Jam Sesh with Kevin, Vol. 1
JANUARY 2025: Lesser-known albums we think y'all should check out.
Last year, Apple Music’s list of Top 100 Albums hit the culture as hard as a list containing the most generic tastes of a curmudgeonly boomer and a basic 15-year-old girl could hit—which is to say the list went viral because it was both befuddling and banal and led me and presumably many other music addicts like me not just to click on the list, but to tragicomically fall for the rage bait. My frothing reaction also led to an epic pursuit along with
to construct our own lists of Top 100 Albums in response. It became a behemoth project of diligence and nerdery, and resolving more or less in the way the Apple Music list did, which is with the unknowable hairsplitting of subjective taste. I feel like the idea of ranking albums centers around this obsessive need to cement our opinions, to make our proclamations immortal, but they mostly say more about our tendencies and biases than the quality of the albums themselves. But the format of our list was fun dialogue between us and the banter in our comment sections was engaging, so we’re continuing the series into 2025 and (presumably) onward—albeit, at a smaller scale and without the tedious rankings.At the end month, we’ll put forward three albums and our responses to each. Every installation of this series will have a different theme, with Kevin and I alternating between who picks the theme. So to kick things off, we’re rolling with three slightly under-the-radar albums that are absolutely worth checking out. Hope you enjoy them, and let us know what you think in the comments, or if you have any ideas for monthly album themes.
Let’s get to it.
HERE ARE KEVIN’S SELECTIONS/RESPONSES AND CHECK OUT ON REPEAT!!
My Pick: Deep in View—Cola
Cola isn’t reinventing the wheel here, but Deeper in View is full of tight tracks, infectious grooves, and terrific basslines. Two of the three members were from Ought, a 2010s indie darling, and comparatively, these songs are stripped to their skeletal essentials, ditching the sprawling abandon and explosive spontaneity of their former band and instead leaning into their instinct for earwormy melodies. The results are more succinct and full of adrenaline. The choruses ring with the disaffected catchiness of the Strokes. Frontman Tim Darcy’s lyrics have always been concerned with human connection, but Deeper in View was written from a reclusive perspective, addressing modern anxieties wrought by technology in a world on the brink. “Blank Curtain” is a punchy opener, loosely unfurling with rolling bass and fuzzy guitar licks, coalescing into a radiating hum. It’s post-punk meets ‘90s slacker indie rock, making for a nice stylistic fusion.
Highlights: Blank Curtain, At Pace, Degree, Water Table, Gossamer, Mint, Landers
Kevin’s Pick: Down in the Shacks Where the Satellite Dishes Grow—The Judybats
My Response:
I’ve never heard of the Judybats, so when I gave this a spin, it felt like a culmination of early-’90s alternative/college rock. The Judybats don’t shy away from their southern roots, and this album is full of stories from that viewpoint. I've experienced the ups and downs of relationships sung about in the title and “Our Story,” and have known many women like the ones described in “She’s Sad She Said” and “Margot Known As Missy.” The JudyBats’ breezy music and shimmering harmonies make for a 75-degree, sunny April day; its distressing lyrics are a lonely November.
My Pick: Meridians—Fuubutsushi
The Spotify algorithm gods randomly introduced me to Fuubutsushi on a quaint winter day, and I could feel the seasons change in my mind and body, even if the world around me was frozen in deep piles of snow. Anyone who has felt the spring bloom on the first day of false sunshine understands that climatological reality is not always in sync with what we feel. The Japanese word “fuubutsushi” refers to this gap, and this quartet uses the violin, guitar, saxophone, percussion, and keys to capture the feeling of longing for a new season at the first signs of its emergence. Meridians is lengthy, but thoroughly hypnotizing, whimsical, and relaxing. There is presence and passion in every song, a carefully arranged mixture of jazz, ambient, folk, and classical minimalism. Listening to Fuubutsushi is a form of escapism that makes the world feel less heavy than it is or seems to be.
Highlights: Distance Learner, New Flora, Circulating Air, Light in the Annex, Nora Nora, Pool Tile Blue, Spent for Light, Meridians
Kevin’s Pick: Raise—Swervedriver
My Response:
Geez, I would imagine this album is responsible for a lot of hearing loss. As far as this era of shoegaze goes, Swervedriver is certainly tougher and more aggressive than My Bloody Valentine or Slowdive, and they share the rage of Hüsker Dü and the mumbled vocals of Dinosaur Jr. Apparently, the band defined themselves as “space travel rock ‘n’ roll” and that perfectly sums up the vibe of Raise; it feels you’re like catapulting through space on a highway while driving a Ford Mustang.
My Pick: Not Your Muse (Deluxe)—Celeste
This album is a classy affair, and I need Celeste to do a James Bond theme song. Her sultry timbre, jazzy flow, and smoky tones have a timeless quality. The tracks alternate between energetic and relaxed, with the energetic ones having a dramatic flair and recalling Adele, and the more relaxed ones hovering in the Norah Jones vein of soft jazz-pop. They allure with a peculiar sense of delight and undertones of unease and looming distress. Celeste’s vocal quirks stun the most when they’re matched with quieter and more subtle instrumentation, but overall, this is some gorgeous modern soul.
Highlights: Strange, Stop this Flame, Not Your Muse, Love Is Back, A Kiss
Kevin’s Pick: Continue as a Guest—The New Pornographers
My Response:
Kevin’s inclusion of Twin Cinema in his Top 100 Albums is responsible for introducing me to the glorious indie pop of the New Pornographers, so when I saw Continue as a Guest in this batch of picks, I was excited to give this a spin. Their early aughts run was full of dopamine-inducing records packed with big hooks, tight musicality, and multifaceted lyrics. This project is a little more relaxed in comparison, but the second half picks up the pace and is insanely loaded with some of their best songs since Twin Cinema. I love the mix of swirling keyboards, saxophones, and electronic bloops, and this may be the first record I’ve heard from them that seems like they want listeners to just marinate in the vibe.
That’s it for the January 2025 edition of Jam Sesh! Let us know what you think about our picks in the comments.
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Love that you and Kevin are doing this series. I knew Kevin's picks already, so it was yours I spent some/a little/not enough time with. I probably heard Cola in some Spotify autoplay at some point last year as they sound like a band blended by my favorite alt-rock sounds of the first two decades of this century. But Fuubutsushi is blowing my mind. It's another blend of some of my favorite sounds but ends up sounding wholly its own. And Celeste is comfort food, she's a warm blanket or maybe a onesie with napping puppies. Way more soulful than Norah Jones, who I find to be as dull as a doorknob.
Love this one