In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on October 4th, 2019:
Angel Olsen, All Mirrors
Following her critically acclaimed 2016 album My Woman, singer-songwriter Angel Olsen returns with her fourth studio effort titled All Mirrors. For the record, Olsen collaborated with producer John Congeleton, arranger Jherek Bischoff, multi-instrumentalist/arranger/pre-producer Ben Babbitt, and a 14-piece orchestra. The artist said in a statement: “In every way—from the making of it, to the words, to how I feel moving forward, this record is about owning up to your darkest side, finding the capacity for new love, and trusting change even when you feel like a stranger.”
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Ghosteen
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds are back with their seventeenth studio album, Ghosteen. It is the third album in the trilogy that includes 2013’s Push the Sky Away and 2016’s Skeleton Tree. After a period of “delibaretely” not writing lyrics in 2015 following his son’gs death, which haunted the recording of his previous album, Cave started confidently writing lyrics again in 2017. Ghosteen is a double album, with the first part, which Nick Cave describes as “the children”, consisting of 8 songs, while the second, “their parents”, of two longer songs and a spoken-word piece. “Ghosteen is a migrating spirit,” Cave explains.
Danny Brown, uknowhatimsayin¿
U Know What I’m Saying? (stylized as uknowhatimsayin¿) is the fifth studio album from Detroit rapper Danny Brown, out now via Warp Records. The follow-up to 2016’s abrasive Atrocity Exhibition features guest appearances from the likes of Run the Jewels, Obongjayar, Jpegmafia, and Blood Orange, and was executive produced by legendary hip-hop producer Q-Tip. “This is my version of a stand-up comedy album,” Brown explains. “Most of my close friends now aren’t rappers—they’re comedians and actors. So I wanted to create something that mixed humor with music. Something that was funny but not parody.”
Wilco, Ode to Joy
India band Wilco have released their eleventh studio album called Ode to Joy. Frontman Jeff Tweedy describes the sound of the new album as consisting of “really big, big folk songs, these monolithic, brutal structures that these delicate feelings are hung on.” The album features the singles ‘Love is Everywhere (Beware)’ and ‘Everyone Hides’.
Other albums out today: The Menzingers, Hello Exile; City and Colour, A Pill for Loneliness; Akon, El Negreeto; Billy Woods, Terror Management; DIIV, Deceiver; Gatecreeper, Deserted.
Tegan and Sara came up with the idea for Hey, I’m Just Like You while doing research for their memoir titled High School. In the process, the twin musicians stumbled upon cassette tapes of songs they wrote as teenagers, so of course they had to dig back into them and recreate them. The concept in itself is compelling: a group of songwriters discovering their earliest recordings and revisiting them with the skill and experience they’ve acquired as professional musicians. The album as a whole is lighthearted but genuine; there’s a charming sense of youthful naivety to songs such as the title track, which sounds straight out of a 90s teen TV show, while ‘I’ll Be Back Someday’ might be the most pop punk song the duo have crafted. Despite the rock-inspired direction the album often takes, on tracks like the slow-burning ’Don’t Believe the Things They Tell You (They Lie)’ you can recognize the pop elements the duo have been incorporating lately into their indie sound. Perhaps you need to know the backstory behind the album to truly appreciate it, but it’s also the way Tegan and Sara execute the concept that makes it effective: nowhere do they look down on their past selves, instead painting a nostalgic, heartfelt portrait of adolescent emotions.
Throughout their career, Opeth have established a reputation as one of the most versatile bands in their genre, most notably in their seamless transition from death metal band to prog rock titans. In Cauda Venenum is their 13th album and their first since 2016’s Sorceress, and it’s one of their most meticulously crafted, ambitious, and engaging yet. Both the musical and emotional range of the record is deeper, while the balance between dark and light is finely tuned. The artistry and skill on display, seemingly effortless, are as impressive as ever, while the songwriting is potent, though it might take a few listens to fully appreciate. Both the English and Swedish versions are effective, but there’s something refreshing about listening to the Swedish version. It’s hard to detect any missteps here, although it’s fair to assume that the record won’t sway anyone that is not a fan of the band already – nothing here feels particularly new. But Opeth have nothing to prove at this point – In Cauda Venenum is both undeniably compelling and masterfully executed.
The Talkies is the kind of album that crawls deep into your skin. Experimental rock outfit Girl Band’s sophomore project is not only a cohesive and ambitious effort but also an abrasively propulsive dive into the depths of a tortured soul. From the very first moments where Dara Kiely breathes close into the microphone like he’s fallen from a great height, you feel like you too have plunged into an endless abyss. Cavernous, screeching guitars center around Kiley’s manic, often indecipherable vocals, while bassist Daniel Fox and drummmer Adam Faulkner dynamically carry the songs with their captivating rhythm sections. Musically, imagine if Idles were forced to make a record without the classic punk rock guitars and took on a more esoteric, artsier approach. The record peaks early with the stand-out single ‘Shoulderblades’, where the best elements of the record are combined to dizzyingly hypnotic effects. It’s surprisingly sticky too, thanks to its neurotically repetitive, but never boring, nature. This isn’t a record that’s gonna move you necessarily, but it is certainly going to leave a lasting impression on you.
Temples, Hot Motion: British psych-rock outfit Temples are back with their third album, their first for ATO Records worldwide. Following their acclaimed debut Sun Structures and 2014’s Volcano, the three-piece are reportedly exploring a darker, David Lynch-esque sound. “It felt like there was a darker edge to what we were coming up with and we wanted to make sure that carried through across the whole record,” bassist Walmsley explains.