New Music Reviews (9/14)

Each week, KEXP’s Music Director Don Yates (joined this week by DJ Alex) shares brief insights on new and upcoming releases. See what's coming up this week below, including reviews for new releases from Tricky, Osees, Declan McKenna, and more.

Tricky – Fall to Pieces (False Idols)
The 14th studio album from this veteran Berlin-based British artist is a dark, often-poignant set of brooding electro-pop. Recorded after the death of his daughter at the age of 24, the album features 11 brief songs totaling around 28 minutes. While the songs are short, they pack a punch, combining a variety of mostly ominous beats, keyboards and cello with haunting vocals from Polish singer Marta Złakowska (though Tricky occasionally sings, and there’s also a guest vocal from Oh Land on the album’s brightest pop moment). — DY

Osees – Protean Threat (Castle Face)
The latest album from John Dwyer & co. Is a potent set of prog-inflected garage-punk with a raw, often-intense sound featuring driving rhythms, buzzing guitar riffs, searing keyboards and dystopian lyrics. — DY

Declan McKenna – Zeros (Tomplicated)
This young British artist’s second album is an often-impressive set of sophisticated glam-pop combining an epic, hook-filled, at times over-stuffed sound containing strong echoes of Bowie, T. Rex and other ‘70s greats with lyrics depicting a dystopian society damaged by climate change, social media and consumerism. — DY

Lo Tom – LP2 (self-released)
The second album from this band comprised of Pedro The Lion’s David Bazan and TW Walsh and Starflyer 59’s Trey Many and Jason Martin is a strong set of heavy, ‘90s-steeped rock with loud, fuzzy guitar riffs, muscular rhythms and often-dark lyrics revolving around debts owed. — DY

Dead Bars – Live at White Eagle Hall (Surfridge)
This Seattle band’s third full-length is a strong live set recorded in March 2019 in Jersey City, with a punchy garage-punk sound combining crunchy guitars, energetic rhythms, sing-along choruses and anthemic song hooks. — DY

Freak Heat Waves – Zap the Planet (Telephone Explosion)
This Victoria, BC/Montreal duo’s fourth album is an often-entrancing set of hypnotic electro-pop combining fuzzy analog synths, psych-tinged samples and gently propulsive beats with Steve Lind’s drawling monotone. — DY

Cults – Host (Sinderlyn)
This New York duo’s fourth album finds them using mostly live instrumentation for the first time, along with Madelin Follin debuting as a co-writer with Brian Oblivion. It’s a solid set of moody dream-pop combining a rich, often-dark sound with lyrics about leaving a toxic relationship. — DY

Elliott BROOD – Keeper (Six Shooter)
This Toronto trio’s seventh album is a well-crafted set of hook-filled folk-rock combining a warm sound featuring electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards and occasional mandolin, banjo and more with wistful melodies and lyrics exploring the ups and downs of relationships. — DY

Dark0 – ZERO2 (YEAR0001)
A precursor to his official debut full-length album that's due out later this year, London-based electronic producer Dark0 returns with his first new music since 2017 and it's a stellar mixtape that continues to showcase his knack for creating cinematic, vivid, emotional club music that sways from physically visceral to whimsically ethereal. "U I C" brilliantly reimagines Michelle Branch's 2001 hit "Everywhere," while Malibu, Visionist, and 0comeups make guest appearances. — AR

Blitzen Trapper – Holy Smokes Future Jokes (Yep Roc)
This Portland band’s 10th studio album is a well-crafted blend of buoyant folk-rock, psych-pop and power-pop combining a warm, ‘70s-steeped sound with lyrics reflecting on death and mortality. — DY

(Various) – Paul Institute - Summer 2020 (Paul Institute)
Founded by enigmatic UK-based brothers Jai Paul and A. K. Paul in 2018, the Paul Institute has become a breeding ground for mysterious artists pushing a visionary R&B/pop sound that taps into the game-changing aesthetic that has left fans salivating ever since Jai Paul's debut single "BTSTU" hit MySpace in 2010. This label compilation serves as a stellar showcase of their captivating style and an introduction to artists worth getting more familiar with, namely Fabiana Palladino who's right at home on Paul Institute with only three official singles in her 4-year career who turns in another astounding anthemic standout with "Waiting," and new duo Pen Pals who debut with the sleek cut "Dynasty" that recalls Majid Jordan. — AR

Hudson Mohawke – B.B.H.E. (Warp)
The first of three planned 2020 releases from Glasgow-born electronic producer Hudson Mohawke, B.B.H.E. provides a blockbuster reminder of his ability to create massive, flashy, futuristic beats that filter gigantic synths and larger-than-life drums through a love of club-primed hip-hop and cutting-edge electronic styles. While these 2020 releases from HudMo are being billed as an unveiling (aka "dump") of previously unreleased material he's been sitting on since as early as the mid-2000's, he's been hoarding a lot of high-quality bangers. — AR

Lila Tirando a Violeta – Limerencia (NAAFI)
The latest album (and NAAFI debut) from Montevideo, Uruguay-based artist Lila Tirando a Violeta is a prime showcase of her cutting-edge electronic pop that boldly blends Latin influences with progressive club styles for a sound that explores fresh sonic territory and frequently captivates. — AR

WaqWaq Kingdom – Dokkoisho (Phantom Limb)
The latest EP from this collaborative project between Japanese musicians Shige Ishihara (aka DJ Scotch Egg, also a member of Seefeel) and Kiki Hitomi (formerly of King Midas Sound) follows their breakthrough 2019 sophomore album Essaka Hoisa and they've pieced together another dizzying set of adventurous poly-rhythmic experimental-pop that exists in a boundary-pushing sonic territory somewhere between Gang Gang Dance, M.I.A., Jessy Lanza, and Boredoms. — AR

Dirty Projectors – Super João EP (Domino)
The third in a series of five planned EPs for this year from this Brooklyn band led by Dave Longstreth is a solid four-song set of gentle, bossa nova-tinged pop combining nylon string guitar with Longstreth’s light croon. — DY