Still a lot of new music to share. I’m also developing a glut of older songs to include when time allows. With that in mind, I’m going to expand these a little, sharing more like 5–7 songs each week instead of 4–5.

Let’s hope Spotify/Wordpress cooperate this week.

“Do You Understand?” – En Attendant Ana
I had been really digging this track for a couple weeks when I finally decided to look up the band. I assumed they were some band formed by art students from Portland or Brooklyn or wherever trying to affect a certain image by taking a French name. Turns out they are actually French! And their album is outstanding. This song is the clear standout, but the disk is filled with other fine tracks. I’m always down with a band that will throw a little french horn into the mix.

“Garden Song” – Phoebe Bridgers
Finally a new song from Phoebe! Well, kind of. Apparently this song has been a part of her live sets for a year or two and she just got around to recording it. It is, allegedly, the first confirmation that we will get a new album from her sometime this year.

“4 American Dollars” – U.S. Girls
Meg Remy is back with more intensely political lyrics disguised by ass-shaking music. Here she takes on the contradictions of the American Dream.

“Sandcastles” – Cable Ties
Most of the Aussie music I share fits into a rather broad circle of energetic indie pop. This one, though, is a straight ass-kicker that owes a lot to Sleater-Kinney. It is also timely, given the in-fighting among Democrats during the primary season. Jenny McKechnie takes on the gatekeepers of progressive moments who force idealogical purity on the group. Kind of deep but worth noting as the fans of Bernie, Pete, etc yell at each other on Twitter.

“Noonday Devil” – Cartalk
Another absolute stunner from this band.

“Dry the Rain” – The Beta Band
“I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs by The Beta Band…”

“Fade Into You” – Mazzy Star.
Mazzy Star was famous because of this song, and Hope Sandoval’s unique delivery. It is perhaps the ultimate Generation X song because of her laconic, withdrawn, kind of spooky presence. How many people bought So Tonight That I Might See because of this one song? That, too, kind of sums up our generation, who came of age in the CD era when you had to drop $12–16 to buy an entire album to get the one song you wanted.

Sandoval’s bandmate David Roback died earlier this week. So this goes out to him.