THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
The Horrors _ "V"
The release of album number five (cunningly titled "V") seems to be make or break for the Horrors. Something that the band has clearly realized as they come out all guns blazing sounding like the band of unpredictable, shadowy, marauders that made them so fresh and exciting in the first place. What's more, the band have done so, not by appropriating past glories, but by shaking the sonic tree and working with whatever fell out. _ Paul Carr
Metz _ "Strange Peace"
There is a brilliant and brutal simplicity to the music the Canadian punk band Metz makes: loud, cynical, severe, sharp around the edges. The band is composed of three members _ guitarist and vocalist Alex Edkins, bassist Chris Slorach, and drummer Hayden Menzies _ who seem to share the same goal: to create maximum friction between their instruments and to do so at the highest possible volume. As a result, the music has almost no concern for melody. It has more in common with the sounds of factories, of hard and dangerous work that requires large machines and hot materials. _ Mark Matousek
Amadou & Mariam _ "La Confusion"
Some artists are so consistently outstanding that just the knowledge that they're planning to put out a new album is enough to sustain you through years that are otherwise pretty significant dumpster fires. This is one of those years, and Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia are two of those artists. As husband-and-wife duo Amadou & Mariam, they never fail to disappoint, and new album "La Confusion" sees the two step up their game once again with a blend of pan-African pop that will bring even the most jaded denizen of the 21st century back to life with their dancing shoes tied. _ Adrianne Pontecorvo
Chelsea Wolfe _ "Hiss Spun"
Chris Hillman _ "Bidin' My Time"
Circa Survive _ "The Amulet"
Cut Copy _ "Haiku From Zero"
Godspeed You! Black Emperor _ "Luciferian Towers"
Hiss Golden Messenger _ "Hallelujah Anyhow"
Ledisi _ "Let Love Rule"
Macklemore _ "Gemini"
Noah Gundersen _ "White Noise"
Phoebe Bridgers _ "Stranger in the Alps"
Shout Out Louds _ "Ease My Mind"
The Clientele _ "Music for the Age of Miracles"
The Killers _ "Wonderful Wonderful"
Tricky _ "Ununiform"
Van Morrison _ "Roll With The Punches"
NOW HEAR THIS (new tracks from up and coming artists)
Bette Smith _ "I Found Love"
Brooklyn's Bette Smith possesses a one of a kind voice, deeply drenched in hot soul of the nearly incendiary Southern type. That voice could rock the biggest of stages and move mountains if it had to. Smith has a bit of an old-school vibe, but her music is thoroughly contemporary because we all know that great soul music is timeless and always relevant. Smith is set to release her debut album Jetlagger on 29 September via Big Legal Mess. Smith may be a Brooklynite, but she can belt it like a Stax singer, and she blends in elements of rock and funk that keep the energy level high and thrilling. _ Sarah Zupko
(http://popm.at/2fhqKhb)
Derek Hoke _ "Destination Unknown"
For the last seven years, Derek Hoke has found himself as the host of $2 Tuesdays at the 5 Spot in Nashville. There, he's hosted the likes of artists like Shovels & Rope, Nikki Lane, Margo Price, and many others. He found considerable acclaim in the Americana world for the release of his third LP, Southern Moon, in 2016. His fourth record, Bring the Flood, is coming out on 13 October via Little Hollywood. With it comes a total change of pace for the Georgia-born troubadour. Inspired by the current dark political climate, his heartland sound has become a bit more brooding and to-the-point. _ Jonathan Frahm
(http://popm.at/2jGskdP)
WATCH THIS
Andrew Bryant _ "Robert Downey Jr.'s Scars"
No one wrings profound moments of clarity from ephemeral thoughts quite like Mississippi songwriter Andrew Bryant. Singing, "Iron Man was on the TV / I was pouring myself another beer / Thinking about all the pain that's in my heart / Thinking about Robert Downey Jr.'s scars," the suburban mise-en-scene Bryant paints on "Robert Downey Jr.'s Scars" devolves into an adrenaline rush of rock and determination. Three years removed from the last Water Liars album, Bryant will follow on his 2015 solo release with 'Ain't It Like the Cosmos' on 27 October via Last Chance Records. _ Eric Risch
(https://youtu.be/G-WRdOX_f-4)
Kate Tempest _ "Tunnel Vision"
Brilliant UK artist Kate Tempest raps her way through a deeply socially conscious track in "Tunnel Vision," which appeared on her Mercury Prize-nominated "Let Them Eat Chaos." With her gift for words, Tempest is a poet of the left behind people in this era of neoliberalism. She also critiques the abuses of the capitalist system and the cult of the individual: "The myth of the individual has left us disconnected, lost and pitiful." Tempest's music is meant to enlighten and educate, as well as to entertain. _ SZ
(https://youtu.be/z4qGLDkK9TA)
