“What’s in a band name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
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Join us as we wade through the ever-crashing waves of music and pluck out the best songs we’ve heard in the last week.
While you’re here, check out some local talent on Steal This Track. This week, we’re featuring
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Carl Broemel, “Sleepy Lagoon”
If Carl Broemel’s topically titled sophomore album “4th of July” is anything like its lead single, it might be the only album you’ll need for your next summer cook-/smokeout. “Sleepy Lagoon,” the My Morning Jacket guitarist’s first solo offering in six years, is a lazy-river ballad for the soul, which Broemel sets us adrift on with calmative riffs and a daisy-picking tempo. It’s less likely to make an end-of-the-year list than blend seamlessly into your weekend wind-down playlist, but there, it’s indispensable.
Carl Broemel’s comes out on August 19.
–Dylan Owens, editor
Wye Oak, “If You Should See”
Although Wye Oak’s latest Merge release, “Tween,” is a stopgap EP of songs that didn’t make the duo’s last couple albums, standouts like the lovely, nervously upbeat and this flanged-out stunner easily justify the purchase price. “If You Should See” is self-consciously airy and ’80s in all the right ways, with Jenn Wasner’s high-register vocals and swirling guitar interrupted only by staccato synths and pleasantly stuttering chord changes. If you could detune the night sky as seen from the back of a convertible, it would sound a lot like this.
Wye Oak headlines on July 8.
–John Wenzel, contributor and Reverb elder statesman
Tycho, “Division”
Scott Hansen is the face of San Francisco instrumental wizards, Tycho. For the last several years, the laid back bro vibes drew large audiences to his shows, mainly because of the serene landscapes Hansen paints with his sound manipulation and relaxed synthesizers.
Thatap why on “Division,” Tycho’s first offering in two years, charts new territory for the otherwise after-hours Ghostly International artist. The improvisational feel and jazz aesthetic of the new single makes you think of Flying Lotus. It’s a chance for Hansen, and ultimately one well taken.
Tycho opens for Lotus at Red Rocks on September 17.
–Julio Enriquez, contributor
FAQ:
I’ve already heard this song. Buzz off, they’re new to us.
Can you guarantee that I will like these songs? Yes.
But these songs aren’t even good. Try again next week. In the meantime, go .
Is that a real quote up there? Almost definitely not.
Is there a comprehensive playlist of every song you’ve featured as a best song?
