Aoife Nessa Frances "Land Of No Junction (Ba Da Bing)"
Look. I hate to get completely reductive and just throw a bunch of RIYLs at you in these blurbs. But sometimes the RIYLs are so perfect that you just gotta lead with them. So, then, readers, if–like me–you like yourself some Yo La Tengo, some Stereolab, some Nico, then you should definitely be excited for the debut album from Irish performer Aoife Nessa Frances (which has been named Uncut’s Album Of The Month for January 2020). Co-produced by Cian Nugent, Land Of No Junction (Ba Da Bing!) is a hazy, gauzy dose of stunning psych pop. Warm guitars, synths, and Aoife’s vocals mix together into a sunset of warm glowing warming glows. Check out the supremely YLT-esque “Blow Up.”
Oval "Scis (Thrill Jockey)"
From Thrill Jockey:
Oval began in the early 90’s and rapidly gained acclaim for its innovations in electronic music. Composer Markus Popp championed software intuition over his own role in music making for many years, anticipating the AI trend in composition by nearly 30 years. Early albums found a critique of the entire system of recorded music built into every gesture. Popp toured with a desktop computer and projected his screen, constructing remarkably evocative and emotional performances from file manipulation. Each new Oval release saw Popp radically redefine his practice, introducing new elements and embracing new creative challenges, integrating cutting-edge technology and processes into his practice to ensure that each record sounded as contemporary and exhilarating as the last.
New album Scis and its companion EP Eksploio see the producer focus on composition, working with a fresh palette of sounds to create his most emotive work to date. Popp injects a newfound playfulness into his complex loop architectures, with both album and EP exploring and subverting elements of club music. The intricate, organic drum sounds Popp introduced on the Oh! EP and O album have here been replaced with driving electronic rhythms, albeit still approached by Popp as an instrumentalist rather than a beat-maker.
Check out the quirky build of “Impecco.”
Desire Marea "DESIRE (Mute)"
A new album by South African artist, Desire Marea.
Puppy and the Hand Jobs "I Hate Everything EP (Slovenly)"
From Slovenly Records:
The three obnoxious jack-offs known as PUPPY AND THE HAND JOBS are back with another crude EP of filth ridden, barely listenable / tolerable punk called “I Hate Everything,” and with 7 songs this time around, that’s only a buck a track in as many inches. WHAT A FUCKIN BARGAIN. Never before in the history of recorded music has it been so cheap and effortless to be insulted and assaulted with a swift kick in the genitals by “songs” with titles like “Cocksucker” and “Rocker Hag.” But even a band of total degenerate creeps like this can still muster a touch of class here and there: enter one-time SUN CITY GIRLS collaborator Eddy Detroit who penned the shitty little ditty “Plan 9” – a catchy track that will have you singing along like a dope before Puppy threatens your puny, worthless existence with “Predator.”
Check out “Plan 9.”