My Top 5 New Releases :: New Music Friday :: Week of 10/19/15

1. Fading Frontier :: Deerhunter

Three-Sentence Review: I very recently (one week ago recently) discovered Deerhunter and have fallen hard for their sound, so it made me rather ecstatic to see they have a new album this week. Lyrically, the album has been impacted by Bradford Cox serious car accident last year, and the effect it had on him as a person, and as a songwriter – and I can feel it, the emotions, the melodic optimism, the perspective that surviving can often gift. There is a soothing element to this album that I am appreciating, there is something here in the sounds, too, that fits so well with the just arriving Autumn weather, especially when listening in the early morning when it actually is a big cool in Los Angeles.

Initial Favorite Track(s): Living My Life, Duplex Planet and Ad Astra

Rating (1-5 Stars): 5+

Living My Life

2. Some Thick Illusion :: Pop Cautious

Three-Sentence Review: Gorgeous, lush and lovely, the new single from Pop Cautious is one of those songs I just can’t get enough of. Vocally and lyrically, there is so much beauty and bittersweet emotion that seeps beneath the skin and swirls around effortlessly, and the orchestration is dreamy and ethereal and wonderful to the senses. The song features Adrián Terrazas-González, previously of The Mars Volta, and features Caleb Polashek of the Austin Symphony Orchestra – I cannot wait to hear a full album.

Initial Favorite Track(s): N/A (single)

Rating (1-5 Stars): 5

Some Thick Illusion 

3. Angels & Ghosts :: Dave Gahan & Soulsavers

Three-Sentence Review: Complex, melodic, dark, danceable, soulful and even a bit blues-ey, the new Dave Gahan (& Soulsavers) album is not just a Depeche Mode revival/rehash, no, there is actually very few connections except for the recognizable sound of Gahan’s voice (though I prefer the age in it now, the depth and emotion). This album surprised me in the best way. I hope he/they tour soon as I feel like these songs will be incredible played live.

Initial Favorite Track(s): Shine, All Of This & Nothing and Lately

Rating (1-5 Stars): 5

All of This & Nothing 

4. Sprained Ankle :: Julien Baker

Three-Sentence Review: Older sounding, or maybe just “wiser”, than nineteen years would expect, Julien Baker’s album is a remarkable, raw, and yet delicate, full of beautiful indie-folk tunes that immediately drew me in. A bit reminiscent of The Head and the Heart, Birdy and Dove & The Wolf, I just love how stripped down these songs are.

Initial Favorite Track(s): Blacktop, Everybody Does & Something

Rating (1-5 Stars): 4+

Something (live)

5. Liberman :: Vanessa Carlton

Three-Sentence Review: Its been awhile since I heard Vanessa Carlton’s name, or heard her voice, so when I saw she had a new album this week my curiosity was peaked, and I wanted to hear if time and life had changed her at all (as it does to most of us). Her voice is still full of heart and melodic clarity, her songwriting still strong, the piano is still a character in the song-stories, but there is a complexity and facets to these songs that suggests time and life and changes. While not as catchy or accessible as her earlier “hits”, this is definitely worth a listen (or a few).

Initial Favorite Track(s): Willows, Nothing Where Something Used to Be and Unlock the Lock

Rating (1-5 Stars): 4

Willows