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newmusickarl · 3 years

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Album & EP Recommendations

My word, the music world has well and truly spoiled us this week!

The past seven days has seen a colossal avalanche of new releases, so much so I’ve barely had chance to keep up with it all. Although this is not the full list of everything from the past seven days, here are the 16 (yes, 16!) new releases I’ve enjoyed the most this week.

As there is so much to get through the rundowns are (mostly) a bit shorter than normal and there is no single Album of the Week, instead I simply recommend checking out whichever album or track sounds most appealing depending on your preferred taste.

So without further ado then, here’s what’s good:

Californian Soil by London Grammar

It’s been four years since the release of London Grammar’s last record Truth Is A Beautiful Thing - an album that I enjoyed, but I’ll admit also left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed coming off the back of their incredible breakout debut, If You Wait. As it turns out, the band themselves were also having a tough time around that period, with front woman Hannah Reid in particular battling relentless industry sexism, as well as the persistent physical pain caused by her fibromyalgia condition. With this being the case, it is amazing that the young indie-pop trio have made it to their third album at all, let alone delivering what is their best work to date.

Opening on a grand, string-drenched Intro, the record soon morphs into the sun-soaked guitars and soaring orchestration of the album’s glorious title track. It marks an early highlight as Reid catches the audience up with the tribulations of the last few years – “I left my soul on Californian soil.” From there the album doesn’t really let up as the band move through a series of career-defining tracks – the gorgeous contemporary groove of Missing, the dance-influenced How Does It Feel, the chilled-out ambience of the dreamy Baby, It’s You and the sublime, stripped-back closer America.

However, the album’s strongest moment comes when Reid confronts music industry sexism head on with defiant anthem Lord It’s A Feeling. Beginning with some twinkly xylophone, before evolving into an atmospheric synth-laced backdrop where Reid pulls no punches:

“I saw the way you made her feel, like she should be somebody else,

I know you think the stars align for you and not for her as well,

I undеrstand, I can admit that I have felt those things mysеlf”

The cutting lyrics against some blinding quiet rave instrumentation leaves quite the impression, as does this sterling record in general. After a slight misstep, London Grammar have well and truly rediscovered themselves and they have honestly never sounded better – a truly incredible album.

If You Could Have It All Again by Low Island

Oxford electo-pop outfit Low Island are another band that have defied expectations to get to this point. This, their debut album, was not recorded in a professional music studio – in fact, the vocals were recorded in a bedroom cupboard of all places. The band themselves don’t even have a manager or a record label. In every sense of the word, they are a truly independent band. For a self-financed, self-produced effort, If You Could Have It All Again is a quite remarkable first outing.

From melodic, uplifting opener Hey Man, the record quickly jumps into spoken word electro punk banger What Do You Stand For, featuring acid-drenched synths and a dancefloor-ready groove. Fans of FIFA 21 will recall Don’t Let the Light In, with the glitchy pulse of recent single Who’s Having the Greatest Time also standing out. That said, it’s the smooth, infectious sway of I Do It For You that still pulls me in the most.

Having followed the band since their early EPs, I’ve been rooting for Low Island for a while now and this is one debut album I was highly anticipating this year. Safe to say, my expectations have been met – this is a fantastic, accomplished record, which leaves me eager to see where they go next.

The Greatest Mistake Of My Life by Holding Absence

There was a time when the difficult second album used to be a thing, but listening to the sophomore effort from Welsh rock band Holding Absence this week, I’m really not sure that exists anymore. After a dramatic and impressive self-titled debut two years ago, the band have wasted little time taking things up a notch, with this new album cinematic and masterfully produced from beginning to end.

From standout singalong anthems like Afterlife and In Circles, to the album’s epic seven-minute penultimate track Mourning Song, The Greatest Mistake of My Life shows a band pushing themselves and driving forward with ambition at every opportunity. In a year packed with outstanding rock and metal albums already, this is most definitely another one you can add onto that list. Soaring, impressive and demanding of repeat listens.

We Forgot We Were Dreaming by Saint Raymond

It’s been six long years since Nottingham-born singer-songwriter Callum Burrows, AKA Saint Raymond, released his debut album. However it seems the time away has been well spent as this long-awaited follow-up finds Burrows in fine form, with this album packed to the brim with catchy, glossily produced indie-pop anthems.

From the brilliant title track that opens the record, to the bouncy riffs of Right Way Round, Talk and Solid Gold, to more subdued and heartfelt moments like Only You, this album will have you smiling, singing your heart out and dancing your troubles away.

Flu Game by AJ Tracey

AJ Tracey may have only been three years old when Michael Jordan was winning NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, but that hasn’t stopped him making a record influenced by the legendary icon and his famous 1997 Flu Game. Like many others including myself, grime superstar AJ Tracey spent lockdown watching the brilliant The Last Dance documentary, and this record weirdly works as a fantastic unofficial companion, but also just a great summer rap record.

McCartney III Imagined by Paul McCartney

Even if like me you completely missed Sir Paul McCartney’s 2020 album McCartney III, it’s well worth checking out this reimagining, where he has called on the help of some of his famous musician pals. This is a real who’s who line up of guest features including Beck, Khurangbin, St. Vincent, Blood Orange, Phoebe Bridgers, Damon Albarn, Josh Homme, Anderson .Paak and more, making for quite a fascinating mix of sounds and styles.

Moratorium (Broadcasts from The Interruption) by Enter Shikari

And finally on the albums front this week, genre-benders Enter Shikari have released a brilliant compilation of all their lockdown live performances, headlined by an incredible string-tinged acoustic version of The Dreamer’s Hotel and a beautifully stripped-back “At Home” rendition of Live Outside.

Tracks of the Week

Introvert by Little Simz

Wow, wow and wow again. Still fairly fresh off the back of her masterful, Mercury Prize nominated third album Grey Area, this week British rapper Little Simz released the first taste of her next record in the form of this epic and triumphant opening track. At six minutes in length, this majestic and operatic political anthem aims to grab the listener by the collar and shake them awake. Without a doubt, one of the best songs of the year so far, the powerful video for which you can view above.

Smile by Wolf Alice

The second taste of their forthcoming album Blue Weekend, Smile continues Wolf Alice’s pattern for alternating Loud/Soft releases, with this one featuring buzzy guitars, punky vocals and a hypnotic chorus melody.

Beautiful Beaches by James

Although written off the back of the California wildfires that impacted front man Tim Booth’s local community, the lyrics on the band’s latest anthem purposefully offer a dual meaning, giving hope to those dreaming of a post-lockdown getaway and fresh start.

He Said She Said by CHVRCHES

The Scottish trio made their much-anticipated return this week, with Lauren Mayberry also sharing her experiences of sexism on this arena-ready synth-pop banger.

Matty Healy by Georgia Twinn

Georgia Twinn delivers an infectiously catchy break-up anthem, inspired by an ex-boyfriend, who’s most interesting feature was supposedly looking like the 1975 frontman.

Kill It by Vukovi

Underground Scottish rock outfit Vukovi’s new single is so good, they even managed to get KILL IT trending over the weekend of its release. Masterfully produced with big bold riffs and trancey synths, this one just sounds huge.

Can’t Carry On by Gruff Rhys

The latest solo single from the former Super Furry Animals frontman is a stunning, super-melodic tune with an instant chorus you’ll be singing before the track has even finished its first play.

Ceremony by Deftones

One of the highlights off their last album Ohms, the nu-metal rockers have now delivered a cinematic new video directed by horror legend Leigh Whannell. Check it out!

Chasing Birds by Foo Fighters

And finally this week, Dave Grohl and company released a trippy new animated video for this Medicine At Midnight cut to help celebrate 420 in their own unique way. Again, well worth a watch!

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thisaintascenereviews · 7 years

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Album Review by Bradley Christensen Banana Peels – Fruit Deluxe Record Label: Self-released Release Date: January 29 2016

Over the last week, I’ve been diving back into the discography of Austin, Texas hip-hop group DWHB. Standing for Dem Waffle House Boiz, I’ve come to really enjoy this band over the last six years. What started as the band reaching out to me on AbsolutePunk, back when it still called that, turned into the band being one of my favorites of all time, especially in terms of hip-hop. Their last LP, 2016’s Bulk Spices, is a great record. It’s grown on me over time, too. It’s worth a listen if you have the time. I would say if you have the money, too, but it’s free to download. Around that time, though, one of the members, Andrew Atwood, started another group with Tasi, another rapper that had a couple of guest spots on Bulk Spices. The group is called Banana Peels, which is such a weird name, but I was excited to check this duo out, just because I was fine with hearing more stuff from the members of DWHB. They released their debut LP, 2016’s Fruit Deluxe, right around the same time that Bulk Spices was released. It’s taken me more than a year to cover this, I know, but I just never had the time to give it a proper listen. I’ve been listening to it for the last week, though, and I really like this EP. It’s not amazing, or anything like that, but I still enjoy it a lot. If you’re into DWHB, especially Bulk Spices, you’ll love this. There’s a very retro, groovy, soulful, and G-Funk-inspired sound on this thing, and it works quite well. Atwood is a master of production, and his beats are always really, really awesome. They deliver here, too, and everything about this EP is quite nice. I love Tasi and Atwood’s bars, providing more of what I’ve come to expect from DWHB, the instrumentation / production is absolutely wonderful, and their lyrics are quite nice, too. A couple of solid guest spots are on the EP, too, most notably one from fellow rapper Cheldon McQueen (a rapper that DWHB have worked with a lot in the past). There’s not much to this EP, but for what we do get, it’s a nice treat.

There are a couple of issues I have with this, though, and the biggest one is how short it is. At only 17 minutes, it’s not a bad length, but some of the songs themselves feel as though they’re small fragmented ideas. A couple songs barely make it past 30 seconds, and because of that, the EP’s short runtime works against itself. The short songs, served as interludes, wouldn’t be a bad addition if the album were longer, but it’s very short as it is. I don’t mind how short it is, because every time I listen to it, I want to listen to it again, but some tracks feel like incomplete ideas. Even if they are interludes, there are a handful of them. It just makes the EP feel shorter than it is, and that’s kind of a bummer, because I want to hear more. I’m not saying this isn’t good, because this thing is great. It’s not quite anything mindblowing, but it’s very unique, fun, groovy, and funky. It’s got a couple of solid MCs, clever lyrics, and some stellar production, so there’s a lot to get into. The short songs are a bit of a problem, but they don’t get in the way too much, since it’s not like I don’t want to keep listening to it. I want to play the EP again and again, but I’m always just like, “Wow, that’s it?” I want to hear more from these guys, though, and if they happen to release a full-length project, or even another EP, I’ll take a look at it. I really enjoyed DWHB’s last album, Bulk Spices, because they went into a more G-Funk / soulful direction, especially in the production / beatwork, and this takes that sound to another level here. It’s very much in that vein, but if you enjoy Atwood’s bars in that group, you’ll enjoy his bars here, too. Like all of DWHB’s projects, this EP is free to download as well, and it’s honestly worth it. If you think about it, my biggest issue with this EP is that it’s too short, and I want to hear more, so is that really a problem at all? It’s true, though – I would love to hear more from these two.

#banana peels #fruit deluxe #dwhb #tasi #bulk spices #cheldon mcqueen

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