Small Feet "…With Psychic Powers (Barsuk)"
Simon Stålhamr is back with his second album as Small Feet. (I wonder if anyone accidentally downloaded a Small Feet record thinking they were gonna get back into Little Feet and thought “woah, they are way weirder than I remember”) …With Psychic Powers (Barsuk) finds Simon leaning more experimentally than his last (critically acclaimed) effort Far Enough Away Everything Sounds Like The Ocean. He’s mixing in more of that neo-psych rock sound-leaving the whole thing sounding a little Beach Boys, a little Syd Barrett, a little Congratulations-era MGMT, and a lot amazing. Reverb soaked and mysterious, often with a multi-tracked chorus of one. Check out the incredible album opener “Let The Guys Down.”
Zammuto "We The Animals Soundtrack (Temporary Residence)"
Nick Zammuto (formerly of Books, currently of being a solo artist) was asked to write the score to Jerimiah Zagar’s gorgeous and heartbreaking film We The Animals. He, of course, obliged in with aplomb. Beautiful and haunting just like the film, Nick uses scarce instrumentation (mostly electronics and synths) combined with clips of dialogue and natural sounds to make the soundtrack here it’s own singular achievement. Check out the ethereal “Fly Away.”
BRUTUS "Nest (Sargent House)"
Nest (Sargent House) is the latest release from Belgium trio Brutus. Mixing post-rock, metal, hardcore, and math rock all while vocalist/drummer Stefanie belts out “out the most impassioned vocals, shifting from deceptively melodic to out-right larynx-punishing in the blink of an eye.“ So says Sargent House’s PR, and so do I agree. Imagine a more pop-leaning MONO as led by a Sugarcubes-era Björk (when they lean pop) and… well, when Stefanie is really belting it out she sounds like no other voice in rock music. Moody, atmospheric one moment and nearly thrash metal the next moment. This is a stunner of an album, as is evidenced by the operatic changes of the single “War.”
K Á R Y Y N "The Quanta Series (Mute)"
The Quanta Series, K Á R Y Y N’s debut on Mute Records, was 7 years in the making. Following some family sadness, she retreated to upstate NY and began the process of healing through her music. The result is a beguiling, experimental batch of tunes that were released as pairs of singles over the last few years and are now collected as one monumental piece of art. Modern, otherworldly, haunting, emotive, and generally beautiful-this is truly a moving group of tunes. Give a listen to the FKA Twigs-ish “BINARY (1).”