Otoboke Beaver – New Music Jason’s Picks

The New Music I’m Listening To For Me, You, And Your Mama This Week, September 24 – 30, 2022:

As today (September 30) is Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I’d like to hereby acknowledge and share my gratitude that I am on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples. My city is situated on the Haldimand Tract, land promised to Six Nations, which includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Let’s give it back!

It’s a fantastic Friday at the NMJ* abode, full of wondrous New Music and palpable excitement. If you want to know what I’ll be listening to tonight, put this in your ears, at full volume.

*I’m cool enough to have an acronym, no?

Otoboke Beaver –
Don’t Light My Fire (Live at SXSW 2021)

As I’m anxiously awaiting my first Club Gig in 3-4 years, I have eleven new titles to share with all my friends. Let’s get right down to it!

This week’s single to whet your whistle comes from British Rapper and Singer M.I.A. Beep is a Dancefloor bop. Can’t have too many of those.

M.I.A. – Beep

A solo Electronic Producer from Japan who goes by GuruConnect has released a terrific 8-song EP. Illness was created during, and chronicles a hospital stay, due to a Diabetes emergency. Clocking in at nearly 25 minutes of what one may label as “Experimental Instrumental Hip Hop.” The artist makes ingenious use of loops of traditional instruments, fortified by clever Production. Don’t worry. They’re fine, I presume.

I’m happy to be able to recommend Mamalarky’s second album, Pocket Fantasy. The Austin band, now based in Los Angeles, has outdone itself with inventive melodies and charming vocals from lead singer Livvy Bennett.

As I mentioned on Tuesday, I had a album in my BandCamp Wishlist released this week by a very similarly-named band, and it’s made the cut. Mamaleek hail from San Francisco, and their particular brand of noise utilizes elements Jazz, Noise, and Thrash Metal. The resultant concoction on the seven-song full-length, Diner Coffee, is a surprising brew filled with many tangy flavours.

This week is seemingly full of coincidences. Yeah Yeah Yeahs have released their first album in nearly a decade (which I can’t, in good faith, recommend), but a One-Man Band called Weird Crush has released his second album, Yeah Yeah Yippie Yippie Yah. Otherwise, they don’t have much in common. The latter is a London musician “with too many guitars and too much spare time,” and the record in filled with ten tracks with whip smart pop hooks, and ingenious chord progressions. As a vocalist, he conjures Damon Albarn and Robert Smith. In a parallel universe, this is huge.

Weird Crush –
Yeah Yeah Yippee Yippee Yah

To the best of my recollection, I’m visiting the Nation of Hungary for the first time in my musical journeys. From the beautiful City Of Budapest I give you the Progressive Punk sound of Palánta. Their debut, five-song Demo jumps out of the speakers with manic lo-fi glory, accentuated by keyboards and punishing drums, perfectly performed with wild abandon.

A quintet from Atlanta is rocking my world this week. The band with the charming name Upchuck has been around since 2018, and they’ve released their debut album, Sense Yourself. It’s aggressive and fierce, with moments of great sludge. If you think Amyl & The Sniffers are too poppy, this should more than suffice.

OK, so I won’t bury the lede any further. I can now officially recommend Björk’s New Album. It thrills me that fossora is every bit the adventurous and daring album I hoped it would be. No words, just listen.

My favourite Country to which I’ve never before been factors into this week’s picks. Rafael de Toledo Pedroso is from Ponta Grossa, Brazil. He’s an Experimental Electronic Artist, and his latest project is Eu não cheguei tão longe pra existir agora, which translates to, “I did not come this far to exist now” (a clever turn of phrase). It is twenty-four tracks of Field Recordings, Noise, Hip Hop and great lo-fi production.

Rafael de Toledo Pedroso –
Eu não cheguei tão longe pra existir agora

For the first time this week I get to recommend something that comes from artists of Iranian descent. NY-based brothers, known only as Muhammad and Mehdi, record and perform together as Saint Abdullah. Their new album is a collaboration with Ian MacDonald, better known as Eomac. Patience Of A Traitor is a lovely mix of Electronic production, harsh noise, Jazz samples, and traditional vocals.

*Saint Abdullah & Eomac –*
*Patience Of A Traitor*

My Feature Pick this week comes from Beatmaker and DJ Enver Göyken. Based in London, Göyken is of Turkish descent. On his second full-length “beat tape,” Ozan, he lays out twenty-one tracks immersed in Turkish Rock, traditional instruments, and Club grooves. It is glorious.

I’m sure I’ll have no problems with staying awake for my concert tonight, but wish me luck that the same holds true while driving home early tomorrow morning after the show. If I play the music loud enough, and roll down all the windows, I should make it.

Be kind to yourself, and I’ll talk to you again on Sunday, for Jason’s New Music Heroes, Chapter Four – MuchMusic. Ta!

Upcoming New Releases – Week Ending Friday, September 30, 2022:

Happy End to the Month, Dear Friends! The days have turned notably cooler these last few days, and I guess that it won’t be long until we are shovelling the precipitation that falls from the sky. I do hope we get a reasonable amount of time to enjoy Autumn’s beauty before then.

It is an exciting week for this guy, with all the anticipated New Releases due this week, and a Club show in Toronto to end the week. It’ll be my first indoor concert experience since 2019. I’ll be strapping on a mask this Friday to see Otoboke Beaver at the storied Lee’s Palace. I’ve been training my body all this week to be able to stay up that late. Expect a full report to follow next week. Even if it doesn’t happen.

But it would be foolish of me to gloss over the new titles due for release This Week. Holiday shopping begins in earnest, with eagerly-awaited New Releases from Pixies, M.I.A., Slipknot, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, with their first album in nine years.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Burning

Beyond these titles, I’m also looking forward to hearing the new ones from Lambchop, Steven Page, Kid Cudi, and the sophomore effort from Mamalarky.

Mamalarky – Shining Armor

In terms of my BandCamp Wishlist, I have a total of seven titles awaiting my final approval. By a fun coincidence, one of the artists has a similar name to Mamalarky. Mamaleek are from San Francisco and they have my ears firmly pricked.

Mamaleek – Wharf Rats In The Moonlight

Well, that’s about all I can think of for this week’s New Releases, I haven’t ~~forgotten anything—~~

Oh yes, I have! Only a silly person like me would pretend to forget about Björk. fossora is released on Friday, and I will state now, for the record, that it will be among my picks for the week. Also, in advance I will be celebrating the music of Björk tomorrow (Wednesday), when I publish Jason’s New Music Heroes, Chapter Three: Björk.

Björk – Álfur Út Úl Hól (The Fool On The Hill)

I do hope we can connect with each other, through Music. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow. Take care.

Mailbag Swag Brag – June, 2022 (with PRIZES!)

Welcome to the June edition of the previously-named “Postal Love” feature, in which, on the first Thursday of the month, I show off all the cool stuff I got last month, via Bandcamp, and from artists directly. I do this to inspire others to support musicians, not simply to brag (though I do think it’s all pretty cool).

*For example, this swanky shirt I ordered from the Japanese Punk band* Otoboke Beaver.

Although not swag, per se, I was inspired to buy a book of poetry because of an album that was released last month. Bob Kaufman was a beat poet, and contemporary of Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. I suspect that the reason the other two are well-known, and Kaufman is not, boils down to skin tone. One of my favourite labels, International Anthem, released an album last month by four German artists calling themselves The Plastik Beatniks, which seek to shed some light on this literary hero, who is known in France as, “The Black Rimbaud”. Check out, “All Those Streets I Must Find Cities For”, but then dig deeper.

I plan to get more shirts, decals, and tea towels, and the like, in place of plastic and vinyl. However, the rest of the post is some very cool plastic and vinyl.

At the end, I’ll post some free downloads that one lucky reader can claim. I should mention that the prize from last month’s post is still up for grabs. Have at it, will ya?

The last cassette that I’m likely to ever purchase came to me by Oakland’s Mitch Stahlmann, but it was shipped all the way from Poland, complete with a snazzy sticker!

Petr Válek is my rockstar, and I’m very happy to have gotten a copy of his tremendous album. Also, it came with a bonus 7” single of unreleased songs. Now he just has to tour…

*Obongjayar – Some Nights I Dream Of Doors*

The fantastic vocalist Obongjayar released his debut full-length, and I jumped on this exclusive from London’s Rough Trade Records. The record sleeve is autographed, and it came with a slipmat for all my turntablism needs. I need to thank the kind person who included the ‘hype’ sticker inside the sleeve, after tearing the plastic off the sleeve for Steven Umoh to sign.

PRIZE TIME! Here are a couple of free downloads to claim as your very own. Be sure to comment below to let us all know that they’ve found a good home.

Compilation from Otoboke Beaver’s label, **Damnably**

Two(!) downloads of **Mitch Stahlmann’s “Into The Wish”**

Hope you enjoyed the various wares, make sure to hit up one of the downloads, and we’ll do this again on July 7th. Are you with me?

The New Music I’m Listening To This Outstanding Week, April 30-May 6, 2022:

Welcome to May!

The month has come to a terrific start, continuing a run of multiple weeks with ten or more new titles to add to my life. I have twelve exactly, in fact. Anyone who says there is no good music anymore should just stop talking forever.

*“Muzzles For Stupid People”, my failed election promise.*

Seeing as it is Bandcamp Friday (the day of the month when Bandcamp waives their 15% when you buy direct from the artist), it’s a good time to show some love for the Experimental section on the site. I’ve discovered so many excellent artists there, and while there may be debate regarding what “experimental” actually means, the exploration within all is evident.

This is no truer than with my first choice for the week. Serbian-born Marija Kovačević is found in Brooklyn, NY. The latest of her many projects is a very interesting one, with the title, “Music For Broken Violins vol. 1”. The title does give the plot away, somewhat. Nine tracks, conveniently numbered rather than titled, in numeric order. Each one is an exploration of found sound. But is it the instruments that are broken, or is it the music? It might just be the listener.

*Marija Kovačević – Music For Broken Violins vol. 1*

One of the freer sounds I’ve heard recently comes from a band from San Francisco. Skullture is the name for the guitar and drum duo of Chris Sollars and Lee Lavy. Both share vocals on the thirteen tracks of their self-titled full length, which take direct attack on the many evils in the world. They play with wild abandon and scorching feedback. It’s like if The Black Keys went off their hyperactivity medication. My friends, it is thrilling.

If Skullture doesn’t prove that Rock & Roll is alive and well, we can look to my next choice from Spain. Prison Affair is a band(?) from Barcelona. They speak Spanish there, don’t you know. However on their new release, “Demo 3”, there are four songs, sung in English, clocking in at less than seven minutes in total. At first sniff, they seem like your run of the mill Punk band, until the introduction of synthesizers gives it a unique twist.

I’ve been singing the praises of Australian Rock & Roll, but what has caught my ear has mainly been from the School of Punk. Shirking that trend is Melbourne’s The Stroppies. This quartet, as demonstrated on their latest album, “Levity”, are from a class of high-quality music arrangement, and jangly twelve-string guitar. Terrific vocals.

It’s just a short kangaroo jump from Australia and you’ll arrive in Japan, if I am not very much mistaken. From the overlooked city of Kyoto comes a female quartet, called Otoboke Beaver. I only mention their gender because it plays so prominently in their lyrics. Their new album, “Super Champon”, features songs like, “I Am Not Maternal”, and “Dirty Old Fart Is Waiting For My Reaction”, making it clear that these are not the quiet, demure, geisha girls that my racist ass envisions. Smart, fun, manic, snarling and exciting.

The female energy continues with a trio from London. Deep Tan are a band with a pointed sense of humour that makes me cheer. Their second ep, “Diamond Horsetail”, features five angular songs, including one, “Rudy Ya Ya Ya”, inspired by the disgraced former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani. Get up!

Stepping away from all that guitar-based goodness, I have found an Italian bass player and bandleader named Rosa Brunello. Her new album, “Sounds Like Freedom”, is an electro Jazz record with fantastic percussion.

A new record company from France, Les Disques Bongo Joe, has been hitting it out of the park with excellent quality music from various parts of the world. It continues this week with a debut release from Turkey by a trio named Lalalar. “Bi Cinnete Bakar” is fifteen tracks of high energy exotic sounds. Destination: Dancefloor.

We’re off the even more exotic locale of Halifax, Nova Scotia, for my next choice. JOYFULTALK is the performance name for Jay Crocker, an Electronic Producer/Composer. On, “Familiar Science”, his third album, he uses six other musicians to flesh out his sound, with twitchy drums and tasty arrangements.

I haven’t seen anything from the country of Haiti since I’ve returned to New Music. The closest I’ve come came this week with Haitian-American Layla McCalla. Based in New Orleans, she has amassed a band a great musicians to pay tribute to her roots. Using snippets of conversations with family members, “Breaking The Thermometer” brings us into a world of proud hardship.

*Leyla McCalla – Breaking The Thermometer*

I’ve got some quality Hip Hop to end this fantastic week of New Music. Isn’t it wonderful?

From the Hip Hop hotbed of Dublin, Ireland, comes Jermiside & The Expert. They’re an MC and producer duo that have been recording for about ten years. Their new album, “The Overview Effect”, harkens back to Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”, but is focused sharply on a better future.

*Jermiside & The Expert – The Overview Effect*

My final choice for this week is also my Feature Pick. It’s another MC and Producer duo, but this is of an intercontinental nature. Will Archer is a producer and writer from England, who is known for his work with Celeste, Nilüfer Yanya, and others. Hal Donell Williams Jr. is an LA-based rapper who goes by Vritra. Together they are Wilma Vritra. Their debut album, “Grotto”, is conscious Hip Hop, with brilliant production. Can’t lose! Captivating album cover too.

Thank you for staying with me. I know I do tend to go on. I hope you found something to add to your life. Hope you have a tremendous weekend. And I really hope that you’ll take good care of yourself. I’ll talk to you again soon!