Incoming Bangers v. 6/7/26
Any Young Mechanic, Robber Robber, Harvey Scales (the Godfather of Milwaukee Soul), Cola, Charlotte Cornfield, some French acidpsychfolkkrautrock and more.
Welcome, friend. Time to hit the decks.
Table of Contents
Any Young Mechanic
Charlotte Cornfield
Catherine Moan
Robber Robber
Cola
Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds
Shabason & Krgovich
Upupayāma
“My House Divides” by Any Young Mechanic - The Adelaide quintet just released their debut album, The Modern Show Is Ruining The Foot, and it’s a DIY indie-folk beauty. Sam Wilson leads on guitar and vocals, with storytelling that recalls the earlier work of The Decemberists (somewhat less ornate) and the “look up, wow” kind of urgency of that first Violent Femmes record. The playing is a near perfect match for the words; nothing is overplayed and everything is well placed. And yes, their name comes from a Johnny Mercer co-write, “Hooray For Hollywood.”
“Long Game” by Charlotte Cornfield - The attention to detail and clarity on the people, places and things she sings about on her new album, Hurts Like Hell, is finely tuned, sharp and colorful. Informed by becoming a mom in 2023, the songs feel very lived in and down-to-earth. With pedal steel!!! Feist and Buck Meek contribute, along w/ El Kempner of Palehound, Bridget Kearney of Lake Street Dive, and others.
“Enemy” - Catherine Moan - Burn baby burn, synthpop inferno. This jam is a fucking heater. If you’re not familiar with Moan, her musical roots formed in Philly (real name: Angel Jefferson). From our Philly pals, Born Loser Records, Moan’s full length CM Ultra, is out July 31.
Robber Robber, Two Wheels Move The Soul - If I had one of those playlist charts like Billboard but only for personal listening, the Robber Robber lp would be climbing the charts with a BULLET! cause it’s not just climbing but dominating a lot of my listening lately. Sadly, I couldn’t see their Philly show (I had tix for The Boss), but I heard rave reviews about it. Fresh for ‘26.
”Favoured Over The Ride” - Cola - Pay close attention and follow through on the rhythms and artsy guitar patterns of this song from the new album (Cost Of Living Adjustment) by Montreal rockers - U.S. Girls’ Evan Cartwright and Ought’s Tim Darcy - for some endless off-kilter rock joy. Then listen to “Hedgesitting” for the pièce de résistance.
”Broadway Freeze” - Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds - On the intro to this banger, Milwaukee’s Godfather of Soul Harvey Scales takes a page out of the Archie Bell “Tighten Up” playbook (“Hi everybody, I’m Archie Bell & The Drells from Houston, Texas….”). After some soul shouts, Scales lays it down: “My name is Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds and we’re from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.” What follows is a just under 3 minute slice of super soul with a funky broadway beat. Scales and his band released some serious sides, was also known for the co-write of Johnny Taylor’s “Disco Lady.” That drum beat on the Beasties “Shake Your Rump?” That’s the intro from Scales’ “Dancing Room Only.”
“Begin Again” - Shabason & Krgovich - I’ll be honest, a few days ago when I was on my usual listening journey, I had ZERO idea who these guys were. But within 30 seconds of listening to this tune I knew I was entering a special musical place. For those not familiar, Shabason & Krgovich are Joseph Shabason and Nicholas Krgovich. Shabason, from Toronto, is a multi-instrumentalist and composer. There’s a chance you’ve heard his sax playing with Destroyer or with The War On Drugs (“Eyes To The Wind”), TWOD’s Dave Hartley, and more. Krgovich is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Vancouver. They both record solo, and their work together pre-dates COVID. Their first release, Philadelphia, came out in 2020. It was recorded in Toronto, and named for their cover of Neil Young’s song he wrote for the motion picture. Their new album, Four Days In June - out at the end this month - is gorgeous in a way that shines with effortless simplicity and intimacy. Their output together is introspective & reflective. There’s lyrical brevity. The tones are warm. The playing is sweet. There’s a peaceful easy (and relaxed) feeling throughout the songs. If you have at least one record by Luna, the Blue Nile, Michael Franks, k.d. lang, Eno’s Another Green World, and Chet Baker in your collection, these cats are for you. File under: grown ass folk adult contemporary.
“Fliiim / Laliīmph” - Upupayama - The lead off track from the new double album by Italian multi-instrumentalist Alessio Ferarri under his band Upupayāma, is an acidkrautpsychrock (yeah, all that) monster epic. When asked about the name of his band in this 2024 interview he said: “I chose the name Upupayāma because I wanted a name that was both musical yet surreal and abstract at the same time. The name combines two words from two different languages, Italian and Japanese. Upupa is the name of a wonderful bird that lives mostly in the plains and/or hills, while Yāma is the Japanese name for a mountain. I liked this surreal image whereby a marvelous bird that is not known to live in the mountains could live there in a fantasy world. I felt that it went well with my music, which I believe and especially hope is able to evoke alternative worlds, worlds in which we can live simply by closing our eyes and letting the music transport us.” And it indeed does.
Thanks for listening. Let me know what’s floating your musical boat. I’ll be seeing you.