Week of May 23, 2021
Listening selections for the week of May 23, 2021, best enjoyed with a cup of Stumptown Coffee Roasters’ Hair Bender, for deeply comforting notes of chocolate with a zing of citrus.
Streaming Links:
Highlights include:
The welcome return of Cochemea’s spiritual sax wail
Dramatic soul balladry from Curtis Harding that channels Isaac Hayes
Tightly textured nu-disco bliss from Parcels, as reviewed this past week
Brooding dancefloor jazz from Bristol’s Snazzback
Scorching guitar rock from Mdou Moctar’s lauded new Afrique Victime
A graceful return to the basics for The Black Keys
Chaotic creation from the puzzlingly excellent black midi
A remix of Muse’s “Citizen Erased” from the forthcoming 20th anniversary edition of their career best Origin of Symmetry
A sauntering house vignette from Ebende’s new EP Bizznizz
A dissonantly tuneful remix of A. G. Cook’s “Xxoplex” featuring frequent PC Music collaborator Charli XCX
Energetic, forceful bars from Tobe and Fat Nwigwe
Otherworldly groove from the Israeli duo of Markey Funk and Mule Driver
Phat textures and hazy synth from Jungle production wizard J Lloyd
Placating lo-fi house from Chaos In The CBD and Jon Sable’s superb new collaborative EP
Sunny Afrobreat from Nigerian percussionist and bandleader Ginger Johnson and his African Messengers
Poignant indie folk from Damien Jurado’s The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania
Another gorgeous, melodious single from Francis Lung’s forthcoming Miracle
A breathtaking collaboration between all-star indie songstresses Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen
Yearning pop magnificence with production to die from Lydia Ainsworth’s new Sparkles & Debris
Resplendent jangle rock from Ducks Ltd.’s debut album Get Bleak
Aqueous ear candy from Marinero’s Hardly Art debut
Glorious ‘70s pastiche with an intoxicating, wistful melody from Twin Shadow
Resolute post-punk from Facs’ latest album Present Tense
Lush, aching indie rock from Current Joys with a devastating melody
For fans of Mazzy Star, Indigo Sparke’s beautiful brand of dreamy indie, produced by Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker