THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
Dalek _ "Endangered Philosophies"
"Endangered Philosophies" is a record for the current time and all of the challenges of today. Establishing the importance of one being educated in "Son of Immigrant" MC Dalek dives into it, "I'm your worst nightmare / Educated and born here." The biggest critique the album makes is the rise of anti-intellectualism, as in the opening track, "Intellect is mourned by the intelligent, truths once self-evident replaced by vile rhetoric." Meanwhile, the manner in which the lack of knowledge and misinformation are weaponized is detailed in "Nothing Stays Permanent." _ Spyros Stasis
Madeline Kenney _ "Night Night at the First Landing"
"Don't forget / There's room for you," Madeline Kenney sings on the opening track of her ethereal debut album, inviting listeners to submerge themselves in the immersive and delicately transcendent "Night Night at the First Landing." Over the course of the next 10 tracks, Kenney croons, croaks, and cries her way to one of the best albums of 2017. _ Claire Greising
Bicep _ "Bicep"
Whether it be jungle, house, or italo-disco the whole ethos of Bicep is to take everything they have learnt, filter it and see what rises to the top. That eclectic attitude has transferred admirably to this album. An album that sees the pair take all of that knowledge, understanding and judgment to iron out and stitch together elements from throughout electronic musical history. _ Paul Carr
Hercules & Love Affair _ "Omnion"
LCD Soundsystem _ "American Dream"
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark _ "The Punishment of Luxury"
Joan Osborne _ "Songs of Bob Dylan"
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart _ "The Echo of Pleasure"
Starsailor _ "All This Life"
NOW HEAR THIS (new tracks from up and coming artists)
Elizabeth and the Catapult _ "Underwater"
Brooklyn's Elizabeth Ziman, otherwise known as Elizabeth and the Catapult, incorporates her dreams into much of the music she writes. Using a diary to record thoughts, visions, impressions, and words, she works those pieces together in her songs. So, it's not surprising that Elizabeth and the Catapult's upcoming album, Keepsake, uses nostalgia and transformation as its two central themes. After all, nostalgia is often best celebrated in the lines and images recorded by someone in their journal. Ziman also allows the city of New York to inspire her work as she pens her words and melodies all over town in various locales. That approach is captured charmingly in the new video for "Underwater". _ Sarah Zupko
(https://youtu.be/sxJZQYeQ1p8)
Racing _ "Misbehaving"
Kiwi rockers Racing have just issued the EP "The Bass," a briskly paced collection of danceable tracks heavy on neon rhythms and deep, deep groves. "Misbehaving" is a superior example of the band's soulful sensibilities. Funkified basslines and guitar transport listeners to the heat and hedonism of the dance floor while the quartet, including Ed Knowles and Sven Pettersen (ex-the Checks) and Daniel Barrett (Sherpa) and Izaak Houston, (Space Creeps), do their best to upset expectations about the parameters of a pop song. Lead guitar lines land somewhere between Hendrix at his height and the near absurdity of 8-bit music; gang vocals allow listeners to sing at the top of their lungs and lose themselves in the track's carefree ways before being. _ Jedd Beaudoin
(https://youtu.be/OZiX_uBBl70)
Drew Kennedy _ "Open Road"
Drew Kennedy's "Open Road" is more than just another traveling song. It fits all of the right bills, being a picturesque Americana track evocative of a windswept Texas landscape in both its lyricism and sound. Yet, there is more to it than that for the New Braunfels artist. "I like it when the universe sends you a little sign that it's paying attention," Kennedy says, ceding into the track's back story. "Open Road" is the latest single from off of his upcoming record, "At Home in the Big Lonesome," set to be released on November 3rd. _ Jonathan Frahm
(http://popm.at/2xfGF3F)
WATCH THIS
Lorde _ "Perfect Places"
This is pretty much the perfect capstone to Lorde's conceptual "Melodrama." Lorde's melodies, rhythmic delivery, and vocal layering are in peak performance. And that chorus! The production team almost created the illusion of a giant children's choir behind Lorde, bringing this aesthetic of youth desperately seeking for meaning, an escape from the drama and the "graceless nights." _ Chris Thiessen
(https://youtu.be/J0DjcsK_-HY)
