New music thread (2018)

Afsky - Sorg Black Metal from Denmark
Hot Snakes - Jericho Sirens Garage Punk from the US
V/A - Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth Boogie in 1980s South Africa Compilation of 80's African Pop/Disco tracks.

Polica / S T A R G A Z E - "Music for the long emergency"

• Snyth-pop, changing the sound of Polica a bit, but keeping the hauntingly beautiful pop that retains its depth until most pop music is able to do.

The Weeknds - "My Dear Melancholy" - I thought is really great, solid B/B-

• I know it got kind of panned a little from reviews, but I would say this is a solid B/B- effort. My favorite song is "I was never the same", its a very winding song, and just can't get over how well the song transitions to a different pace at 2:30.

Sevdaliza - The Calling. I hardly give out A's for albums, but this is definitely close. B+

• Very beautiful, soulful and yet definitely is keeping that trip-hop genre alive with its definite trip-hop overtones throughout all of her work. Really enjoyed and not letting the album end by keep pushing the "back" button to reply the last track on the album "Observer".

Wye Oaks - The Louder I Call, the Fast It Runs. I think this is going to have more mass appeal than previous works, but again a solid B.

• This band has really evolved since Civilian. Each album has shifted drastically as far as sound, but still dives deep into seeing Jenn's quiet, powerful, yet meandering inner conflict. This album is a little more alive and faster paced, but the band definitely has not lost its magic on the way to refining and redefining their sound each album.

...I have so many more bands, but this is a start of some stuff I have been enjoying in 2018.

I know it's not *technically* a new album (and I already saw it mentioned) but that remastered version of Twin Fantasy by Car Seat Headrest is undoubtedly my favorite album of 2018 so far. That's more of a personal thing as I've had some very shitty stuff happen in my personal life within the past 6 months. Because of that, I've forged an extra attachment to this album because it sort of speaks to the emotions I was feeling over the past couple of months. I keep listening to it almost daily. High To Deathis my personal favorite song because it feels extremely personal to me, but others may enjoy Bodysor other songs off of that album far more. I can't say enough good things about this album from top to bottom. I know it's almost hard to sell people on listening to a fullalbum in 2018 but ... man... I love this album A TON.

Other 2018 albums I've really liked:

Con Todo El Mundo by Khruangbin

• It's a nice mood-setting album, for me, if that makes any sense? I've thrown it on a couple times while I play some games here and there. It's not something that demands your full attention, and sometimes I want that.

Cocoa Sugar by Young Fathers

• It's a rap/hip hop trio from Scotland, I think? Cocoa Sugar has a great sound to it that's just different enough to draw you in and keep you there out of curiosity.

Elevators: Act I & II by Bishop Nehru

• I was INCREDIBLY curious about this rap album because Nehru is only 21 years old and he's already getting guys like MF DOOM and KAYTRANADA to work with him. It's a fine album that loses some steam midway through; still good, imo.

Freedom's Goblin by Ty Segall

• So, if you don't know anything about this dude, he puts out some form of music almost every month it seems like; it's insane how good and prolific he consistently is. Freedom's Goblin is a far more refined sound, and it's my favorite Segall album thus far. Hearing him evolve his sound over the past 12-18 months has been wonderful.

Currently listening to The Other by King Tuff as I write this and I'm loving that as well, but I don't have any thoughts since I'm only midway through the album. It's very good, though!

Checkin' out Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B. Though most of my taste in rap resides in the late 90's and 2000's (aside from technical death metal being my main musical genre or interest), I can turn off my brain and enjoy some trap bangers every once in a while. Be Careful was on repeat for a while. Pretty decent debut album. Maybe I'll go back and listen to her mixtapes.

Most of my fave albums have been mentioned, but not my two favourite faves:

Moaning by Moaning (indie rock/post-punk)

Loud Patterns by Makeness (indie pop techno like Caribou meets Holy Fuck)

Laura Veirs - The Lookout: Indie/Folk Pop from the US
Daniel Avery - Song for Alpha: Ambient Techno from the UK
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Sex & Food: Neo-Psychedelia/Alternative R&B from the US

Sevendust - Dirty, been listening to this one a lot, they are definitely the longest standing and most reliable nu-metal band around, i love these guys.
A Perfect Circle - The Doomed and Disillusioned, these are my favourites of the tracks they've released so far from their upcoming album, i'm not overly sold on the other songs they've shown so i'm expecting to dislike the album as a whole, but we'll see.
Bad Wolves - Learn To Live, i only just discovered this track yesterday, and while it was released last year the rest of the album comes out later this year, i probably won't pick it up as i only love certain heavy metal bands, but this is definitely a good track.

It's so rare i get to talk about new music, my likes are pretty specific.

Sons of Kemet - Your Queen Is a Reptile: Avant-Garde/African Jazz from the Caribbean/UK
Amen Dunes - Freedom: Indie Folk/Neo-Psychedelia from the US

Also, I don't really listen to EDM but I just want to say as a fellow Swede, Rest in peace Avicii.

The new Sleep album is damn incredible.

Saw someone else mention it, but I listened to the new Carpenter Brut album, Leather Teeth. The album art looks like zombie KK Downing wearing an early 80s Rob Halford outfit. About half the songs are standard Carpenter Brut songs and pretty good. The other half are much slower tempo and lose a bit of that trademark Carpenter Brut evilness.

Carpenter Brut - Hairspray Hurricane is a hell of a song though. I first listened to this album while on a run and this song got me crazy pumped.

For those who like Vulfpeck, a new side project called The Fearless Flyers has happened (one of those weird one-off albums they do). It's Cory Wong and Mark Lettieri on guitar (the former of whom is a Vulfpeck regular now and tours with them. He's easily one of the best of this generation of guitarists so far), Joe Dart on bass, and Nate Smith on drums.

They put out a cover of Under the Sea and it's FANTASTIC.

Deafheaven - Honeycomb

New album out July 13th

Dream Wife. Indie/Punk band from Brighton.

I caught their last couple of songs when they supported The Vaccines in Sheffield last weekend and they sounded decent. Listened to them a bit over the last couple of days and they're good.

Forth Wanderers - S/T Indie Rock/Midwest Emo from the US
Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog - YRU Still Here? Experimental Rock/Punk/Avant-Garde Jazz from the US

Yeah Dream Wife are great. Really honest and catchy album.

There aren't any albums I'm super in love with yet this year, but there are a number of albums I'll relisten to towards the end of the year to see if they rank on my AOTY lists.

Bruno Sanfilippo - Unity: Neo-classical.
Cavern of Anti-Matter - Hormone Lemonade: I'm just getting into Stereolab so I was interested in the guitarist from Stereolab making an alternative/electro album.
JPEGMAFIA - Veteran: Intense experimental hip-hop.
Lowtide - Southern Mind: Very dreamy shoegaze.
Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer: Again, just getting into Janelle Monae. Her ArchAndroid album blew me away but I wasn't so hot on Electric Lady or Dirty Computer. That titular track with Brian Wilson, though. DAMN
Unknown Mortal Orchestra -- Sex & Food: So far this is my favourite album of 2018. Psychedelic rock.

I knew I shouldn't have slept on Janelle Monae after her feature on Art Angels, but the hype for Dirty Computer finally got me interested enough to check her out, and holy shit.

This is an in-between-releases year for most of the artists I follow, but even if it weren't, I'd be shocked if Dirty Computer doesn't make my top ten at the end. Can't wait to check out her back catalog.

Kinda disappointed with the latest A Perfect Circle album, but it's not devoid of good songs, people are overlooking Delicious but i can't stop singing it in my head.
I wish it was a little longer, wish it had a second verse instead of repeating part of the first, wish Billy Howerdel hadn't run out of ideas, but regardless i still like the song.

yeah its a decent song but there are still way better APC songs on other albums. And unfortunately the rest of the the new APC album is very, very, very dull.

Kideko - The Jam is a nice house track I just found.

I really liked their last few albums and this sounds like more of that so I'm happy to hear they're releasing more stuff!

New Andrew WK album is really good check that one out.

Also Stromae came out with a new song Defilér it's pretty experimental for a dude that use to make sketchy pop songs i really like it especial the ending of it that song go's places. Also looking forward to the new Deafheaven album not a fan of honeycomb a lot of reused riff's IMO hoping the other songs come off stronger kinda was disappointed by there last album New Bermuda especially after they came out strong with there first full length album Sunbather.

links: Andrew WK "music is worth living for"

Stromae "Defilér"

I really enjoyed the new Turnstile album Time And Space a whole bunch, not as memorable as Nonstop Feeling but that'll change after a few more listens. Seeing the evolution of Turnstile from 'generic hardcore band with the drummer of Trapped Under Ice singing' to 'funky, crossover, alternative radness has been a delight to see.

Also Awakebutstillinbed is a cool indie band I discovered recently and I've been hooked on their latest release *takes deep breath* What People Call Low Self​-​Esteem Is Really Just Seeing Yourself The Way That Other People See You, is a forty minute album that feels like a surreal, honest essay about the deglamorization of life and keeps you up at night with how accurate and poignant their lyrics are.

I also backed the new Jerome Dreams album and I'm patiently waiting for a new song, I'm not sure what my expectations of what a new JD album would be in 2018 but it sounds chaotic and awesome.

I'm not sure if anybody likes this kind of music on this forum but hopefully I'm not alone and I'm always up to talking about music. If you liked any of these and want more, I have tons of recommendations to check out.

Beach House's seventh album came out yesterday, and my first impression is very positive. It's their most adventurous record since they've established their "sound." Songs feature louder percussions, distorted guitars, or no guitars at all! It's also the most varied Beach House album yet; it's not inconsistent though.

Seeing 65daysofstatic in November. Seems like a good way to wind the year down. Also, I kinda like Manic Street Preacher's 'Resistance is Futile'. Poppy as fuck but they're pushing 50 so I'll let them off. On a darker note, Frightened Rabbit's website looks bleak as fuck.

New Sevendust record and the Bad Wolves debut. All that matters right now. Both are fucking superb.

God that Sevendust album... it's so good.
Mentioning war in multiple songs might get a little tiring in the long run, and the mix can be very loud and messy which i put on the new producer, but those are the only complaints i have.

So far Moments is my favourite track.

Really? You're the first person I've heard say that about the mix. I think this is easily the best-sounding, most perfectly mixed record they've ever done, at least since Animosity. Elvis Baskette works some fucking magic. The vocals are so crisp and clear which makes the harmonies really pop. The drums and bass are straight up nasty in my car stereo. The only thing I will say is that the guitars have lost a little of their rawness, but they still sound sharp and crunchy.

I don't think there's a weak song in the bunch. Moments is really great. I was singing along with it at a stop light with the windows down yesterday and got some looks of approval, haha. My personal favorites so far are Unforgiven and Sickness. Life Deceives You is also one of the most emotionally powerful songs they've ever done. But every song just has these massive hooks...I don't know how they do it.

20+ years of excellence, it's insane, my Sevendust playlist is now 9 hours 15 minutes.

@cikame: Are you catching them on their current tour? I'm going to see them Friday and possibly Saturday as well.

I live in the UK so no :P, hope you have a blast.

Arctic Monkeys' latest album is alright. It's really different from their usual stuff, but I'm digging it.

I've been enjoying the Mastersystem album a lot, good grungy rock sound by some mid-30's Scottish indie rockers. Also wanted to mention it as it involves Scott Hutchison, who sadly took his life last week. If you haven't listened to any of his stuff in Frightened Rabbit, as Owl John or Mastersystem I suggest you try it all!

Mastersystem - the enlightenment

Frightened Rabbit - Head Rolls Off

Other things I have been enjoying:

Jon Hopkins - Singularity: I wasn't sure I enjoyed this until I gave it due attention as a full listen on a long run, and it blew me away. Definitely recommend the hour or so listen, from very beat-driven tracks through to lovely ambient music I love it. Everything Connected.

Mark Kozelek - Weed Whacker: Not listened to the new album yet, but found the video for this song last week, and really like hearing Mark singing (at least for this song) again. The looping guitar combined with the diary-like lyrics of the last few years of music go well together. Unfortunately with late period Kozelek I find myself being more picky with what sticks, but there is always at least one song I find myself loving.

Grouper - Grid of Points: Just beautiful, continues to be one of my favourite artists making somber, ambient music with a quality I can't put my finger on, but she is amazing. Parking Lot.

The rest of these are just good songs I like currently:

Braids - Collarbones

LUMP - Late to the Flight (Laura Marling side-project)

Janelle Monae - I Like That

Oneohtrix Point Never - Black Snow

Frank Turner - Little Changes

So, Ghost.

I knew *of* them, knew the whole Emeritus gimmick (and thus that they were very tongue-in-cheek, a la Type O Negative), but had never heard them and had the idea that they were along the lines of any number of interchangeable extreme metal acts (no offense to they of the unreadable fonts and scatological names, just not my kind of metal).

I just decided to check them out earlier today because I keep hearing how great they are, and imagine my surprise when watching the "Rats" video. NOT what I was expecting at all. It's straight up pop music, and I don't mean that in a bad way at all. I think I love these guys.

Okay, Ghost, I see you, and now I've got a new album to look forward to next month.

Edit: Damn, their heavier songs are great, too. This is some golden-age Black Sabbath sounding stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv0zJSbMLEI

Can't get enough of the telephones today.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv0zJSbMLEI]test[/url]

@chebbles: Ooof. Still devastated about Scott. I've been binging Midnight Organ Fight harder than usual. Go to youtube and watch any of Scott Hutchison's music played live. Man was incredible.

@shagge: Ghost is my one of my favorite bands right now. Even their weakest album (Infestissumam in my opinion) still has good stuff on it.

@msouza1991: Agreed, I haven't heard a single song of theirs that I actively dislike, which is kind of amazing.

If anything, they're almost TOO catchy... "can you hear the THUN-deeeerrr..." from Cirice has been in my head all day, and yesterday it was the chorus to He Is, haha. (and don't even get me started on Square Hammer's catchiness)

@shagge: Have you heard Opus Eponymous? It's probably their most Black Sabbath style record so far.

@harbinlights: There is nothing I would love more than for the telephones to get back in the studio. I was singing their praises a few years ago here on another music thread as "Giant Bomb: The Band" due to their complete devotion to dumb wild fun. I think they're touring again, so there may be hope for some new material.

Anyways, now to 2018 music...

Parquet Courts - Wide Awake is my favorite thing this year so far. I love every song on it, and picking through it going "ohh this has some Lou Reed, this song sounds like Deerhoof, The Fall style in full effect here... Biting proto-punk that seamlessly pinballs from one subject and genre to the next like a badass sketch comedy show. The Danger Mouse production breathes a lot of fun into the dark and dystopian subject matter. His fingerprints are all over this record. "Back To Earth" especially sounds like something ripped straight out of Demon Days.

Dr. Octagon - Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation is good. I feel like Dan The Automator and Del the Funky Homosapien for the most part struck out with the Deltron 3030 reunion; so was nervous going into this one. Nothing mind blowing here, but Moosebumps hangs with Kool Keith's better stuff. Just fun, wacky, horny, hip hop here.

Courtney Barnett broke the sophomore curse with Tell Me How You Really Feel. I actually like it better than her last album. It's still full of her snarky, blunt, introspection; but a lot of good takes on being a modern woman. I know her debut LP was very beloved, but there are parts of it halfway through that fatigued me. This album shakes up her pace and subject matter enough for me to love every track and want to start it all over again. Current fav track is "Help Your Self" but that could change.

I bought Hop Along's latest, Bark Your Head Off, Dog on vinyl the week it came out. At first I was taken aback by how laid back the production was. They really toned down the grit and punch of Painted Shut. Thankfully, Frances Quinlan's unpredictable vocal range, and incredible storytelling remained. So has their unique knack to create the catchiest hooks out of nowhere. As I replayed this, random parts of songs would become stuck in my head thru the next day. I love the album now. Not as much as Painted Shut, but I appreciate how catchy this chill little album is.

Can't wait to see Stephen Malkmus in a couple weeks. Sparkle Hard is nothing wildly new for him. Maybe some interesting production choices (a little bit of cool vocal manipulation on some songs), but this is still Malkmus jamming out, coming up with the most random sounding lyrics and making them memorable as hell.

Here are some things I didn't like (sorry for the bad opinion)

Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer. Listen, I love The Archandroid to death. This is just a bland modern pop album. There are some well meant political messaging, but everything gets drowned in bad pop tropes. It's too generic to even accept as dumb fun, especially when it's not trying to be dumb.

Now, Now - Saved. Same problem as above. Vapid pop. A real shame, because this was a long awaited follow up to a much more memorable, and substantial LP

Beach House - 7. Never got into them. I appreciate the Twin peaks soundtrack like spaciness of their sound, but this is just a band that continues not to grab me.

@dichemstys: A few tracks, but I haven't given the album a proper run-through yet. But yeah, "Ritual" is right out of the Sabbath playbook. I could totally see Ozzy doing that inverted Lord's Prayer, word for word. (I'm not a Sabbath superfan, so maybe he did and I'm looking silly right now, haha)

Aside: I do wonder what actual Satanists think of Ghost. Obviously, their lyrics aren't reflective of what most actual Satanists believe, and are all in fun, but I can't help imagining some of the more humorless folk being annoyed at the misrepresentation given how rarely a blatantly "Satanic" band becomes as hugely popular as Ghost has.

The new Pusha T album is fantastic.

@jellycube said:

Definitely digging myself. I listened to it the weekend it came out while I was traveling. Gave it a listen earlier in the morning and thought it was pretty okay, definitely different. Ended up not being able to wait to get in the car and throw that album on again after running a quick few errands.

I feel like this album is definitely more mature, even shows the aging / growing up of the band and Alex Turner since their last album, AM.

@pompouspizza: His diss tracks are the talk of the whole internet right now, damn. I'm a Drake fan but Pusha destroyed Drake.

Haven’t been keeping up lately but some new releases I’ve enjoyed:

Snail Mail - Lush
Father John Misty - God’s Favorite Customer
The Midnight Hour - S/T
Stephen Malkmud & The Jicks - Sparkle Hard