Islands in the Stream: 1/29/25
Giving a little extra love to artists who deserve more of it

"Serpentine," Apollo Suns
Apollo Suns say they blend jazz, rock, and psychedelic music in an effort to encourage listeners to shake what their mamas gave them. (They're Canadian, so this is more of a request than a demand.) I don't know enough about their catalog to make any statements about their overall batting average in this regard, but as far as "Serpentine" goes? Mission accomplished.
"Hey," Mt. Misery
Mt. Misery seems to have planted its flag on the wispier end of the power-pop spectrum, with much the emphasis on soothing vocals and stacked harmonies rather than crunchy chords and stomping beats. This is not a bad place to end up if you're in the mood for it, and "Hey" is a sweet, sunny calling card.
"IN TIME," GANS
More than anything, GANS appear to have a burning desire to rock your lame ass, although they've sweetened the deal with a lot of synthy production touches — kind of like, I dunno, Duran Duran after one too many espressos?
"I'll Cry When I'm Dead," Morgana
The other day, the 17-year-old asked me if I'd ever heard of Frou Frou, which served up a memory flash of the moment when Imogen Heap and Dido sounded like they might be the future. Of course, that would have meant that the future would have sounded like slightly smoothed-out Kate Bush, and that's probably never going to happen... but also, that type of music never really goes out of style, and here's Morgana to prove it.
"More," Allerdyce
Vaguely in the same vein as the previous track, but a bit subtler and less dramatic, "More" is a fairly standard downcast charmer — a pop song that sounds like a soft blanket and a cup of tea on a cold day. We'll dock Allerdyce points for indulging in the affectation of rocking a Hohner bass, but add some for including a sax player in the lineup.
"No Mistakes," The Gromble
The Gromble's stated goals include a sonic blend that incorporates elements of Supertramp, Smashing Pumpkins, and Billy Joel, which is pretty goddamn ambitious; I wouldn't go so far as to say I really hear any of that in "No Mistakes," but this is still some sticky sweet pop that's clearly been infused with a deep love of classic AM hits.
"peanut butter game," Life of Brian
Digital recording gear has done a hell of a lot to democratize the art of making music, but it's also made it so even the most dashed-off demo can sound like a million bucks, which kinda bums me out. I miss the days when low-budget recordings came coated with a layer of human grime — when even if you couldn't actually hear the tape hiss, you could still sort of feel it. Life of Brian's "peanut butter game" sounds like it was recorded on two-inch tape by a band that didn't have a ton of money for studio time, but was excited as hell to be there. Sounds like lazy afternoons spent goofing around with friends. I'd listen to shit like this all day long if I could find enough of it.
"Devil's Comet," Jack Davies
Keeping things charmingly lo-fi, here's Jack Davies with "Devil's Comet," which offers an earnest reminder that sometimes, you just need a couple guitars and some plaintive singing.
"Bien Calme," 5 Mile Brass
5 Mile Brass claim to "put the FUN in funky," and after diving into their discography a few times over the last few weeks, I'm prepared to vouch for the truthfulness of that statement. Maybe they should go on tour with Apollo Suns? In the meantime, if any of you bump into any of the people in the band, please tell them to fix their broke-ass website.
"Find Your Way," Longplayer
Speaking of acts who could or should tour together after being mentioned in this post, I feel like Longplayer could fit in pretty snugly on a bill with Mt. Misery — or, for that matter, the Gromble. "Find Your Way" is the type of song you could absolutely imagine being played before or after "Make It with You," preferably through the speakers in a custom van. Repeated listening may cause you to grow a mustache.