Tuesday, December 11, 2018

First Listen: New Releases for 7 December

A few new to you, a few new to us...


Artist: Viagra Boys
Album: Street Worms
Quick Description: Oddball (post?)-punk.
Why You Should Listen: Defies expectation but might be your favorite anyway.
Overall Thoughts: When one of your favorite authors with solid music taste tosses out a couple songs you’ve never heard of, you take notice and listen. This is a terrible band name by all accounts, but when you listen to a song like “Sports” you realize you’re hearing something really odd and unique, and realize its brilliance once you get to songs like “Frogstrap.” I hate that I likely missed this one back when it came out because of the band’s name, as this is definitely a solid listen.
Recommendation: Make it a point to listen to this one.


Artist: LP
Album: Heart to Mouth
Quick Description: Ambiguous pop music.
Why You Should Listen: LP is a good pop record that you might miss otherwise.
Overall Thoughts: Sometimes the pop stuff can get overlooked when it comes to acts on the fringe trying to break through, and I feel like LP is the type of act that will get overlooked and should not. This album is super catchy with a ton of interesting pieces behind it that surprised me. It’s fun and it’s polished, and pop fans need to give this a listen.
Recommendation: Give it a shot.


Artist: Ice Cube
Album: Everythang's Corrupt
Quick Description: You know Ice Cube.
Why You Should Listen: Guys, it's Ice Cube.
Overall Thoughts: A rap legend in his own right, Ice Cube is back with a solid album. Occasionally dated at times, the highlights more than outweigh any issues I may have had. It kicks off with “Arrest the President,” which is not exactly subtle, and continues along the track of the type of music that made Cube famous. There’s no “Bop Gun” here, but there doesn’t have to be...
Recommendation: ...it’s just a solid rap effort.


Artist: David Benedict
Album: The Golden Angle
Quick Description: Solid instrumental bluegrass.
Why You Should Listen: It's incredibly well done.
Overall Thoughts: Another one we missed, this is high-quality instrumental bluegrass. For whatever reason, I feel like it’s pretty difficult to find solid new instrumental bluegrass (assuming there’s interest in it at all), and this album largely takes the cake. Modern yet classic, this is one that’s worth putting on at your holiday gatherings after you’ve worn out the Christmas music.
Recommendation: Listen to this.

Of note:

* The Bevis Frond - We're Your Friends, Man (A little long, but still largely holds up.)
* Mega Ran - A Very Random Christmas (You didn't know you needed rap music over the Charlie Brown Christmas album until now.)
* 10 Years of Mom+Pop

7 song albums:

* The Dazies - Panic All the Time
* Jasmine Guffond - Degradation Loops

EPs:

* HXXS - MKDRONE
* Underworld - Drift Episode 1

Also out:

* Elephant Gym - Underwater

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