This weekend is Coachella which is an unofficial start to summer for some and is generally considered to be the event that kicks off festival season for the music world. For those not attending, there’s still some great music to enjoy from afar.
Kurt Vile has a new album out today and it continues to provide his mellow, hazy vibes of blissed-out rock and roll. The singles preserve his perpetually foggy state, but his complex and inventive songwriting remains promising.
Mysterious UK group Sault began posting images and song clips to their Instagram this week and today they’re back with a new project called Air. The seven track piece is 45 minutes in run time and features lush, sweeping orchestrations with choir-esque vocals that soar towards the heaven. It’s a departure from their anthem-ready R&B and the percussive sounds of their prior records and signals a new direction for the enigmatic group, resulting in one of the most radical shifts in sound I’ve ever heard from a group.
Earlier this week, a grunge supergroup featuring Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam/Soundgarden on drums, Krist Novoselic of Nirvana on bass, Kim Thayil of Soundgarden on guitar, and Void’s Bubba Dupree as well as vocalists Jillian Raye and Jennifer Johnson announced not only their existence, but released their debut album as well. It’s a cool, and perhaps updated, take on all of their classic sounds.
Cursive’s Tim Kasher shares his new solo record today as does James Krivchenia of Big Thief. Flock of Dimes follows-up last year’s XX with a new one as well. Sonic Youth also added yet another live show to their ever-growing archives. This set is from Kyiv in 1989 and all the proceeds will go to benefit Ukraine.
This weekend, Lizzo is set to host and take on musical guest duties for Saturday Night Live and in honor of the big event, she released her first new song of the year and announced her highly-anticipated new album Special. The song is out now and the album is due in July.
Earlier this week, Phoebe Bridgers teased a new song called “sidelines.” It’s out today andiIt appears in Hulu’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Conversations With Friends. This is her first new song since her smash Punisher and according to a press release, this will be her only new song of 2022.
Jaime xx dropped his first new song in two years, the expansive and rave-ready track “LET’S DO IT AGAIN.” Built to Spill also shared a new song and announced their first new album in six years. Faye Webster also announced a new album which features orchestral arrangements of tracks from her last two records and offered up the first single, “Car Therapy.”
Albums:
Kurt Vile | (watch my moves)
Sault | Air
3rd Secret | 3rd Secret
Flock Of Dimes | Head Of Roses: Phantom Limb
James Krivchenia | Blood Karaoke
Tim Kasher | Middling Age
Alex G | We’re All Going To The World’s Fair [Soundtrack]
Sonic Youth | Live in Kyiv, Ukraine 1989
Songs:
Lizzo | “About Damn Time”
Phoebe Bridgers | “sidelines”
Jaime xx | “LET’S DO IT AGAIN”
Tomberlin | “sunstruck”
Built to Spill | “Gonna Lose”
Faye Webster | “Car Therapy”
Wild Pink | “Q. Degraw”
Warthog | “Four Walls”
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2022) here!