Gold Soundz: November 5, 2021

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

November is hitting us hard with the new album from Snail Mail, ABBA, and a new Radiohead box set! Lindsey Jordan returns with her second Snail Mail album and it’s a turn away from the guitar-driven sounds of her debut and leans more inward. It’s filled with lush synths and introspective lyrics and continues to prove that she’s a star voice of her generation, one who can adapt to introduce new complexities to her music without changing her aesthetic.

ABBA are back with their first new album in forty years ahead of their reunion (sorta) shows that are slatted to take place in London next year. The singles feel like vintage ABBA, full of shimmering disco, and early reviews say the wait was worth it. Jónsi dropped a surprise album this week full of dark, ambient soundscapes not too different from his work in Sigur Rós, but it’s some of the more engaging solo pieces he’s put out.

Radiohead released their commemorative album to celebrate their landmark albums Kid A and Amnesiac. As major and groundbreaking as these records were twenty years ago and as magical as they still sound today, the extras included are mostly for diehard fans who obsess over the band’s every move. However, if you’ve never taken the time to listen deeply to these albums, now is as perfect a time as ever.

Spiritualized announced a new record, due in February, and shared the first single this week. It’s as grandiose as you’d expect from the band and full of lush orchestration. Cassandra Jenkins also shared a new track, “American Spirits,” which is part of her new EP and companion piece to this year’s exquisite album, An Overview on Phenomenal Nature.

The Reds, Pinks and Purples, the guitar-pop project from Glenn Donaldson announced a new record which will drop early next year. It follows this year’s great album, Uncommon Weather, and Donaldson’s joint album with Woods members under the moniker Painted Shrines.

Post-punk group Ought announced their break-up this week, but also the formation of Cola, a new band comprised of some former members. Their new track is called “Blank Curtain” and they’ll play their first ever show later this month in Brooklyn.

Albums:
Snail Mail | Valentine
ABBA | Voyage
Emma Ruth Rundle | Engine Of Hell
Jónsi | Obsidian
serpentwithfeet | DEACON’S GROVE EP
Radiohead | KID A MNESIA

Songs:
Spiritualized | “Always Together With You”
Cassandra Jenkins | “American Spirits”
The Reds, Pinks and Purples | “Don’t Come Home Too Soon”
Mr. Twin Sister | “Beezle”
Jenny Lewis | “Puppy and a Truck”
Black Country, New Road | “Bread Song”
Christian Lee Hutson | “Strawberry Lemonade”
Cola | “Blank Curtain”

If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2021) here!