It's the weekend, the first real weekend of winter around these parts, with a fresh 16 inches of snow. Snow days are some of my favorite listening music days. I have a few albums here that I listened for the first time this week, a few others are some other 2020 albums that I want get up here before the new year starts. Lots of different stuff on here, so enjoy.

Emma Ruth Rundle and Thou - May Our Chambers Be Full: Over the past several years, Emma Ruth Rundle (Marriages, Nocturnes, Red Sparrows) had become one of my favorite artists. On this new record, she teams up with the sludge band Thou to create a really great atmospheric sludge metal album. Her voice adds another level to the screeching that occurs in the background, coming together to create pleasant chaos. 

Blue Rose Code - With Healings of the Deepest Kind: The fifth album from the Edinburgh artist. He's the sort sing songwriter that's difficult to categorize. It's part chamber pop, part baroque, part Sting, part easy listening and part Nick Cave. It's very moody, grey and beautiful, a kind of uplifting sort of folk with lots of strings.  "The Wild Atlantic Way," and "Starlit" were standouts for me.  

 

Black Ends - Sellout: After loving this Seattle band's newest EP, I delved into their back catalog of EPs on their Bandcamp site. This one is from last year and is a little more experimental than the new one. It's little groovier, perhaps less dangerous, less tinged with darkness, though it's there under the surface. "Peak," "Tongues Turned" and "Maybe When" are brilliant. The underground is definitely going to come round to these guys. Super stuff that I haven't heard the likes of since Sweet 75s and Pagoda and Enormous. 

Henry Gross - Release: The fourth solo album from the one time Sha Na Na guitarist was released in '76 and is a groovy '70s pop rock record that blends soul and folk. "Overton Square" reminds me of Donovan's "Sunny Goodge Street", one of my favorite songs. This is a decent album that is wholly of its time. A good choice when looking for some 70s FM pop rock. "Moonshine Alley," "Shannon," and "Something In Between" are standouts.

The Warlocks - The Chain: The 9th album from the L.A. psychedelic rock band was released this spring. This band has always done fuzzy psych as good as anyone and this record is another great addition to their body of work. This album feels more like their earliest stuff, rougher and eerier and more suited for stoned travels through the Interzone. "Mr. Boogeyman," and "Double Life" are fantastic tracks.

 

The Alligator Wine - Demons of the Mind: The debut album from heavy rock band from Germany came out this past spring. It opens with the hard hitting "Shotgun" before mellowing out a bit, creating that heavy psych balance. The vocals are little gruff, but they work with the music. A pretty solid blues inspired rock that certainly isn't groundbreaking, but decent enough to check out. "The Flying Carousel" is another standout track.