San Francisco – New Music Jason’s Picks

The New Music I’m Listening To Surreptitiously This Week, April 20 – 26, 2024:

A great and grand hello to each and all of you! I hope you’ve got your listening ears on, for I have found nine new titles to share with you. Dig it!

I’m so amazed at the development of Thom Yorke as an Artist. From being the mopey frontman of Radiohead, through his Electronic experimentation both with the band and on his own, and now as a Composer for film. His latest project is Music for an Italian film. Confidenza is a Drama, based on a novel written by Domenico Starnone. Yorke’s Soundtrack was created with the participation of the London Contemporary Orchestra, and his drummer from The Smile, Tom Skinner. It is ponderous and gripping.

Miranda Winters is known as the vocalist from Chicago’s Melkbelly. After quietly making her own material, she has assembled a quartet and christened it Mandy. The material on Lawn Girl has been years in gestation and it is a confident debut in a noisy, yet melodic mode that conjures Liz Phair and The Breeders.

Busted Head Racket is an Artist that Newcastle, Australia’s Arden Guff started as a solo bedroom project that has become a trio. They recently spent time opening for Snööper on their Australian tour. Their third album, Go! Go! Go!, is urgently uptempo, with retro synth and plundering bass.

A few hours south of Newcastle puts you in the heart of Melbourne, which is bursting with New Music. Parsnip is a four-piece Rock group that incorporates saxophone, slide guitar and Hammond organ alongside charming harmonies on their second album, Behold.

Leeds, in the North of England, has become the latest hotbed for exciting new music in the UK. Yard Act and English Teacher are only two examples of the vast scene. On the Trip-Hop tip we have Locust Toybox. It is the solo project of producer and animator David Firth, and his latest album, Pleased To Be Eaten, is upbeat and Ambient, and is a head-nodder.

Someday I’ll make it to Brazil. There’s something about the culture and the music that is calling me. An Artist that I have previously recommended from Belo Horizonte is back again with a new album. VHOOR is a 26 year-old DJ and Producer that is firing up the dancefloor at My Imaginary Nightclub. Resenha is loaded with catchy beats and magical ear worms.

Jane Paknia is a Singer-Songwriter from New York who dwells in the land of dreamy SynthPop. Her debut album, Orchid Underneath is replete with lush bass and warm breathy vocals and just enough quirk to get by.

Deerhoof is a band I’ve only just started listening to, despite their being active for over thirty years. Their mainly Japanese-language album Miracle-Level that came out last year was my entree. Greg Saunier is a Composer, and is the drummer for Deerhoof. He has just released his first solo album. We Sang, Therefore We Were is a Psych-Rock journey with steps in Country, New Wave and Prog. Adventurous and fun.

*Greg Saunier – We Sang, Therefore We Were*

My Feature Pick for this week comes from a Poet and Musician from North Carolina. Shirlette Ammons shows off her soul on Spectacles. The eleven tracks run through Funk grooves, Hip-Hop and Pop elements. Ammons’ lyrics bring you into the life of a queer Black Woman with emotional resonance.

Did that hit the spot? It really has been a strong year for New Music, don’t you think? And there is no end in sight. I’m glad to have you with me on the journey.

Take care of yourself!

The New Music I’m Listening To Expeditiously This Week, February 10 – 16, 2024:

Good day to you and yours. I hope your sky is bright and sunny, and the winds are quiet enough to enjoy some New Music with me. It truly is a big week in releases, and I have twelve titles to recommend. Hopefully you can find something that clicks with you!

If you had “Beyoncé releases a Country Album” on your 2024 Bingo Card, congratulations. It comes out at the end of March. She released two teaser singles this week, and I’d like to draw your attention to 16 CARRIAGES. It’s a track that begins tenderly, giving Bey a chance to demonstrate her perfect vocal control, as it grows in intensity. It piques my interest for an Artist who is still showing all her tricks.

Beyoncé – 16 CARRIAGES

If you’re a regular reader of my words, you may know that I’m a big fan of Brooklyn MC Homeboy Sandman. His flow tickles my neuroreceptors, and I’m down for anything he releases. On the weekend he put out a new single. How is it? Real Good.

This next single blew my tiny little mind. Fatboi Sharif is an MC from New Jersey, and there are bars on Something About Shirley. Solid bars. But it is the production work of Roper Williams on this ten-minute track that verges on Avant Garde audio collage. At time’s unsettling, others exhilarating. Smoke a bowl and immerse yourself.

*Fatboi Sharif & Roper Williams – Something About Shirley*

Portland, Oregon has long been a Sanctuary City for artistic misfits. It is, not coincidentally, the home of Electronic Producer and Vocalist abbymachines. Her latest EP, AB, is SynthPop and Dance, with Spanish and English vocals. Do you wanna ride with me is filling the dancefloor in My Imaginary Nightclub.

The dancefloor is full and it is getting sweaty for a DJ and Producer from Buenos Aires, Colombia. Carlos Quebrada performs as Genosidra. His latest album, Haxan Tek, is seven instrumental tracks of unique beats and turnarounds, keeping your ears flexing and your body moving.

Mohammad Syfkhan is a Kurdish/Syrian Singer and Bouzouki player who lives in Ireland. His new album, I Am Kurdish is uptempo and joyful, and designed for dancing and celebration. Masterful musicianship.

Nathalie Joachim is a Brooklyn-born Haitian-American and is also a flutist, composer and vocalist. On Ki moun ou ye her vibrant voice is joined by drums and electronics, along with strings to create a rich tapestry.

Irish Producer Jacknife Lee has a knack for choosing interesting Artists to work with. This week finds him at the helm of a new record from a female quartet from Mali called Les Amazones d’Afrique. The two entities combine the traditional vocals with Electronic beats on Musow Dance. Exhilarating.

A bizarro Country singer from Montreal got my attention back in November, and he’s already returned with a new collaboration. On Tandoori Knights, Bloodshot Bill is joined by fellow Underground legend King Khan. Classic Rock & Roll and Rockabilly with universal themes such as the love of bacon and soiling one’s pants. Does humor belong in Music? Only if it’s funny.

*Bloodshot Bill & King Khan – Tandoori Knights*

Detroit, Michigan is thriving, with multiple Music Scenes creating a vibrant Arts community. One band that is bubbling up and due their flowers is the three-piece Shadow Show. Their second album, Fantasy Now!, is a shiny self-produced collection of Garage Pop, bright harmonies and bubblegum hooks.

I’ve mentioned before that there is a genre of Music out of the UK that’s like to call “Lad Rock.” It features a frontman that talk-sings the woes of living in Post-Brexit England. It’s quite catchy if done well, but it’s a little One Note. One such band is Bristol’s IDLES, and on their new album TANGK, there is notable growth from the tired old tropes. Perhaps co-production from Nigel Godrich helped broaden the aural tapestry. Vocalist Joe Talbot has definitely grown nuance and depth to his delivery; less geezer, more singer. Solid.

Deep Search Collective is an assemblage of Artists in San Francisco, California. Among them is Poet and MC Jun Dax aka Quiet. She’s released her debut album, The Ten Doors Of February, and it is a gem of a release. Throughout the ten tracks Dax drops confident and thoughtful rhymes, with brilliant downtempo production from JusOneOh. Recommended if you like A Tribe Called Quest or Digable Planets. It hits the heart hard, and is my Feature Pick this week.

I should mention that I have been posting New Music as I find it throughout the week on BlueSky, and now that it’s open to all, you can find me at New Music Jason. Maybe I’ll see you there. Say hi!

The New Music I’m Listening To With Righteous Intent This Week, June 17 – 23, 2023:

Good day to one and all, my friendly friends! It’s time for your weekly New Music Injection, so roll up your sleeve. I have an even dozen recommendations to impart, so sit tight. It’ll just be a little poke.

The week begins with it not one, not two, but three singles to tickle your fancy. First up is the fantastic vocalist Moses Sumney. His first new music since his terrific 2020 album græ comes via the HBO series The Idol. Get It B4 certainly owes some inspiration credit from Prince, if not for the numerical title alone, then certainly for the sensuous falsetto and emotional production.

Moses Sumney – Get It B4

My second single for the week comes from a reliable, if not prolific Afghani Artist, based in Germany. Farhot released a single in March for the Persian New Year. His new track, Bahar 1402 is a downtempo Hip-Hop beat with minimal samples, enough to tickle the ears in a lovely way.

A song that my son and I heard performed last November has been given official release. The band that makes up 40% of Radiohead, The Smile, has released a new standalone single. I recognized Bending Hectic from its bending guitar lines at the start of the song. The track then gives way to an orgasmic transition that leads to a thundering Rock song. Eight minutes of gorgeousity. If I had a ‘Song of the Week’, this would be it.

An Experimental Hip-Hop Artist and Producer from Columbus, Georgia called quinn has once again gotten my attention. His three-track EP, slaps…well, it slaps. quinn’s fragmented production is a perfect frame for his stream-of-thought delivery.

An Artist that has quickly become a regular visitor to my ears recently is Philip Sanderson. Between his experiments in sound manipulation released under his own name, and as Ice Yacht (and others), the man is busy. His latest is a four-track full-length album inspired by the sound of people on trains. Dilly Dreamers is an immersive experience, at times Ambient, others, leaning to something more rhythmic and guttural.

Ye Olde BandCamp Wishlist came through again with some imaginative and exciting Music. NEON is the fourth release from UK Chamber Group Manchester Collective. The title piece was composed by Hannah Peel, and it stretches across three movements. After that are compositions by Lyra Pramuk and Julius Eastman, before closing with Steve Reich’s thrilling Double Sextet.

A new Hip-Hop album came out this week with a lot of emotional baggage. A rapper from Chicago called Tree has been making records for over ten years, but, evidently it wasn’t selling well enough to stop selling drugs. Well, Tree got busted, and is up for a three-year hitch in the hoosegow. FREE TREE was recorded in a Judge-approved 39-day stay of sentencing. There’s a lot of soul searching here, and worth the listen.

A five-track EP from scenic Stowe, Vermont, is giving me tingles. HERMANN is the ‘nom-de-son’ of Lynn Berğkömit, of whom I can find zero information. However, Rzewski Alexanderplatz is a divine mix of Jazz and Classical idioms performed in an oddly quiet manner.

I’ve learned my lesson to not sleep on New Reggae. When you are talking about a specific style of Music that is identified by its rhythm, it’s the responsibility of the Artist to find unique ways to present the sound. Zion Train is a Dub dj and Producer based in Cologne, Germany. They’ve been recording and performing for 35 years, but they sound fresh as daisies on Dissident Sound. Throughout eleven tracks, it will keep you dancing, only pausing to react to the next tasty sonic manipulation.

Brooklyn NY’s Geese is a five-piece Rock Band that has just released their second album. 3D Country is filled with hard-driving tracks and endearing vocals. Mysterious Love is a standout.

pardoner is a quartet from San Francisco that has been active since 2015. Their latest effort is Peace Loving People, a 14-track album filled with high-energy bops full of disillusioned lyrics that are highly relatable.

Holy Locust is a five-piece acoustic band from New Orleans, Louisiana. This week they’ve released their second full-length. Beneath The Turning Wheel spins a dark and emotional tale, with tight interplay between the musicians. Gorgeous harmonies are abundant on this beautiful record, helping to make it my Feature Pick for the week.

*Holy Locust – Beneath The Turning Wheel*

If I was here with you now, I’d give you a lollipop for sticking with me while I do my thing. The stinging sensation should wear off soon.

Take good care of yourself!

Upcoming New Releases – Week Ending Friday April 14, 2023:

Also* an update regarding a recently recommended album – Holy Tongue’s new album was released in full accidentally, and has now been taken offline until the April 28 release date.

They just don’t make classic movies like this anymore.

It looks to be a fairly plump week in scheduled New Releases, with one major title dominating the headlines. I’m thankful that there’s plenty more to anticipate than Lars and James pretending to like each other for a dozen or so new songs, when Metallica releases their tenth full-length, 72 Seasonings.

Metallica – 72 Seasons
Get ready to sing along!

Some other artists of note to which I’m looking forward include Angel Olsen, Shygirl, Feist, Chat Pile, Natalie Merchant, and El Michels Affair with Black Thought.

Feist – Borrow Trouble

My BandCamp Wishlist is a robust thirteen titles this week. I have high hopes for the upcoming EP from London’s Kay Young, on the R&B/Hip-Hop tip.

Kay Young – Woe Is Me (ft. Ego Ella May)

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to yourself! I’ll talk to you again on Friday!

The New Music I’m Listening To This Satisfying Spring Week, March 25 – 31, 2023:

As the rain washes away what is left of our snow, a kind of peace has permeated the atmosphere. Try not to smile when the flowers blossom from the ground, and you’re surrounded with only the finest in New Music.

It’s been a grand week in New Music, and I’ve been lucky to find thirteen titles to share. It’s a Baker’s Dozen of sonic delights!

A single to start the week’s findings, and to get you primed for the musical celebration ahead. I recommended Maral’s most recent album back in October. The LA Producer and DJ is back with a new single. Wondering Dub is captivating Downtempo Instrumental Hip-Hop, with pounding bass and garbled samples.

All three of the Mainstream Indie Artists that I noted on Tuesday came through with winners this week, each in their own way. Singer-songwriter trio boygenius is comprised of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. Their second album, the record establishes the group as a fully-functional unit, joined by the love to create beautiful melodies with sumptuous harmonies.

The San Francisco Rock quartet Deerhoof was involved in a collaboration that I am still enjoying called Congotronics International, so I was curious to hear how they sound on their own. Their new release, Miracle Level is a bit of an oddball, in that all the lyrics are sung in Japanese, set to an adventurous Rock sound. It’s easy to get lost in their otherworldly surroundings.

Twenty years before boygenius were the ‘Supergroup du jour’, Solo Artist Neko Case, AC Newman of Superconductor, Dan Bejar of Destroyer, and several others formed The New Pornographers. Throughout the last two decades they’ve gone through lineup changes, but have now made ten albums together. Continue as a Guest is their latest, and Newman’s gift for writing a hook is no less diminished over time, and Neko’s voice is sublime. Favourite lyric, from track two Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies: “Now you’re clearing the room just like Pontius Pilate, when he showed all of his home movies, all of his friends yelling, ‘Pilate, too soon!’”

*The New Pornographers – Continue as a Guest*

OK Party People, My Imaginary Nightclub is the place to be. Setting the mood is my literal House DJ, Vitamin D. The turntablist and Producer from Seattle has been on the ones and twos since ‘89, and has worked with Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent, among others. On his latest, Ultimate Broken Beats, D has a master’s touch. He cuts up samples, both unknown and easily identifiable, taking them beyond their original paradigm, across 16 tracks.

I’m happy to be hearing from one of Danny Brown’s Bruiser Brigade. This crew of Detroit MC’s has been mostly quiet as of late, and I’m eager to hear more from a couple of these guys. One who hasn’t been quiet is Zelooperz. After a single back in January, he’s back with a new full-length. Microphone Fiend showcases the unique wordsmith’s original sing-song delivery, and steady flow of clever rhymes. Most of the sixteen tracks are produced by Dilip.

A collaboration that I have been enjoying between London Experimental Percussionist Valentina Magaletti and multi-instrumentalist Al Wootton, known as Holy Tongue, has turned into a trio with the addition of bassist Susumu Makai. Their first full-length, Deliverance And Spiritual Warfare, is ten tracks of Dubby exploration.

*Holy Tongue – Deliverance And Spiritual Warfare*

Louis VI is an acolyte of the London Jazz scene, a rapper, drummer and singer. His debut, Earthling, is fourteen sparkling tracks that showcase the artist’s considerable vocal skill and thoughtful lyrics.

If you need a rest, why not pop over to the Imaginary Chillout Room? Smoke the hookah and dig NY’s Avant Garde Jazz Drummer Bob Moses (Ra Kalam). He has been recording and performing since the late 1960’s, and performed with Roland Kirk as a teenager. He’s still out there, aged 75 and pushing boundaries. His latest project is a collaboration with Dutch Composer and Performance Artist Jaap Blonk and American Bassist Damon Smith. Rune Kitchen is four long-form tracks of exploratory Music, devoid of form, and full of surprises.

*Jaap Blonk/Damon Smith/Ra Kalam Bob Moses – Rune Kitchen*

Another album that I plugged on Tuesday that I was excited to hear also came through for me. Trip-Hop legend Tricky has found a new ingénue. Polish vocalist Marta Złakowska has taken the reins in performing Tricky’s lyrics, and When It’s Going Wrong is among the best production work of his career.

*Marta and Tricky – When It’s Going Wrong*

Another album that I gave an anticipatory shoutout to on Tuesday has exceeded my expectations. London Brew is the collaborative effort of many of the mainstays in UK Jazz. The self-titled debut album is made in reverence of Miles Davis, and his musical explorations. It’s a deep dive!

Another debut comes to us from North and East Africa, via Geneva, Switzerland. Yalla Miku is a fusion of European Electronic Music and Moroccan and Algerian string instruments. The self-titled album will get your feet moving and your senses soaring.

Katie Gately is a Producer and Songwriter from Pasadena, California. In her time she has worked with Serpentwithfeet and Björk while eking out a career of her own. Her fourth album, Fawn/Brute, was created during her first pregnancy, and delves into the emotions she experienced, both beautiful and ugly. Experimental Pop of a higher level, this is my Feature Pick for the week.

Great googily-moogily, what a week it has been! I hope you were able to find something to tickle your short ‘n’ curlies.

Take care of yourself!

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!

The New Music I’m Listening To This Relaxing and Rejuvenating Week, July 23 – 29, 2022:

Home again, after a lovely week steeped in the awe-inspiring nature of Northern Ontario.

*Stubb’s Falls, Arrowhead Provincial Park*

I admit that I wasn’t as immersed in Music this week as I am usually. The lack of speakers at our vacation home made it untenable. But even with my little iTelephone speaker, I did find five titles to add to my life. Perhaps there’s something here for you as well.

Can I interest you in some ‘Anti-fascist Noise Folk’? A producer from Melbourne who goes by Blood of a Pomegranate has created an album with Armenian musician Tig Harutyunyan. The six-song release is called “7000 Haunting Artsakh”, in reference to war in the Azerbaijani Republic in 2020. It is heavy, with pounding drums, screaming guitars, and drone. Highly imaginative and provocative.

*Blood of a Pomegranate – 7000 Haunting Artsakh*

A nifty project from a San Francisco duo caught my ear. “Glass, Works!” is the product of Liam Herb and Milo Moyer-Battick, who record as L&M. The ten tracks are created using tuned wine glasses, beer bottles blown as flutes, shattering window panes, and several different methods of getting sound from glass. I find it very clever and calming.

On the slightly more “conventional” side of musical creation, I have a duo that I have heard a lot about over the last couple of years. DOMi & JD BECK are 22 year-old French keyboardist Domitille Degalle, and 19 year-old drummer Beck, who is from Texas. Both are musical prodigies who have been performing and composing since they were wee babies. Their debut album, “NOT TiGHT,” is Electronic Jazz, with (yes) tight breakbeats, adventurous melodies, and varied textures. The list of guests appearing on this debut speaks to their reputation and talent. Thundercat, Mac DeMarco, Anderson .Paak, and the legendary Herbie Hancock grace the record.

A duo of the Hip-Hop persuasion is up next. Quintessential & Eddou XL are from the American west coast. XL is the producer, and Quint provides the rhymes for “My Cheese Budget Is Growing.” Smart, funny, funky, and surprisingly horny for former White House Press Secretaries.

*Quintessential & Eddou XL –*
*My Cheese Budget Is Growing*

My Feature Pick for this week comes directly from my BandCamp Wishlist. Wombo is a trio from Kentucky, fronted by vocalist Sydney Chadwick. Their third full-length, “Fairy Rust,” wears its Post-Punk inspirations proudly. But the band is unafraid to stretch out, with audacious guitar lines and rhythmic trickery.

I promise to be back on schedule next week. You can expect to hear from me on Tuesday and Friday. Take care of yourself and be good to others!

The Beefy New Releases I’m Listening To On This Glorious Day, Friday, March 25, 2022:

I thought when I forcibly removed myself from Zuckbook it would decrease my screen time. Instead, it only increased my time searching on Bandcamp. I believe it to be a healthy trade-off, but I need to be careful on the wallet. Fun fact: Bandcamp gift cards can be purchased and emailed to any recipient (including the good person who has two thumbs and may be typing this). (jaymowil@hotmail.com)

The releases are beefy, indeed. Eleven titles in all; transcending styles, borders, quarantines, and preconceptions.

My first choice for this week was actually released late last Friday, well beyond press time for me. So, it gets moved to this week. My blog, my rules.

Detroit rapper Zelooperz released a great album last year that I’m still enjoying, and he has already followed it up. “Get WeT.Radio” has a slew of producers, notably fellow Michigander Black Noi$e. Zelooperz’s unique delivery is centre stage and he is on a full-on “(mostly)Woke Lover Man” flex. My only complaint is that the cover is not one of his great paintings, instead it’s a beefcake bathtub shot. Ah, well, he is a fine-looking fellow. I can’t fault him.

A producer from San Francisco got my attention this week with their new release. rainsdeaf is the artist name for this high-energy DJ. Their new album, “rhythm industry”, doesn’t stay in one place for too long, which makes it so engaging to listen to. Anything else I could tell you would be pure speculation.

I’ve found a great new MC from Charlotte, NC, via Ohio. jaH-Monte OF MELENATED PEOPLE has been releasing records since 2020, and his new one, “Here, There & Everywhere” is some heady and smooth rhymes, with production from Fly Anakin, Ohbliv, and a bunch of others.

*jaH-Monte OF MELENATED PEOPLE* –
*Here, There & Everywhere*

OK, I’m not saying that you should take some time for Brazilian Music, but it is punching well beyond its weight category. And it does well in many disciplines. As far as not being able to understand what they are singing, Music has the ability to transcend meaning. Didn’t you know that?

Apropos of nothing, from Valencia, on East coast of Spain, on the Balearic Sea (and not from Brazil), comes La Culpa. The band is a four-piece of the Rock tradition. Their eight-song self-titled debut was released this week. I smell a strong Pixies influence to their sound. Boy-girl unison vocals punctuate in a charming way. Beautiful cover. It’s a winner.

And we’re back to Motor City again. Detroit DJ and producer Chef Mike has been behind the ones and twos for over two decades. He refers to his recent release, “Kitchen Confidential” as, “Rando instrumentals vol. 1”. The truth is, if any rapper were to take these ten tracks as the basis of their own album, they won’t have lost. Smart samples, and a keen sense of rhythm. Tasty.

Another Hip Hop producer, but from a different culture. Afghan-born Farhot is based in Hamburg. His new single, “Nowroz 1401”, was released in celebration of the Solar New Year, as celebrated in Afghanistan. Three tracks that utilize samples of Afghan Psychedelic Pop records of the 1960’s. Unique and enticing.

The pandemic has been hard for everyone, for myriad reasons. I can only imagine the special challenges a eight-piece Jazz-Funk combo could be struggling with. From the sounds of it, UK band Speedometer has risen to the challenge. They have released a three-song ep, recorded remotely, and featuring half a dozen additional guest musicians. “Lockdown Sessions – Ukraine Crisis Appeal” leads off with a brilliant track, “Kashmir”, which utilizes sitar and trumpets in a call-and-response fashion. Get on up!

*Speedometer –*
*Lockdown Sessions-Ukraine Crisis Appeal*

Also from the UK, a singer with an exceptional voice, Reginald Omas Mamode IV. He has released his fourth album, after previous critical successes. “Stand Strong” is a personal testament, with warm and bright production.

*Reginald Omas Mamode IV – Stand Strong*

Oh my, so many releases this week! I’m so happy with what I’m hearing this week. Also, I’m learning. Did you know that actress Lisa Bonet has a very talented half-sister? It’s true. Kadhja Bonet is a critically-acclaimed singer and multi-instrumentalist. She has released a single this week, in anticipation of a new LP. “Dear Gina” was also produced by Bonet. Woozy synth-bass and broken beats accompany her velvet voice. Released by the almighty Ninja Tune.

If you can believe your eyes and ears, Czech ‘Artist-with-a-capita-A’ Petr Válek has released a Pop album! If you don’t know Mr. Válek’s work, he toils in many mediums, but is known for his short videos where he demonstrates instruments he’s created. Some make the most breathtakingly beautiful sounds, others…simply breathtaking. This week he has released “Orange Album. Over fifteen tracks, Petr turns down the noise (kinda), and shows off his skill creating songs; spanning numerous styles, which I believe to be spontaneously composed while recording. Does humor belong in music? Yes, with one exception: Limericks.

My final pick for this week. Phew! Are you all still with me? A band from Tel Aviv, Israel called El Khat made my brain collapse to its knees and weep with pure joy this week. Lead by Eyal el Wahab, the group incorporates strings, horns, synths, and homemade percussion. The grooves on “Albat Alawi Op. 99” are so flawless and natural. “Djaja” gave me Third-Degree Stank Face. A no-doubt early frontrunner for Album Of The Year.

What a tremendous week in New Music! March is ending strong, and April also looks to be full of great stuff to look forward to. Enjoy the bounty, friends, and take care of yourself!