Textured and layered music from a Danish five-piece who mix guitars, electronics with the voice of Nanna Schannong. These songs are imbued with a magical ethereal quality that has kept me coming back. The album was released on Bella Union a few weeks ago.
Favourite tracks: ‘Morning’, ‘Word’, ‘Look At The Sun’.
Not only was 2008’s Alopecia the best Why? album in their discography for me, it is also one of my albums of the last decade – so yeah I love that record. Their albums since haven’t really captured my imagination so much but newest release, the home-recorded Moh Lhean has Yoni and Josiah Wolf sounding rejuvenated and less cynical than before. Why?’s music has increasingly prettified in recent years but Moh Lhean feels like it has the balance of indie-folk, orchestral arrangements and a fresh outlook. Wolf suffered a severe health scare that has given him a different perspective and even samples his doctor for the album.
Favourite tracks: ‘Proactive Evolution’, ‘George Washington’, ‘This Ole King’
An imaginative second album of indie rock from a Perth band on 4AD. Everything Is Forgotten feels like stepping into the world of a band who already have an identity that you’ve just caught up on. It’s reminiscent of Metronomy in tone in that it’s got a bit of taut pop funk vibe but definitely of the guitar world.
Favourite tracks: ‘Ubu’, ‘Drink Wine’, ‘L’Heure Des Sorcieres’
John Talabot and Axel Boman collaborate on an album that decidedly more atmospheric and slo-mo than their previous solo output. The Night Lad builds on the duo’s previous EP and revels in Africa-inspired drum-programming, warm spacious dance and distorted ambient productions.
A followup to in the form of the Paradise EP is coming out on March 17th via Rough Trade.
The artist formerly known as Antony and The Johnsons, will release six songs as the Paradise EP which were made during Hopelessness, ANOHNI’s full length album with Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke.
The title song is a booming production with synths that sound like racing cars. ANOHNI addresses the issues of the day, as on the album, but with an increased alarm and urgency. More.
2.
Skott – ‘Glitter & Gloss’
One of my 17 artists for 2017 follows up her Eurosonic buzz with a new single of superb booming Scandinavian pop music. Skott will feature at SXSW, The Great Escape and has some European tour dates upcoming including 7th March at Omeara, London.
3.
Rosie Carney – ‘Awake Me’
The Donegal singer-songwriter Rosie Carney recently shared her experiences with her mental health brought on by sexual assaults and bullying as a teen. That the 19-year-old is able to turn such emotionally fraught experiences into such beautiful art, that can help heal others is heartening.
“I’ve been a fool for more than half of my life / I’ve tried to hide” she sings and after knowing her story, those words resonante with a large impact. ‘Awake Me’ is an honest song, a beautiful song of expressive atmospheric folk which feels like the lifting of a fog, for its author.
A few years back (2013 to be precise) the Icelandic singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ásgeir melted some ice-cold hearts with his debut album, a translated-into-English version of an Icelandic hit (10% of the population owned his album Dyrd i daudathogn and he holds the title of the fastest selling Icelandic debut of all-time).
That album and its standout ‘Kings and Cross’ had a hushed Bon Iver-style lushness to it.
Here we are four years later. Ásgeir release his second album Afterglow on May 5 via One Little Indian/Columbia Records.
‘Unbound’ is a fresh sound for the singer focusing on a twisting and processed vocal like James Blake that has emotion but also a touch of the pop magic that Jack Garrett is capable of. In the way that it mixes electronics and organic instruments, it’s very much in the vein of Bon Iver’s 22 A Million.
Since then, the former college roomies have been writing, recording and playing live, and now there is a debut album called Young to be released on Arts & Crafts label (home to Broken Social Scene among others) on April 21st.
‘Hold Me Close’ is the lead single from the album which features co-produced by Nicolas Vernhes (The War On Drugs, Dirty Projectors) and Autre Ne Veut. It’s a song that gets to the essence of their appeal, built on a close harmonic kinship and imaginative arrangements.
Goldfrapp announced last week that their seventh studio album Silver Eye arrives on March 31st on Mute Records.
Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory’s longstanding creative relationship continues to strive forward with new single ‘Anymore’, an electronic song with Goldfrapp’s pop sensibilities to the fore.
Methyl Ethel are due to release the Everything Is Forgotten album on 4AD on March 3rd.
‘Ubu’ is a fine slice of bright indie art-pop by Perth-based songwriter Jake Webb, produced by James Ford. It’s a song inspired by Alfred Jarry’s surrealist play Ubu Roi.
Its the chorus – “why d’ya have to go and cut your hair?” that is the earworm of the track.
9.
Thundercat – ‘Show You The Way’ feat. Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins
Now, he has gone straight to the source for the latest song from his just-announced debut album Drunk by enlisting Michael ‘Doobie Brothers’ McDonald and Kenny ‘Footloose’ Loggins for ‘Show You The Way’.
