Brigades Like This, Brigades Like This (Lifeboat Records). Great intentions don’t always yield great results. Better mixing would go a long way for Bridges Like This’ debut, which stumbles in the muddy shoegazing of bands like Mogwai and My Bloody Valentine.
Peck the Town Crier, Groundhog’s Day (self-released). Peck the Town Crier has waged war against predictability. Slowish raps tend toward spoken word and performance art, while low-key backing tracks tap into jazz, funk, bluegrass, marches, and more. Not everything works, but at least nothing is expected.
