New Music Releases Thread



@Mickdundee i see Doves have announced a show at Fat Sams up your way. Tiny venue I assume?
It depends because it’s technically 2 venues. I’ve not been to Fat Sams for a gig for years, they seem to be few and far between there - the big room can’t compete with the likes of Edinburgh Belle Angel etc and the small room can’t even compete with the 2 other small venues in Dundee.

A few years ago they opened the big room as a specialist venue that hosted the likes of Maximo Park, Mylo and The View when it first opened in the mid-late 00s but it was barely used after a couple of years and is now used as a “show bar” most of the time but still hosts the odd gig. The only time I’ve ever been in that one was about 11 or 12 years ago.

Most gigs I’ve been to there have been in the old nightclub level 2, but most recent one was Ash in about 2014.
 
So, first impressions of some stuff:

Thor & Friends: a veritable who's who of 90s/early 2000s indie rock luminaries over two albums: Low, Michael Gira, Jarboe, Bill Callahan. Both albums are primarily instrumental, not sure if I'd describe them as ambient (which tends to imply electronic) or post-rock (they're not quiet loud). They're maybe a bit post-prog.
Throwing Muses: it's a Throwing Muses album, it's good/very good but you know what you're getting. 7.8/10 and move on.
Emily Barker: a very, very nice folkish singer-songwriter album. Cracking voice!
Girl Band: going out on a limb, I'll say that this slaps several bunnies. Probably better than either of their studio albums.
Danny Keane: jazz, the good jazz, the very good stuff. He's been side man for a lot of well known people previously.
Jeremy Tuplin: the sound of a million bunnies being slapped at once. This seems to be his third album and he's from the west country (says Uncut). Vague comparisons to Kevin Morby but he's a bit more varied than Morbo is.

Currently listening to the Marc Bolan tribute album. Five tracks in and Nick Cave and Lucinda Williams have been excellent, Devendra Banhart has chosen a non-hit, Joan Jett's Jeepster is fun but not really necessary and I'm not arsed whether I hear Kesha's take on "Children of the Revolution" again.

And the rest:

Angelheaded Hipster: the Bolan tribute abum. Generally good, some tracks unnecessary, some brilliant.
Hannah Georgas: I quite like this. A bit synthy, a bit guitary, a bit poppy. Won't change your life majorly but an enjoyable album.
Bill Callahan: a heartbreaking work of staggering genius. A sensational, warm, fuzzy album basically.
Galya Bisengalieva: modern classical, themed around an environmental disaster. Not so warm and fuzzy but pretty good TBH.
Krononaut: jazz, the bad jazz.
Afel Bocoum: lovely, lovely African blues. In many weeks, would be album of the week.
Tricky: a bit of an oddity. Quite short tracks, mostly female fronted, quite poppy.
Grant-Lee Phillips: a pleasant album of Americana. Well made, well sung, maybe a tad one paced.
Girls In Synthesis: they're not girls, nor are they, to my knowledge, in synthesis. This is an enjoyably angry post-punk album.
Dream Nails: politically, they're firmly on the radical left. Musically, they go from 60s inspired indie-pop (think All Girl Summer Fun Band) to something verging on nu-metal. Quite a short album, 15 tracks but a few are skits or short intros. Promising TBH.
Declan McKenna: I like this. Upbeat, guitar pop, clever lyrics, constantly energetic.
Michael Rother: enjoyable, to me it sounds a bit like a post-reform Orbital album. Good but I'm not getting 10/10.

Album of the week: Bill Callahan easily although both Jeremy Tuplin and Afel Bocoum would get the honour in many other weeks.
 
New releases this week from Big Sean, Bill Callahan, Hannah Georgas, Hurts, Throwing Muses, Tricky, Dream Nails, Robb Johnson &the Irregulars, Thor & Friends (2 albums), Grant Lee Phillips, Afel Bocoum, Krononaut, Mary Coughlan, Galya Basingalieva, Emily Barker, Jeremy Tuplin, Danny Keane and the Angelheaded Hipster Marc Bolan compilation.
I can't seem to find Robb Johnson & the Irregulars. There are some recent releases on Bandcamp but nowt from September. Any ideas what has happened/where it can be found please?
 
I can't seem to find Robb Johnson & the Irregulars. There are some recent releases on Bandcamp but nowt from September. Any ideas what has happened/where it can be found please?
Thanks for bringing this up. Frustrating that there doesn't seem to be anywhere to listen, especially that it's not even out in the US until October, but it's not a name I knew so I probably wouldn't have checked it out. Now the brief investigation tells me he had Swill from TMTCH play his dad in Ordinary Giants - I had seen Swill post pics of a live performance of that a few months ago but I didn't know what it was. Will be checking him out.
 
Thanks for bringing this up. Frustrating that there doesn't seem to be anywhere to listen, especially that it's not even out in the US until October, but it's not a name I knew so I probably wouldn't have checked it out. Now the brief investigation tells me he had Swill from TMTCH play his dad in Ordinary Giants - I had seen Swill post pics of a live performance of that a few months ago but I didn't know what it was. Will be checking him out.
Robb Johnson was doing Facebook Live sessions on a Sunday night after Swill and it's through Swill that I know the name. If you haven't checked out Swill's Sunday Sessions via Facebook they are well worth finding there or some are on YouTube.
 
Right, tomorrow's new releases. There are albums from Doves, Jeremy Gara, Kelsea Ballerini, Marilyn Manson, Mastodon, The Flaming Lips, Will Butler, Matmos, Susanna, Sally Anne Morgan, Delta Spirit, Lucrecia Dalt, Elizabeth Cook, Everything Everything and Sam Prekop.
 
Looking forward to the Will Butler album. Thought the first one was a cracker.

Still got a huge backlog to get through though or my end of year list is just going to be albums from January (and Punisher)
 

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