Armand Hammer – New Music Jason’s Picks

The New Music I’m Listening To With Verisimilitude This Week, September 23 – 29, 2023:

Greetings to one and all, dear friends! It’s your weird buddy Jason out here plumbing the depths of New Music to enrich both my life and yours. Can you believe I don’t get paid for this?

I have eight titles to call to your attention, sure to bring a smile to your face and a spring to your step. Or something. Anyway…

I’ve seen the name Ty Segall these past few years and always assumed he was a Country Musician. He released a new single this week, which was my chance to hear for myself. Needless to say, I was wayyy off. From the fade-in intro of Eggman, with its wailing guitars and insistent kick drum, you are off on a unique journey. Nonsensical lyrics and a mid-song slowdown make this a trippy experience, through to its noisy climax. Goo goo g’joob!

Ty Segall – Eggman

Jean Paul Agambi Quartet is the name for a trio of musicians, none of whom are named Jean Paul Agambi. Based between Barcelona and Glasgow, the group has signed to Trip-Hop legend Tricky’s False Idols Label. Their debut is an EP of three attention-grabbing tracks. Atomic Urban Extravaganza opens with a blast of horns from the first track, How Do You Move before settling into a righteous groove. Jazz meets Downtempo Trip-Hop meets Broken Beats and distorted guitar. Incredible energy.

*Jean Paul Agambi Quartet – Atomic Urban Extravaganza*

I wonder if New Zealand has a love/hate relationship with Australia, similar to Canada’s with the U.S. I wonder when the Artist from Dunedin, NZ, who records as Frog Power, travels abroad, does he get annoyed when people assume he’s Australian? This has nothing to do with this nameless musician, who’s first release was an EP in 2019 called mandatory acid trips for problematic toddlers. This trippy solution to the world’s problems soaks into the clothes of south dunedin astral projection seminar’s ten tracks, providing a full-body freak out.

*frog power – south dunedin astral projection seminar*

Matana Roberts is a musician from Chicago who refers to herself as a “mixed media artist, saxophonist and composer.” Since 2011 she has been releasing thematic albums that explore ancestry and “the universal experience of Africans in America.” Her latest, Coin Coin Chapter Five: In The Garden… brings together Improvisation with Spoken Word and Punk.

*Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter Five: In The Garden…*

Who’s deejaying in the Main Room at My Imaginary Nightclub, you ask? This week it’s LA’s DJ ARANA. On Rock Pesada 2 brings House Beats mixed with Reggaeton, banging samples and general weirdness. Get on the floor!

Direct from my BandCamp Wishlist, Pamplona, Spain’s quartet Melenas has released their third album. Ahora is ten tracks that winningly combine jangly Pop with warm Synths and confident vocals. 1,000 canciones is a highlight.

I have a soft spot for Japanese Hip-Hop. It’s such a curious cross-section of cultures. It amuses me to think of the reverse also happening, and somehow there’s a big J-Pop scene in Brooklyn. Until there is, we have Tokyo’s Botsu a.k.a. NGS. The MC and Producer collaborates with fellow MC/Producer Naked Under Leather for Revolver. Crooked beats and pounding 808s provide the bed for the duos rhymes across ten tracks.

What’s really happening in actual New York is the return of Underground Hip-Hop Heroes Armand Hammer. The duo of Billy Woods and ELUCID have each had their own individual projects these last couple years, and now they’re back with the thought-provoking We Buy Diabetic Test Strips. Featuring some of the best producers in Hip-Hop, including JPEGMAFIA, Kenny Segal, EL-P and Black Noi$e, this fifteen-track journey also includes guest musicians Shabaka Hutchings and DJ Stitches. Intelligent bars and imaginative beats help make this my Feature Pick of the week.

*Armand Hammer – We Buy Diabetic Test Strips*

Thanks for stopping by. I’m here every Friday. Don’t be afraid to say hello.

Upcoming New Releases (To Wear Sunscreen) – Week Ending Friday September 29, 2023:

I hope this Tuesday finds everyone well and happy.

As September draws to an end there are a few big releases coming out. The Ginger Dynamo Ed Sheeran has a new record coming, as does Lil Wayne. Old hipsters will be happy to see New Music from Wilco and Animal Collective.

Animal Collective – Gem & I

There’s a bunch of stuff I’m anxious to hear this week. New titles from Oneohtrix Point Never, Armand Hammer, The Orb, Blonde Redhead, Oliver Tree and Becky G await.

Oneohtrix Point Never – A Barely Lit Path

My BandCamp Wishlist is sitting with nine titles on the verge of release. On Thursday, Spanish quartet Melenas is releasing their third album, Ahora. Dreamy SynthPop.

Melenas – Bang

Be good to yourself, and I’ll be back on Friday with what is sure to be a whole mess of New Music. Peace out!

The New Music I’m Listening To This Lovely Week, April 2-8, 2022:

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.