Eye on Indie is a weekly column in which Emerald writer Alex Ruby provides his picks for the best indie albums to watch for in the upcoming week. This week’s selections include releases from Conor Oberst, Jeff Rosenstock, Swet Shop Boys and NXWorries. All titles are set for release on Oct. 14.
Conor Oberst: Ruminations (Nonesuch Records)
Conor Oberst has been a part of countless projects from folk to emo and punk to Americana; however, nothing comes close to his latest solo effort, Ruminations. It’s just him, his harmonica, his piano and acoustic guitar. There aren’t any backing vocals like he has with the Mystic Valley Band or raw electric guitars he has with Desaparecidos. Like Pitchfork contributor Ian Cohen says in his review, this is a record “like none other in Oberst’s catalog — stunning for how utterly alone he sounds.”
His harmonica and guitar sound like early Bob Dylan and his voice is reminiscent of the tender Elliott Smith. If you’re in the mood to stay inside and snuggle up with a book and some tea, then definitely put on Ruminations to accompany you for the night. It’s that perfect album that just makes you want to slip off your shoes and sit back and listen.
Listen if you like: Carrie and Lowell-era Sufjan Stevens, Elliott Smith, Andrew Bird, Iron & Wine, Bright Eyes.
Jeff Rosenstock: WORRY. (SideOneDummy)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jeff Rosenstock’s newest solo album is a rowdy, fun and irresistibly catchy pop-punk romp. His voice is loud and almost obnoxious but it’s so damn inviting. He’s like that drunk guy at the end of the bar that stays until last call just to belt out his favorite songs on karaoke, but you can’t help but sing along with him.
Being a part of some celebrated ska-punk bands like The Arrogant Sons of Bitches and Bomb the Music Industry!, this isn’t anything new for him. The gang vocals and crazy fun (and crazy fast) instrumentation are all there, not to mention some insanely smart lyrics. His lead single, “Wave Goodnight To Me” could easily find its way onto a best songs of 2016 list with lines like “Wave goodnight to the sleepless city too tired to fight/They’re pushing you out in the name of progress/Selling your memories to the tourists.” As Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote in his article on WORRY, “This is one motherfuck of an album.”
Fun fact: it’s available for free on his website.
Listen if you like: Joyce Manor, PUP, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Paul Baribeau, Ramshackle Glory.
Swet Shop Boys: Cashmere (Customs)
Heems of the alternative hip-hop duo Das Racist and actor Riz Ahmed (from The Night Of, Nightcrawler and Four Lions) join forces as the Swet Shop Boys to create politically-charged, sharply-energized hip hop.
They’re both of Indian and Pakistani descent and rap over beats influenced by Middle-Eastern tabla and shehnai instrumentation. Even their lyrics are tinged with Middle-Eastern flavor with bars like “Inshallah, mashallah/Hopefully no martial law/Hai Allah, yo yallah/Let’s rock a show in Ramallah” in “T5.” Similarly, on “Zayn Malik,” they sing “You got your mom in tears in Sajda Quran kissing/The politicians at the mic all bayaan giving.”
At the same time, the album is colored with English grime due to Riz’s penetrating London flow. Coming out the same year as Skepta’s Konnichiwa might cause some competition, but the Swet Shop Boys have a distinct style that stands up to the best MCs.
Listen if you like: M.I.A., Roots Manuva, Skepta, KRS-One, Das Racist.
NxWorries: Yes Lawd! (Stones Throw)
We should all be yelling “YES LAWD” because Yes Lawd! dropped a week early. Coming off of one of the hottest hip-hop/R&B albums of 2016 with Malibu, Anderson .Paak links up with producer Knowledge, who produced “Momma” on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly and “Killuminati Part 2” on Joey Bada$$’s 1999, among other projects with different artists.
At this point, there’s no doubt that Anderson .Paak is one of the smoothest, most soulful MCs in the game and him pairing up with Knxwledge is a perfect marriage of jazzy, funky hip-hop. It’s that perfect union of rapper and producer, like MF DOOM and Madlib, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, or Aesop Rock and Blockhead. Knxwledge is the sticky peanut butter to Anderson .Paak’s sweet jelly. Yes Lawd! is one of the smoothest listening experiences you can have this year; it’s impossible not to get up and bust a move. You can also play it when you’re alone with that special someone so you can both get in that romantic, sexy mood.
Listen if you like: BJ the Chicago Kid, Chance the Rapper, Kaytranada, GoldLink.