Tuesday, March 8, 2022

First Listen: New Releases for 4 March 2022

Artist: Suz Slezak
Album: Our Wings May Be Featherless
Quick Thoughts: It's impossible for us to be objective about one half of David Wax Museum, so I'm not going to even try. Suz Slezak's first solo album is a really gorgeous folky poppy effort, with a few songs that, were there any justice in the world, would sit comfortably on the radio. If you're a fan of David Wax Museum, you'll find a lot to love here, and if you're not, you'll still find a lot to love. It's easily a favorite of the year so far.
Songs of Note: "Beautiful Mess," "Blaze of Gold," "Now It Is Morning"

Artist: Luna Li
Album: Duality
Quick Thoughts: Luna Li has been on my radar for a bit, but even this album surprised me. This has a lot of interesting songs, and it's got a bit of an edge to it, too - the song with beadadoobee in particular is a highlight, but her mix of styles and themes makes her stand out in ways other efforts don't. In a busy week, you shouldn't let this slip away.
Songs of Note: "Cherry Pit," "Silver Into Rain," "Star Stuff"

Artist: Magic Shoppe
Album: Mono Lake
Quick Thoughts: Magic Shoppe should be a much bigger band than they are, yet they continue to carve a unique and awesome path through the indie rock landscape. If you can listen to these songs and not be swayed by what they put together, I don't know what else to say. They're the sleeper act of the moment, as far as I'm concerned.
Songs of Note: "I Feel High," "Looking Right Through"

Artist: CMAT
Album: If My Wife New I'd Be Dead
Quick Thoughts: I only wish this came out in a less busy week. CMAT is pop with a country lean in many regards, but isn't taking any of it too seriously, and the end result is sort of like a southern fried Kate Nash in many regards. It's probably the most fun I had with a record this week, for sure, and I think she's close to exploding onto the scene. This works incredibly well, and is definitely worth your time.
Songs of Note: "Nashville," "No More Virgos," "Communion," "Every Bottle (Is My Boyfriend)," "I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!"

Artist: Rhyan Sinclair
Album: Letters to Aliens
Quick Thoughts: The other mainline country effort this week comes from Rhyan Sinclair, a new-to-me singer songwriter who has a great voice and even greater songs. This may be a little more mainstream than the country-style music we prefer around these parts, but if we're being honest, we'd probably like mainstream country more if it sounded like this. If "Dragon Spirit" doesn't grab you by the first chorus, I don't know what's wrong with you.
Songs of Note: "Dragon Spirit," "Interstate Sailors," "Bad Time"

Artist: The Weeping Willows
Album: You Reap What You Sow
Quick Thoughts: Ken has been raving about The Weeping Willows so long that I'm glad this album exists so I can really get to understanding the hype, and yeah, it's all warranted. This gives me real Brown Bird by way of the Cactus Blossoms vibes in a lot of ways, and it has such a rich, deep feel that's unlike anything else out there as of late. This is basically a mandatory listen this week in a release batch containing a bunch of them.
Songs of Note: "Bells are Ringing in the Courtyard," "Singin' the Blues," "Wheels Won't Roll"

Artist: Moon Panda
Album: What On Earth
Quick Thoughts: Moon Panda's debut feels a little light and airy in all aspects, but inside this album is some real depth to its dreamlike state. It's a little trip-hop, a little psych-pop, and just a lot of unexpected and gorgeous listen. Don't let its presentation fool you, this is another great release in a week full of them.
Songs of Note: "Moonrise," "Anemone," "Rabbit"

Artist: supernowhere
Album: Skinless Takes a Flight
Quick Thoughts: Ken sent this one over late, and I'm glad he did - I don't know whether to call this post rock or math rock or indie prog... it's super great, regardless. As indescribable as it tends to be, it's a pretty solid listen that I'm looking forward to getting back to.
Songs of Note: "Basement Window," "Amphibian"

Artist: Nilüfer Yanya
Album: PAINLESS
Quick Thoughts: Nilüfer Yanya is a British singer-songwriter with a style and sound completely her own. We missed her debut, but this one is a brash, loud slice of music that sometimes goes the alt-rock route, sometimes the singer-songwriter route, and sometimes just holds its own lane entirely. This defiance of easy categorization lends itself to a sometimes chaotic listen, but that's to its benefit - I tripped up on this accidentally and ended up falling hard for it. You will, too.
Songs of Note: "stabilise," "try," "belong with you," "the dealer"

* Charming Disaster - Our Lady of Radium (Interesting concept album about Marie Curie.)
* Band of Horses - Things Are Great (A number of great moments throughout.)
* Charlotte Adigery and Bolis Pupul - Topical Dancer (When this hits, it hits real well.)
* Ky Voss - The After
* Band of Horses - Things Are Great
* LEYA - Eyeline
* Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs - External Combustion
* Alessia Cara - Broken Heart
* Guided by Voices - Crystal Nuns Cathedral
* Tom Caruna - Strange Planet
* Onyx - 1993
* Dolly Parton - Run, Rose, Run
* Allegra Krieger - Precious Thing
* Shane Parish - Liverpool
* The Weather Station - How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars

EPs:

* The Dead South - Easy Listening for Jerks Pt. 2 (Truly chaotic collection of covers.)
* Your Old Droog - YOD Wave
* Morgan Harper-Jones - While You Lay Sound Asleep * Meth Math - m♡rtal * Babehoven - Sunk
* Blackhaine - And Salford Falls Apart
* RZA and DJ Scratch - Saturday Afternoon Kung Fu Theater
* Madi Diaz - Same History, New Feelings
* Smoke DZA, Nym Lo, and 183rd - Driplomatic Immunity
* JEFF The Brotherhood - Ye Olde...

Live albums/Compilations/Reissues:

* Covers of Covers: Celebrating 20 Years of Radar Magazine (Lots of fun takes here.)
* The Coral - The Coral (Remastered 2021)
* The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray (Expanded Edition)
* The Anchoress - The Art of Losing (Expanded Edition)
* Purple Disco Machine - Exotica (Deluxe)

Also out:

* Thurston Moore - Screen Time
* Scott Metzger - Too Close to Reason

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