April is in the house and it feels good. The tide of new music hasn't lost any momentum and this past Friday of fresh releases is proof positive. We've put together some of the highlights below.
It seems as if The Last Shadow Puppets could do no wrong. They are loved by the indie-rock kids while maintaining a strong foothold with mainstream audiences as well, a seemingly daunting task they seem to pull off effortlessly. Their long-awaited sophomore LP Everything You’ve Come To Expect dropped this past Friday; I've included "Element Of Surprise," a more uptempo cut off the record that sways in a disco direction. I approve.
Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson have churned out sleepy sound waves for seven albums as Hammock, and not too many folks are aware of their talents. The post-rock/ambient dream pop duo just released Everything And Nothing, and it's beautiful. If you've heard past material from Hammock, you'll immediately recognize the increase of vocals, an element they've incorporated to perfection. Hammock is all about ethereal soundscapes, intricate melodies and creating great emotion throughout the entire album. If you want to sit back and count the stars, reach for Everything And Nothing as your guide.
Seth Haley aka Com Truise is back with a new EP called Silicon Tare. It's five electro-spacey funk tracks built on synths and studded with bleeps and splices galore. It stays on course with previous Haley offerings and should please current fans while bringing in new ones with catchy driving basslines and a whirlwind of synthesizers.
Oh, and in case you were wondering — Kanye's Life Of Pablo is officially available for everyone to enjoy, and it's quite enjoyable. I don't care what he says on Twitter; it's an excellent hip-hop record touching on a span of musical genres. If you're a hip-hop fan, you should take a moment to experience Life Of Pablo stat.
1. The Last Shadow Puppets, "Element Of Surprise"
2. Pete Yorn, "She Was Weird"
3. HAELOS, "Full Circle"
4. Cool Sounds, "In Blue Skies"
5. Kanye West Feat. Chris Brown, "Waves"
6. Frightened Rabbit, "Die Like A Rich Boy"
7. Hammock, "We Were So Young"
8. Japanese Breakfast, "In Heaven"
9. Iggy Pop, "Gardenia"
10. Young Thug, "Worth It"
11. Weezer, "(Girl We Got A) Good Thing"
12. The Lumineers, "Angela"
13. Bibio, "A Mineral Love"
14. James Supercave, "Virtually a Girl"
15. Com Truise, "du Zirconia"
https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:leilanipolk:playlist:6mD31vfAaTQrrtsk90LyUq
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2016.