April 12th New Album Cycle

Thoughts on new albums and this weeks playlist

Here is this weeks New Music Playlist

Here are my thoughts on some of this week's albums. This week ended up being kind of odd. As I went through all of the releases to whittle down what I wanted on the play list and pick out five to talk about, I was finding so many singles that I was liking and figured this would be a week where I just would have to write about seven or eight albums, and even that wouldn’t cover it. As I got into a lot of the albums, it didn’t really pan out that way, and I ended up with five, not the ones I thought would be at the top of the list. I did leave the playlist heavy on the songs, though, as you may have different thoughts. A lot of stuff with a lot of potential and maybe repeated listens will drive some of it home.

English Teacher-This Could Be Texas-debut album from the Leeds band. This is easily the strongest release of the week and one of the most unique in a while. Nothing on here is ground-breaking, but how they mix styles—mix the talky with the singing, dream pop with emo-ish mathy art rock and punk. Sometimes smart, sometimes nonsensical, and sometimes mundane, with purposeful lyrics. I find it very intriguing, and front person Lilly Fontaine has that “don’t fuck with me” matter of fact-ness in her vocals that reminds me a bit of Dry Cleaning. Almost every song on here is engaging in its own way. “R&B” has Fontaine stating, “despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B, even though I have seen more colour shows than KEXP’s.” This is done over a driving post-punk baseline. On “The World's Biggest Paving Slab,” she sings, “I am the world's biggest paving slab and the world's smallest celebrity,” as the driving bass line once again appears, with glorious musical chaos accompanying it. It’s just a super cool album, fun in some places  with purpose in others. This is a pretty addictive album and one you can really sit down with. Doesn't come out physically for a couple weeks in America. It’s on streaming, though.

Aaron Lee Tasjan-Stellar Evolution-Tasjan started off a quirky Americana folk artist and became beloved by the No Drepession crowd. On his last album Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! he started to sound like 80’s Tom Petty adding a lot of pop elements into his music. That is a great album if you have not heard it. On Stellar Evolution he goes part full on synth pop, part power pop, part dramatic pop and most of the Americana traces are left behind. As much as I am a fan of Americana and roots music, this is definately Tasjan’s strong suit. He has always had a knack for an infectious hooks, and the unleashes them with force here. The songs are joyful, his songwriting if briming with confidence and insight into him and the album delivers front to back. Check it out.

Nicolette and the Nobodies-This Canadian country band packs quite a punch. Obviously influenced by classic country-they blow through rock-a-billy influenced tunes, honky tonk numbers, and then there are songs like “Ready or Not” that remind me of Neko Case. It’s a gritty album, not over produced and Nicolette and her band deliver both vocally and musically. If you are into country and Americana Music, this is a must listen. Would love to see this live.

Shabaka-Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace-Shabaka is from the Sons of Kemet and is traditionally a tenor saxophone player. He is taking a hiatus from that instrument because he was burned out. He goes into much more detail on that if you want to Google it. So, this album features a lot of flute and different kinds of flute and many guests, including E L U C I D, Liane La Havas, Laraaji, Floating Points, Anum Iyapo, Saul Williams, and Moses Sumney). The album is absolutely stunning, and if you are reading this on Sunday morning, I would put it on immediately, as it is one of those Sunday morning albums for sure. The occasional vocals from guests help give a different kind of life to the album and open it up a lot. Check it out.

Asha Jefferies-Ego Ride-Asha doesn’t have a lot of views, streams, or anything like that. It doesn’t seem to be on the radar, though the Australian singer-songwriter is on the Nettwork label, so word could get out. I don’t know much about this artist, but the young singer-songwriter is writing some very good songs. They are songs that are not geared to fifty-year-old men like me and, lyrically, will relate more to younger people, but still, they are solid songs. “Tank Tops” really soars as it crescendos from a simple twee pop song. “Stranger” is the strongest song on the album, with a stark paino hook that gets in you and a wonderful chorus and lyrics that any age can relate to. “Keep My Shit” together will probably be the breakout song if she has one, it’s got a catchy hook, catchy driving guitar strum, it’s relatable; and it has some fun weirdness in the middle. Ego Ride is a very easy listen, fun songs, and while kind of twee and youthful-they are well crafted and should hold up to repeated listens.

The Reds, Pinks & Purples – Your Worst Song Is Your Greatest Hit

English Teacher – This Could Be Texas

girl in red – I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!*

Aaron Lee Tasjan – Stellar Evolution!

Asha Jefferies – Ego Ride

Bodega – Our Brand Could Be Yr Life

James – Yummy

Jess Ribeiro – Summer of Love

Louisa Stancioff – When We Were Looking

Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me

MELTS – Field Theory

Meshell Ndegeocello – Red

METZ – Up on Gravity Hill

Nicolette & The Nobodies – The Long Way

Shabaka (of Sons of Kemet) –  Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge its

Trummors – 5

Work Wife – Waste Management

The Ballroom Thieves – Sundust

Birdfeeder (feat. Mark Mulcahy) – Woodstock

Blue Bendy – So Medieval

Lynks – Abomination

Mark Knopfler – One Deep River

9T Antiope – Horror Vacui

Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties – In Lieu of Flowers

Bad Bad Hats – Bad Bad Hats

Blue Öyster Cult – Ghost Stories

Bridget Kearney (of Lake Street Dive) – Comeback Kid

Clarissa Connelly – World of Work

The Cosmic Dead – Infinite Peaks

Cosmo Sheldrake – Eye to the Ear

Dog Date – Zinger

DRAM – DRAM&B

Elliott BROOD – Town & Country

Exist – Hijacking the Zeitgeist

Future and Metro Boomin – We Still Don’t Trust You

Heavenly Blue – We Have the Answer

Heavy Temple – Garden of Heathens

Hour – Ease the Work

Humbird – Right On

Imminence – The Black

Jakobs Castle (Jakob Nowell) – Enter: The Castle

James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg – All Gist

Kenny Garrett and Svoy – Who Killed AI?

Letters Sent Home – Forever Undone

Leyla McCalla – Sun Without the Heat

Hot & Ra: The Magic City

NECROT – Lifeless Birth

Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud

Phil Manzanera (of Roxy Music) – Revolución To Roxy

The Read Pears – Better Late Than Never

Ryan Lott – Greatest Hits (Original Score Soundtrack)

SETYØURSAILS – Bad Blood

sleepmakeswaves – It’s Here, But I Have No Names For It

Sophie Gault – Baltic Street Hotel

Sunburned Hand of The Man – Nimbus

Tom Jenkins – Meadow Part 2

Torn Boy – 1983

Tusks – Gold

Tyler Hubbard – Strong

Will Hoge – Tenderhearted