THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
Lee Gamble _ "Mnestic Pressure"
"Mnestic Pressure," Lee Gamble's first album for Hyperdub, finds him at a point in his career where he seems to be looking to systematically dismember his sound and refashion it into something faster and louder. He seems emboldened, actively seeking to rough up his sound with harsher, disassembled beats acting as the counterfoil to more floaty, ambient melodies. It's an unpredictable and turbulent album that showcases a progressive and exciting talent trying to challenge himself as an artist. _ Paul Carr
Bell Witch _ "Mirror Reaper"
New album "Mirror Reaper" could be seen as an attempt by Bell Witch to create a work more colossal than "Four Phantoms." The tone of the album is much the same, as are the instruments present (bass, vocals, and percussion, with an added Hammond B3 organ). But the structure of the album is different. "Mirror Reaper" is a single 83-minute song. _ Thomas Britt
Kllo _ "Backwater"
"Backwater" is the debut album from Australian duo, Chloe Kaul, and Simon Lam. The record builds on a breakthrough year for the band in 2016, with their EP "Well Worn" enjoying robust playback and the group touring extensively, seeing them travel globally and continue to attract the attention of tastemakers the world over. The result is a mature, subtle record ready for dance floors and living rooms alike and a testament to the ever-strengthening Australian electronic scene. _ William Sutton
Bully _ "Losing"
Destroyer _ "ken"
Esmerine _ "Mechanics of Dominio"
Gwar _ "The Blood of Gods"
Jessie Ware _ "Glasshouse"
John Carpenter _ "Anthology: Movie Themes 1974-1998"
Lindstr�m _ "It's Alright Between Us As It I"
Margo Price _ "All American Made"
NOW HEAR THIS (new tracks from up and coming artists)
Wax Fang _ "Glass Island"
Louisville, Kentucky's Wax Fang returns with a track to give you the shivers. Built on an eerie, hip-hop-ish rhythms, psychedelic-cum-horror rock keyboard figures and a devastatingly beautiful vocal take from Lacey Guthrie (Twin Limb), "Glass Island" bursts into a deep-cutting, prog-influenced ecstasy that'll leave listeners marveling at the ease with which this quartet moves between these disparate spheres. _ Jedd Beaudoin
(https://youtu.be/JJZnNnCpapQ)
Avi Jacob _ "New England"
The topmost appeal of Avi Jacob's art is its honesty. Though his first memories consist of "feeling completely isolated, sad, and alone," the Boston singer-songwriter willingly puts himself out there for his audience. The result is a warmhearted feeling attached to his overarching body of work, all set out to speak the truth, relating his melancholic life stories to others. Together, they achieve mutual healing. _ Jonathan Frahm
(http://popm.at/2yInrYw)
WATCH THIS
U.S. Girls _ "Mad As Hell"
Like a sugar cube laced with acid, this U.S. Girls track features a sweetness that hides a hidden kick. Meghan Remy's old-fashioned style vocals come right out of the girl group songbook, but she combines it with pounding drum rhythms to create a seemingly innocuous song with dangerous implications. As the title suggests, she is mad as hell, and she's not gonna take it anymore. The song folds in on itself to reveal layers of meaning. The writing may be nonlinear and even non-narrative, but it tells a story nonetheless, and one feels crushed by the experience in a good way. _ Steve Horowitz
(https://youtu.be/XtGb5NiGBjc)
Sudan Archives _ "Water"
Filmed on the shores of Ghana, "Water" serves as an epilogue to Sudan Archives' outstanding debut EP. Her voice and strings mesmerize, as always, and the electronic touches Archives adds are almost ambient, but still structured enough to indicate that Archives is showing us two minutes and 17 seconds of a whole world that she has built herself. Her innovation knows no bounds, and while the slice that is "Water" is barely a glimpse of that, it's a good one. _ Adriane Pontecorvo
(https://youtu.be/IEHau8sRX0A)
