Fontaines DC – Starburster
Nicolas Jarr – Aqui (Pitchfork)
EKKSTACY – bella
Father John Misty – She Cleans Up (Pitchfork)
Japandroids – D&T
Joel Plaskett – Rainy Day Janey (North Americana)
Born Ruffians – What a Ride
MJ Lenderman – Wristwatch (Guardian)
Charlie Houston – Pink Cheetah Print Slip
Our notes
Nicolas Jarr – Aqui
Nicolás Jaar has digitally released two new albums: Listen to Piedras 1 and Piedras 2 below. Vinyl editions, from Jaar’s Other People label, will follow on January 31.
Jaar, according to a press release, first wrote the track “Piedras” for a concert at Chile’s Museum of Memory and Human Rights to commemorate the victims of Augusto Pinochet’s multi-decade military dictatorship. He expanded the project over the ensuing years, transforming it into a radio play called Archivos de Radio Piedras, which he exhibited at Mexico City’s Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo.
Last year, Jaar released a collaborative album with Ali Sethi titled Intiha. He released two solo albums, Cenizas and Telas, in 2020.
More from his Bandcamp Page
++++ THIS IS A PRE ORDER – VINYL WILL SHIP AT THE END OF JANUARY 2025++++
The initial seed for this project was planted in 2020 when Nicolás Jaar wrote the song “Piedras” for a concert at the Museum of Memory & Human Rights in Santiago, Chile. Between 2022-2023, it took on a new form as a radio play entitled Archivos de Radio Piedras, which was shared on a dedicated Telegram channel. In 2024, the play was converted into a 24-channel installation at the University Museum of Mexico City (MUAC), where it was exhibited for five months.
and a bit from Wikipedia
Nicolas Jaar (English: /dʒɑːr/,[1] Spanish: [ˈɟʝaɾ]; né Nicolás Jaar; born January 10, 1990)[2] is a Palestinian-Chilean American composer and musician. Among his notable works are the albums Space Is Only Noise (2011), Sirens (2016), and Cenizas (2020). He has also released two albums as one half of his band Darkside (Psychic, 2013, Spiral, 2021) and two further albums under the alias Against All Logic.[3]
Father John Misty She Cleans Up
Father John Misty – She Cleans Up (Official Video)
totally agree with this review of the single by ACRN
Last Tuesday, Father John Misty released his third single, “She Cleans Up,” for his new album. His upcoming sixth studio album, Mahashmashana already features singles “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All” and “Screamland.” FJM turns a new refreshing direction with the release of “She Cleans Up” leaning toward a more rock ‘n’ roll sound.
Keeping with his creative and idiosyncratic lyrics, Father John Misty alternates between the fast-paced, descriptive lyrics that lead back to the simple rephrasing of “she cleans up” for the chorus. Sonically, the track is clunky, percussive and extremely catchy. The song features a heavier bass line and repetitive distorted guitar riff, reminiscent of Beck’s late 90s tracks. Where FJM has previously ventured toward calmer indie tracks, “She Cleans Up” proves his already proven musical aptitude.
Joel Plaskett – Rainy Day Janey
Rainy Day Janey
from Exclaim! earlier in 2024. The tour they mention ended at the end of November after a few missed dates due to illness
Recorded solo on a 4-track cassette machine, One Real Reveal is described in press notes as the artist’s “innermost work to date.” Little else is known about the album as of yet, other than the fact that it will come out sometime this year and includes April’s “The New Joys” — a spoken-word track Plaskett released for National Poetry Month. We have another taste of what is yet to really be revealed today with the rickety, hand-spun orbit of new single, “Rainy Day Janey.”
Dubbed the One Real Reveal on Wheels tour, the Canadian trek gets underway on September 17 in Nanaimo, BC. It works around Plaskett’s Arkells-supporting dates with the Joel Plaskett Emergency in October, stopping in cities across nine provinces. It will keep the singer-songwriter on the road through until November 30, wrapping things up with a gig in Highgate, ON.
MJ Lenderman – Wristwatch
live from The Tonight Show
MJ Lenderman: Wristwatch | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Some stuff about their recently released album from Stereogum
In an interview with The New York Times, Lenderman said the song is inspired by Andrew Tate and “this idea of alpha males gaining popularity. People spend thousands of dollars thinking they can learn how to be the ‘perfect man’ or something. It’s embarrassing.”
On top of everything else, Lenderman has also announced a big 2025 tour, which includes two nights at the Fonda in LA and two nights at Brooklyn Steel. Check those tour dates out below, and listen to “Wristwatch.”
and one interesting note from Wikipedia on a collaboration with an Old Fellas former selection
Lenderman contributed guitar and vocals to the album Tiger’s Blood by Waxahatchee, released in March 2024, and was listed as featured guest artist on the album’s lead single, “Right Back To It”. In March 2024, Lenderman performed “Right Back To It” with Waxahatchee on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[12] Lenderman’s next album, Manning Fireworks, released in September 2024.[13]
“Right Back to It” – Waxahatchee ft. MJ Lenderman (LIVE on The Late Show)
Fontaines DC – “Starburster” – Romance
Fontaines D.C. are an Irish band formed in Dublin in 2014. They are fairly prolific as this the the third time they have been featured on the show, all three songs are from different albums. The band’s fourth album, Romance, was released last August.
The single Starburster has opened up a larger audience for the band as amplified by the opportunity to perform on the Tonight Show.
The band discussed the new lp.
Ekkstacy – bella – S/T
Ekkstacy is Vancouver’s Khyree Zienty. At the tender age of 22, he has already released two full length albums. Successes is coming hard and fast for this guy as he is featured in a GQ article!
bella is the track that seems to be getting a lot of attention.
Japandroids – “D&T” – Fate and Alcohol
Also from Vancouver are Japandroids. They’ve been kicking around for about twenty years and are about to call it quits. In July, Japandroids announced their fourth and final record, Fate & Alcohol. D &T is a track that’s getting a lot of love from a multitude of publications.
The song’s origin is discussed here:
Born Ruffians – “What a Ride” single
Born Ruffians are a Canadian band out of Toronto. Like Japandroids , they have forged a fairly successful twenty year career. The band has released eight albums, numerous singles and several EP’s. What a Ride is a stand alone single released last year. This is what bandleader Luke Lalonde had this to say about the song:
Enjoy!
Charlie Houston – “Pink Cheetah Print Slip” – Big After I Die
Toronto’s Charlie Houston has written “a spiteful but awesome queer breakup anthem”. The song is short punchy number reminiscent of Old Fella’s favourites, Wet Leg.
Whole-Hearted 