The Albums You Need to Know About Every Week
I’m in love with this week’s releases. The freshmen and veterans are equally crazy, sexy and cool, leading me to believe I’m crashing a party where everyone is both highly attractive and smart. The planets have aligned to produce a superhuman group of sounds, and I hope you’re as geeked as I am. Let’s do this.
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS – PUSH THE SKY AWAY
The veteran purveyor of dark lore and cautionary tales of love is back with his fifteenth studio album. This release is full of gritty, sleek storytelling involving mermaids, sex, and Hannah Montana (not in the same song, pervert) sung through his cloudy, seductive voice. Push the Sky Away is a heavy but somehow gripping listen that sounds like a new Nick Cave classic.
BEACH FOSSILS – CLASH THE TRUTH
Brooklyn haze rockers, Beach Fossils, are back with their sophomore release, produced by Ben Greenberg of The Men, and are sounding a bit more developed this round. Here, they’re handing out glazed post-punk meets shoegaze, but with bones and body — their sound is still fun and danceable, but there’s substance and obvious growth that make for an impressive record.
STRFKR – MIRACLE MILE
STRFKR deliver instant dance gratification with their third full-length. All terms that apply to good pop music apply to the sound here: catchy, hook-laden and fun. The band’s music is so feel-good, it makes me suspect they’ve got herds of unicorns on tap and are using them to funnel happiness directly into their records. It’s the only explanation. Miracle Mile is a catchy, synth-pop vacation to Candyland — dig in.
PARENTHETICAL GIRLS – PRIVILEGE
Portland, Oregon’s witty pop outfit, Parenthetical Girls, are releasing their fourth full-length, an amalgamation of chosen songs from five vinyl-only EP’s self-released by the band over the past two years. Privilege is a collection of well-crafted, highly melodic and eloquent pop songs bound to make waves and wash in new fans.
LADY LAMB THE BEEKEEPER – RIPELY PINE
After over five years of releasing incredible, self-recorded lo-fi albums and songs, opening and touring for some of indie rock’s biggest names (tUnE-yArDs, Beirut, Sharon Van Etten, etc…) and honing her sound into impossibly sweet honey, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper is (finally!) unleashing her first studio album into the world. Ripely Pine is a collection of fine-tuned LLBk classics and one new song bound to win your heart with its masterfully arranged, highly cinematic sound and intensely passionate and imaginative lyrics. I’m not sure she charms actual bees, but I’m 100% sure of her affect on humans — swoons galore. I would warn you not to overlook this record, but the buzz is bound to be so ear-splitting, you wouldn’t be able to if you tried.
ICEAGE – YOU’RE NOTHING
Danish punk-rock prodigies Iceage delivered their hotly anticipated follow up to New Brigade this week. It seems the record will be meeting, no, smashing the high expectations placed upon it with a more focused sound and the same level of intensity and passion that originally made us fall in love. You’re Nothing is explosive, expansive and everything we could have hoped for.
INC. – NO WORLD
R&B makes a comeback through no world, the debut album of brothers and bandmates, Inc. Within the first few seconds of listening, their love for classic soul and R&B is both glaring and endearing. The laid-back bounce of the record pairs nicely with the chill vocals, making for a very rewarding listen for fans of the genre.
FLUME – FLUME
21-year old Aussie producer, Flume, has taken the electronic world by storm over the past year, creating insanely tight, incredibly impressive beats stretched over lush, experimental electropop landscapes. His originals, which chop samples and mix genres into a steady flow of electric sorcery, have topped charts and even landed him the opening slot for The xx multiple times. If you haven’t already, take notice now.
