We get a lot of records sent to us here at The A.V. Club. Fortunately, we end up liking some of them. That’s why we launched Playlisted, to share our latest recommendations of tracks music fans have to hear.
Bob Mould, “The Descent”
Bob Mould is a busy guy these days. Merge just re-issued the Sugar discography, and Mould is out on the road playing both Copper Blue and his forthcoming record, Silver Age, which comes out September 4. The first single, “The Descent,” hit the Internet this week, and it’s a corker. Perfectly blending Mould’s work in Hüsker Dü and Sugar, “The Descent” inspires repeated listens with its buzzing riffs and sing-along chorus. If Silver Age is anything like “The Descent,” Mould fanatics and virgins alike are in for a treat.
Jason Lytle, “Tomorrow Started”
With a new solo album and some Grandaddy reunion dates on the immediate horizon, Jason Lytle has slowly stepped back into the music-media spotlight after a few years of being notoriously absent. Lytle even recorded a track for a new tribute album to experimental British pop act Talk Talk. “Tomorrow Started” comes off Spirit Of Talk Talk, which is out September 3 on Fierce Panda. The record was curated by Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder, and it features contributions from members of Arcade Fire, Pink Floyd, The Verve, and Turin Brakes. Lytle’s take on “Tomorrow Started” is fully synthed out, Grandaddy-style, and charmingly bleak.
Nude Beach, “Radio”
Brooklyn’s Nude Beach has been around for a few years, playing punk venues in the borough and self-releasing cassettes and LPs, but it only recently drew attention from the in-house music label of NYC record store Other Music, which will be releasing II, Nude Beach’s new record, on August 14. It’s a generalization, but record-store clerks really do have the best taste in music, and Other Music’s Nude Beach fandom is no exception to the rule. The band’s garage-infused jangle is infectiously fun, and it’s easy to fall head over heels in love with “Radio.”
Wavves, “Hippies Is Punks”
Wavves frontman Nathan Williams has been busy with his new duo, Sweet Valley, but apparently not too busy to put together this new track for the Adult Swim Singles Program. “Hippies Is Punks” not only has a great title, but also a great late-’90s alt-radio style. It’s the best of Harvey Danger and Nada Surf’s power-pop rock hits, all wrapped up into one much better package. Wavves’ new record is due out early next year.
Cult Of Youth, “Garden Of Delights”
Even for the most seasoned music critic, Cult Of Youth is a hard band to describe. Managing to somehow blend psychedelic folk, industrial, and a semi-black-metal sensibility, the band is a project of Brooklyn label and record storeowner Sean Ragon. The group has toured with Zola Jesus, Cold Cave, and Iceage in the past year alone, and its latest record, Love Will Prevail, comes out on Sacred Bones September 4. “Garden Of Delights” is a bit of a difficult track, and it’s not anywhere near as accessible as something relentlessly poppy like Nude Beach, but anyone who likes this track will like it a lot, guaranteed. Give it a chance.