This past January, Slow Hollows celebrated one decade since releasing their debut album, I’m Just as Bad as You Are—though the anniversary was a lonelier affair than the initial release. That’s because Austin Feinstein’s long-running art-pop collective effectively dissolved in the famously tumultuous year 2020 following the release of their 2019 LP Actors, leaving Feinstein to carry the torch himself for the project’s brand new record Bullhead. In place of the upbeat experimentation of their early slacker-rock recordings, or even the R&B influences of Actors, this latest LP keeps a slow pace and somber mood as piano and pedal steel help mellow out the proceedings.
Such motifs (as well as constant homage to the songwriting stylings of Elliott Smith) serve as glue to hold Bullhead together even on the jammier cuts, such as the quietly storming “Idle Hands”—a goal Feinstein had for the project from the get-go. “Making a cohesive album was the most important thing to me,” he shared upon the album’s release today. “Having some time away from the band made me realize what Slow Hollows stood for. It's hard to realize what you're getting at when you're doing it.”
With the themes of cohesion and solitude in mind, Feinstein is honoring the album’s release today by sharing a playlist of tunes that serve as go-to listens while doing the dishes (hopefully that act doesn’t take him 52 minutes, the runtime for this collection of songs). Weaving through evident influences such as Bruce Hornsby and Neil Young, as well as cuts from genre-defining artists such as Wire and Tricky and hard-to-pin-down innovators including Talk Talk and Mica Levi, the playlist remains an engaging listen. “I think it takes you through enough sonic turns to keep things interesting,” he shares.
Check out Bullhead here, and explore his playlist below.
Bruce Hornsby, “Harbor Lights”
The piano intro reminds me of Toy Story. I always get confused when the band kicks in because I can’t follow the beat, but I love that.
Talk Talk, “Eden”
Beautifully dynamic and haunting.
Ted Lucas, “Now That I Know”
Ted Lucas is always something I can put on that will make anyone ask, “Whoa, who is this?”
The Clean, “Flowers”
I don’t know much about The Clean because they were never on my radar growing up, but I fell in love when I stumbled on this song.
Dorothy Ashby, “Jollity”
I could play this song on loop forever. It’s infectious and always brings the mood up.
FJ McMahon, “The Spirit of the Golden Juice”
I love the mix on this song. It’s so close, and there’s nothing hiding in it.
Television, “Days”
I usually listen to something like Television before band rehearsals to get excited to play guitar. Beautiful melodies and really interesting drum part on this song.
Mercury Rev, “I Collect Coins”
I truthfully know nothing about this artist. My girlfriend showed me this song and it’s a cool palette cleanser.
Neil Young, “Will to Love”
Neil Young puts out so much music that it’s hard to absorb it, but when he released this lost album from 1973 I knew it was probably golden. This song is arresting. I love the random tinkering and the sound of the fireplace that snuck in.
Mica Levi, “Monk”
I love everything Mica Levi does. This song from the record Blue Alibi is particularly amazing. It’s always one step ahead of the listener.
Wire, “40 Versions”
I think of this song as ambient listening. Creative guitars.
Tricky, “Early Bird”
Another artist I’m not too familiar with, but the horns and drum sounds are really intriguing.
Dorothy Ashby, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”
This concludes the playlist. This is another song that everyone asks “What’s this?” It’s really beautiful.
