6 new albums you should hear: King Krule, ASIWYFA, Blue Hawaii, Wolf Alice, Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile…
With so many releases flying at you, here are recommended vetted listens from Nialler9 for you this week, as collated in the Nialler9 New Releases Spotify playlist, updated weekly.
1.
King Krule – The Ooz
Archy Marshall’s guttural vowel-swallowing voice has been the biggest draw across nearly all his work a King Krule, Zoo Kid, DJ JD Sports Edgar the Beatmaker or his given name. That work has shown him to be a proficient producer too but The Ooz takes his talent to assured new heights. For his second King Krule album since 2013’s 6 Feet Beneath The Moon, it’s as if a black and white painting has become shaded with a depth of colour over time. The Ooz is a spacious cinematic piece of work – a late night tale, where danger lurks on every corner and our protaganist drifts in and out of noir landscapes of wasteland motorways, urban decay, broken homes and joyrides.
2.
Wolf Alice – Visions Of A Life
It’s good to hear a buzzed UK band come out the other side of their debut album with an even better release of scope, sonic ambition and songwriting prowess than before. Visions Of A Life. From the hedonistic roar of ‘Yuk Foo’ to the dreamy anthemic ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ to the delicate ‘After The Zero Hour’ and the expansive closer and title track, this is easily one of 2017’s best guitar/rock albums.
3.
St Vincent – Masseduction
A dense and near schizophrenic album upon first listens, Annie Clark’s Jack Antonoff-produced fifth album has a hyper-real pop coat that barely contains searing guitar lines, electronic percussion and high-tempo busy rhythms. The album is at its best when it takes a breath and doesn’t crowd the songs with overactive sonics on songs like ‘Los Ageless’, ‘Happy Birthday, Johnny’ , ‘Pills’, ‘New York’ and “Savior’. Clark plays the Olympia in Dublin on Friday and Saturday.
4.
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice
A loose album of jaunty bluesy slacker-rock between two idiosyncratic songwriters from two parts of the globe from Australia and America respectively, who work well as a duality on record.
5.
And So I Watch You From Afar – The Endless Shimmering
The Belfast post-rock instrumentals deliver heft and a return to form on their new fifth album, which can be heard in full two days before release.
6.
Blue Hawaii – Tenderness
You can catch Blue Hawaii in Dublin at the Workman’s Club next month on November 18th and Tenderness is a fine album by Raphaelle Standell (Braids singer) and Alexander Kerby who got their project back together after a four year hiatus in 2016. The album draws on relationships forged through online apps, disco rarities and ’90s dance music.
