THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
The War on Drugs _ "A Deeper Understanding"
"A Deeper Understanding," the War on Drugs' fourth album overall and their first with Atlantic, matches 2014's "Lost in the Dream" in vision, expansiveness and nuance. Though it mostly employs the same aesthetic calculus characterizing much of their output, subtle differences in mood and pace distinguish the record. On paper, an 11-minute lead single like "Thinking of a Place" might suggest a grandiose, majestic epic in the vein of "Under the Pressure." Certainly, it does have a kind of sweeping yet weary romance to it. _ Andrew Paschal
Gordi _ "Reservoir"
Growing up in the rural town of Canowindra, Australia, Sophie Payten (AKA Gordi) came to love the beautiful vastness of her home. However, spending her schooling at boarding schools and living in busy dorm rooms instilled a need to appreciate intimate spaces where she introspectively turned to guitar and pen. These two settings from Gordi's upbringing have worked together to inform her sound, a brand of folktronica akin to the likes of Bon Iver and Asgeir. _ Chris Thiessen
Cymbals Light _ "In Your Mind"
EMA _ "Exile in the Outer Ring"
Gogol Bordello _ "Seekers and Finders"
Iron & Wine _ "Beast Epic"
Nadine Shah _ "Holiday Destination"
Oh Sees _ "Orc"
Queens of the Stone Age _ "Villains"
Hype Williams _ "Rainbow Edition"
NOW HEAR THIS (new tracks from up and coming artists)
Valerie June and Dan Zanes _ "Take This Hammer"
Acclaimed family music artist Dan Zanes has long harbored a love for the incomparable music of the legendary Lead Belly. Zanes discovered Lead Belly's music at the age of 7 after acquiring his first library card and checking out a record of his. Now Zanes has turned that life-long affection for the artist into an exciting new project "Lead Belly, Baby!" which features new versions of Lead Belly's classic country blues/folk tunes performed by Zanes with a raft of guests, including Chuck D., Billy Bragg, Aloe Blacc, and Valerie June. _ Sarah Zupko
(http://popm.at/2uOnOit)
Monogold _ "Cinnamon"
"Cinnamon" is the latest track from New York City's Monogold. Culled from the outfit's upcoming album, Babyfood, due out Sept. 29, the infectious tune invites listeners into the band's self-described brand of strangewave, an amalgam of neo-psychedelia, off-kilter power pop and a pinch of something remarkably, well, strange. The track, which explores themes of one discovering another's body, is playful and imaginative and the accompanying video, appropriately enough, animated by a group of children. Students at the Good School, a mobile stop-frame animation school for kids (run by vocalist Keith Kelly's girlfriend, Laura Bellmont), provided the images. _ Jedd Beaudoin
(https://youtu.be/O0PV7b0Y_9U)
End Christian _ 'Energy & Strength'
Energy & Strength is the brand new release by Philadelphia's End Christian and is out today via Translation Loss. Although heavy, the music draws from a diverse range of sounds, including the darker reaches of shoegaze and dream pop with dark doses of electronic sounds that float above and beneath ethereal vocals, creating soundscapes that run the gamut from meditative to jarring. The pieces range from the slender, half-minute hallucination of "Hour Job" to the truly cinematic reaches of "Oscillate Forms," a piece that will appeal to fans of Steven Wilson's stranger works as well as those who've come to appreciate post-OK Computer Radiohead. "A Relaxing Time," meanwhile, calls to mind the audio cinema of classic progressive bands such as Gong and Hawkwind while remaining firmly in tune with the contemporary. _ JB
(http://popm.at/2uOqZHa)
WATCH THIS
Chase & Status _ "Love Me More" ft. Emeli Sande
That "Funky Drummer" sample is the gift that keeps on giving. "Love Me More" might be the hundred-thousandth-ish song to sample James Brown's classic ode to his percussionist, but it's a great track nonetheless thanks to the energetic work of Emeli Sande, who climbs to the sky with her vocal track. The strings follow her to the stratosphere, and it's impossible to keep from getting sucked in. This is a track built on a formula, but no formula exists to account for Sande, and her performance is the kind of vocal that you scream along to, tears in your eyes, heart ready to burst. _ Mike Schiller
(https://youtu.be/eZAB2sNzGWM)
