You probably don’t need me to tell you that Lady Gaga has a new album coming out next week. So I won’t. Instead, I’ll tell you about these other deserving options. We’re far from the shallow now:
Hamilton LeithauserThis Side Of The Island
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hamilton Leithauser, the hard-hitting, Carlyle-crooning frontman of The Walkmen, has worked the last eight years in the heart of Bedford Stuyvesant, writing and recording his new breakthrough solo record, This Side Of The Island. Known for his evocative lyricism, quick wit, and distinctive voice, Leithauser has been a significant force in rock ’n’ roll since the early 2000s N.Y.C. scene, transitioning smoothly from his band’s successes to a flourishing solo career. This Side Of The Island boldly turns away from the folk-rock vibes of his two previous records and introduces a groovier, bass-heavy, modern sound. Hamilton loves working on his own schedule at his home studio, The Struggle Hut, but after eight years of playing myriad instruments, a visit to his old friend Aaron Dessner’s upstate Long Pond Studio in the Spring of 2024 is what finally brought the album home. (Leithauser and Dessner met when The National opened for The Walkmen in 2001). Leithauser says Dessner “raised the ceiling, and lowered the floor on the whole thing,” expanding the record’s emotional and sonic depth. The collaboration resulted in a record that is both timeless and contemporary, cementing both as versatile and enduring artists in contemporary music.”
Moreish IdolsAll In The Game
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Falmouth-formed Moreish Idols return with details with their debut album All In The Game. They have carved out a unique position for themselves in the burgeoning London scene. Whereas their debut material showcased a restless, jerky, jagged and rhythmically centred sound that bore the influence of energetic post-punk, their second EP showcased an entirely different side to the band. This evolution saw the group stitch together a looser constellation of ideas, combining swooning tremolo guitars, prickly melodic riddles, erudite saxophone improvs, and flexible rhythms, sounding like Watery, Domestic-era Pavement one second and the bucolic Canterbury Scene the next, but always, always like Moreish Idols most of all. All In The Game is filled with Dan Carey’s eccentric production ideas, largely inspired by the concept of time.”
Bob MouldHere We Go Crazy
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Bob Mould celebrated the new year with the announcement of Here We Go Crazy, his 15th solo album and first full-length in more than four years. Here We Go Crazy — which follows 2020’s critically acclaimed Blue Hearts — was heralded the release of the lead single and title track. “I’ve been spending time in the Southern California desert over the past few years, and the video was shot there. Chilly wilderness atop a mountain, expansive vistas below the hills, distant places to escape life’s routines,” Mould says, “Going crazy can be many different things. The joy of reckless abandon, the uncertainty of the world’s future, the silence of solitude.” Produced by Mould at Chicago’s famed Electrical Audio in early 2024 and then finished and mixed at Oakland’s Tiny Telephone with longtime engineer Beau Sorenson, Here We Go Crazy once again features backing by the crack rhythm section of drummer Jon Wurster and bassist Jason Narducy, and together the trio bring a bracing attack to 11 new Mould songs. “On the surface, this is a group of straightforward guitar pop songs. I’m refining my primary sound and style through simplicity, brevity, and clarity, “Mould says, “Under the hood, there’s a number of contrasting themes. Control and chaos, hypervigilance and helplessness, uncertainly and unconditional love.”
MssvOn And On
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “On And On is the third studio album from the post-genre power trio Mssv, featuring brand new songs that were written by guitarist Mike Baggetta before their 58-show 2023 U..S tour and performed every night, then recorded and produced by Chris Schlarb at Big Ego Studio in Long Beach immediately after, and features artwork by the great John Herndon (Tortoise, A Grape Dope, Isotope 217). These improvised instrumentals had their parts recorded separately by Baggetta, drummer Stephen Hodges and bassist Mike Watt, then edited down, recombined and arranged by Baggetta. They serve as an important connective tissue between the songs on each side, turning On And On into an exciting and trippy psychedelic fever dream of a concept album that really brings out the core of its story: At its heart it is an album where all the works combine to create an endless episodic journey through the temporal and seemingly fleeting nature of society, personality, music, and life and death on Earth, only to realize that all of these are also endlessly repeating.”
Los PirañasUna Oportunidad Más De Triunfar En La Vida
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The veritable supergroup of Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers), Mario Galeano (Frente Cumbiero) and Pedro Ojeda (Romperayo), Los Pirañas, the Colombian avant-Latin experimentalists, return with their most formidable and forward-looking album yet. Improvised live in the studio, with each member contributing ideas and interpretive strategies, the result is a masterclass in spontaneous, collective composition. Daring, imaginative, eclectic and always deeply groovy, Una Oportunidad Más De Triunfar En La Vida is an infectious trip into the dark, pulsating heart of Bogota’s thrilling underground music scene. The album title translates as One More Chance To Succeed In Life. Not that they need it. The trio have been successfully carving out a wildly idiosyncratic musical world since the release of their debut album in 2010, pushing the boundaries of instrumental Latin tropical music with bold infusions of psychedelia, dub, minimalism and more. The music on Una Oportunidad… stems from the venerable tradition of the groove-based jam session. “All of the tunes 100% come from improvisation sessions,” says Galeano. “With this album,” Ojeda elaborates, “we went to the studio in the morning every day for a week. Each of us would bring one or two ideas and we would start jamming, experimenting with those ideas. By lunchtime, we had one or two pieces based on those ideas and then, after lunch, we would record them. By the end of the week, we had the eight tracks that are on the record.”
Raging SpeedhornNight Wolf
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Raging Speedhorn — the U.K. pioneers of down-tuned epic sludge rock — return with their incendiary album NightWolf. Featuring 10 tracks of ferocious, riff-centred metal packed with strength, power and, ultimately, song-driven groove, Raging Speedhorn are once again ready to provide an antidote to mediocrity and pedestrian radio rock. Night Wolf is an album that perfectly captures the magic Raging Speedhorn have been concocting over their 25-year career. Flitting between sludge, crushing doom and high-energy, dirt-fuelled rock ’n’ roll riffs, the sextet have matured like a fine wine and honed their craft to a new level. Night Wolf is the first album to feature new guitarist Daf Williams, who joins founding members Frank Regan (vocals), Gordon Morison (drums) and mainstays Jim Palmer (guitar), Andy Gilmour (bass, who also plays with U.K. post-hardcore legends Hundred Reasons) and second vocalist Dan Cook. This reinvigorated lineup sees Raging Speedhorn not only capture the spirit of the band’s DNA, but push their own musical boundaries and swagger into new uncharted territories. For fans of Iron Monkey, Cancer Bats, Biohazard, Corrosion of Conformity, Down.”
Sonic YouthHold That Tiger
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In October 1987, four months after the release of their critically acclaimed Sister LP, Sonic Youth showcased their latest work in a blistering set at Cabaret Metro in Chicago. The concert was introduced by Big Black’s Steve Albini (who at the time was banned from the venue) and subsequently released as a semi-official bootleg under the title Hold That Tiger on writer/provocateur Byron Coley’s impishly Geffen-baiting label Goofin’ (years later the band would use this nom de guerre for their own imprint). Hold That Tiger’s sterling reputation among the faithful is well deserved. In fact, it isn’t a stretch to suggest that the album is to the first handful of SY releases what It’s Alive is to the first three Ramones LPs — a feral and liberatory public snapshot of a band’s blossoming imperial phase. Indeed, HTT is the sound of a group at the peak of their powers, presenting new songs alongside a handful of older ones with the kind of wild, cathartic enthusiasm common to rock ‘n’ roll’s most revered live albums.”
StaticloneBetter Living Through Static Vision
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Hardcore and punk aren’t genres that necessarily celebrate change. It’s not like the music is stagnant; far from it! It’s more that the tried and true is rewarded while anything new, anything different, is greeted with a quizzical eyebrow and the spoken or unspoken question of: “Is this good? Can you mosh to it?” If there was anyone in Philadelphia who could answer those queries with expert authority it’s George Hirsch and Dave Walling. Though really, you don’t even need to ask them. Put on the debut album by Staticlone, the band they started at the tail end of their previous outfit Blacklisted, and you’ll find all the answers you need. “I started going to hardcore shows in 1995,” singer and guitarist Hirsch says. “So the fact that I’m still here right now talking about a band that I’m a part of that wrote a hardcore record in 2024 means that we’re pretty committed. I don’t think that could be denied at this point even if we wanted to.” On Better Living Through Static Vision you can hear Hirsch, bassist Walling, and drummer Jeff Ziga channel everything from crust to metal, and the hardcore punk they’ve all been steeped in for decades. In the sum of those parts Staticlone follow the path of Disfear, Wolfbrigade, Inepsy and other groups that combine d-beat ferocity with rock ’n’ roll riffs.”
SpinnenWarmes Licht
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “No matter how much of their filthy riches Munich’s oh-so shiny and smart glitterati are going to spend on generic pest control, they’ll never manage to exterminate Spinnen (German for Spiders, also for “being bonkers”). Instead, Spinnen will spread even further, they’ll form new networks, take over new corners, new spots, connect more musical dots with invisible, incendiary cobwebs. Whereas these two Spinnen — Sophie Neudecker (drums) and Veronica “Katta” Burnuthian (bass) — have been doing their spidery thing(s) in countless muggy, experimental corners of Munich for years, the duo’s first album sees them move on towards a warm kind of light — Warmes Licht. Inspired by Lambrini Girls, Peaches, mclusky, Amyl And The Sniffers, and all things loud and gain-heavy around their hometown, the album consists of two body parts (A + B side) and eight legs (tracks).”
SwervedriverThe World’s Fair EP
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The early ’90s were an incredible time for shoegaze fans, and the 12” EP was the format that delivered the most vital music of the era. Usually just four songs, these EPs were released as quickly as possible after being recorded, and had tracks that were often not found on the subsequent full-length LP. Back with their first new music in over five years, with two tracks recorded with Mark Gardener from Ride and the other two recorded by Rick Beato, The World’s Fair EP is classic Swervedriver, with Beatles-tinged hits like Pack Yr Vision and psychedelic freakouts like The World’s Fair.”
Tenebrous LiarHell Never Called
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “For the best part of two decades, eminent music photographer Steve Gullick has steered this artful, brutal, yet simultaneously beautiful musical project, culminating in the release of their ninth album. In January 2023, Gullick and bass player Brendan Casey got together to discuss the next steps in the life of Tenebrous Liar; both had a desire to invite some fresh blood to join them and drummer Ben Edgar in order to expand the sound and axis the trio had created on 2017’s The Cut. Multi-instrumentalist Aimee Lovric was asked to join and accepted the invitation. The quartet got to work immediately, rehearsing the live set quickly developed into the creation of new material. Hell Never Called pulls together a mix of songs built from rehearsal room improvisations, meticulously rehearsed studio recordings and home recordings.”
The WildheartsSatanic Rites Of The Wildhearts
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Satanic Rites Of The Wildhearts is the new album from, yes, The Wildhearts. The album was produced by Jim Pinder (Bring Me The Horizon, Bullet For My Valentine) and mixed by Jim Pinder and Carl Bown (Trivium, Machine Head). The record is conceived as a belated followup to their classic debut Earth vs The Wildhearts (1993). “The songs were written during a period of transition, from extremely negative to positive,” singer-guitarist Ginger says. “I realised how much control I have over my mental health, and the songs came from that understanding. There’s everything here — catchy choruses, proper fuck-off riffs, anger, frustration, acceptance and revelation, with plenty of insane detours. The album starts pessimistic and ends up like ‘Ah, so I CAN turn my life around?’ Sometimes you have to start from the very bottom, your darkest point. We have more control over our emotions than we think. We control the outcome by how we respond. Once I started learning that, the songs came pissing out. It’s a hard rock album for people who actually love hard rock!”
Neil YoungOceanside Countryside
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Oceanside Countryside is the latest of Neil Young’s great lost albums to be released as part of his Analog Original Series. The album was recorded from May to December 1977, preceding the release of Comes A Time in 1978. The two albums share the same country/folk sound, and three songs (Goin’ Back, Human Highway and Field of Opportunity) appear on both albums. This track list is how Oceanside Countryside was originally planned to be released. Recorded on tape, these are the original mixes done at the time of recording. “This analog original album was recorded in 1977 and unreleased,” says Young. “These songs are the original mixes done at the time of the recordings in the order I planned for the album. I sang the vocals and played the instruments on Oceanside in Florida at Triad studios and Malibu at Indigo studio. I sang the vocals and recorded with my great band of friends — Ben Keith, Joe Osborn, Karl T. Himmel and Rufus Thibodeaux — at Crazy Mama’s in Nashville on Countryside. I hope you enjoy this treasure of an Analog Original recording, recorded by Tim Mulligan, as much as I do. Listening to it now, I think I should have put it out back then.”