Summer Record Reviews

Summer's almost over, even if the midwest has been in an August heatwave since June, which says to me that the summer feel will be here well into fall.  So that means it's not too late for a summer music review, I mean, right?

Dirty Projectors -- Swing Lo Magellan

There's a lot to love about the latest Dirty Projectors album.  The bouncing hand claps in Just from Chevron and in album highlight, Dance for You; the soul balladry and snowy production of Impregnable Question and Swing Lo Magellan; and the smattering of other idiosyncratic Longstreth songs that invent their own sense of logic as they build.  Every song on here has at least one great idea -- if you're willing to wait for it -- though some make you wait longer than others as they take sonic detours that may or may not be as good as what they're heading toward.

Dr. Dog -- Be the Void

Yeah, this one came out in February, but it's a hazy days of summer record for sure.  Whenever I put this on I feel like I just came out to someone's big red barn in the hot, dusty, Ohio countryside where a loose, loud, folky stomp band has opened the doors, set up shop inside, and invited everyone they know to party with them as they play sudsy tunes in the vein of T. Rex, Zep, and The Band.

Langhorne Slim -- The Way We Move

I'm still waiting for that LS record that sounds as good as his live shows -- in the same slight but significant way that the Alabama Shakes debut just isn't quite as raw and powerful as any of their live sets -- but the title track, The Way We Move, is all that and a box of thin mints.  I can't get enough.  His rhythm section is steeped in southern blues and his voice carries that weary hopefulness really well.