It's hard to pick just a few highlights this week, as there's tons of great new albums in shops now. Seattle-based project Hibou (led by Peter Michel) releases their debut self-titled full-length on beloved local label Barsuk Records. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls the long-awaited album, "an impressive set of summery, ‘80s-steeped dream-pop with ringing, reverbed guitars, atmospheric keyboards, gauzy vocals and wistful melodies." Another local treasure, Telekinesis, releases his fourth album, "a diverse, expertly crafted set of ‘80s-steeped synth-pop ranging from pulsing dance-pop to atmospheric space-pop ballads." And Northwest artist Natasha Kmeto shares her sophomore release, "an impressive blend of moody R&B, electro-pop and post-dubstep grooves combining dark synths and spacious, echoing beats with her soulful, full-bodied vocals and emotive lyrics."
Austin guitarist/singer/songwriter Gary Clark Jr. returns with "a potent blend of blues, soul, funk, psych-rock, hip hop, gospel and more that finds him focusing less on flashy solos and more on tight song construction." Veteran New York band Mercury Rev share their eighth album (and first in seven years), "an often-gorgeous set of kaleidoscopic psych-pop with a rich, varied sound ranging from buoyant soul and funk-inflected pop-rock to lush orchestral ballads, though the songs are occasionally undermined by some daft lyrics." Bob Moses -- not a dude, but a duo of Brooklyn-via-Vancouver musicians Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance -- debut a "promising set of brooding electro-pop with moody keyboards, atmospheric guitars, mid-tempo house and techno rhythms, gentle vocals, emotive lyrics and melancholy melodies."And that doesn't even touch on new releases from Roger Lion, a collaboration between Joe Pernice (Pernice Brothers, Scud Mountain Boys) with Seattle's own hip hop producer Budo; HeCTA, a new project comprised of three members of the Nashville-based band Lambchop, including the band’s frontman Kurt Wagner; Baio, the debut solo album from Chris Baio of Vampire Weekend, and much more. Check it all out below:
(Various Artists) Yves Tumor – “Histrionic II”
from Mykki Blanco Presents: C-ORE on Dogfood Music Group/!K7
Temperatures and new releases are dropping this month, including the latest (and first in twelve years) from reunited UK band The Libertines. KEXP Music Director Don Yates says the album "finds them in fine form with their songwriting skills intact. More reflective, mature and diverse than their pr…