land of talk

Land of Talk discuss 10 songs that influenced new album 'Indistinct Conversations'

After a slight pandemic-related delay, Land of Talk‘s new album, Indistinct Conversations, is with us now. It’s their first album since 2017’s Life After Youth, and bandleader Elizabeth Powell co-produced it with her bandmates Mark “Bucky” Wheaton (drums/keys) and Christopher McCarron (bass), and made it in a home studio that McCarron built in Wheaton’s basement. It’s a bit more relaxed and atmospheric than Life After Youth, and Powell’s sublime songwriting and guitar-work still shine bright.

We asked Elizabeth about the music that influenced Indistinct Conversations, and she returned with a list of 10 songs by Broadcast, Laura Mvula, Mount Kimbie, John Lee Hooker & Van Morrison, serpentwithfeet, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Playboi Carti, and more. Listen to those songs, and read Elizabeth’s commentary on each, along with a stream of her new album and videos from it, below…

LAND OF TALK – 10 SONGS THAT INFLUENCED INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS

Broadcast – “Tears In The Typing Pool”
Simple, but so rich. Acoustic guitar. Voice. Mellotron. “The land is unchanged.”

Diane Cluck – “Easy To Be Around”
Those harmonies. The poetry. The whole scene. The grounded feelings I feel when I listen to this song. “Coming up from the mineshaft sparkling bright see me laughing having nothing in an infinite night clear and dangling in the light.”

Mount Kimbie (ft. Micachu) – “Marilyn”
Micachu led me to this track and it’s on every playlist I make. Not sure what is about it…such a light & crispy little bop with a playful, experimental vibe. And the horns at the end!

Laura Mvula – “Show Me Love”
Such a powerful song. Like walking through the rooms of a broken heart. And I love what she does with her voice. How she sings, soars, stretches, talks, dips, declares.

Jon Bap – “Let It Happen”
How the awkward drums stutter a near-waltz. The voice and guitar swimming together, weaving through it.

Playboi Carti – “Other Shit”
Playboi Carti floats over Hit-Boy‘s deep, dreamy waves so effortlessly. So many treats in this track.

Mary Margaret O’Hara – “Help Me Lift You Up”
I have loved this song, and entire album, my whole life. Her voice is a salve. Mary Margaret O’Hara has always been a creative reference point for me. Lyrically, vocally, melodically.

John Lee Hooker and Van Morrison – “I Cover The Waterfront”
This song has lived inside me since I first heard it over a decade ago. Learning how to play this song is on the old bucket list for sure.

Nappy Nina – “Growth Groove”
“Step back. Refocus. Take a breath. And go on.” Words to live by.

serpentwithfeet – “Four Ethers”
This song is such a fucking mysterious masterpiece to me!


And here’s the videos from the new Land of Talk album: