Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice
🔀 Shuffle Sundays #98 • Phoenix, The Big Moon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Daniel Beltrá, and more!
📣 ICYMI: Thank you so much to everyone who subscribed and has been enjoying New York Photo City since I announced last week! I couldn’t be happier with the initial response to it, and I’m excited to keep building this new project. Follow along if you’re looking to add some visual inspiration to your inbox.
💽 » Alpha Zulu, by Phoenix
indie-rock, alternative • 10 songs • 35 minutes
If you told me earlier this year that a new album from Phoenix would be amongst my favorites of 2022, I probably wouldn’t have taken you too seriously… but here we are!
French indie-rock band Phoenix conquered the world in 2009 with their massively successful 4th studio album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and although they never really dropped the ball in terms of quality, it was just impossible to repeat such an achievement.
Alpha Zulu was first introduced to us through two singles: the self-titled opening track followed by Tonight, which features Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig. For some reason, neither track got me that excited, and that’s exactly why I was so taken by surprise when the album came out and I just couldn’t put it down. It’s a deliciously fun indie-pop-rock album that reminds me why Phoenix is one of the best at what they do.
🎶 » Trouble, by The Big Moon
Recently Stygi mentioned at Midweek Crisis how great the YouTube algorithm has been at recommending new music to her, and I’m here to praise the platform too. Although I still rely on Spotify and Apple Music for my weekly dose of music discovery, I must agree that YouTube is definitely doing something right!
Continuing on the indie-rock path, but switching from Paris to London, The Big Moon was a recent discovery for me and right on point! Trouble comes from their recently released third album Here is Everything, and I can’t wait to dig through their catalog.
🎶 » Weird Fishes / Arpeggi, by Rodrigo y Gabriela
When I wrote about Rodrigo Y Gabriela a year ago, I knew it wasn’t going to be the only time the duo would be featured here. A few months ago they released two new singles, one of them being an incredible cover of Weird Fishes / Arpeggi, one of Radiohead’s best songs from their 2007 masterpiece album In Rainbows. I wish this was accompanied by a music video or performance, but I wanted to bring it here nevertheless. Another incredible performance from the duo blending their signature instrumental acoustic guitar sounds with Radiohead’s always incredible atmosphere.
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⚡️ Visual Inspiration
Daniel Beltrá is a Spanish photographer and artist whose recent work has been focused on fine art aerial photography of landscapes and environmental issues. Check out his website or Instagram for more. Here are some favorites:
🎶 » New Music
this week’s new albums I'm curious to check out
Also, new singles from Metallica, Au Revoir Saudade, Lewis Capaldi, and many more. If you’re curious to hear some of these songs and more, make sure to follow my 2022 playlist on Spotify, updated weekly with new releases:
Thanks so much! I love these Sunday posts. This is one of my favourite Substacks. I’m more of a writer and book lover than a music person, and I really enjoy and appreciate your hand-picked recommendations 🎼🙏