10 New Albums You Should Check Out
Ahhh, music! One of the most beautiful and joyous parts of life. But with so much music being released and available at our fingertips, choosing what to indulge in can become quite difficult. Fret not though, below are 10 albums you should check out that were released in the past two weeks:
Björk: Fossora
Björk’s 10th solo album Fossora comes five years after her 2017 release of Utopia. Fossora is filled with club style beats, clarinets, and Björk’s distinct style. Björk’s “mushroom album”, as she describes it, reflects on the death of her mother, returning to Iceland during the pandemic, and optimism. Top tracks include, “Ancestress”, “Fossora”, “Mycelia”, and “Sorrowful Soil”.
Makaya McCraven: In These Times
Makaya McCraven, a vanguard jazz drummer, leads Junius Paul, Jeff Parker, Brandee Younger, Joel Ross, and Marquis Hill on his sixth bandleading album, In These Times. In These Times floats through the listeners body with its organic beats, hypnotizing harp, and gentle saxophone. Top tracks include, “In These Times”, “The Fours”, “Dream Another”, and “So Ubiji”.
Nicholas Craven & Boldly James: Fair Exchange No Robbery
Fair Exchange No Robbery is the collaboration of producer Nicholas Craven and rapper Boldy James. Fair Exchange No Robbery is full of sample heavy music that combines beautifully with Boldy James’s dozing and flowing rapping. Top tracks include, “Straight & Tall”, “Stuck in Traffic”, and “Town & Country”.
Courting: Guitar Music
Guitar Music is the debut album for Liverpool-based band, Courting. Considering that all members of Courting are under 20, Guitar Music presents an incredibly impressive debut. Courting defines their post-punk, electronic, Britpop sound with witty lyrics, melodious guitar and keyboard riffs, and fast moving electronic sounds. Top tracks include “Cosplay/Twin Cities”, “Tennis”, “Loaded”, and “Famous”.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Cool It Down
Yeah Yeah Yeahs’s Cool It Down is the band’s latest album in 9 years following 2013’s Mosquito. Cool It Down maintains the band’s distinguishable sound but evolves it to fit in a contemporary world of indie electronic rock. Cool It Down also includes Perfume Genius on its opening song, “Spitting Off the Edge of the World”. Top tracks include “Fleez”, “Bruning”, and “Spitting Off the Edge of the World (feat. Perfume Genius)”.
Shygirl: Nymph
Nymph is London singer, rapper, and songwriter, Shygirl’s, first full length album. Shygirl culminates various genres such as rap, R & B, and Eurodance in Nymph. Co-written with Mura Masa, BloodPop, and Sega Bodega, top tracks include, “Firefly”, “Coochie (a bedtime story)”, “Nike”, and “Missin u”.
Beth Orton: Weather Alive
Weather Alive comes seven years after Beth Orton’s 2016 release of Kidsticks. Beth Orton discusses the challenges of motherhood and the music industry in Weather Alive. Weather Alive is bursting with vulnerability, celestial sounds, loose piano playing, and Orton’s strong and raw vocals. Top tracks include, “Friday Night”, “Forever Young”, and “Weather Alive”.
Freddie Gibbs: $oul $old $eparately
$oul $old $eparately follows Freddie Gibbs’s 2021 release of Piñata. $oul $old $eparately includes features by Offset, Anderson .Paak, Pusha T, Moneybagg Yo, and many others. Top tracks include, “Couldn’t Be Done”, “Pain and Strife (feat. Offset)”, “Dark Hearted”, and “Blackest in the Room”.
Alex G: God Save the Animals
God Save the Animals is Alex G’s ninth album. Alex G curates indie folk pop with his unique vocal distortions, fairytale sounds, and a cornucopia of instruments. God Save the Animals reflects on religion and society with top tracks such as, “Miracles”, “Cross the Sea”, “S.D.O.S”, and “Runner”.
The Comet Is Coming: Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam
Jazz trio, The Comet Is Coming consists of saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, drummer Max Hallett, and synth player Dan Leavers. Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam is The Comet Is Coming’s fourth full length album and evolves the trio’s fusion-dance-cosmic-jazz sound. Full of blasting jazz energy and astral sounds, top tracks include, “CODE”, “TECHNICOLOR”, and “LUCID DREAMER”.
Other Notable Releases:
Khruangbin/Vieux Farka Toure: Ali
Pixies: Doggerel
Tyler Childers: Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?
Sofie Royer: Harlequin
Cole Pulice: Scry
Shannon Moser: The Sun Still Seems to Move
The Bad Plus: The Bad Plus
Marissa Anderson: Still, Here
Lambchop: The Bible
Tirzah: Highgrade
Mamalarky: Pocket Fantasy
Deep Chord: Functional Designs
Oren Ambarchi: Shebang
Aarktica: We Will Find the Light
OFF!: Free LSD
Fujiya & Miyagi: Variations
Tim Burgess: Typical Music
Charles Lloyd: Trios: Ocean
Maya Hawke: MOSS
Kid Cudi: Entergalatic
Slipknot: The End, So Far
Alina Bzhezhinska & HipHarpCollective: Reflections
