Gold Soundz: March 15, 2024

This week's suggested new music, curated by omg!nyc

The half-way point of March is upon us and for much of the country, it’s feeling like deceptive spring. This week features a rather small batch of releases, but the album drops are particularly thrilling and should appease a majority of listeners across the board.

Earlier in the year, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis played the Impulse! Records NYC Winter Jazz Fest and this week they’re here with a brand new album. Composed of the rhythm section from the legendary hardcore band Fugazi, they bring the fervor and heat from that band and meld it with virtuosic jazz, creating something very exciting and totally unique. Easily one of the most compelling and forward-thinking releases of the year so far.

After sharing two rather pleasant singles, Kacey Musgraves returns with a rather subdued album that still captures her charming wit even if there’s a little less sparkle than we’ve come to expect. Still, it’s a refreshing approach to country music and stands as one of the genres biggest releases of the year.

Back in 2018, Tierra Whack released Whack World, a project with fifteen tracks that each clocked-in at just a minute. Today she’s back with what she’s calling her debut album and it continues to carry the torch Whack has been holding through her singles in the time since the last project. She’s already been declared a shining leader in rap’s new vanguard and now she’s ready to etch her name firmly into stone.

The past year has been a rather meteoric one for Four Tet. While the electronic musician has been releasing stellar music under this moniker for two and a half decades, 2023 saw him grace the headlining spot at the mainstage of Coachella and throw a five-hour rave in Madison Square Garden with his pals Skrillex and Fred again.. Today he has a new album featuring some of his splendid recent singles that draw on the meditative IDM focus of his music instead of the bass-thumping jams from his buddies.

Wolf Parade/Handome Furs/Divine Fits/Operators singer Dan Boeckner drops his debut solo album today, one that will surely hit hard for those still fond for the mid-aughts indie rock crunch he helped cement and fellow Canadian Devon Welsh, former singer of Magical Cloudz, also has a solo record out today that conjures up more of his spoken-word poetic jams.

Next month, Vampire Weekend will release their fifth album, Only God Was Above Us, and this week they shared their latest single, “Classical.” Taking some of the elements from their progressive pop past, the band explores their noisier side on this one, moving the needle towards jammier sounds and with gritty guitars and embellished horns.

Waxahatchee is set to release her new album next week, but she dropped one more single as she builds anticipation for what is sure to be an album of the year contender. “365” once again features rising guitar hero MJ Lenderman and only adds to the hype for the rest of the record.

Last year, Fabiana Palladino released a duet with her frequent collaborator Jai Paul and now she’s back with the announcement of her debut album and a new single that was produced by Paul himself. It’s a slinky, retro-R&B jam full of 80’s synths and electric-pop setting a mood and bringing the ultra-chill vibes.

After the demise of post-punk group Ought, two members joined up with the drummer from U.S. Girls to form the trio Cola and this week the band shared a groovy new track that loosens things up while still sprawling out with wavy rhythms and lock-step beats.

As the reigning queen of harp in modern jazz, Brandee Younger has risen as a new vanguard of the genre and her new single, “Brown Brown Baby,” floats on air as her elegant plucked strings dazzle with the utmost sonic jubilation.

As one of the bands helping to revive shoegaze while also adding in elements of post-rock and the slightest black metal, sonhos tomam conta are back with their latest, “oração do mar.”

Albums:
The Messthetics / James Brandon Lewis | The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis
Kacey Musgraves | Deeper Well
Tierra Whack | World Wide Whack
Four Tet | Three
Dan Boeckner | Boeckner!
Devon Welsh | Come With Me If You Want To Live
extra life | extra life EP [Deluxe Edition]

Songs:
Vampire Weekend | “Classical”
Waxahatchee | “365”
Fabiana Palladino | “I Can’t Dream Anymore”
Brandee Younger | “Brown Brown Baby”
Mount Kimbie | “Empty and Silent” (ft King Krule)
sonhos tomam conta | “oração do mar”
Gatecreeper | “The Black Curtain”
Cola | “Bitter Melon”
Horse Jumper of Love | “Gates of Heaven”

If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2024) here!