Kopecky
Drug for the Modern Age/ATO Records
A “family band” no more, Kopecky is back with a slightly new name and a slightly new sound, but its penchant for making fun music hasn’t changed a bit. Drug for the Modern Age will be a sonic surprise to some longtime fans, but it’s worth checking out. The love of rock and acoustic folk-pop has morphed into electro-pop this time (check out the supreme “Die Young,” or the hook-laden ’80s-era throwback “My Love” for proof), and with synths blazing on “Better Luck Next Time” it’s easy to think this entire album is going to be a change of pace for the band. But the sexy rock single “Quarterback,” and straight-ahead danceable pop of “Vancouver” remind us that these guys are still enjoying themselves. Singers Kelsey Kopecky and Gabe Simon harmonize and play off each other throughout, and when they join forces on the seductive, synth and beat machine-led “Thrill,” their chemistry is downright electric.
SOAK
Before We Forgot How to Dream/Rough Trade Records
One of the darlings of this year’s SXSW, 19-year-old Bridie Monds-Watson—aka SOAK—is about to dazzle you. The singer-songwriter guitarist strikes deep throughout, detailing the angst, beauty, wonder and isolation of growing up as a teenager in Northern Ireland. Balancing everything from atmospheric folk rock (“Blud”) to swelling orchestral ballads (“Oh Brother”), this album flows across the subgenres of folk. Lyrically, the content runs the gamut from the restless energy of youth (“Reckless Behaviour”) to musical interludes with ponderous titles (“If Everyone is Someone—No One is Everyone”). Monds-Watson gives largely understated performances that make Before We Forgot How to Dream a magnificent examination of the fear and wonder that embodies the transition from youth to adulthood.
love+war
Ghosts, Volume One/self-released
If an EP’s sole purpose is to whet your appetite for a full-length project that’s just around the corner, then you’ll be starving for what’s next after listening to love + war’s debut EP, Ghosts, Volume One. The brainchild of singer-songwriter Coury Palermo and producer-guitarist Ron Robinson, the project entrances you for 10 solid minutes. The down-tempo electronica cover of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” is bewitching, especially with the steady throb that functions as a heartbeat throughout, and the ambient cover of the Royksopp/Robyn track “Monument” is chillingly beautiful with its echoing guitars and heavenly vocals. Pricilla Summer Coffey provides soulful vocals throughout, and marries her talents exceptionally with Palermo’s vocal presence on the gospel-meets-R&B mash-up of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” and Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.”
