Highlights this week include the latest from Swedish singer/songwriter Jens Lekman. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls Lekman's fourth LP, "a smartly crafted set of buoyant orchestral dance-pop inflected with disco, calypso, samba and other styles, combining bouncy dance beats and a variety of instrumentation with his nasal crooning, sunny melodies and finely chiseled, often-wry lyrics." Strand Of Oaks share their latest: "the fifth album from this Philly-based project led by Tim Showalter is a diverse, well-crafted set ranging from anthemic rockers to desolate ballads, with emotive lyrics revolving around the tension between cutting loose and taking responsibility." Americana legends Son Volt return this week; the "latest album by Jay Farrar & co. is a diverse, well-crafted set ranging from raw, stomping blues-rock to wistfu country-rock and ghostly, atmospheric ballads."
Vancouver, BC trio The Courtneys release their sophomore LP, the first from a non-New Zealand act to be released by the legendary Flying Nun Records. Yates notes, "they fit right in with this strong set of '90s-steeped power-pop with fuzzy guitars, driving rhythms, soaring vocals and buoyant pop hooks." On her debut album, LA-bred, Austin-based artist Molly Burch releases a "beautifully crafted set of atmospheric dream-pop steeped in classic torch-pop, '60s girl-groups, doo wop and other vintage styles, featuring a spacious, haunting sound with gently shimmering guitars, atmospheric keyboards and unhurried rhythms accompanying her smoky vocals, wistful melodies and melancholy lyrics of lost love." And Ryan Adams releases his 16th studio album, "a breakup record inspired by his recent divorce. It's a well-crafted set with a polished and cavernous though somewhat subdued sound indebted to mainstream '80s rock, combining ringing guitars and atmospheric keyboards with his yearning vocals and often-poignant lyrics of lost love."
It may be the shortest month, but February has had no shortage of great new releases. Highlights this week include the latest from Dirty Projectors. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes, "the eighth album from the now LA-based solo project of band leader David Longstreth is a powerful set of avant e…
If you're looking for a last-minute Valentine's Day gift for a music lover, look no further than this week's new releases. Brooklyn-based Sudanese multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Sinkane (aka Ahmed Gallab, former Yeasayer/Caribou/Of Montreal sideman) releases his fourth LP. KEXP Music Director Don Y…
