Pickled Priest 2025 New Music Mixtape #4: "Opposites Abstract"

Outside forces conspired to delay the release of this mixtape, but it is finally here. Illness, the court system, congressional hearings, you name it, it happened. I have to say that calling in the troops to prevent its creation was a bit of an overreaction. In the end, much ado about nothing, really. Totally blown out of proportion.

AI gone wrong?

PICKLED PRIEST 2025 NEW MUSIC MIXTAPE #4

SIDE A

INTRO: "Strikes Back!" | Pachyman

A real, bona-fide intro this time, in the form of a snippet from Pachyman's latest LP, Another Place, which sounds like it was lifted from the opening credits of a cancelled 1970's detective show. The perfect 72-second slide-across-the-hood theme song that only teases at what's to come next.

01 "First It Was a Movie, Then It Was a Book" | Florry

Sprawlin', bawlin', and drawlin', the new Florry record, Sounds Like..., conjures images of the hot, humid, slow moving South, but actually calls Philadelphia home, just one of several things that don't quite add up here, which is also what makes their brand of rock & roll so interesting. Francie Medosch sings and plays her guitar with the casual looseness of someone who has been doing this far longer, even slipping in a "Check this out" mid-song when she feels like showboating a little bit. Early in this song comes a riff that reminds me of the Bay City Rollers' "Saturday Night" after a few shots of whiskey, and that's gotta be considered a positive read, doesn't it? If Florry keeps improving this rapidly, there's a movie and a book in the offing at least. They're a band that's officially moved onto the fast track.

02 "Baby, Are You Abstract?" | Perennial

In 2024, Perennial released an album called Art History, which got some cult attention. This year, that album got re-released with bonus singles, remixes, extra tracks, and rough cuts as "A" is for Abstract: The Complete Art History. In the bargain was this brand new single, one of those question songs whose answer can be found in the music itself, a band-defining anthem that sounds like a future minimalist art-punk classic which will likely act as the Connecticut band's de facto calling card going forward.

03 "Empty Age" | SAVAK

Perhaps not the best time for a band named after a secret Iranian police force to release an album, but you can't keep a hardworking band down. A year after 2024's strong Flavors of Paradise, which we quite liked (earning a spot on one of our Best New Music Mixtapes), SAVAK is back with "Squawk!" featuring some excellent 90's alternative guitar rock with a subtle sense of humor and a tendency toward odd subject matter. Witness album closer "Empty Age," which appears to be partially inspired by the Wikipedia page for Oldenburg, Indiana (population 674), complete with bizarre scenes from the city's history. Along the way, we hear about its humble origin as "The Village of Spires" thanks to its concentration of churches. Then we learn of a horse sculpture made of burlap, newspapers, and cardboard around which a gravediggers convention is soon to commence. Of course, each attendee is mysteriously named after a shade of lipstick presumably to protect their true identities. None of this makes sense, but that's why I love the song.

04 "Words & Birds" | The Minus 5

Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows, one-time touring member of R.E.M) and a rotating all-star cast (too many notables to mention, but usually including Peter Buck) are The Minus 5 and have been releasing records for 30+ years now whenever the mood strikes and everyone is healthy. For my money, this year's Oar On, Penelope! is the best album from the band I've heard to date. It certainly rocks most convincingly and the songs are invariably great from album opener "Words & Birds" to the final track. Production from Ed Stasium really puts these songs in your face and that's where they deserve to stay. An unexpected surprise.

05 "Anti-Satanic Drugs" | Sexfaces

You've got time for 2-minutes of prime scuzzball DC punk, I'm sure, and Sexfaces are here to ram it down your throat.

06 "Poison II (Miracle Cure)" | Histamine

Sydney, Australia's Histamine check in for a sub-2:00 blast of blistering punk with their new single from forthcoming record, Quality of Life (late-June). Shotgun drum fills, chugging guitars, wailed vocals, the whole bit, just waiting, and willing, to clean out your cobwebs.

07 "Magnetic" | Tunde Adebimpe

In the throws of a full TV on the Radio reunion tour, singer Tunde Adebimpe still found time to flash his independent streak with the release of his first solo album this year. A message to the band perhaps or maybe just a creative surge, you decide. To me, this still sounds like a TVOTR track, which isn't a bad thing. Sometimes there's no separating the band from its dynamic lead singer and such is the case here. But that's not a problem in my world. "Magnetic" simmers and explodes much like the very best TVOTR tracks do.

08 "Weirdo" | Emma-Jean Thackery

Truth in advertising, Emma-Jean is indeed a weirdo. She's jazz, but not really. Only to an extent, for ease of classification, but that's where it stops. I mean, why limit yourself when there's a whole world of music out there at your fingertips? From the funky opener "Something Wrong With Your Mind" to the title track to the very end of its 57-minute run time there's rarely a misstep. She's a fascinating houseguest, living on the brink of an emotional and physical breakdown, but having a great time doing it. On the cover, she's got a toaster teetering on the edge of her pink bathtub and that kind of sums up the feel of the record. You never know what's going to happen, but you hope for the best. One thing is for sure; she's too large a talent to waste.

09 "Tell It Back to Me" | Robert Forster

Once a great songwriter, always a great songwriter? That can't be said of everyone, but it certainly applies to Robert Forster, co-founder of Australian legends the Go-Betweens and now a formidable 67-year-old solo artist. His last album (The Candle and the Flame) made our Top 50 list in 2023 and his latest, Strawberries, most certainly will do the same in 2025. He's just writing at a high level these days, as "Tell It Back to Me" proves immediately on the album's first track. He's not lost his ability to use the smallest of details to create a vivid character sketch in about three-minutes time. And, for better or worse, he's still got plenty of stories still to tell and a seemingly endless source of inspiration as well.

10 "Glad" | Saint Etienne

Leave it to Saint Etienne to write the saddest joyful song of the year. If you're like me, you relish such dichotomies in your pop songs. All I know is that the song bursts from the heart, carrying with it the full range of emotions, much like a well-lived life.

11 "Not Broken" | Alan Sparhawk with Trampled By Turtles

Alan Sparkhawk's first solo outing after the death of wife and Low-bandmate Mimi Parker was an odd affair to say the least. On White Roses, My God, he was buried behind a electronic facade that seemed to make it easier for him to deal with his grief. For his latest album, he hooked up with his mates in Trampled By Turtles for a far more conventional affair. With the addition of their daughter Hollis on vocals, "Not Broken" is emotionally devastating. It tears me up at the same time it makes me happy that they have each other to lean on. Her vocal on this track will bring a tear to the eye of even the hardest heart. It's the most powerful recorded moment of 2025 so far.

12 "Volume Control" | Swervedriver

Didn't we leave these guys for good back in the 90's? Well, they're back and by the sound of their new EP, The World's Fair, Swervedriver hasn't lost anything that entranced us to begin with. The wall of dreamy, psychedelic sound that is their specialty remains and I am amazed by how much I still love it. A triumphant return. But can they put together a full-length album? I'm betting they will.

13 "Disintegrate" | Suede

Controversial statement it may be, but I might like the later-period Suede material (2013-present) even more than their peak period output in the 80s and 90s. "Disintegrate" is as good a single as they've ever released and, if it came out in the 90s, would now be considered one of the band's classic tracks. If there's any justice, it still will be. New album, Antidepressants, to come later this year.

SIDE B

14 "Gango" | Miki Berenyi Trio

Miki was a Britpop fave in the 90s with her band Lush, but ever since she's been relatively quiet. Her new record is a welcome return then, full of the vocal magic that made her band so special in the first place. She's doing her own thing now, so it's not exactly the same formula, which is smart. Her new songs each carve a little niche for themselves with "Gango" standing out as the perfect distillation of Miki 2.0.

15 "Tina" | Pulp

Jarvis Cocker's pseudo-spoken singing style, thanks to songs that don't overtax his vocal chords, has been kind to his voice. He sounds like the same droll bastard he's always been, so making a comeback album and touring after 20+ years dormant isn't a big stretch. Slightly amazing is that they've made one of the best records of 2025 so far. "Tina" isn't the best song on the record but I dig it because it's a classic tale of unrequited love. Or maybe I should call it "unknown love" the more I think about it. Either way, there's nothing sadder than a guy dreaming of a girl and never being able to pull the trigger and approach her in the first place. Trust me, I know about these kinds of things.

16 "Allbarone" | Baxter Dury

While we're in a Jarvis Cocker frame of mind, why not move on to the latest single from the like-minded cad, Baxter Dury, who knows how to spin a pub tale with the best of them. I like this one mainly for the lyric "Before I even met you, I booked a hotel," which is the ultimate demonstration of either hubris or intuition; maybe a little of both. He's the friendly neighborhood lothario, preying on anyone that'll have his kind for a night. Somehow, he doesn't sound like an asshole while he does it, more like a pathetic has-been. But he plays the role so well.

17 "No One Wants an Alien" | Flying Vipers

Pardon me if I was skeptical of a Boston-based reggae/dub band for a moment there. The combination just doesn't compute on paper. Then again, I said the same thing about Washington D.C.'s The Loving Paupers a couple years ago, only to put them at #15 on our year-end Top 50 list, so my mind is more aware of its biases now than it used to be. Flying Vipers have a laid-back sound that captures the spirit of classic reggae, but with a more restrained lover's rock groove. It's a soothing listen. The band is finally making a name for itself thanks to a contract with Easy Star Records (a strong reputation within the genre) and the band is so good they had enough cache to land a Brandee Younger cameo. They've also got some stylistic range on display, one minute going into outer space for a Sun Ra cover and the next giving their special treatment to this Wipers gem from the band's 1983 LP, Over the Edge. Reggae and punk have slept with each other many times before, so while this marriage isn't shocking, I bet it would still get a nod of approval from Greg Sage himself. The rest of the record is a slow, bouncy burn, the perfect afternoon chill record.

18 "Una Cumbia en Kinshasa" | Ale Hop & Titi Bakorta

Peru (Ale Hop) and the Congo (Titi Bakorta) team up here for a mesmerizing instrumental workout that fills up every gap with one little thrill after the next. Hop is an electronic artist and Bakorta is a guitarist and together they meld their styles in a way that is instantly memorable and appealingly frantic. There's not much time to think about what's going on and I like it that way.

19 "Kamusale" | WITCH

Zambia's WITCH pulled a Pickled Priest shocker in 2023 by placing their album Zango at #28 on our year-end list and adding the #21 song ("Unimvwesha Shuga") to our elite song list to boot. Pretty impressive. Well, they're back with another killer track and if there's more where this came from, they might be in for a repeat performance. This one has a bit of a nasty, raw streak, which I dig supremely.

20 "Don't Like You Anymore" | Tanika Charles

A great soul song can be built around a simple premise. It's been proven too many times to even count. Tanika Charles understands that idea all too well on her modern R&B classic, "Don't Like You Anymore." Sure, you love some people because you have to, but when it comes down to it, do you really like them? Personally, I'd rather have both, but I'll take a strong like over an obligatory love any day.

21 "Putting Up With People" | Dennis Davison

If you know Dennis Davison from the Jigsaw Seen, good for you. I have a couple of their records and I'd completely forgotten about them. After re-listening, may I suggest For the Discriminating Completist from 2016 as a good starting point; a collection of indie-pop singles and rarities from an unsung two decade career. They were pretty solid in retrospect. Well, Dennis went solo after the band split and I've pretty much ignored him since. My mistake. He's still a sharp songwriter if "Putting Up With People" is any indication. It's a timely song about finding common ground with people you may not match up with philosophically, politically, or in any other way. It's our job to get along people. Life's too short not to try.

22 "Athena" | Born Ruffians

Well, it had to end sometime, our total ignorance of Canadian indie-darlings Born Ruffians. I was initially lured in by the song title, secretly wondering if it could possibly be a cover of the Who's "Athena," after which our website is named. But no dice, unfortunately. Instead, I found a restlessly creative pop band unafraid to try just about anything on their new record, Beauty's Pride. There's something alluring about the falsetto chorus of "Athena" that is a grower to say the least. At times, it has a Roy Orbison feel circa "Leah" which I never expected to write in my lifetime. I dismissed the song initially then found myself belting its chorus unconvincingly later in the day. Earworm alert.

23 "We Are, We Are" | Willie Nile

One of New York's finest homegrown songwriters for decades now, Willie Nile is wildly underrated, right up there with Jesse Malin, owner of a catalog loaded with great songs sung with his trademark Dylanesque drawl. The Great Yellow Light is yet another killer album without a bad song on it. Start with the unifying anthem we all need badly right now, "We Are, We Are," and move on from there. He knows some things we don't. So listen to his message and implement corrective action immediately.

24 "Pareidolia" | Ken Pomeroy

I like songs where you learn something while you listen. Pareidolia is the concept of seeing faces in conventional objects, like a house facade or the grill of an automobile (see examples below). It's one of those terms we probably didn't need at all, but we have anyway, but thanks to Native American singer/songwriter Ken Pomeroy, we all know what it is once and for all. Feel free to trot this one out at your next party. I first discovered Pomeroy when she was the opening act on a John Moreland tour last year, and even then you could tell she had a pretty keen eye for detail in her understated folk songs. They just stick with you. At the end of "Pareidolia" she repeats the lyrics, "I guess a cruel joke is all we can afford," a line that cuts deep into the reality of many discarded American lives. It's a gut punch, to say the least.

25 "Down on the Freeway" | Lael Neale

The repetitive groove provides an "Autobahn" feel, kind of like Suicide if they hailed from L.A., and Lael's hypnotic vocal track lays over the top of the whole minimalist affair with a trance-like efficiency. She's made a hazy, dreamlike record that gets in your bloodstream and doesn't leave until it runs its course. Supreme driving music, this.

26 "Dead Silence" | Frankie and the Witch Fingers

New Wave returns and it has amped up the Devo, Gang of Four, and other proto-punk references to the max for some new sort of dumpster-synth, garage-glam maelstrom that just comes at ya like the bastard it is, unafraid to turn you off by going too far, which it does. This is something that could only come from L.A., where getting attention is a full-time job. It doesn't always work, but on song like "Dead Silence" they put it all together. It's one example of the album title, Trash Classic, living up to its name. I'll check the shelf-life on this one carefully come December.

OUTRO: "Yes/No" | THiQ

Welcome to my latest micro-addiction. I am not quite sure why, but sometimes I let the band's new album, The New Cats, play on repeat, allowing it to circulate through the room like some kind of electro-minimalist meteor. Built by former members of Allah Las and Sheer Agony, the result is strangely appealing, held together by a thick bassline usually, but captivating in its understated weirdness. I find myself calling upon it more often than I ever expected. There's something here, but I can't quite put my finger on it yet.

______________________

Strangeways, here we come! More unusual confections to follow shortly, but for now this will have to do.

Cheers,

The Priest