Oakland – New Music Jason’s Picks

The New Music I’m Listening To, This Scintillating and Titillating Week, May 13 – 19, 2023:

Great things are afoot! It’s a glorious day, and the New Releases are flowing like refreshing water from a spring. I have eleven titles on tap, so come and have a sip!

There appears to be a gaggle of duos making Music to my taste this week. A single to start my findings comes from a Producer and MC pairing from Atlanta known as Revival Season. Chop is released by Heavenly Recordings, and comes with two versions of the track. The second of which is a remix by Inner Space Quartet that stretches it out an extra ninety seconds. Get your freak on!

Revival Season – Chop

A husband-and-wife duo from Oakland that I recommended last September is back with another fifteen new songs, none longer than two minutes. Homelist continues the exciting pairing of unhinged screaming and pounding bass. Lead singer, Volly, needs a throat lozenge sponsorship, stat.

A long-distance partnership that began over twenty-five years ago between London’s Jason Cambridge and Auckland’s Nathan Haines has resulted in a new album. Recording as Sci-Clone, the pair mash up Drum & Bass and House beats with Jazzy melodies on Radio Therapy – Part One. From the much-lauded Electronic label Metalheadz.

The continent of Africa factors heavily in my recommendations for this week. The Saharan Tuareg Band Tinariwen has long been lauded, and has won multiple Grammy Awards. Their latest, Amatssou, features Canadian treasure Daniel Lanois on two tracks, and carries a moody resonance throughout.

A vocalist from Mali got my attention this week. Namian Sabidé has released a new album of eight stripped-down performances that are accompanied only by the acoustic guitar of her cousin. Emotional and heartfelt vocals on self-titled release make this a touching album.

Completing my African trek is a Ugandan group that is centred around a Xylophone-type instrument called an Embaire. Nakinembe Embaire Group have also released a self-titled debut. On the eight tracks, the wooden instrument is played in such a way that almost mimics Electronic Dance vibes. Get on your feet!

Hannah Jadagu is a Singer/Songwriter from California who’s 2021 debut EP What Is Going On? is a favourite of mine. While that was produced completely on her i-Telephone, she’s gone into a proper studio for her first full-length for Sub Pop Records. Aperture is a lush and fully-focused effort with slinky guitar and fantastic vocals.

Also from Oakland, California is a songwriter and producer who’s ep from 2020 was one of my favourites. Salami Rose Joe Louis is Lindsay Olsen, and her latest full-length is Akousmatikous. Bubbling wonky synths and tight beats drive Olsen’s dreamy voice.

A producer from Berlin struck my ear this morning. Blawan’s dark and edgy beats on Dismantled Into Juice are exploratory and funky fresh.

The Gaslamp Killer is William Bensussen. I haven’t solved a serial murder case, The Gaslamp Killer is his recording name. He’s recently collaborated with UK production ensemble The Heliocentrics. The Gaslamp Killer Meets The Heliocentrics is crazy beats and euphoric production.

*The Gaslamp Killer Meets The Heliocentrics*

My Feature Pick for this week is an album that was created with the skills and talents of over forty Artists. British comedian James Acaster amassed dozens of MCs, instrumentalists and singers to create, under the moniker Temps, PARTY GATOR PURGATORY. Among the ten tracks you’ll find contributions from Quelle Chris, Open Mic Eagle, Louis Theroux, Xenia Rubinos, and so many others, for a fully-immersive experience.

Aaah, refreshing! Now, doesn’t that taste good? Feel free to let me know what you think. I like a good chat.

Take care of yourself!

The New Music I’m Listening To On The Cusp Of A New Year This Week, December 24 – 30, 2022:

As José Feliciano sang; “Próspero año y felicidad!” The new year is upon us and if you were to give your attention to global news and events it may be hard to be positive about what may come. Let me give you another encouraging lyric to tell you my New Year’s Resolution:

It’s mostly quiet on the New Music Front this week, and I only have four releases, all from the U. S. of A. and 75% Hip-Hop.

My brother from another mother Homeboy Sandman just doesn’t stop. After a prolific year of three full-length projects and an ep, Sand released a single every day for the 12 Days of Christmas. I’d like to spotlight Second Day Of Christmas, a banger of a track that features no Yuletide sentiments. It does feature the production of the legendary Peanut Butter Wolf. Two minutes to get your adrenaline flowing.

Homeboy Sandman – Second Day of Christmas

Peanut Butter Wolf isn’t the only founding father of the great Stone’s Throw Records label (a trendsetting and audacious label that started in the late 90’s) to have New Music this Holiday Week. Before that label was founded, DJ and Producer The Architect helped produce the multi-million selling album, It Takes A Thief by Coolio. Since then he has taken his skills to more adventurous ground, and produces at a steady clip. His latest project is a collaboration with MC Planet Asia, as King Medallions and Arch Angel. The album, Black Majik is smart, with thrilling samples and sharp rhymes.

*King Medallion vs. Arch Angel – Black Majik*

A Split-ep of high intensity, but the lowest fidelity came out on Tuesday (12/27). A pair of US Punk stalwarts share a release titled FREE VIOLENCE. Portland’s Feral lead off with four tracks of short, sharp Punk, made to be played at full volume (because it’s recorded so quietly). Judy And The Jerks are from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and they grab your attention immediately as you flail towards the volume control (points deducted for the mastering job on this album). Crisp distorted guitars and high energy drums and vocals make Side Two the stronger of the split.

*Feral/Judy And The Jerks – FREE VIOLENCE*

A rapper from Philadelphia got my attention this year with an album that was followed up by a loving tribute to Queen Elizabeth. Ghais Guevara is back with a new ep. Job’s Not Finished Yet is four tracks of bangers and head-nodders, and is my Feature Pick this week. Self-produced by Guevara, who calls himself, “the reason your fourteen year-old won’t shut up about Malcolm X.”

*Ghais Guevara – job’s Not Finished Yet*

The Music Industry at large won’t be back to 100% until the second week of January, but I will be posting the Upcoming Releases for next week on Tuesday. Also, I will be celebrating New Year’s Eve at midnight by announcing the recipient of the 2022 New Music Jason Prize. Isn’t that exciting?

All good things for the new year! Spread kindness!

The New Music I’m Listening To (Whether Or Not It’s Truly New) This Week, December 17 – 23, 2022:

Good day to one and all! It’s another fine Friday, and though the New Releases may be few, my inability to find every New Release upon release (much to my dismay) has led me to two titles that I missed the first time around.

Adding that to the handful of titles that were released this week that met my exacting standards, and we’ve got ourselves a Release Week worth smiling about.

Starting off with a single that was released back on December 14, I have the debut song from a duo who’s reputation precedes them. Decisive Pink is the collaboration between former Dirty Projectors member Angel Deradoorian and Moscow’s Kate NV. Haffmilch Holiday is sparkly SynthPop with programmed beats, with a beautiful singable melody and countermelody.

Decisive Pink – Halfmilch Holiday

This next pick is an album from a German band that was released in 2019, but merely 300 copies were made on cassette. This week, HEAVY METAL’s double album IV: COUNTER ELECTRODE IRON MONO was given wide release. The twenty-four tracks run the gamut from New Wave-inspired weirdness, to ‘four-on-the-floor’ thrashy fun (With random accordion!). Chorus of the Week comes from MF Golf (feat. Ice “Genius” Braniac): “I don’t play golf, motherfucker, I hit motherfuckers with golf clubs.” Pity about their horrible band name.

*HEAVY METAL – IV: COUNTER ELECTRODE IRON MONO*

Another album from Germany was actually released this week. Strafe Für Rebellion is an Electronic duo from Duesseldorf that has been together since 1979. Their latest release, Octagon Sphere is four songs stretching over thirty minutes of club-ready beats and tasty samples, and never sits still.

One of the the most prolific and consistent musicians in the game came out with yet another album before the year comes to an end. Homeboy Sandman has quickly become one of my favourite MCs, and two of his records made my Longlist for my favourite releases of the year. Today (12/23) Sandman has released a new collaboration with a artistic enclave called Oakstop Alliance. Royalty Summit is a collection of twelve tracks featuring the rising stars of Oakland, California Hip-Hop.

My Feature Pick for this week is a compilation album. Remember those? In the age of digital, they’ve gone the way of the Dodo in terms of mass-marketability. London DJ, Producer and Label Head DJ Gilla has been quietly continuing the tradition of Rebirth Of Cool and the great Acid Jazz and Trip-Hop compilations of the 1990’s and beyond. Two Syllables Volume Nineteen is a brilliant mix of clubby Soul, Phonky Jazz, with all the pre-requisite Space excursions. It’s curated by Gilla, featuring artists from his First Word Records.

Make sure to check back on Sunday, December 25th for the 2022 New Music Jason Prize Shortlist, spotlighting my five favourite releases of 2022. I’ll be awarding the prize the following Sunday (01/01).

Be good to yourself!

The New Music I’m Listening To On Another Championship Week, September 3 – 9, 2022:

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!