Gold Soundz: May 3, 2024
This week's suggested new music, curated by omg!nyc
May is starting off strong with some big new releases from top-tier artists. Rushing to the front is the explosive new record from guitar wizard Mdou Moctar. After being unable to return home to their native Niger due to a political coup, Mdou was stuck in the U.S. and wrote an incendiary record reflecting on the thoughts of identity and the political unrest terrorizing their homeland. Bursting with some of the best guitar work you’re likely to hear all year, Funeral for Justice wasn’t an album anyone was planning, but will probably serve as a defining statement for the band at a time when they need it the most.
As a leader of the new jazz vanguard, Kamasi Washington has been an in demand artist in the scene, so much so that we haven’t had a proper solo record from the saxophonist since 2018’s excellent album Heaven & Earth. Today, he’s back with Fearless Movement, an album with an impressive guest list that features some of the top names in jazz and beyond.
It’s already been a stellar year in pop with new albums from Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift. Today, Dua Lipa enters the chat with her highly anticipated album Radical Optimism which has been proceeded by some rather excellent singles. Now we’ll find out if she can follow-up the massive success of Future Nostalgia and continue her reign as one of the biggest names in the game. The album was also produced by Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker
Indie folk star Jessica Pratt has been making hypnotic folk music for a while now, but with her fourth album, Here in the Pitch, she raises the bar to new heights for her most accomplished work to date. This week also sees the return of Scotish indie-pop group Camera Obscura who are back with their first new album of dreamy tunes in over a decade and pick things up right where they left off.
Glenn Donaldson just released the latest album as The Reds, Pinks and Purples only last month, but today he’s back with a follow-up of b-sides, new songs, and a cover as well. Right now, it’s exclusively on Bandcamp. Agriculture have a new EP out today as well their finds their surging black metal racing to the extremes with big results.
Following her epic album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, Caroline Polachek is back with a new song called “Starburned and Unkissed.” It’s a down-tempo pop song that doesn’t feature the aerobatic vocals we’ve come to expect from Polachek, but still feels like the work of no one else, even if it’s one of the most straightforward songs we’ve heard from her yet.
It’s been four years since the last Chris Cohen album, but with the announcement of his new record, he also shared the lovely new song “Damage.” It’s a stupendous pop song that channels ‘70s era Tom Waits with its flare for jazz and sophisticated songwriting touches.
Charly Bliss announced a new album and the lead single “Nineteen” is a simmering track that doesn’t go the same route as their usual ‘90s-inspired indie rock, but rather smolders with feelings and a steady piano line over simplistic synths that sets the band up well and offers a refreshing twist for this next chapter.
The ongoing feud between Drake and seemingly every other big name rapper in the industry is starting to feel a bit stale and the latest edition to the saga is a rare flat note from Kendrick Lamar who still displays his impeccable flow, but with little new insults and a dull beat that echoes the thought that this beef may finally be overcooked.
One of the last holdouts from the chillwave era, Washed Out returned this week with the announcement of his first new album in four years and the lead single, “The Hardest Part,” is a refreshing tune, yet one that wanders down the same spaced-out path of ultra-chill melodies and a touch of acoustic guitar. It’s not a dud, but doesn’t fight the argument that the genre has been repeating the same themes for over a decade.
Moses Archuleta, the drummer of the phenomenal Deerhunter, releases music under the solo moniker Moon Diagrams and this week he announced the project’s first full-length album since 2017. The lead single, “Very Much My Promise To You,” features up and coming singer Anastasia Coope and is a cloudy pop song that feels very reminiscent of the late aughts and early twenty-teens; a bit of psych-rock with a mystic haze.
Finally, if you started season 3 of the amazing series Hacks on HBO, you heard King Princess cover Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work” and now you can stream it as well.
Albums:
Mdou Moctar | Funeral for Justice
Kamasi Washington | Fearless Movement
Dua Lipa | Radical Optimism
Jessica Pratt | Here in the Pitch
Camera Obscura | Look To The East, Look To The West
The Reds, Pinks and Purples | This is Adult Art School
Agriculture | Living is Easy EP
SPRINTS | Black Box Sessions EP
Broadcast | Spell Blanket – Collected Demos 2006-2009
Songs:
Caroline Polachek | “Starburned and Unkissed”
Chris Cohen | “Damage”
L’Imperatrice | “Love from the Other Side”
Madlib | “REEKYOD”
Kendrick Lamar | “Euphoria”
Barry Can’t Swin | “Kimbara”
Charly Bliss | “Nineteen”
Washed Out | “The Hardest Part”
Moon Diagrams | “Very Much My Promise To You” (ft Anastasia Coope)
Kamaiyah | “No Pressure”
King Princess | “Dirty Work” [Steely Dan cover]
If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2024) here!