Q1 of 2021 is officially behind us. I wrote some of my favorite records of the first three months of the year on my blog and shared a playlist of all the songs I enjoyed as well.
The first week of April isn’t as heavy handed as last week, but there are still some great new releases today. Godspeed You! Black Emperor leads the pack as they return with their extreme, existential post-rock epics. We also get the first solo album from former Pains of Being Pure at Heart frontman Kip Berman under his new moniker, The Natvral.
Shoegaze icons My Bloody Valentine signed with Domino Records and finally put their incendiary third record, 2013’s brilliant comeback m b v, on streaming services earlier this week. Some of their awesome pre-Loveless work is streaming now as well, but the best of their EPs remain unavailable in North America. The band also says there are two albums in the works for their new label.
HBO’s latest rock-doc centers around the one and only Tina Turner and is a must-watch farewell to the living legend. It’s a final look into her historic career and says goodbye in perfect form.
Finally, Radiohead have joined TikTok and uploaded their first cryptic video. What a time.
Albums:
Godspeed You! Black Emperor | G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!
The Natvral | Tethers
Flock of Dimes | Head of Roses
Merzbow / Prurient | Black Crows Cyborg
Dry Cleaning | New Long Leg
Songs:
Sons of Kemet | “Hustle”
Dinosaur Jr. | “Garden”
Mdou Moctar | “Afrique Victime”
St Vincent | “The Melting of the Sun”
Angel Olsen | “It’s Every Season (Whole New Mess)”
Freddie Gibbs | “Big Boss Rabbit”
Waxahatchee | “Streets of Philadelphia” [Bruce Springsteen cover]
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2021) here!