New Music Reviews (7/6)

Each week KEXP's Music Director Don Yates shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Jenn Champion, Florence + The Machine, Trust Fund, and more.

Jenn Champion – Single Rider (Hardly Art) 
 
This former Carissa's Wierd member previously recorded under the name of S. Her first full-length under the name of Jenn Champion continues her evolution towards more electronic, dance-oriented sounds with a strong set of moody, '80s-steeped electro-pop combining sparkling synths, atmospheric guitars and propulsive beats with her plaintive vocals and confessional lyrics of love, desire and connection. 
 
Trust Fund – Bringing the Backline (self-released) 
 
The fourth album from this English artist (aka Ellis Jones) features a cleaner and fuller sound for his hook-filled indie-pop, combining buzzing guitars and bright synths with sunny melodies and reflective, often-wry lyrics of love and loss. 
 
Charles Lloyd & The Marvels + Lucinda Williams – Vanished Gardens (Blue Note) 
 
Veteran jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd teamed up with The Marvels (guitarist Bill Frisell, steel guitarist Greg Leisz and the rhythm section of Lloyd's own New Quartet, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland) along with Lucinda Williams for a potent blend of elegiac jazz with folk-rock, blues and more on material ranging from Hendrix and Monk covers to reworked Williams songs and a few original instrumentals.
 
Tanukichan – Sundays (Company) 
 
The solo debut album from Hannah Van Loon (who used to play in the Bay Area band Trails and Ways) is a fine set of intimate, shoegazerish dream-pop. Produced by Toro Y Moi's Chaz Bundick, the album combines fuzzy guitars, twinkling synths and hypnotic rhythms with ethereal vocals and languorous melodies.
 
Late Bloomer – Waiting (6131) 
 
This Charlotte, NC trio's third album is a strong set of dynamic, '90s-steeped emotive rock, combining sharp song hooks with lyrics critiquing toxic masculinity and counseling hope and resilience.
 
Florence + The Machine – High As Hope (Virgin EMI) 
 
The fourth album from this British band led by Florence Welch is more stripped-down at times than previous releases, though too many of the songs start off spare before eventually drowning in production and vocal bombast. Most of the best bring a more welcome, intimate tone to her wide-screen, anthemic pop.
 
The Silhouette Era – The Silhouette Era EP (Oscillator) 
 
This Bay Area band's latest release is a fine 5-song set of '90s-steeped indie-rock with a summery, hook-filled sound featuring fuzzy guitars, driving rhythms and sunny melodies. 
 
The Milk Carton Kids – All The Things That I Did and All The Things That I Didn't Do (Anti-) 
 
This LA duo's fifth album features a fuller, richer but still subtly rendered sound for their intimate, acoustic-oriented folk-pop.
 
The Donkeys – Sun Damaged Youth (Flop) 
 
This San Diego band's fifth album is a sprawling concept album about an imagined post-apocalyptic Southern California with the music being a summery blend of hazy psych-pop, surf and more.
 
Bjørn Torske – Byen (Smalltown Supersound) 
 
This Norwegian producer's fifth album is a well-crafted blend of space disco and deep house grooves, combining cosmic keyboards, colorful percussion and propulsive rhythms. 
 
The Fascination Movement – Territory EP (Monastery) 
 
This Seattle duo's latest EP collects various singles released over the past three years for a solid 5-song set of '80s-steeped synth-pop.
 
Vaudeville Etiquette – Divisions EP (Sunyata) 
 
This Seattle band's latest release is a solid 4-song EP of folk-tinged rock with moody guitars, atmospheric keyboards, driving rhythms and soaring harmonies.