Indiana – New Music Jason’s Picks

The New Music I’m Listening To Extraneously This Week, March 16 – 22, 2024:

Greetings and smellutations, cats and kittens! Hoo boy, we gots ourselves a humdinger of a New Release week, and I have twelve titles to dazzle your senses. Do it to it!

I’ve got a dancefloor filler from Brazil to start the week. A single released in conjunction with London’s Jazz Room Records features a terrific band performing Brazilian Funk. The two tracks on Goma Laca EP are performed by Afrobrasilidades. They are led by the amazing Juçara Marçal on vocals, who released my favourite album of 2021, Delta Estácio Blues. You gotta get up to get down!

And then, as if on cue, there’s a new remix album for Juçara Marçal’s Delta Estácio Blues. Fifteen tracks, taken from the original album and the follow-up EPDEB are included on DEBRMX. Remixes from the likes of Chrisman, Moor Mother, and VHOOR are giving the dancefloor a workout.

Eagle-eyed readers will note that the Juçara Marçal remix album actually came out last week. It is literally impossible to find everything that comes out in a given week, so I’ve given myself parameters within which to search for New Music. One such parameter is that once I have entered a new Release Week, I don’t include titles that came out previously in my search. Seeing as I’ve already broken that rule this week, I’ve decided to double down on it.

Another title that came out last week comes from Portugal. Ana Lua Caiano is a multi-instrumentalist and Electronic Producer. Her debut album, Vou Ficar Neste Quadrado sees the Artist incorporating traditional Folk elements with ambitious Björk-inspired Production. Charming harmonies, and yet another reason for me to continue my Portuguese lessons.

*Ana Lua Caiano – Vou Ficar Neste Quadrado*

Glass Beams is a trio from Melbourne, Australia that was founded by Rajan Silva, who immigrated to Australia with his family as a child. Ninja Tune Records has just released their second album, Mahal. Steeped in Psychedelia, it incorporates traditional instrumentation with soulful grooves.

An Artist I’ve grown fond of over these past few years exploring New Music is London Percussionist and Composer Valentina Magaletti. Between her various collaborations (Vanishing Twin, Holy Tongue, and more) and her solo work, she transcends norms on the regular. Her latest is LUCHA LIBRE; a four-song EP that takes a disorienting journey of Field Recordings and loops, before closing with the upbeat and groovy DRUM JUMP.

A noisy Punk band representing the Wyoming Hardcore scene released a “sneeze-and-you-miss-it” EP. AWFUL’s 4 SONGS clocks in at less than four minutes. It’s a sharp jolt of energy, with urgent vocals and ripping bass play.

At twelve minutes, this next release is practically luxurious in its scope by comparison. Portland’s THE CELEBRITIES is a collaboration between Joe Sussman and Kel Mason. On the seven-song Redd Karpet they channel 60’s Bubblegum with gritty garage production.

A duo from the Washington, DC area got my attention this week with their latest release. model home utilizes samplers, tape and voice to create a deliciously lo-fi atmosphere. The six tracks on NECROLYF were recorded on March 5 of this year and elicit a rudimentary Hip-Hop vibe, seeped in distortion.

Scott Harren is an eclectic and innovative Electronic Producer from Miami. As Prefuse 73, he has collaborated with the likes of Mos Def and Aesop Rock. His new album, New Strategies For Modern Crime Vol. 1 is a strictly solo effort with an evocative Cool Jazz feel for the After Party.

*Prefuse 73 – New Strategies For Modern Crime Vol. 1*

An Electronic band from Sweden released their fourth album since their 2014 debut. Les Big Byrd is led by Jocke Åhlund, and Diamonds, Rhinestones and Hard Rain contains six tracks, including two extended jams. Entrancing and absorbing.

*Les Big Byrd – Diamonds, Rhinestones and Hard Rain*

I discovered Julia Holter via the pre-release single Sun Girl for her new album. Turns out that Something In The Room She Moves is her sixth album for the LA native, and I just haven’t been paying attention. I’ve been captivated by her sweeping vocals and captivating Production.

*Julia Holter – Something In The Room She Moves*

If you’ve seen recent photos or video taken in Gary, Indiana, you’d be forgiven if you got the impression that it is a Ghost Town. Abandoned factories and houses dot the landscape. However, there is still life emanating from that particular slice of America. Jerrilynn Patton performs as Jlin, and is a Composer and Electronic Producer (and former steel factory worker). Her latest album is Akoma. Intriguing rhythm-play is at work here, with Deep Bass and many twists and turns. Guests include Björk, Philip Glass, and Kronos Quartet. It’s my Feature Pick for this week.

If you made it this far, look under your chair, you’ve won a prize! I’m only joking, but if you looked, I have to say that I worry about you sometimes.

Take care of yourself!

The New Music I’m Listening To Like An Unrepentant Dad-Head This Week, February 4 – 10, 2023:

Good Friday, friends and fronds! I’ve spent the first part of my day watching my daughter feed chickadees from her hand at a local Nature Reserve, and we were even able to spot a Bald Eagle! A lovely morning for this proud Dad, and now I can catch up with all the Music that came out this week.

As expected it was a quieter week, but that doesn’t mean that we are high and dry. We are very much moist, with nine titles to dip our toes into.

I’m not listening to Dad Rock (heaven forfend!) but my parental senses have been percolating in a musical way. The progeny of one of the Kings of Dad Rock has released an interesting record. Spencer Tweedy, the son of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, has been performing as a drummer for a few years, and Drumprints vol. 1:2301 is a solo project with broader aim. Tweedy has recorded drum loops so that they can be manipulated and tweaked. Drop a rhyme. Slow it down and distort it. Thankfully it also works in its own, as ten terrific drum tracks.

*Spencer Tweedy – Drumprints vol. 1:2301*

A three-song EP from Spain came to my attention this week. From the great label Discos Peroquébien, Carvento Felana is a duo that hails from Valencia. Malduvo is synth-heavy, poppy and eccentric and makes you rise to attention.

A Francophone R&B and Hip-Hop Artist from Switzerland got my attention this week. The otherwise-anonymous Nativ has their second release and MVZ vol. 2.1 is nine downtempo tracks, buoyed by thoughtful and creative production touches.

A pianist and composer from Bloomington, Indiana has released a four-track EP. Olivia Kieffer’s Four Thunder EP is adventurous neo-classical performed on both toy and conventional piano, as well as saxophone. Daring and beautiful.

In 1977-78, composer Georges Aperghis wrote fourteen pieces for solo female voice. Colombian-American soprano Stephanie Lamprea has recorded her interpretation of 14 Récitations at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. The difficult source material is performed with energy and grace.

A group from Bristol called Ishmael Ensemble has recorded a five-song EP collaboration with Poet and MC Rider Shafique. New Era is downtempo and smart, confident and ponderous.

*Ishmael Ensemble & Rider Shafique – New Era*

Noa Mal is a solo singer-songwriter and producer from The Philippines. She has earned a following with previous releases that purport to be of the “Sadcore” persuasion. I don’t find her latest album, Everything Is Science, Baby, to be sad. In fact, the eleven tracks are sharply crafted Pop Songs, of the lo-fi bedroom production variety. It rocks.

I don’t like to look back at past Music, usually, within the paradigm of exploring New Music. That being said, there are some projects that are like catnip to Music lovers like myself, and cannot be denied. The new live mixtape by The Roots’ MC Black Thought and DJ and Producer J. PERIOD is one such project. The duo have come together to celebrate the life and music of the legendary Producer J. Dilla, who was born precisely eight days before me (2/07/74). On J. PERIOD & Black Thought Present The Live Mixtape: Dilla Day Edition the pair examine the classic beats that Dilla created in his short life, with Black Thought dropping masterful and inspired freestyles. Recorded live in front of an audience in Miami.

*J. PERIOD & Black Thought – The Live Mixtape: Dilla Day Edition*

My Feature Pick affixed itself to that position early this week, as there is nothing out there in Music today that sounds quite like it. To the west of London, in Oxfordshire, there has been a small Arts and Music Festival every summer since 2010. Supernormal is a family-friendly festival with a capacity of 1,500. In the 2022 edition, GLARC, which is an Arts Collective from Glasgow, ran a recording workshop for kids of all ages. Over the course of the weekend, they were able to record all sorts of young people experimenting with instruments and sound, with nary a thought for commerciality. The resultant cassette, Supernormal Kids Party, is twenty-five short tracks of pure expression. I had to order the cassette, because the cover art was also created by the kids over the course of the weekend.

*Supernormal Kids – Supernormal Kids Party*

Well kids, did we have fun? What was your favourite part? Make sure to finish up your snack and drink some water to stay hydrated and we’ll be home soon. Does anyone have to go to the bathroom before we go?

The New Music I’m Listening To While Stoned On The Odor Of Fresh Paint This Week, January 14 – 20:

The kitchen renovations continue unabated at Casa Enemjay, but thankfully, the audio volume of work getting done has quieted down. Now I’m able to focus all these senses on all this great New Music that I now hold in my mental grasp.

*Paint-Huffer Man: The superhero we need in these trying times*

I’ve got nine titles to recommend this fine week, six of which are full-length. So don’t just stand there, let’s get to it. Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it. Vogue!

A single to start the week comes from Austria. A trio with the name Restless Leg Syndrome has arrived to get my restless legs dancing in My Imaginary Nightclub. Represent The Fucking Planet / Spirit 7″ starts off with a sample of a female Arabic vocal group, played against a downtempo beat, followed with excellent turntablism. The b-side turns up the tempo with driving beats and handclaps, on a bed of droning voices, with electric piano. DJ Chrisfader is the star of this show.

*Restless Leg Syndrome – Represent The Fucking Planet / Spirit 7”*

The early week was Punk-heavy, with a duo of lo-fi Rock combos from the US. Starting in Northwest Indiana, Liquids has been at it since 2017. This week they released a collection of “lost songs and new recordings.” Songs is fourteen tracks of snotty Punk, New Wave, and yes, even a cover of Indiana Hero John Cougar Mellencamp. The charismatic singer’s voice is charming because of its faults.

Next up is Memphis, Tennessee’s Sweet Knives. They’ve also been around since 2017, but they have a much more polished product with Spiritzerita, their twelve track sophomore record. Their vocalist is talented and contains elements of Debbie Harry and Tegan & Sara. Classic radio-friendly Pop-Punk.

My BandCamp Wishlist had only one title on tap this week, and it’s a winner. The Ugandan label Nyege Nyege Tapes is on the forefront of modern World Music and they’ve struck again. Rian Treanor is an Electronic Music Producer from the UK that has travelled to Uganda to collaborate with Ocen James, a violinist from the North of the country. Saccades is a ten-track full-length full of atmospheric looping strings on beds of Bass. Electronic beats merge with rustic instruments, creating a bridge between past and future.

An Electronic Musician from Eastern New York caught my ear this week. Aron Sanchez’s alter ego for his new solo project is DN RES, and it’s debut album is the fourteen-track Castle. Wonky beats collide with woozy Synth dreams and play with the spaces between in daring ways.

I found a Jazz quartet for Norway, led by Guitarist and Composer Vetle Skåli. Skaali Kvartett’s debut album, Headed For Something, is five thought-provoking tracks, with gorgeous melodies. The interplay between guitar and vibraphonist Amand Stenøien is delicious tricky. The rhythm section of Bendik Lundsvoll on Upright Bass and Drummer Steinar Heide Bø build a loose and creative platform.

*Skaali Qvartett – Headed For Something*

Jake Acosta is a Musician and Producer from Chicago. Active since 2017, he has released his fourth full-length album of long-form Instrumental Music. Genius Or Not is a bit of a different beast to his previous work, in that there is only one track of the five that is over six minutes. What does it sound like? Idiosyncratic, Guitar-based and atmospheric. The sixteen-minute Speed Dreaming plays like a Rock Symphony, with hypnotic Movements and your basic head-fuckery. So, Prog? No, because it’s not up it’s own ass.

It’s just a hop and a skip from Chicago to Bengaluru, India, where you’ll find Hip-Hop MC Hanumankind. His latest single is a banger called Go To Sleep, and features tasty production from Parimal Shais. Exotic loops lay the bed for the rapper’s lazy-yet-on-point delivery.

Hanumankind – Go To Sleep (feat. Parimal Shais)

My Feature Pick for this week comes from the home of Edgar Allan Poe, Baltimore, Maryland. Janie Shih is an Analog and Digital Musician and Filmmaker from B’more, but she’s now based in Tel Aviv. She has been recording and performing as JiaLing since 2020, and her latest is a three-track ep. 11182023 is Rave-worthy bops, filled with breakbeats, double helpings of bass, and trips to Inner Space.

I was today years old when I realized that Madonna rhymed “to it” with “to it” in Vogue. That, friends, is the kind of quality lyric writing of which Mainstream Pop Music prides itself. Stay thirsty, my friends!