This week sees new albums from two soul greats. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings share their seventh and final album, recorded before Jones passed away from cancer in November 2016. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "a strong set of buoyant old-school soul and funk, with songs mostly written by members of the Dap-Kings combining punchy horns, chunky rhythm guitar, searing organ riffs, cinematic strings and in-the-pocket grooves with her gritty, soulful vocals." The latest from Chicago legend Mavis Staples is "a powerful set of politically charged, bluesy soul, gritty funk-rock, R&B-tinged folk-rock and gospel. Produced by Jeff Tweedy (who's now produced three of her last four albums) and featuring all songs co-written by Staples and Tweedy, the album finds Staples flashing more anger than usual in confronting complacency while still refusing to give up on love and hope."
Additional highlights this week include the sophomore release from Brooklyn band Gingerlys, "a strong set of '80s-steeped dream-pop with jangly guitars, bright synths, driving rhythms, ethereal vocals and soaring song hooks juxtaposed with often-melancholy lyrics." John Dwyer "sets aside the Oh Sees' psych-tinged garage-punk and revives his early OCS moniker for a fine set of gentle psych-folk. The album also sees the return of former accompanist Brigid Dawson, and she's prominently featured throughout on vocals and keyboards." Anacortes, WA Karl Blau returns with "an eclectic blend of prog-pop, psych-rock, funk, jazz, Afro-beat, dub and more, featuring an intricate, groove-driven sound and a variety of colorful instrumentation." And Morrissey returns with his eleventh album, his first full-length LP since 2014, produced by Joe Chiccarelli (The White Stripes, Spoon).
It may have been a holiday weekend, but some new releases still hit the stores, including the highly-anticipated ninth album from Icelandic icon Björk. Seattle's own Dude York shares a full-length holiday album, featuring mostly original material. And Sufjan Stevens shares a collection of demos, re…
We've been sharing sneak peeks at the new Angel Olsen album in our Music News Roundups, and now we have the complete collection of b-sides, cover songs, previously unreleased recordings, and other rarities. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls it "a first-rate collection...ranging from bristling fol…