It’s mid-summer and while the big talk of the weekend is sure to be the double-feature that is hitting movie theaters, there’s also plenty of great music for you to enjoy between screenings.
Britpop legends Blur are back with a new reunion album and singer Damon Albarn has declared this to be their first proper album since the ‘90s (bummer for The Magic Whip!). It’s a smart, mature, and highly polished return from the band and gives one of their most open and honest performances to date.
Last week, Chris Corsano and Bill Orcutt released a live album from their set at last year’s 21st anniversary of Three Lobed Records and this week they’re back and this time joined by free-jazz saxophonist Zoh Amba. The album is an amazing recording of their high-energy improvised session which was also the first time Orcutt and Amba had ever played together. The results range from extreme free-jazz cacophony to mellow ambient tunes.
Nas surprised released a new album today called Magic 2 and it’s mostly produced by Hit Boy and features 50 Cent and 21 Savage. Earlier this year, Fatboi Sharif dropped the track “Scrabble Board Pieces” that featured a verse from E U C L I D (it’s great!) and this week he’s back with a full album of dusty groove filled hip hop.
Elusive yet prolific electronic artist Burial has teamed-up with Kode9 for a new split EP. It’s the latest installment in releases from one of the genre’s most rewarding and monumental producers and one that continues to add to his illustrious catalogue.
As mentioned earlier, this is the premier weekend for Barbie and with that comes Mark Ronson’s soundtrack featuring Tame Impala, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Nicki Minaj + Ice Spice, Haim, Sam Smith, Charli XCX, and an appearance from Ryan Gosling as well.
This week was one of non-stop action from some pretty big name artists and it kicked-off with the latest from post-rock veterans Explosions in the Sky who returned this week with a new single called “Ten Billion People” which continues the band’s formula of quiet-loud-quiet and affirms that if something isn’t broken, there’s no need to fix it or shift to something new.
In keeping with formulas that work, shoegaze greats Slowdive are set to release a new album this fall and this week, the record’s second single brought forth more confidence in the band’s ability to excel at a sound they’ve dutifully curated with fuzzy guitars that leave you in a textured haze of supreme bliss.
Following last year’s epic double-album, Big Thief dropped a studio recording of their recent live favorite “Vampire Empire.” It’s a fantastic song that highlights the band at the top of their game and affirms they’re still in their imperial phase and operating at a level above anyone else.
MJ Lenderman has already contributed to my favorite album of the year so far via his role as lead guitarist in the band Wednesday, but this week he announced that he himself has signed with ANTI and dropped the killer new song “Rudolph” which features killer lap and steel guitar as a Bob Dylan reference to boot.
A darkhorse for one of the best albums of the year is the upcoming record from Róisín Murphy who partnered with DJ Koze on every track. This week they shared the sprawling and sparkling song “You Knew” which will once again lure you to the dance floor. The new single from Molly Burch is the first from her new album and it’s big-energy song that blows out of the speakers and lives up to its name, “Physical,” with its muscular tones, stabbing synths, and brooding rhythms that give it shape and focus.
Later this summer, The Armed will play shows with Queens of the Stone Age and their new single “Everything’s Glitter” is a massive rock tune full of sweeping energy and pummeling heat that sticks mostly to the guitar-forward style tunes and less so the mix of electronics.
Albums:
Blur | The Ballad Of Darren
Zoh Amba / Chris Corsano / Bill Orcutt | The Flower School
Nas | Magic 2
Fatboi Sharif | Decay
Oxbow | Love’s Holiday
Andrew Bird | Outside Problems
Cut Worms | Cut Worms
Strange Ranger | Pure Music
Guided By Voices | Welshpool Frillies
Bloc Party | The High Life EP
Burial / Kode9 | Infirmary / Unknown Summer EP
Barbie the Album
Songs:
Explosions in the Sky | “Ten Billion People”
Slowdive | “skin in the game”
Molly Burch | “Physical”
Big Thief | “Vampire Empire”
MJ Lenderman | “Rudolph”
Róisín Murphy | “You Knew”
Cigarettes After Sex | “Bubblegum”
The Mountain Goats | “Clean Slate”
Vagabond | “Do Your Worst”
Illuminati Hotties | “Truck”
The Armed | “Everything’s Glitter”
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2023) here!