MMOTHS
Luneworks
[OYAE]
Despite having been a name know around town for five years or so, Luneworks is Jack Colleran’s debut full-length album. A study in ambiance and minute differentiations in distorted fields of colour, Luneworks seems to draw from the music Tim Hecker as much as it does from the beat music scene that MMOTHS is so often associated with. The album expertly conjures some uneasy sonic landscapes, but feels like it often doesn’t know how to – or doesn’t want to – fill in the foreground. –Ian Lamont
Jan St. Werner
Felder (Fiepblatter Catalogue #4)
[Thrill Jockey]
One half of veteran German electronic duo Mouse On Mars, Jan St. Werner releases his (even more) experimental work as part of the Fiepblatter series. Felder is a luxurious bath of electroacoustic phenomena: field recordings mix with organic instruments chopped into trance-like patterns, while synthetic tones whine and buzz about the stereo space. Not easily digestible or comprehendible, but fun to luxuriate in. – Ian Lamont
Nick Colionne
The Journey
[MRI]
Contemporary jazz doesn’t get any smoother than this. Colionne is a Chicago-based guitarist who has been pleasing fans since his debut ten years ago. He can hold his own alongside the likes of George Benson and Wes Montgomery. Morning Call and Say What’s On Your Mind are proof enough of this. His signature smooth baritone vocals make you want to leave this disc on repeat for a long time. –Tom Cahill
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Cast
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend OST vol. 1
[Warner]
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has some things going against it – an irksome title and punishingly low ratings among them – but its attitude is never less than triumphant. Musical comedy is a tricky balance, especially when you need a little plot thrown into each song, but the writers have handily been putting out a couple of hits each episode. With parodies of everything from showtunes to sultry R’n’B, the pointed jokes never undercut the depthless wells of affection the show has for its characters. – Leo Devlin
Basia Bulat
Good Advice
[Secret City]
Despite having successfully transitioned from her folk origins to full-on pop, most of Basia Bulat’s songs on this new release come from a place of uncertainty. Songs like Infamous and Living in the Name Of don’t have choruses as such, they have mantras, pushing back a tide of self-doubt. Even among this Bulat find moments of epiphany, aided in no small part by her bell-clear vocals, as well as a rollicking and assured performance by her band, making this a thoroughly rewarding listen. –Leo Devlin
Kendrick Lamar
untitled unmastered
[Top Dawg]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoaAWtfq-4o
In a personality-driven field, it’s impressive that Kendrick Lamar’s experimental sketchbook debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. It’s certainly not to do with the content – there is nothing radio-friendly here. But where To Pimp A Butterfly was forced to juggle exploration and commerce, this demo collection can focus on what, you expect, animates Kendrick. Politically conscious, packed with unconventional rhyme schemes and laid out over actual jazz beats that would terrify most rappers, untitled unmastered is unapologetic. That’s a good thing.– Karl McDonald
Lionlimb
Shoo
[Bayonet]
When listening to the debut full length from ’70s indebted pop-rock duo Lionlimb, it’s impossible not to pick up on the spectre of Elliott Smith hovering over proceedings, so similar are the vocals of frontman Stewart Bronaugh. Voice-twin properties aside, there is more on display here than simply lifting from one of the greats. Possessing assured, laid-back swagger in spades, Shoo is dense, tricky but never distancing in it’s complexity, respectfully drawing from warm hues of vintage AOR while neatly sidestepping the MOR. –Danny Wilson
La Sera
Music For Listening To Music To
[Polyvinyl]
Katy Goodman’s fourth release as La Sera is her first made in full collaboration with husband Todd Wisenbacker. The album revels in an almost campy brand of Americana, fostered under the tutelage of producer and alt-country impresario Ryan Adams. Adam’s deftness behind the desk furnishes proceedings with an amplified awareness of timbre and tone, providing a wider scope than evident on Goodman’s somewhat samey earlier work. All in all, a charming little confection that never sticks around long enough to overstay it’s welcome. – Danny Wilson
