Welcome back to Top8.

I am so glad to find the weather cooler and some snow coming as I write this.

I am still not really feeling really creative in this space. But I do have some amazing tracks. Please join me in rocking.

Snocaps - Coast

I cannot express to you how much I love this self-titled album by Snocaps. This was a surprise drop from Alison and Katie Crutchfield. A whole new band from these two brilliant sisters who have been on-and-off collaborators over the years. Early on the sisters had The Ackleys, and then P.S. Eliot. Katie went on to form Waxahatchie, while Alison created Swearin' and later her own solo act. They are back together and joined here by M.J. Lenderman for 12 basically perfect tracks (and a little coda).

The Crutchfield sisters share what might be my favorite voice in indie rock. And they really do seem to share that voice. They are essentially double-tracking a vocal live. All this would just be fine and just kinda cute if it weren't for the fact that they are both brilliant song writers with their own unique styles and flourishes. But they are brilliant writers. And they have made songs that are also musically interesting while still being catchy. Overall, this album has the emotional presence of something like the Beatles "Rubber Soul". It's mostly more upbeat than sad, but still holds a lot of depth. There are some songs to come back to here in the hard times, but also plenty of moments of joy.

With Snocaps, the Crutchfields have made what might end up being my favorite album of the year. I truly love every single one of these songs, so I will just pick one here. Off the top of my head, let's say "Coast".

Lankum - Ghost Town (Specials Cover)

Lankum is brilliantly gloomy. Their signature droning misery is usually presented with an unblinking gothic straight face. On this cover of the Specials' "Ghost Town" though, the mask slips a bit. The band knows this cover is a little nuts. Nonetheless, they lean into it, translating the ska into a lumbering zombie stomp. About half way through the whole thing takes a hard left into an absolutely insane techno freakout.

Nothing - Cannibal World

Nothing is one of my top bands and a key band in the one of the dozen or so shoegaze revivals over the last decade or so. New stuff from them was always going to excite me. "Cannibal World" is especially interesting, because it's kinda different from whatever it was I was expecting from them. There's a jittery sequenced drum sound tapping away against Nothing's wispy wall of sound. The effect makes me think of a remix of a known work more than of an original song. I find this really effective. It's a fresh sound from a genre that, at worst, can be a little sonically homogeneous.

Boy Deluxe - I Found God

You may not be aware of this, but there's a whole subgenre of female artists making absolute aggressive, raging bangers with anywhere from suggestive to completely pornographic lyrics. "I Found God" by Boy Deluxe is relatively PG-13 as far as that goes, but there is still a sorta transgressive intensity here with a lyric that revolves around the feeling of "finding god" while dancing. Come to think of it, that is actually kinda wholesome.

Ratboys - Anywhere

Ratboys have a run, romping sound like The Beths or Wet Leg. "Anywhere" has a power pop vibe with just a few drops of distorted guitar to give it a little color.

Dead Pioneers - Freedom Means Something

Dead Pioneers are boldly critical of the political bullshit we live in. As things get worse, bands like Dead Pioneers only sing and play louder. "Freedom Means Something" is a spoken word piece that rages, "We will tar and feather you with your money." Sign me up for that.

Emerson Woolf & the Wishbones - Thia Kane

Somewhere between early Sierra Ferrell and Brown Bird is Emerson Woolf & the Wishbones. There's a bit of the drunken abandon of The Devil Makes Three here too. "Thia Kane" goes down like a shot of cheap whiskey near the wild part of the night. That shudder can turn into dancing sometimes.

Sprints - Descartes

Sprints will fuck you up. The Dublin four-piece has the aggression and intensity of bands like Lambrini Girls or Mannequin Pussy. Is it punk as fuck to talk about "Descartes"  in a song? Maybe. Regardless, Ireland is not missing these days.

And this week's extra innings, which this week are just three extra tracks from Snocaps that I loved.

Snocaps - You in Rehab

Snocaps - Cherry Hard Candy

Snocaps - Heathcliff

And a playlist with everything.

Thank you for reading and listening,

-emily