We’ve finally made it to December and the onslaught of amazing new music has finally let up. After what was probably the most impressive and inspiring year of new music in recent memory, it’s nice to catch a break and dig in to all the stellar releases of the year. In the coming weeks, I’ll share my favorite reissues, EPs, LPs, songs, and shows of the year (and hopefully SZA drops her new one in time for consideration), but for now, here are a few more to check out before the year comes to an end.
Today, Cassandra Jenkins shared a new collaborative album with Suhail Yusuf Khan. Named Chale Jaana, it features the scholar, vocalist, and sārangī player in a live studio recording of improvisations and songs from Jenkins’ catalogue. Capping off a remarkable year of new music and reissues, Glenn Donaldson has yet another release for The Reds, Pinks and Purples, Mountain Lake Park, which takes on a more somber approach to his usual bright, sunshine guitar-pop. Originally the vinyl-only bonus release alongside this year’s Summer At Land’s End, this LP is the second-half of the record and continues to expand on Glenn’s lush sound.
Other Half’s Soft Action is out this week and it is drawing comparisons to post-hardcore and emo (from before it was a Hot Topic fashion trend) making it one of the latest guitar records to prove the genre is anything but dead. Georgia Maq, the lead singer of indie rock band Camp Cope (and someone I declared with one of the best voices in rock music today) has a solo EP out this week which was recorded live from the famed Sydney Opera House. Any reason to listen to her brilliant vocal work is not one to miss.
The Men once seemed like they could be the new crowned punks of Brooklyn and a decade later they’ll return with their first new album in three years. The singles have been call backs to their halcyon days of bruised and battered tracks with the utmost rock and roll urgency. Blazing guitars and roaring energy grab hold on their latest track and it’s a high flying thrill ride surely to get you amped for the pit. Another Brooklyn band, the heroes in Widowspeak, shared a demo from this year’s triumphant record The Jacket. The Bandcamp exclusive “True Blue” demo is a light luxury of pure bliss.
King Tuff has returned as well (it’s really feeling like 2012 all over again) and his latest is more of his stoner garage-rock that feels both immediate and inviting even if you’re not as zoned out as KT himself. Earlier this year, Nilüfer Yanya dropped her excellent record Painless and this week she’s shared a remix of the great track “midnight sun” done by none other than King Krule who adds his usual mix of grit and moody dissonance to the album standout.
Finally, as I’m sure you know, Spotify dropped their annual Wrapped feature this week which shows you the artists, songs, and genres (apparently?) that you spent the year consuming. This year, I listened to 8,168 songs by 1,630 unique artists/bands for a total of 74,975 minutes (which is roughly 52 days straight). If you do the math, that equates to $24 to all the musicians in total (It’s $0.003 per stream if you’re interested). This makes it extremely clear that streaming is not a vital path for any artist as a way to earn a living. So, I urge you, if you’ve enjoyed anything you’ve discovered from this newsletter this year, please go out and buy it from the artist or an independent record store directly. Today is also the last Bandcamp Friday of the year so if there’s something on your list, it’s a great time to support the band or artist you had on repeat in 2022.
Albums:
Cassandra Jenkins / Suhail Yusuf Khan | Chale Jaana
The Reds, Pinks and Purples | Mountain Lake Park
Other Half | Soft Action
Metro Boomin | Heroes & Villains
Georgia Maq | Live At The Sydney Opera House EP
A Tribute To Ryuichi Sakamoto: To The Moon And Back
Neil Young | Harvest (50th Anniversary Edition)
Cat Stevens | Catch Bull At Four (50th Anniversary Edition Remaster)
Songs:
The Men | “God Bless the USA”
Widowspeak | “True Blue” (demo)
King Tuff | “Portrait of God”
MIKE | “Stop Worry!” (ft Sister Nancy)
Nilüfer Yanya | “midnight sun” (King Krule remix)
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2022) here!