Reviews

Inscrutable

Lo and Behold Onward Journey cassette

Debut release from LO AND BEHOLD, the solo project of Louis Harding. In a list of bands too long to name, Harding’s tenure as a songwriter really shines through on this heartfelt, ten-track masterpiece. I recognized his name from his bass work in BELGRADO, whose 2023 Intra Apogeum made quite a splash. That said, there’s no synth/dance vibe present on Onward Journey, instead we get a beautiful, sweeping reverie, reminiscent of the shimmering guitar and despair on something like Paul Westerberg’s “Answering Machine”—trading Midwestern sensibilities for downcast British shoe-scuffing. This will make my top ten albums of the year, easy. I just hope the cassettes are quality, because unlike many raucous, lo-fi recordings, this one wants to be listened to loud and clear. Buy the ticket, take the Journey.

Soup Activists Mummy What Are Flowers For? LP

This is some amazing weirdo-punk post-pop out of St. Louis—think ’60s-inspired TELEVISION PERSONALITIES-adjacent stuff if they let Gordon Gano write lyrics and play xylophone for them. The band is helmed by Martin Meyer of LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS notoriety, and takes the energy and angsty shock of that project and gives it the JONATHAN RICHMAN treatment with sinisterly sweet storytelling lyrics and simple melodies that get stuck in your head like a food stain you can’t get out. Slightly reminiscent of Devon Williams leaving OSKER after their antithetic punk scene opus “Idle Will Kill” to form FINGERS CUT MEGAMACHINE and whatever else he’s doing these days.