2/6 Cory’s First Blast!
February 8, 2018
The KWCW Music directors are back! For yet another semester of NMBzz (as in New Muzic Blasters)
Cory Cogley, KWCW’s New Music Prophet, will be supplying the community with this Direct concentrated dose of Dank new music. Obviously, this is not required listening but–
“it might as well be because the music is dope as f*** this week omggg” -Your most beloved third grade teacher who inspired you to follow your passion in academics and beyond
¡~¡Links Lynx Linques!~!
You already probably missed music from garage rock auteur Ty Segall, solo project of former Feist guitarist Bahamas, peerless British reggae singer Hollie Cook, and stubbornly unapologetic retro-R&B band The James Hunter Six. Let’s not forget other left-field choices by eerie synth-pop extraordinaire Johnny Jewel, sophisticated indie pop band Typhoon, and trip-hop funkmaster Nightmares on Wax. And we can’t forget about the HIT NEW SINGLES from wonderful indie singer/songwriters Soccer Mommy and Lucy Dacus, can we??!!
That’s not even the best of the best y’all… Here’s this week’s picks! and yes of course they have to have cute nicknames:
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Hamburger Hayden ~ Toto Bona Lokua – Bondeko
“This afro-french trio had me searching google for a cheap rosetta stone by the end of the album, but honestly you don’t need to know a single word spoken to fall in love with Bondeko. The first track, “Ma Mama“, delivers a beautiful story of love that starts off with the sounds of birds chirping and transitions into a lovely little whistle segment backed with shakers and an absurdly alluring voice. And that’s really the story of this album, beautiful and alluring it seduces you into a foreign world.”
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Cantankerous Calvin ~ Shame – Songs of Praise
“These guys write post-punk songs that will probably sound like familiar territory if you’re a fan of bands like Gang of Four or Protomartyr, but they have so much raw energy that it’s hard not to feel like they’re onto something good on this debut album. The lyrics are often clever and self-aware, but usually they’re overshadowed by the pounding instrumentals and shouted vocals. Check out “Concrete” for an absolute banger, or try “Angie” if you’re looking for something a little less heavy.”
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Grumpy Gardner ~ No Age – Snares Like a Haircut
This album is maybe my favorite release of the year so far. This is absolute rock pandemonium and tasteful garage punk all wrapped into one delectable album. This really, really rips. Beautiful distorted riffs and snare drums predominate, yet the rest of the drums are mixed slightly below the rest of the instruments, creating a layered grounding effect to the whole album. Vocalist Dean Allen Spunk’s grate-y near shouting is raw and drives the tracks on this record. This record is the apex of No Age’s songwriting skill and performance prowess, a blending of all their best musical traits. I’m freaking hyped on this album. Songs like Drippy and Stuck in the Charger are raucous 60’s rock jams, while the title track and tidal are slower and more searching, straying into cleaner, electronic-esque tones and amb
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Trippin’ Tess ~ BOYO – Me, Again
“This album is super fun. Kind of a more approachable Galaxy 500 with some Ty Segall vibes! I’m really digging it! BOYO embodies the garage rock scene and the melancholy angst of 20-year-old front-man Robert Tilden who’s been messing around with music in LA since he was 16. He seems to have found his flow while experimenting across genres–definitely showing an Elliott Smith/Built to Spill influence. I seriously recommend this album if melancholy angst is your thing.” Thanks for the great recommendation! I would suggest this one “Insomnia” or just the whole thing cuz its goooood
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Goober Gabe ~ Calexico – The Thread that Keeps Us
Here it is, Calexico. The best band : band-name ratio in the lower 48. Meaning their band’s name is horrible but despite all that their songs are quite good. 300:1 ratio I’d posit. This one is more of an album than a collection of songs, which some would say signals “growth” or “maturity” in the band, but I think it’s just they changed their ideas a little. Their lyrics are nice and provocative here but even more politically tinged than you may have heard before from this band whose name I will not repeat because it will make you think that their music is bad even though I just told you it was good. Some latin influence here (the -exico part), which shinez bright: check out the song “Flores y Tamales“, my favorite off the album, for some lovely romantic nostalgia. I have always thought this band does the Spanish-language ones best, but no complaints on the remaining 92% of the album!! it’s good, listen to Under the Wheels for a good politically-tinged English one, and Eyes Wide Awake for the dreamy emotion, reminiscent of the first Calexico song I heard, Falling From the Sky.
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Luxurious Lucy ~ Jorja Smith – “Let Me Down” feat. Stormzy
“Jorja Smith’s newest song, so obviously play the shiz out of this song. Not only does she have some crazy pipes, she sings with much emotion– it’s visceral. She will make you feel things (Do not limit your listen to this song). Stormzy, who I had never heard before, adds a different pace to the song (not common in Ms. Smith’s music), behind Jorja’s vocals. There are beautiful piano and violin instrumentals. There are probably raving reviews of this song all over, so I will stop and you will listen.”
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Cool Cory ~ Justin Timberlake – Man of the Woods
The great JT finally hits his creative peak with the stellar Man of the Woods, an album that surpasses what all believed possible in terms of musical ability…. psych! this is fake obvi
Here’s the real review:
Field Music – Open Here
If there’s one thing you must know about Field Music, it’s that this band has yet to make a bad album. Even under such a blanket statement, this is definitely one of their most impressive works. Their love and appreciation for playful, amiable pop suits them better than ever, and Open Here dives into their most dance-y sound yet (greatly exemplified on the wonderfully synth-filled and hilariously on-point “Count It Up“). It gets better, or at least more enjoyable with each track, culminating with the gorgeous finale “Find a Way to Keep Me.” Give it a listen, it’s not unfair to say that this will be one of the best chamber pop albums of the year.
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Hope you enjoyed reading! Check back next week for some more fun tunes from your favorite music director palz!
