New Music Friday - February 4, 2022

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

	2 Chainz - Dope Don’t Sell Itself Watch: "Million Dollars Worth of Game" (featuring 42 Dugg) Watch: "Neighbors Know My Name"
	Animal Collective - Time Skiffs Watch: "Prester John" Watch: "Walker"
	Cate Le Bon - Pompeii Watch: "Running Away" Watch: "Moderation"
	Mitski - Laurel Hell Watch: "Working for the Knife" Watch: "The Only Heartbreaker"
	yeule - Glitch Princess Watch: "Too Dead Inside" Watch: "Don’t Be So Hard on Your Own Beauty"

Other Full-Length Releases

Black Country, New Road - Ants from Up There Watch: "Concorde" Listen: "Bread Song"

Hippo Campus - LP3 Watch: "Boys" Watch: "Ride or Die"

Los Bitchos - Let the Festivities Begin! Watch: "Good to Go!" Watch: "Pista (Fresh Start)"

MØ - Motordrome Watch: "New Moon" Watch: "Brad Pitt"

A Place to Bury Strangers - See Through You Watch: "Let’s See Each Other" Watch: "Hold on Tight"

Raum - Daughter Listen: "Daughter" Listen: "Lullaby"

Saba - Few Good Things Watch: "Stop That" Watch: "Come My Way" (featuring Krayzie Bone)

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Marissa Nadler - The Wrath of the Clouds Listen: "Seabird" Listen: "Some Secret Existence"

New Music Friday - February 24, 2017

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors While it's been clear that this band was primarily the brain-child of Dave Longstreth, this is the first album on which the group is just him. The most notable departure leading into this record is that of Amber Coffman, who left after a break-up with Longstreth. That break-up informs just about every track on the record. Although Dirty Projectors are down to just one member, this album is far from a solo effort. Old friends like Tyondai Braxton and Solange helped write and record, and a new friend, D∆WN features on a track. Watch: "Cool Your Heart" (featuring D∆WN) Watch: "Little Bubble"

Emel Mathlouthi - Ensen Emel Mathlouthi is a Tunisian performer who became known in the earlier part of this decade for protest music that came to soundtrack her country's revolution. She is influenced both by artists who inspired her desire to protest (Joan Baez), as well as those who informed her sound (Björk, Massive Attack). She released her debut album, Kelmti Horra in 2012, and continues to speak out on her sophomore record, written with the mistreated people of the world in mind. Watch: "Ensen Dhaif" Listen: "Lost"

Rhiannon Giddens - Freedom Highway Giddens is a folk singer who got her start with the Carolina Chocolate Drops. She went solo in 2014 with the release of the We Rise EP. Freedom Highway is her sophomore album, which stands in contrast from her debut, 2015's Tomorrow Is My Turn. That album was primarily a covers album, this album is all original songs. Still, she is heavily informed by the past, exploring the history of folk and African-American music traditions. Watch: "Hey Bébé" Listen: "Freedom Highway" (featuring Bhi Bhiman)

Thundercat - Drunk Stephen Bruner is a funk bassist who has worked with a wide array of artists, from Erykah Badu to Mac Millers. He is perhaps most recognized for his work with Flying Lotus and Kendrick Lamar; he won a Grammy for "These Walls" with Lamar. His third solo album features a few of those past collaborators, as well as a couple of unexpected voices; two heroes of his, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. Listen: "Friend Zone" Listen: "Show You the Way" (featuring Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins)

Vagabon - Infinite Worlds Vagabon is Laetitia Tamko, a Cameroonian who relocated to New York just in time to start high school. She is heavily influenced by American indie music, with noted similarities to Allison Crutchfield, Jay Som, and Mitski. She is a multi-threat, playing most of the instruments on this record. Her musical talents and strong songwriting have made this one of the most critically-acclaimed debuts of the past few years. Watch: "The Embers" Listen: "Force & Fear"

Other Full-Length Releases

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - The Tourist Listen: "Down (Is Where I Want to Be)" Listen: "Fireproof"

Crystal Fairy - Crystal Fairy Listen: "Chiseler" Listen: "Crystal Fairy"

Dams of the West - Youngish American Watch: "Tell the Truth" Watch: "Death Wish"

Dear Reader - Day Fever Watch: "I Know You Can Hear It" Watch: "Then Not Now"

Future - HNDRXX Listen: "I Thank U" Listen: "Damage"

Hippo Campus - Landmark Watch: "Way It Goes" Watch: "Boyish"

John Hassall & The April Rainers - Wheels to Idyll Watch: "Given Time" Watch: "Intercity 125"

Karriem Riggins - Headnod Suite Listen: "4Es’J & Oddness"

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana Watch: "Rattlesnake" Listen: "Nuclear Fusion"

Kingdom - Tears in the Club Watch: "Nothin" (featuring Syd) Listen: "What Is Love" (featuring SZA)

Los Campesinos! - Sick Scenes Watch: "5 Flucloxacillin" Listen: "I Broke Up in Amarante"

The Luyas - Human Voicing Watch: "Self-Unemployed" Listen: "Fed to the Lions"

NE-HI - Offers Watch: "Offers" Watch: "Stay Young"

Oddissee - The Iceberg Listen: "Like Really" Listen: "Things"

Peter Silberman - Impermanence Watch: "New York" Watch: "Ahimsa"

Pick a Piper - Distance Watch: "Geographically Opposed" Watch: "Still Awake"

Skyway Man - Seen Comin’ from a Mighty Eye Watch: "Creation // Someday" Listen: "Mighty Eye"

Summer Moon - With You Tonight Watch: "Happenin’" Watch: "With You Tonight"

Taylor Bennett - Restoration of an American Idol Listen: "Play My Part" (featuring Aubree Jenai) Listen: "Grown Up Fairy Tales" (featuring Chance The Rapper & Jeremih)

Xiu Xiu - Forget Watch: "Get Up" Watch: "Jenny GoGo"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Adam Torres - I Came to Sing the Song Listen: "Hatchet" Listen: "I Came to Sing the Song"

darkDARK - Heathered Listen: "Restless" (featuring Haley Bonar) Listen: "Stay Close"

George Harrison - George Harrison: The Vinyl Collection

Half Waif - form/a Listen: "Frost Burn" Listen: "Night Heat"

La Neve - American Sounds EP Watch: "American Sounds" Listen: "Needs It"

Luxury Death - Glue EP Watch: "Glue" Listen: "Listerine"

No Joy - Creep EP Watch: "Califone" Listen: "Hellhole"

Steve Lacy - Demo Watch: "Some" Watch: "Ryd"/"Dark Red"

Bad Bad Hats & Hippo Campus in Covington

When: November 17, 2015
Where: Madison Live in Covington, KY

I've been excited about the St. Paul-based band Hippo Campus ever since I saw them on the most recent season of A.V. Club's Undercover; they masterfully performed ELO's "Don't Bring Me Down." I checked out their own work and was equally impressed by what they were able to write and arrange for themselves. They're only two EPs into their career, but have already produced some amazing tunes.

They've been touring this year to support the release of both EPs and stopped by the Cincinnati area to play at Madison Live, a new venue established by the owners of Madison Theatre in Covington, KY. It's right next door to the other venue, but serves smaller crowds.

I got a pleasant pseudo-surprise when we got to the venue that night; the opening band was another young group from Minnesota who I had been impressed by lately, Bad Bad Hats (I had forgotten that they were touring together until just then). The band played primarily from their debut album, Psychic Reader, released earlier this year. Their simple, sometimes humorous, indie pop sound was punctuated by a sort of absurd, dry humor from lead singer and guitarist Kerry Alexander.

After a great first set, Hippo Campus came on. Their style was a lot more upbeat (think Vampire Weekend, JR JR, or They Might Be Giants), and their lead singer, Jake Luppen, had a goofier onstage attitude to match. They're an impressive band, especially for a group so young (they graduated high school two years ago). It turned out to be a interesting show to attend; the venue and crowd were fairly small, but the fans were really into the band and some of the girls in the audience were definitely swooning over the boys (though I must admit, Jake was pretty cute).

I'm starting to realize that a lot of the bands that I'm getting into are made up of members much younger than me, which can be a bit strange. But it is exciting to see such an amazing amount of talent coming from those artists, these two bands are just the tip of the iceberg!

Mini setlist:

Bad Bad Hats - "Super America"
Bad Bad Hats - "Things We Never Say"
Hippo Campus - "South"
Hippo Campus - "Violet"