We’ve been pretty fortunate this winter, here in Southern Ontario, in terms of weather. It has been unseasonably mild, with nary a trace of snow. Not a great sign that Global Warming is the scam that they try to tell us it is, but it’s nice.
When the weather has turned fierce, it has been with freezing rain, which has led to school closures for the kiddies. Spending this extra time with my fourteen year-old Noah, and his nine year-old sister Abby, has afforded me the opportunity to hang out and listen to what Music they’re into.
For the past few months, Noah has been very much ‘into’ a band that has not been active since 2011. Tally Hall comes from Ann Arbor, Michigan. They’re a five-piece, comprised of four songwriters; Joe Hawley, Rob Cantor, Zubin Sedghi and Andrew Horowitz. In their ten active years, they released two full-lengths, before moving on to solo endeavours. Both Noah and Abby would deem this band to be their favourite, and I’m so proud of their taste. Well crafted Pop, with ingenious and hilarious lyrics. And weird. So weird. Excuse me, I have something in my eye…🥹
A fascinating Experimental Album came out last week (2/17) that got lost in the avalanche. Eliza Bagg is a soprano from Los Angeles who has worked with Caroline Shaw and John Zorn, as well as being a soloist for the New York Philharmonic. As Lisel, Bagg releases her own compositions, and her recent release is Patterns For Auto-Tuned Voices And Delay. Throughout the eleven tracks, Eliza plays with the Auto-Tune effect and stretches its limits, with whimsical results.
A Single to start this week’s nine recommendations comes from Toronto’s Ada Rook. As one-half of Punk duo Black Dresses, Ada got my attention in 2021 with their passionate album. Her latest is a two-song collaboration with Cincinnati MC Chloe Hotline. The A-side Flatline is a catchy banger with teeth. The flipside, Live It Down is a thoughtful midtempo introspection.
Discreet Music is a Record Label based in Gothenburg, Sweden, that prides itself as, ‘New Sounds of Swedish Underground.’ Their most recent offering comes from a quartet called Blod. As demonstrated on their album Där Ska Barnet Vara they utilize acoustic instruments including Pump Organ to conjure beautiful delicate melodies, alongside lo-fi Pop.
Also from Sweden, Gustav Horneij is the mastermind behind Organic Pulse Ensemble. His most recent release, A Thousand Hands is steeped in spirituality, conjuring Coltrane modality. Flute takes the lead in several places, and the musicianship is outstanding.
A female-led project from New York City caressed my ears this week. RAZA רזא is led by vocalist Chana Raskin and utilizes over 20 other singers. In their full-length album Kapelya the singers perform what is known as Nigunum, a form of Hebrew religious Music, primarily sung by males. This purports to be the first recording of its kind. With beautiful appropriate instrumentation these group vocals interpret the traditional melodies in a warm and questioning manner.
An ensemble that gathered in Montréal at the behest of instrumentalist and composer Devin Brahja Waldman has created a wonderfully rich new full-length. Calling themselves KADEF (Karma, Agape, Discernment, Enactment & Freedom) their self-titled album spans twelve tracks of delicately-produced immaculate vocal performances from Ziad Qoulaii, buoyed by tasteful instrumentation.
Art thou ready to Rock?! A debut EP from Chicago Punk quartet Cel Ray has me pogoing all over the house. Cellular Raymond is six-tracks in fifteen minutes of throbbing insistent joy.
One of my major pet peeves is shitty Band Names. If you have one goal in naming your band, it should be that it is distinct, and designed to make it easy to find you. A band that hasn’t learned this lesson is Richmond, Virginia’s K9. If you do a quick search on your Music streaming provider for that name, you will find over 40 acts called K9 (and you most likely won’t find this one). Their six-track EP Harmony Kills is on BandCamp, and in the thirteen minutes it takes to play, the band meanders through Power Punk, Pop, and Folky textures. A curious instrument lineup, with two guitars, drums, and violin.
“You…can suck it. I’m fed up with your games. Fuck it, I’ll do it on my own.” This is how Belgian vocalist and songwriter Adja Fassa introduces herself to the listener. ADJA’s debut five-track EP IRONEYE spotlights Fassa’s agile voice, set to scintillating soulful grooves, with no prisoners held.
My BandCamp Wishlist came into this week with twelve titles awaiting release. I started to think I would have too many new titles again this week (Oh, heavens, what’s to become of me?). However, there was a bloodbath in my Wishlist. Most of the releases that I was curious to hear more of just didn’t match up to my psyche. I wanted to like Algiers, Model/Actriz, and Philip Selway’s new albums, but it was not to be.
With ADJA, the only other title that made it to the Promised Land is by an artist that I fell in love with last year. Miss Grit is a bedroom Indie Pop Artist from Brooklyn. She has released her first full-length, Follow The Cyborg, and it is my Feature Pick for this week. Grit’s pensive voice is married to ingenious Electro Pop Production. Dance while your heart breaks.
I hope the sun is shining in your sky, and you’re able to find your joy. Take good care of yourself, friends.
New Music Jason’s Picks 