Earlier this year, we got a sneak peek at the new alt-J album as the UK trio stopped by KEXP for an in-studio session. Now, the entire LP is out -- a release KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls, "their most adventurous, ranging from catchy prog-pop and solemn atmospheric folk ballads to decidedly odder fare." On his second solo album, Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach is "stepping away from blues-based rock for a well-crafted, '70s-steeped blend of amiable folk-rock, breezy soul, hooky power-pop, sun-kissed glam and more." Seattle's own Chastity Belt return with "another impressive set of brooding post-punk with dreamy, ringing guitars, wistful melodies and personal, sometime angst-fueled lyrics."
Brooklyn-based band Beach Fossils share their third LP, "a more sophisticated sound for the band's shimmering dream-pop, combining a rich variety of instrumentation including lush strings, piano, harpsichord, flute and sax along with the band's trademark jangly guitars with gentle, airy vocals and wistful melodies." On her debut solo release, Amber Coffman, formerly of Dirty Projectors, shares "a fine set of eclectic pop ranging from sunny Motown pop, robo-soul and dancehall-inflected pop to gently swinging pop-rock and pillowy R&B ballads, combining a warm, often-sunny sound with her airy vocals and lyrics dealing with independence and solitude." And LA-via-New Orleans artist Benjamin Booker shares a "more sophisticated and richly textured take on his gritty blend of rootsy garage and folk-rock with soul and gospel."
This week, French band Phoenix rises with their sixth album to date, KEXP Music Director Don Yates loves Ti Amo enough to call it "another sharply crafted set of buoyant pop-rock with a warm, streamlined sound featuring fizzy synths, glistening guitars, bouncy beats and sunny pop hooks". Brooklyn b…
Older acts dominated this week's batch of new releases, but a standout LP from a new band is the sophomore release from L.A. duo Girlpool. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes the album "finds them recording with a full band for the first time, and the end result is a more muscular and fully realize…