With so much good music coming through thick and fast, it’s easy for albums to drop online and go overlooked. No lengthy write-ups as who reads those anyway? We keep it short and to the point because you’re here to listen to the music! Check out our weekly mini-guide below and if you like what you hear, click the links and support the artists.
Albums
Teeth Agency – Cherry Blossom Child
Teeth Agency (Jesse Hackett and Mariano Chavez) have released Cherry Blossom Child, a collection of experimental folk songs. Hackett recorded the music during a summer in Portugal with his daughter, Wonder, who also appears on some of the tracks. Denholm Hewlett’s brilliant visual accompaniments are also a feature of this Teeth Agency release.
Anika – Change
Anika recently unveiled her first solo album to the Invada, and Sacred Bones labels more than a decade after her debut album was released. The nine songs on ‘Change’ are different from her self-titled debut, but they share a particular artistic outlook. It presents themes of personal and political anxiety and haunted austere electronica soundscapes. A more than magical return by an artist we have missed – welcome back, Anika!
Bev Lee Harling – Little Ancor
London singer Bev Lee Harling resurfaces with her first solo recording in almost a decade. The new album almost feels like a travelogue chronicling a creative woman’s journey navigating the landscape of parenthood over the past nine years. The uplifting, euphoric Beautiful Life contrasts with the heavy and harassed Only Got A Minute. Each song reflects a different period in time. It’s a beautiful album that was well worth the wait – listen and enjoy below
Makaya McCraven – Deciphering The Message
Makaya McCraven delves into the Blue Note vaults with this remix project that adds a modern touch to jazz classics by Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Kenny Burrell, Kenny Dorham and more. Across the project, he incorporates newly recorded elements, including his drums, Joel Ross’ vibraphone, Jeff Parker’s guitar, Marquis Hill’s trumpet and more, working the remixed tracks into complete LP rather than individual songs. I think this might be McCraven’s best album yet. Enjoy ‘Deciphering The Message’ below!
Lorenzo Morresi – Music For Closed Airports
Having released music on 22a and Fly By Night Music, Lorenzo Morresi returns to his SuperEclectic label to release ‘Music For Closed Airports’. Morresi blends live compositions with electronic production on the album’s ten songs. Take a trip through jazz-funk, house, electronica, and Italian library music.
Telemakus – The New Heritage
A music maker since the age of 12 and self-taught keyboardist, the multi-talented Telemakus has just dropped his new album. Taking inspiration from Herbie Hancock, DJ Harrison, Javier Santiago, Madlib, and Flying Lotus, among others, he strives to create music that represents the diverse sounds of jazz and hip-hop.
Tenderlonious – Still Flute
With a penchant for blending genres and multi-instrumentation, Tenderlonious has proven to be one of the most versatile and expressive artists in music today. Across his new LP, he draws on Detroit house, P-funk, spiritual ragas, deep house and ambient sound designs all wrapped around his signature live flute. Another solid release from Tenderlonious and his 22a label.
EP’s
Steam Down – Five Fruit
Get familiar with London collective Steam Down and their debut EP, titled ‘Five Fruit’ if you haven’t already. Across five tracks, they blend jazz, grime, hip-hop, reggae, and gospel music in a lively and inspiring celebration of London’s multiculturalism. Theon Cross, Tinyman and Afronaut Zu are among the stellar guest artists.
Apifera – 6 Visits
On their 6 Visits EP, Apifera offers a glimpse into the band’s unique musical style, interpreting tracks by Madlib, Duke Ellington, Massive Attack, Sergei Prokofiev, Sunbear, McCoy Tyner, and Squarepusher. Across the EP, the quartet uses the limitations of other artists’ creations to implement new elements into their musical vocabulary.
Awkward Corners – Somebody Somewhere EP
After wowing us with his sophomore album Amateur Dramatics in August, Chris Menist, aka Awkward Corners, releases a new EP featuring three fantastic tracks. Taking the sublime sounds of No Words from the album into his world of rhythm and sound, Hector Plimmer delivers a remix. The next track is Somebody Somewhere Is Dancing In A Field, a new piece aimed squarely at the dancefloor, while Men Bearing Lanyards, taken from Amateur Dramatics, comes in its original form for those who missed it the first time. Check out the brilliant new EP below!
