New Release Album Cycle for February 14th
Full Album Release List, My Thoughts On Some and The Apple Music and Spotify Playlists
Here are this week's new album releases and the playlist for Apple Music and Spotify, along with my thoughts on some.
Some of the artists on the playlist that I do not give thoughts on are The Altons, who have a new soul revival album out on Daptone Records called Heartache In Room 14 that is very good. They try a few different things unlike many of these types of acts, but it’s pretty subtle. The fifth album from Canadian devotee of Sparks, Art’ Ecoo is out, and it’s pretty fun. There is an album from an indie rock band called Cryogeyser that I like but need to spend more time with.
The new album from Jayhawks member Gary Louris is a good listen for fans of the Jayhawks. I have had this for a couple of weeks, and some of it was immediate, probably because of my familiarity with the artist, but some had to grow on me a bit. It’s good, though. Marshall Allen is here with his debut album. He is 100 years old and was a member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra. There is a new album from rapper Brother Ali and UK hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks. I really connected with an album from ambient country act Suss and Immersion, which is part of Immersion's Nanocluster series. Immersion is a project from Colin Newman of the legendary post punk band Wire. It’s a stunning ambient-type album.
HERE IS THE LINK TO THE APPLE MUSIC PLAYLIST-THE SPOTIFY PLAYLIST IS BELOW
John Glacier-Like A Ribbon-This is the debut from UK rapper John Glacier, though she has been putting out music for a bit and making waves. It’s a real stream-of-conscious vocal style over a variety of beats, electronic music, guitar, and more. At times it is deep, poetic, and thought-provoking, and at times it’s wildly addictive and catchy, like on the track “Emotions.”. This album will probably be on many best of the year lists and rightly so. Every listen gets better on this one. Check it out.
Horsegirl-Phonetics On and On—This band's 2022 album was easily one of my most played of that year. It was almost a tribute to indie rock of the past, and they nailed it. A little noisy, a little off-kilter, and with some catchy songs that held up, I would consider future classics on the indie rock playlist. The new album is produced by Cate Le Bon, and so I expected them to ramp up the wonk, but instead they have really stripped things down and are doing things a bit more straightforward. It’s still very raw, and the hooks are very much there; in fact, a lot of this is very sing-songy and at times a little childlike in its melodies. They certainly did not remake their first album, and I respect that. Sometimes that does not work; I think it does here. This should be a grower.
Manic Street Preachers-Critical Thinking-There were two bands in the 90s that were the most important to me. Suede and Manic Street Preachers, and both are still putting out albums that are met with anticipation and excitement. Suede are making music that is among the best in their almost forty-year career and sound more relevant than ever. The Manics were so relevant and important at the start that maintaining that was always going to be difficult. They currently put out albums full of anthems, well-written songs, and great riffs, and they still have a lot to say both culturally and politically—it’s just delivered with a bit more dad rock vibes and has been for a while. Critical Thinking is absolutely among their best later-era work, and this delivers for the fans that have stuck with them big time. There is some great guitar work here; I think they stepped up lyrically here with songs like “People Ruin Paintings” and their much talked about song “Stephen,” which is about Morrissey, but possibly not in the way people are thinking. If you are a fan, this is worth a listen for sure. If you have no idea who the Manics are, start at the beginning and know that I am jealous of that being able to discover them for the first time.
Here is this weeks new album list
Alessia Cara – Love &Hyperbole
The Altons – Heartache in Room 14
Art d’Ecco – Serene Demon
Bartees Strange – Horror
Bleeding Through-NINE
BLOND:ISH – Never Walk Alone
Brother Ali-Satisfied Soul
Chatham Rabbits – Be Real With Me
Cryogeyser – Cryogeyser
Dead American – Attention Deficit
The Delines – Mr. Luck and Ms. Doom
Denison Witmer – Anything At All
Doves – Constellations For The Lonely
Drake and PartyNextDoor – $ome $exy $ongs
Feng-What The Feng
fish narc – frog song
Frog-1000 Variations
Gary Louris (of The Jayhawks) – Dark Country
Head Like Houses – A T M O S P H E R I C S
Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On
The Illness – Macrodosed
Immersion and SUSS – Nanocluster Vol.3
JISOO (of BLACKPINK) – AMORTAGE
John Glacier – Like A Ribbon
Jaun Berdugo-Endless Bright Horizon
Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire
Love Is Noise-To Live In A Different Way
The Lumineers – Automatic
Mallrat – Light hit my face like a straight right
Mantar – Post Apocalyptic Depression
Margaret Cho – Lucky Gift
Marinero – La La La
Marshall Allen (of Sun Ra Arkestra) – New Dawn
Mereba – The Breeze Grew a Fire
Morgan Saint – Out of the Blue
Neil Young – Oceanside Countryside
Ohgeesy – Paid N Full
Oracle Sisters – Divinations
Pattern-Seeking Animals – Friend of All Creatures
Richard Dawson – End of the Middle
Rizzle Kids-Competition Is For Losers
Rusty Williams – Grand Man
Saint Motel – Symphony in the Sky
Savage Lands – Army of the Trees
Thala – Avalance
The Velveteers – A Million Knives
Vulture Feather-It Will Be Like Now
The War and Treaty – Plus One
WARLUNG – The Poison Touch
And Winona Fighter – My Apologies to the Chef