Call Me If You Get Lost

Tyler, The Creator

Sweet Unknown

Erika Wennerstrom

Is "sob rock" a genre? I think I saw something about John Mayer trying to coin his new album sob-rock but we'd argue that Erika Wennerstrom has held the title of sob rock queen since this 2019 release. The album flows together perfectly from one whining ballad to the next. The screeching guitar melds seamlessly into one depressing lyric from Erika to the next. If you've just gone through a tough breakup or someone cut you off in traffic and you want to be dramatic about that incident, grab your hairbrush or that banana as your mic and scream into the mirror like we can only imagine Erika did when rehearsing for her debut solo album. 

Erika was previously the shinning star front-woman of the band Heartless Bastards. This album was her first, and only, foray as a solo artist which she described as a freeing experience. Erika went with a more rocky approach to her solo album whereas Heartless Bastards stick to the more roots or country sound on most of their releases. Mid-west stand-up please; Erika is originally from Dayton Ohio but didn't start really pursuing music until she moved to Cincinnati. Can you think of any other bluesy-roots rock bands from Ohio? That's right, The Black Keys, whom we've featured here on Album Daily many times, were the band that referred the Heartless Bastards to their own record label which gave them their first big break and eventually led to this solo album from Erika. Full circle!

Landmark

Hippo Campus

When you hear “Hippo Campus” do you first think of the section of the brain or a literal campus of hippos? I’m not saying there’s a wrong answer but if you chose the latter option we should be friends. Anywayyyyys, Landmark is indie-pop-rock-whatever at its finest. It’s the debut album that put the Minneapolis based quartet, Hippo Campus, on the map. Songs like Buttercup and Boyish will have you eager to hit the dance floor, while ballads like Monsoon and Poems are more dreamy and melancholic. Since 2017 they’ve put out 3 more albums, all chock full of indie-rock gems, but it’s their inaugural album that is truly can’t miss.

Bonus Content: Hearing some tunes reminiscent of Bon Iver? Us too. Turns out the same producer behind many of Bon Iver's works, BJ Burton, helped out on this album as well. Read more how this album came to fruition here!

Beach Boy

Knox Hamilton

Here’s a quick one for our Album Daily community! A little 4 song EP is just what the doctor ordered today. Feeling sad watching Bitcoin and Ethereum tank? Throw on Beach Boy. Just watch Up for the 17th time? Throw on Beach Boy. Tired of Album Daily’s overly intricate reviews? Gosh darnit throw on Beach Boy!! You’ll love lead singer Boots Copelands’ silky falsetto and their pop-rock sound is sure to lift any spirits. Described as “Phoenix, COIN, The Killers, and Walk the Moon - all smashed into a cool lil’ indie band,” these guys are on the right path. 

Knox Hamilton’s band rules: Knox Hamilton has one of the best lead singer’s first names in the industry: Boots Copeland. This band is from Little Rock, Arkansas and they have a really interesting rule as a band that helps keep them grounded and out of the doghouse with the wives. In an interview with Honey Punch Mag, Boots and Cobo (drummer) are quoted saying that they love syncing up with other artists and getting some advice. One example here is a rule they stole from the band Colony House. The rule is: never go more than 21 days without seeing your spouse or loved ones. AWW. You go guys.

Are We There Yet?

Windmills and Giants

This is another subscriber submission from the artist themselves! We love featuring your own work so if you've got an album that you think is worthy of thousands of subscribers, let us know by filling out this form! Now, let's hear from Windmills and Giants!

This record has been challenging in many ways. In the process of making these songs we wanted to dig deeper into our relatively wide taste in music, and take advantage of a lot of different instruments, recording techniques, and effects to challenge sound, expression, and ourselves. Besides the self-inflicted level of difficulty, there was also some unexpected obstacles along the way. When we started writing, we had already decided to do an effort to try a lot of new things. We didn’t want to limit ourselves by doing what might have been expected from us based on our previous releases, and ended up taking a lot of time making sure every song had a unique sound and feel. We wanted the soundscapes to have a lot of nuances and variety, and at times be unpredictable, while keeping the essence of each song and the whole record intact.

Let us know what you think of the albums

Share Album Daily

Be the friend that recommends great music, forward this email to someone who loves music