Photo of Blondshell by Reese Layton
I didn’t mean to take the last two weeks off, but with SLICE (that’s the St. Louis Independent Comics Expo to you!) coming up at the end of the month, I had to spend some time wearing my other editorial hat as one of the editors for Ink and Drink Comics. But while I helped edit our new anthology, I also listened to some new tunes. A lot of them, as it turns out, but only some I had things to say about them. Read on to read those things!
Onelinedrawing, Rainbowmachine (Iodine): Jonah Matranga first gained fame in the band Far in the early ‘90s, but the vast majority of his career has been spent recording as a one-man band under the moniker Onelinedrawing. His earliest releases under that name were bare-bones acoustic-guitar-and-hushed-vocals affairs, but he’s long since graduated to a full band sound.
This is my first time checking in with Matranga in a very long time (outside of this fun indie short film anthology that he did the score for) so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I was suitably impressed by the variety of song styles he tackles here: the stomping Weezer-esque upbeat alt-rock of “Eighties El Camino” sits comfortably next to the dark, jagged, stripped-down “Failures Virgin,” the jangly, pensive strums of “Day One Eighty Three,” and soaring, Gang of Youths-ish anthem-pop of “The Water in the Summer.” Matranga mostly eschews typical emo sounds, though he does lean into it on the rise-and-fall of “Inbetweener” and the brittle solo acoustic closer “The Plane to Mars” that most resembles his earliest work. Will I Listen Again?: Yes.
BAILEN, SWIM!!! (Briggs Hill Music): On their first independent album after a trio of releases on Fantasy Records, the Bailen siblings—twin brothers Daniel and David and their sister Julia—offer up a variety of sweet Seventies-inspired sounds, the siblings’ complementary but by no means identical voices blending together in the kind of rich, natural harmonies the Me Decade was famous for. By far my favorite tune here is “Eve Babitz,” a bubbly, Haim-esque ode to the titular writer that Julia Bailen penned after reading Babitz’s 1979 book Sex and Rage and developing a sort of crush on the late author; “It’s kind of a gay panic song for your typical literary girl,” Julia says. Julia’s songs tend to be a bit more pumping and upbeat, like the witchy Fleetwood Mac vibes of “This Is it.” The brothers go a little softer—see the soothing Seventies soul of “Send Me Off,” the gentle folk and Chicago-style harmonies of “Kansas Tornado,” or the pure Seals & Crofts soft rock of album closer “Unreal.” Did this album blow me away? No, but it’s a damn pleasant listen on a sunny Friday afternoon. Will I Listen Again?: Probably.
Smidley, Murphy Horse (Royal Mountain): I am a bad St. Louis music fan, in that I’ve somehow never really listened to our fair city’s arguably most successful recent indie rock export, Foxing (who recently called it quits with an emotional farewell show at Delmar Hall). I’m correcting that now with the latest from Smidley, the side project of Foxing lead singer Conor Murphy, and wow, what have I been missing? This is totally up my alley: ebullient, quirky, bright, catchy, harmony-laden alt-pop, hitting much the same sweet spot as one of my personal favorites, Saint Motel. Maybe a little Phantom Planet mixed in there too? The best of the best is the musically bouncy/lyrically bummed out “Friendly’s” (which does not appear to be about either of the St. Louis sports bars that share that name, sadly!), while other highlights are the bright, buzzy, Bleachers-esque “Capstone” (which feature a guest spot from Lucy Dacus), the shimmering new wave of “Love in Every Direction,” and the Talking Heads strut of “People Like You.” The distorted defeated/self-defeating title track is up there, too. Will I Listen Again?: Definitely.
Meg Lui, Instant Validation (Asthmatic Kitty): Meg Lui has a warm, plainspoken singing voice and a folksy bent to her songs that conjures the feel of 2000s Neko Case. Yet while some songs hit to matters of the heart, others, per the album announcement, are “inhabited by a fantastically surreal cast of characters: anthropomorphic flowers, sea monsters, Elvis Presley, the ill-fated lovers of ancient Greek myths.” These flights of fancy obviously require a bit more color, but fortunately, Lui really leveled up the proceedings by teaming with producer Sufjan Stevens, who knows just when to stick to simple roots rock arrangements, when to add subtle percussion, strings, or horns, and when to really push over into Full Sufjan orchestral grandeur. Favorite tunes: the atmospheric cool of “Elvis Queen,” “Instant Validation” with its Beatles-esque harmonies and sunny horn section, and the gently rolling “Monumental” that plays like Cruel Country-era Wilco. Also a good gateway song: the tender, pulsating cover of the Cranberries’ “Dreams.” But it’s all worth a listen. Will I Listen Again?: Yes.
Blondshell, Violins (Partisan Records): I became obsessed with Sabrian Teitelbaum’s first album as Blondshell from my very first listen, but I was disappointed by her 2025 followup If You Asked for a Picture. I’m not even sure that I can pinpoint exactly why; the best I can manage is that it feels maybe a little less considered, particularly in the lyrics, with some songs coming off like first drafts that could use more time in the workshop (“23’s a Baby”) or went past the level of incisive rage that the debut captured so much better (“T&A”). I loved some of the non-album singles that came out around that time, like the Bully duet “Docket” and her cover of Addison Rae’s “Diet Pepsi,” but despite returning to it a few times, Picture never quite came into focus for me.
Whatever ineffable something was missing last time, it’s back in full force on Violins, which grabbed me as immediately as her debut did. The opening trio of “Violins,” “Heart Has to Work So Hard,” and “Lucky” in particular is a hell of an opening salvo, and the rest of the record leans heavily into their kind of swelling, anthemic turn-of-the-century alt-rock sound that is right in my wheelhouse. In contrast to the first two albums, this does feel like more of a guitar album that the first two, which were very much vocal- and lyric-forward (to the first one’s benefit and second one’s detriment) but there are already a few nuggets (like “my heart has to work so hard when you’re around” or “don’t think about matching nose jobs”) that just leap out of the speakers. A great first listen, an even better second listen, and it already feels like it has depths worthy of exploring much, much further, and I’m looking forward to doing so between now and when Blondshell hits the stage at Delmar Hall, waaaaaay out in May of next year. A likely candidate for my year-end favorites list. Will I Listen Again?: Absolutely.
Wishy, Nature’s Pill (Winspear): Indianapolis quintet Wishy’s sophomore album posits an interesting question: what if the biggest band of the 1990s wasn’t Nirvana, but Lush? Eschewing the mid-’90s post-grunge alt-pop stylings of their debut, this album leans heavily into the pre-grunge sound of alternative rock circa 1989-1991: shoegaze, pre-Britpop British alternative, and Boston college rock bands of that era like the Blake Babies, Throwing Muses, and the Lemonheads. The melodies are sticky sweet and the guitars jangle and swirl and shimmer, and it suits the band beautifully, particularly the songs where Nina Pitchkites sings lead. On first listen I prefer the first half of the album to the second, but there are no outright weak tracks and Nature’s Pill as a whole is definitely the best release from Wishy yet. Will I Listen Again?: Definitely.
Johnny Marr, The Age of Everything (New Voodoo Limited): For how formative the Smiths were for me, I’ve weirdly never checked out Johnny Marr’s solo material until now (even as I’ve listened to all of his old bandmate Morrissey’s solo stuff, for better or worse). This album pulls off a helluva trick, with Marr leaning into guitar sounds that both explore new territory and harken back to his most famous work to craft an album that both sounds totally modern but also scratches that new wave itch. His vocals are nice, too; he clearly picked a bit of Morrissey’s cadence even as he delivers it in an unaffected croon closer to his old bandmate in Electronic, New Order’s Bernard Sumner. The very best song is the jangly Smiths guitar and oh-whoa-oh-ohs of the downright infectious “It’s Time,” while “Beyond the Rain,” “Ophelia,” and the hypnotic DIIV-esque “Fire With Fire” are other highlights worth checking out. The album did sag in the middle a bit for me with “That Feeling” and “In and Out of Love” (not, sadly, a Bon Jovi cover, but man, wouldn’t that be something?!) but on balance, this was a great mix of new ideas and nostalgic thrills. Will I Listen Again?: Yes. | Jason Green
