Some New Music I Like! Ten Recently Released Albums
Friday is fun because it’s about music so there’s playlists and links galore. Today, a few new albums I’ve recently caught up with…feel free to add your own new faves in the comments below
I don’t really review albums anymore. I figure there is no point. From time to time I’ll write an album review. And it feels like those old tape-editors that learned on the analog tools but do everything digitally now. Once a year or so they get their scalpel out and get back on the tools to remind themselves they can splice and mend tape. I feel a tiny bit like that when I “write a record review”. But I’m also always making recommendations here, and for paid subscribers there’s the Saturday Morning Records spot where I dig up something old and revisit it. I’m “reviewing” CDs and tapes now too — things from back in the day. But what about new music? There’s more than ever before, more than anyone can get a handle on, and all this nostalgia for tapes and records and CDs could pin me as someone who thinks only of the good old daze; who thinks there’s no good music that’s new anymore. That could possibly be further from the truth. But not by much.
So here’s a few précis reviews of things that have grabbed a little piece of my ear lately, and I’m sure not mad that they did:
Doechii’s debut longplayer is called Alligator Bites Never Heal, and before that there was a mixtape or two, maybe an EP. But none of that matters so much, since I’d never heard of her. I’m sure glad that’s changed — this has been a revelation. My 12yo son introduced me to this record (love that!) He’d heard the name getting checked on Reddit on the Kendrick Lamar Subreddit he follows. This is how you find out about music these days. These are the reviews. Anyway, Doechii makes a bunch of great songs here, none of them stick around too long, and it’s an album that’s pretty much all fire, no duds. It’s like Doja Cat and Kendrick Lamar combined for a super-sound that encapsulates all that’s good about both of them and nothing that could be considered bad. But then, it’s also a little more than just that. It is, importantly, its own thing altogether.
Andrew Bird’s latest is credited to The Andrew Bird Trio, it’s just him, his regular longstanding drummer, Ted Poor (amazing player) and bassist Alan Hampton (a Bird regular too, but he’s also played with Meshell Ndegeocello, Robert Glasper, and many others). I love Andrew Bird’s music and playing, but sometimes he comes across as a bit too clever — whistling, c’mon! — and a bit too Wes Anderson-adjacent (probably just in my head). Anyway, this is a delight, a covers record of jazz standards ripe for the Sunday morning session as the title punningly suggests, or for any time actually. So many great and shining moments on this record. Something for everyone.
Look, it’s probably just me in this forum that loves Solo Drum Records (wait! Come back!) So I’m just calling that out about myself right away. This, the latest, from former Santana skins-man, is a meditation record, and features some extraordinary musicians — and isn’t quite just drums. It’s also exquisitely recorded and produced, so let this be the record you clean your shakras to; the record you drift off to sleep with; the record that accompanies your later-at-night-in-this-mostly-milder-weather dog-walks, or you know, anything like that…
The world might already have milked enough records out of Eva Cassidy, given she was never into the whole Record Company Thing, and died close to thirty years ago, becoming ‘a name’ only after her sad passing at a very young age. Walkin’ After Midnight features a bunch of songs that have been heard previously, regularly part of her repertoire, but not this particular performance. This was without the full band, and has sat in the vault for years. A reminder of all that was pure and precious and lovely about her voice, and song selections.
Speaking of brand new from the vaults…this session from George Benson was recorded (and shelved) 35 years ago. It’s a perfect match to sit alongside his record with the Count Basie Orchestra from around the same time:
And I’m thinking that was probably the case — the Basie record (which I have always loved) took priority. Anyway, it’s lovely to hear Benson back in that zone, singing standards, his guitar still swinging. He’s not of the voice to pull this sort of material off now, but he’s still there. Still around. And it was a treat to discover anything new from him — even if it’s new but from the vault. In a lot of ways, that’s for the better.
The Hard Quartet will be getting all the hipster press because it’s a “reluctant supergroup” featuring Stephen Malkmus (Pavement), Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Swan, Bonnie “Prince” Billy), Jim White (The Dirty Three, Cat Power) and Emmett Kelly (The Cairo Gang, The CIA, The Double). Most of them have played together in various configurations (backing Bonnie “Prince” Billy) or sharing the bill (Pavement/Dirty Three) or what have you. But here they are actually a band. Not just a vehicle for Malkmus songs, he’s one third of the writing/fronting dynamic. My favourite component, on early listens, is Jim White. He’s one of the most creative players in all of indie-rock ever. So I’m here in these early stages for that alone. But always been a Sweeney fan too. Malkmus is actually the least exciting piece of the puzzle for me. But he hits out with at least one of his best songs in decades. So, yeah, I’m on board.
Here’s some Puerto Rican dream pop that I learned about only recently on a routine inspection of NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts on YouTube. There’s a whole catalogue for me to explore, and the band did a good job of providing a ‘tasting menu’ — but I went straight to their latest, and loved it. I’ll be spending more time with this, and some other stuff in their catalogue shortly after.
Probably mentioned this already, or if I didn’t — I meant to. This is one of the first examples of a “Best Album of the Year” I can think of; the album’s been out since March. And it’s easily Kim Gordon’s best post-Sonic Youth offering to date. I love the sounds of this album. Like a post-industrial Patti Smith. I’m here for it and always have been, but very much enjoying a later-in-the-year revisit.
It’s a bit like last year’s Rolling Stones album, in that it really has no right being this good. I’ve never really liked Gilmour’s solo albums either — because the lyrics are awful, and the songs are trite. And I turn up for that guitar tone, which still delights, but is represented enough times throughout the Pink Floyd catalogue I can never seem to ever shake. So, yeah, I’m not so much recommending this, as admitting I went there. And wasn’t mad. I’ll probably listen to it some more as well. So. There.
I couldn’t even tell you with a straight face that I have a “love/hate” relationship with Jack White and/or his music. I’ve reconciled The White Stripes. Time will do that. But I mostly just don’t get it. So, it was a surprise to me just how much I dug this album — especially because its No Name gimmick should just offend me enough so as I declare myself out from the get-go. What can I say? I’m getting old. This is not shit. That’s enough some days. It’s better than that though. Actual hooks.
That’ll do it. Ten’s a good number. A reminder, I’m barely even trying to find new music these days, but I still bump against it from time to time. So, there’s hundreds of albums I could be and should be listening to that have arrived this year. There are albums to come in the final months of the year that might blow my mind. And there’s a bunch I could have named here, but haven’t. Because I’m casually overwhelmed by how much I’m missing, and by how much is there to try to make sense of — so I didn’t want to bamboozle you with too many recommendations, merely wanted to make a few. And I’m very keen for you to hand in your examples now. What has been brand new to your ears and has pleased you very much so far this year?
And as always here’s a playlist for you made up of all sorts. I like this one. I reckon it’ll play nicely and hang together well. So my hope is that you like it too:
