New Music Friday - March 18, 2016

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Cullen Omori - New Misery Cullen Omori was the lead singer of Smith Westerns with his brother Cameron, and a few others, starting in 2007. Unfortunately, the band members went their separate ways two years ago. A few of the former members have started new projects, including Cullen. While some of the others have started all new bands, Cullen has gone solo. New Misery is his debut album. Watch: "Cinnamon" Listen: "Sour Silk"

Glitterbust - Glitterbust Kim Gordon also recently left the band that she started her career with. After thirty years, and a marriage, together, the Sonic Youth disbanded in 2011. The band's members have started new projects since, most notably Gordon, Thurston Moore, and Lee Ranaldo. Gordon previously released Coming Apart with Body/Head in 2013. This year, she's releasing a new album with a new band; one she started with Alex Knost of Tomorrows Tulips. Watch: "The Highline" Listen: "Soft Landing"

Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression James Osterberg has had a incredible career as a musician. He started out with The Stooges in 1967 and released his first solo album as Iggy Pop in 1977. He's done many types of music, from punk to art rock to new wave, and even French-language chanson. On his latest album, he's back to his rock roots and getting some help from younger rock icons, Joshua Homme and Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age, and Matt Helders of Arctic Monkeys. Unfortunately, he has implied that this may be his last record, though he's made it a good one! Listen: "Gardenia" Listen: "Break into Your Heart"

Koi Child - Koi Child I don't have any major issues with Iggy Azalea, except that she represents a missed opportunity in my eyes: she's a rapper from Australia, but doesn't seek to represent Australian hiphop. Koi Child may be able to fill that void. They are a jazz rap group hailing from Perth. They formed two years ago as a combination of two other acts, Childs Play and Kashikoi. Their debut album is produced by another Australian musician, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. Watch: "1-5-9" Watch: "Black Panda"

Other Full-Length Releases

AJ Cornell & Tim Darcy - Too Significant to Ignore Watch: "Too Significant to Ignore (Big Black Bowl)" Listen: "Automatic Ecstasy"

Baauer - Aa Listen: "Kung Fu" (featuring Pusha T & Future) Listen: "Temple" (featuring M.I.A. & G-Dragon)

Belave - Indigo, Streams, Lash

The Body - Nobody Deserves Happiness Watch: "Two Snakes" Watch: "The Fall & the Guilt"

Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Bitchin Bajas - Epic Jammers and Fortunate Little Ditties Watch: "Your Hard Work Is About to Pay Off" Listen: "Pretty Saro"

Damien Jurado - Visions of Us on the Land Watch: "Exit 353" Watch: "Qachina"

Lust for Youth - Compassion Watch: "Sudden Ambitions" Listen: "Stardom"

Primal Scream - Chaosmosis Watch: "Where the Light Gets In" (featuring Sky Ferreira) Listen: "I Can Change"

Sean Watkins - What to Fear Watch: "What to Fear" Listen: "Keep Your Promises II"

Underworld - Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future Watch: "I Exhale" Listen: "Ova Nova"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Burial - Burial Reissue Listen: "Distant Lights" Listen: "Prayer"

Burial - Untrue Reissue Listen: "In McDonalds" Listen: "Archangel"

Eliza Shaddad - Run EP Watch: "Wars" Listen: "Run"

iLoveMakonnen - Drink More Water 6 Watch: "Leave U 4 Myself" Watch: "Live for Real"

Sremmlife Crew - Trailmix Watch: Rae Sremmurd - "Over Here" (featuring Bobo Swae) Listen: Rae Sremmurd - "Doggin" (featuring D-JaySremm & Riff 3X)

Upcoming Album of the Week (Ending January 9)

Well, the holidays are over and things are getting back into full swing. After a couple of weeks of almost no new album announcements (aside from "surprise" Christmas music drops), we had a deluge of announcements this week. As always, you can view a longer list of upcoming albums here!

It's a new year, so why not try something new, right? I've enjoyed writing this post every week (and it is one of the few things I've actually been able to keep up on), but I sometimes find it difficult to spotlight only one new album. Sometimes, many of my favorite artists make announcements in the same week! Starting this week, I will cover a couple albums that have me excited, rather than just one. Here goes!

For just seven short years, we had a wonderful glam rock band in Smith Westerns. They released three albums during their time together, including 2013's Soft Will. Although anchored by a pair of brothers, the members went their separate ways in 2014. Now, one of those brothers, Cullen Omori, is officially going solo. This week, he announced his debut album, New Misery,  for March 18 and released the album's lead single and video, "Cinnamon."

Kanye West spent just about all of last year promising a new album, but 2015 ended with no such release from the producer and rapper. Earlier this week, his reality star wife implied that he would be releasing new tracks every Friday leading up to this mythical new album. And indeed, he did drop some new tracks yesterday (though not before posting and deleting them multiple times). Now, he's apparently actually given the release date for Swish. In a tweet posted late last night, and that has not been deleted, he announced the album for release on February 11.





While, with some bands, you never know when you might get new music, others adhere to a more consistent release schedule for new albums. Yeasayer is a band that is going in the direction of the latter, with three albums and no more than three years between each. It's now been just over three years since Fragrant World and, sure enough, the band announced their fourth album, Amen & Goodbye, for April 1. The band also released the album's lead single and accompanying music video (which is somehow only the second weirdest video I've watched this week, thanks to Animal Collective).

Also announced this week:

Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel Reissue (February 19)
Contact (For Giorgio) (February 26)
Kano - Made in the Manor (March 4)
Mavis Staples - Livin’ on a High Note (February 19)
Michael Jackson - Off the Wall Reissue (February 26)
RJD2 - Dame Fortune (March 25)
Sonic Youth - Various vinyl reissues (January 22 and February 19)
White Denim - Stiff (March 25)