What I've Had On Repeat Lately

Here are some albums I’ve had on repeat lately. Most are recent releases, but one came out in the 1900s and one in 2010.

Cory Hanson – I Love People

California singer/songwriter Cory Hanson’s fifth album I Love People sounds like 70s AM radio. It’s soft rock like America or Bread but with wry, humorous lyrics reminiscent of Warren Zevon or Randy Newman. For a modern comparison think Father John Misty. Highlights include “On the Rocks” a touring musician’s lament set to a riff that evokes The Beatles’ “Hello Goodbye” by way of Seals & Croft and “Texas Weather” which is like a bizarro version of Geroge Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning.” The breezy nature of the songs belies the strangeness of the characters and situations Hanson sings about. The album’s sound reminds you of Harry Nilsson’s “Everybody’s Talkin’” from Midnight Cowboy and the lyrics remind you of the film itself.

James McMurtry – The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy

James McMurtry’s latest release finds him ruminating on fathers and sons with his familiar heartland rock sound. Songs like “Pinocchio in Vegas” and “Sons of Second Sons” talk about the legacy passed down from generation to generation, both blessings and curses, and sometimes you can’t tell the difference. On the character song, “South Texas Lawman,” McMurtry ponders age and masculinity. McMurtry has a sense of humor that is always tinged with melancholy and it's on display on songs like the standout track “Sailing Away.” McMurtry as always gets into politics and in the same on-the-nose way that regular people talk. His feelings on the subject aren’t ambiguous. McMurtry’s gift for character and storytelling, mixed with his world-weary drawl, set to the jangle of electric guitars is on full display on his latest record.

Counting Crows – Butter Miracle

Terrible album name and even worse album cover, but the best album from the band since 2002’s Hard Candy.Whichever iteration of Counting Crows you like, there is something for you on this record. If, like me, you love the acoustic sound of August and Everything After, songs like “Virginia Through the Rain” will take you back to 1993. If you like the more jangly rock of Hard Candy era Crows then the first two tracks “With Love, From A-Z” and “Spaceman in Tulsa” are for you. “Boxcars” evokes the bigger rock sound from their sophomore album Recovering the Satellites. Counting Crows are at their best when the band provides the right sonic backdrop for Adam Duritz’s evocative lyrics and the mood they create, which they do here on their latest release.

R.E.M. – Fables of the Reconstruction

This record is not new. It came out 40 years ago in 1985. After they invented indie rock on their first two records, Murmur and Reckoning, the Athens, Georgia based band leaned into their southern roots on Fables of the Reconstruction. Michael Stipe’s southern gothic story telling evokes William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor, while the band adds a little twang to their jangle rock sound. It’s Americana but weirder with touches of psychedelia mixed in. Standout tracks include the propulsive “Driver 8” and the bucolic “Wendel Gee.” Along with their next album, Life’s Rich Pageant, these are my two favorite R.E.M. albums, and I love it when they are just a little bit twangy.

Alex G – Headlights

Alex G belongs to the lo-fi indie community of Big Thief and Mac DeMarco. His latest record is a touch more mainstream and polished sounding than earlier efforts. It’s almost like a history of lo-fi. At times it echoes the slacker indie of Pavement like the buzzy “Louisiana.” It also touches on the early 2000’s indie rock of The Shins or Modest Moust on “Spinning.” Other times, Headlights echoes the indie folk of Elliott Smith, like the dreamy “Beam Me Up” and the melancholic folk of “Real Thing.” It even veers into the noise rock or Sonic Youth on “Bounce Boy.” Across its 40 minutes it runs the gamut from dreamy, acoustic folk to jangly guitars to feedback and electronic loops. Despite the twists and turns, it’s got a coherent sound that marks my favorite Alex G record to date.

Mavis Staples – You’re Not Alone

This album came out in 2010 but somehow, I missed it. Produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, his gift for sparse production highlight’s Staples’ powerful voice on this collection of gospel standards and three Tweedy originals. The standout is the Tweedy penned “You’re Not Alone” that showcases Staples’ gift for singing a good hook.

Check ‘em out.