The Week in Music: Paste’s Favorite Songs, Albums, Performances and More

With summer just around the corner, things are definitely beginning to heat up. This week in the studio, we hosted Eleanor Friedberger (pictured above), Tokyo Police Club and an incredible array of artists old and new. We talked to Parker Millsap about his new album, and caught up with rocker Rich Aucoin, who’s doing his entire U.S. tour on his bicycle. It was also a big week for lists: Best April albums, most anticipated May albums, and the best New York City buzz bands. Check out our favorite albums, songs, live performances and feature stories of the past seven days.

BEST ALBUMS
Liz Phair: Girly-Sound to Guyville: The 25th Anniversary Box Set
The new box set comprises an immersive snapshot of the Liz Phair that created one of the great musical works of 1990s—a Liz Phair that was forever changed by sudden success, and one that the real Liz Phair has seemingly been trying to outrun ever since. That’s a testament to a well-constructed collection, one not cluttered by remixes, bonus tracks and other unnecessary add-ons. Girly-Sound to Guyville simply compiles a remastered Exile in Guyville and restored versions of Phair’s three pre-Exile DIY cassettes released under the name Girly-Sound (plus a book with an oral history of the album, photos, essays and other cool stuff). The remaster of ExileM succeeds in its main job: To not dull the brilliance of the original album, which Phair designed as a track-by-track response to Exile on Main Street by ur-dudeband The Rolling Stones. Its 18 tracks sound as crisp and vital as ever. —Ben Salmon

Damien Jurado: The Horizon Just Laughed
Damien Jurado’s new album, the descriptively titled The Horizon Just Laughed, might be his most expressive outing yet. Ostensively an aural travelogue embossed with soundscapes that capture the magical summer of his 17th year, it conveys echoes of wistful reflection and even hints of unbridled optimism as well. Though the melancholy is still prevalent throughout, he isn’t as reticent when it comes to adding an occasional upbeat rhythm or some elevated emotion to the proceedings. That becomes clear with the samba-like lilt of “Marvin Kaplan,” the surprising spunk of “Florence-Jean” and the otherwise assertive pacing of “Percy Faith” and “Random Fearless,” two tracks that are likely to attract the most immediate attention, especially at the outset. —Lee Zimmerman

Vive La Void: Vive La Void
If you know what Erik “Ripley” Johnson does in Wooden Shjips…and you know that Johnson helms Moon Duo with his significant other, keyboardist Sanae Yamada…and you know what they sound like together…then you can probably figure out what a Sanae Yamada solo project would sound like. Thankfully, such speculation is no longer needed. Yamada’s first effort under the name Vive La Void is out now on Sacred Bones Records, and it sounds pretty much what you would expect it to sound like… if you know all that stuff above.—Ben Salmon

BEST SONGS
Palberta: ‘Cherry Baby’
Palberta’s latest Roach Goin’ Down single, “Cherry Baby,” takes a timeless track, rips it up, and starts all over again. As the band explains, “’Cherry Baby’ is a three part harm-charm. It’s taking the classic lyric from the Eric Donaldson track ‘Cherry Oh Baby’ but really it has nothing else to do with that song.” —Loren DiBlasi

“”Cherry Baby

Big Ups: Imaginary Dog Walker’
“Imaginary Dog Walker” is a sprawling and dynamic coda, ending Two Parts Together with unsettling doubt. The song finds Joe Galarraga staring into a lake (a recurring thematic element of the album), wondering what lies beneath. “We all want the same thing/ And that is to thrive,” he declares, “So why hold our breaths/ Kill the life inside?” Propelled by vivid, destructive imagery, tense repetition, and agitated guitars, “Imaginary Dog Walker” is an aggressive-yet-meaningful meditation on the human experience. —Loren DiBlasi