Album of the Week – 26-03-21

This week we have the first release in 7 years from The Antlers. I guess I wasn’t really paying attention but I had no idea it was that long! Other releases worth checking out include Clark (Playground In A Lake) Death For Above 1979 (Is 4 Lovers), Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra (Promises) and First Aid Kit’s love letter to Leonard Cohen, or at least a live album of his songs called Who By Fire.

Two very Impressive Irish Albums are released this week, with For Those I love (which was just given Album of the Week by the Guardian) and Songs of Co-Aklan by Cathal Coughlan. We’ve featured both of them previously, including a glowing review of Cathal here.

Did I mention the Lost Girls? That’s Jenny Hval & Håvard Volden in case you’re wondering and their new album is called Menneskekollektivet . Quite a mouthful that one!

So, this week we’re going for Tune-yards, or tUnE-yArDs if you must. If you happened to see Sorry To Bother You, their soundtrack was the best thing about it! As you would expect with a band that tries so many new things, it doesn’t all work but when it does, it’s a bit special!

Album of the Week – tUnE-yArDs – sketchy

Tune-Yardsannounce details of their fifth studio album, sketchy. The 11-track record, which includes last years single ‘nowhere, man’, will be released on 26 March 2021. Today, Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner release another preview from sketchy. ,the grounding single ‘hold yourself.’ and its accompanying animated video directed by Basa Studio. Beneath the layered sounds of ‘hold yourself.’ lies Garbus’ most explicit lyrics she’s ever written; a clear-eyed moment of grief and simmering rage that builds from the song’s calming introduction to its explosive culmination.“This song is about feeling really betrayed, by my parent’s generation, and at the same time, really seeing how we are betraying the future,” Garbus explains.

Tune-Yards’ last release I can feel you creep into my private life, was a self-reflexive question mark at the end of a decade of outspoken, polyphonic indie music. From 2009 to 2018, Tune-Yards (both Merrill and her partner and collaborator Nate Brenner) released four critically acclaimed albums, travelled the world relentlessly to play live shows, and composed the psychedelic score to Boots Riley’s surrealist cinematic masterpiece Sorry To Bother You. “We had really been non-stop hustling,” Merrill reflects. “And when we’re hustling, we’re complicit in all of the systems that I really don’t believe in.”

Albums of Note – 

— Songs of Co-Aklan – Cathal Coughlan

— For Those I Love – For Those I Love

— The Antlers – Green to Gold

— Ben Howard – Collections From The Whiteout

— Cabaret Voltaire – Dekadrone

— Clark – Playground In A Lake

— Death For Above 1979 – Is 4 Lovers

— First Aid Kit – Who By Fire

— Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises

— Lost Girls (Jenny Hval & Håvard Volden) – Menneskekollektivet (Digital Release)

Albums Released – March 26th:

— ’68 – Give One Take One

— 19&YOU – 19&YOU EP

— 24kGoldn – El Dorado

— 3 Doors Down – The Better Life (20th Anniversary Edition)

— 3hattrio – Lost Sessions

— AARA – Triade I: Eos

— Adult Books – Grecian Urn

— Æ Mak – Class Exercises EP

— Afternoon Bike Ride – Skipping Stones EP

— AJR – OK Orchestra

— Akira Kosemura – 88 Keys

— The Alchemist and Armand Hammer – Haram

— The Alex Leach Band – I’m The Happiest When I’m Moving

— Ali Gatie – The Idea Of Her EP

— Al Stewart – Year of the Cat (45th Anniversary Box Set)

— The Allman Brothers Band – Down in Texas ’71

— Alyssa Jacey – Alyssa Jacey LIVE!

— AM Dandy and the Elements – Oracle

— Anna Fox Rochinski (of Quilt) – Cherry

— Anthony Nicholson – DirtyDiscoJazzFunk EP

— The Antlers – Green to Gold

— Arepo (feat. members of Bleach Everything and Highness) – Arepo

— A River Crossing – Forsaken

— The Armadillo Paradox – Out of Gas in Oil Country

— As Everything Unfolds – Within Each Lies The Other

— Aziola Cry – The Ironic Divide

— Band of Spice – By The Corner Of Tomorrow

— The Black Angels – Live At Levitation

— Ben Howard – Collections From The Whiteout

— Black Light Smoke – The Early Years

— Blind Faith – Closer EP

— Blindfolded and Led to the Woods – Nightmare Withdrawals

— BlueBucksClan – Clan Virus 2

— Bones & Deergod – PushingUpDaisies

— Bound In Fear – Eternal EP

— Breaths – Lined in Silver

— Bren Joy – Twenties (Deluxe)

— Brigitte DeMeyer – Seeker

— Budderside – Spiritual Violence

— Burning Curtains – Burning Curtains

— Cabaret Voltaire – Dekadrone

— Caleborate – Light Hit My Skin

— Captain Danger – Love Sweet Love EP

— Carrie Underwood – My Savior

— Chloe Juliette Beswick – High Priestess

— Chris Corsano and Bill Orcutt – Made Out of Sound

— Citizen – Life In Your Glass World

— Clark – Playground In A Lake

— The Clean – Unknown Country (Reissue)

— The Clean – Mister Pop (Reissue)

— Clever Girls – Constellations

— Cryptosis – Bionic Storm

— Cujo Moon – Bridges II EP

— Dante Bowe – Circles

— David Olney & Anana Kaye – Whisper and Sighs

— Death For Above 1979 – Is 4 Lovers

— Departure Lounge – Transmeridian

— Dick Aven – It All Started in the Garden

— Dntel – The Seas Trees See

— Dog Trainer – Scrolling to feel better… part one

— Donovan Woods – Without People (Deluxe)

— Dr. Lonnie Smith – Breathe

— Draken – Draken

— The Drowned God – Pale Home

— The Dust Coda – Mojo Skyline

— Early Riser – Early Riser

— El Michels Affair – Yeti Season

— Elegiac – Elegiac

— Ervin Stellar – Nothing To Prove EP

— Esther Rose – How Many Times

— Evanescence – The Bitter Truth

— The Eye Of Time – Acoustic II

— First Aid Kit – Who By Fire

— Fitz (of Fitz and the Tantrums) – Head Up High

— Floatie – Voyage Out

— Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises

— Flow Trio – Winter Garden

— Flux Pavilion – Fantasy: Remixed

— For Those I Love – For Those I Love

— Frankie & His Fingers – Universal Hurt

— Fretland – Could Have Loved You

— Gates Of Light – Gates Of Light

— Genghis Tron – Dream Weapon

— The George Otsuka Quintet – Loving You George (Reissue)

— George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners – Crying for Hope

— Ghosts of Atlantis – 3.6.2.4

— The Gracious Losers – Six Road Ends

— Grande Royale – Carry On

— Greenleaf – Echoes From A Mass

— Grillijono K.O. – Napalmia korville

— Hallowed Butchery – Deathsongs From The Hymnal Of The Church Of The Final Pilgrimage

— Hecker and Okkyung Lee – Statistique Synthétique / Teum (the Silvery Slit)

— The Hirsch Effekt – GREGÆR EP

— The Holy Brothers – My Name Is Sparkle

— HOUND – I Know My Enemies

— I Am Last – Magneta EP

— Images of Eden – Angel Born

— The Imaginaries – The Imaginaries

— IOKOI – Tales of Another Felt Sense of Self

— Izy – Irene

— Jack Broza. –Not That Deep EP

— Jackson Scribner – Jackson Scribner

— Jack Symes – Tompkins Park

— The Jaded Hearts Club (feat. Miles Kane, Graham Coxon, and Matt Bellamy) – Live At The 100 Club

— Jadsa – Olho de Vidro

— James McAlister – Scissortail

— Janina Jade – Heart Of Rock N’ Roll

— Jason Charles Miller – From The Wreckage – Part 1

— Jess Locke – Don’t Ask Yourself Why

— Jody Foster (of Fountains of Wayne) – Waterways (Physical Release)

— Joe Strummer – ASSEMBLY

— Johan G. Winther – The Rupturing Sowle

— John Morales – John Morales Presents Teena Marie

— John Smith – The Fray

— Josh Carter (of Smoking Popes) – The Hideout Sessions

— The Juliana Theory – A Dream Away

— Kalbells – Max Heart

— Kali Masi – [laughs]

— Karate, Guns & Tanning – Concrete Beach

— Kärbholz – Kontra.

— Karl Benjamin – Drist EP

— Kill the Con Man – Operation Just Cause

— King & Country – Burn The Ships (Deluxe Edition: Remixes & Collaborations)

— Kris Delmhorst – Light Breaks Through EP

— L’Impératrice – Tako Tsubo

— Lamb of God – Lamb of God Deluxe Edition

— Lazer Beam – Lazer Beam

— Lili Haydn – More Love

— Liquid Tension Experiment – LTE3

— The Living Pins – Freaky Little Monster Children

— Lonely dear – A Lantern and a Bell

— Lost Girls (Jenny Hval & Håvard Volden) – Menneskekollektivet (Digital Release)

— Louise Quinn – Gates Of Light

— Lungfish – Love Is Love (Reissue)

— Lycoriscoris – Chiyu

— Magnet Animals – Fake Dudes

— Major Lazer – Music Is The Weapon (Reloaded)

— Manchester Collective – The Centre is Everywhere

— Matveï – Winter Collection EP

— MAX – Colour Vision Deluxe Album

— Memoriam – To The End

— Mephisto – Pentafixion

— Metalite – A Virtual World

— Midwxst – Summer03 EP

— Mike Clerk – The Space Between My Ears

— Minor Moon – Tethers

— The Mobile Homes – Trigger

— Modesty Blaise – The Modesty Blaise

— The Morn’ Omnia – The Roots of Saraswati

— The Mountain Goats – Songs For Pierre Chuvin (Physical Release)

— Mourning Dawn – Dead End Euphoria

— My Own Private Alaska – Let This Rope Cross All The Lands

— Naoko Sakata – Dancing Spirits

— Natalie D-Napoleon – You Wanted to Be the Shore but Instead You Were the Sea

— Neil Young – Young Shakespeare

— NF – Clouds (The Mixtape)

— Nisa – Guilt Trip EP

— Noga Erez – KIDS

— Odd Dimension – The Blue Dawn

— Olivia Flanigan – Girl

— Origamibrio – Miscellany

— PANDO – Rites

— Pavel Milyakov & Bendik Giske – Untitled

— PAYDAY – P.U.K.E Tapes Volume 3

— The Peacers – Blexxed Rec

— Pinhdar – Parallel

— Plastic Tears – Anthems For Misfits

— Play Dead – Skint EP

— Purient – Memories EP

— Queen Esther – Gild The Black Lily

— The Quill – Earthrise

— Rapid Strike – Rapid Strike

— Real Estate – Half a Human EP

— Revoltone – For The Silent Voices

— Rival Sons – Rival Sons EP (Reissue)

— Rod Wave – SoulFly

— Ryan Von Gonten – Painfulfree

— Sanguisugabogg – Tortured Whole

— Sara Watkins – Under The Pepper Tree

— Sarah Jerrom – Dream Logic

— Scarypoolparty – Los Angeles EP

— Schysma – Schysma

— serpentwithfeet  – Deacon

— Shiva the Destructor – Find the Others

— Shrines – Ghost Notes

— Silent Winter – Empire Of Sins

— Simon Provencher – Mesures EP

— Skeggs – Rehearsal

— Smith/Kotzen (Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen) – Smith/Kotzen

— Solbrud – Levende I Brønshøj Vandtårn

— Southside Hoodlum – Lord Knows

— Space Cadet (Matt Hock and David Walsh of The Explosion) – Lion on a Leash

— South – From Here On In (Vinyl Reissue)

— Sprints – Manifesto EP

— Stepson – Help Me, Help You

— String Noise – A Lunch Between Order and Chaos

— String Noise – Alien Stories

— String Noise – Giga Concerto

— Sunny War – Simple Syrup

— Suzi Quatro – The Devil In Me

— Sweetlove – Goodnight, Lover EP

— Tate McRae – too young to be sad EP

— TBC – Fruitfly Effect

— Tex Crick – Live In…New York City

— Thermohaline – Maelström

— This Morn’ Omnia – The Roots of Saraswati

— Tim Cohen (of The Fresh & Onlys) – You Are Still Here

— Tom Holenborg (Junkie XL) – Godzilla vs Kong (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

— Tomahawk (feat. Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, Duane Denison, and John Stainer) – Tonic Immobility

— tUnE-yArDs – sketchy.

— Various Artists – Cumbia Cumbia 1 & 2 (Vinyl Reissue)

— Various Artists – Industrial Strength Bluegrass

— Various Artists – Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Soundtrack: Seven Evil Exes Edition

— Various Artists – Sunday, Someday

— Vian Izsak – Flight of the Aeronaut

— Vic Mensa – I TAPE

— Volbeat – The Strength / The Sound / The Song (15th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue)

— Wheel – Resident Human

— Witchseeker – Scene of the Wild

— Wratheon – Black Thrash Mass

— Writhing Squares – Chart For The Solution

— Wythersake – Antiquity

— Xiu Xiu – Oh No

— Yellow Ostrich – Like a Bird: An Alex Schaaf Anthology (2010-2021)

— Young Dolph & Key Glock – Dum and Dummer 2

— Zeit – Betonkrebs