Week 45 – Nov 7th
A scenic Autumnal journey this week. Feat. // LAUSSE THE CAT, Steve Gunn, Whitney, Stella Donnelly.
The Mocking Stars
LAUSSE THE CAT
The ultimate storyteller adds another surprise chapter with last-minute drop. Steeped in jazz rap heritage within the walls of a French Jazz lounge, the cat came back for tea with The Mocking Stars – a twelve-track epilogue of grand ideas and an even grander final assimilation.
After radio silence for eight years following the Soundcloud project of Redstripe Rhapsody in 2018, the devoted fanbase of the anonymous lyrical maestro began losing hope. Circulating forums and rumours were nothing but speculation and many began thinking the Prince of Cats had simply moved on.
Then before we knew it, a countdown clock had been fashioned and a new project had a release date. Coined The Mocking Stars, its the third installation of LAUSSE THE CAT, the fictitious cat of adventure who always finds himself in such bother. Instrumental escapades, lo-fi soundboards and magnetic energy litter this metropolis-wandering magic of style and flavour – from an artist we all had thought had disappeared like a fart in the wind.
Daylight Daylight
Steve Gunn
It’s quite a shock that many may not know the work of Steve Gunn. A vanguard of American experimental and guitar-guided folk rock flair, Gunn has been working on his craft for over a decade. Even after all this time, he is still flourishing with the same purpose and poise. This week sees his seventh record being relased, Daylight Daylight. A psych-folk doozy in opting for the scenic route, the short-but-sweet musing is a masterpiece – often lost and forgotten in the ether of too much music to enjoy – worth telling over and over again.
Small Talk
Whitney
Chicago duo Whitney are everything you need as a cozy comfort blanket. A warm and fuzzy thrill of immaculate soulful folk-rock, Whitney‘s fourth slots in the pairs’ catalogue as their most confident and liberating record to date. Stretching across 11 tracks, Small Talk is a moving picture of life’s pitfalls. Long-lost companions, midsummer heartbreak and beautiful romantics make up the most of the snapshots on display as Whitney hit a pivotal moment of their career – both daring in design and style – when all things seemed like it was headed for the back door. Whitney have found themselves again with this record – and it’s a delight.
Love and Fortune
Stella Donnelly
A musician who graces air and vocals so gracefully is one Stella Donnelly. A tour-de-force in the melancholic sweeps of indie-folk, Donnelly is a beauty to behold. In her span of six years, the singer-songwriter has encapsulated her best moments among three records – with her third coming just last week.
Love and Fortune is a short but sweet telling of heartfelt drama, sorrowful harmonies and gushing ballads by the piano. It is one of devastation and elation in equal measures; advocating for two things that appear to be present on the same side of a coin: love and fortune.
Standing Ovation is a lush start of swooning synths and janky folk-roots guitar to an otherwise seemless record full of passion and spirit, while Feel It Change is an indie straight-shooter. It’s a welcoming return from a pedigree artist forever changing her lane – and forever remaining earnest to the work.
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