Spring has sprung, and along with it are a number of great new releases as the music scene begins to put the pedal to the medal. Here are some of our favorite new releases from March 2024.
Amanda Whiting, The Liminality of Her (First Word)
Welsh harpist and composer Amanda Whiting is acclaimed for her virtuosity in jazz and with a rich background touring and collaborating with renowned artists, Amanda’s latest work showcases her mesmerizing blend of jazz styles, featuring collaborations with Chip Wickham and PEACH., delivering purposeful compositions that seamlessly navigate between tranquil melodies and deep grooves.
Amaro Freitas, Y’Y (Psychic Hotline)
Brazilian pianist and musician Amaro Freitas finds inspiration in his experiences, notably his transformative journey to the Amazon basin. His latest album, “Y’Y,” intricately weaves indigenous wisdom and ancestral connections into its fabric, exploring themes of nature, tradition, and enchantment. Through collaborations with international musicians and a fusion of jazz traditions, Freitas crafts a mesmerizing narrative that transcends cultural boundaries, offering a captivating glimpse into the vibrant tapestry of Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous cultures.
Caravan Palace, Gangbusters Melody Club (Lone Digger/Mvka)
recommended by D Rider
This Paris based electro-swing band takes the 20’s genre into the 2000’s. All original tunes but have underlying hints of the flapper era. Songs Mirrors, B1, Reverse, and City Cook fit into today’s dance floors. Vocals vary from crisp, to echoey, to a 60’s warble in Fool. A strong horn line drives everything.
Cassie Kinoshi’s seed., gratitude (International Anthem)
In March 2023, composer and alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi premiered her commissioned suite “gratitude” at London’s Southbank Centre, featuring her flagship ensemble seed. augmented by turntablist NikNak and the London Contemporary Orchestra. Known for her work with seed. and Kokoroko, Kinoshi’s expansive compositional range shines on this 21-minute masterpiece, blending groove-infused melancholia with anthemic brass and string themes, inspired by her personal journey of healing and gratitude.
recommended by Aaaron Benko
Coco is a band that is going to get me to not just generally dismiss super-groups. A lovely trio of Maia Friedman (Dirty Projectors), Dan Molad (Lucius), and Oliver Hill (Pavo Pavo), dare I say making music greater than the sum of the parts? 2 (their second album) plays like an experimental downtempo dream-pop indie bossa nova album, sometimes all at once, mostly hopping around between their capable genre bending tunes each harnessing a different genre and energy. These songs usually take on mostly acoustic sound with a slightly-70s air to them, nostalgic even when melancholy. Moodrings is my favorite song with mild driving organ and guitar, sultry vocals, and playful guitar and rhythm. For George after has mellow, cool vibes that you can’t help but sway back-and-forth to with a dreamy whistle solo. Wheel later has a subdued Broken Social Scene sound with strong woodwinds, and tight, fuzzy drums. One thing impressive about this release is that every track is so much different than the last, and following; well worth a close full listen (on a sunny, breezy bike ride preferred.)
FFO: strongboi, Andrew Bird, Bonny Light Horseman, Sault
Ezra Collective, Where I’m Meant To Be (Remixes) (Partisan)
recommended by D Rider
Five songs from the award winning “Where I’m Meant To Be” haven’t just been remixed but turned into new versions of the original. The mid-tempo Afrobeat, “Welcome To My World”, brings Ife Ogunjobi’s trumpet into the foreground and given a propulsive backbeat. “Smile” morphed from a piano trio cut to a vocal soul gem. The dub “Ego Killah” is slowed down with echoes added. Emili Sandi’s vocals in “Siesta” were replaced with a guitar/bongo led Latinesque piece. The opening dance track was renamed “Joy” to introduce the listener to a set of “new” songs from this UK jazz/r&b band
F.I.D.E.L, Out of Sight (Bastard Jazz)
recommended by D Rider
Northern Paris composer and producer enlists vocalists John Tyrell and Sly Johnson from Northern England, Larry Houl from Paris and Noraa from Germany to create this tribute to the Post-Disco, Boogie and New Wave pop songs of the 80’s. Those base rhythms are modernized with Prophet Synthesizers, Clavinets and Drum Machines. It’s frenetic and funky with a couple soulful tunes, Straight Down to Heaven and Behind the Wall, featuring Tyrell’s distinctive voice.
“Three,” the latest offering from Four Tet, showcases the seasoned artist’s evolution since his beginnings in the ’90s. With a career spanning decades, Four Tet confidently explores new sonic territories on this album, demonstrating his mastery of electronic music while fearlessly experimenting with his sound. It’s a testament to his experience and artistry, solidifying his status as a trailblazer in the genre.
Green Milk from the Planet Orange/F***wolf, Let’s Split (Silver Current)
recommended by Matthew Hamilton
New live split LP from Tokyo prog/freakout band, Green Milk from the Planet Orange, and Bay Area group, F***wolf. Side A starts things out with nearly 20 min of Green Milk from the Planet Orange’s signature freakout prog that will touch the hearts of fans of Japanese guitar freakout bands like Hibushibire, an intense runaway train to the heart of the sun. After last years great new album from F***wolf, “Goodbye A**hole,” a slab of wonderful psych infused punkishness that fans of early Butthole Surfers would love, side 2 gives us a nice assortment of raw, more amorphous, instrumental pleasure from F***wolf. A wonderful soundtrack for your late night delirium…
Hannah Frances, Keeper of the Shepherd (Rumination)
recommended by Alex Lauria
Written after losing her father to a heart attack a few years ago, Hannah Frances’ Keeper of the Shepherd is an epic and unique folk album, comprised of complex instrumentation, swerving melodies, and dense lyrics, all of which come together to conjure vivid images of a grieving mind and heart reflected in the natural world around her. It’s a mature and fiercely honest record that finds Hannah at the crossroads of trauma, pain and the desire to find and make meaning out of it all. Even on the most solemn and heartbreaking tracks, she clings to a dim but glowing hope for the inevitable breakthrough on the horizon, no matter how close or far off it may seem to be.
Standout Songs: “Brownyn”, “Keeper of the Shepherd”, “Haunted Landscape, Echoing Cave”
Julien Chang, Home For The Moment (Transgressive)
Julien Chang’s latest album “Home for the Moment” serves as a poignant reflection on the delicate transition from college life to the unknown. With only four tracks, Chang captures the essence of this pivotal period with deeply personal and introspective songs, showcasing a raw and vulnerable sound that resonates with the complexities of youth and self-discovery. It’s a testament to Chang’s inner genius, born from the fragility of this transformative stage in life.
Reyna Tropical, Malegría (Psychic Hotline)
Reyna Tropical’s debut album “Malegría” is a vibrant fusion of sounds capturing the delicate balance between bittersweet nostalgia and euphoric celebration. Inspired by personal transitions and diasporic journeys, the album serves as a sonic homage to cultural heritage and self-discovery. From the rhythmic rhythms of “Cartagena” to the poignant reflections in “Huitzilïn,” each track invites listeners into a deeply immersive experience, resonating with the power of ancestral roots and the transformative spirit of music.
The Paper Wings, Listen to the World Spin (Self Released)
recommended by Aaaron Benko
“If modern old-time music sounds like a contradiction, Paper Wings will answer why that is possible, and needed. Listen to the World Spin is a phenomenal, sparse, carefully beautiful, thoughtful album just released in March, only their third. Paper Wings, a duo of Emily Mann mostly on banjo and Wila Frank on guitar often, but both are multi-instrumentalists. The pair sometimes blended as one voice, and sometimes sing so distinctly separately that it’s hard to imagine the voices melding so well. The stereotypical pluckiness of clawhammer banjo is thankfully lost on Paper Wings’s new album with impressively full and flowing guitar work. I’ve listened through to this new release at least a dozen times in the 15 days it’s been out. If you’re interested in directions of modern folk music, Paper Wings are one of musicians I would keep an eye out for for a long, long time to come.
FFO: Viv & Riley, Kaia Kater, Carolina Chocolate Drops, folk music!”
Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood (Anti-)
recommended by Hannah Taub
Waxahatchee has done it again. With veteran producer Brad Cook and new collaboration with younger indie-rock stars, notably MJ Lenderman on guitar and vocals and Spencer Tweedy on drums, Katie Crutchfield’s latest output is as raw, beautiful, and excellent as anything Crutchfield touches. Crutchfield started out in the DIY punk scene, shifted to a mellower indie folk sound, and has now fine-tuned her Americana prowess on Tigers Blood.
recommended by Alex Lauria
“It’s been exactly four years since Waxahatchee’s St. Cloud was released, the album that took the indie scene by storm and was hailed as the best record of 2020 by numerous publications, and in the time that’s passed, band founder, frontwoman, and lyricist Katie Crutchfield has continued to forge her own sense of community through friends, collaborators, and family – all bound together by a shared vision of where her life is to go. And so the product of this is the incredible follow up Tigers Blood, an extravagant and involved record, steeped in both connection and nostalgia, that seeks to celebrate this community and all who want or have already taken part in it. Filled with the same impressively sharp diction that’s always separated her from her peers and a continued dedication to piercing transparency in the face of more complicated emotions, the album acts a crowning moment for the artist as she continues her 12 year arc from DIY undergrounder to folk/rock legend in the making.
Standout Songs: “Right Back to It (feat. MJ Lenderman)” , “Ice Cold”, “Crowbar””
Wonder Women of Country, Willis, Carper, Leigh EP (Bixmeaux)
The Wonder Women of Country EP by Kelly Willis, Melissa Carper, and Brennen Leigh is a captivating showcase of their collective talent and camaraderie. Recorded in Austin, Texas, the EP features a blend of original songs and reimagined classics, highlighting the trio’s musical chemistry and prowess.
Check out more GNU Music recommendations here.
