March Sounds
with Spenser Vannerson
There’s a lot of music to listen to and not a lot of time to do it. Maybe you want to listen to new sounds, broaden your horizons, but you don’t know where to start. Hopefully the good people at Solid State can help you with that! Each month we’ll be choosing 10 albums that spoke to us - it’s a genre-less endeavor, if it speaks to us then it’s sent to you, simple as that. Lastly, the albums are in order of release date rather than personal preference. Our taste isn’t your taste, so we’ll let you decide what you love and how much you love it. Happy listening!
Vulfpeck - Clarity of Cal (3/4)
“Matter of Time” // “In Real Time” // “Memories”
Maybe I’m aging myself a bit but the sitcom theme songs from generations past always brought me so much joy. There was a quality to them that felt honest, a reflection of the joy you felt sitting down to watch. A true art form, one that is more or less non-existent today. All this to say, that is what this album sounds like and what it made me feel. It has a throwback warmth, made by musicians who are all amongst the best at what they do, radiating in the light that creating together brings. Many of them now established solo artists, it’s now a blast when any true group effort comes together, and you can hear that they feel the same way. This album plays like a group of friends who love what they do and more importantly love sharing it with us.
Tour: MSG (10/13)
陳嫺靜 (Hsien Ching) - 如果每天都可以 happy happy 誰想要sad:)) - 一起去度假 (If every day can be happy happy happy who wants to be sad :)) - let’s go on vacation together!) (3/7)
“New notes” // “Super hyper” // “春雨”
A PHENOMENAL debut album from Taiwanese artist Hsien Ching. Their work here carries such a swagger, infectious from the first note and it never quits. The first three songs will give you all you need to know to commit further. The album’s flow lends itself to the work of a more seasoned artist, drifting from funk, to the jazz, to hip hop, to punk is no small feat. Don’t think, just sync up to the best speakers you have and hit play. Oh! And if you find yourself feening for more there’s an album of remixes you sink your teeth into. Enjoy!
Men I Trust - Equus Asinus (3/19)
“All My Candles” // “The Landkeeper” // “Burrow”
The gift that keeps on giving. The Canadian trio returns once again with a hypnotic collection of songs, evoking that waking dream feeling of floating as they take you on a journey that never feels as long as you want it to be. The consistency of their product is what elevates them to the upper echelon of a flooded genre. There is an ease to cast dream-pop artists to the background, and it’s a fine place for it I’ll admit, but to make something that carries more weight as a focused listen is where I want all music to be and Men I Trust does just that. It can set the right tone for any night in, any quiet commute, a walk through the park. Wonderful in every sense of the word.
Tour: Lena Horne Bandshell (7/18)
Saba - From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID (3/21)
“Every Painting Has a Price” // “head.rap” // “How to Impress God”
Teasing us with a couple NO ID collabs in 2023, at the time I thought it was just something fun he did after coming off the excellent 2022 release Few Good Things. Little did I know it was just the beginning! With his warm flow and flexible style he can make any production catchy, any lyric carry weight, any song listenable, but it’s our blessing that he pairs himself with the greats. NO ID has long been a source of perfection and this collaboration is another notch in his undeniably HOF career. This album is a celebration of the old and new, and you’ll feel it from the first track to the last. Enlisting a few new faces in Madison McFerrin and Obi as well as a few frequent collaborators like Smino and Eryn Allen Kane (someone give her whatever she needs to make more music PLEASE), the album has a feel that it was made with only friends in the room. Any time you’re awake is the right time to press play.
Sharp Pins - Radio DDR (3/21)
“Every Time I Hear” // “Sycophant” // “With A Girl Like Mine”
Irresistibly accessible, it evokes early Beatles sounds, as well as a few of their contemporaries. It has all the elements of young love, heartache, and all the complexity in between. The retro-pop rock will always deal heavy in nostalgia, but there’s also a timeless factor. As of this writing I’ve listened to this album everywhere - on a train, in the car, on a plane, walking in the park, laying in my room, etc. and the feeling is always “this is where I want to be.”
Japanese Breakfast - For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) (3/21)
“Here Is Someone” // “Little Girl” // “Winter in LA”
Much more delicate than past releases, Japanese Breakfast, led by Michelle Zauner, have augmented their sound once again and continue to prove how wide their abilities stretch. Each album has had a different feel and could be placed into a category of it’s own, the only mainstay? Quality. This is a beautifully intimate record from a music and production standpoint. Relying more heavily on larger orchestrations and layered instrumentals. It’s one of those albums that immediately offers the comfort that comes with a quiet morning or a walk in the park and it’s a feeling that grows with each listen. Another album we get to live and love with.
Tour: Brooklyn Paramount (5/9 - 5/12)
Yukimi - For You (3/28)
“Runaway” // “Rules of School” // “No Prince”
Despite being a figure in the indie music scene for the last 20 years, Yukimi, the vocalist of Little Dragon, has yet to release a solo album - that is until now. While Little Dragon fans will delight in her signature style still being present, there’s also plenty of new to be enjoyed. There are tons of small moments, unorthodox rhythms and tempo changes, paired with natural movements that go exactly where you want them to, satisfying that feeling for familiarity while simultaneously experiencing something new. It’s a beautiful exploration from an artist who knows her voice and her sound like the back of her hand but still wants to explore the space further.
Hannah Cohen - Earthstar Mountain (3/28)
“Dusty” // “Draggin” // “Summer Sweat”
One of the early favorites so far in 2025, this is easily her most versatile album. There are more sonic changes than her previous records, but there is such a natural flow to their incorporation you wonder why they weren’t included sooner. The quiet acoustics are still present, and fantastic, but the most enjoyable moments come from the bluesy “Draggin” or the groovy “Summer Sweat.” The 37 minutes fly by, and right when it’s over it’s the perfect time to start it again. I really love the relaxed nature of the album, soft but never sad, it’s exudes a warmth that is perfect for a day time listen. That’s not to say it doesn’t work in the dark, it just feels right in the light.
Q - 10 songs (3/28)
“be with ya” // “bad man” // “Iloveu4real”
Somehow, someway, Q has been doing everything right and fame still seems elusive. After 2023’s fantastically funky Soul, PRESENT he’s back again with a mixtape, the aptly titled 10 songs. I can already claim it now as the soundtrack to my summer. It moves so swiftly, so smoothly between R&B, to soul, to funk, and all the subgenres in between, and yet nothing feels out of place. In less than 10 years on the scene he’s cultivated a place in my listening where, when I’m thinking of something to play, he’s always an option. With so much going in to my ears (and out of them as well!) I have to say this is something to be lauded. A true talent. Listen! Love! Share!!
Polo & Pan - 22:22 (03/28)
“Pareidolies” // “Petite Etoile” // “Summer Is Almost Over”
Creating an atmosphere is what music is all about, though I would say even more so when it comes to EDM. Similarly to classical, there is always a cinematic quality, laying the foundation for us to visualize and feel whatever we choose. Polo & Pan extend this further - their sound, in it’s essence, IS cinema, channeling the glitz, glamour and mystery attached to the golden age of Hollywood while fully embracing the current state of the house-electronic scene. The flow is immaculate, the feel is warm, and the mood is seductive. It’s transportive work by the duo, who don’t really have true contemporaries, which is a beautiful thing to say in a field that is crowded with talent. This will be a constant summer companion.
Tour: Red Rocks if you want to change your life!
Honorable Mentions of a Different Kind:
Some artists are too famous to place amongst their peers, and while I do want to uplift and celebrate their quality, they’re not ones you need me to tell you listen to. For this reason I’ll always place them outside the 10 but still make sure to highlight, as they are as deserving (if not more so) for preserving the art form and still pushing it to new heights!
Lady Gaga - MAYHEM (3/7)
“Abracadabra” // “Vanish Into You” // “Zombieboy”
I didn’t include this on the 10 to listen to because she doesn’t need my help in gaining listeners. HOWEVER I still want to acknowledge that I loved this record! It’s pop through and through, and she does it better than most (and sometimes all!). She is a true artist in every sense of the word, as her ventures outside the pop world only bring new sounds and styles when she returns. While it’s still to knew to label it with a tag that carries true weight, I’m comfortable saying that as a complete project MAYHEM is as good as she’s ever been.
Tour: MSG (8/22, 8/23, 8/26, 8/27)
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Arcadia (3/28)
“Looks Like The End Of The Road” // “Richmond On The James” // “Snow”
Artists that have been constant companions throughout your life there is a different type of nostalgia that presents itself. No different than being visited by an old friend for whom you don’t see often but care for deeply. This bluegrass super group (with a few changes) being back after a 15 year hiatus is enough to celebrate! Thankfully what they’ve crafted deserves to be celebrated as well, but with everyone involved being the best in the world at what they do, did we ever have a doubt? There is a unique melancholy to Alison’s work, and that’s not by chance, as she has always collected songs of old and new that evoke the feeling of something lost (and occasionally something gained). Pair that with the life affirming virtuosity of Union Station and we’re gifted something not to be missed. Their history is extensive, their successes well known, already amassing enough quality work to give one of THE best live albums of all time in 2003 and yet here we are, three albums later and they still bringing us the best the genre has to offer.