Albums I’m Excited About, July 12th
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EGOLI — Africa Express
Africa Express is a new project from Damon Albarn, best known as either 2D from the Gorillaz or the lead singer of Blur, depending on how old and/or British you are. It may seem problematic for an enterprising British explorer to travel south so that he can bring the talents of a foreign and mysterious culture to a waiting white audience — but I assume that he has a good record of equitability and that this effort is in good faith.
As for the music, this is definitely more of a compilation than a collaboration and I certainly found out about some artists that I’ll be tracking. Damon Albarn has a near perfect record from his work with Gorillaz as a tastemaker and perfect pop collaborator, and this album does not disappoint as an Albarn hit parade. Let’s just hope it’s followed up with some real attention and production cash down the road, and this isn’t a one-off for his pleasure and a flash in the pan for the excellent artists involved.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/egoli/1459674704
https://open.spotify.com/album/2c7B7bFNWRMSubpagKaB7K?si=ty2BSJQ-TXKtPdMHqRQ_Fg
Modern Mirror — Drab Majesty
Drab Majesty is a band that clearly likes an air of mystery. They dress with platinum bob wigs, wrap around black sunglasses, and dark robes or leather. Theatrics are sometimes a great way to help your audience see your vision, but I think in this case, the artists behind Drab Majesty do their best work in the studio.
The outfit is distinctly goth, but this latest record evolves their deep vocals and distorted guitars for a much more airy, 80s pop sound while keeping around some warm synths, heavy vocal delay, and intentionally mechanical drum samples. It occasionally falls on the side of a gimmick — a trap that I thought the first album dodged just a tad better — but it is still a fantastic listen, and carries pace without becoming repetitive. If you’re a Depeche Mode fan, this album will feel like a second coming with some modern studio touches.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/modern-mirror/1458549709
https://open.spotify.com/album/1KEarBQBHMkYlAnmy1Uo6q?si=rbKRAWrFT9e2fvokRLF-2w
Hasta El Cielo — Khruangbin
I hesitated to put this album on this list as it is a re-working of Khruangbin’s last album Con Todo El Mundo, but two things made me change my mind: first, this band is coming up but so incredibly special that I feel compelled to pile on as much as I can. And second, this album manages to be the same songs but such an incredibly different vibe, which is an incredible acheivement.
Khrungabin is a 3 piece instrumental band, who manages to convince the listener that there could be no less than 6 of them. When you listen closely, you’ll occasionally notice that you’re listening to a bassline and a drum part — but you could swear it was an orchestra. They manage to fill an incredible amount of audible space with just their talent, and this album takes an album I thought relegated to a lazy Sunday, and twists it to a dub album without resorting to any poppy snares or swinging keyboard hits. At this point they’re just showing off, and I love it.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/hasta-el-cielo/1464017152
https://open.spotify.com/album/3tILTiQeOphFNccFDxZxlW?si=u58buOD_Qxa1dErBG_U_5g
Showboat Honey — Kyle Craft & Showboat Honey
I’m a big fan of Kyle Craft — he’s a Portland artist that has stayed with me in SF on tour and played in my brother’s band basketball tournament — so I can say with confidence that he’s a great dude in addition to being a fantastic musician.
Kyle’s voice is nothing short of incredible, and it’s reasonably the bright, shining focus of all of his albums. There is a musical-theater-esque quality to his albums, with just a tad of Smashing Pumpkins style arrangement to keep it solidly in the genre of Rock & Roll. It’s a modern Billy Joel but set on fire and dressed in leather.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/showboat-honey/1458148256
https://open.spotify.com/album/3tILTiQeOphFNccFDxZxlW?si=SCg1dBdgTRq26aBLr4NIxw
Automat — METZ
METZ are far and away the angriest thing in Toronto. But just because they’ve invented a new thrash genre doesn’t mean they’re not building on the shoulders of giants. Their guitar and bass tones is familiar to anyone who grew up listening to hardcore, but it somehow feels too small a label to fit the big big sound of METZ.
Automat is mixed for the bass player in you. The vocals, guitars, and drums are a giant mallet being swung around and around the basslines — a danger to objects around them, ready to fly off and smash through anything they hit — but it stays in one piece. It’s more of a martial art than a dance, and will make you want to flail around and find your way back to ever driving snare hit. I adore every record by METZ, and after just one listen I know this is one of their best.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/automat/1460167374
https://open.spotify.com/album/2lkSyyfAi4ctpSfpZdKkQx?si=dLwn7F5HQ4utCbOsxcR91A
Weather — Tycho
What can you say about a Tycho album? Tycho is probably one of the most consistently pleasurable to listen to bands in existence. If it was your favorite band I might judge you a little, because it’s just so likeable that it seems like a non-statement… until today!
On a first listen, you begin this record getting what you expect, then suddenly — vocals! For folks who have not followed Scott Hansen’s work in the past, this album will sound exactly as it should. He has done an amazing job of keeping his head bobbing atmospheric sound, but managed to do what I didn’t think possible without corrupting it — add a soaring female voice over the top. I’m a huge fan of this new sound, and this album gave me a new level of respect for the work that goes in to this sound.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/weather/1461523692
https://open.spotify.com/album/1mRyfDR7Dc55GbC8V3kVis?si=UqfCmz71Sh2n4MBgr7yS4Q
