If I had managed to post in June, these are the albums I would have written about. The good news is that there is no expiration date on good music…
Tristan Armstrong/The Lonely Avenue - I had not heard of Armstrong before this album came out, but saw a good review for it somewhere (it’s been too long to remember). This is a really good album, so thanks to that person. The albums starts with the title track, which is a strong power pop tune with a solid riff that alternately turns the power up and down. That’s followed by “Periscope,” which reminds me of early Michael Penn; it’s more stately with some bursts of guitar overtop before eventually ramping up to a sweet extended guitar solo. You know I’m a sucker for prominent bass and “Sing in Your Sleep” has that along with a country feel; three songs in and Armstrong is featuring different types of pop songs that are of a piece. Those different strands coalesce on “The Lender,” which is full of interesting little touches like guitar lines and drum fills while also being driven by an acoustic guitar and a sing-along melody. The rest of the album is just as strong (check out the power popper “On the Run” or the expansive closer “Would You Take an IOU?”) and at 9 songs and 33 minutes, it goes down smoothly.
Matt Berninger/Get Sunk - It’s another lead singer from an indie rock institution putting out another solo album (see: Craig Finn) in 2025. This is Berninger’s second after 2020’s Serpentine Prison; he was also half of EL VY, which put out their only album in 2015. Get Sunk starts with the pulsating shimmer of “Inland Ocean,” which both sounds and doesn’t sound like The National, if that makes any sense. “Bonnet of Pins” does remind you of The National, but honestly with Berninger’s distinctive vocals, how could it not? Also, it doesn’t matter because it’s a strong low key, coiled rock song that bursts into widescreen before it’s over. “Frozen Oranges” is the second song to feature lyrics about Indiana, an oddity I enjoy. Berninger has always sounded good singing with a female voice and “Breaking into Acting” with Meg Duffy from Hand Habits is more proof of the concept. The album is mainly mid-tempo, but there is enough variation in instrumentation and melody that keeps it moving. It ends with “Times of Difficulty,” which features some horns and a choral chant with the album title - “Get drunk!/Get sunk!” Berninger’s baritone still works for me 20 years after I came to The National with Boxer and if it does for you too, I think you will like this album.
Counting Crows/Butter Miracle, The Complete Sweets! - This is Counting Crows’ first album since 2014’s Somewhere Under Wonderland and the first one I’ve paid attention to since 2002’s Hard Candy. Its final four songs first appeared on an EP a few years back, which I did listen to that a few times; however, I did not expect to fall for this album as hard as I did (especially with the insane title). “With Love, From A-Z” is a swinging rocker with plenty of piano and great gouts of words from Adam Duritz, delivered in his signature croon. “Spaceman in Tulsa” is a story for the people who don’t “fit in” but who still dream big and want to shine, complete with classic Coutning Crows’ “doo-doo-doo”s. “Virginia Through the Rain” is a slow burn, leaving space for Duritz to emote in his singular way and drop some cool lines, like “The sun undresses the horizon” and “I carry distance like a burden.” The repeated line of “I want to believe in something” coupled with the yearning in Duritz’s voice in “Under the Aurora” make me once again believe in the band like I did all the way back in 1993 with August and Everything After. The last 4 songs roll one right into the another - I particularly love the guitar outro of “Angel of 14th Street” slamming into the Springsteenian closer “Bobby and the Rat-Kings,” which reaches for the heights of “Jungleland” and doesn’t fall too far short. Ever since I started listening to this, I’ve wanted to go back to the 2 studio albums and 1 covers album that I missed during my 23 year gap with the band, but haven’t yet because I keep going back to this one. It’ll happen eventually.
Crossword Smiles/Consequences & Detours - Crossword Smiles (Tom Curless and Chip Saam, host of the fantastic Indie Pop Takeout) are back with their second album, three years after Pressed & Ironed. It kicks off with the charming “Counting By Fives,” which features great harmonies, a killer bass line, and a hooky chorus. “Falling All Over Myself” gets a bit grittier, with slashing guitar, more rhythmic urgency, and another great bass line holding it down. Not everything here is power pop, which is not a problem. “Girls Club” is more 80s indie pop; there’s an accordion on “Millicent” and trumpets on “Night Train.” The bass takes lead on “Navigator Heart,” an open-hearted song of yearning with jangly guitars and more sweet harmonies. If you wanted to just get a taste of the album, the ringing “Fake a Smile” would be a great choice. The album closes with the rocker “The Never Seens,” which sums up the strengths of the band. If you like melodic power pop, pop, and rock, you will find plenty to enjoy here.
Ben Kweller/Cover the Mirrors - I have long been a fan of Ben Kweller and seeing him with my brother and future sister-in-law in Nashville in the fall of 2019 was as fun as I could expect. I plan to feature his 2006 self-titled album on Albums I Love next year. This is his first work since 2021’s Circuit Boredom, but more importantly his first work since the death of his teenage son Dorian. Naturally, that death informs some of the songs on this album, which can be hard to listen to at times, but is ultimately rewarding. Piano has long been a lead instrument for Kweller and he shows that off with the first track, “Going Insane.” Next is “Dollar Store,” which is more spare with a nifty riff until those grungy power chords crash in around the 2:40 mark (oh, and Katie Crutchfield from Waxahatchee is on backing vocals). “Park Harvey Fire Drill” is an acoustic tune buoyed by Kweller’s wordy delivery and features the self-referential line “All the Kweller-heads sing ‘sha sha sha…” (how has it been 23 years since that album?). “Don’t Cave” is a mid-tempo plea to not lose hope after a loss - “your heart is much stronger than you think.” It goes down easier than songs like “Depression” and “Letter to Agony,” which at least still retain Kweller’s sense of melody. He can still pull out a crunchy rocker like “Optimystic,” which gets better every time you hear it. The album closes with the loping “Oh Dorian,” which features some barroom piano plus guitar from MJ Lenderman while Kweller sings about his son with the hope that they will see each other again. A lovely sentiment to end an album full of emotion and heart.
The Loft/Everything Changes Everything Stays the Same - The Loft is an English band that released two singles in the mid-80s and then broke up, which makes this their debut album 40 years later. That’s an interesting story, but what makes it even more interesting is that the album is pretty darn good. Opener “Feel Good Now” is a bouncy tune propelled by bass and acoustic guitar with a chiming lead line over top. The minor chord “Storytime” features plenty of guitar soloing and the moody “Killer” will put you under its spell. “Greensward Days” has a lovely melody, ringing guitar, and “aaah”s that you want to sing along with. If you’ve liked indie pop with a jangly twist at any point over the last 40 years, you will dig “Somersaults” and its perfect guitar solo. The album ends with the expansive “This Machine,” which favors rock over pop and doesn’t miss a beat. I guess the band hasn’t missed a beat either and I hope this is not a one-and-done case, because they have the songs and the skills to make them sound great.
The Minus 5/Oar On, Penelope! - The Minus 5 is another band that I’ve been a fan of for almost 25 years, but drifted away from for a while (the last album I really listened to steadily was 2009’s Killingsworth). Luckily, Scott McCaughey’s songwriting abilities have not been affected by his stroke and he always has great musicians around him (the bass player is Peter Buck, for instance). “Words & Birds” comes out of the gate hot, with Linda Pitmon pounding the drums (and check out those drum fills) and McCaughey’s joy at making music shining through in his vocal phrasing. “Death the Bludgeoner” is another rocker with “deet de deet deet”s instead of “doo doo doo”s or something more typical; it’s fun. “Let the Rope Hold, Cassie Lee” has a cool descending organ line which counters the rise and fall of the bass, while also making space for a ripping guitar solo. The piano-led “Last Hotel” has a great melody and Debbi Peterson from the Bangles on co-lead vocals; Spencer Tweedy guests on drums for two tracks. The madcap “Burgundy Suit” is a blast - “I’m gonna take a stroll/Eat a piece of fruit/Believe in rock’n’roll/Buy a burgundy suit” indeed! The album concludes with “We Shall Not Be Released,” which has more great drum fills from Pitmon and a slightly askew guitar solo. The Minus 5 are 16 albums in and showing no signs of slowing down.
Pulp/More - Who ever thought we would get more from Pulp? Their last album, We Love Life, came out in 2001, yet here we are with another high quality Pulp album in 2025. What a treat. It starts with “Spike Island,” an effervescent number full of pithy Jarvis Cocker lines, of which “I exist/to do this/shouting and pointing” is my favorite. Speaking of favorites, “Grown Ups” has a strutting rhythm, strings, and Cocker rambling on about aging (“and I am not aging/I’m just ripening”). I don’t need to write in depth about “Slow Jam,” but that 80s popped bass makes me smile and reminds me of Prince’s “Pop Life.” Cocker croons and whispers through the romantic “Farmers Market,” which is another highlight. Disco Pulp is back with “Got to Have Love,” a totally giddy song with killer couplet of “Without love you’re just making a fool of yourself/Without love you’re just jerking off inside someone else” and twin lead guitars as the song crescendos to its glorious end. “Background Noise” has cinematic strings and a chorus that lifts up from the verses. If this is all the Pulp we get, they went out on a high note, but since it is such a high note, maybe we will eventually get…more.
Turnstile/Never Enough - I was late to the Glow On party. I read about it when it came out, but the idea of it being hardcore music didn’t appeal. It ended up on so many year-end lists that I had to try it in January 2022 and quickly fell for it. So, I was primed for the release of this new album. The title track starts things off and demonstrates why this band works - atmospheric electronics mashed up with hard rock, pretty vocals contrasted with edgier ones, a sense of both drama and fun…also, a double kick drum! The songs smooths out at the end, but then the drums start pounding until it slams directly into “Sole,” a high octane number. “I Care” is about as poppy as the band gets, but it drops some heavier guitar into the mix for a bit. “Dreaming” is all punchy rock, while “Light Design” drops in a chord that sounds like the theme music to Stranger Things. A sneaky favorite is “Dull,” which sounds very compressed at the start and eventually blows up into a pounding riff; it’s in and out in 2:18. “Seein’ Stars” sounds similar to The Police’s “When World is Running Down, You Get the Best of What’s Still Around” at the start, but by the time the guitar solo lifts off into the sky, that feeling fades away. The riffs just keep coming - “Birds” cranks it up and “Slowdive” is slower and sludgy. Turnstile don’t lock into any one sound throughout Never Enough and that variety gives the album great momentum and its 45 minutes go back faster than you think.
Two Hours Traffic/I Never See You Anymore - This last one is a bit of a cheat, since I didn’t listen to it back in May or June. If had remembered that it was out, I certainly would have. This EP is the band’s first music together since 2013’s Foolish Blood; their 2007 album Little Jabs is a favorite, so I was happy to see them back. Thankfully, they still sound great. The rhythm section is locked in on “Leave Tonight,” which also has a great guitar lick running throughout, lead singer Liam Corcoran in fine voice, and harmonies to boot. “On the Spot” is more hard-charging with the bass and drums driving it forward while the guitars dart around and Corcoran puts some grit into his voice; it should have been blasting out of car windows all summer. The six songs close with “Andy Magoffin, an ode to music and friendship that starts slowly and then builds up a head of steam with plenty of “ba ba”s along the way. If you’ve never heard the band, this is a great introduction and will make you want to go back to the albums I mentioned earlier.
I forget about the Minus 5 pretty often... I'm gonna give it a listen soon.