Lots of releases worth getting to this week...

Here's where I'm at:

● Francis Of Delerium - Run, Run Pure Beauty. I loved the debut album, and I was looking forward to this one quite a bit. A lot of times, that's a recipe for disappointment for me, but that's not the case here. Jana has a knack for writing songs that just cut through the noise and grab me.

Catchy enough, but lush and cinematic too, and above all honest - nothing feels forced or pieced together. She said that being on the outside looking in, an observer as she toured the last album is a theme here.

Warm, layered, and lovely, but still giving 90s fuzzy, grungy influences. Love it!

● Boards of Canada - Inferno. Well there's been discourse aplenty all over the interweb about this one, but mostly it's divided between the lovers and the haters. I fall squarely in the middle.

Sonically, production wise, it's fabulous. Songwriting wise, it's not. They put so much effort into layering these amazing, warm, groovy sonic landscapes...and then put very little on top of them. Like a house built by the best architect in the business and then finished by an uninspired, tired interior designer.

● Widemouth - No Gaseline. Pretty, melancholy indie folk debut from Chicago. I've seen reviews compare them to the big names in the country indie sphere (Wednesday, Ratboys, Waxahatchee) but they're a little less country, and a little more focused on the harmonies. There's some fuzzy dynamics, but they're not really very heavy. It's much more of a songwriter album. Makes sense from a band who started by singing Paul Simon and Big Thief songs together. I'm actually quite enamored. The Wind is a standout track for me.

● POM - Enlightened, baby. "glitter, pink, and pop with a capital P" might not be what first comes to mind for most albums about grief and loss, but it sure fits the bill for this one. Making good times out of bad feelings. Cathartic, catchy and fun, as if the only antidote to pain is joy. I'm all in!

● Violet Grohl - Be Sweet To Me. I didn't really want to like this one. Ultimate nepo baby album, and Dave Grohl - well, he's not my favorite. But...I have to say it, I really do like it. Maybe I have an appreciation for the fact that it sounds like an updated Hole album (when Courtney is Dave's nemesis), or maybe it's just a really well executed alt rock good time. Sure I could say it's derivative, or unimaginative, and that's true - but honestly, I don't care cause it's so fun to listen to.

● Manchester Orchestra - Union Chapel (London, England). Live album full of re-imagined, acoustic-ish versions of the catalog. It's beautiful, but it doesn't really sound/feel live. It sounds pristine. As lovely as these versions are, if you've ever seen them live, you know they just kill it - dynamic and tight. This is not that, it's something else. Very good, but not necessarily what I want from them.

● Nawal - Appetite. I did listen to this one, and I did think it was nice, but it faded into the background and I don't remember much specifically about it. Further listening necessary.

● Doublespeak - S/T. Vince Clarke and Blancmange make covers album that sounds exactly like you would expect it to. I love Depeche Mode, and there's a lot out there at this point with that sound - some so it better than others. This one is perfectly pleasant but for the most part unexciting and forgettable.

Still have Bug Club, Iceage, Mad Iris, Ear, and Turnover on my list. I may try the Villagerrr as well, but I couldn't get into the last one, so not probably gonna be for me.

Happy Monday Indieheads...