As January moves along, things are a bit slow in terms of new album releases. This week indie-pop institution Belle and Sebastian return with a surprise follow-up to last year’s A Bit of Previous and the neon-streaked lead single is a bit of a head-scratcher. The days of twee seemed to have passed and the ‘80s buzz comes to the forefront on their latest track. Metal vets Obituary roar back with their new record, the brutal and gruesome Dying Of Everything which stands as the first defining metal album of the year.
Ambient legend Laraaji is perhaps best known for his work with Brian Eno, but Numero Group will be reissuing some of his long out of print work and this week we’re treated to his album Koto. Peel Dream Magazine follow-up last year’s Pad with a four-track EP that finds the band moving even further into ethereal dream-pop territory with wistful tunes and shimmering synths.
While the week is rather light on new album releases, it’s a blockbuster for new songs (and plenty will have albums to follow later in the year). Yo La Tengo’s sixteenth album is due on February and this week they shared the glistening second single, “Aselestine,” which fits the profile of one of their gentle ballads with Georgia Hubely’s hushed vocals perfectly placed over soft acoustic guitars and humming synths to capture a sound they do oh so well.
The New Pornographers announced that they’ve signed to the legendary Merge Records for their next album and shared the great lead single “Really Really Light,” an opulent track that blossoms with bright expectations. After taking a lot of time to reflect on whatever it was that transpired with the last album Junk, M83 has returned with a glowing throwback track that sounds like classic material from the mid aughts and suggests that once again Anthony Gonzalez has found his sweet spot of combing shoegaze textures with ethereal electronics.
Indie icons Neutral Milk Hotel announced a career-spanning box set for later this year that includes both of their full-length albums as well as deep cuts and unreleased material such as the track “Little Birds” which is offered up in both a live recording as well as a pretty stellar demo. We may never get a follow-up to the legendary In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, but this will surely entice long-time fans and serve as the next best thing.
The elusive act known as Parannoul returned this week as well with another thrashing shoegaze track that fills a much needed void and continues the band’s path of excellence. Brooklyn’s The Men have already shared a few tracks from their upcoming album and the latest, “Anyway I Find You,” is another classic sounding track from a band that at one point seemed like the best thing coming out of Williamsburg and should appease anyone who was a fan of the band a decade prior.
Country Westerns also dropped a new song this week which features their typical fuzzed-out guitars and heightens the expectations for their new record as well. Canadian punks Fucked Up are also back with another song which features their trademark howl over shredding guitars and their in-your-face attitude that their name suggests.
‘90s electro trip-hop pioneers Everything But the Girl have announced their comeback album and shared their first song in 24 years and it picks up just where they left off without, perfectly retro without doing so for nostalgia’s sake. U.S. Girls have also announced a new record which follows their recent string of singles and once again finds the band dipping into their own unique sound of dance and electronic focused pop songs.
Miley Cyrus announced a new album due in March and this week she dropped the lead single, the straightforward and risk-free “Flowers.” Animal Collective’s Avey Tare shared a pair of new songs this week which are the typical experimental jams married to pop melodies that you’ve come to expect from the always forward-thinking song-crafter.
In March, Spirit Ghost will release a new album and today we're getting the psyched-out surf rock jam “Walk Back,” which is an excellent rush of fuzzy guitar pop that feels delightfully nostalgic without retracing old ideas. King Tuff also dropped a new track this week from his upcoming record and this one features backing vocals from SASAMI.
In honor of David Bowie’s birthday, Spoon shared a cover of the track “I Can’t Give Everything Away'“ from his brilliant final record Blackstar, Brit Daniel’s voice quaking at just the right moments to give it their own touch. This year, The Strokes are releasing a box set of all their singles, reissued with their original b-sides. “The Modern Age” [Rough Trade Version] is a hard-hitting throwback to the band’s pristine form, when they delivered knockout versions of these indisputable hits.
Albums:
Margo Price | Strays
Belle and Sebastian | Late Developers
Obituary | Dying Of Everything
Laraaji | Koto
Peel Dream Magazine | Magic is Pocketed
Songs:
Yo La Tengo | “Aselestine”
M83 | “Oceans Niagara”
The New Pornographers | “Really Really Light”
Parannoul | “We Shine at Night”
The Men | “Anyway I Find You”
John Cale | “NOISE OF YOU”
U.S. Girls | “Futures Bet”
Country Westerns | “It’s a Livin’”
Everything But the Girl | “Nothing Left to Lose”
Miley Cyrus | “Flowers”
Spirit Ghost | “Walk Back”
Fucked Up | “I Think I Might Be Weird”
Avey Tare | “The Musical” / “Hey Bog”
King Tuff | “Tell Me”
Vagabon | “Carpenter”
El Ten Eleven | “Not Even Almost”
Fatboi Sherif / Roper Williams | “Scrabble Board Pieces” (ft E L U C I D)
Neutral Milk Hotel | “Little Birds” [Demo 1998] / [Live 2014]
Spoon | “I Can’t Give Everything Away” [David Bowie cover]
The Strokes | “The Modern Age” [Rough Trade Version]
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2023) here!