Welcome to The Notebook. Every month explore the new sounds that the Hult Center team (and some special guests) are listening to.
Daniel Olbrych – Content and Design Coordinator
You might remember Feeder’s mid-90s alternative rock station hits “High” or “Buck Rogers,” you might not. Heck, it wasn’t until a few years later that I really started to listen and picked up Comfort in Sound but 22 years later I’m still listening. With Black/Red Feeder continues to bring their catchy hooks and fuzzed out guitars to the rock scene. Let’s break this down; Black/Red is their 12th album. It’s a double album running 18 tracks. Their 3rd album in 5 years. It was self produced by frontman Grant Nicholas. And since released peaked at 2 on the UK Independent album charts. And what’s really great about Black/Red is that it’s just a rock album and Feeder is just a rock band, a phenomenal rock band. Clocking in at 1 hour and 6 minutes, Black/Red is quite an experience if you listen cover to cover. If not check out “ELF,” “Scream,” “Soldiers of Love” and “Ghost On Parade.”
Feeder – Black/Red
Eryn Hummel – Marketing Coordinator
Royel Otis broke the internet and everyone’s heart in April with their live cover of “Linger” by The Cranberries for SiriusXM. The video has amassed over 6 million views since its release and it’s easy to see why. Royel Otis pays homage to the timeless track with a pared down set featuring bright guitar and floating vocals that cut to the core. The cover revisits all the lyrical and melodic power of the song without overriding its heartache signature.
Royel Otis – Linger
Rich Hobby – Director of Marketing
The Portland based indie dreamboats are back for a surprise EP featuring three tracks, which feels symbolic given that the three original members of the group (Justin Harris, Brent Knopf, and Danny Seim) have also reunited for a special concert at Revolution Hall on August 10, where they’ll be performing the seminal “I Am The Fun Blame Monster!” album in it’s entirety. Unfortunately that show sold out immediately, so I hope you join me in whatever dark magic ritual we need to conduct to make more PNW dates magically appear. As for the EP, while it is a collection of prior B-sides, it instantly reminded me of just how good these multi-instrumentalists are, with the songs feeling sparse at times, but then blossoming into glorious sonic calamities. Also, the baritone sax still hits like a mofo and I’ve rarely been so eager to hear if anything new is in the works. Fingers crossed.
Menomena – The Insulation EP
Zeph Michaels – Sr. Admin Specialist
The most pleasantly surprising release for me this month was Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee. This is a 32 track lofi soundscape that became a great album to throw on while I worked or did other things. It’s the kind of music that at once you can forget is playing while also being groovy and attention grabbing at the same time. It has the ability to be catchy and also elusive at the same time. It kind of plays like a old burned CD made up of lots of folk and indy bands alongside Velvet Underground B-sides. One of those sounds that made me feel nostalgic for something I can’t even quite put my fingers on.
Cindy Lee – Jubilee
Abbey Aronica – Marketing Manager
My moody Spotify playlists have consistently serving me songs by Lizzie McAlpine so I decided to check out her latest album Older. This is a super intimate folk-pop album that is extremely easy to listen to and flip from song to song. This album really portrays what a good storyteller McAlpine is – the lyrics are extremely clear and self reflective which personally I can really appreciate. I think the highlight for me is “All Falls Down” which blends sad lyrics with extremely upbeat music. I think I’ve just really been loving that juxtaposition of mood in music as of late! “Like It Tends To Do” definitely earns honorable mention for beautiful lyrics, and relatability.
As a general rule of thumb (and to be perfectly honest), anytime Vampire Weekend gives me new music, I am going to love it. But this new album was genuinely so great and brought me back to their signature sound and stories of the past. They highlighted everything they do best, both lyrically and musically, and it reminded me of being in high school with my friends blasting their songs in the car. This band is so nostalgic to me and their music & lyrics continue to stand strong. Highly recommend this album and would call out “Mary Boone” and “The Surfer” as bringing me back in time to their classic sound.
Lizzie McAlpine – Older
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
Greg – House of Records
Charley Crockett – $10 Cowboy
St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
