- PREMIERE: Eloah Jones – “Under the Bridge” - November 18, 2021
- PREMIERE: Highbeams – “Campfires” - November 10, 2021
- Tali Azerad Shines on New Album - November 5, 2021
Another great month of new music brought us some memorable albums. Here’s my take on the new crop…
5. New Politics – Vikings
The Copenhagen boys are back with a rollicking indie-rock album perfect for the waning days of Summer. ‘Fun’ is the name of the game here, and tracks like “West End Kids” and “15 Dreams” are about as fun as it gets. It’s quite poppy, yes – but not without substance. Windows down, volume up on this one.
4. Halsey – Badlands
Smooth, intriguing, and completely addicting. It’s not that she’s doing anything that different from her contemporaries, it’s that she’s doing it better (and she’s got something to say).
3. David Ramirez – Fables
My pleasant surprise of the month. No bells and whistles, no flash, just substance…and talent. Such a great album.
2. Foals – What Went Down
To be honest, I’m still digesting this album – but I know it’s fantastic. Foals can switch from intense, blistering walls of sound to delicate and haunting songs in a moment’s notice. There’s a lot going on here, and the more I listen, What Went Down is steadily moving up my end-of-year list.
1. Frank Turner – Positive Songs For Negative People
Full disclosure: I’m a bit of a Frank Turner fanboy. This placement should come as no surprise. If he puts out an album, I’m almost sure to love it. The new collection of songs is no different. Frank once again impresses with chest-out rallying cries, delicate moments, and his unmistakable vocal charm.
Albums I missed that I’ll be catching up on in September:
Atlas Genius – Inanimate Objects
Noah Gunderson – Carry The Ghost
The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness
What we’re excited about in September:
The Arcs – Yours, Dreamily
FIDLAR – Too
Hibou – S/T
The Wonder Years – No Closer To Heaven
Better Off – Milk
Craig Finn – Faith In The Future
Lana Del Rey – Honeymoon
Motion City Soundtrack – Panic Stations
Metric – Pagans In Vegas
Lucero – All A Man Should Do
Robert DeLong – In The Cards
The Front Bottoms – Back On Top
BoySetsFire – S/T
CHVRCHES – Every Open Eye
Disclosure – Caracal
Fetty Wap – S/T
Jr. Jr. – S/T
