No Name Oyster Time!

(Mostly) Everything August and a Little After

There have been a few releases in the last couple weeks that I know I’m going to become obsessed with and more on the way, so it’s time to talk about what I’ve been into since the last post…

Chime School/The Boy Who Ran the Paisley Hotel - This is the most recent album on the list, having just come out on Aug. 23. I enjoyed the band’s self-titled debut in 2021, but this is definitely a level up. The chime is in effect from the start, ironically called “The End,” along with some syncopated drums and a sharp guitar solo. They add some organ to the chime on the peppy “Give Your Heart Away,” which also does a nifty slowdown at the end. “Wandering Song” is a perfect example of jangle pop, well-constructed and catchy as hell. Honestly, the next song, “Say Hello,” is just about the same. “Points of Light” finishes the album well, riding more of a groove with bass, bongos, drums, and a wash of guitar, showing off the band’s range. At 11 songs in 33 minutes, this is an easy album to listen to multiple times. Why not start now?

The Damnwells/Bad at Beautiful - The Damnwells have been gone for a while, with their last album coming out in 2015. They did some crowdfunding for this one and, thankfully, the crowd came through. So did the band. The guitars may not be fully cranked and the beats may be more mid-tempo, but this is a very strong collection of pop rock songs. The opening track is good, but then comes “Falling Out of Love,” which has a little more crunch to the guitars and snap to the drums, while also featuring Alex Dezen’s knack for a chorus. “What If I Talked?” follows, bringing some great bass to the fore, background “duh-duh-duhs,” and another insanely catchy chorus. Everything is catchy about “Pretty As Pittsburgh,” which has been lodged in my head and not just for adding mentions of Youngstown and McKeesport. We get some nervy guitar in the verses of “All for the Taking” before opening up with yet another great chorus. The midpoint of the album is the Morgan Wade duet, “Easy Tiger,” which not only features their voices blending but some twin guitar lines; it’s an unhurried song that earns every second of its 3:59 run time. There are good songs in the second half, but the title track/album closer is best of them. Last year, The Gaslight Anthem came back after 9 years with a fantastic album and this year it’s The Damnwells’ turn. How lucky are we.

Eels/Eels Time! - This is the oldest album on this list, having come out on June 7. I didn’t give it a listen until after I heard Mark Oliver Everett (bandleader E) on the CBB-FM podcast a couple weeks later. Wish I hadn’t waited so long. Opener “Time” gets its hooks in you quickly with its simple melancholic beauty - lyrics about the passage of time and just enough strings laid over top of acoustic guitar. “Goldy” is much darker, with lyrics about a man whose best friend is a goldfish overtop chugging bass and beats. “Sweet Smile” lives up to its billing - it’s a lovely sunny pop tune that has some tasty guitar. “If I’m Gonna Go Anywhere” has a warped majesty to it, while “And You Run” is more like a fucked-up Beach Boys tune. Right now, the song I’m most into on the album is “I Can’t Believe It’s True,” a shimmery pop tune about being worthy of someone you love, although I am also addicted to the horns on closer “Let’s Be Lucky,” which unspools perfectly. Eels are 15 albums in and still doing great work.

Futurebirds/Easy Company - Futurebirds have always been a band I’ve enjoyed when I’ve heard their songs, but outside of a couple listens to their first EP with Carl Broemel from a few years ago, I’d never heard an album. After giving this one multiple listens, I realize that’s probably been a mistake. “Movin’ On” opens the album with sticks providing the shuffling beat underneath some strummy acoustic and an easy melody before cranking it up in the last minute. “It’s Alright” is a punchy 2:19 country ditty that will get stuck in your head. Something else that will get stuck in your head is the chorus to “Feel Less Bad,” a mid-tempo alt-country ballad with lovely guitar accents. Waxahatchee (Katie Crutchfield) duets on the title track and while it may not reach the heights of her duet with MJ Lenderman on “Right Back to It” earlier this year, it comes pretty darn close - the harmonies are excellent and there’s a great guitar solo. I’m also partial to “Up and Out,” which is a more straightforward rock tune. I can’t move on without shouting out Patterson Hood doing some spoken word on “Soft Drugs,” which has a chorus about people getting high on crocodiles eating people’s faces. I mean, come on. This is just a solid album all the way through and once I give it enough listens, I’m going to have to dive into their back catalog.

Laughing/Because It’s True - I listened to this once not long after in came out in late June and then forgot about it until my friend Steven recommended it to me at the tail end of July. I went back and determined that Steven was right, as usual, and it’s been it rotation ever since. “Easier Said” is the perfect album opener, all chiming guitars and melody with some gritty guitar to undercut it. If that song doesn’t remind you of Teenage Fanclub, then “Bruised” surely will…it’s not just the music, but those harmonies. “Narcissist Blues” is a great guitar workout. I absolutely love “Garden Path,” which puts the squealing guitars into the red and the voices into the falsetto. “You and I” is a power pop gem and a perfect 2:42 length. Like all good power pop, this is an album that benefits from multiple listens so the songs can just seep into your consciousness.

Quivers/Oyster Cuts - I was a big fan of Quivers’ 2021 album, Golden Doubt (and their album-length cover of Out of Time was pretty good too), so I was eagerly anticipating this one. Heck, I bought tickets to see them open for Superchunk in October (not that seeing Superchunk is a hardship). Thankfully, the new album is really good. It kicks off with “Never Be Lonely,” which has some chunky bass, new wavey guitars, and some gang vocals. Speaking of gang vocals, you get an honest-to-goodness round at the end of “Pink Smoke” and there’s plenty of cool guitar work before that too. “Apparition” is a total crowd pleaser, with ringing guitars and a stomping beat and the insanely catchy chorus of “Oh my god/Oh my god/Everybody’s got/Everybody’s got a reason/They’re always leaving/Do you turn into an apparition?” The title track has a mellow 80s vibe that works very well. Closer “Reckless” is a moody slow burn that pays off over 6 minutes. This is just a great pop record that highly benefits from the balanced lead vocals from Sam Nicholson and Bella Quinlan (who is rock solid on the bass too), as well as them singing together on many of the tracks in one way or another. Can’t wait to see them live.

Jack White/No Name - Jack White is back on his bullshit and I am here for it. He’s doing the Astro; he’s bashing out White Stripesian gems in his Little Room once more. I think this is his best album since Icky Thump (which came out 17 years ago). The opening riff of “Old Scratch Blues” is a pretty good indication of what’s to come and that’s before the squalling guitar, pounding drums, and White’s lyrical wordplay. A similar riff drives “Bless Myself,” but that’s not a problem, especially with Jack talk-singing over top and a fuzzier version of the riff as the song finishes. “That’s How I’m Feeling” alternates a nice groove with powerful guitar and there’s great bluesy guitar in “It’s Rough on the Rats (If You’re Asking).” He gets kinda Led Zeppelin on “Archbishop Harold Holmes,” which is one of my favorites on the album (actually, I wish Led Zep was around to cover it). My actual favorite at the moment is “What’s the Rumpus?,” which starts with some bouncy bass before kicking in with another great riff; the chorus swings and the melody will get lodged in your head. Oh, and the album ends on a perfect note with “Terminal Archenemy Endling.” I can’t imagine this not being in my top five this year - it’s endlessly listenable and just so damn good.

Wishy/Triple Seven - This is a debut album and I’m glad to get in on the ground floor with this band. “Sick Sweet” kicks things off with a blast of 90s alt rock guitars and a sense of fun - catch the post-drum fill “woo” by Kevin Krauter, who takes the lead vocals on this one. The title track is more alt pop with some shimmery guitar and breathy vocals from Nina Pitchkites, the other lead singer. The two share vocals on the third track, “Persuasion,” which drives through its 2:48 run time with a catchy chorus, while also dropping some of those twin lead guitar lines that I just can’t resist. With its sticky chorus and bent guitar notes, “Love on the Outside” could have been a hit on alternative radio 30 years ago, especially with an outro that just cranks up the guitars. The album ends with the fabulous 1-2 punch of “Honey” and “Spit.” The former has strong shoegaze vibes and it rides out in a glorious swirl of “ooh”s and guitars, then the latter drops the hardest riff on the record and makes you want to bang your head, especially in the last 45 seconds or so. Turn it up!