Today's Album Notes is 1) a double dose of groups previously featured in this space, and 2) something of an "in case you missed it" if you're a fan. The long and the short of it: whether or not you liked these artists before, your opinion is unlikely to change based on their recent releases.

Cut Worms and Sylvan Esso each dropped albums that essentially function as extensions of their prior work. New ground is not broken. For some, it would be easy to consider the lack of development in their respective sounds a reason to pause. For others, any known reliable entity may be the most reassuring quality these days. On Cut Worms' Nobody Lives Here Anymore, it's Max Clarke continuing the "early-Beatles George Harrison and the artists who led him to that musical well dialed up to 11" vibe in double album form. Sylvan Esso, the married couple of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, maintain their familiar patterns of vocal inflection and electropop production on Free Love.

For what it's worth, I prefer Nobody Lives Here Anymore, but that may be due to the efficacious alignment afforded by its seasonal harmony. It also might be the product of my penchant for music of that nature. Either way, what may seem a lack of progression from both artists is by no means a slight, but rather an endorsement of the talents they bring to the table. Included in that understanding is the awareness of the final products' effortlessness: it sounds a hell of a lot easier to pull off than it is. These new albums will unmistakably sound familiar, but if it's been a while since you've given Cut Worms or Sylvan Esso a spin, they will also sound as fresh as ever. 

Cut Worms - Nobody Lives Here Anymore

Sylvan Esso - Free Love