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1:39

Jim, you and I have got our top

1:41

20s so far, top 10s in some cases.

1:43

I think I've got top 13 or 14.

1:47

Yeah. I've got a bunch in play,

1:49

but you'll see the full list on our website.

1:51

We're going to let some of our listeners chime

1:54

in as well. And you and

1:56

I are going to jump around in our playlist. We

1:58

have some overlapped, some that are widely- divergent.

2:00

Yes. I'll get us started with

2:02

my number nine pick in my

2:05

top ten. The Heems and Lapgan

2:07

record, Laffender. Himanchu

2:09

Suri, people may know him as

2:11

one half of Das Racist. That

2:13

Wesleyan University duo that came out

2:16

more than a decade ago now.

2:18

It seems like it was just

2:20

yesterday but man those records came out and

2:23

caused quite a stir. The pair broke

2:25

up. Suri went on to

2:28

continue as a solo artist, different

2:30

group projects. Most

2:32

recently he's been collaborating with this

2:34

Chicago based producer Lapgan and that

2:36

work has been stellar. In fact

2:38

I would say in some cases

2:41

it's even more enticing than his prime

2:43

work with Das Racist. You know he's

2:46

kind of making fun of himself here.

2:48

You know the whole idea of

2:50

this record is he's got

2:52

this reputation as a slacker.

2:55

Laffender is a Hindi slang for someone

2:57

who's considered worthless. A loafer, a mischief

3:00

maker. It is not a compliment. Yeah. And

3:02

that is in keeping with the Das Racist

3:05

approach but what he's saying is there's more

3:07

to this than maybe your first meets the

3:09

ear. Das Racist was just looking to provoke

3:11

and and have fun and they were very

3:13

good at it. There's a lot more depth

3:15

to this record. More than

3:17

just a wise guy. You know he's grappling

3:20

with his dual identity, a child of Indian

3:22

heritage. You grew up in Queens, New York.

3:24

Loving hip-hop. And he's grappling with that now.

3:26

This is what happens to us when he

3:29

get a little older. You know you start

3:31

thinking about who you are and why

3:34

you are. And this record is

3:36

doing it quite well I think. The track I want

3:38

to play from the record is called Accent. About

3:41

a minute in there's a couple of lines

3:43

that really I think distill the record and

3:45

how does my accent sound when I'm crying?

3:47

How does my accent sound when I'm dying?

3:50

The whole idea of being pigeonholed for what

3:52

you are but people may not realize I'm

3:54

all of these things. I'm many things. You

3:56

can't just put me in one box and

3:58

say that's who I am. It's a

4:00

track called Accent from the Heems and Lap

4:02

Gan record, Last Mender on Sound

4:22

That is Heems and Lap Gan with

4:24

a track called Accent from the number

4:26

9 record of the year so

4:42

far for me, Laffender. Yeah, I really enjoyed

4:44

that too, Greg. I'm gonna

4:46

start off though with two groups

4:48

that came to me as buried

4:50

treasures. Two groups with

4:52

queens in their names and

4:55

two groups led by women

4:57

including the anti-queens. Really

5:00

interesting female fronted band,

5:02

two ferocious, dynamic front

5:04

people, Emily Bones and

5:06

Valerie Knox. The anti-queens have

5:08

been kicking around the Toronto rock scene

5:10

for about a decade. They

5:13

debuted with a self-titled record

5:15

in 2019 and we've had

5:17

to wait this long for

5:19

album number two, Disenchanted. If

5:22

you think of Joan Jett and

5:24

Courtney Love kind of jamming together,

5:26

this is not reinventing the wheel.

5:29

This is ferocious but

5:31

tuneful punk rock from

5:33

a very female perspective.

5:36

On their song, Apocalypse She, it's

5:38

a timeless statement of individuality and

5:40

empowerment. I will not behave. You

5:43

gotta love that. I mean, no

5:45

matter what gender you are, no

5:47

matter what age you are, the

5:49

time is always ripe to shout.

5:52

No! And

5:54

they do it very, very, very

5:57

well. I love this record.

5:59

The anti-queens. Queens are the band

6:01

disenchanted to the album. Here's a

6:03

little taste of Apocalypse She. Apocalypse

6:37

She, the anti-queens. Didn't

6:39

you need a little touch of that this morning?

6:41

A little wake you up. It's like caffeine. Better

6:44

than caffeine. Yes, yes. He says as he drank

6:46

my cup of coffee. I am indeed. Ever

6:48

since we've been independent, I make you coffee every week.

6:51

Have you ever brought me a can of coffee?

6:54

I don't think I could match your coffee making skills.

6:56

You and Steve Albini are the best coffee makers I've

6:58

ever met. Well, thank you. But, you

7:00

know, if you want to know what I want for Christmas,

7:02

maybe a case of Ili, please. Yeah. My

7:05

number six record of the year is

7:08

from Waxahatchee. Most people are familiar with that

7:10

name if they're paying attention to the so-called

7:12

independent rock scene for the last decade. This

7:14

is the sixth album from Waxahatchee. Basically started

7:17

out as a music project by Katie Crutchfield.

7:19

She'd been in a bunch of bands before

7:21

that, put this project together in 2010.

7:24

It has since expanded into a full-on

7:26

band. Really started out

7:28

with some acoustic textures, primarily being

7:31

the foundation of the sound, but since

7:33

then sort of become more electrified as

7:35

well, kind of straddling the

7:38

areas of indie rock, Americana. Great

7:40

songwriting is the key here. Crutchfield's a

7:43

tremendous songwriter. The songs are coming

7:45

from the perspective now of a young woman who's seen

7:47

a few things. I mean, she's in her 30s now.

7:50

The big themes here are, you know, what does it

7:52

mean to stay the course? You know,

7:54

find something in your life that's worth

7:57

holding onto, whether it's a relationship, a

7:59

career. and the work that's involved

8:01

in keeping that together, what is

8:03

worth your time, in other words. And

8:05

I find that a fascinating concept that

8:07

she really digs deep

8:09

on, introspective, and yet at the same

8:11

time thrilling, no better song

8:13

on the record than the one I'm

8:15

gonna play right back to it from

8:17

Waxahatchee's Tiger's Blood on Sound Opinions. ["Tiger's

8:20

Blood"] I've been yours for

8:22

so long, come

8:25

right back to it,

8:28

and let my mind run

8:30

wild, I don't know

8:32

why I do it,

8:36

but you just settle in,

8:39

like a song we know

8:41

it, if I can

8:43

keep up, we'll

8:46

get right back to it.

8:49

That's Waxahatchee, best record of their career

8:52

in my opinion. I agree wholeheartedly, I

8:54

always respected them, I didn't love them.

8:56

With this record, I'm in love with

8:58

Waxahatchee as well. I'm

9:00

gonna go to another Queens band

9:02

as promised, Pillow Queens, Greg. Young

9:05

Women for Women from Dublin,

9:07

giving us their third album.

9:10

If you think of a cross

9:12

between like classic alt pop,

9:15

you know, I don't know, Veruca Salt or something, 90s,

9:17

right? Funnelled through Frank

9:19

Ocean? I

9:22

think that is what this Dublin quartet is

9:24

giving us. Two women

9:26

up front, again, Pamela Connolly, Sarah

9:29

Corcoran from Dublin, recording this

9:31

album, Name Your Sorrow, with

9:33

Colin Pastor, who's worked with

9:35

Lucy Degas and Boy Genius,

9:37

all right? These women are

9:40

out, they are gay, and

9:42

they are singing, they tell

9:44

us about the stages of

9:46

love, loss and grief. I

9:48

find it really interesting, both

9:50

the most sensual tracks and

9:53

the deepest in terms of love and

9:55

love lost that I've been hearing this

9:57

year, are all coming from bands. on

10:00

the gay spectrum. You know, different

10:03

definitions of their sexuality, different pronouns,

10:05

but the eloquence in expressing the

10:07

challenges of being in your 20s,

10:10

maybe early 30, and

10:12

navigating those fraught waters of relationships.

10:14

Listen to this song like a

10:16

lesson. It expresses, you know, desire.

10:18

I'm wrapped around your finger. My

10:20

head is wrapped around you. I

10:22

want you wrapped around my leg.

10:24

So I was like, oh, all

10:27

right. Okay, at the same time,

10:29

this may not be good for me, right?

10:31

I don't want to mess up my life. I

10:33

don't want to ruin my life, but I so

10:35

want to be with you. Okay,

10:37

Who Among Us Has Not Been There? Pillow

10:40

Queens is the name of the

10:42

band. Like a Lesson is the

10:44

song from Name Your Sorrow. Wrapped

10:46

around my fingers, wrapped around

10:49

my head, wrapped around, around,

10:51

and now I'm wrapped around

10:54

your legs. You

10:56

said, you said, you

10:58

said, you sorry not

11:00

enough to keep

11:02

me happy. It's

11:05

just a clear no one can stop

11:07

me. We're so pretty

11:10

and good. Name

11:16

Your Sorrow, great album by the Pillow

11:18

Queens. Their third. I'm digging that stuff,

11:20

Greg. Well, Dublin's hot, man. We got

11:23

at least two bands from Dublin. Coming

11:26

up, not going to give it away here. Andrew

11:28

Gill went over to Ireland last year. We

11:31

should have funded a Sound Opinion's

11:33

corporate getaway. I'm up for

11:36

it, man. I think we could

11:38

afford hot dogs, but that's not it. I

11:40

look at Guinness right now. When we return,

11:42

we share some more of our favorite albums

11:44

of 2024 so far on Sound Opinions. And

11:48

we are back. And this week, Sound

11:50

Opinions is supported by Goose Island

11:53

Beer Company. Since 1988,

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Goose Island's been brewing beers

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in and inspired by Chicago.

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They got 312 Weedale, Hazy

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Beer Hug, and many more one-off

12:04

beers at the Fulton Street Taproom

12:07

or their new Salt Shed Pub.

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The perfect place to go before

12:11

a show at the Salt Shed.

12:13

Me and Andrew were there on

12:15

opening night, Greg. It was really

12:18

exciting. You had Rocky Mountain spotted

12:20

fever. Tick-fever. I'm sorry about that.

12:23

Anyway, every time we go to one of

12:25

these goose joints, there's another new one to

12:27

try, and we love them all.

12:29

I'm a fan. In addition to making

12:31

great products and event spaces, Goose Island has

12:33

always been a supporter of music culture in

12:35

Chicago and nationwide. I mean, if you see

12:37

that Goose Island logo at a venue or

12:40

a restaurant, you know you're in good hands.

12:42

Yeah, we are proud to be associated with

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Goose Island. Goose Island Beer

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12:48

Opinions is. That's

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not just the sound of that first sip of

12:54

morning Joe. It's the sound of someone shopping for

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a car on Carvana from the comfort of home.

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That's a good blend. It's time to take

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it easy, like answering some easy questions to get

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pre-qualified for a car in minutes. Talk

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about starting the morning right. Just like

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Convenient, comfortable. Ahh. Revealing

13:20

our best albums of 2024 so

13:24

far. We listen so much music, Greg. We've got

13:26

to keep the list going all year long. In

13:28

June, we might as well do the first half,

13:31

and then we'll, you know, it'll

13:33

change by the time we get to the end of the

13:35

year. But now we have some

13:37

picks from our Patreon supporters. We

13:39

always love to hear from our listeners, especially when

13:41

they help the show keep coming at you. one

14:00

of the sharpest and most ambitious bands to come out

14:02

of the DC punk scene of the 80s and 90s.

14:05

Over the years, he's built a strong

14:07

catalog across several other projects and most

14:09

recently under his own name. Basilis

14:13

contains song after well-crafted song at

14:15

the intersection of post-punk, new wave,

14:17

and power pop, or

14:19

maybe just plain pop. It should

14:22

be noted that Jawbox delivered great covers of

14:24

songs by Cole Porter, Tori Amos, and The

14:26

Cure back in the day. These

14:29

dynamic songs contain the driving rhythms,

14:31

spiky hooks, and melodies that will be

14:34

familiar to longtime fans of Robin's work.

14:37

But he's expanded his sonic palette here

14:39

with a few well-chosen electronic elements as

14:41

well. Lyrically,

15:03

the songs range from impassioned indictments

15:05

of craven elites to

15:07

vulnerable reflections on loss, grief,

15:09

and transition. This

15:29

great child, Basilis, together in

15:31

one place, will none see

15:34

the same. Shadowed

15:36

in this broken brain.

15:40

There are many great newer artists, of course,

15:42

but it's wonderful to see another lifer

15:44

legitimately making some of the best music

15:46

of his career. Check it out. Thanks.

15:58

Hey, Sam Pins, this is... Neil from Plano,

16:01

Texas. My favorite album this

16:03

year so far is by Middle Kids, and

16:05

it's called Faith Crisis Part 1. I've

16:08

loved this trio from Sydney, Australia since I heard

16:10

their first single, Edge of Town, in 2016. And

16:14

this, their third album, might be their best collection

16:16

of songs yet. Hannah Joy is

16:19

an incredible songwriter and singer. And

16:21

listening to her and her bandmates,

16:23

Tim Fitz, who's also her husband

16:25

and Harry Day, brings out

16:27

in me emotions that are as strong as anything

16:29

I felt listening to music as a teenager more

16:31

than 30 years ago. I'll keep

16:33

moving till I see you

16:35

cruising in. And I am

16:38

an average dancer. It's not

16:40

the point that I am

16:42

after. I'll be

16:45

your midnight blue-legged firecracker.

16:47

I could blow up

16:49

in your hand. It

16:52

could be great or a disaster. That's

16:56

the point that I am after.

16:59

Musically, songs are full of great

17:01

hooks. And the band has

17:03

a wonderful sense of how to vary tempos,

17:05

same move between driving percussive songs and more

17:07

contemplative lyrical ones. Middle kids

17:10

are also great with dynamics and with

17:12

varying between making Joy's lyrics clear as

17:14

possible and letting them nestle into the

17:16

music. Many of the

17:18

songs on this album have a little something special that

17:20

sets them apart from others on the album. The

17:22

band uses synthesizers and organs for the

17:24

first time. And those instruments especially shine

17:27

on a couple of interludes and outros

17:29

that expand some moody moments. There

17:31

are also great brass parts on a couple

17:33

of songs and a lovely duet with Dave

17:36

Leo Pepe from Gang of Youth that

17:38

ends the album. Through

17:40

it all, Hannah Joy's singing and Harry

17:42

Day's drumming are consistently excellent. Thematically,

17:45

as the title suggests, this album is

17:47

a collection of songs about looking for

17:49

belief and purpose in any number of

17:51

places and relationships. A great

17:54

example of their strong lyrics is from

17:56

the chorus of Bootleg Firecracker about

17:58

the rhythm. It says, I'll be your midnight. idealized

20:00

Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney,

20:03

Todd Rundgren, Roy Wood, and Van Dyke

20:05

Parks to name a few. Their

20:08

new release may be their most

20:10

accessible with a collection of sunny

20:12

upbeat songs which all seem like

20:14

future hit singles. The

20:16

brothers played all the instruments and

20:18

self-produced the album, and

20:20

the result is quite impressive. They

20:23

come up with an amalgamation

20:25

of melodic songs with complex

20:27

Baroque pop arrangements, Power

20:29

Pop Django, Tight Harmonies,

20:31

and Bubblegum Sweetness. As

20:33

an example, I would like to feature the song,

20:35

If You and I Are Not Wise. It

20:38

sounds like a combination of Big Star, The

20:40

Everly Brothers, and The Birds. There's

20:43

a voice with spurs in

20:45

my ear. You

20:47

are less than you

20:49

were last year. But

20:53

it's all okay, cuz

20:55

it went away. And

20:57

I have no use

20:59

for this fear. Well,

21:02

thank you for letting me share my pick, and I

21:04

look forward to hearing all of yours. What

21:08

my soul knows that I don't know. Ah

21:13

yes, more listener picks. The last

21:15

one was the Lemon Twigs. People love the

21:17

Lemon Twigs. I'm telling you, man, they've been

21:19

around for a while. They keep making records.

21:21

You know, it's not my cup of

21:23

tea. But I'm glad

21:25

our listeners appreciate them. I

21:28

am going to go to my next

21:30

pick in my top ten. Number

21:34

five on the list so far

21:36

this year is, Embibio Sound Machine.

21:38

I have championed this band in

21:40

the past. This is their fifth

21:42

album called, Pull the Rope. They

21:46

are led by one Eno

21:48

Williams, who sings in

21:50

both English and Ebibio, which

21:53

explains the title of the band.

21:57

The groups of roots are on Southeastern Nigeria. Nigeria,

22:01

so they're a bicontinental

22:03

group Africa and England

22:06

They're combining all sorts of

22:08

styles disco post-punk West African

22:10

funk Electronic music

22:13

this may be their most danceable record,

22:15

which is a saying something. I love

22:17

dance music I love

22:19

hybrid styles of music incorporated

22:22

into club style music. This

22:24

one Is especially emphatic

22:26

in that area, you know

22:28

It's notable that their previous album was produced

22:31

by those Synth pop Giants

22:33

hot ship, you know, it gives you sort of

22:35

an idea of what kind of area they're in

22:37

It's sort of like an alternative electro pop area

22:40

that they're working in This

22:43

one's also got some heavy-duty messages

22:45

in it The track

22:47

I want to play it sounds a warning

22:49

about gunplay on the streets, you know They've

22:52

got this great melting pot music going on.

22:54

But meanwhile they're saying we're out here on

22:56

the streets killing each other Let's let's figure

22:58

out a way to to keep it together

23:00

folks, huh? Tracks called fire

23:02

from a bibio sound machine pull the rope

23:04

is the name of the album on sound

23:27

My number five album of

23:30

the year so far pulled

23:32

a rope from a bibio

23:35

sound machine that was fire

23:46

Greg I am going now to Number

23:48

eight on my list So, you know the

23:50

the anti Queens were at nine and the

23:53

pillow Queens were at five And but I

23:55

just had put the Queens together, you know

23:57

what I mean? And and and the list

24:00

It's more fungible in

24:03

terms of what's where in

24:05

June than it is in December.

24:07

Anyway, who cares? Hooray for the

24:10

riffraff. Hooray! I

24:13

really had my ears opened in a

24:15

big way by the latest

24:18

Hooray for the riffraff album, The Past

24:20

is Still Alive. There were eight previous

24:22

records that kind of just flew under

24:24

the radar for me. But

24:27

really, Alinda Mariposa Sagara

24:29

comes into a new

24:32

place of strength on

24:34

this record. Fascinating

24:36

artist. Puerto

24:38

Rican, who has spent

24:40

a lot of time busking on the

24:42

street and

24:44

previously sort of

24:47

heavier in the acoustic, folky,

24:49

punk way of Annie DeFranco,

24:51

right? Who's producer? Brad

24:54

Cook is at the helm on

24:56

this record. Cook also did

24:58

Wax-a-Hatchies, Tiger's Blood, okay? Quite

25:01

a year for him as well as String

25:03

Cheese Incident. All right.

25:05

You know, what Alinda is doing

25:07

here is much more of

25:10

a country folk

25:12

sound as filtered through the Bronx.

25:15

All right? So yes, Beyonce, who's

25:17

number 10 in my list, by the

25:19

way, you know, isn't the

25:21

only one doing that, okay? Alinda

25:23

Sagara is a Puerto Rican who

25:25

uses they-them pronouns and who's had

25:27

a fascinating life, trying

25:30

to survive as a street busker, as

25:32

I said, at times eating out of

25:34

dumpsters to stay alive, indulging in some

25:37

very questionable behavior. And now

25:39

here to reflect on it all, something

25:42

that was prompted for this album by

25:44

the death of their father. Some

25:48

really, really strong and insightful

25:50

moments here. But

25:53

I love one of the ones

25:55

that you could just take as

25:57

the silliest, Buffalo, right? do

32:00

what else what else is there right

32:02

what else does idols have to say

32:04

this one is such a departure in

32:07

terms of dynamics

32:09

and subtlety and growth

32:12

and subject matter

32:14

having survived the dreaded pandemic

32:18

Talbot is thinking a lot about

32:21

being a father right and also you

32:23

know kind of you know I've been

32:25

complaining a lot he's sort of

32:28

saying but now you know I'm taking stock

32:30

of the things that are good in life

32:33

you know the word Freud and Freud

32:35

appears I mentioned it when we reviewed the

32:37

album it's the opposite of shadden Freud shadden

32:40

Freud is I'm mad at you so I

32:42

hope you trip on the way out of

32:44

the studio right Freud Freud is the opposite

32:46

of that I want everybody to succeed I'm

32:48

wishing everybody well and we don't have enough

32:50

of that in the world today which is

32:53

not to say that idols doesn't have some

32:55

barbed moments but the joy I get

32:58

from tank is you

33:01

know listening to the intricate guitar lines

33:03

which are never you know you can't

33:05

say what's the rhythm line what's the

33:07

lead line right and the way the

33:09

bass and drums interplay but also the

33:11

way Talbot takes joy in words when

33:13

we first reviewed it I insisted that

33:16

we play dancer and the way he

33:18

says right right

33:20

I'm gonna play another song like that Roy

33:24

right which I've seen described

33:26

as stacks on steroids

33:28

right which is true of the

33:31

choruses but there is this slow

33:33

build to get to them and

33:35

the way that he sings baby

33:38

baby baby right now if there's

33:40

been a more abused word since

33:43

before the birth of the blues in

33:45

all of popular music then baby right

33:47

I don't I can't name it and

33:49

yet he makes you feel like you're

33:51

hearing it for the very first time

33:53

this is Roy by by

33:56

idols from tank The

34:00

things that I say are

34:02

done, so my feet bleed.

34:06

I'm never gonna die. Ooh,

34:13

take the poses instead. The

34:16

knocks, the fakes, and the

34:18

feds. I'm gonna

34:21

fly. Fly.

34:27

Baby, baby, baby. Roy

34:35

from Idols, man. Are

34:37

you buying that? Stacks on steroids? Yeah, I

34:39

think it's really a little bit of

34:43

a left turn for them. They've always had this

34:45

inside them, because I think Joe started out as

34:47

a hip hop producer. Or not

34:49

producer, but a DJ. He was playing a lot of

34:51

hip hop, right? So it's in

34:53

their blood. They have that

34:56

soul, R&B, hip hop thing in their

34:58

blood, and it's great to see it

35:00

coming out in this record. This is

35:02

probably their most unexpected

35:06

record. They said they were flirting with

35:08

the beats on the last

35:10

record, but this is when they really are

35:12

full on about, we're just going

35:14

to make a record you can dance to. Well, it's

35:17

neat to see that kind of growth within a formula

35:20

that's usually pretty restrictive, this kind

35:22

of post-punk sonic assault. And it's

35:24

also the idea that you can

35:26

be kind of a flirt with

35:29

these musical ideas, these

35:32

danceable ideas, club music,

35:34

in the context of being like

35:36

this testosterone-filled rock band, which they've

35:39

always undercut. Yeah,

35:42

right. We're

35:44

tough guys, but really, there's a

35:47

softer side to us that we're not

35:50

afraid to display. And I

35:52

love that about them. Well, they're one of those few

35:54

bands that are giving men a good name in 2024,

35:57

which has become really rare. That's

36:00

right, we can sure for them without

36:03

apology. My number

36:05

one record of the year, and I

36:07

know our next, our picks here, one

36:09

and two, are very

36:12

similar. Yeah, we were neck and neck.

36:14

We don't compare until we're shuffling the

36:16

order for the show. I remember very

36:18

well when the sprints record came out

36:20

in January in the midst of like,

36:22

you know, a really kind of a typical

36:24

Chicago winner, you need a boost.

36:27

This record instantly lifted

36:29

you out of your seat. Like it was

36:31

just one of those records letter to self

36:33

where you go, wow. Yup. You

36:37

know, you talk about choruses and refrains.

36:40

These refrains explode out of the mix.

36:42

I mean, they are such a great

36:45

rock band. You

36:47

know, and I'm pinning a lot of it

36:49

on, you know, Colmo Riley, the guitar player,

36:51

Jack Callan, the drummer, and Sam McCann, the

36:53

bassist. They're a terrific band. But

36:55

Carla Chubb, that vocalist,

36:58

wow. You know,

37:01

she doesn't take a second off on this

37:03

record, not to say that anybody

37:05

does, but I mean, she is particularly

37:08

invested in these songs. And

37:10

the, her singing is

37:12

as volatile as the billions playing.

37:15

A lot of psychodramas

37:17

here, homophobia, judgmental elements in

37:19

society, you know, the judgmental

37:22

elements in the music industry, her personal

37:24

relationships, all

37:26

compressed into these surprisingly

37:29

great three minute songs. I

37:31

say surprising because they're working

37:33

within this garage rock punk,

37:35

post punk formula, you

37:37

know, that template. But they're

37:40

just taking liberties with it that

37:42

I think are really fantastic. There's some songs that

37:44

really don't have a chorus. The

37:47

bridges are exciting. It's

37:51

confrontational. It's consistently

37:53

thrilling. There's a sense that Carla's

37:55

going to blow her top at any

37:57

minute. Has she got charisma? It's

38:00

a thrillingly amazing singer. I mean, you

38:02

feel like we had the benefit of

38:04

interviewing her. Yeah. You know, it's

38:06

like you just, there are certain, we're

38:09

pretty jaded, I think, the two of us. Yeah. After

38:12

decades and decades of doing this. But you feel a

38:14

special presence when you're talking to her. Yeah, and you

38:16

know, I know you love savages

38:18

and so do I, and I think I got

38:20

the same kind of buzz listening to Sprints as

38:23

I did when I first heard Savages. That kind

38:25

of presence that's a little larger

38:27

than the room they're in. Yeah. The

38:29

roof is just going to blow off. Carla,

38:32

do not make the mistake of doing what

38:34

Jenny Beth does and thinking you'd be better

38:36

off solo. Yes. So this is our, at

38:38

least our second Dublin band that we've mentioned,

38:41

you know, in the show. Yeah. And

38:44

you know, given that it's our best of

38:47

so far, I think that your field trip

38:49

idea for Dublin is well taken. I'm

38:52

ready. You know, we're ready to make that jump.

38:56

Better to Self is the name of the album and

38:58

I want to play a song called Cathedral in which

39:01

Carla sums up her worldview. I pray,

39:03

when am I going to be happy?

39:05

Is anybody happy? Can anybody

39:08

be happy? What is this

39:10

happy you talk of? This

39:12

is great stuff from Sprints on

39:14

Sound Opinions. I'm

39:18

sorry to

39:20

say my disposition lives another

39:22

day. I'm not going to

39:25

be happy. I'm not going

39:27

to be happy. Mother,

39:33

father, I'm sorry

39:36

to say my disposition lives another

39:38

day. You're not going to

39:41

be happy. Are

39:46

any of us happy? Maybe

39:51

I'm living. Maybe I'm

39:53

giving. Maybe not enough. That

39:56

is Sprints asking the eternal question. I pray, when am I

39:58

going to be happy? sound

42:00

like a cello. I love that

42:02

sound. I can never get enough of it.

42:04

And even though, you know, I just named

42:06

many examples, you know, Mary Makes You Feel

42:08

Like You're Hearing It for the very first

42:10

time. It's always a good indicator

42:14

of an album's staying power and

42:16

its well-deserved place on our

42:18

best of lists when, you know, I spent

42:20

a good 20 minutes again going

42:23

through the album this morning track by track by track.

42:25

What do I want to play? I mean, I know

42:27

the album well at this point, right? We had the

42:29

same problem when we reviewed the album

42:31

and we had Mary on the show. I

42:33

want to play every song for you right

42:35

now. But let me give you a little

42:38

bit of the opener, No Thirds, which I

42:40

think illustrates pretty well everything I just said.

42:42

No Thirds by Mary Timoney

42:45

from her latest album Untame

42:48

the Tiger. No

43:17

Thirds by Mary Timoney,

43:19

Untame the Tiger. I

43:21

wonder if that's like,

43:23

you know, no quarter

43:41

means I will not forgive you. And Mary's

43:44

in introspective mode, much like Talbot with the

43:46

idols, you know, thinking about her place in

43:48

life at this time. I wonder if she

43:50

means no quarter, I'll give you no thirds,

43:53

or I don't know what she

43:55

means. She went through some stuff, right? Yeah,

43:57

her parents both did. We talked to her

43:59

earlier and it was a relationship. relationship that

44:02

ended up going south. And

44:05

you mentioned Thompson, Richard Thompson, which is

44:07

totally apt because she's such a stylist.

44:10

Her guitar sort of melts into the song. It

44:13

becomes a song as opposed to

44:16

like, look at how many notes I can play

44:18

in a short amount of time. You

44:20

know that obnoxious thing where they turn all the spots

44:22

I found on the guitarist right now. Let

44:24

it shred! So Richard has

44:27

been a brilliant

44:29

man. A guitarist for decades

44:32

beginning with Fairport Convention, as you mentioned.

44:34

And it's very appropriate that Mary has

44:36

the Fairport Convention drummer from those days,

44:38

Dave Maddox, playing on half this album.

44:40

I mean, she said it was like

44:42

working with one of my

44:44

godhead favorites of all time. It's

44:46

royalty. And Maddox, I think, has

44:49

a mutual appreciation society. Just doesn't play

44:51

with anybody. He saw on Timoney a

44:54

great artist who he wanted to work with. To

44:58

me, it's really thrilling that Mary

45:00

is well into her third, what, fourth

45:02

decade as an artist. It's

45:04

still making top drawer music.

45:06

And challenging herself and her

45:08

fans. What an example to

45:11

other artists out there who think, oh, if I don't have

45:13

a great record by the time I'm 25, my career is

45:15

over. Nobody's going to pay attention. She just

45:17

keeps plugging away and keeps making great music

45:19

every step of the way. Because we were

45:21

jumping around numerically, why don't you give us

45:23

your top ten and I'll do the same

45:25

in reverse order. In reverse order, my top

45:27

ten is Phenom, that great

45:29

duo from Chicago, not God.

45:33

Heaves and Lapgan, number nine with

45:35

Lavender. English teacher, great

45:37

band from Britain with This Could Be Texas.

45:40

That's number eight. Love that Brittany

45:42

Howard record at number seven. Prove it to you.

45:45

Waxahatchee at number six, Tiger's Blood.

45:47

Number five, Abibio Sound Machine Pull

45:49

the Rope. Number

45:51

four, M. Du Moktar. We just talked about that

45:53

record. I want to let you know, Phenomenal Funeral

45:55

for Justice, Charlotte Ammons

45:58

as number three with Spectacles. Mary

46:00

Timoney at number two untamed the tiger it

46:02

was a coin flip between her

46:05

and number one sprints letter to

46:07

self I've been loving that

46:09

Beyonce record I

46:11

got cowboy Carter at number 10 anti

46:13

Queens at number nine hooray for the riff raff

46:16

Granddaddy at number seven another

46:19

surprising record from a band we can take for granted

46:22

English teacher at number six how in I'm

46:24

an English professor. How could I know but

46:26

then they delivered pillow Queens

46:28

at five phenom at four idols

46:30

at three sprints number two and

46:32

Mary Timoney Number one if

46:34

the rest of the year gives us ten

46:36

more albums better It's

46:39

gonna be a heck of a year. Yeah, no kidding

46:41

that it has been a great year so far That

46:44

wraps up our mid-year best of to

46:46

see the full list that we just

46:48

ran down Visit sound opinions

46:50

org as always though we want to hear

46:52

from you. It was great having those listeners

46:55

in the show earlier What

46:57

is your favorite album of the year so

46:59

far leave us a voice message? We

47:01

read the messages you write, but it's always

47:03

fun to have your voice on the show

47:06

sound opinions org What is on

47:08

the show next week Greg next

47:10

week Jim 40th anniversary of a record

47:12

a few of our listeners might have

47:14

heard of purple rain By

47:16

Prince we miss Prince to this day

47:19

still But man what a

47:21

legacy and this may be that at the top

47:23

of the mountain We're gonna deep dive into that

47:25

record on its 40th anniversary And

47:27

don't forget to check out our bonus

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