Gold Soundz: The Best of May 2024
Highlighting the best music releases from May 2024
At this point, it’s hard to believe that the month of May started off with the beef between Drake and Kendrick. By now, the feud feels so long ago and yet it was only a few weeks prior when two of the biggest names in hip-hop were trading lethal verses aiming to end the other’s career. When the dust settled, K Dot emerged as the clear victor, but neither really look like the good guy. It also feels strange to think that this month also gave us two albums from two of the biggest pop stars in the business (Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish) and while neither album hit me that hard or left me with any kind of radical optimism for the state of pop, they both have ascended the charts and have left artists battling it out for number one on the charts. What did spark interest this month was the long-awaited solo debut album from Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, the tragic and untimely passing of Steve Albini just a week ahead of Shellac’s first new album in a decade (the record is awesome, the news is still depressing), as well as archival material from post-rock innovators Gastr del Sol and iconic performances from some living legends.
Album of the Month:
MDOU MOCTAR | Funeral for Justice
Listening to Mdou Moctar is like going on a thrill ride. The high-speed intensity of the band’s music soars with dazzling complexity as mammoth guitar riffs rip through each song like wildfire, setting out to leave a path of sublime chaos in their wake. On one level, it’s almost a shame that Funeral for Justice exists at all as it was written after Mdou and his band were left stranded in the U.S., unable to return to their home country of Niger due to civil unrest and a coup of the government. Fortunately, Moctar was able to channel the fears and anger of watching the turmoil unfold into rebellious anthems of maximal guitar music that speaks at tremendous volumes. A fiery eruption of emotions that is captured in brilliant song after brilliant song, each one leaping from the speakers through frenetic and masterful works of beautiful intricate rhythms and melodies. Its existence is both remarkable and revolutionary, exactly what rock and roll should be.
EP of the Month:
AGRICULTURE | Living is Easy EP
Black-gaze has been on the rise ever since Deafheaven’s landmark album Sunbather captured the attention of non-metal fans over a decade ago (and in truth, even before that through the work of bands like Alcest, Agalloch, and Wolves in the Throne Room). Agriculture is one of the latest examples of a band that meticulously and brilliantly blends the vibrant textures of shoegaze with the punishing intensity of black metal and their recent EP is a triumphant culmination that results in a well crafted balance of cinematic soundscapes through ear-splitting volumes. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s also some of the most accessible metal music for anyone looking to make the daring leap into something a bit outside their comfort zone.
Live album of the Month:
CAN | Live in Aston 1977
I know. Do we really need another live album from Can? The krautrock legends have been unveiling archival recordings at a rapid clip over the past few years and each one has revealed different chapters from the band’s storied career and rotating cast of band members. So, while outsiders may question the need or the difference between each of these albums, I will attest to the ingenuity that has come from each of these and since Live in Aston 1977 clocks-in at just under forty-five minutes, this makes for one of their more digestible releases to date. Sonic explosions of psychedelic swirls are detailed here in stunning form and despite the fact that the band was coming off one of their least acclaimed albums only highlights their determination in this performance.
Don’t miss:
AROOJ AFTAB | Night Reign
BETH GIBBONS | Lives Outgrown
GASTR DEL SOL | We Have Dozens Of Titles
JESSICA PRATT | Here in the Pitch
KAMASI WASHINGTON | Fearless Movement
SHELLAC | To All Trains
Concerts (in review)
KAMASI WASHINGTON at the Beacon Theatre // 5.4.24
BILLY JOEL at Madison Square Garden // 5.9.24
NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE at Forest Hills Stadium // 5.14.24
NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE at Forest Hills Stadium // 5.15.24
NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE at Xfinity Center // 5.17.24
MEGAN THEE STALLION at Madison Square Garden // 5.21.24
THE ROLLING STONES at MetLife Stadium // 5.26.24