WSUM's Records of the Week: 11/17/2019

We return with a relatively short list of our weekly favorites list. Check these out, and make sure you take a listen to the Spotify playlist below, which features tracks from these records, and many more.

Friendship, Dreamin'

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “I Don't Have to Imagine Your Love,” “Clairvoyant,” “Sure”

GENRE: Indie Rock, Slowcore, Alt-Country 

RIYL: Red House Painters, Midnight Choir, Low 

Ultimately, the atmosphere Philadelphia's Friendship creates through Dreamin' is one of woe and dismay, but it is a dismay that is reaching out for you to take solace in. As Dreamin' commences through its opening track, “I Don't Have to Imagine Your Love,” the audience finds themselves politely invited to throw down their emotional armor and bask in the strikingly personal songwriting the record puts forth. The instrumental performances of the record, like on the track “Clairvoyant,” paint serene and placid works of art, while also containing aspects I can only describe as harrowing and haunting. The lyrics, poetic, confessional, and somber, truly make the album, allowing tracks like, “Sure,” to truly provide the sentimental staying power that may drive listeners to revisit the tender and heartfelt world of Dreamin'. 

Matt Jarosinski

Monsters Calling Home, Vol. 2

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Wake Up,” “OKAY COOL,” “Let Me Down”

GENRE: Alternative Pop

RIYL: Twin Forks, Little Chief, The Hunts

BLURB: This EP is a sequel to Monsters Calling Home, Vol. 1 EP. Run River North is an L.A. based band who has a fun, uplifting tone throughout all of their music. This EP especially has catch lyrics and rhythm that will stick with listeners for hours after they hear it. It has been described as radio-friendly upbeat alternative music. It very much has undertones of pop with a mixture of synth, guitar, and drums. The vocals are very soothing and none of the songs contain harsh sounds. The beginning of the EP kicks off with the strong upbeat song “Wake Up,” but the EP comes full circle with a calm, somber song “Let Me Down”. Overall this EP will take the listener on a full emotional rollercoaster that is sure to leave them feeling satisfied. –Jessica Hall

Branches, Square Peg Round Hole

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Gold Makes Blind”, “Midnight”, “He(a) With Me Now”

GENRE: Electronic

RIYL: Thor Harris, Four Tet, Floating Points

BLURB: On their new album Branches, Square Peg Round Hole provides an electronic sound with a post-rock twist. Most of Branches is filled with glistening, airy, and resonant melodies, punctuated with punchy drums performing syncopated, breakbeat style rhythms. While the compositions on Branches are mostly indicative of the IDM genre, it has a generally post-rock based instrument palette, being composed of mostly live instrumentation. While the sound of Branches can be sparse and static from song to song, the interesting fusion of genres present by Square Peg Round Hole makes it a worthwhile listen. -Ayden Schultz

Panda Bear, A Day With The Homies

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Flight”, “Sunset”, “Nod to the Folks”

GENRE: Electronic

RIYL: Ariel Pink, Dirty Projectors, Deerhunter

It's amazing what kind of sonic range Animal Collective's Noah Lennox achieves with just his own voice, a synthesizer a sampler on his latest EP. The boisterous, thumping drums and bass paired with the Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies in “Flight” make for the same happy-go-lucky feeling I'd expect to find in a Grateful Dead jam. The drum machines in cuts like “Nod to the Folks” and “Sunset” made me feel as though I was walking through whatever purgatory exists between the Cocteau Twins and Aphex Twin. But what I think is most notable about Homies is how it still remains faithful to Lennox's own sugary sweet and off-kilter esthetic.

-Shelby Len

You can check out our weekly selection of records every week on our music blog. Whether you're tuned in, zoned out, or otherwise, you can rely on our staff's outstanding takes to provide a healthy variety of on the money music.

Check out a playlist with our recs and more!