Temperatures and new releases are dropping this month, including the latest (and first in twelve years) from reunited UK band The Libertines. KEXP Music Director Don Yates says the album “finds them in fine form with their songwriting skills intact. More reflective, mature and diverse than their previous two releases, the album features a variety of brutally honest, often self-lacerating songs ranging from spiky post-punk and anthemic garage-rock to acoustic folk-rock and stark piano ballads.”
Long-time KEXP faves Low return with their eleventh album, “another strong set of spacious, minimalist folk-pop, and while there are plenty of the band’s trademark slowly unfurling ballads, there are also some more uptempo psych-pop gems.” The latest from Beirut finds Zach Condon & co. “mining a more basic and stripped-down sound” with “sweet, mostly subdued gems of piano-driven chamber-pop to be found.” The Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn returns with his sophomore solo release, “a bit more of an intimate and reflective take on his band’s anthemic rock, featuring a variety of character-driven narratives ranging from buoyant uptempo rockers to poignant, acoustic-oriented ballads.”
Oakland band Shannon & the Clams share a “solid blend of garage-pop with doo wop, surf and ‘60s girl-group pop.” Brooklyn artist Empress Of (aka Lorely Rodriguez) releases a promising debut of “brightly colored, intricately crafted electro-pop with vivid synth lines, imaginative textures, percolating club rhythms, breathy vocals and reflective lyrics blending the personal and the political.”
Beirut – “No No No”
from No No No on 4AD
Ben Folds – “Long Way To Go”
from So There on New West
Chick Corea / Béla Fleck – “Bugle Call Rag”
from Two on Concord Jazz
Craig Finn – “Maggie I’ve Been Searching For Our Son”
from Faith in the Future on Partisan / PTKF
Deafheaven – “Brought to the Water”
from Come Back on Anti / Epitaph
Duran Duran – “Pressure Off (feat. Janelle Monáe and Nile Rodgers)”
from Paper Gods on Warner Bros.
eighth blackbird – “Dark Holler”
from Filament on Cedille Records
Empress Of – “Kitty Kat”
from Me on Terrible / XL
Farao – “Hunter”
from Till It’s All Forgotten on Full Time Hobby
Gary Clark, Jr. – “Grinder”
from The Story of Sonny Boy Slim on Warner Bros.
Guilty Simpson – “Fractured”
from Detroit’s Son on Stones Throw
Jucifer – “Decapitating The Regime”
from District of Dystopia on Alternative Tentacles
The Libertines – “Gunga Din”
from Anthems for Doomed Youth on Harvest
Low – “No Comprende”
from Ones and Sixes on Sub Pop
LVL Up – “The Closing Door”
from Three Songs on Run for Cover Records
Masayoshi Fujita – “Tears of Unicorn”
from Apologues on Erased Tapes
Massive Suits Quartet – “Dancing With Her (Woman’s Theme)”
from Full Moon Wizard on Ubiquity Recordings
Micachu & the Shapes – “Oh Baby”
from Good Sad Happy Bad on Rough Trade
Petite Noir – “Down”
from La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful on Domino
Phil Cook – “Great Tide”
from Southland Mission on Thirty Tigers
Romare – “Love Song”
from Rainbow on Ninja Tune
Sciflyer – “Energizer”
from Energizer on Clairecords
Shannon and the Clams – “Corvette”
from Gone by the Dawn on Hardly Art
Shemekia Copeland – “Outskirts Of Love”
from Outskirts of Love on Alligator
Shopping – “Straight Lines”
from Straight Lines single on FatCat Records
Slayer – “Repentless”
from Repentless on Nuclear Blast
Stereophonics – “C’est La Vie”
from Keep the Village Alive on Ignition Records
Wolf + Lamb – “After We’re Gone”
from After We’re Gone on Strictly Rhythm
