Cloistering yourself up next to the open refrigerator with a bunch of new albums is certainly one way to beat the heat. With Natural Disaster, Bethany Cosentino steps away from Best Coast with a strong set of jangly Americana produced by Butch Walker. Deft harmonies are always the main draw of a new Darlingside record; on Everything is Alive each member is given their own moment in the spotlight. Strings and electronic rhythms get folded into The Clientele’s signature chamber pop sound on I am Not There Anymore. After records produced by Toro y Moi and Wye Oak, Bay Area musician Madeline Kenney imbues her fourth album, A New Reality Mind, with bold textures to compliment her open-hearted lyrics.
New Orleans jazz virtuoso Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) trades his trumpet for a handmade harp to honor his Xodokan Nation heritage on Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning. Following an 11-year break (and the Fall 2021 death of drummer Dee Pop), New York no wave mainstays Bush Tetras team up with Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley for the aggressive and adventurous They Live in My Head. A favorite among the ‘deep listening’ for his ’80s Keyboard Fantasies, Beverly Glenn-Copeland turns in a stylish and cinematic set on The Ones Ahead.
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