May the fourth… Be with us all.
Hello, Friends.
Our first Record of the Week for May 2023 is What Will You Grow Now?, the absolutely glorious new LP from Modern Cosmology. It is the second collaborative album from Laetitia Sadier (of Stereolab and other wonderful output) and Brazil's Mombojó, a set of melodic, flowing and tropical pop songs. The players are so skilled without sounding over thought, and Sadier flows in and out of them with such an effortless grace. Bright and just such an energising listen. A really great album.
Recorded between Mexico, the Welsh borders and the rainforests of Costa Rica, Fase Luna is the dazzling and squelching new LP from LA Priest. Less synth-heavy than his previous releases, there is a lightness to the instrumentation where you can really dial into just how catchy the songs are. The biggest gold star is for his vocals though, he sounds really mint!
+ Available on limited White colour vinyl.
Pop and Rock gymnasts Brian and Michael D'Addario return this week as The Lemon Twigs with Everything Harmony, their first for Captured Tracks. Without ever sailing too close to the sun, there is a real Brian Wilson-shaped shadow over proceedings here; baroque pop with quite stunning vocal deliveries and more than a healthy dose of melancholia. They are such smart songwriters, you have to just marvel at the complexity and knack for a hook.
+ Available on Exclusive White colour vinyl.
She Brings Me Back To The Land Of The Living is the new LP from Irish musician Cian Nugent and it’s a bit of a smasher. He’s such a great player/producer, this new LP sounds fantastic, full pastoral rock and roll without ever feeling over jacked. His voice is a revelation, a rich growl that leads this excellent record from the front. This is one that we’ll be keeping on the stereo.
Glasgow-based twin-sibling duo Cloth (Rachael and Paul Swinton) release their debut LP this week on the mighty Rock Action. A real density to the production, with shades of post rock all the way through to a sort of lo-fi pop. Another lush vocal sound, this one is a beautiful whisper.
+ Available on limited Indie colour vinyl.
+ The vinyl format will include a signed print.
Wait Til I Get Over is the first solo LP from Durand Jones away from his accompanying The Indications. His voice sounds amazing, full of the swagger and confidence of his previous releases, but somehow more intimate and personal as he sings about his Louisiana roots. A rich sounding album for the vibes, but one to spend time really listening to, too.
+ Available on limited Blue Jay colour vinyl.
Nathan Fake releases Crystal Vision on his own Cambria Instruments imprints. The production is amazing, it sounds so full of space. Collaborations with Clark and Wizard Apprentice keep it lively and he has managed to make sonic references to some iconic electronic genre tones without just borrowing. Really good.
London-born, Athens-based pop maverick Westerman releases An Inbuilt Fault this week. His delivery is great, a sort of subdued haze. It’s all very melodic, but the more you listen, the more you find that production has a lot going on. A grower.
+ Available on exclusive Sun Yellow colour vinyl.
Also this week; Folded Landscapes is the new (not the one he buried) album from composer Erland Cooper. Stirring stuff, this. Carter Logan and Jim Jarmusch return as Sqürl with Silver Haze; features lush guest appearances from Charlotte Gainsbourg, Anika and more. We have the limited Fairground EP from London-based dream pop duo deary on Sonic Cathedral. ATUM is the hugely ambitious new rock opera from Smashing Pumpkins.
Lastly today, Secret Life is the eagerly-anticipated collaborative release from Fred again.. & Brian Eno on Kieran Hebden’s Text label. We stayed up to hear it broadcast on Secret Life FM last night, but only caught the end of it. But from what we did hear - much as Hebden promised - it is indeed a real beauty. It’s released digitally tomorrow and the LP and CD formats will be with us early next week (King permitting) ready for shipping and collecting.
- Drift
