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In this episode, Natalie and Tara share "new to them" music that they've been loving. Share your latest faves with us on social!
Creators & Guests
What is Record Store Society?
It's time to visit your favorite local record store; a place where music fans spend countless hours flipping through records, discuss the minutia of favorite b-sides, best live albums, and anything else music-related. If you have any questions, you can always find Tara and Natalie behind the counter ready to give a recommendation or tell you about a recent discovery. Join Record Store Society, a music podcast, biweekly to see what’s new or just to hang around for some music talk.
Okay, Tara. So I've been dying to hear about your trip to Vegas. How was it? Oh, my gosh. It was great.
Tara:Yeah? Well, I'm not normally a Vegas person. I'm not a fan of Vegas, just not really for me. I mean, you walk a mile through each of the casinos by the time you can even get outside. I'm more of a fan of all the wonderful nature that is out west Mhmm.
Tara:And not very far from Vegas. However, yes, I went to Vegas to see you 2 at the Sphere. That's super cool. How was it? It was definitely a top five show for me Oh, wow.
Tara:Because they played Octon Baby in full.
Natalie:Oh, wow.
Tara:And yeah. They, of course, played some songs from Joshua Tree. And, yeah, it was just an amazing experience. Plus okay. So I live in Atlanta, but I'm from Tennessee.
Tara:And, of course, there's the whole Vegas Elvis tie in thing, but Priscilla Presley was there in person in the flesh. That's cool. Wild. It just felt like, wow, of all the shows I could have gone to, they've had this residency at The Sphere going for a good long while now. And it's just crazy that the one that I go to is the one that Priscilla Presley is also at.
Natalie:Yeah. That's super cool. Felt some sort of
Tara:weird connection, you know. I don't know. It's silly. They also did a BB King song, so that was really cool. Yeah.
Tara:The whole Memphis tie in.
Natalie:And how was the venue? Like, how how were the visuals and everything?
Tara:The visuals were insane. So the sphere is just this giant arena auditorium that is a sphere shape and the whole like front side of the sphere where you would be facing the band has these visuals that go all the way up to the very top and all the way across the sides. At the beginning of the show, well, before the show even started, just while you're waiting for things to to start, I looked up and it looked like it was an open ceiling, but of course, it's not open ceiling. It's a sphere. It's closed at the top, but it looked open.
Tara:And I didn't even think about this when it happened, but I could see a bird flying in. Mhmm. And I was like, like, woah, look at that bird. You know? And then it wasn't until the end of the show when someone was like, that bird wasn't real.
Tara:And I was like, oh my god, wait, you're right. There's no hole at the top. The bird was totally projected. Were you sober? I mean, not towards the end, but the beginning I was.
Tara:And so I definitely thought the bird was real. That's funny. It was just wild. There was a part where the the visuals were going down behind the stage and it looked kinda like the stage was moving. And I had to look at the ground because it
Tara:was starting to make me feel very sticky.
Tara:Yeah. Wonky. It it was amazing. Just amazing. Nice.
Tara:Unmatched. So cool. Loved it. And you 2 sounded perfect.
Natalie:Well, good for them. Beautiful.
Tara:They still got it. I like that. Yeah. Right. Exactly.
Tara:But so I did see one of our favorite bands from 2023 that put out a new album Oh, yeah? Last night, Blonde Redhead.
Natalie:Oh, that's dope. Yeah. They were here. Wow. What they
Tara:was so good.
Natalie:Where was that?
Tara:That was at Terminal West. Mhmm. Cool.
Tara:It was
Tara:it was great. They still got it too. And I'm I love that new album. I had to pick up a copy at the show.
Natalie:Nice. Yeah. Did they do a lot of old stuff? Were they mostly focused on Yeah.
Tara:They did. They did songs from Missouri is a Butterfly. They did they did songs from 23, and then, of course, a bunch of the new stuff. But I think
Tara:that's it.
Tara:Those are the ones I knew for sure.
Natalie:Did they have an opener?
Tara:They did. And I forget their name because I got there a little late. Okay. Fair enough. But yeah.
Tara:I don't know. So it reminds me though, you know, sometimes we have talked about new things that we like, and we haven't really done that in a while.
Natalie:Oh, yeah. Lots of new artists, new stuff coming out. Old artists who haven't released new music in a long time. There's a lot happening.
Tara:Yeah. And I've already started my list for keeping track of the best things released in 2024 so that I can refer back to because there's some really great stuff that just came out.
Natalie:Oh, yeah. Let's let's talk
Tara:about some of it. Okay. Well, diving right away. This one you've mentioned recently as just learning, so new to you. But this is a song brand new from this person, and that is Jessica Pratt, and the song is life is.
Tara:So this song was released on 16th February. And it's the first single of her new album called Here in the Pitch, which will be her 4th studio album. And again, this doesn't come out yet, but you can go ahead and pre order it on Bandcamp, which I have already done. And, you know, in general, her albums are categorized as folk or maybe even freak folk. And her sound is usually quite bleak, just herself and an acoustic guitar, usually simple, beautiful music, quiet.
Tara:But this time, there are drums. And it sounds very, to me, kind of like Wall of Sound, Phil Spector ish, very sixties psychedelic. It almost reminds me of a less noisy version of Cindy Lee, which I love. So that's an a given that I'm going to love it. But, yeah, I'm really excited to see what the rest of the album sounds like.
Tara:I'm already super excited just from this first single release.
Natalie:Oh, man. And this, like, just came out within the last couple of weeks.
Tara:Yeah. Brand spanking new.
Natalie:Yeah. I like her a lot. I'm excited to hear what she's doing now, especially if we're bringing some, some beats into the mix. That's
Natalie:new. Yeah. Definitely. I still love it though. It's it's great.
Tara:Yeah. I really can't wait to hear the rest of the album.
Natalie:Do we know when that's coming out? Is that imminent?
Tara:Yeah. So that album will be released on May 3, 2024.
Natalie:Okay. Yeah. That'll be pretty soon.
Tara:Yeah.
Tara:Exciting. And
Tara:I've already pre ordered. You can pre order, but not the cool limited edition PONDSCUM color, unfortunately. Always prepared. Who have you been listening to lately?
Natalie:Yeah. So this artist was introduced to me by my partner. He he always has new music that he's sharing with me, and we are really, really digging this this artist called named rather Wayne Snow. Have you heard of Wayne Snow by any chance? I have not.
Natalie:Okay. I I think you would dig him. He's super cool. It's hard to describe the sound, but he's got a little blurb on his bio that let me I just wanna read quickly because I think it's a good description. There's an undeniable warmth to Wayne Snow's music, one that combines a contemporary take on the sun kissed, soulful vibes of his homeland of Nigeria with neo soul, alternative pop, soltronica, and jazz.
Natalie:And I love the term soltronica. That's, like, so perfect for this or or like Afrofuturism. Really, really cool modern artist. He blossomed as an artist after relocating to Berlin in 2013, met some kindred spirits, started collaborating, and he released his first EP called Red Runner in 2014. And I wanna play a little bit of that title track here.
Natalie:This is Red Runner. Yeah. Just a great chill dance groove that drops in like halfway through on this one. Just really good lounge vibes, you know? Just good happy lounge vibes, hang out.
Natalie:Really, really like his sound. His debut album Freedom TV came out in 2017, and this gained a lot of attention from some pretty big news outlets and names and music, including Charles Peterson. And the whole vibe on this album is is so smooth and groovy, but I just want to kind of fast forward to his most recent project figurine, which is how we discovered this artist and it was released in 2021 on French label, Roche Musique. So I want to play just a couple of highlights for me on this album. And the first is the track FOM, which stands for friend of
Natalie:mine.
Natalie:Smooth. Yeah. This song has the sickest instrumental interlude that hits, you know, about halfway through, and it just washes over you like a vat of warm butter with this killer guitar solo. It's such a vibe. Like, you should listen to it all the way through.
Natalie:It's so worth it for that that interlude. And then The
Tara:album art is beautiful.
Natalie:Isn't it? That orange is just so striking. Right? It's gorgeous. And his his visuals, like, all his videos are kind of on the same wavelength.
Natalie:Very, very simple color, a lot of movement, and I don't know. He's just got a really dope aesthetic and style. Cool. Another favorite that I wanna hear a little bit of is called Nina.
Tara:Oh, I get some unknown mortal orchestra vibes here.
Natalie:Yeah. Right? It's it's really, really dope. Just another chill jam that makes you wanna move. It's so chill.
Natalie:He's got this lovely light falsetto that's just super soulful, and I don't know, man. It makes me ready for for spring, for summer, you know, having a sangria. Yeah. Right? It's just giving, like, hangout party vibes.
Natalie:Right?
Natalie:I love him. Yeah. Yeah.
Natalie:He's really cool. So we're we're way into him, recently
Natalie:in this household. So, yeah, Wayne Snow, check him out. Cool. Yeah. No.
Tara:It's I'm excited to listen to him.
Tara:Of fits in that whole vibe as well. Again, all of mine this time are new songs released by people who haven't had songs released in quite a while, it feels like, but are not new to me artists necessarily. This next one is a group that I just enjoy so much. And actually recently just revisited one of their older albums in full, just because I was just like, you know what? I kinda miss I miss this band.
Tara:And I went back and I relistened to them. And then, of course, wouldn't you know it, they just released a new single to mark their 20th anniversary, and it was their first music in 2 years. And that is a song called Common Blue by War Paint.
Natalie:Cool. Don't you love when that happens, when you just think of a band that you loved Yeah. Like, just in time to hear something new they've put out?
Tara:It was synchronicity for sure. I was like, what? No way. That's crazy. Yeah.
Tara:So I went back and listened to I think it was their debut album and which I I just love so much and listened to the whole thing and just truly enjoyed the experience. And then, of course, yeah, I just saw they had a new album or a new song, that just came out called Common Blue, and it's part of, a 7 inch that will be released on March 22nd. And it's it's to mark their 20th anniversary of being in a band together, and you can find it, streaming as well. But it's their first music in 2 years. It's groovy, earthy vibes, you know, common for them wore paint.
Tara:And of course, it always includes their lovely haunting, echoey harmonies. It's a feel good tune, but there is this hint of sadness to it. But I love it so much and I'm very excited that they've released this music and I can't wait to hear more. I don't know if they're planning a full length. I just I am super excited about this 7 inch for sure.
Natalie:Yeah. I dig war paint. They've kinda kinda fallen off my radar a bit too. So Yeah. It's cool to hear they're coming back.
Natalie:This is giving good springtime vibes too.
Tara:Yeah. Good springtime vibes. Definitely.
Natalie:Yeah. Maybe, like, on a, like, a sunny day with just a little bit of rain, a hint of melancholy.
Tara:A hint of melancholy. Yeah. I like it. That's definitely the what I was feeling from it. Yeah.
Tara:Hope they do more soon.
Natalie:Yeah. Alright. So another artist I just sort of stumbled upon is Laurel Halo. Do you know this artist?
Tara:Oh, yeah. Yeah? Oh, yeah. I've talked about Laurel Halo quite a lot here in the store.
Natalie:Because I was like, who is this? Just popped up on some random Spotify mix I was listening to recently. So you'll know you know already then, she's an electronic producer and DJ, and a founder of a record label called Ah. Yeah. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, so, like, naturally influenced by lot of Detroit techno, Musique Concretes, which we've talked about a bit in one of our music tech chats, a lot of film score and jazz influences.
Natalie:But I heard the song, and I hope I'm pronouncing this correctly, doctor Ect, and I was like, what is this? What are these sounds? I love this. So dreamy, so psychedelic. Let's just
Natalie:listen to a bit of that.
Natalie:It's a vibe. It's only under 2 minutes, so it's just kind of a bummer, but it's a it's a good under 2 minutes. This is from her 2013 sophomore album called Chance of Rain, which I really, really enjoyed. A year prior to that, she released her debut album called Quarantine, which was critically acclaimed named album of the year by British music mag, The Wire. So let's check out one of the tracks from that album.
Natalie:This one is MK Ultra.
Natalie:That one is a bit more out there and, like, rough and layered in a lot of really cool ways that I've I've noticed compared to her newer releases that I love so much.
Natalie:Yeah. Yeah. They're they're quite different. I mean, this entire album is super trippy, like, very ambient and imaginative, but, like, a little unsettling too, you know, because the layers are all stacked in unexpected ways, and it's constantly shifting. And then you've got these, like, flat plodding vocals coming in occasionally.
Natalie:It's it's very, I saw the word extraterrestrial used somewhere, and I was like, yeah. That that about describes it. That's the vibe. But then there's some pieces in it that are just really pretty. It's like it all comes into focus, and you have these really pleasant light, you know, light moments.
Natalie:It's a fascinating album. It's hard to boil it down to just, like, a single description. Yeah. But like you said, she evolves quite a bit from project to project. So we're skipping we're skipping a lot.
Natalie:Like, she's got a handful of other releases. She's joined plenty of collaborative efforts. But I just want to mention quickly her 5th and most recent album Atlas, which came out in 2023. Let's hear a bit of the track You Burn Me. Yeah, so this record is notably more abstract and ambient I mean, I I think that's why I wanted to play a bit of this track because any of the others, if you just kinda drop into the middle of it, there's no there's no context.
Natalie:You won't know what's going on. It's just, Yeah.
Tara:Yeah.
Natalie:It's just all these, like, sweeping, morphing atmospheres that just kinda pull you along with it. It's just strangely moving. You know? And she's got, like, a lot of guests featured on this album, instrumentalists and vocalists, but it's like they all get stirred into this big sonic stew and it just eventually swirls and melts into the pot. You know what I mean?
Natalie:It's it's wild. Yeah. In the Pitchfork review, they they describe it really well. It says, it feels like standing in the hallway between 2 different orchestras as they tune up. Atlas derives its power from the tension between broad expanses of formlessness and sudden eruptions of destabilizing beauty.
Natalie:I thought that was pretty on point.
Tara:Yeah. Definitely on point because this album, I love it and I enjoyed it. But because some of her older albums to me are my favorite, this one to me felt a little unsettling, and I definitely felt that tension that they described in that summary. But it's not to say I didn't enjoy it, but I didn't put it in my top list because it wasn't something that I could just easily listen to. But it's definitely a good one to have in her library.
Natalie:You know? I like that she does change and shift and mold herself into these different or rather molds her sounds into these different works of art over time. My top two favorite albums by Laurel Halo are Dust, which came out in 2017 and then has the best song, called Moon Talk, which is very fun. And I've included on some DJ mixes as well. But my favorite is Raw Silk Uncut Wood from 2018.
Tara:Mhmm. And I've heard her describe it as her rainy day record, and I, to me, feel the same way. It's just such a comforting, warm, ambient album to listen to when you just need something peaceful. And it's it's beautiful, and it it's a totally different direction from Dust, and I'm a huge fan of Laura Halo. So I love that you chose this one.
Natalie:No. I totally agree. I I just think she's on a really cool creative trajectory. And if you're an adventurous listener, you know, and, like, open minded, there's gonna be something in her discography for you, whether it's more of the pop electronic leaning stuff earlier on or this more experimental, ambient, symphonic stuff. There's gonna be something you like.
Natalie:You know?
Tara:Yeah. Well, speaking of, again, a woman who gives you this sort of warm or just something for you, for every person almost till not I don't know if I wanna go that far, but kind of. This next person was part of a group that we all adore and have adored since the nineties, Porta said.
Tara:Mhmm.
Tara:It is the dearest, most wonderful lady, Beth Gibbons. She has a new single out called
Natalie:Stop it.
Tara:Floating on a Moment.
Natalie:Oh my god.
Tara:Beth Gibbons is the singer of Portishead , and this is her first, single off an upcoming release called Lives Outgrown to be released later in 2024.
Natalie:God, I love her so much. I feel like I could call out Beth Gibbons just seeing a silhouette of her walking. Yeah. You know, the beginning of this video is just like her the shape of her walking. I'm like, yeah.
Natalie:That's that's the only person it could be who has such a distinctive voice and gait.
Tara:Definitely. Yeah. This upcoming album will be her, technically, her second full length. She did do a project with Henrik Gorecki, symphony number 3, Symphony of Sorrowful songs in 2019 with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, but she did do in 2002 out of season with Rustin Man. And so this is her, I guess, I would call it her 2nd solo album called lives outgrown.
Tara:And then, of course, the last time she recorded with Portishead was for the album 3rd in 2008. This, again is her new single. It's called Floating on a Moment, and it's the same soulful sorrowful sounding vocals we've grown accustomed to from Beth Gibbons. And okay. This is silly, but honestly, like, when I hear her, she is the voice of womanhood to me.
Tara:Does that make sense? Like, if there was a goddess of femininity, it would be her voice. Her voice is it. I think it's because of the song Glory Box where she says give me a reason to be a woman, basically. And yeah.
Tara:I don't know. I just I love her voice so much. And and also in this song, you hear this electric guitar and dulcimer, and there's these sort of soft background elements that add to this sort of sad sound of longing in the song. And then towards the end, her voice is sort of followed by the vocals of a children's choir, and she sings, all we have is here and now. And it's just a beautiful song.
Tara:Pitchfork says, floating on moment is a heavy song with an unburdened spirit. Gibbon sings of the finality of death with a simplicity that could suit a children's book.
Tara:I just thought it was
Tara:a really great descriptor. Okay. And, yeah, as same as all the rest that I've spoken about, this is such a beautiful song and I can't wait to hear the full album.
Natalie:Yeah. Me too. I've missed I've missed her.
Tara:Yeah. Me too. She's so good. That's it. That's all I have.
Natalie:Okay. So a third artist I've been super stoked about recently is R and B singer and songwriter extraordinaire, Money Long. So I am loving the fact that this talented woman who's been in the game for a very long time is finally getting her time to shine in the spotlight, and her story is just so cool. She started out on YouTube literally singing the dictionary. But, yeah, Money Long is already a successful music industry veteran under her birth name, Priscilla Renee Hamilton.
Natalie:She released a debut album with Capitol Records in 2009 called Jukebox and then spent the next decade and into the present really, just writing big hits for other major artists such as like Rihanna, Fifth Harmony, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson, Selena Gomez. I mean, it just goes on and on, and that's just a small portion of the list. Her credits run deep. It's crazy. In 2017, she even released an African American country album called Colored.
Natalie:And in 2019, she rebranded herself with the name Muni Long, still releasing music and writing for other artists. And in July 2021, she released an EP called Nobody Knows. And I just have to play a bit of my favorite song here from that project called Just Beginning.
Song:I was just beginning to love you.
Song:I was just beginning to trust you.
Natalie:And I think part of her charm is the hook on this is just it's just so pretty. It's beautiful and it resolves. It's so satisfying when she gets to the end of that hook. Like, the the arrangement of it and her voice, impeccable. And I think part of her charm is how she's really bringing back that pure, vulnerable, late nineties, early 2000s R and B feel.
Natalie:And her voice is just stunning and clear. And, of course, she's already proven her songwriting chops time and time again. And it really all the elements come together in the song. It's just really pretty. Then in November 2021, she released an EP called Public Displays of Affection, and here's one of its breakout hits, Time Machine.
Song:I just had one more wish. I go die and do it all over again. Wish
Natalie:Yeah. This song is super catchy. Her voice sounds so dope here. She reminds me of Coco from SWV. Like Oh, yeah.
Natalie:This is that for the singer. Right? She sounds like Coco. This song blew up on TikTok as well with people sharing cringey moments or bad fashion choices from the past with this playing in the background, which is really cute. In 2022, she signed with Def Jam.
Natalie:And that September, she released a full length album version of Public Displays of Affection expanding from 8 to 18 tracks. She probably just has vaults and vaults worth of hit records ready to go, you know, as much songwriting as she's done over the years. So that was a fun surprise. Fast forwarding a bit, in September of 2023, she released a new single called Made For Me, and this has to be her greatest single yet.
Song:Where have you been? Nobody knows me like you.
Tara:That is some classic r and b jams already. I can tell. It even has that little the little Yeah. Thing, the whole jingle.
Natalie:Like the from, Usher's This is My Confessions. It's kinda
Tara:somewhat Destiny's Child Say My Name.
Tara:I think
Natalie:it has the same sound. Yeah.
Natalie:Yeah. It's 2,000 R and B perfection right there. And you you landed right on the the big what do they call it? The killing of the song where she sings Twin, Where Have You Been, going right into the hook. It's just, that's when you're just ready to, like, grab your brush microphone and sing along with her for that big big hook.
Natalie:It's so classic, so catchy, very fresh, but that straight up R and B sound that's so timeless, and people are ready. I I just don't feel like we've had a lot of that in the last few years, but we have Money Long and other artists kinda coming out and and going back to basics with that pure R and B sound. This one also went viral on TikTok and has hit number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, hit number 1 on R and B digital song sales charts. She was nominated for 3 Grammys last year, and she won one, yeah, she won one for best R and B performance for the song Hours and Hours. So, like, I've skipped a lot.
Natalie:She's been in the game for a minute. I couldn't begin to cover all of that ground, but I'm just so happy that this seems to really be her time. And if this single is any indication, her upcoming album is gonna be a monster.
Natalie:Yeah. Just going back to what you said, I don't think there's been a ton of that sort of R and B slow jams thing out lately. I mean, there has been, but at the same time, I feel like the new stuff we've gotten is is blowing up because people are ready for it, like Ari Lennox or Summer Walker. You know? This just adding to that, and that's that's exciting.
Tara:I I really enjoy those r and b.
Natalie:Oh, yeah. I'm ready for that one. Yeah. Yeah. This is gonna be dope.
Natalie:On a side note though, she's so beautiful. Doesn't she remind you of a young Patti LaBelle?
Tara:Yeah. Oh, I can see that for sure.
Natalie:Yeah. I can't unsee it. She's so pretty. She's just stunning. I love her.
Natalie:But, yeah, those are just a handful of the artists I'm stoked about these days. Do you have someone else to share?
Tara:No. That was it. Just my 3, new songs that I wanted to share.
Natalie:It's pretty solid though. Yeah.
Tara:I mean, I really can't wait to hear full albums from these folks and explore the full albums that you've shared too.
Natalie:Yeah. I think this is gonna be a good year. Got some had some good announcements. And a lot of a lot of things that were just stated during COVID, I think. You know?
Natalie:Yeah. People were doing a lot of soul searching and a lot of experimenting. Just a lot of really interesting projects that are happening this year that don't feel as, I don't know, mechanical or perfunctory as some studio artists may have started to feel. It's like you kinda had to get into this place where it had to get raw again. And we're we're seeing the fruits of that now.
Natalie:So, yeah, 2024 is gonna be great. We'll have to do this again. I'm sure there'll be some more fun artists and single singles that we'll stumble upon.
Natalie:I'm sure. And I can't wait for it. And I again, I feel like we've talked about this before where we want to hear more of that raw sound, not the, you know, mechanical AI robot. Oh god. Look.
Natalie:That's coming too. No inauthentic stuff. Well, I
Tara:have my homework. I'm excited to listen to the things you shared.
Natalie:Yeah. Me too. I need to check out more of these folks, especially Wayne Snow. I'm very interested in listening to more of what Wayne Snow has going on.
Tara:Yeah. What's your next show then on your roster? I know you've always got things planned out months in in advance. You're so organized.
Natalie:I do. I have a I have a spreadsheet. You have a spreadsheet? I don't know. Let's see what's next.
Tara:Oh, Andre 3000.
Natalie:Oh, right. I can't wait to hear
Tara:about that. And Andre 3000 has just been added to the Big Years lineup. Although tickets are individual by purchase again, so I will have to buy more tickets again for Andre 3,000 if I wanna see them again. So we'll see how that goes this week.
Natalie:Alright. Very cool. Well, I wanna we have to debrief on that one because I'm very curious to hear about this improvisational flute show he's got going on.
Tara:Yeah. I'm happy to share. I'm excited to share.
Tara:I can't wait to see.
Tara:Alright. I don't know what to expect. I'm just very excited.
Natalie:Yeah. Just you have to go on with an open mind. Never know what's gonna happen. Yeah. Alright.
Tara:So we're gonna close-up now.
Natalie:Yeah. It's time to go.
Tara:Yeah, man. Let's do it. Alright. Okay. Cool.
Tara:Bye. Bye, everybody.
Loglines:Record Store Society is hosted by Natalie White and Tara Davies. If you'd like to contact the show, visit our website at record store society.com, or you can find us on all your favorite social media sites with
Loglines:the handle at record store society.