Welcome to The Crate Digger, The Riveter’s weekly playlist curated by Pierce Courchaine.
by Pierce Courchaine
Chi-Town’s gigantic music fest Lollapalooza takes over the city this weekend. The headliners obviously deserve your attention, but don’t forget about the little guys too. Get in on the festival action with five songs from some of the bands listed in smaller font on those promotional posters. Feel free to listen with the videos below or with our Lollapalooza playlist on Spotify.
Warpaint – “Biggy”
L.A. indie rockers Warpaint broke through with their self-titled second album earlier this year. The release is a drowsy, dreamy trip similar to indie darlings like The xx and Beach House. The track “Biggy” bounces pleasantly for nearly six minutes, with an infectious keyboard line and eerie, soulful vocals. The expansive sound leaves plenty room for your own thoughts, and, if only for a little bit, space to wonder.
Chvrches – “Lungs”
Chvrches’ 2013 album The Mother We Share was an embarrassment of riches in the saturated synthpop market. The Scottish band stood out among their peers with arena-deserving pop anthems “The Mother We Share” and “Recover” but it’s the deeper cut “Lungs” that shouldn’t be overlooked. Lead singer Lauren Mayberry harmonizes with an auto-tuned version of her own voice on the track and turns it into a feel-good break up song, if such a thing is possible.
Kate Nash – “Sister”
Nash had a mega-hit song “Foundations” way back in 2007 that was so wonderfully British it could make any room feel like a north London pub. She may not have matched her first album, but in the last seven years she quietly put out two solid releases — the second of which is full of snarly songs that often utilize a classic loud-quiet-loud dynamic popularized by the Pixies. The rocker “Sister” evokes (dare I say it?) memories of Kurt Cobain and the peak days of grunge and riot grrrl.
Lykke Li – “Gunshot”
Lykke Li will likely never ascend to the pop goddess level she looked like she was capable of becoming when she released her debut album at 21, but she is getting better with age. Her 2014 album I Never Learn is a concise LP of heartbreak and loss. Lykke Li apathetically sings “Gunshot” over a marching drumbeat and rumbling piano line. The song is one of the fullest, most ambitious on an album.
Courtney Barnett – “Avant Gardener”
Courtney Barnett’s psychedelic songs are made for good vibes only, maaaan. Even when she’s singing about heavy shit, maaaan, like a life-threatening asthma attack on “Avant Gardener.” Yes, some of Barnett’s songs are really, really stonery, but they never feel trite. Somehow, she can even make lyrics like, “I was never good at smokin’ bongs / I’m not that good at breathing in” sound genuine. Check out the entire album if you have the time. It’s perfect for sun-drenched car rides to, well, anywhere, really.
Top photo is from Lollapalooza 2009, taken by Flickr user -EMR-.
