106 – New Music Jason’s Picks

It’s been a Banner Week in New Music. Good thing that I will never run out of rafters to hang them in My Imaginary Gymnasium. I was able to find thirteen new titles that I’m really happy to recommend.

I should mention, if anyone reading this connects with only one of the titles I talk about, that really makes me happy. I don’t expect everyone to like everything that I like. I contain multitudes.

To start the week off right, I have to start with the pre-release single for Björk’s new album, Fossora, due at the end of the month. Released on Tuesday, Atapos features an Electronic bed, with a Clarinet sextet. Björk’s voice continues to be unmatched, and her lyrics are a call to the heart of everyone, to overcome our differences. “If we don’t grow outwards towards love, we’ll implode inwards towards destruction.”

Björk – Atopos

Another single (of sorts) was brought to my attention this week, thanks to fellow Music Blog New Music United. Catherine Graindorge is a Belgian Violinist and Composer, and has released the four-track, The Dictator. The title track features Iggy Pop, and so too do the two tracks that follow. Track Four is an instrumental piece, simply titled Iggy. Dark, deep, and atmospheric.

Catherine Graindorge feat. Iggy Pop –
The Dictator

My BandCamp Wishlist paid off again this week. As I mentioned on Tuesday, LA Artist Sudan Archives’ second album, Natural Brown Prom Queen, was released today (Friday). It has certainly exceeded my expectations, with its array of sonic palettes at play. Trip-Hop meets R&B, which then meets with Experimental Electronic Music. Highly recommend. Highly.

*Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen*

Also on my Wishlist this week was an album by an artist from Cyprus. I’ve always had a fondness for Cyprus, as my old friend Biva visited family there and brought back a keychain for me, in the shape of the island. The easternmost part of the Country (which I referred to as “Cyprus Hill”), was useful for cleaning out my cannabis pipe. I miss it to this day. Nevertheless, Cypriot Antonis Antoniou brings interesting sounds with his second solo album, Throisma. Antonis is a Sound Artist and Producer, and across the nine tracks, he utilizes analog synths, fuzzy bass, and tzouras (which is a small bouzouki), to create a mystical Eastern Mediterranean journey.

Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall had a hit back in 2004 with, Black Horse And The Cherry Tree, and I hadn’t heard much from her since. To my surprise, she’s just released her ninth album since then. I’m pleased to recommend NUT for its creative Pop production (by Martin Terefe), it’s incorporation of unique instrumentation, and Tunstall’s skilled vocals.

I was wondering when I’d be hearing from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Moreover, what form will the New Music from Minneapolis take? Will it be following in the footsteps of local legends Prince, or Hüsker Dü? Or maybe something else entirely? Surrogates are something else entirely. Their lofi, no frills, self-titled debut showcases the quartet’s in-your-face raw energy. DIY Punk by talented musicians, fronted by unhinged and mesmerizing Lulu on vocals.

A duo that I wrote about in April is back with another release. 106 is comprised of Phew and Dowser n, and they hail from Tokyo. Together they make what they call “Desktop Punk”. Their latest release, 106 DTP02, is seven tracks continuing their experimentations with synth beats, throbbing bass, guitar and expressive vocals. Wonderful.

A husband-and-wife duo from Oakland, CA, is doing something really different. Jamey and Volly Blaze have been recording and performing as Vantana Row since 2015. Their brand of Music takes the best part of heavy Thrash and Screamo, and pairs it with Experimental Hip-Hop. Their new TXTS MIXTAPE is jarring and exhilarating, and requires maximum volume. It features two covers, one of AC/DC, and the other, Dolly Parton. Put this on for size.

A few hours drive south of Oakland is the West Coast’s Punk Capital. Orange County is home to many of the big Punk and Pop-Punk artists of the last thirty-plus years. A set of twins from Orange named Wyatt & Fletcher Shears have been recording together as a duo for over ten years as The Garden. Their fifth full-length, Horseshit on Route 66, contains the Punk aesthetic, mashed with electronic beats, samples, and aggressive vocals. Well suited with pogo dancing.

Taking a sharp ninety degree turn, both in style and geography, we go to London. Here we find Coby Sey, a multi-instrumentalist, producer and poet. His debut album, Conduit, is a twitchy, bass-heavy testament to life at the end of Elizabethan England.

I get the tingles for the sound of backwards drums, and cymbals particularly. So does, I presume, an anonymous DJ and Producer from London who records as Nottap (who wants to bet their first and/or last name isn’t Patton?). Their second BandCamp release is a five-track ep, titled Sandman. Backwards drums accompany backwards vocals, synths, and guitar. To make it further confounding and fun, I think the vocals are in Russian. Get lost in linear time!

In the great city of Montréal there is a writing duo of Abigail Galway and Danny Trudeau that has ganged up with nine other musicians to create their debut album, EDDY. Funk/Soul is the primary template across the ten tracks, with intriguing melodies and phenomenal performances, particularly Galway’s vocals.

The musical and personal mythology of massive and broken pop stars has long been abundant creative fodder that still has much to mine. The trick is to make it interesting, and not a retread. Detroit Artist Timothy Michael Jones has been recording and self-producing music since 2020 as Alice Dreamt. His latest is an alter-ego project; as described on Twitter, a purported ‘Final Album’ by the “biggest band in the world,” The Candy Land Generals. The Visions of Dear Perfection (Or, The Candy Land Generals). Also, it’s my Feature Pick for this week. It’s a Rock Opera, in the same way that Sgt. Pepper is, in that it doesn’t tell a story, and the songs don’t have anything, fundamentally, in common. Without having heard any of his previous work, I can only imagine that this is the artist branching out, and, to my ears, it succeeds. From the attention-grabbing ‘Intro (Variations)’, into ‘Closer To The Light’, (which sounds like Muse, having a great day in the studio with Jeff Lynne), through to its ‘From Peppermints To You’ conclusion, it’s the kind of album that would hold the top eight positions on the Singles Charts, if the world were mine. The production is fantastic, it’s filled with terrific melodies, and he’s a winning vocalist. Can’t lose!

*Alice Dreamt –*
*The Visions of Dear Perfection*
*(Or, The Candy Land Generals)*

So, hey, so if you happened to have found thirteen out of thirteen titles to your taste, I think it falls upon you to let me know. That’s just being polite. Share the love, people!

Spring comes quick around here. Unfortunately it also ends just as quickly as it’s begun, so now is the time to soak all of it in. As for me, I aim to sit in my happy place, revelling in the Fresh Air™️, the sun warming my skin. And listening, of course, to what The Music has on offer.

As predicted, it has been a healthy crop of new sounds this week. I’ve been able to find eight titles to add to my life. Step inside, walk this way. You and me, babe. Hey! Hey!

Before I start, I’m NOT going to mention every time the Radiohead side-project The Smile releases a new single. Same with Thom Yorke. Let’s talk when there’s a full-length to talk about. I don’t care if they need the money. Gauntlet thrown!

The week starts in Macedonia (a first for me). A Jazz quartet called Taxi Consilium, led by guitarist Filip Bukrshliev, has released a new album, “Spiritual Car Wash”. It prominently features Bass Clarinetist Blagojche Tomevski on its six tracks, and it has a spirit of exploration. Also, big fan of the album art.

The remaining 50% of a full-length album that had yet to have been released, was released on Friday. I say this, because Wet Leg’s self-titled album is already a huge success, and has seen SIX of its twelve songs released as singles, from as early as June of last year. I’m happy I didn’t add “Chaise Longue” right out of the gate, to my New Music playlist, because it would have stayed there for nearly two years (which I consider to be a right and reward for outstanding singles). As it is, “Oh No” (released at the beginning of February), is joined by eleven equally high quality songs, featuring wry wit with a healthy dose of Rock. At its poppiest, the Isle Of Wight duo remind me of “Parklife”-era Blur. Nothing wrong with that.

I have an appreciation for artists that have been inspired by The Beatles. It shows they have good taste. I’d like to believe that British percussionist Valentina Mageletti and Italian bassist Pino Montecalvo are two such artists. However, instead of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, or perhaps even “Strawberry Fields Forever”, as inspiration, the duo, who perform together as Avvitagalli, may have chosen “Revolution 9” as their bedrock. Their debut album, “None Corsa”, is approximately what I hope to hear when something is described as, “Free Jazz”. Samples loop in and out as our heroes play loose. Side One is nine short pieces, while Side Two is a 15-minute epic, “The Last Shiny Bones of the Duno Ghost”. It’s a trip!

If Avvitagalli was inspired by The Beatles, my next recommendation may have been inspired by Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, mixed with Electronic Punk. 106 is the artist name for a duo from Tokyo. Phew was the leader of 70’s punk bank Aunt Sally, and she now works with synthesizers, along with her voice. I can’t find any information about Dowser N, but they take care of the guitar and bass, as well as virtual instruments. Their release, “106 DTP01”, is eight tracks of bold, experimental sounds, and is self-described as “desktop punk”. Perfect.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve had very good luck finding excellent New Music from Brazil (and also that sneaky Spain, who likes to fool me into confusing it with Brazil). Continuing that trend is a new single from Iara Rennó & Thalma Freitas. “Babá Ori” is fantastic electronic production, in accompaniment to two beautiful Portuguese voices. Not Spanish.

Iara Rennó & Thalma Freitas –
Babá Ori

A New York rapper with an interesting history has released his new album this week. Billy Woods was born in DC, then was moved to Zimbabwe, where his father was active in its liberation. After his father died, his Jamaican mother moved them back to the US. After starting to rap in NYC in the late 90’s, he found success with Elucid as the duo Armand Hammer. His album, “Aethiopes”, features Elucid, as well as Quelle Chris, El-P, and others, and is co-produced by Yasiin Bey, who is better known as Mos Def. Smart, thought-provoking rhymes, with stabs of Jazz and downtempo Hip Hop.

Mitch Stahlmann is a musician from Oakland, CA, who works with flute, clarinet, and electronics. His debut album, “Into The Wish”, aims to bend your perception regarding what is capable with Classical instruments. Moody dreamscapes bump up against lighthearted experimentation.

When the invasion of Kyiv began by russian forces on the 24th of February, Ukraine citizen Stas Teterevlev recorded the stunning and gut-dropping audio of the first moments. He then sent the file to some of his favourite Electronic musicians, asking if they would use it in their work. The result is “Siren Songs: Solidarity With Ukraine”. Seventeen artists have taken the raw audio of the mournful sirens, followed by explosions, and turned it into seventeen unique messages from the heart. Proceeds from sales go to SunflowerOfPeace.com.

*Various Artists – Siren Song: Solidarity With Ukraine*

I’ll end my recommendations this week with some words of support to my friend Ian Lamont. He’s currently going through some stuff, and I just want him to know that I’m thinking about him.

Ian Lamont – Peg

Have a wonderful weekend, I’ll talk to you on Tuesday. Take care of yourself.

Tag Archives: 106

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