We have a couple of new records for you today.
The first is "Tried To Do's", the new album by Trippers & Askers. That is the nom de plume of Jay Hammond, a college professor and cultural anthropologist who has been making music under this name on and off since 2009.
Prof. Trippers records for the Sleepy Cat label based in Durham, North Carolina and there are some similarities to other acts from the local scene down there - the likes of Iron & Wine and Hiss Golden Messenger.
According to the blurb "The songs deal with the quotidian themes of love, family and loss through the prism of both Buddhist and Christian ways of mourning. Through stories of loss in relation to Hammond's upbringing in the bible belt U.S. South, it sets up a productive tension between Buddhist and Christian rituals and beliefs about mourning".
To be honest I didn't really pick up on any of that productive tension but that didn't prevent me enjoying "Tried To Do's" a great deal. It does not get released until May but you can pre-order it from the Trippers & Askers Bandcamp page (and make sure to check out his back catalogue while you're there). For now you'll have to make do with the lead single which came out yesterday.
On to the second record. If you have ever wondered what indie-poppers would sound like when they got old enough to qualify for subsidised public transport, Railcard and their recently released self-titled debut album are here to provide the answer.
With former members of Dolly Mixture and Heavenly in the line-up there is quite a lot of jangle and jauntiness as you would expect, but with an added pinch of wistfulness as on the song I've selected and the excellent title track.
"Kin" - Trippers & Askers
"Slow Train" - Railcard
Both merit further exploration especially Railcard.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we could form a tribute band called Buspass.
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