Fall is kicking off with some heavy hitters. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls the latest from Wilco, "one of their more modest-sounding releases, featuring a mostly low-key and acoustic-oriented folk-rock sound on bittersweet songs revolving around alienation and childhood memories."
M.I.A. finally releases her fifth, and possibly last album, as she's been claiming on social media. Yates calls it "an inconsistent but often-gripping set combining a variety of beats and Eastern textures and melodies with politically charged lyrics often revolving around the plight of refugees." The tenth studio album from veteran Scottish band Teenage Fanclub is "a typically well-crafted set of melodic guitar-pop with a warm, inviting sound featuring strummed acoustic and jangly electric guitars, gentle harmonies and bittersweet melodies." Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds return with their sixteenth album (and sadly, their first since the tragic passing of Cave's 15-year-old son Arthur in July 2015). Not surprisingly, it's "a powerful set of dark, mournful ballads combining a brooding, spare sound with Cave's wounded vocals and emotionally raw lyrics reflecting upon death and loss."
Seattle band The Head & the Heart share their third full-length, "a more polished and heavily produced sound for their anthemic folk-pop." And Jack White shares a collection of 26 acoustic songs from throughout his career, including album tracks, B-sides, remixes, alternate versions, and previously unreleased tracks.
September continues to be strong for new releases. Highlights include the latest from Staten Island, NY band Cymbals Eat Guitars. KEXP Music Director Don Yates says their fourth album, "brings a bit more of an expansive and energetic sound to their anthemic indie-rock. Produced by John Congleton, t…
It's Labor Day weekend, and the new releases are working hard. Highlights include the latest from Asheville, NC-based artist Angel Olsen. KEXP Music Director Don Yates notes the release "continues to head in a more electric, rock-oriented direction on her excellent third album, combining elements o…