#knats

Isaiah Rashad, "DO I LOOK HIGH?," IT'S BEEN AWFUL. Album title kinda on the nose there, Isaiah. After a lot of tumult in his personal life and, well, everything else, the Chattanooga native returns with a lively and introspective set of tunes in his usual understated-to-the-verge-of-sleepy flow to try to sort things out.

Nu Genea, "People of the Moon," People of the Moon. Fully confused by this one. It's funky as fuck. It mixes influences like Mediterranean, Arabic and Nigerian music. Almost every song is sung by a woman. And the group is apparently 2 Italian guys? No idea what's going on, but it sounds good.

Knats, "Wor Jackie," A Great Day In Newcastle. Sardonic, sprawling jazz which occasionally supports a flurry of wordplay that would've made even the likes of MF DOOM hold his head. Pretty interesting.

Tori Amos, "In Times of Dragons," In Times of Dragons. It's been real up and down with Tori Amos for a long time. Most of her albums are way too long, and they tend to feature songs as self-indulgent as the running times. We're a long way from her spate of classics in the 90s. Sometimes she gets a handle on things again, but it's an extremely mixed bag since (In my opinion) 2002's Scarlet's Walk. Most recent record Ocean To Ocean was pretty good, actually. Another strike against her going into this is, her political commentary in the past has ranged from cringey to extremely cringey. So, you know, this album that was purported to be taking on the darkness of our times… I had rock bottom expectations. But damn if she didn't deliver her best work in 15+ years. Rather than a collection of embarrassing songs about Donald Trump, In Times of Dragons is a concept album about the trophy wife of a Peter Theil-quoting, dystopian conservative figurehead trying to escape all her bad choices and protect her daughter from the machine she's a part of. The album ruminates on the erosion of feminism, the rise of fascism, and how it got to this point. It's a Tori Amos album, so the album's road trip across the US involves Celtic folklore, dragons and mermaids, but none of the wacky shit gets over the top. It's her most charged material in ages, she is really cooking. What a pleasant surprise.

Lair of the Minotaur, "Prowler Twin Sister," I HAIL I. 16 years after their last full album and 8 years since their last anything, Lair of the Minotaur is back with more big, dumb, fun metal. The Emma Ruth Rundle cover was unexpected and actually kinda hilarious.

Deanté Hitchcock, "Smile For The Camera," Junkie In The Sun. When last we heard from Deanté Hitchcock, It was for a concept album rapped to his unborn child relating the story of how his parents met and how he came to be. Hitchcock retains his blend of rappity rap swagger and emotional vulnerability on the less ambitious Junkie In the Sun, and it's a winning mix.

Genesis Owusu, "STAMPEDE," REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE. As fed up with… all of it… as you are, the Australian rapper brings the heat and the danceable beats in equal measure on his latest, but the pointed critiques of the world we're stuck with are never far away.

Martyn, "Heavy Sound," Music For Existing. Apparently previously known as a dubstep producer (?), this guy's new album is not that at all, instead featuring very organic samples combined into songs that call classic DJ Shadow to mind, but with a jazzier feel.

Cocanha, "Remenanuèch," Flame Folclòre. This group, I'm told, use Occitan folklore and language as the basis of their music. Occitan, I'm further told, is a culture & dialect in Europe, mostly used in France and Spain. It's also known as Limousin, which, let's face it, is kinda cool. But regardless, this shit rules. The heavy emphasis on a fat ass bass drum and hand claps gives it such a propulsive feeling. Their primary instruments are string tambourines, everything about the songs is about the beat. Really engaging.

The Bug Club, "Our Manager David," Every Single Muscle. Out today! If you're someone who looks back fondly at the early stuff by bands like Art Brut and Los Campesinos! like I do, you will probably enjoy this. Smart-stupid, drenched in irony, with surprising bluesy detours throughout its noisy punk run time, it's a pretty fun, genuinely funny record. If you can, it must be said, get past that insane album cover.

Only 10 videos per post as always, but I also have to offer…

Modern Woman, "Johnny's Dreamworld," Johnny's Dreamworld. Art rock likely to hit with fans of Courtney Barnett or maybe The Last Dinner Party.

Tamikrest, "Imanin," Assikel. Malian band blends rock sensibilities with local sounds to make an atmospheric, mesmerizing sound.

Touch Girl Apple Blossom, "Heart-Go," Graceful. It's the 1990s again! Or at least you could think so listening to this particular strain of alt rock.

Telehealth, "Donor Country (A gOoD cAuSe)," Green World Image. Sarcastic and bright in a kind of Devo mold, commenting on the exhausting corporate hellscape we live in.

Tyrannus, "Reignfall," Mournhold. No frills thrash metal when you need it!