Snail Mail
Influential Webzine STEREOGUM Reveals Best Albums Of 2021
1. ‘I DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE’ by THE WAR ON DRUGS (Dream pop)
“Arriving to the highest levels of anticipation in the War On Drugs’ career, I Don’t Live Here Anymore showed up — right on time, in autumn — and exceeded already stratospheric expectations.”
Stream here…
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2. ‘VALENTINE’ by SNAIL MAIL (Power pop)
“Valentine is a document of a love gained and lost, and
all the second chances squandered along the way.”
Stream here…
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3. ‘GLOW ON’ by TURNSTILE (Post-punk-core)
“Turnstile have kept the reckless physical abandon of their early records, polished their gleaming-chrome hooks, and cranked out a half-hour barrage of joyous positivity,
where even the experimental left turns hit hard.”
Stream here…
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4. ‘HEY WHAT’ by LOW (Alt psych rock)
“Low’s third collaboration with BJ Burton, HEY WHAT continues where 2018’s Double Negative left off, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker grappling with dire times by making damaged, celestial music.”
Stream here…
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5. ‘JUBILEE’ by JAPANESE BREAKFAST (Dream pop)
“Jubilee is a vibrant, orchestral dream-pop record, drawing
aesthetic influence from a host of classic indie greats.”
Stream here…
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6. ‘DEACON’ by serpentwithfeet (Psychedelic soul)
“If it’s possible to get high on intimacy, then Deacon is a classic of psychedelic soul.”
Stream here…
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7. ‘SUPERWOLVES’ by MATT SWEENEY and BONNIE ‘PRINCE’ BILLY (Singer-songwriters)
“Somehow, they topped their 2005 collaboration Superwolf with these
deeply moving reflections on grief, romance, and familial love.”
Stream here…
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8. ‘IGNORANCE’ by THE WEATHER STATION (Dream pop)
“With Ignorance, Tamara Lindeman’s made her biggest statement yet, without
losing the aching human core that defines the Weather Station’s music.”
Stream here…
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9. ‘HALL OF FAME’ by POLO G
“It can’t be easy to convey emotional rawness in the context of an ultra-commercial
rap record, but Polo’s writerly grace and hypnotic hooks are up to the task.”
Stream here…
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10. ‘AN OVERVIEW ON PHENOMENAL NATURE’ by CASSANDRA JENKINS
“The album does indeed feel like some potent encapsulation of
the entirety of this fantastical, dreadful world we all live in.”
Stream here…
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The Full TOP 50 list HERE
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SNAIL MAIL Scores With Vigor On American TV
8 November 2021
Artist: SNAIL MAIL
Who: The alter ego of 22-year old American indie
rocker/guitarist/singer-songwriter Lindsey Jordan
Active: Since 2015
Snail Mail released her 2nd album Valentine last Friday with many critics
going crazy over it. NME gave the LP a full 5/5 score: “A beautiful progression
from her influential debut. Lindsey Jordan’s songwriting is as astute as ever, and her
exploration of love here is set to a rich palette of explorative strings and synths.”
Jordan also performed for the first time on American TV
last weekend playing the LP’s title track with vigor…
Full album…
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SNAIL MAIL: Facebook
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN – 7 New Firecrackers Week 37
Every week Turn Up The Volume‘s selects 7 new
firecrackers that burned his greedy ears the past 7 days…
1. ‘Hertz’ by AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS (Australia)
Last week punkette Amyl and her Sniffers dropped their second smashing
album Comfort To Me on Planet Earth with ‘Hertz‘ as one of the razzle-dazzle jackhammers.
Time for some kangaroo pogo, all you punks out there…
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2. ‘Beautiful James’ by PLACEBO (UK)
Placebo‘s first single in 5 years.
Brian Molko (frontman): “If the song serves to irritate the squares and the
uptight, so gleefully be it. But it remains imperative for me that each listener
discovers their own personal story within it – I really don’t want to tell you
how to feel.”
Come in, James…
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3. ‘Valentine’ by SNAIL MAIL
Lindsey Jordan aka Snail Mail throws her 2nd album,
titled Valentine at the world on 5th November.
Jordan: “I wanted to take as much time as possible with this record to
make sure I was happy with every detail before unleashing it unto y’all.
Referring to the process as the deepest level of catharsis and therapy I
have ever experienced would be a huge understatement. Valentine is
my child!”
Here comes Jordan‘s macabre side. Only for cannibals
(go directly to YT via the link below)…
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4. ‘Haven’t Been Doing So Well’ by FRANK TURNER
Another rockin’ taster from Turner‘s upcoming
full-length FTHC, out 22 February 2022.
Turner: “It’s been a difficult time for a lot of people and their
mental health, myself included, and discussing that openly is
important to me, so this is a song about anxiety and the
struggles that come with that.”
Sick and tired…
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5. ‘DiE4u’ by BRING ME THE HORIZON (UK)
The metalcore junks with another bomb,
part of their Post Human EP series.
Dance along with the creeps…
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6. ‘Playing The Part’ by A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS (New York)
The band’s new EP titled ‘Hologram: Destroyed & Disassembled’ will
see the light of day on the next Record Store Day, 26th November.
The first track ‘Playing The Part’ is a rather surprisingly
smooth cut for New York’s psych-o-delic gravediggers.
Feel the vibe here…
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7. Body/Dilloway/Head by Body/Dilloway/Head (USA)
This side project of former Sonic Youth queen Kim Gordon and
avant-garde guitarist Bill Nace will release its second LP in November.
The duo teamed up with Aaron Dilloway for this one.
Here’s the title track.
Instrumental, otherwordly, and spellbinding…
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See/hear you next week, music junkies…
Stream 5 Brand New MUST-HEAR Albums Right Here…
Brand new longplayers that will have an impact on your ears and your speakers…
1/ ‘Babelsberg’ by GRUFF RHYS (Wales)
Fifth solo album by Super Furry Animal‘s frontman. A modern-day crooner and sharp observer. Smooth orchestrations and edged visions rolling into something special.
Stream here…
GRUFF RHYS: Facebook
2/ ‘WOWSERS!’ by CHICKN (Athens, Greece)
These Greek psych noiseniks show their love for mad genius Frank Zappa with an explosive and effervescent cocktail of head-twisting firecrackers and some quiet mindfuckers. WOW!
Stream here…
CHICKN: Facebook
3/ ‘The Horror’ by GET WELL SOON (Berlin, Germany)
Fifth LP by singer/storyteller Konstantin Gropper. The record “is about fear in all its forms. Fear as a motivator, as an obstacle, as a consultant, and as a political weapon, both socially and privately”. Sonically it moves, feels and sounds like a musical. A truly intriguing journey.
Stream here…
GWS: Facebook
4/ ‘Lush’ by SNAIL MAIL (Baltimore, US)
Debut album by singer/songwriter Lindsey Jordan aka Snail Mail. From intimate meditations to amplified, melodic indie pop with a sensitive slacker twist. A touching first full length.
Stream here…
SNAIL MAIL: Facebook
5/ ‘Distant Light’ by TAPE WAVES (Charleston, South Carolina, US)
Duo TAPE WAVES – Kim Weldin and Jarod Weldi – will soundtrack your moony summer dreams with mellow musings floating over layers of electrical, atmospheric sentiments.
Stream here…
TAPE WAVES: Facebook
See/hear you next week, music junkies…