Wooo! This is a great week for new music. Don’t take my word for it. Press play...
Neko Case - Hell-On
I love Neko Case. She makes beautiful music, sometimes esoteric, but always tremendous songwriting, arranging, singing, production. Basically, everything you want from a record. Hell-On appears to be no exception. This is why I get excited about Friday.
Father John Misty - God’s Favorite Customer
J. Tillman, aka Father John Misty, has been all over the indie-folk world for more than a decade. He has released a number of solo projects and side projects and was also a member of Fleet Foxes when they were smashing through the mid-2000s zeitgeist. This album is particularly wrought with heartache and pain, and frankly, sounds great.
Natalie Prass - The Future and the Past
Surprise favorite of the week... come here for sophisticated pop arrangements with healthy heaps of soul and funk deliciousness. This is apparently Prass’ second album. Excuse me while I also check out her first.
Roger Daltrey - As Long As I Have You
I admit to being pleasantly startled within the first 30 seconds of the opening cut. I almost didn’t press play. There are so many sad, lackluster releases by aging rock stars, but The Who legend Daltrey explodes out of the gate with a shockingly strong voice, sounding only slightly more weathered than his younger self. With a twinge of blues, this is extremely satisfying if you like the sound of The Who at all.
Paul Simon - Graceland - The Remixes
What happens when you drag the pieces of a classic album into modern electronic production? You’re reminded of how little substance goes into making dance tracks. Perhaps it satisfies a curiosity, at the very least. I went into this with an open mind, excited to hear people create new great art out of classic great art. There’s just so little point to a groove without even a dash of soul. Maybe dance music is your thing...maybe you can explain why I should like this more than the original.
LUMP - LUMP
This is a collaboration between Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay. I’m less familiar with Lindsay, but Marling is a fantastic, prolific British folk singer/songwriter. This project is incredibly artsy, combining Marling’s folk leanings with chamber music elements and lots of electronics. I’m here for it.
Phil Cook - People are my Drug
A roosty, soulful release from Cook, who sounds occasionally like Van Morrison and a bit like Ben Harper or half-a-dozen other guys who sound like Ben Harper. Which sounds more dismissive than I mean it. This is pleasant music.
Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of
In the try something completely weird and wild category, you will find this release. It’s a unique mixture of styles, genres, and time periods all smashed into a synthesizer. The track below is a little farther inside the box than some of the other tracks, but have a visit here for your artsy, experimental side.
Maps & Atlases - LIghtlessness is Nothing New
Maps & Atlases began in the mid-2000s like so many others, with that experimental, folk-pop kind of influence. Much of the folk has been abandoned for this release, and what’s left is some satisfying pop music.