Just to be clear, I’ve never been a huge proponent of certain music because yes, I’m jaded and find solace in older releases of artists that I believe have surpassed even my own expectations with their ability to form and contort songs at will. With that said, I’ve never been a huge fan of New York’s Antlers, who have released several albums & EPs and an assortment of singles throughout the years. Drummer Michael Lerner and multi-instrumentalist Peter Silberman are the two constants that make up the band now, with the help of touring musicians to round out its sound live. The band has just released its new album, Blight (Transgressive), and while my expectations weren’t high, the album does have highlights that caught my attention, but release is a beast of an album.

Songs begin starkly enough and most of the time, slowly build around a brief melody or captivating percussion. The title track, for example, is a quiet storm with light percussion and electronics opening it before the gentle guitar notes seep in as Silberman’s wavering voice tempts and enthralls. When he sings “I do the best I can,” you realize he’s human and flawed just like the rest of us. But the music, it builds, its gradual crescendo can’t be ignored, as it reverts and flirts once again with that quiet storm. There’s just something haunting about The Antlers, and “Pour” offers some of that with sparse percussion, guitar notes, and Silberman’s breathy vocal delivery. The song does shift into something slightly different, holding on tightly to that melody and feel as the piano makes its way in. It’s lovely and enchanting.

Blight is an album that unexpectedly makes one feel different ways, as it plays with emotion, utilizing every instrument it has at its disposal. This is probably the moment, listening to “Calamity,” that I dig into the group’s back catalog. There are certainly surprises within.

PALM GHOSTS – CONTENT PROVIDERS

Yeah, I’ve been following the doom & gloom of Nashville’s post-punk Palm Ghosts, who, as of yet, haven’t failed to deliver. With every subsequent album released by the band – vocals / bass player Joseph Lekkas,  guitarist / vocalist Benjamin Douglas, and drummer / percussionist Walt Epting – the group has reached into some of the darkest corners, piecing together fantastic notes & chords, and brooding lyricism. For its new Content Providers (Steadfast Records/Sweet Cheetah/Poptek), the group has seemingly pivoted, allowing songs to take on a different life of their own.

Maybe it’s me, or maybe it’s been gradual, but the post-punk darkness that seems to have surrounded the band through its earlier recordings has the band walking towards the end of the tunnel as a faint light calls out to the group. It’s not a “Run to the light Carol Anne” deceiver but more of a nuanced reprieve to allow that luminescence to surround the music and allow it to breathe easier. Let’s start there. The punchy “Box Bedroom Rebels” holds on tightly to an odd little pop melody and a consistent guitar note that barely changes at all as the bassline and the rhythm itself drive the song. I’ve listened to this over and over again before actually noticing it. Lekkas’ vocals, along with the backing vocals, is a distraction from it, and unless you actually read this, you probably won’t notice it either! But it’s “Last Of The Hold Outs,” that comes firing out of the gates and is completely unexpected. The blatant melody & harmonies hark back to an era of songwriting that we don’t hear anymore. Yeah, the harmonies, the icing on the proverbial cake, are what will have you coming back again and again. Everything is perfectly fitted, from the shimmering guitars to the grandiose rhythm. Epting is the backbone here, and without him, the song would probably have a different look and feel. The track plays with your emotions, and no matter what you’re feeling going into it, there’s absolutely no way you’re coming out afterwards miserable.

Yes, it’s true, Palm Ghosts wraps an insurmountable amount of melodies within its songs, which are brutally honest. But it’s not going to detract from the band’s ability to fit that same energy as it goes into different directions, into other places it’s most comfortable in. The darker gothic mode of “Michael, You’ve Changed” hits with direct purpose, navigating through keyboard washes, and minimal guitar interactions as Lekkas’ low register makes the song even more haunting. When he sings “Michael, you’ve changed/to what you feared you would become/a casualty cliché…/ Michael you’ve changed (why did you leave us?) / Michael you’ve changed (the devil is beside you),” it makes me want to find Michael and question “WTF Michael, why are you so different now?” But it’s the words… “Michael you’ve changed / the damage spread you thin / we were golden for a moment / and desperate to be golden again…” that are haunting, couple that with the music and hot damn(!) Michael has gone through it.  

But we can get back to the group’s catchier moments. “Paul’s Last Epistle” digs a little deeper. The last epistle of Paul was 2nd Timothy, which was written as Paul became aware that his death was nearing. The original letter was written to Timothy, his protégé, encouraging him to remain faithful. I like the juxtaposition here with the song’s catchiness offset by the somberness of nearing the end. The crunch of guitars is fucking beautiful though, and it seems they enter beast mode whenever they start churning. Ok, it may not be your favorite song out of all the compositions here, but it remains mine.

Oh, these Palm Ghosts. With Content Providers, the band has found new ways to stir up emotions. Well, it may not be something that’s actually new, but it’s something much more deliberate and focused. We’re here for it.

JAY SOM – BELONG

Moments are fleeting and sometimes I do feel time slips thought my fingers but then I’m reminded of something I was told once, “Time is just a man-made creation/concept.” But this was coming from an artist living on an island in the Caribbean and unfortunately, I’m not as talented. I digress. There are moments when the ability to give my attention completely to something or someone has a degree of difficulty. That’s not the case today.

If you’ve followed the career of Jay Som, the project helmed by the L.A.-based multi-instrumentalist Melina Duterte, you already know she’s that girl, that woman, who has the ability to dig deep into her soul to deliver stunning songwriting that’s incomparable to just about anyone. Well, maybe. In any regard, Jay Som has just released her fourth full-length album, Belong (Polyvinyl Recording Co.), and well, for fans it might be what you expected, and for the rest of the world, a fantastic display of unadulterated songwriting. While the mechanical blips and rhythm of the opening “Cards On The Table” are enticing, it’s “Float,” which features Jimmy Eat World’s Jim Adkins, that will seriously capture your attention. It starts off with what sounds like electronic cooing and doesn’t prepare you for what quickly follows. The rhythm is almost abrupt – almost – but along with the melody, oh, it’s infectious. Both Duterte & Adkins share vocal duties here, but it seems to double up and harmonize through the majority of it. I realize it may sound like it’s a problem, but it’s not. It seems like a love song of sorts, but it turns into a heavy rocker midway through. When the two of them sing “Float don’t fly” again and again, yeah, that’s when you know the right choice was made to include guest appearances here. A first for Jay Som.

The tricky thing with Jay Som, a few tracks are tethered with a semblance of electronics but shift into full band mode like “What You Need,” featuring Soft Glas, the pseudonym of another producer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Joao Gonzalez. It’s both a beautiful pop song and an intricate little rocker that plays ever so slightly with dynamic shifts. It’s Duterte’s voice that draws you in; that soft & subtle coo, the way she releases her words at the edge of her tongue. Yes, it’s inviting, and while the delivery may be subdued, it is reminiscent of those ’90s stadium rockers. But it’s Jay Som’s ability to move from these soft & subtle rockers to the indie folk beauty of “Appointments” that fascinates. The strum of guitars here is what’s reminiscent of another indie folk rocker who left this plane much too soon. Honestly, I don’t want to make cheap comparisons but I do say it with the utmost respect. I won’t mention his name but let’s just say he was once nominated for an Oscar but of course Celine Dion won it that year. Just the way her voice falls around ever note played, everything seems to fall right into place for Duterte. Yes.

There are multiple bangers here and I’m sure Duterte and her cohorts are well aware of it. “Drop A” maneuvers lazily around a hypnotic rhythm as her voice seems to control the direction of the song effortlessly. Then Jay Som teams up with Paramore’s Hayley Williams on “Past Lives”???? It’s a different look for Williams but she fits right into the Jay Som aesthetic as the song’s subtle energy doesn’t prepare anyone for the explosiveness of the track’s progression. They reel everything back though and don’t allow the song to get out of control. This is wickedly crafted as the harmonies erupt into a glorious cacophony of angelic voices. But I’m convinced that in another life Duterte would play and perform in stadiums that couldn’t contain her songwriting. In just under the 3-minute mark, “D.H.” fires things off again with the band’s fiery performance. The song itself has a momentum that builds and builds until its eventual demise. It’s a lot to take in when you break it all down but it’s well worth the ride.

It’s safe to say that with Belong, Jay Som has assured her place within music and should be revered as such.  The music holds your attention enough that you wonder, “Wait a minute, what happened?” and forces you to play it again. And again. And again. As we nosedive further into an uncertain end of year, I can go on record saying yes, Belong is probably my favorite release of 2025 so far. I don’t see anything else coming and toppling it over.