The Poplist with Memory Tapes

Memory Tapes' third album Grace/Confusion finds Dayve Hawke moving gently away from the relaxed chillwave sound of previous work and towards something a bit more progressive, as in Prog Rock. The songs stretch out time-wise, and sound-wise, without losing any of the melodic grace he's always displayed. It's more of a diversion than a signpost leading to further experiments, but it is an interesting and worthwhile effort just the same. Hawke was kind enough to send us a list of some of the albums he's been listening to lately.

Carroll Thompson - Hopelessly In Love

I don't go in for most Lover's Rock stuff but this record is amazing. It reminds me of another favorite reggae album of mine, "Right Time" by The Mighty Diamonds, just in how consistent and tuneful of an LP it is. The combination of UK reggae, Girl Group, and even Philly Soul elements makes this kind of a perfect storm for me.

Various Artists - The Brand New Wayo

I'm a sucker for those Afro-Beat/Afro-rock comps that seem to drop every other week but this one is a bit different. The tracks are from later on in the timeline and the music skews more towards proper disco. There's plenty of great tracks but "Boys & Girls" by Joe Moks is one of those that I play for everyone I can.

Colin Newman - A-Z

I'm a big Wire fan; and while I love all three of their first albums, I think 154 is kind of inconsistent. I tend to skip ahead to all the Newman-led tracks so when I heard "A-Z" it was perfect for me. It feels like "Pink Flag" and "Chairs Missing" melted together... maybe not quite that good but it still works like the perfect fourth Wire record if you want it to.

Ike Yard - A Second

I admittedly hadn't been aware of Ike Yard before this LP was re-issued recently but I've been obsessed ever since. There's a lot of records getting made at the intersection of techno and post-punk: this is what I'd wished all of them had sounded like.

Juju & Jordash - Techno Primitivism

This is another record that kind of succeeds where a lot of others have failed. I don't think bringing together elements of house, krautrock and cosmic disco is all that novel but while a lot of attempts sound like someone wearing their influences, Juju & Jordash sound like the real thing. Another element these guys get right is the fact that each track stands apart from the others. There's definitely a tendency in "extended cut"-leaning electronic music to hide behind the blur, but this record feels like a collection of distinct pieces.