Rapid Fire Reviews: Indie Albums That Remind Me Of My Old Roommate Sofia
Given the obvious fact that my tastes in indie run on the more experimental side, I usually miss some of the more acclaimed releases in the genre from artists that have never really interested me before or artists whose early songs never stood out much or even showed up on my radar at all. So I decided to catch up on some indie darlings from the first few months of the year each of which remind me of music my old roommate Sofia really loved so shoutout to her, I'm sure she would give all these records higher scores than I did.
A Billion Little Lights - Wild Pink
Ignorance - The Weather Station
The Weather Station is a folk project fronted by Tamara Lindeman who have been going strong for over a decade now. I heard the self-titled project she dropped a few years ago but never got around to reviewing it since it sounded so much like all the other folk inspired singer-songwriter music out there. While that is definitely the case once again on Ignorance there are quite a few improvements from a songwriting and performance standpoint that make the record a lot more definitive. I was skeptical at first given some of the positive attention thrown in the direction of Ignorance but it makes a lot of sense. The songs flow really well even when sticking in formulaic tendencies and Tamara is a compelling performer throughout. This makes the record a very pleasant listen in the moment with a couple of memorable tracks that stuck with me after. The main issue I have with the record still remains that its nearly impossible to describe the unique characteristics of The Weather Station's sound, while it is certainly above average by the saturated genres standards there is absolutely nothing here that is refreshing or groundbreaking about it, and with a few fascinating singer-songwriter releases already under 2021's belt I'm not sure I see this being one of my favorite records come the end of the year. 6.5/10
Wild Pink are now three albums deep into their career in just 4 years and if you're familiar with their sound you know that the cake is pretty much baked in regards to the band. While their blend of rustic indie instrumentation with dream pop sensationalism is unique, it is the only tool in the bands arsenal and this record sounds incredibly samey as a result. Despite how airy and distant the vocal performance can be there are a number of really memorable refrains across the album and I think the band are becoming songwriters who can better fit their style. When all is said and done I see the talent behind the band, and the potential they posses, but in order to harness that on a truly great record I would like to see them make something with any versatility whatsoever. 6/10
Collapsed In Sunbeams - Arlo Parks
Arlo is an up and coming DIY talent who seems destined for stardom given her variety of contemporary sounds currently trending online. She is a do it all fuser of pop and R&B that will sound very familiar to anyone with a Tik Tok. While she is clearly talented both as a vocalist and occasionally as a versatile genre blender there isn't much songwriting here that is going to grab anyone's attention, which is a shame because the sound is also incredibly derivative. You're going to get hints of all kinds of moderately famous young performers from the instrumental blends and viral ready hooks all over the album but the biggest influences come vocally with nearly every song here shooting for either Billie Eilish or Jamila Woods. Most of the borrowing is so pertinent you could almost close your eyes and see Billie or Jamila singing these songs from the whisper quiet tones all the way to the very specific pitch shifting mannerisms. Arlo has talent and looks like she will be around for a long time coming, but she has a long way to go in finding her own defining sound and I hope she does because she's already proven herself as an artist to look out for. 5.5/10
