The Smile – New Music Jason’s Picks

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

Apologies for the delay in today’s post, I spent the morning on a field trip with my sixth grade daughter, feeding birds from our hands.

What a tremendous week it is for New Music. The heavy hitters are back, and there’s a panoply of great Music of all stripes. Eleven New Releases in total to duly dig.

Australian Jazz-Funk Ensemble Hiatus Kaiyote has released their first new music in over two years. Everything’s Beautiful is the name, and also an apt description for the new single. Lead singer Nai Palm is a warm and bold presence throughout the track, which is sadly only just shy of three minutes, and comes to an abrupt conclusion. Fellow nerds will be pleased to see Mario Caldato, Jr. (Mario C!) on the mix.

*Hiatus Kaiyote – Everything’s Beautiful*

A single from a new collaboration between Open Mike Eagle, Video Dave, and STILL RIFT came out this week. Previous Industries brings these MC heavyweights together on Showbiz b/w Braids. Production from Child Actor and Quelle Chris make this a hotly anticipated project for a full-length around these parts.

*Showbiz Industries – Showbiz b/w Braids*

A solo bedroom project from Kalamazoo, Michigan has grown a band around itself for its new 5-track 7”. Silicon Heartbeat is the SynthPunk Sci-Fi creation of a person known only as Brian, and with Matt, Lisa, and Greg (he’s on bass and “counting”) they’ve turned the energy up to eleven on 2889. End Of The World scenarios, hating on creeps, modern anxiety, and a Kraftwerk cover for good measure. Doubleplusgood!

A small label from Poland is quickly becoming one of my favourite, most reliable arbiters of new Punk acts both from nearby and around the world. This week I’m tickled that Syf Records has released a new EP from a solo Artist from Montreal, Canada. WHITE KNUCKLE is the noisework of Trevor Bushey, and ICSTQ is five tracks of wobbly guitars and synth drums. Dance, MFers, Dance!

A trio from London that released their proper debut back in October has returned with a three-track EP. Vanishing Twin is multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Cathy Lucas, Drummer Valentina Magaletti, and Bassist Susumu Mukai. Life Drummer is part of Sub Pop Records Singles Club, and begins with the uptempo and sharp title track, before exploring more dreamy landscapes.

Australia is always punching above its weight category in terms of frenetic Punk Music. A band from Brisbane that is made up former and current members of The Chats, The Unknown and Headlice. Rick N The Sickos released their debut album in 2021, and it is finally being released. RNTS is fourteen tracks of down and dirty, dumb Rock and Roll to bang your head to. Brain damage mandatory.

I haven’t seen much in the way of Modern Jazz lately, so I was pleased to come across a pianist and composer from the UK. Joe Webb is based in London, and his prowess is on full display on the new EP, Collbanc. Joined by Will Sach on bass and Sam Jesson on drums, Webb performs an eager and energetic piano, with delightful melodic steps and creative bounds.

A Hip-Hop MC from Soweto is claiming that he is retiring from the game. I hope it’s untrue, because I’ve been a fan of Priddy Ugly for a few years now, and he is one of the most consistently engaging rappers around. His “last” album, DUST shows the MC at the top of his game, with his unique delivery and gift of gab. Here’s hoping we’ll have more Music from him.

An ElectroPop act from New York that has been active for over a decade is back again with another full-length. TORRES is a duo that performs the compositions of Mackenzie Scott. What an enormous room is their sixth album and features Scott’s thoughtful and enigmatic voice. Double-tracked vocals give the album special presence.

My brain likes to make large leaps in judgement. When I saw the name Ty Segall, my brain immediately decided that they were a Country Artist and dismissed them as such. It was a grand mistake, and one that I’m pleased to have corrected. Ty Segall is a thoughtful and esoteric songwriter from Los Angeles. His latest album, Three Bells, offers shades of Mathy Rock and Prog. Psychedelic, but only on the correct drugs.

It’s a surprise to no one, my Feature Pick this week is from the Post-Radiohead Sad Rockers The Smile. Thom Yorke and co. have followed up their May, 2022 debut with a swiftly produced wonder. Wall Of Eyes is beautifully-produced, and adds to the Artists’ rich history of exploring new sounds and finding gorgeous resolution. Yorke’s falsetto is yearning and warm, and Tom Skinner’s drum work, and Jonny Greenwood’s guitar play lay a majestic canvas.

Are you still with me? I hope you found at least something to your liking. I know I did. Maybe I’ll see you again? Take care of yourself!

Upcoming New Releases (The Piña Colada Song) – Week Ending Friday, January 26, 2024:

We are receiving a veritable deluge of snow around here, and keeping pace with the snow is the blizzard of New Music coming our way.

The Post-Radiohead project The Smile releases their second album on Friday. I’ll be sure to discuss it when it comes out, because I’m an old-head, and they seldom disappoint.

The Smile – Wall Of Eyes

There’s an excellent roster of Artists putting out albums this week, including Future Islands, Ty Segall, Alkaline Trio, Gruff Rhys, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Benny The Butcher.

Future Islands – Say Goodbye

My BandCamp Wishlist is flush with seven titles awaiting release, and among them I’d like to spotlight Aussie Garage Punks Rick N The Sickos. The band features former members of The Chats, and their debut RNTS comes out on Friday.

Rick N The Sickos – I’m A Sicko

Come on back Friday, if you are so inclined. I’ll have a nice pot of coffee and a bowl of something green to smoke. I’d love for you to join me! Take care of yourself!

The New Music I’m Listening To Aeronautically This Week, January 6 – 12, 2024:

Well, hi there! I hope everyone is doing well and taking good care. I, for one, am in such a great mood. I’ve got more than a handful of New Music to swim around in. Eight titles, of many styles. The temperature is perfect, won’t you join me?

A single to start this week’s findings comes from the Post-Radiohead unit known as The Smile. They are set to release their sophomore record at the end of the month, and their third teaser from the album is Friend Of A Friend. A thoughtful midtempo track in a jaunty 5/4 led by bass and piano and ornamented with horns and strings. Thom Yorke’s falsetto vocals dissolve into disorienting double-tracking at 1:45 that send the listener into Dream World.

The Smile – Friend Of A Friend

Another single this week comes from Toronto’s Wax Valley Records and it’s a burner🔥. DJ Joshua Carpenter brings Soca rhythms and mashes them with fiery guitar samples on Mr. Fete. Autotuned vocals and ecstatic drumming give it all a sense of urgency.

In the last couple of years I’ve been quite taken with a Subgenre of Punk that is known as Egg Punk. It’s essentially high-energy Synth Punk that uses vintage instruments in a gritty, lo-fi setting, sometimes utilizing vocal effects. Last year’s NMJ Prize Longlister Super Snööper from Nashville’s Snooper is a great example. So, too is the latest EP from Schleswig, Germany’s KLINT. Stark jumps out of the starting gate with Before New Dawn with its jittery beats and synth arpeggios. Six energetic tracks follow to get down to some serious but friendly moshing. Don’t forget to pick up your comrades when they fall.

My steady stream of Polish Egg Punk continues, thanks to the great microlabel Syf Records. BZDET is a band I’ve recommended a couple of times over the last couple of years and they’re back again with a new album. W PRACY is twelve tracks with bubbling guitar at the fore, and synthesized vocals. Funky bass riffs are making it a surprise hit with the Goth Kids who used fake ID to get into My Imaginary Nightclub.

A band from Leeds, UK (in fact, the “best band in the world, based in Leeds”) got my attention this week. A cassette Label from Leeds called Devil Town Tapes has just re-released Lots Of Hands third album, fantasy, which apparently came out last July. Nevertheless, I’ve found it now, and I’m glad. The thirteen tracks reveal a melancholy tone, with jangly guitar. Shiny production elements such as the incorporation of strings and synthesized elements make this a rewarding listening experience.

A dreamy Pop outfit that skews Experimental from Atlanta, Georgia has caught my ear. The introspective and wryly humorous human who goes by the name Burnout leads Psaltery’s EP Burnout Gets The Blues!. Through the four tracks you’re treated to gentle dissonant tones, 60’s-style Bubblegum, and Folky guitar work, all with creative melodies.

A Baltimore duo that doesn’t seem to have any interest in being easy to find online is back with an EP. @ follows up last years debut with five SynthPop songs. The title track of Are You There God? It’s Me, @ begins with the voices of Victoria Rose and Stone Filipzak lamenting, “I can’t feel you anymore, as long as you hide away I can’t see you in my dreams anymore.” Inventive harmonies make this a charming listen.

I’m pleased as punch to be woken up this morning with a new album from Detroit’s Bruiser Wolf. As part of Danny Brown’s Bruiser Brigade, the former Big Wolf is back with his second full-length. Wolf’s unique delivery is resplendent on My $tory Got $tories. With features from Brown, as well as Zelooperz (who also provides the cover art), Trinidad James and Fat Ray, Bruiser guides you through his street life with an earnest sense of humour. Feature Pick? You know it is.

Feels good, doesn’t it? Music is magic! Talk again soon!

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, November 4th, 2022:

Good Tuesday to you, one and all! I hope that those of you who donned a costume and tricked for treats got your gob’s fill, ya filthy animals!

*No, Aunt Jeanine, putting a scarf on doesn’t make you Harry Potter. The candy is for the children.*

Photo Credit: foodandwine.com

The tunes of November have come early this week. I’ve already added a couple of titles to my life this week which I’m excited to share with you when all is said and done on Friday.

It looks to be another solid week of midrange artists, up & comers and completely unknowns. I think it’s a safe bet that Taylor Swift will be the Queen of Holiday Sales for 2022. I can only assume that whatever sells otherwise is in spite of her, and wouldn’t even be enough (combined) to renovate one of Taylor Swift’s bathrooms.

This Friday is a perfect time to do some Holiday shopping, as it is BandCamp Friday, when every penny spent goes directly to the artist or label.

Among the Xmas albums that are being released by Alicia Keys, Switchfoot, and the almighty Kidz Bop, is New Music from R.A.P. Ferreira, Phoenix, Tinariwen, and Daniel Avery.

R.A.P. Ferreira – ours

My BandCamp Wishlist contains many New Releases that I’m looking forward to hearing including Mount Kimble, Romare, Ezra Collective, and Personal Trainer.

Personal Trainer – Rug Busters

The album I’m most looking forward to hearing this week is a solo project coming from a drummer who co-founded Sons of Kemet with Shabaka Hutchings, and has since joined Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, to form The Smile. Tom Skinner’s new solo album is his first to be released under his own name, and I can’t wait to hear what he’s come up with.

Tom Skinner – The Journey (Live at St. Luke’s)

I’ll be talking to you again on Friday, to display all the lovely musical findings to arrive in my soul. It’s always more fun with someone to share it with, so I hope you’ll join me. Be well!

Mailbag Swag Brag – July, 2022 (With Prize Inside!)

Good Thursday to all of you, and welcome to my monthly feature, wherein I show off all my physical purchases from music artists from last month.

It was a quieter month in swag, for a very specific reason which will become clear towards the end of the post. Also, I wasn’t able to procure any non-vinyl merchandise, but I have a few things in transit that I hope to talk about next month.

Two vinyl albums showed up that I’m happy to add to my collection, the last of which is poignant for me, as I intend for it to be last physical album that I purchase. I’m trying to decrease my footprint.

The first album I’d like to feature is an album I wrote about near the beginning of last month. Avalanche Kaito is a collaboration between a vocalist from Burkino Faso, and a noise-punk duo from Belgium. Old World meets New World on their self-titled full-length.

PRIZE TIME! I have another free download to offer one lucky reader. I’ve made this offer in each of my monthly posts, with no respondents. So I’ll add this to my graveyard of unclaimed downloads, but if you want some great free music, here is an opportunity to enrich your life. If you do claim it, please comment to let the imaginary others know.

My next collection of vinyl comes from a couple of artists that, it is fair to say, I have spent the most money for vinyl. My Radiohead collection is beefy, and I sent away for their deluxe editions as they came into the world. So it only makes sense that the side project featuring Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood would have the prestige of being my last piece of vinyl. The Smile’s album, “A Light For Attracting Attention,” is a beautiful addition to their legacy, and (thus far) one of my favourites of the year.

*The Smile – A Light For Attracting Attention*

The last thing I’d like to show off this month is the reason the swag is light. Although it’s not swag as such, it is the greatest purchase you can make as a music fan: concert tickets! This particular purchase is special because these concert tickets will be my first indoor show since the beginning of the pandemic AND I’m taking my thirteen year-old son for his first proper concert. Noah is a big fan of The Smile too!

Note: I’m taking the obstructed view seat, my son will have full view.

I hope you enjoyed the spoils. Stay tuned for next month, when I’m sure to have some sexy t-shirts to show off. Don’t forget to spread some love to musicians! Talk to you tomorrow.

The New Music I’m Listening To This Spectacular Week, May 7-13, 2022:

A very good Friday to one and all. “Spectacular” is an apt description. It seems almost “Functioning Record Industry”-big. If I was working at a record store, we definitely would have opened at midnight last night.

As for me, I’ve been able to find eight new titles to share with my friends. Are you ready?

Let’s start the spectacle with the middle-aged white elephant in the room. I know for a fact that Thom Yorke’s voice is akin to catnip, for a large portion of the public. His new project, The Smile, with Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner, and producer Nigel Godrich, puts his voice front and centre. Across the thirteen tracks of, “A Light For Attracting Attention”, Yorke touches back to previous sounds, from the aggressive Rock stance of “The Bends”, to the funky rhythms and Prince-like falsetto of Atoms For Peace (was Flea not available?). This is Thom at his most relaxed, and I’m here for it.

You know who else has a tremendous voice? Florence Welch has a tremendous voice. She and her band Florence + The Machine have built an astonishing catalog in its fifteen years, both in terms of quality and in commercial success. Their latest album, “Dance Fever”, feels to be a very personal statement, steeped in poetry. Opening with, “King”, Florence sings, “You need to go to war to find material to sing.” This is music for dancing while your heart breaks.

Florence + The Machine – Disco Fever

Continuing what has become a triumvirate of powerful voices, I’ve been waiting for this next album for over two years, after I heard Steven Umoh’s voice for the first time. It was on his ep, “Which Way Is Forward?”, and the Nigerian immigrant to the UK, known as Obongjayar, captured my heart with his pure tone and earnest lyrics. His first full-length has finally landed, and it is worth the wait. “Some Nights I Dream Of Doors” is a confident statement from a man who’s been through some stuff.

*Obongjayar – Some Nights I Dream Of Doors*

Kendrick Lamar also released a double album this week, but I’m not really feeling it. Detroit MC Quelle Chris is more up my alley. His newest lp, “DEATHFAME”, is self-produced downtempo hip hop, conscious as fuck.

Lest I lose any street credibility, I should start digging a little deeper. Let’s get weird.

My next pick comes from a name I’ve heard before, but never experienced. Sam Gendel is a multi-instrumentalist and producer from LA who primarily works in Jazz tropes and Electronics. Antonia Cytrynowicz is an 11 year-old girl, the younger sister of Gendel’s significant other, and a very good singer. Their album, “Live A Little”, is the result of one afternoon of recording together, in which Antonia improvised vocals in the moment, one take, and Gendel worked his post-production magic. There truly is a magic feeling to this.

*Sam Gendel & Antonia Cytrynowicz – Live A Little*

To Sweden we go. A four-piece from Umeå called Horseface has released their second album, “Sanakirjan Takana”. Featuring Hanna Kangassalo on vocals, the album mixes punk, dub, and a guitar style I like to call ‘Township Jive” (but it probably isn’t).

The term “Township Jive” comes from Johannesburg, South Africa, and it’s probably something specific. Perhaps I should ask the artist that I’m featuring next. From Durban, SA, comes a trio called Phelimuncasi. It’s fun to say, take a second. FELLee-moon-KASSee. Don’t be shy. When you’re done, press ‘play’ and get up on your feet. On their second album, “Ama Gogela”, the group uses five producers across the eleven tracks, and it is Afrobeat run amok.

So, yes we have The Smile, and yes, we have Obongjayar, but I really must pull focus to end off this week. If I didn’t believe that they were a real person, my Feature Pick for this week would be the combined cosmic essence of Harry Nilsson and Richard Rodgers. It would be currently inhabiting a honky tonk piano, and recording twisted mini-operettas to a 4-track cassette recorder.

Common sense tells me that the truth is, Nussy Andrews is a singer-songwriter from NYC. I’m led to believe they have only been recording since 2020, and I’m not even sure if, “Miniature, Overture, Caricature”, is indicative of their traditional work. The notes say that the 11 songs (plus one live version) are “demos pulled from cut songs, or unfinished mixes.” The use of double-tracked vocals make this collection ethereal and compelling. I really must dig further.

*Nussy Andrews – Miniature, Overture, Caricature*

Mmmmm, so satisfying! This week truly has something for everyone, so I hope you’re able to find something that will bring joy to your life. And do you know what would really be spectacular? If you remember to take good care of yourself. Talk to you soon!

Upcoming New Releases – Week Of May 13, 2022:

Hurrah, that we are finally fully immersed in Spring. The sad news is that the delayed season hasn’t prevented the resurgence of the dreaded mosquito. If we could only come to some sort of détente between the humans and the mosquitoes. If it’s sources of blood they’re looking for, might I suggest birds and squirrels and dogs. Plenty of dogs out there.

I don’t want to kill you, mosquitoes. I’m a peaceful man. But I will. And I will kill your children.

Mosquitoes won’t drive me inside this week. It is far too beautiful. And this week’s release schedule is front-loaded with highly anticipated titles. Obongjayar’s first full-length in due Friday, as is new music from Kendrick Lamar, Florence + The Machine, The Black Keys, and (drumroll please) the full-length album from the Radiohead side project, The Smile. I imagine I will be talking about that one on Friday.

“Thin Thing”, another pre-release single from
The Smile.

As for myself, beyond The Smile and Obongjayar, I have some titles on my Bandcamp wishlist that I can’t wait to hear. One in particular is from Detroit MC Quelle Chris. He got my attention a couple of years ago with an album he did with Jean Grae, and the pre-release sounds great!

Quelle Chris – So Tired You Can’t Stop Dreaming

It’s going to be a spectacular week, dear friends, mosquitoes be damned. I’ll be back here on Friday (the 13th, ooooo), and I’ll show you how lucky I was. I can feel it!

The New Music I’m Listening To This Beautiful Week, April 16-22, 2022:

Now that the weather has taken a turn for the pleasant (a trend that is certain to never end), I intend to take up permanent residence in My Happy Place. Sitting on my front porch, sun in my face, fully stocked with caffeine and cannabis, I’ve also got a very reasonable six titles to put in front of your beautiful faces this week.

Before I get into all of the great music to listen to this week, I’d like to hereby thank Thom Yorke for his prompt reply to my terms and conditions. I promised there would be no mention of any new singles from him, or his new band The Smile, until a full-length album is announced. Not two weeks later, he caved, and announced that “A Light For Attracting Attention”, by The Smile, will be released on May 13. In the meantime, here’s another pre-release single, “Free In The Knowledge”. This record is shaping up to be a pretty good Radiohead album. Welcome back, Thommy. I know this was just as hard for you as it was for me. Snerk!

I don’t know how many people read my weekly post who live in China (actually I do, it’s zero), but if they were out there, this week’s post will probably get me banned from the Chinese internet. This is an album that was due to be released last Friday, but didn’t arrive until sometime after I went to press. Kink Gong is the artist name for Laurent Jeanneau. She is an adventurous musician and visual artist based in Berlin. Her latest project, “Forbidden China”, is eight tracks (plus Bandcamp exclusive ninth track), wherein Jeanneau is using chopsticks, tapping them against guitar strings, dulcimer, and cans of water. The title track also contains spoken words, reciting the list of “forbidden key words on the Chinese internet.” Truly, unlike anything I’ve heard before.

As an old man, I am thoroughly out of touch with the lingo of young people. The adjectives that are used to describe styles of music have changed. What was once “phat”, may now be referred to as “dusty”; “industrial” might now be “vaporwave”. I just don’t know! But I do know that my next pick is funky fresh. Qualms is a producer and DJ from Colorado. His new “beat tape”, “Employment”, is eight instrumental hip hop tracks, coming in at less than fifteen minutes, inspired by customer service training videos. If you’ve experienced the hell that is other people, when in the Service Industry, you will feel this on another level.

Since I’ve turned my ears back to New Music I’ve been happy to discover that Chicago is still a great music city. I’ve found great rock music in Ohmme, and Twin Peaks. I’ve discovered tremendous Jazz in Makaya McCraven, and all that the record label International Anthem has on offer, including the one-of-a-kind Angel Bat Dawid. But I had noticed a lack of my kind of Hip Hop coming from The Windy City. Imagine my excrement when I found K. Locke. He is a DJ and producer, much in the vein of all that came after Dilla. It takes something extraordinary to catch my attention, and his new full-length, “Battle 4 Chicago” showed me immediately that this artist has a unique ear. By turns downtempo, Locke is unafraid to switch hit up with tastes of four-on-the-floor House, or island rhythms. Did I mention it is thirty tracks, in celebration of the artist’s thirty years of life? This is outrageously good.

I look at the resurgence of the cassette tape as a viable and lucrative format with some bemusement. As someone who lived through the cassette era, and amassed thousands of them (and then sold them so I could eat while going to college), it’s hard to put my head around choosing an inferior sounding, less reliable method of listening to music. Is it just weird nostalgia? Regardless, a guy who has been releasing cassettes since the late 70’s is Philip Saunderson. He started Snatch Tapes in London back in 1979, which focused on Experimental and Noise artists. It’s now a Bandcamp account, which does reissues plus releases of new music from Saunderson. Which leads me to Ice Yacht, the name under which he has recorded a seven track LP, “Noisy Nylon”. On this, Saunderson is responsible for “various software, vocals, guitar, shortwave radio, MFB Nanozwerg, and artwork”. This is adventurous Ear Candy for the adventurous ear. From my ideal version of a “club banger”, with the lead-off track, “Nitty Nora (Head Explorer), to the pensive and dreamy, “Jizzy Jazz”, closing it out, it makes me actually covet a cassette. I want my old tapes back!

To end off this week, I’ll leave you, for now, with a female MC, because they’re still as rare as hen’s teeth (editor’s note: hen’s teeth? what is your source on this?). From the great university town of Athens, GA, Mariah Parker is Linqua Franqa. She has just released her debut full-length, “Bellringer”. Before I drool all over her with Lauryn Hill comparisons, I’ll mention some of the guests that feature, as they include Of Montreal, Kishi Bashi, and Angela Davis. But there’s no doubt who the star is of this show. Parker takes control with cutting rhymes, a powerful control of rhythm-play, and a smart perspective. A call to action, and a head bop for the ages.

I hope you have a Happy Place of your own, so that you may luxuriate with your harmless vice of choice, and that you may feed your head with the sounds that make you bliss out. I hope I was able to help. Love yourself!

The New Music I’m Listening To This Lovely Week, April 2-8, 2022:

Spring comes quick around here. Unfortunately it also ends just as quickly as it’s begun, so now is the time to soak all of it in. As for me, I aim to sit in my happy place, revelling in the Fresh Air™️, the sun warming my skin. And listening, of course, to what The Music has on offer.

As predicted, it has been a healthy crop of new sounds this week. I’ve been able to find eight titles to add to my life. Step inside, walk this way. You and me, babe. Hey! Hey!

Before I start, I’m NOT going to mention every time the Radiohead side-project The Smile releases a new single. Same with Thom Yorke. Let’s talk when there’s a full-length to talk about. I don’t care if they need the money. Gauntlet thrown!

The week starts in Macedonia (a first for me). A Jazz quartet called Taxi Consilium, led by guitarist Filip Bukrshliev, has released a new album, “Spiritual Car Wash”. It prominently features Bass Clarinetist Blagojche Tomevski on its six tracks, and it has a spirit of exploration. Also, big fan of the album art.

The remaining 50% of a full-length album that had yet to have been released, was released on Friday. I say this, because Wet Leg’s self-titled album is already a huge success, and has seen SIX of its twelve songs released as singles, from as early as June of last year. I’m happy I didn’t add “Chaise Longue” right out of the gate, to my New Music playlist, because it would have stayed there for nearly two years (which I consider to be a right and reward for outstanding singles). As it is, “Oh No” (released at the beginning of February), is joined by eleven equally high quality songs, featuring wry wit with a healthy dose of Rock. At its poppiest, the Isle Of Wight duo remind me of “Parklife”-era Blur. Nothing wrong with that.

I have an appreciation for artists that have been inspired by The Beatles. It shows they have good taste. I’d like to believe that British percussionist Valentina Mageletti and Italian bassist Pino Montecalvo are two such artists. However, instead of “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, or perhaps even “Strawberry Fields Forever”, as inspiration, the duo, who perform together as Avvitagalli, may have chosen “Revolution 9” as their bedrock. Their debut album, “None Corsa”, is approximately what I hope to hear when something is described as, “Free Jazz”. Samples loop in and out as our heroes play loose. Side One is nine short pieces, while Side Two is a 15-minute epic, “The Last Shiny Bones of the Duno Ghost”. It’s a trip!

If Avvitagalli was inspired by The Beatles, my next recommendation may have been inspired by Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, mixed with Electronic Punk. 106 is the artist name for a duo from Tokyo. Phew was the leader of 70’s punk bank Aunt Sally, and she now works with synthesizers, along with her voice. I can’t find any information about Dowser N, but they take care of the guitar and bass, as well as virtual instruments. Their release, “106 DTP01”, is eight tracks of bold, experimental sounds, and is self-described as “desktop punk”. Perfect.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve had very good luck finding excellent New Music from Brazil (and also that sneaky Spain, who likes to fool me into confusing it with Brazil). Continuing that trend is a new single from Iara Rennó & Thalma Freitas. “Babá Ori” is fantastic electronic production, in accompaniment to two beautiful Portuguese voices. Not Spanish.

Iara Rennó & Thalma Freitas –
Babá Ori

A New York rapper with an interesting history has released his new album this week. Billy Woods was born in DC, then was moved to Zimbabwe, where his father was active in its liberation. After his father died, his Jamaican mother moved them back to the US. After starting to rap in NYC in the late 90’s, he found success with Elucid as the duo Armand Hammer. His album, “Aethiopes”, features Elucid, as well as Quelle Chris, El-P, and others, and is co-produced by Yasiin Bey, who is better known as Mos Def. Smart, thought-provoking rhymes, with stabs of Jazz and downtempo Hip Hop.

Mitch Stahlmann is a musician from Oakland, CA, who works with flute, clarinet, and electronics. His debut album, “Into The Wish”, aims to bend your perception regarding what is capable with Classical instruments. Moody dreamscapes bump up against lighthearted experimentation.

When the invasion of Kyiv began by russian forces on the 24th of February, Ukraine citizen Stas Teterevlev recorded the stunning and gut-dropping audio of the first moments. He then sent the file to some of his favourite Electronic musicians, asking if they would use it in their work. The result is “Siren Songs: Solidarity With Ukraine”. Seventeen artists have taken the raw audio of the mournful sirens, followed by explosions, and turned it into seventeen unique messages from the heart. Proceeds from sales go to SunflowerOfPeace.com.

*Various Artists – Siren Song: Solidarity With Ukraine*

I’ll end my recommendations this week with some words of support to my friend Ian Lamont. He’s currently going through some stuff, and I just want him to know that I’m thinking about him.

Ian Lamont – Peg

Have a wonderful weekend, I’ll talk to you on Tuesday. Take care of yourself.