New Music Reviews (8/26)

Each week, KEXP’s Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by DJ Alex) shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Jay Som, Sheer Mag, Oso Oso, and more.

Sheer Mag – A Distant Call (Wilsuns RC)
This Philly band’s excellent second full-length is a bit more expansive set that adds some ‘80s pop and metal influences to the band’s crunchy, ‘70s-steeped blend of punkish power-pop and hard rock, highlighted by an abundance of catchy song hooks, sharply crafted lyrics blending the political and the personal and Tina Halladay’s powerhouse vocals. — DY

Jay Som – Anak Ko (Polyvinyl)
The third album from this LA-via-Bay Area artist (aka Melina Duterte) is a well-crafted set of intimate dream-pop combining an atmospheric sound with wistful melodies and soul-baring lyrics revolving around change and moving on. While her previous recordings were made on her own, this one features an impressive lineup of special guests including Vagabon’s Laetitia Tamko, Justus Proffitt, Chastity Belt’s Annie Truscott and Boy Scouts’ Taylor Vick as well as her tour bandmates. — DY

Oso Oso – Basking in the Glow (Triple Crown)
The third album from this Long Island project spearheaded by Jade Lilitri is a sharply crafted set of hook-filled indie-rock with buzzing guitars, soaring harmonies, buoyant melodies and emotive lyrics searching for hope and optimism in the face of anxiety and dread. — DY

GoldLink – Diaspora (RCA)
The second full-length album from Washington, DC rapper GoldLink (aka D'Anthony Carlos) is a strong set of expansive hip-hop that explores the universality of black music as he collaborates with an international cast of guest artists that help infuse his lively tracks with vibrant global R&B and kinetic African club styles. Amongst the star-studded roster, British-born Nigerian artist Maleek Berry soars on the hook to "Zulu Screams," an infectious high-energy early single driven by a kinetic Afro-beat rhythm, while Tyler, the Creator and UK rapper Jay Prince appear on the bouncy single "U Say." — AR

Friendly Fires – Inflorescent (Casablanca/Polydor)
This British trio’s third album (and first in eight years) finds them recasting their sound from dance-friendly post-punk to breezy house and disco with bright synths, soaring harmonies and buoyant melodies. — DY

Ceremony – In The Spirit World Now (Relapse)
This Rohnert Park, CA band’s sixth album finds them embracing more prominent synths alongside crunchy guitars for a potent set of driving post-punk. — DY

Redd Kross – Beyond the Door (Merge)
This veteran LA-bred band’s seventh album (and first in seven years) is an energetic set of prog-tinged power-pop with crunchy guitars, energetic rhythms and catchy pop hooks. — DY

Baltra – Ted (96 And Forever)
The debut full-length album from NYC-based electronic producer Michael Baltra is a stellar set of immersive underground rhythms and intoxicating grooves that masterfully balances fuzzy house, crisp techno, rugged breaks, and nostalgic electro flavors with flourishes of jungle, jazz, and post-dubstep. Heavily influenced by the recent passing of his father Ted, this expansive LP carries a surprising emotional undercurrent throughout and yields one of the strongest electronic albums of the year. Rising Seoul-based artist Park Hye Jin appears on the early standout single "Ahead Of Time." — AR

Field Mouse – Meaning (Topshelf)
This Philly/Brooklyn band’s third album is a potent set of shoegazerish dream-pop with crunchy guitars, atmospheric keyboards, occasional strings, punchy rhythms, ethereal vocals and buoyant melodies often juxtaposed with melancholy lyrics. — DY

Raphael Saadiq – Jimmy Lee (Columbia)
The fifth solo album (and first in eight years) from this Oakland-bred artist is an expansive set of R&B and funk inflected with gospel, New Wave, psych-rock and more. Named after his late brother (who overdosed in the 1990s after contracting HIV), the album tells the story of his brother and others struggling with addiction. — DY

Lillie Mae – Other Girls (Third Man)
This Nashville artist’s second album is a well-crafted blend of country, folk and rock, combining a warm sound featuring a variety of acoustic and electric instrumentation with her plaintive vocals and often-dark lyrics of lost love. — DY

Peaer – A Healthy Earth (Tiny Engines)
This Brooklyn-via-Connecticut band’s second album is a fine set of dynamic, shape-shifting indie-rock. — DY

Shannon Lay – August (Sub Pop)
This LA artist’s third album is a well-crafted set of psych-tinged folk-pop. Co-produced by Ty Segall and featuring Segall, Mikal Cronin and other LA luminaries on accompaniment, though it’s her own impressive guitar work that shines most, along with her serene vocals and finely chiseled lyrics of liberation and new beginnings. — DY

Oh, Rose – While My Father Sleeps (Park The Van)
The debut full-length from this Olympia band led by Olivia Rose is a solid set ranging from emotive grunge and driving garage-rock to propulsive post-punk and brooding folk-rock. — DY

Mister Lies – Mister Lies (self-released)
The third album from Connecticut-raised, NYC-based musician Nick Zanca (aka Mister Lies) finds him continuing to evolve and shift his electro-acoustic sound towards a fluid genre-agnostic style that defies easy categorization. Atmospheric, kaleidoscopic, and hypnagogic, this deeply personal and heavily-layered release balances lush instrumental passages with bursts of vocal pop moments while loosely swimming through ambient, art-pop, hip-hop, IDM, chillwave, synth-pop, and other tangential styles. — AR

Rose Dorn – Days You Were Leaving (Bar/None)
This LA-based trio’s debut album is a well-crafted set of dreamy, folk-tinged indie-pop. — DY

Yung Bae – Bae 5 (The Future Of Funk)
Yung Bae is a Portland-based electronic DJ/producer that specializes in addictive sample-heavy disco cuts primed directly for the dancefloor. Bae 5 is his latest collection of party-starting grooves that's reminiscent of Saint Pepsi, Daft Punk, and a more uptempo Flamingosis, who appears on "Laa La Laaa." — AR

Tee Mango – 50 Songs (Millionhands)
The sophomore album from British producer and vocalist Tom Mangan (aka Tee Mango) is an excellent set of soulful house grooves and moody R&B jams that's infused with subtle jazz and low-slung funk touches. Legendary Detroit musician Amp Fiddler appears on a pair of solid tracks. — AR

Pascale Project – Be Urself EP (Orange Milk)
The latest EP from Montreal-based house musician and vocalist Pascale Project (aka Pascale Mercier) is another refreshing set of uptempo vocal-heavy dance-pop that blends her buoyant, 90s-steeped rhythms with warm nostalgic synths and her alluring vocal style. — AR

Avian Comfort – Weekender EP (Hush Hush)
Avian Comfort is a new Seattle-based collaboration between electronic producers Shelf Nunny and Academy Garden. Their debut EP is an evocative 4-track set of atmospheric electronic grooves ranging from sunny, buoyant beats to cinematic downtempo. — DY