One of these days, I’m going to sneak a Christmas album into New Music Friday. Not today, but one of these days…
Anyways, this week made for a wild ride, with a lot of albums grouping very eclectic choices together. Which I guess is a fun way to explore an artist’s varied interests.
Objekt – Cocoon Crush
Based on the name of this album and what I can make out of the album cover, it seems like this album might’ve been inspired by spiders. Either way, it makes for an album that lends the same otherworldly quality that you get in a rainforest. “Deadlock” is a standout track in particular because it mixes the album’s overall feel with some early hip-hop influences.
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus – Boygenius
The term “supergroup” is typically reserved nowadays for a group of aging rockers coming together to send their collective fan bases into fits of happiness while not actually creating anything particularly distinctive. Boygenius is not that. This supergroup is three, under-25, rising indie stars coming together to make something great, while each being individual distinctive at various points. The album is joyously melancholy, with heavy folk influences, and shows off each member’s talents on the guitar.
Marcus Strickland Twi-Life – People of the Sun
A lot of jazz albums lean on the natural flow of the genre, that’s why non-jazz fans often view jazz as a genre that can lull you to sleep. You always can kind of intuit what’s going to come next. Not this one. This one is constantly using percussive elements to disrupt your expectations of jazz and makes you pay attention throughout.
J Fernandez – Occasional Din
If you’re a fan of J Fernandez’s last album, you’ll like this one. If you’re a first time listener and like this, listen to his last album. Both serve up a noisy, psychedelic ’60s beach pop. And both require a few repeat listens before any of the tracks sound distinctive from each other. Otherwise, it’s pretty easy listening.
THEY. – Fireside
This duo continues their meteoric rise with this EP that continues their theme of rocketing wildly from groovy R&B to hard-hitting rap to soulful boy band-esque crooning. With so many featured artists, they also often take a backseat to their guest, including in standout track “Broken,” which is more a Jessie Reyez song than anything else.
Leikeli47 – Design
Leikeli47, the critically acclaimed Brooklyn rapper, announced a coming full-length album. So for this EP, it seems like she just took three completely different tracks, slapped them together, and is trying to see what sticks. They’re all great in their own way, so it’s more up to you to decide which of the three you think the upcoming album will sound most like.
Bonus Single: Sandro Cavazza and Lou Elliotte – “Used To”
We’re big fans of Sandro Cavazza, so it’s great to see another single from him. This one brings his thoughtful and understated tropical production skills to a really sweet song that serves as a feature for both his vocals and relative unknown Lou Elliotte, who should now be on your radar too.
