Song Recommendations: 11/13/25

"Comedown Phase," Orchid Mantis
We begin this edition of Song Recommendations with a super chill number that sounds a little like floating through a discarded early '90s R.E.M. jam that's being remembered at half-speed by someone who heard it once through a wall. Or maybe it's just your average mellow shoegazey number. Or hell, maybe it's both. The point is, I like it, and I think you might too.

"Ordinary War," Boys Life
It took me a minute to remember why I stashed this away for a Song Recommendations post, but then around the three-minute mark, it finally reached the sort of feedback-frosted low boil that reminds me of old Buffalo Tom records, and now I have it on repeat. I realize this is sort of a mild recommendation, but if you're in the mood for a low-key track that low-key stirs up thoughts of early-to-mid-'90s flannel-clad volume dealers, you could do a lot worse.

"Las Copas," Candelabro
I really could have picked just about any track from this record, which was introduced to me by the Younger Spawn of Jefitoblog. I'm no longer sure why I selected this one, but it still does a pretty fine job of distilling Candelabro's appeal. If you do decide to check out their very good, recently released LP Deseo, Carne y Voluntad, I feel compelled to warn you that not all of it is quite this user-friendly — there are a couple of spoken-word cuts that get pretty aggro — but in general, the band's whole deal is difficult to describe in a very positive way. "Las Copas" kind of reminds me of what might happen if some Chilean kids heard Under the Table and Dreaming once and decided to write a song about it, which is a total compliment even if you don't think so.

"Hymn to the Mother, for Zakir," Charles Lloyd
The fact of the matter is that this track features saxophonist Charles Lloyd playing with pianist Jason Moran and guitarist Marvin Sewell, but man, does it ever sound like Bill Frisell is all over the place in here. If you're any kind of Frisell fan, I've just told you everything you need to know about "Hymn to the Mother, for Zakir"; if not, I will add that it's a nine-and-a-half-minute jazz excursion that's equal parts melodic and meditative, and also an homage to immensely talented tabla player Zakir Hussain, who died late last year. Hauntingly lovely.

"The Orchard," L'Antidote
Also quite jazzy, but far more dramatic, is "The Orchard," which springs forth from the improv-driven collective known as L'Antidote. "Improv" is often used as a blank check for musos to wander off into the type of territory that's only easily navigable by people who have degrees in music theory, but this record is pretty solidly anchored in a musical framework that basically anybody can appreciate. If you're looking for instrumental music that evokes a wide range of emotions, none of them jarring, check it out.

"Look Down On Us," Maruja
This is a volcanic slab of sax-led Brit-punk that goes on for nearly ten goddamn minutes and is never dull, not even for a second. Do you know how incredibly difficult it is to pull that off? And look, if that description isn't exactly an inducement, I get it. If you know me through my writing, you know I'm an '80s kid raised on Billy Joel records and Peter Cetera's greatest hits, so I'm not naturally drawn to musical aggression, but after being initially semi-intrigued by Harry Wilkinson's enraged shouting, I found myself impressed and then honestly somewhat enraptured by the way this song develops. Give it a try; I think you'll want to hear more.

"She's a Guillotine," the Blood Arm
Speaking of Younger Spawn of Jefitoblog, she forcefully disagrees with this song's inclusion, likening it to something that might have been recorded by a parallel universe version of Jukebox the Ghost that's too into show tunes and is fronted by a less listenable vocalist. I find this assessment rude, but I also find myself powerless to deny its brutal accuracy even as I insist it's a perfectly entertaining chunk of power pop.

"Atlanta Girls," Trash Panda
As a 14-year-old moron, I devoted a certain amount of column space to vigorously praising 38 Special's 1988 LP Rock & Roll Strategy, which contains the song "Hot 'Lanta." If you have not heard this song, I do not recommend that you do so now; I mention it here only by way of establishing that "Atlanta Girls" is part of a very short list of musical tributes to the city that I've ever enjoyed, which also makes it part of a weird Venn diagram that includes Little Feat's "Oh Atlanta."

"Quarter French (Ooh La La)," Palm Palm
Well, this song is all kinds of fun. The verses chug along on a sort of meth-sped second line beat before morphing into full-on AOR boogie in the choruses, all led by a vocal/guitar attack that reminds me of something that the Georgia Satellites or Black Crowes might have gotten up to at their respective peaks. Rock isn't dead, but in my experience, it isn't often that new rock songs are this much pure, effortless, good 'n' greasy fun.

"Poly Cotton Blend," Aesop Rock
The recently released I Heard It's a Mess There Too is not only Aesop Rock's second album of the year, but his second album since May. I don't know how he does it — the dude is impressively prolific, and manages to pull it off in a way that betrays not a hint of creative exhaustion. His stuff is wildly creative, too — sonically dynamic and lyrically adventurous from beat to beat, line to line. I could listen to his stuff on repeat for hours — and did just that with Mess There Too this week.