It's a rather jam-packed week of new music, with a boatload of albums out and too little time to listen to them all. The most noteworthy ones are listed below with hyperlinks, audio, video and some information, too.
Active Child, Mercy (Vagrant)
Alpine, Yuck (VOTIV)
Melbourne sextet Alpine presents a sophomore follow-up to 2013 debut A Is For Alpine. Their latest apparently explores their “yuck reactions to first world problems: awkward dates, a distaste for romance, lust when lust is lost, plastic vanity, foolish attraction and ego against egos." Video for the breezy cooing “Foolish” below.
Beautiful Bodies, Battles (Epitaph)
Calvin Love, Super Future (Arts & Crafts)
Self-styled space/time traveler from Edmonton, Alberta has been issuing a series of sci-fi-inspired singles of synthy groove funk dosed in bass, electric guitars and hip swaggering rhythms like "Automaton," its refrain: "Now off in the distance, her machine calls out 'I wish you were my robot' so I wouldn't feel left out'". I dig "I Wanna Know" more; it has a harder groove and more attitude. Check it below.
Dog Party!, Vol. 4 (Asian Man Records)
Cooper, Cooper (Mom + Pop)
Everything Everything, Get To Heaven (Sony/RCA/VICTOR)
I have a soft spot for UK bands and this experimental/art rock outfit from Manchester caught my ears a few years ago with Arc and it's lead-off single "Cough Cough." The latest single off their third full length is "Regret" but I'm more drawn to the first single off their "Distant Past," which is decidedly weird but somehow rather charming and features the usual out-there vocal tricks. The video is fun, too.
Fort Lean, Quiet Day (Ooh La La)
Fucked Up, Year of the Hare EP (Deathwish)
Heartless Bastards, Restless Ones (Partisan)
Hudson Mohawke, Lantern (Warp)
Jaakko Eino Kalevi, Jaakko Eino Kalevi (Weird World/Domino)
“Surges of strings, pinched guitar themes, and vocal tones from a tongue that must surely rest on a plush velvet cushion" — Spin. Full album stream here.
Adam Lambert, The Original High (Warner Bros.)
Mates of State, You’re Going To Make It EP (Barsuk)
mewithoutYou, Pale Horses (Run for Cover Records)
Migos, Y.R.N. The Album (Quality Control Music/300 Entertainment)
The debut release from a rising Atlanta rap trio made up of rappers Quavo, Takeoff and Offset features guest spots by the likes of French Montana, Meek Mill, Young Thug, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, T.I., Boosie Badazz & Rick Ross. In conjunction with the album's release, Migos will also premiere a clothing line "Yung Rich Nation," that includes graphic tees and cut n' sew designs. Check "John Wick" below.
Mika, No Place In Heaven (Republic)
Outfit, Slowness (Memphis Industries)
Zac Nelson, New Once (Styles Upon Styles)
Nick Diamonds, City of Quartz (Manque Music)
The frontman of Islands has put out a new record of dark electro dance grooves. The first single sounds righteous. Check it below.
https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=618664163/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/ Part Time, Virgo's Maze (Burger Records)
Phish, Amsterdam (JEMP Records)
A fresh eight-CD box set made up of three live shows recorded at Paradiso in the Netherlands, on February 17, and July 1-2, 1997, fully mixed and mastered from the band's multitracks.
Ike Reilly, Born On Fire (Rock Ridge Music/Firebrand Records)
Nate Ruess, Grand Romantic (Fueled by Ramen)
The leading voice of fun. presents a solo LP.
Ryn Weaver, The Fool (Mad Love/Interscope)
The Steeldrivers, The Muscle Shoals Recordings (Rounder Records)
Christopher Paul Stelling, Labor Against Waste (Anti-)
James Taylor, Before This World (Concord)
Tempel, On the Steps of the Temple (Prosthetic Records)
Yonder Mountain String Band, Black Sheep (Frog Pad Records)
Yukon Blonde, On Blonde (Dine Alone Records)
Pop sensible indie rockers Yukon Blonde experiment with darker-tinged psychedelic elements and heavier grinding synthesizers on their latest, produced by Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Sleepy Sun). Check out "I Wanna Be Your Man" below.
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
AraabMuzik, Dream World
David Benoit featuring Jane Monheit, 2 In Love
Ben Browning, Turns
Parks Burton/Kazimier, Gifts EP
Cathedral, In Memoriam
Cold Cave, Full Cold Moon
Sarah Cracknell, Red Kit
Crosss, LO
Donald Cumming, Out Calls Only Out
Aaron Diehl, Space, Time, Continuum
DJ Koze, DJ Kicks
Hilary Duff, Breathe In. Breathe Out.
The Expanders, Hustling Culture
Michael Hix, Aeon
KEN Mode, Success
Amos Lee, Live At Red Rocks With The Colorado Symphony
Little Racer, Foreign Tongues
Monarchy, Re|Vision EP
Giorgio Moroder, Déjà Vu
NOVALIMA, Planetario
Peptalk, Islet
Sorority Noise, Joy, Departed
Third Eye Blind, Dopamine
Walk Off the Earth, Sing It All Away
