New This Week: Opossom, Janka Nabay & More
Opossom, Electric Hawaii Mint Chicks’ singer Kody Neilson sounds like he has cherry-picked the psyche-pop archives for this lush, breezy debut that recalls everything from Revolver to The Zombies. Matthew Perpetua writes:
“Opossom dresses up its stoner pop in crisp, clean tones that evoke sky-blue swimming pools and impeccably stylish lounges.”
Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang, En Yay Sah The hottest Afrobeat record this side of the equator is by Sierra Leonean ex-pat Janka Nabay and his band of Brooklyn hipsters. Ben Beaumont-Thomas writes:
“The finest thing about this record is the tension between the propulsiveness of the tempo and the melancholy of the music. This is party music, certainly, but with every human emotion churning through it.”
Willits + Sakamoto, Ancient Future This is the second pairing of prolific Californian experimentalist Christopher Willits and venerated composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, and it’s highly recommended. Lee Smith writes:
“Ancient Future quietly immerses you in its world, offering a brief but beguiling meander through experimental music’s more plaintive fringes.”
David Lynch, Crazy Clown Time (Deluxe Edition) Lynch’s debut album, released last year, was a surreal diversion for the film-maker. Essentially dance music that no one would actually want to dance to, this deluxe version adds to the weirdness with remixes from Underworld, Moby and Skream. Maybe somewhere higher up the astral ladder it all makes sense.
Luke Haines, Outsider/In: The Collection Haines’s third greatest hits collection reminds us he once wrote songs, not just very funny books. From the arch pop of The Auteurs to the conceptual black comedy of his Baader Meinhoff project, this is a wonderful introduction to his stubborn outsider art.
R. Stevie Moore, Lo Fi High Fives… A King Of Best Of This is another ‘best of’ from an outsider artist who has had precisely no hits. Tim Burgess boiled down more than 500-albums by the godfather of home recording to a collection of wonky pop gems. Recommended.
Antibalas, Antibalas The fifth album from Afrobeat band Antibalas – who found fame as the live band for a Broadway musical about Fela Kuti – shows their mastery of his style, with its insistent rhythms and punchy brass. Andy Beta writes:
“For all the international accolades, [this] avoids any trace of hubris for what might be their most workmanlike set to date.”
Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Sex Mix — Archive Tapes and Studio Adventures, Volumes One This includes rare mixes of “Relax” and “Two Tribes” alongside the original versions of “Welcome to the Pleasuredome and “The Power of Love” and a 17-minute remix of “Rage Hard”. It’s great and everything, but Sex Mix? Really? Haven’t they heard of Barry White?
Franz Nicolay, Do The Struggle The former Hold Steady man enlisted New Jersey hip-hop producer Oktopus for this dark cinematic opus that’s about as different from his old band’s sound as it’s possible to get.
Korpiklaani, Manala The eighth album by Korpiklaani is the best Finnish fantasy folk-metal record we’ve ever heard.
