FRESH RELEASES 3
Discover the best of the week by Gabriele and Marco
We are presenting our eight favourite records released in the last 7 days. You’ll be able to find the artwork, a few lines about the record and its link to Bandcamp (or Spotify).
The section will become a regular weekly thing - it is made in collaboration with Marco Beccani, a Tuscany-based music enthusiast.
Marco’s suggestions
Algiers - Shook
(Matador Records, 2023)
Algiers' fourth album has all the makings of intimidating those who want to listen to it - seventeen tracks, a previous work that is difficult to assimilate and a long list of collaborations - but the only act of courage required is to press play. Once done, a changing musical panorama full of suggestions awaits us.
Shame - Food for worms
(Dead Oceans, 2023)
The fun post-punk of the British Shame returns to shine in a sparkling new record. Their chameleonic path proceeds quickly towards an ever more fresh and ingenious evolution. After the excellent "Drunk Tank Pink" of 2021, the ten reflective and overwhelming songs of this new album entitled "Food For Worms" result from a robust and different approach in the production phase that perfectly distinguishes it from the past. The disc rides a rich baggage of dusty guitars and unbridled rhythms that blend a very explicit theatrical side.
Unloved - Polychrome
(Heavenly Recordings, 2023)
After the tremendous critical success of 'The Pink Album' last year, Unloved have already dropped the successor: 'Polychrome', released today by Heavenly Recordings, composed of songs from the same sessions of the double LP released not even five months ago. 'I Did It' was the first excerpt, "a statement of success that deserves to be celebrated. Yes, you did. You did it, you did it," writes frontwoman Jade Vincent in a statement.
Gruff Rhys - The Almond & the Seahorse
(Rough Trade Records Ltd, 2023)
Two years after the last "Seeking New Gods", Gruff Rhys returns with new work in the studio. This is the soundtrack composed for the film "The Almond & the Seahorse", starring Rebel Wilson and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Rhys composed the 22 tracks of the new album between 2021 and 2022, collaborating with many musicians, including members of the National Orchestra of Wales. The longings and frustrations of the songs fit the film's themes perfectly. Here I give you two pieces of advice: listen to the album and watch the movie.
Gabriele’s suggestions
Bono / Burattini - Suono In Un Tempo Trasfigurato
(Maple Death Records, 2023)
The Italian label Maple Death has released some incredible records in the last months - is no exception this record by Francesca Bono and Vittoria Burattini.
Composed only with a Juno 60 synthesizer and “the organic linear pulsating sound of a drum kit”, it is a mesmerizing dream soundscape and cosmic rhythmic architecture. The production is also magnificent.
Jacopo Buda - Emerald Vision
(Communion, 2023)
Jacopo Buda is a trumpet player, composer and sound artist that “investigates the infinite possibilities given by the encounter between trumpet and electronics in a live improvisational context”. Kraut rock, Middle Eastern haze, free jazz and a spontaneous and open-minded approach to sound mark this work as a perfect companion to reflect on the eternal cycles.
Zander Raymond - Secrets From a Squirrel
(Florabelle, 2023)
Multimedia artist Zander Raymond now shares his first LP, Secrets From A Squirrel. Synth notes and field recordings that interact create fluidity, almost like they evoke a circulatory system or neurological link. The tracks paint one whole movement, so that’s how you should approach the listening of this work.
Meemo Comma - Loverboy
(Planet Mu, 2023)
The 90s are the winners (again) of these recent years. Producers from the UK but not only, champion the energy of trance, breakbeat hardcore and jungle again - often all mashed together. And Planet Mu welcomes back those sonorities. The lockdown generation has listened to stuff like Autechre, Guy Called Gerald, Orbital, and Shitmat… and now it’s time to release the euphoria.
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