Featured Crucial Releases (March 8 + March 15 + March 22 edition)

So. Where did all the time go? March has flown by and each week’s post only made it as far as draft status, so I am combining all three weeks into a March super post. Here we go…

From March 15th:

Deep Sage by Gouge Away (Listen)
One of my favorite punk/hardcore records of the year so far, Gouge Away combines the best elements of Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi, At the Drive In, and Pretty Girls Make Graves for a stellar result. Favorite tracks include: “Stuck in a Dream”, “Maybe Blue”, “Idealized”, “A Welcome Change”, and “Dallas”.

From March 22nd:

What a release week!

Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker (Listen)
I was late to the Big Thief game, for some reason, but I was fully on board for UFOF (Listen) and Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (Listen). There’s no denying Adrianne Lenker’s place in the indie folk world as one of the best songwriters and Big Thief, as a whole, one of the most creative and unique bands going today.

Bright Future is Lenker’s second solo album and it definitely vibes with the more sparse and somber end of Big Thief songs, which I definitely appreciate and enjoy. Favorite tracks include: “Sadness as a Gift”, “Fool”, a demo version of “Vampire Empire”, and “Donut Seam”.

Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee (Listen)
You could hear little glimpses of the southern/country influence in most of Katie Crutchfield’s work as Waxahatchee, so I was always hoping she would lean into that a little more, since she is such a good songwriter…and the last few records have certainly done just that! Tigers Blood is a continuation on that theme and a stellar followup to 2020’s Saint Cloud (Listen), which was one of my top albums that year.

Favorite tracks include: “Right Back to It”, “Bored”, “365”, and “3 Sisters”.

Bite Down by Rosali (Listen)
Rosali combines the sounds of Fleetwood Mac, Natalie Merchant, and some psych and alt-country elements to create a warm and almost comforting set of tracks on her latest album, Bite Down. I wasn’t familiar with her before this album, but I’m definitely a fan now. Favorite tracks include: “Hopeless”, “Rewind”, “Bite Down”, “Slow Pain”, and “My Kind”.

Honorable Mentions

• Boeckner! by Boeckner (Listen) – the solo album from the frontman of Wolf Parade. It’s everything you’d expect from him. A solid release I will be returning to…

• World Wide Whack by Tierra Whack (Listen) – the follow up to her 2018 debut Whack World (Listen) is mostly top notch. Her debut was too short (15 tracks in 14 minutes), whereas this album could maybe use a few less tracks. A great combination of alt R&B and hip hop, nonetheless.

• Shriek: Variations by Wye Oak (Listen) – a 10th anniversary re-release of their 2014 album. The gold here (since the album is GOOD but now new) is the re-working of five songs (the “variations”) with Grammy-nominated composer William Brittelle and the Metropolis Ensemble. It all works so well. An honorable mention, only because the material is older.

• Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves (Listen) – a talented songwriter. Her last album was the first of hers I listened to on release day and I couldn’t get into it, but this one hit the right chords for me. Not a super fan of the genre, but this is a very solid release that’s worth your time.

There’s also some various tracks I dug from mostly solid, but not spectacular releases from Elbow on Audio Vertigo, Kim Gordon on The Collective, Bleachers’ self-titled album, Keeper of the Shepherd by Hannah Frances, and Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom by Meatbodies. You can find those on my “best songs from 2024” playlist.