L'Rain - I Killed Your Dog [2023]

The music Taja Cheek makes as L'Rain is surreal and hypnotic. On the third L'Rain album, I Killed Your Dog, Cheek builds on the ethereal Fatigue by showcasing different aspects of her artistry. The title track is a beguiling, unconventional break-up tune. Cheek's warped vocals sing a slow, alluring melody with a sinister edge as the instrumentation progresses towards a mesmerizing, immersive finish. "Our Funeral," is another tune that evolves in fascinating ways as Cheek twists an ominous mantra into a deceptively addicting song over beautiful keys and sax. She channels the energy of her live show in the driving, spacey pulse of "Uncertainty Principle," which impressively crashes out with aggressive improvisation. I Killed Your Dog is a short album that is packed with a diverse range of fascinating songs. The dreamy folk of "5 to 8 Hours a Day (WWwaG)," the psychedelic rock of "Pet Rock," and the bubbly, house-infused bounce of "New Year's UnResolution" all exist and succeed on an album that never sounds anywhere near disjointed. Fatigue is a great album, but I Killed Your Dog may be the best L'Rain album. Cheek's songwriting has become catchier, and her forward-thinking, untethered-to-genre approach is better than ever.

Tame Impala - Currents [2015]

"Let It Happen" was a lovely single. It was also an announcement of a change that seemed almost inevitable for Tame Impala. The song is extremely groovy and drenched in synths. While it wasn't a world away from past Tame Impala songs it was definitely not strictly within the psychedelic rock label one could apply to Tame Impala's first two albums. This shouldn't have come as a shock, as Kevin Parker had always spoken about his admiration for pop music in particular. His recent masterpiece, Lonerism, was clearly more pop-leaning than Innerspeaker or the past Tame Impala EPs. 

Gal Costa - Gal Costa [1969]

Gal Costa's March 1969 self-titled release is the perfect balance of everything that makes her an extremely compelling artist. It is not a coincidence that this album falls right in between two albums that are stellar in their own right but do not display as many aspects of the Brazilian singer. Domingo, released with Caetano Veloso in 1967, was an album of bossa nova perfection. Despite how fantastic it is, Domingo may be a bit too mellow for those who want edge and rock in their music. On the other hand, in Gal, released in December 1969, the artist is in what would end up being her most erratic state on record. Relative to the rest of her discography, the singing at times borders on organized chaos. It is a fantastic record instrumentally and vocally, but if one prefers Domingo, it may just be a bit too freaky. Gal is definitely not the record one would expect after listening to Domingo or any of the classic bossa nova releases. 

Kadhja Bonet - Childqueen [2018]

Kadhja Bonet's music has an otherworldly quality to it. It's radiant, gorgeous work that defies genre classification. Hints of psychedelia, soul and folk course through the veins of Bonet's compositions. All of this, plus an angelic voice, is what made her debut EP, The Visitor, such a joy to listen to. A few years later, the high quality of Childqueen shows that the brilliance on display in The Visitor was not just lightning in a bottle.

Wendy & Bonnie - Genesis [1969]

It is hard to believe due to the quality on display here, but Wendy & Bonnie were 17 and 13 respectively when they released this album. Gary McFarland, who was primarily known for arranging jazz, produced this entire album and enlisted various musicians from L.A. to help out. Genesis features invaluable contributions from Mike Lang and Mike Melvoin on the keyboards, Larry Carlton on guitar, Randy Cierly on bass and kalimba, and Jim Keltner on the drums. In short, it can be described as a psychedelic pop album with some slight influences from Brazilian music that was also being released at the time. One thing that stands out in the initial listens, besides the fact that the sisters' voices are drop-dead gorgeous, is definitely the guitar playing. Carlton and Bonnie really do a great job throughout the album - a great example of this being the second half of “You Keep Hanging Up on My Mind”. The guitar playing on this album, whether it is done by Carlton or Bonnie, is mostly very clean, with the occasional appearance of an electric solo.

Pink Floyd - The Piper At the Gates of Dawn [1967]

If your first experience with Pink Floyd was through their 70s progressive rock run, there is a high possibility that you will not initially like this album. Obviously the core members, minus Gilmore, are here, but the Syd Barrett led Floyd was essentially a completely different band. Weird, psychedelic and arguably genre-defining are three words that could be used to describe The Piper At the Gates of Dawn.