If no one else has had the bizarre pleasure, allow me to be the first to welcome you to September! The chilly mornings, followed by beautiful afternoons and sunsets, with the smell of the leaves changing and falling make it my favourite time of year.
TODAY IS BANDCAMP FRIDAY! Don’t forget to pay a visit to my favourite website and support your favourite Artists!
I have a very healthy ten recommendations to share with you and yours, so let’s get down to it.
If you’re a Music Nerd like me (and if you’re not, why are you reading this?) you are probably aware of the Self-Described “Internet’s Busiest Music Nerd,” Anthony Fantano. Fantano reviews New Music and Popular Culture at The Needle Drop on YouTube. I have great respect for his insight and thoughtful handling of often trite subject matter. Our taste is very seldom aligned, but sometimes he will discuss a piece of Music that missed my attention when it came out.
Such is the case with Jasper Marsalis. He is the son of legendary Jazz Artist Wynton Marsalis. As Slauson Malone I, his Music couldn’t be further from his father’s. After two full-lengths, Malone is back with a new single that was released August 15. Voyager begins with what sounds like Sonar, after which Deep Bass descends. The tempo is established, Jasper begins to sing and rap ninety seconds in, after a sonic eruption. Tasty production throughout make this particular song unfortunate to end, which it does far too soon. Melon loves it, and so do I! Can’t wait to hear more from this intriguing Artist.
I have a couple more singles this week. Next up is a tribute Cover Version for the late great Sinéad O’Connor. I was getting annoyed that all the tributes that I had heard were performances of a song written by Prince. Amanda Palmer and a crew from Righteous Babe Records have released a touching and spine-tingling cover of Sinéad’s divorce lament, The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance. Strings leads Amanda’s emotional voice to the full band climax with backing vocals. A truly touching tribute to the Artist and the human that was Sinéad.
I always get an icky feeling when a band gives themselves a name that sounds like it’s designed for shock value. MANNEQUIN PUSSY makes me feel icky, not because it offends me, but because it feels like a cheap attention-grabber. Nonetheless, their latest single, I Got Heaven is catchy, with great harmonies and arrangement. Vocalist Marisa Dabice sings passionately and with fierce power.
A one-track EP has arrived this week from Aussie Egg-Punk “Band” Daughter Bat & The Lip Stings. I first encountered this One-Man Band, who’s real name is Angus Lewis, back in October with the release of a great EP. He’s back with five songs in eleven minutes on his Secret Tape. Rock at its finest!
A punky trio from Norwich, in the East of England have returned with another EP. Gas Kunst released their debut in January and have come back with the four-song Gas Mark Two EP. A Garage Pop feel with fuzzy guitars , and enigmatic vocals. The closing track, 101.4, sounds like a song I recognize, but can’t quite place. Readers?
South African duo Black Motion has been together since 2010 and has been tearing up real nightclubs and festivals ever since. With their seventh album, Rebirth Of The Drum, it’s time for their stint in The Main Room at My Imaginary Nightclub.
London Multi-Instrumentalist and masked Jazzbo Kofi Flexxx released a debut album this week that is chock-full of guests. Flexxx, who may or may not be Shabaka Hutchings, calls on Billy Woods, ELUCID, Anthony Joseph and others to Feature on Flowers In The Dark. It’s a spry and clever production filled with complicated rhythms and curious melodies.
Also from London is Trip-Hop pioneer The Sindecut. Their career began back in the late 1980’s when they created their sound that combines R&B, Hip-Hop and Reggae. They have recently joined up with Singer/Songwriter Ijeoma to create and release Late. It’s a ten-track album that highlights Ijeoma’s silky voice and luscious Production.
After the weekly bloodbath that is my BandCamp Wishlist was settled, Sheffield’s Pale Blue Eyes won the day. Their second album. This House is a sharp and winning mix of Euro-Dance and Post-Punk. Lyricist and vocalist Matt Board has evoked the passage of time and loss beautifully.
I discovered, this week, perhaps the most unique album I’ve heard in a long, long time. Leo Lackritz is a Producer and Singer-Songwriter from Toronto, Canada. His debut album, Crazy Enough is a wild mix of Electro, Hip-Hop and Bedroom Pop, with shades of Daniel Johnston, Kanye, and my favourite living Artist, Petr Válek. Oh, also, Leo Lackritz is six years old. His father, Robbie, has posted the album to BandCamp (with Leo’s blessing), and the proceeds are going to MusiCounts, a terrific Music Education Charity. The sheer abandon in the creativity, and no one saying “No” to the feral Lyric and Production choices that are being made, make this, hands down, my Feature Pick of the week.
I hope your life is going according to plan, and if it isn’t, that you’re able to find joy in the detours. Be good to yourself, and I’ll talk to you again soon!
New Music Jason’s Picks 