Cardboard Swords - The Cardboard Swords - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Daughter of Swords is the solo project of North Carolina singer-songwriter Alex Sauser-Monnig (they/she), who has also released music with bands Mountain Man and The A's. Their solo debut, Dawnbreaker, was a hushed folk record released in 2019; in the years since, Sauser-Monnig found a new understanding of self, personally and musically. Across the last several years, Daughter of Swords' music has grown thornier, an unpredictable and knotty tangle of technicolor synths, heady guitar, bubbling rhythms, a sheen enveloping songs about raw human intensity writ large - crushes, desire, anger, alienation, the horrors of late-stage capitalism, the cascading paradigm shifts it seems we're all hurtling toward. Enter Alex, Daughter of Sword's sinewy new record. Recorded at Betty's (Sylvan Esso's studio), Alex was built out by Sauser-Monnig's longtime friends/collaborators Amelia Meath (Sylvan Esso, Mountain Man, The A's), Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, Flock of Dimes), Nick Sanborn (Sylvan Esso, Made of Oak), TJ Maiani (Weyes Blood, Neneh Cherry), and Caleb Wright (Hippo Campus, Samia). There's a sharp cerebral tension between the stories at the core of these songs and the electrifying, playful buoyancy of the sound, the wink with which Sauser-Monnig can deliver a withering observation. Reckoning with pleasure-seeking, boundary-breaking, and their place in the world, Alex heralds a fresh chapter of exploration and liberation for Sauser-Monnig, yielding the truest representation of their identity via song yet.

Magic Sword is an ageless tale of good and evil told throughan ever-expanding graphic novel; each volume accompaniedby an original, synth-heavy soundtrack as well as immersivelive performances. With the three mediums intertwined fromconception, together they create an epic experience for thosebold enough to bear witness and come away with a deeperunderstanding of the ultimate hero's journey.Armed with a musical and visual aesthetic that has it's rootsunabashedly buried deep in the golden era of '70s and '80sfantasy and sci-fi, Magic Sword's followers are called toanother plane of existence where the struggle between lightand shadow becomes all too real. The multiverse has alignedto bring the people of the land together for the birth of theiralbum Endless, followed by a tour of the realm searching forthe greater good.

The last few years have been quite a whirlwind for Scottish pop duo The Cords. Sisters Eva and Grace take their cues from forebears like Dolly Mixture, Shop Assistants, Heavenly and Tiger Trap, reinvigorating the C86 sound with style and infectious enthusiasm. Since starting in 2023 they've released a cassette single and a Christmas flexi that garnered airplay and breathless press from around the International Pop Underground, and played with everyone from The Vaselines (their first show!) to Shonen Knife, BMX Bandits, The Go! Team and Camera Obscura.Recorded over the course of six days with Jonny Scott (CHVRCHES), their self-titled debut album is some of the most vital indiepop we've heard in years, bursting with boundless energy, youthful confidence, lively melodies and most importantly terrific tunes. From album opener (and first single) InchFabulistInch to the heads-down rush of InchOctober,Inch from the punk-ish thrill of InchYouInch to the instant classic InchI'm Not Sad,Inch The Cords have crafted a debut that handily transcends their influences and shows their firm grasp of all that makes great, timeless *pop*. By the time the dreamy slow-dance closer InchWhen You Said GoodbyeInch rolls around you can't help but have fallen in love with indiepop all over again, and the only thing to do is lift the needle, flip the record, and start it over.