New Music Friday - January 29, 2021

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

	Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams Watch: "Green Eyes" Watch: "Caroline"
	The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings Watch: "Raindrops" Watch: "Feuds with Guns"
	Four Tet & Madlib - Sound Ancestors Listen: "Dirtknock" Listen: "Road of the Lonely Ones"
	Lia Ices - Family Album Watch: "Hymn" Watch: "Young on the Mountain"
	The Notwist - Vertigo Days Watch: "Al Sur" (featuring Juana Molina) Listen: "Oh Sweet Fire"

Other Full-Length Releases

Ani DiFranco - Revolutionary Love Watch: "Do or Die" Watch: "Simultaneously"

Baio - Dead Hand Control Watch: "Endless Me, Endlessly" Watch: "What Do You Say When I’m Not There?"

The Body - I’ve Seen All I Need to See Listen: "A Lament" Listen: "Tied Up and Locked In"

Goat Girl - On All Fours Watch: "The Crack" Watch: "Badibaba"

Langhorne Slim - Strawberry Mansion Watch: "Panic Attack" Watch: "Summer Days"

LNZNDRF - II Watch: "Brace Yourself" Watch: "You Still Rip"

portrayal of guilt - We Are Always Alone Watch: "It’s Already Over”/“Masochistic Oath" Watch: "A Tempting Pain"

The Sonder Bombs - Clothbound Watch: "Crying Is Cool" Listen: "k."

Weezer - OK Human Watch: "All My Favorite Songs" Watch: "Numbers"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Buke & Gase / So Percussion - A Record Of Watch: "Hold It In" Watch: "Diazepam"

katie day - urdata Listen: "data" (Tomberlin Cover) Listen: "leaving"  (Laura Les Remix)

The Killers - Imploding the Mirage Watch: "C’est La Vie" Listen: "Blowback" (Acoustic)

Martin Gore - The Third Chimpanzee E.P. Watch: "Mandrill" Watch: "Howler"

PJ Harvey - Is This Desire? Watch: "Angelene" (Demo) Listen: "Is This Desire?"

Pynch - Somebody Else Watch: "Somebody Else" Watch: "The Whole World’s Going Crazy (For Love)"

My Favorite Albums of 2014

20. Spoon - They Want My Soul
19. Lykke Li - I Never Learn
18. The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
17. Jessie Ware - Tough Love
16. Tennis - Ritual in Repeat
15. D'Angelo & The Vanguard - The Black Messiah
14. tUnE-yArDs - Nikki Nack
13. Peter Matthew Bauer - Liberation!
12. Sharon Van Etten - Are We There
11. Afghan Whigs - Do to the Beast

10. Chet Faker - Built on Glass

I wish I had become acquainted with this Australian artist with the release of his first EP, Thinking in Textures, and his incredible cover of Blackstreet's "No Diggity." I came in earlier this year, though, just before the release of this debut album. I listened to, and watched the video for "Talk Is Cheap;" I was immediately reminded of Jamie Lidell at his best (around 2005's Multiply). Faker does a similarly masterful job of blending electronica, trip hop, and R&B. Watch: "Talk Is Cheap" Watch: "1998" Watch: "Gold"

9. Mac DeMarco - Salad Days

Prior to this year, I had dismissed Mac DeMarco as little more than a goofball with a guitar. However, after seeing how much praise his previous album, 2, received on 2012 year-end lists, as well as the praise heaped on this record when it was released, I decided I would be wise to check him out. While I have found a silly, irreverent attitude (and sometimes just gross) in many of his interviews, and especially in his music videos, I've also found laid-back, well-written work. I certainly regret underestimating this guy in the past, he's proof that a goofy persona doesn't equate to goofy music. Watch: "Chamber of Reflection" Watch: "Passing Out Pieces"

8. FKA twigs - LP1

This young lady has had quite the year. Some interesting things have happened in her personal life, but her music has been supremely impressive. She often gets pigeon-holed with the label of R&B (perhaps because of her race), but her music incorporates elements of trip hop, experimental, electronic, even choral music. All of that combines to make slow-burning, ethereal, and sensual songs. Her music didn't quite strike me on first listen; it's subtle, but over time I was able to parse out her influences and intricacies and ultimately come to love the release. Watch: "Two Weeks" Watch: "Video Girl"

7. Lia Ices - Ices

I loved Lia Ices' previous album, 2011's Grown Unknown, and found this to be a worthy follow-up, perhaps even more loved than that record. She took what she's done so well in the past and built upon it, while displaying more levity and a bit of international flair. This one of the few albums this year that, after listening through, I would allow to start back over at the beginning and listen through again. Watch: "Thousand Eyes" Watch: "Higher"

6. Adult Jazz - Gist Is

Adult Jazz is one of my absolute favorite new finds of the year. This Leeds band shows that the British do experimental rock just about the best. There are elements of so many things that I love here; vocals sometimes reminiscent of Yellow Ostrich, other times of Wild Beasts, and the occasional jangly guitar that reminds me of WU LYF. Oh, and trombones (if you know anything about me, you know that was my instrument of choice in high school and college). However, this also sounds like almost nothing else I've heard before. There was perhaps no other album this year that I was so excited to share with other people. Watch: "Springful" Watch: "Am Gone"

5. Sylvan Esso - Sylvan Esso

I'm sometimes a bit wary when musicians make a major shift from the genre in which they started. In Mountain Man, Amelia Meath created harmonious folk music. Her work here, with Megafaun's Nick Sanborn, is very different. The sound is a electronic-tinged indie pop. The backgrounds of the two musicians keep the output interesting and artsy, while Amelia's smoky vocals completely seal the deal. The album's opener "Hey Mami" was my own personal song of the summer. Watch: "Coffee" Watch: "Play It Right" Watch: "Dreamy Bruises"

4. Future Islands - Singles

It's not usually a live television performance that interests me in a band, but after hearing so much about Future Islands' Letterman appearance (and after an interesting NPR interview), I had to check this band out. I was not disappointed; the band looks so unassuming in pictures and, at first glance, their music seems to be the same way. But then, much as lead Samuel Herring busts into an odd dance move, he lets out a metal-style growl. The music is great, but it's those surprising touches that make it just a little more memorable. Watch: "Seasons (Waiting on You)" Watch: "A Dream of You and Me"

3. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

So many of today's hip hop talent is so young, with many artists having been born in the 1990s, but these two (El-P and Killer Mike are both pushing 40) set out to prove that it's not just a young man's game. They succeed, easily showing just about everyone else up. No album this year has made me feel so many emotions; anger, joy, sadness. Just for good measure, the duo also throws in a good amount of humor and sexuality. This could easily be my favorite hip hop album ever and another record that I would let repeat and listen to multiple times in a row. Watch: "Blockbuster Night Part 1" Watch: "Oh My Darling (Don't Cry)"

2. Hamilton Leithauser - Black Hours

At first, the announcement that The Walkmen were talking an "extreme hiatus" was terrifying news to me. No sooner than that news was released, though, several members had already announced their own solo records. They're all great, but frontman Hamilton Leithauser's stood out the most for me. His album could have come across as bare, lacking the band's other members, but he gets help from a number of other great musicians, and some of his bandmates are featured, as well. I still miss The Walkmen, but the solo albums are great to have in their absence. Watch: "11 O'Clock Friday Night" Watch: "I Don't Need Anyone" Watch: "Alexandra"

1. St. Vincent - St. Vincent

My number one favorite album for last year was a pretty easy choice to make. I've loved St. Vincent for a number of years and she hasn't has a misstep of an album yet. Her latest is probably her best yet. She's spent her career as the quintessential cool indie girl, but transformed herself in 2014; starting with an unexpected hair bleaching. She's become an almost superhuman figure, with music and a live persona to match. Albums released towards the beginning of the year tend to get forgotten once December rolls around,  this one was released in February, but I kept returning to this one all year long. Watch: "Birth in Reverse" Watch: "Digital Witness"

Honorable Mentions:
Alvvays - Alvvays
Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste
Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
Marissa Nadler - July
Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams

New Music Tuesday - September 16, 2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Allah-Las - Worship the Sun Sometimes, listening to the radio can still introduce you to some great new music... well, satellite radio, at least. During a recent road trip to a wedding in a rental car with free satellite radio, I first heard the Allah-Las. At this point, I can't quite remember the song that I heard, but I quickly jotted down their name so I could look them up later. Their garage rock game is strong and reminds me a little bit of Jaill around the time of their This Is How We Burn album. Definitely a great find! Watch: "No Werewolf" Watch: "501-415"

Blake Mills - Heigh Ho Blake Mills caught my ear on the quality of his recent collaborations. One of the early tracks released from this record featured vocals from the venerable Fiona Apple. His talents have also allowed him to play with artists like Cass McCombs, Band of Horses, and Julian Casablancas, as well as to produce albums for Alabama Shakes and Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek). But he's also an excellent solo musician with a new, but familiar sound. Heigh Ho is his second record. Watch: "If I'm Unworthy" Watch: "Don't Tell Our Friends About Me"

The Juan MacLean - In a Dream The end of LCD Soundsystem left many fans reeling, but here is yet another band to check out if you've been missing them. Made of up John MacLean and former LCD member Nancy Whang (who is featured gorgeously on the album cover), they produce a similar type of electronic dance-punk. In a Dream is their fifth studio record. Watch: "A Simple Design" Watch: "A Place Called Space"

Lia Ices - Ices A lot of new music comes out in a given year, a lot by artists that I have an interest in. Few, though, really make a solid impact, even fewer on first listen. But this is one of those albums. I first came to love Lia Ices with the release of her 2011 record Grown Unknown. That album is great, but this one also makes me incredibly happy to listen to. It's light and upbeat, but loses none of what made her so appealing to me initially. Watch: "Higher" Watch: "Thousand Eyes"

My Brightest Diamond - This Is My Hand Shara Worden's previous record, All Things Will Unwind, was my favorite of hers (up to that point) and somewhat changed how I thought about the artist. Where earlier work had seemed heady and a bit unapproachable, that record brought her sound back down to earth a bit. What I've heard from this seems to be on that same track. She keeps the classical intricacies of her past work, but the songs created are easily listenable and interesting. Watch: "Pressure" Listen: "This Is My Hand"

Octave Minds - Octave Minds Octave Minds is the newly-formed combination of Boyz Noise (aka Alexander Ridha) and Chilly Gonzalez (aka Jason Beck). The duo formed after the Canada-based Chilly relocated to Germany, where Boyz Noise is based. The EDM-meets-piano virtuosity combo makes for an unexpected pairing, but a thoroughly rewarding one. Although the band is made up of two incredible musicians, they've also enlisted the help of another notable act, Chance The Rapper. Watch: "Symmetry Slice" Watch: "Anthem"

She Keeps Bees - Eight Houses This band's interesting name comes from the surname of vocalist Jessica Larrabee. Since they formed in 2006, the band has garnered some pretty impressive comparisons to the White Stripes, PJ Harvey, and Cat Power, just to name a few. Their latest album also features fairly extensive guest vocals from another prominent artist, Sharon van Etten. Watch: "Is What It Is" Listen: "Breezy"

Shellac - Dude Incredible Shellac is the main band for guitarist Steve Albini, who has become better known for his production work than his own music. While he's a well-known and respected producer, he's had a long career as a musician, too, spanning back to the early 80s. This band has been together for just over 20 years and this is their fifth album. Listen: "Dude Incredible" Listen: "All the Surveyors"

Other New Releases

CONS EP Vol. 2 The CONS EP series is a new music project from shoe brand Converse. Previously, they engaged in an ongoing singles series that saw contributions from artists such as Julian Casablancas, Frank Ocean, and Santigold. This new campaign is a lot more focused on skateboard culture and sees more hip hop and punk contributions. This latest has a collaboration between Flatbush Zombies (hip hop) and Trash Talk (punk). Listen: Flatbush Zombies x Trash Talk - "Modern Mayhem"

Dead Man's Town: A Tribute to Born in the USA June 2014 marked the 30th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's iconic Born in the USA. To celebrate the record's milestone, Lightning Rod Records has put together a tribute album made of up covers from that album performed by a variety of artists. Featured here are Low, Nicole Atkins, Jason Isbell, and Blitzen Trapper, among many others. Listen: Nicole Atkins - "Dancing in the Dark" Listen: Low - "I'm on Fire"

Franz Ferdinand - Late Night Tales The Late Night Tales series continues to go strong with this 37th entry, curated by Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand. Along with their own new singles, "Leaving My Old Life Behind," theirs features songs from Boards of Canada, James Brown, and Paul McCartney. Watch: Franz Ferdinand - "Leaving My Old Life Behind" Watch: R. Stevie Moore - "I'm Only Sleeping"

Jimi Hendrix - The Cry of Love Reissue A couple of Jimi Hendrix albums are getting reissued this week. The first, The Cry of Love, was the first released posthumously following his death in 1970. He had been working on the record before his death, but the individual tracks were in various stages of completion. Everything was completed following his death; the result is a highly-regarded album. Listen: "In from the Storm" Listen: "Belly Button Window"

Jimi Hendrix - Rainbow Bridge Reissue This was the second album released following Hendrix's death. It was released as a soundtrack for the concert film of the same name, though it did not contains any live performances featured in the film. Like its predecessor, it features tracks that Jimi worked on towards the end of his life. Listen: "Hey Baby" Listen: "Room Full of Mirrors"

LAMC #13 The thirteenth installment of Famous Class' Less Artists More Condos series takes on a punk vibe. The split single features a new track from Parquet Courts on one side, and one from Future Punx on the other. Listen: Parquet Courts - "This Is Happening Now" Listen: Future Punx - "Spike Train"

Mass Appeal Compilation Vol. 1 Mass Appeal is a music, fashion and culture media network with a heavy focus on hip hop. For their first compilation, they have enlisted such artists as A$AP Ferg, YG, and Pusha T to contribute new songs. Listen: "Old English"

Moonface - City Wrecker EP City Wrecker is the follow-up to Moonface's incredible 2013 album, Julia with Blue Jeans On. It has a similar name to a recent popular Miley Cyrus track and Spencer Krug has described it as an aesthetic counterpoint to that song. Don't let that stop you from giving it a listen though, it's a great EP! Watch: "City Wrecker" Listen: "Daughter of a Dove"

Nancy Whang - The Nancy Whang Casablanca Reworks In addition to a new album from her band, The Juan MacLean, Nancy Whang is also putting out this mix of song reworkings this week. She applies her own touch to tracks like "Working the Midnight Shift" (by Donna Summer), "Like an Eagle" (Dennis Parker), and "Flashlight" (Parliament). Watch: "Like an Eagle" Listen: "Flashlight"

Ramona Lisa - Dominic EP Caroline Polachek of Chairlift released her first solo album, Arcadia, just this past April. She is following that up with a short collection of new songs. The title track is taken from her album; additionally, the release includes a French-language version of the song, a brand new song, and a cover of a song originally by Psychic Tv. Watch: "Dominic"

Run the Jewels - "Oh My Darling Don't Cry" The hip hop duo of El-P and Killer Mike contribute the latest track to the Adult Swim Singles Series,w which features their trademark back-and-forth style. Run the Jewels will also be releasing their sophomore album later this year! Listen: "Oh My Darling Don't Cry"

Ryan Adams - "Jacksonville" 7" I guess Ryan Adams decided to make 2014 a catch-up year. With a fairly long (for him, at least) gap between albums, he is quickly making up for it with new material. In addition to his recent album, he has put a single, two EPs (including this one), and has another EP slated for late October. Listen: "Jacksonville" Listen: "I Keep Running"

Swim Good x RLMDL- "Saturday" Swim Good is a Toronto-based producer whose name is a nod towards a Frank Ocean track. RLMDL is an electronic dreampop outfit, also from Toronto. Together, they've created a track that's a mix of genres from ambient, to house, to indie pop. Listen: "Saturday"