TRACK | Katie Von Schleicher – Strangest Thing

5/5 golden merles

Katie Von Schleicher has released not one but two essential rock albums of our common era, 2020’s Consummation and 2017’s Shitty Hits.

This track is off the former, which is the latter, chronologically. I don’t have a copyeditor. This is a blog that only people who are getting ping-backs to their bandcamp pages are reading.

The point is that very few people are writing songs on the level of The Image and Strangest Thing. They’re full of majesty and momentum and calibrated to kill. In a kind way.

She’s also doing engineering/recording with Nate Mendelsohn for Shitty Hits Recording Co. If you’re in the NY area and need such services.

TRACK | Karl Neudert – yamevoyadormir (unfinished)

5/5 golden merles

To my taste, Karl Neudert’s extremely prolific demos are better produced than anything I’ve ever mastered.

When the chorus/backing vocals kick in around the one minute mark something very good becomes revelatory and mercilessly catchy.

Seek out his hyper-active youtube channel for more radiant lo-fi hooks.

TRACK | Dig Nitty – Screen

5/5 golden merles

Dig Nitty, “Reverse of Mastery” was one of the best albums of 2020.

Screen is a bit more up-tempo than the majority of the album, but it all includes these inventive, careening vocal melodies drenched in the appropriate level of reverb. The drumming pattern in the chorus is expert and perfectly arranged.

Other standout tracks are the harpoon to the heart that is “Angel Calling,” and the highway hypnosis of “Palm Springs.” But it’s all very good.

Erin McGrath et al are writing excellent songs.

Please buy them.

TRACK | Sarah Mary Chadwick – Please Daddy

5/5 golden merles

“And Anne, and Elliott, and Sylvia / Do the work and then it kills ya / right, mama?”

Hard to pick one track off this excellent album to celebrate, so more will likely follow later. But damn. Full of grace and dread, end to end. A great work I am deeply envious of. And, whether I am worthy or not, I feel a deep kinship with it.