Kool Thing of the Week #4: Nighttime Music

After going on hiatus last week, Kool Thing is back once again to close out the month of August with a bang (kinda). This week, you should probably check out the new bedtime-relevant Wild Nothing album Nocturne, which will be officially released Tuesday on Captured Tracks. Much like the New York-via-Virginia band’s previous album Gemini, Nocturne sounds a lot like the end of summer/beginning of fall—so its release date is perfectly timed to coincide with the changing of the seasons. As to be expected from this band, the songs here are hazy and shimmery, sounding the way the moonlight looks on the ocean at night. Album opener “Shadow” is probably my favorite cut of the bunch, but the whole album is impressively solid. It’s a very relaxed record—one that I imagine I’ll be listening to quite a bit as we transition into the time of pumpkin beer, falling leaves, and crisp autumn nights. 

Thanks to the magic of the internet, you can stream the album before its release here. 

Oldies Corner

It was a bummer to hear of the passing of Neil Armstrong over the weekend. Being the first human to step foot on the moon is a pretty huge deal, so in memory of Armstrong, here’s the song “The Moon” by Cat Power. This track appeared on The Greatest, which I can barely believe is six years old already. This is also good time to remind you that Cat Power has a new record called Sun due out September 4. Hopefully, that album will contain a song as stunning as “The Moon,” which, with its haunting, nighttime melody, has long been a favorite of mine. So maybe tonight, after it gets dark, you should look up at the moon, turn on this song, and pour one out for Neil Armstrong. Rest in peace.