The 10 best new songs of the last week
This is only a selection of new music – dig into more or follow the Spotify playlists.
Nialler9 Weekly playlist
1.
LCD Soundsystem – Tonite
This is it. This is the excitement we’ve been waiting for. Ok, it’s a jaded excitement but it’s LCD sonically and lyrically encapsulating their whole deal in one track. Ever the ageing outsider, Murphy ruminates on the current pop landscape’s monoculture that peddles limited edition sneakers before turning it back on himself “And what’s it you do again?
Oh I’m a reminder / The hobbled veteran of the disk shop inquisition”. He’s still losing his edge and recognises he sounds like his mother. The generation gap is stark.
“You’ve lost your internet and we’ve lost our memories / We had a paper trail that led to our secrets / But embarrassing pictures have now all been deleted / By versions of selves that we thought were the best ones
‘Till versions of versions of others repeating / Come laughing at everything you thought was important / While still making mistakes that you thought you had learned from.”
In the end, Murphy suggests the culture prioritises the youthful superstars is a false narrative but offers a hopeful alternative narrative for living.
“You’re missing a party that you’ll never get over / You hate the idea that you’re wasting your youth / That you stood in the background oh until you got older / But that’s all lies.”
It’s not over and Murphy’s own “late era middle-aged ramblings” is proof.
2.
Alex Cameron & Angel Olsen – Stranger’s Kiss
A classic-sounding collaboration that has a curtain-closer feel. Olsen is the real star once she appears giving the tune a lift beyond the norm. Nice video featuring Girls actress Jemima Kirke too.
3.
James Holden & The Animal Spirits – Pass Through The Fire
It’s been a while since anything from Mr Holden has grabbed my ears. ‘ Pass Through The Fire’ is a discombobulating building track recorded with his new band The Animal Spirits. Holden will no longer be DJing so this is the new phase of his career and it’s a nu-jazz brass and wind modular synth folk /trance workout constructed live with the band Tom Page (RocketNumberNine), Etienne Jaumet, Marcus Hamblett, Liza Bec and Lascelle Gordon – have shared lead single ‘Pass Through The Fire’.
4.
Confidence Man – Boyfriend (Repeat)
One of those novelty-lite talky songs that would have gone down well at the indie-disco, ‘Boyfriend Repeat’ is a fun and funky pop song from an Australian four-piece.
5.
Julien Baker – Appointments
21 year-old Memphis songwriter Julien Baker’s debut was reissued on Matador earlier this year and now we had news of her newest Turn Out The Lights on October 27th. ‘Appointments’ is a torch-burning hopeful highlight. Baker plays Dublin in November.
6.
Four Tet – the one with a load of random symbols
I’m not sure where I’ve heard this before but it was posted under a load of random symbols on Spotify this week. It’s not the other track on the new limited 12″ release with ‘Planet’ on it, that’s ‘SW9 SSL’ Just don’t ask me what it’s called.
7.
Daughter – Burn It Down
Surprise! Daughter are doing the score for a video game. Not totally expected perhaps but their music is ambient-leaning and Florence And The Machine worked with Square Enix and Final Fantasy before so it’s has precedence. The band’s soundtrack for Life Is Strange: Before The Storm will be released as Music from Before the Storm will be released on September 1.
8.
The Horrors – Something To Remember Me By
The Horrors are at their best when they bring rock textures with more hypnotic elements and this new song from their fifth album V (Sept 22) does just that. It’s a bit New Order, a bit Caribou.
9.
Ardyn – Throwing Stones
After this Gloucestershire duo’s last song had a Fleetwood Mac vibe, their newest continues the trend of sounding like classic artist with Kate Bush being the most obvious touchstone. It was produced by Tourist (they feature on his new single) and the sense of foreboding common from watching Hitchcock’s The Birds.
10.
Anna Of The North – Money
From the new album from the Norwegian-Kiwi duo of Anna Lotterud and Brady Daniell-Smith out September 8, ‘Money’ is a warning to a friend, or ex about a coin-sucking lover.
3 New Music flavours:
All song added in the past week: Nialler9 Weekly.
The larger three-month New Music Playlist.
Check out the regularly updated Spotify playlists.
