The fortnightly five - 26 May 2026
A rundown of five fresh items on my headphones from the last fortnight.
Kevin Morby - Little Wide Open (Bandcamp)
Riding the edges of Americana, pop and country sits one of my favourite lyricists and writers, Kevin Morby. "Little Wide Open" is his latest tribute album to his turangawaewae of mid-west America. Songs that are major chord forward bring the grandeur of big-skies and plains. They are meticulously built to house drawling lyrics that sway between ugliness and beauty, heartbreak and joy, the ups and downs of living in a contradictory land. Like much of Morby's work, this album offers something deeper - it's tiny connections, a warm shoulder, a moment of nostalgia, flashes of shared melancholy.
(A treat for the completer finishers among us; this Qobuz playlist contains the songs that guided Morby during the creation period of "Little Wide Open")
Khun Narin's Electric Phin Band - III (Bandcamp)
Khun Narin's Electric Phin Band are a multi-generational psychedelic powerhouse from rural Thailand. They electrified a Phin (a traditional three-stringed Thai lute) and built a banging portable PA to run their guitars through. Youtube made them famous, but this group fundamentally is still true to their roots as a community celebration band - playing weddings, temple fairs, and village parades. Blending classic metal, garage rock and psych-rock, with local thai and lao flavours "III" is a heady jubilant cocktail. If you like Khruangbin, Yin Yin or Glass Beads, you'll like this.
Dolphin Hyperspace - Echolocation (Bandcamp)
I don't know how I ended up in this rabbit hole in this particular dimension, but you gotta trust me - a little dolphin-based electro jazz is really going to spice up your day! It feels as if Lisa Simpson was real and grew up on a diet of Futurama reruns and Atari console games, before forming a funky ensemble to raise cetaceous awareness. I love this album for being fun, fresh and playful.
Coin Laundry - Choc n Roll (demos) (Bandcamp)
Dirty, bluesy, swampy rock'n'roll from Ōtepoti (Dunedin), Coin Landry delivers the shivers and shakes. I had the pleasure of discovering them by catching them live at Skip The Light: Sound, Pop And Noise Festival. Stomping my way through their blistering set. It was just the right amount of thundering bass, wild fuzz and kerosene riffs.
Data Animal - Future of Ghosts (Bandcamp)
If you've made it this far, I suspect you've bypassed the wholesome albums above and have headed straight down to see what's on my filth list for this week. Dear readers, I implore you to stock up on antiseptic wipes, you will need them. This Auckland/ Berlin Duo dredge the limits of post-punk, no-wave and lo-fi techno for the dirtiest of sounds. Future of Ghosts is a collection of their oddities and rarities from 2022-25. A heaving groody frankenmash of low-life DIY ballin'.
Thank you again this week to all my readers. Remember that listening to new music is good for the brain and soul. If you have a new tune you wish to share, email me waxonandonandon@gmail.com
