Islands in the Stream: 5/7/25
Giving some extra love to artists who aren't getting enough of it
"Supernova," Blueburst
I've been seeing a bunch of ads for this record on Instagram lately, all of which make a big deal out of Marty Willson-Piper producing it. His fingerprints are audible here — swirling guitars, etc. — but what I really hear is a strong Sugar-era Bob Mould influence. (This is really just a showy rock-crit way of saying "the song has grungy guitars and stacks of beautiful harmonies," but we're all friends here.)
"Mountain Top," John Ferrell
"Mountain Top" makes me think of Alexi Murdoch, which is something I haven't done since probably 2007. Obviously, there are countless other artists plying the "pensive acoustic balladeer" trade — Ferrell included — but most of them don't do it this well. Extra props to Ferrell for pulling the time-tested trick of slowly building the arrangement from guitar/vocals into stirring "distant point on the horizon" soundtrack territory.
"Fate," Rodney Fisher and the Response
There's no small amount of Big Music majesty frittering at the edges of this midtempo number — I'm pretty sure Mike Peters, who will be forever missed, would have nodded appreciatively at these guitars — but "Fate" doesn't feel like it's reaching for the rafters so much as it's trying to reflect emotional wide open spaces. The result is a song that might be accused of plodding a bit, but is still dramatic enough to justify its leisurely pace. Lovely harmonies, too.
"Wrong Things," Brother Elsey
I've been on a big Brother Elsey kick ever since stumbling across one of their songs a few weeks ago. I'm a little conflicted about this — there isn't anything particularly original about what they're doing, and the hip thing to do would be to say Jason Isbell or Dawes do it better, and also without those dashes of '80s synths sprinkled in. The heart wants what it wants, though, and like a lot of Brother Elsey songs, "Wrong Things" hits me where it counts. Hipper names be damned; these guys are really, really good at what they do.
"The Glory Days are Now," Jack Droppers and the Best Intentions
This song comes from an album titled Dad Rock, which is as humorous as it is accurate. If that (increasingly pejorative) term is a red flag for you, I get it, I really do; when I'm in music discovery mode, this type of heart-stirring MOR ranks among the type of thing I least want to hear. But I assemble these posts based on first impressions of songs I happen to catch while letting the algorithm do its thing, and apparently, it's still easy for dad rock to make a good first impression on me. Anyway, in times like these, it's probably not a bad idea to offer up a reminder that no matter how grim things might feel, the present moment is all we have, and it's better to find the light in it than to wish we were in some other place and time.
"To the Light," Beauden James
Speaking of dad rock, here we have an artist who openly acknowledges his debt to Springsteen. He's also a big Gang of Youths fan, which always signals excellent taste in my book. "To the Light" stands in the shadow of both artists, but not to the extent that I'd say he's looking for trouble by asking for unfair comparisons; mostly I'd just say that if you're a fan of either of the aforementioned artists, you'll probably also enjoy Beauden James. To a lesser degree, most likely, but maybe enough to seek out more of his work.
"What I've Got," Shower Beer
Shower Beer is such a great band name that I'd be inclined to recommend their stuff unless it outright sucked, which it does not. This is campfire stuff, to be sure, but there isn't anything wrong with that.
"Birthday Suit," Samuel Nicholson
What do you get when you take a kid from Scotland, feed him a Motown diet, and then warp his mind with some metal records? Here's your answer. To assuage any fears you might have after that first sentence, "Birthday Suit" doesn't sound like Motown or metal; instead, this is just a savory bite of some really smartly written, cleverly arranged pop. I want to hear more.
"Run Away," Joey Hendricks featuring Aaron Espe
Add one more to the massive pile of songs about gathering the gumption to get the hell out of town, with lyrics about faith and courage, plus a sing/hum-along chorus. Bonus points here, though, for painting an especially vivid picture with lines like "Can't you feel it, honey? / We're tied to the winds of change / She's singing 'Mr. Blue Sky' in the rain / Let's run away."
"Sleepless," Heatmaps
Heatmaps is the band/brand name adopted by producer Steven James Aguilar, whose resume includes work for Damien Jurado and the Head and the Heart. If you're familiar with either of those acts, it probably tells you a lot about what you need to know regarding Heatmaps — "Sleepless" is midtempo pop on the smoother end of the "indie" spectrum, and you can see some music director using it to score a road trip montage, which is not any kind of insult. Sort of weightless, and all the more enjoyable for it.