bands that rock this hard anymore. Their new album just came out last week so I haven’t had a lot of time to digest it. The singles released for it have been fantastic. I tend to dig myself in with deeper and sadder music throughout the day. I think this will be my go-to album this year to kick myself out of that pattern when I need to get some energy back into my music.

3. Masterpiece by Big Thief (released May 27) *In My Top 10

I absolutely love the song below. That will be a contender for my song of the year. Great builder that just rocks out at the end. This is another album that just came out at the end of the month. Real Love is a little more up-tempo from the rest of the album. As the vocals hint, they often work in a slower tempo that allows you to dig into all the emotion inside the song.

4. PersonA by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (released April 5)

I wasn’t sure how long this band would be around the first time I heard them. They were a bundle of fun energy that I figured would burn out. To my surprise, the band keeps producing new layers and albums to show them off. Their fourth album is a little less bright in spots, but still has that peppy spark. Show Me Love the most popular song off the album would fit in with any of their other great hits. Many of their other songs on this album give me a Peter Watson vibe, which is great. This album is easy to lose in the shuffle, but is great when I need something different with a few layers.

5. Nonagon Infinity by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (released April 29)

Despite the fantastic band name, I’ll admit this is a group I did not run into in my usual listening patterns. Figured I’d throw in a little curve ball to finish this list off. I was reading an interview with one of my favorite artists Britney Howard, of Alabama Shakes, on her favorite current artists. The band shares a similar space as Tame Impala. Exploring psychedelic sonic sounds. I find the band to be a bit fuzzier sound wise, with an acceptance to breakdown into complete chaos. It works at times for me and sometime not so much. But one has to give them points for creativity and marching to their own beat. This new album has really clicked for me and is worth a listen.