February comes in hot for a second week in a row with big releases from Big Thief and Spoon! The new double-album from Big Thief feels like their Sandinista moment and will set them on a course as one of the biggest names in indie rock. The sprawling, twenty-song record is jam packed and full of a smattering of styles and genres that follows the quartet on an epic journey that sounds like no one else. Consistently raising the bar seems to be one the of their mission statements and with Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, it seems as if they’ve not only achieved that goal, but perhaps made a modern classic as well.
Spoon, one of indie’s most reliable and veteran acts, is back with their first full-length in five years. The singles leading up to the release hint at something big from this group and sees them reaching to the rafters and ready to scale to bigger settings. Shamir also has a new one out and the singles hint at funky synth-pop that continues to bring dance vibes to bedroom romps.
Eddie Vedder finally drops a proper solo album today, his first non-soundtrack full band endeavor outside of Pearl Jam, but the singles suggest that fans will continue to love the frontman no matter who’s behind him. Empath returns this week with a new record, following their 2019 debut, and it’s another jolt of steadfast, in your face noise-pop that skews towards a more accessible, yet still very fresh, sound that’s ready for a bigger audience.
Pusha T dropped his first new track in quite some time. Produced by Kanye and 88 Keys, it’s an old-school boom bap style beat and Pusha hits the mark with his flow. KOKOROKO also shared their first new song of 2022 with the electric “Something’s Going On.” Not to be outdone, the Beths did the same and shared the frantic and accelerating new song “A Real Thing.”
Sharon Van Etten follows-up last year’s Song of the Year collab with Angel Olsen with her first solo tune in a few years, “Porta.” Sylvaine, the one-woman black metal project, also shared a new one, the glowing “Nowhere, Still Somewhere,” which moves more towards expansive dream-pop while still retaining heavy elements. Fred again.. also has a new one out this week and it’s an all-out Rave banger.
Orville Peck announced his sophomore record, Bronco, and shared four new songs including the lead single, “C’mon Baby, Cry.” Kim Petras also dropped a new EP, Slut Pop, while Doja Cat released a cover of Hole’s “Celebrity Skin” as part of an ad in this Sunday’s Super Bowl.
This week we lost Betty Davis, a pioneer of funk in the ‘70s and an icon to many with her RAW attitude and extreme influence. She altered the careers of Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix and without her the sound and soul of music would be very different.
Albums:
Big Thief | Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Spoon | Lucifer on the Sofa
Shamir | Heterosexuality
Empath | Visitor
Eddie Vedder | Earthling
Claire Rousay and More Eaze | Never Stop Texting Me
Trentemøller | Memoria
Jazmine Sullivan | Heaux Tales, Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe
Kim Petras | Slut Pop
Buke And Gase + Rahrah Gabor | Buke And Gase + Rahrah Gabor EP
Songs:
Pusha T | “Diet Coke”
Jack White | “Fear of the Dawn”
Kokoroko | “Something’s Going On”
Sharon Van Etten | “Porta”
The Beths | “A Real Thing”
Caroline Polachek | “Billions”
Fred again.. | “Admit It (U Don’t Want 2)” (ft India Jordan)
Sylvaine | “Nowhere, Still Somewhere”
Orville Peck | “C’mon Baby, Cry”
Lavender Country | “Stand On Your Man”
Helena Deland | “Swimmer”
Father John Misty | “Q4”
Dälek | “Decimation (Dis Nation)”
Doja Cat | “Celebrity Skin” [Hole cover]
Maren Morris | “Background Music”
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2022) here!