Music is everywhere, but there is so little time to listen to it. As we do each Friday, we share recent releases that the team have been listening to that may have flown under your radar. Every Friday, we curate a list of our favourites and share them with you so that you can enjoy them and add them to your collection. Check out our selections below, click the links and support the artists.
Albums
Ilhan Ersahin, Dave Harrington, Kenny Wollesen – Your Head You Know,
I was excited to discover that Ilhan Ersahin, Dave Harrington, and Kenny Wollesen had returned with a fresh release. The trio serves us up three slices of that smooth late-night jazz vibe; you know that after-hours jam session feels they created on their 2020 debut album. These three close collaborators and friends work together so smoothly it’s almost like they can read each other’s minds.
Phi-Psonics – Octava
Octava is a thoroughly meditative and enchanting journey into the soulful, immersive instrumental world of Phi-Psonics. Bask in 45 minutes of gentle bass, soothing woodwind, subtle electric piano, and dulcet drums. For an optimal experience, use this as your go-to companion during a quiet night-in, morning commute or meditation session. However, if you really want to enhance the impact, play it loud through a quality system. Trust me; the results will be even better!
Omar Ahmad – Inheritance
Omar Ahmad’s solo debut is a deeply moving and introspective work. Influenced by a range of contrasting emotions like empathy and disconnection, loss and discovery, and longing and isolation, his composition resonates with the complex feelings experienced in our human existence. Omar Ahmad’s solo debut is a captivating masterpiece that delves into our innermost thoughts and emotions. Ahmad has skillfully created a beautiful opus for AKP, immersing listeners in an electronically soaked, classically drenched, rhythmically relaxing sound world. A wonderful listen.
Me Lost Me – RPG
Me Lost Me delights in pushing boundaries when it comes to songwriting and storytelling. Jayne Dent, the talented artist based in Newcastle, is fearlessly creating folk music that knows no limits. Her unique sound effortlessly combines various genres such as art pop, noise, ambient, and improvised music. With stand-to-attention vocals and mesmerising electronic elements, Dent’s music is like a compelling, one-of-a-kind adventure. RPG is a stylistic cocktail that can’t be neatly put into a box, and that’s exactly what makes her even more incredible.
PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying
Can you believe it’s been a whopping seven years since PJ Harvey released her last album, ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’? Wow, time does fly. That’s why everyone has been chomping at the bit for the release of ‘I Inside the Old Year Dying’. Once again, she teams up with her longtime buddies John Parish and Flood to create an album packed with biblical imagery and references to Shakespeare; in the end, all these fancy distinctions eventually fade away and reveal something genuinely inspiring and refreshing.
Cosmic Neighbourhood – Gatherings
It’s safe to say that you never quite know what you’ll get from a Cosmic Neighbourhood release. We’ve been heralding the York-based illustrator and musician for a few years now, and for good reason, too – his music is brilliant. There’s nothing like listening to his lo-fi psychedelic gem laced with subtle electronic touches. It’s a project brimming with little details that wash over you gracefully. Check out Gatherings in all its glory below.
EP’s
Yu Su – I Want an Earth
Dreamy sound artistry from the Kaifeng-born, Vancouver-based musician who mixes ambient soundscapes with stunning fourth-world hallucinations and dub stylings on this short but enticing EP. The perfect combination!
E.M.M.A – Change My Mind
We’ve been waiting for E.M.M.A. to release something new for a long time, and we got our wish last month. Comprising four hypnotic tracks, the EP is a must-listen for those who like their electronic music fused with shoegaze and dreamy 80’s style synth lines. Fans of E.M.M.A will not be disappointed, and even those new to her work will find plenty to love.
