This week’s Five Songs is all over the place with one big name, a touch of Japan, and a song recorded at sea.
1. The Smile, Read the Room
Wall of Eyes (XL Recordings)
RIYL: Radiohead, obviously
One day, Radiohead will return. Until then, though, we have The Smile, the offshoot featuring Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood plus their buddy Tom Skinner. Their second album has been out since January and has yielded four singles so far, including this one. Everything was recorded at Abbey Road and the entire album sounds brilliant on a good stereo system.
2. Goth Babe, Mexico
Single (further./Mom + Pop)
Recommended If You Like: Environmentally-friendly pop
Griff Washburn is a Tennessee boy who lives in the mountains of Washington state with his dog Sadie where they both enjoy the outdoors (fishing, camping, surfing, snowboarding, and just chillaxin’. Or maybe they’re back to living off the grid on a 36-foot sailboat named Lola. It all depends on the season. He sailed down the coast to Mexico last December and decided to write a song about it. Washburn also spends a lot of time working with environmental organizations.
3. Lucky Honey, One You Call
Single (Independent)
RIYL: Sounds of 80s
Here’s the debut single from a Hamilton outfit who managed to build a social media following before they released anything official. That started when the band held a contest that involved giving away a guitar to someone who needed a lift during the pandemic. The contest blew up and so did their socials. Lucky Honey has only been playing live since January, but there’s some serious potential here.
4. Ajico, ラヴの元型 (Archetype of Love)
ラヴの元型 EP (Archetype of Love EP) (Speedstar Records)
RIYL: Whatever they’re doing in Japan these days
Japan is the second-biggest music market in the world. However, because of the language barrier, a lot of excellent bands don’t get the worldwide attention that they deserve. I was recently turned on to Ajico, a band that hadn’t existed for a quarter-century. They’re back (I think)—and they sound great. Time to get into this rathole.
5. The Wivez, Boys/Toy
Single (Independent)
RIYL: Sounds of the 90s
Pure was a Vancouver band that had a really good run through the 1990s. They don’t exist anymore, but frontman Jordy Birch has kept on making music. He has a new project called The Wivez which features the drummer from Britain’s Zodiac Mindwarp and Bean from Vancouver’s Mystery Machine.
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