Here are the favorite new releases our music and air teams have been enjoying.

From Inessa Anderson, Music Director

I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico – Various Artists

“Verve Records has announced I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground and Nico (Sept. 24), a star-studded covers compilation featuring Iggy Pop & Matt Sweeney, St. Vincent & Thomas Bartlett, R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen, The National’s Matt Berninger, Courtney Barnett and more offering their renditions of each track from the band’s all-timer of a 1967 debut album.” – Paste Magazine (Check out Kurt Vile’s rendition of “Run Run Run”)

Gov’t Mule – Heavy Load Blues
“Gov’t Mule — the band led by Warren Haynes — will release a new album, Heavy Load Blues, on November 12 via Fantasy Records. The band are calling it their first-ever blues album, and it features a mix of Haynes originals and covers originally made famous by the likes of Howlin’ Wolf, Elmore James, Junior Wells, Ann Peebles, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Tom Waits and the Animals.”  – Bluesmagazine

 

From Asia Wagner, Music Curator, Host of beat | side

Kye KyeArya

The Portland based, Estonian-born siblings Olga and Timothy Yagolnikov, released Arya earlier this summer, nearly 7 years after their successful LP Fantasize. The album offers 16 tracks that weave through indie pop and lush electronica sounds and feature beautifully haunting vocals of Olga.

 

Tora – A Force Majeure

Tora – the four-member band out of Byron Bay, Australia has been teasing their new album since early 2021, with beautiful singles, including “Why Won’t You Wait”, which came out in the spring. The band is the epitome of genre-less sound, with their alt R&B/indie pop & electronic vibe.

 

From Ray Gill Jr. – Host of Rudeboy Radio
SAULTNine
“The soulful parts are expansive, beautiful, and experimental. The funk-driven parts are pure dancefloor fuel and will doubtless leave a lot of living room carpets smoking before lockdown is done. In staying true to the core sound, enhancing it in some places, and expanding on it in others, Sault has dropped an album which represents an organic progression for the band, evolution without scientific meddling. In essence, this is the exact right album needed in the current climate, with the people facing a fresh set of problems with a very familiar feel.” –  Earmilk

KingsleyCrying on Holidays
Crying On Holidays” is Kingsley’s sophomore release with a distinct sound that gives the entire project a creative, whimsical personality, with Kingsley flexing her artistic prowess”- Afropunk 

 

 

fanclubwalletHurt is Boring

“Featuring Judge’s signature vocal style and guitar-driven melodies, fanclubwallet is very much in the singer/songwriter vein of alt-superstars like Soccer Mommy. I think fanclubwallet has that potential. Hurt is Boring tackles intense topics such as heartbreak, queer love, and boredom. The pandemic has been wrought with isolation and boredom and Judge tackles the issue perfectly.”- Altrevue

 

From Veronica Bisesti – Artist Liaison, Host of Subculture

Documentary: Todd HaynesThe Velvet Underground

No other band epitomized cool the way the Velvet Underground did.   For fans of this seminal band, and frankly anyone who has an affinity for alternative rock, this documentary has been a long time in the coming.  Thankfully no other director epitomizes an attention to detail like Todd Haynes.   Through mostly still photographs and interviews with Maureen Tucker and John Cale, Haynes puts us right into the seedy underbelly of an art house musical movement that was The Velvet Underground.

Duran DuranFuture Past
DD has been putting music out for 40 years and they STILL manage to capture the sounds of today while remaining true to their own musical stylings.   With lead off singles such as “Invisible” and “Anniversary” (paying homage to their 40 years of musical magic), it sounds as though we’re in for an album that will not only please Duran Duran devotees (yes – I am a Duranie) but will draw in a new generation of enthusiasts.   If you build it, they will come…

 

From Jenna D – Host of Theme for a Tuesday, Music Team
The KillersPressure Machine
Pressure Machine, their second record in the space of the year, is a fascinating, character-driven record. Where their last record reached celestial heights, lockdown brought frontman Brandon Flowers back down to earth, prompting a period of reflection of his origins. The topics touched upon are specific to Flowers’ hometown in Nephi, Utah – where he spent his parts of childhood and teenage years – but will resonate with anyone whose hometowns have been hit designed with similar plights: economic hardship, dwindling opportunities, substance abuse and the personal squabbles that spread like wildfire through tight knit communities.”
– NME
Lucy DacusHome Video
“Addressing faith, young love, and nostalgia, the songwriter’s autobiographical third album is empathetic yet unsparing, catchy and finely crafted… She gives her listeners permission to shake loose the beliefs they held as children and dive headfirst into the clean, cool waters of the future. Write your own moral code, she suggests; write your own worldly music.”
– Pitchfork
Home Video, recorded at Trace Horse Studio in Nashville, is just what you’d expect from such a talent. Here, her wise brand of rock music blooms into something even more palpable, relatable and beautifully messy.”
– Paste
Japanese BreakfastJubilee
“As if the title weren’t obvious enough, Japanese Breakfast’s latest LP Jubilee is the project’s most ecstatic-sounding album to date.”
-Rolling Stone
“How many can make an album like Jubilee? To put it another way… How’s it feel to witness Zauner at the height of her powers? Captivating every heart? Projecting her visions to strangers who feel it, who listen, who linger on every word? Oh, it’s a rush!”
-Stereogum

 

From Patrick Meigs– Host of The Mixtape
Rose City Band – Earth Trip
Earth Trip is Rose City Band’s third record. After hearing the record, I went back to get the entire catalog. The music and lyrics arch beautifully across the entire record in ways that makes one want to listen to the record on repeat. The songs on the record paint a picture of themes that “recur such as pining for summers spent in the company of friends to newer meditations on space, stillness and the splendor of the natural world.” This is an incredible local band that is must have in the collection!
Los Lobos – Native Son
Los Lobos’ latest record is another example of why this band is so incredible. They cross many musical genres on one record and Native Son is no exception. A highlight on the album is their version of two great songs meshed together,  Bluebird and For What It’s Worth. Los Lobos always hits the mark with their music and this album is an excellent example of their musical prowess.
Aoife O’Donovan – Nebraska
Aoife O’Donovan is simply an amazing vocalist and musician. She leads the band Crooked Still and is a member of the critically acclaimed band I’m With Her. Aoife also has a wonderful solo career. She recorded Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska in her living room during the pandemic and just released the recording. I cannot stop listening to this record. It is amazing how Springsteen’s songs stand that test of time and O’Donovan does them beautifully!
Veronica Bisesti
Latest posts by Veronica Bisesti (see all)