New Music... Saturday?
New Music.... Saturday?
Sorry for the delay this week. I've talked to insurance and am working on finding ways through the annoyance of the break-in that happened yesterday, so I'm finally able to dig into this week's music. Let's see if this'll get that Miley Cyrus' Edge of Midnight out of my head for a few hours.
One of the big things that I'm trying to do in this newsletter is to find a way to write consistently about things that I care about, making them accessible to others, even on the days where I normally wouldn't feel the burning urge to get my thoughts out.
Last week I kinda missed that mark. I spent a lot of time focusing on explaining who artists are and a lot less time talking about why the songs grabbed me or how they made me feel.
So, let's try again.
This Week In Music
It's been a busy week in new music, with Metallica's The Metallica Blacklist covers album finally coming out after having been teased through some 30-odd singles. We've also got Yo-Yo Ma's full album, which I'm excited to sit down with, as well as Lorde's EP where she reimagines parts of Solar Power in New Zealand's indigenous Māori language. I'm also extremely excited to get to Sleigh Bells' new record.
A Featured Album
There's one album in particular, however, that I want to talk about in a little more depth. Kacey Musgraves is probably a name that most of you are already familiar with. A country icon who has won the hearts of the queer community through fierce allyship, Kacey has put together an album that blends country and pop to tell us the story of her recent divorce from country musician Ruston Kelly. Kacey presents the album in a very first person perspective, where she's moving through the relationship in real time, starting the album with a Romeo & Juliet inspired intro.
Let me set the scene
Two lovers ripped right at the seams
They woke up from the perfect dream
And then the darkness came
I signed the papers yesterdayKacey Musgraves - star-crossed
It's a theatrical album, with Kacey playing the role of the narrator and the protagonist as we see a relationship fragment and fall apart. There's also a film that accompanies the album, exclusively on Paramount+. I hope to watch that later this week, but given the quality of the videos that we've seen so far, I feel confident saying that this will be essential viewing if you love this album as much as I did.
The Playlist : Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp
We open on PUP covering Metallica for The Metallica Blacklist. It's joyous, angry, and raucous, which is pretty much PUP's entire thing at this point. Despite dancing in my seat, I'm not 100% sure that this one works. That said, I respect attempts on stuff like this, even if sometimes they don't quite land.
Moses Sumney is one of the artists who cracked my egg when I was realizing that I needed to confront my gender dysphoria. Seeing him team up with saxophonist Sam Gendel in order to... cover... T-Pain??? is very odd, but I weirdly don't hate it. The track lacks the insightful lyrics that I associate with Sumney's work generally but I can forgive that in a cover. Minimalistic production backs heavily autotuned vocals that still somehow allow Moses' signature vocal style to push through. I don't know this original track, but the cover works for me.
Next up we have Lorde redoing the title track from her recent album Solar Power in the Māori language. Lorde is not indigenous and has commented on the challenge of walking between respecting native culture while still engaging with it in the ways that she can. I know I'll be seeking out some indigenous voices to see their thoughts on this project through a native cultural lens.
At this point, you're probably wondering if I'll ever give you a track that's actually original and not just a reworking of what came before. First off: stop being mean. I like covers and re-imaginings. Second off: yes.
Aaron Sprinkle has released a single off his upcoming EP: Certainty. If you don't know Aaron, he's one of the producers and songwriters who has most influenced my musical taste, having touched nearly everything that's come out of Christian rock label Tooth & Nail Records in the past 20 years. You certainly know something he's worked on. This track lyrically feels like the weight of a relationship that isn't working anymore, while musically feeling like a drive through a tunnel once everyone else has gone to sleep. I'm excited to hear the full project.
MUNA is a new one to me, but as a new artist on Pheobe Bridgers' Saddest Factory label, they immediately caught my eye. Featuring Pheobe Bridgers, this track feels like The 1975 and Haim got together and wrote emotional dance pop exclusively for the queers. All three members of MUNA are queer, which comes across loudly during the But I'm A Cheerleader inspired video for this catchy-as-hell track.
I've talked about Yo-Yo Ma's new record a little bit already, so I won't beleaguer it, but the full album is out today and it's packed with collaborations from around the world. The constant genre shifts are a lot of fun, and the track that I picked for the playlist is a nice soft pop track featuring Flint, MI based songwriter/activist Tunde Olaniran, which is honestly the vibe that I've needed this week.
Thrice is among the least surprising artists I've ever included on here. A Christian post-hardcore band that openly criticizes political structures while navigating where their beliefs put them in those structures is kinda my kryptonite. This track turns more inwards, though. Dustin Kensrue has never shied away from putting personal struggles in his music, and this one deals with the struggle of trying to see the big picture of possibility while searching for something specific in life, culminating in a screamed bridge pleading "we sowed the good seed, how long 'til you let it grow?" I might cry.
T-t-t-t-tone shift! You know it's not my playlist until we get some audacious rap on here, so let's turn to Maxo Kream and Tyler, The Creator's new track. It's anthemic, with a bright synth lead driving the track and I really enjoyed it. That's all.
Dialing it back, we've got mxmtoon's new EP. You may know Maia from the TikTok meme song Prom Dress, but here the singer-songwriter is supporting Life Is Strange: True Colors, a video game where Maia provides the singing voice of the protagonist. This track is a ukulele based original that's soft and emotional until it's loud and emotional and then it's soft and emotional again.
Emma Ruth Rundle has announced her fourth solo studio album, following collaborations with Thou and Chelsae Wolf. Emma's a peculiar type of musician, as she captures indie singer-songwriterly softness and hardcore extremes with equal grace. Here we get a piano heavy track featuring dark string instrumentation as Emma expresses her art in a way that frankly has to be seen. It's meditative and heavy, feeling like having one drink too many while sitting at home alone.
I'm going to skip Kacey Musgraves here, since I already covered her new record in depth above. I'm also going to skip girl in red's cover of The Kid LAROI's collaboration with Justin Beiber: Stay, since it's a Spotify exclusive.
Jukebox The Ghost is a power-pop band that often feels like it came from the same school as Andrew McMahon or Relient K, but with vocal confidence that is oft-compared to Freddie Mercury. This track is just them doing their thing well, once again. Cheers! comes the week after vocalist Ben Thornewill's wedding, and reflects that in its lyrics. If you listened to 2018's Off To The Races and loved it, you'll be thrilled to get more of the same here as we've got the New Year's Eve track for 2021.
Everyone's favorite wife guy, Chance The Rapper appears on a new track by Smoko Ono alongside Yxng Bane and Joey Purp. This feels like a track that was written for the NPR Tiny Desk with everyone getting a verse while the band plays an upbeat percussive trap thing to carry it all through.
Common is one of those artists that I truly love. I don't think I need to tell y'all who he is, besides on of the smartest and most poetic rappers currently working. His new record is out now, and I selected a track featuring Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard. It's a slow, deliberate track that highlights racism's impact on the mental health of the Black community while painting a picture of spirituality that provides lightness and hope when everything is too much to handle.
Six albums in and I still don't know enough Spanish to keep up with J Balvin. This track feels like a spur of the moment decision to go floating on the lake with an inflatable you bought last minute at Costco. Google Translate has me believing that this is a song of giving thanks, so throw that on your playlists for November.
Deb Never is unafraid of genre hopping and it'd be impossible to throw a single label on this new EP. The opening track, Stupid, is a somber acoustic track that leans heavily on piano and strings to create a mood, culminating in a full-band instrumental that borrows from grunge and psychedelic rock. It feels like a type of sadness that crawls into your throat and doesn't let go until you break down.
I don't really know how to write about 박혜진 Park Hye Jin's debut LP. The track that I selected is a bit of a bridge on the album, sparse in lyrics with a chilled out production style that evokes getting high and repeating affirmations to yourself as we hear her repeat "I believe in myself."
Baby Keem is back on the playlist with his debut LP. You'll remember him from this newsletter a couple weeks ago where he collaborated with Kendrick Lamar. Well, now we're back with the full thing and I grabbed a Travis Scott colab for the playlist. It's just good, laid back, effortless writing that feels right for any time of day.
Erika Wennerstrom's band Heartless Bastards is back with a new album after taking a break for singer Erika to do a solo record in 2018. Here we get to hear Erika's calming alto ramble its way around sparse acoustic instrumentation. It's a political track, taking shots at misinformation, bullshit politicians, advertising culture, the surveillance state and more. Through this, the track builds in intensity and instrumentation, drawing both lyrically and instrumentally from the protest music of the '60s and '70s. "The revolution is in your mind."
Sleigh Bells ring, are you listening? No, it's not Christmas music season yet, it's just time for the first full length album from noise pop artist Sleigh Bells since 2016. I've been waiting for this one. This is one of the few times that my insufferable love for metalcore overlaps with the indie trash who constantly pollute my Twitter. SWEET75 is a sharp, staccato track with pop vocals that constantly feel on the verge of pushing into something bigger. I can't tell if I'm supposed to be hardcore dancing or accepting drugs from strangers while listening to this, but god, I'd love to see them play in a small club while everyone loses their minds.
Okay, this one's a bit of a mystery to me. It's Matthew E. White's new album. Matthew is maybe best known for his behind-the-scenes work with artists such as The Mountain Goats, Bedouine, or Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. Here we get some music that reflects that corner of the indie market while feeling completely distinct. I might have more to say on this one down the road if I get to sit with the album in full a few times.
Speaking of indie trash, here's some new shit from We Were Promised Jetpacks. I can't get enough of post-punk instrumentation. The reverb drenched tremolo guitars, the noisy builds, and the intense live shows always leave me feeling like I've beheld a miracle on earth. Here we've got all of that, plus vocals and lyrics that kinda say it all: "All I want to do is get high and enjoy the view." Yeah, me too.
Britpop is a new one for this newsletter and not really a genre that I tend to gravitate towards. But alas, when veteran Welsh rockers Stereophonics put out new music, it must be acknowledged. If you like britpop, you'll like this. I don't know that I have the words to write about it intelligently, though. Their vocalist seems like a bit of a prick, tbh. Sonically, this reminds me of Franz Ferdinand, though I'm sure about a dozen of you will tell me how I'm wrong.
For a band made up of members of other hardcore bands, the new Angel Du$t EP really doesn't bother fucking with hardcore in any meaningful way, sliding into alt-rock joy easily. I can't wait for the full length that they're teasing.
With a full record coming out next month, we've got another single from illuminati hotties. It's a slow dance of an indie track that makes you long for poorly decorated gymnasiums and the awkward sexual tension of dancing with someone you don't even like that much. Lyrically, it's a criticism of both capitalism and the people who both actively take advantage of it and those who think they're somehow not influenced by it. Hot damn, I'm excited for this record.
When you find a track via /r/weirdmusic, you know you're in trouble. Today we've got Phantom Limb's weird bleep bloops underneath an ambient post-rock inspired thing, but with pop songwriting structure. I kinda feel nauseous listening to this and I can't tell if that's the intended effect or if it's just that I've only had sugar, coffee, and adderall today.
Here's some fucking shoegaze from Francis of Delirium. Jana Bahrich commented that she was thinking about clowns while she wrote this, so may we all think about clowns as we listen to it. This isn't making me feel less sick. Onward!
Hyd needs some introduction, I think. Hyd is better known as the new project from Hayden Dunham, an artist who has previously worked alongside experimental pop/hyperpop pioneers A.G. Cook and SOPHIE. If the name QT rings a bell, that's who this is. This track comes after Dunham temporarily lost her sight in 2017 and is one of those dark, environmental and experimental pop tracks that leaves you wondering what it must take to be this good at what you do.
For some reason, Alicia Keys is making pop music with Swae Lee and I don't hate it at all. It's smooth, flirtatious, and a really welcome collaboration between the old school and new school in the ever shifting space where R&B and pop coexist.
Holy shit, it's Gully Boys' new EP. These queer kids from Minneapolis are putting out music that steals from all the women who came before and pioneered their own space in a male-dominated rock scene, drawing from punk, emo, alt-rock, and grunge influences to make something entirely new and modern. This feels like a victory lap, celebrating getting to be yourself in a world that's tried to force you into a box.
I don't know much about Girl K, having only come across them on Audiotree last year. This track feels like a soft balance of Tears for Fears, Jimmy Eat World, and the overall Midwest emo scene, without cleanly fitting into any singular box.
You're going to hate me for this one, but Save Face feels like a My Chemical Romance v2.0 band in all the best ways. Here's the fucking video. If that description doesn't get you to click it, nothing will.
Yumi Zouma is bringing us the bright and airy pop that'll cure what ails ya. I don't know them at all besides stumbling across them this week, but I'll be keeping my eyes open going forward.
Admittedly, we're into the weird section of the newsletter now. I don't know Circuit des Yeux either, besides that this is the same person who performs as Jackie Lynn sometimes. She's on Matador Records, which caught my eye as I was paging through this week's records. The track opens with harpsichord, bass, and operatic vocals, creating a trancelike unease that moves into a dark strings and drums thing. Really bleak shit here. I love it. Feels like I'm dying.
thoughtcrimes is the shit that I am constantly looking for. This is a blaring new hardcore group featuring The Dillinger Escape Plan's old drummer and it looks like they've got enough fire in them to sustain at least a few good tours once we're back at a point where more of those things can happen. The bridge in the middle where they drenched the harsh vocal in reverb before going in to a clean thing that's supported by a shredding lead guitar? FUCK.
I really wish I could remember how it was that I came across Riddy Arman, cause this is the type of country that I want more of. It feels classic, timeless, and heartfelt in a way that few artists right now are touching. Piano, drums, some guitar, and a little organ in the background keep this track grounded as it touches on gospel elements while staying true to the country feel that this Montana artist is bringing to the table. A treat for any season.
I stumbled across Kowloon Walled City thanks to BrooklynVegan. Not someone I've previously taken note of, this band provides shouted vocals over a sludgy doomy metal thing that feels tight in your chest like you're about to watch something really bad happen. I think I'm going to be sick.
On the more popular side of metal, we've got metalcore scene kids We Came As Romans coming back with new music, this time featuring Beartooth's Caleb Shomo doing some extra duty on vocals. WCAR has always worked best with two vocalists and I'm still not over former vocalist Kyle Pavone's needless death in 2018. It's nice to hear this kind of interplay from them again. I'm assuming that this is the beginning of a promotional cycle in advance of their first full record since Kyle's death. This is going to be an emotional ride.
Going from that into something lighter, we get k-pop girl group BLACKPINK's resident rapper LISA with her debut solo single. This shit is everything I love from BLACKPINK, all the way down to the exact formula that plagues every track they put out. Is this where I can confess that I don't really like Jennie and think the band could survive without her?
Fuck you, we're not done yet. Mastodon still needs to destroy your day by announcing a double album that's coming out late next month. It's melodic hardcore for people who love melodic hardcore. Not really my specific vibe, but that's cool. You don't need to read too much into it.
Greet Death is a slowcore band from Flint, MI and they're bringing their specific brand of optimism to the table with I Hate Everything. I hope the genre label there doesn't throw you off, this is basically just another flavor of shoegaze. Genres are made up. I'd guess that most fans of mid-tempo depression music will dig this.
Finally, to close out the week we have Field Music giving us a potential hint at what fucked up flavor of indie their next album will be. I'm sorry.
Signing Off
We've had a lot of fun and I'd love to know what you loved this week in music? If you hit reply to this, it goes straight to my e-mail, so tell me what you liked, what you hated, what you want to see change, or even send suggestions for new shit that I couldn't miss that's coming out soon.
Thanks for reading and listening with me. I liked this one.