Hey, folks! Welcome to episode 182 of Adobe & Teardrops!
Before we get into some of the best releases of July, an announcement: I’m beginning grad school in about a month and this podcast takes a lot of time. Plus, it has a very mighty — but very small — following. I posted a poll on Twitter asking artists if they prefer their music featured on Spotify playlists or podcasts and 18 out 18 artists said “playlists.” So — this is one of the last few episodes of Adobe & Teardrops! I was hoping to get to December, the tenth anniversary of the site, or February, the fourth anniversary of the podcast, but I’m losing steam. So Von and I are going to do one last episode together, and then maybe I’ll do one last solo mission. Thank you, as always, for listening.
But if you’ll miss the dulcet tones of my voice, Rosa and I started a new podcast called Rosa and Rachel’s Redwall Report which is, you guessed it, a Redwall podcast! Each episode is about 20 minutes long — just long enough to listen to while you prepare your own Redwall feast.
Also! I am opening submissions for Rainbow Rodeo #2! This is a paid opportunity for visual artists and writers of all experience levels! The deadline to apply is August 31st and the link is in the show notes. The application will take you five minutes tops.
So let’s get into the music! We’ll start off with an Americana mini-set, then get into some rock, R&B, disco, shoegaze…you know how we roll here. First up is Son Volt’s new album, Electro Melodier. What I’ll say about this album is, if you loved Son Volt in the ‘90s you will love Son Volt in 2021! This album doesn’t miss a beat, for better or worse, but it’s beautiful in its world-weary way. We’re going to listen to “Diamonds and Cigarettes,” featuring Laura Cantrell dueting with Jay Fahrar.
- Son Volt — “Diamonds and Cigarettes (feat. Laura Cantrell)” (Electro Melodier) (2:56)
- Ryan Curtis — “She Said” (Rust Belt Broken Heart) (6:48)
That was Ryan Curtis’s “She Said,” which is, honestly, the happiest song on the record. Of course, the record is called Rust Belt Broken Heart, so it’s exactly what you should expect. Curtis has the perfect voice for Americana music, and the album is a beautiful journey.
To pick things up a little, here’s Yola’s “Dancing Away in Tears” off of Stand For Myself. This song is pretty disco-inflected, and on the album we can see Yola experimenting with that sound. But, at the end of the day, it was produced by Dan Auerbach and I feel like when he produces an album, it has a very, very, very heavy fingerprint. And, much like her first albums, there are some stand-out songs and a few that feel a bit interchangeable to me. I’m really excited for whatever Yola does next, and I hope that she continues to branch out with new collaborators!
- Yola — “Dancing Away in Tears” (Stand For Myself) (11:09)
- Tayls — “Like a Dog” (Have You Ever? I’ve Always) (14:51)
That was Nashville rock band Tayls with the song “Like a Dog” from Have You Ever? I’ve Always. Now that the ‘90s are a fad with Gen Z, I’m hearing a lot of alt-rock sounding bands and…I’m not mad about it! Greta Van who? Overall, this album is really fun, and super maximalist, so if that’s your thing, go for it.
- Leon Bridges — “Motorbike” (Gold-Diggers Sound) (20:13)
- Jeremy Squires — “Diminish” (Unravel) (23:54)
However, we’re going to dial it down with Leon Bridges’ new album, Gold-Diggers Sound. Bridges made it big with a retro ‘60s vibe, but he’s broken out of that mold to make music that feels immediate and important. He’s such a talented artist and I’m so glad that he’s making music for himself. Gold-Diggers Sound has an early ‘90s vibe that’s just intoxicating. So, here’s “Motorbike.”
That was Jeremy Squires with his new album Unravel. Squires is nothing if not consistent: he’s perfected a beautiful shoegaze Americana sort of sound, and Unravel continues with his more rock-oriented exploration of this avenue. You just heard the song “Diminish.”
Well, before we go, I do have a Patreon and a Ko-fi! I’ll be starting on the Spotify playlists next week and will tell you how to follow me on there once I figure out how to do that. You can keep reading up on new and exciting musicians on Adobe and Teardrops, and you can buy merch and such at the site — as well as your copy of Rainbow Rodeo!
Von and I haven’t nailed down a recording time yet, so next week will either be the two of us getting into our favorite albums of 2013, or it’ll be my last solo episode of the podcast.
Our last song today will be from Jodi’s gorgeous album Blue Heron. Their music is a beautiful intersection of folk and bedroom pop, as we’ll here on “Get Back.”
Thanks to Two Cow Garage and Alma Contra for the opening, thanks to you for being incredible supporters of the podcast the last three years.
As always: in music we trust, in music we believe.
- Jodi — “Get Back” (Blue Heron) (29:15)
Next week’s topic: Winding Down
Podcast intro by Alma Contra, music from Two Cow Garage’s “Stars & Gutters”
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Send me money via Ko-fi or Patreon. Find Rachel and her comic via https://linktr.ee/rachel.cholst