For two long, excruciating months we waited for Sept 9:. the day when not one, not two, but three of our favorite bands released new albums. The only logical thing to do was to grab takeout, set up the surround sound and listen to all three albums back-to-back-to-back.
The long wait for Local Native’s third album, Sunlit Youth, proved to be worth the anticipation. The band has masterfully matured without changing their style in a way that would upset loyal fans. Gina, the obsessive Local Native fan that she is, died every time a new single was released this summer. When the day finally came, Sunlit Youth did not disappoint. We recommend listening to “Coins” and “Masters,” and then their whole discography. Each album tells a story, and the series is not complete unless you listen start to finish.
Parsonsfield’s second album, Blooming Through the Black, is the perfect welcome to fall. Jason is always worried about being biased when it comes to Parsonsfield because his cousin, Max Shakun, is in the band, so he turns to Gina’s expert unbiased opinion to confirm their greatness. If you like folk, bluegrass, indie or any kind of music, you should listen to Parsonsfield. It’s hard to categorize their music because they don’t like to categorize themselves. After asking Max what he is most proud of from the album, he said, “‘Barbed Wire’ is the song that has broken down our boundaries of the past.” If that doesn’t tempt you to listen to the song or the album, then maybe knowing that it was recorded in an axe factory will! Blooming Through the Black is addictive from the high energy songs, such as “Across Your Mind,” to the soul touching songs, such as “Hot Air Balloon.” If you are left aching for more, go see Parsonsfield in Cleveland at the Beachland Tavern on Nov. 3!
Jason summarizes Grouplove’s album, Big Mess, as, “big mess, big fun.” After their lackluster second album, we had low expectations and were pleasantly surprised with this release. Everyone knows Grouplove’s big hit, “Tongue Tied,” but Grouplove is much more than just that one song and it was time to show the world. Their upbeat tempos paired with bright lyrics did just that and reminded Jason of his love for indie music and disappointment that this type of music is not played at Wooster parties.
We added a surprise bonus album to our listening party by stumbling upon “Wild World” by Bastille. If you like one song you’ll like them all because they all sound the same.
If you want a guaranteed perfect night, repeat these six simple instructions: Step one: find a buddy. Step two: get takeaway food from off campus. Step three: DO NOT USE COMPUTER SPEAKERS. Step four: listen to each album two times each in the order above (listen to Bastille once, if at all). Step five: go back and hit the highlights from each album Step six: HAVE A BLAST!
