When we last heard from le skunk they had released their near-anonymous EP of infectiously catchy pop songs, Putter. Since that time it has become clear that le skunk is not a “they” but, rather, a singular entity. I’ll keep their identity shielded but it’s nice context to know this is an individual rather than a band.

With that in mind, the undertaking has released Red Heat (The Songs of Jim Pang), an EP of songs leaning much harder into the realm of folk and Americana influenced but not abandoning the pop sensibilities of the original EP. The songs are catchy, sure, but there’s also twinkling guitar on the title track “Red Heat” and an Elvis Costello like howl on “Stereo Night.”

le skunk is a bit of a mystery but it’s clear that there’s a diversity in the style of songwriting that makes them worth keeping an eye on.

Despite being only one song, there’s a lot to cover with this new release from Ornament. First and foremost, it’s the second official release from the band; available as a 7″ on the Official Memorabilia label. It hasn’t made its way to Bandcamp or Spotify yet but if you hit up DRKMTTR on January 18th, you can snatch it there. It’s safe to assume if you go see them on tour, you can get it at any of the shows.

More importantly, the song builds on the delightfully pleasant 60’s vibe they’ve come to perfect. It’s breezy, catchy, a bit melancholy and filled with subtle flourishes; a little bass highlight, some heavenly layered vocals and a one-off drum fill Ringo would envy.

Which brings us to the video; an ode to The Beatles if ever there was. It’s filled with goofy gags like the band eating beans and toast, running around in meaningless circles with sped up Super-8 footage, mugging at the camera and playing music together with the most positive energy one could muster. It’s not derivative nor heavy-handed, it’s a pleasant nod and absolutely fun. It’s worth watching thrice, at the very least.

In early January, Skyway Man released a collaborative EP with Teddy & The Rough Riders entitled The Lagniappe Sessions (okay, it was really released in early December via Aquarium Drunkard but wasn’t on streaming services until 2019). The EP is four cover songs from the likes of Eliot Eidelman, The Faces, Big Kitty and an old one from Skyway Man himself, James Wallace. Yes, he covers himself.

The track for “Aliens / Magic Sofa Reprise” – two mashed together songs originally from Big Kitty – is now available as a wonderful 70’s style karaoke video. Skyway Man’s music has always had a vintage sci-fi skew to it, so these analog graphics, faux 3-D animations and low resolution imagery fits the vibe of the alien love song perfectly. I’m not clear on who contributed what to each track but the whole affair feels fleshed out and energetic in a different way than previous Skyway Man releases, so there’s clearly a wonderful collaboration happening here with Teddy & The Rough Riders.

Learn more about the video over on the Cream premiere page and then do yourself a favor and listen to the original songs from Big Kitty. “Aliens” is taken from A Legend in the Field of Entertainment and can be heard here, while “Magic Sofa” is taken from Recordings of Ferns, which can heard here. Once you’re done with all that, go listen to the full collab EP over on Spotify.

Adia Victoria will release her next full-length record, entitled Silences, on February 22nd. We’ve heard “Dope Queen Blues” and seen a few teasers from the record but “Different Kind of Love” is the first full-on video we’ve been graced with.

You may have seen this over on the Cream already but it’s worth multiple viewings. The black-and-white piece emulates 60’s and 70’s television performances but there’s a wonderful mismatch between the somewhat innocent visual styles and the sinister tone of the song.

The combination of saxophones, crunchy guitars and foreboding vocals is very telling of a record entitled Silences, a phrase that undoubtedly speaks to the frustrations of being a marginalized voice. Full insight into the messages contained with the record will have to wait until late February but my money is on this record being an obvious candidate for year-end lists.

Making compelling music in the genre of Post-Rock is a tricky endeavor. The tenants of the music are well defined; plenty of quiet-to-loud crescendos, voluminous guitars and, often, instrumental. The risk of getting lost in a sea of bands doing the same thing is very high.

The full-length, self-titled release from Murfreesboro’s Weathertalk runs that risk of getting lost with eight songs of vocal-less post-rock. However, the outfit does a good job of differentiating themselves from the pack with some distinct flourishes of electronic instrumentation, an ability to integrate unique, surprising, changes and enormous walls of guitar when the moment calls for it. These things aren’t necessarily unique to the genre but the way they’re implemented here is fresh and memorable.

Aside from the band making quality music worthy of praise, it should be noted that the album art from Jen Regnart is also quite captivating; providing a fitting visual for the turbulent sounds that the band is capable of.

The last release from German Error Message came out in 2016; a long enough time ago to make the assumption that the project had been gently laid to rest and songwriter Paul Kintzing had moved on to something, or nothing, else entirely.

Fortunately, while that may be an understandable assumption, it is an incorrect one. Kintzing has released “Murmuring“, the first track from his forthcoming album Mend due in 2019.

The track continues the familiar songwriting style of previous releases; quiet, almost fragile vocals with sparse musical backing interjected with what feels like field recording flourishes. There’s a bit more percussion involved with this particular track and the production sounds more professional, though it manages to maintain a lo-fi vibe. That may sound like a statement at odds with itself but give a listen and you’ll agree.

There’s no firm date on the release of Mend but “Murmur” is an incredibly enticing preview of things to come. You can hear the track on Bandcamp, Spotify or wherever you like to stream your music.