New Music Reviews (10/13)

Each week, Music Director Chris Sanley and Associate Music Director Alex Ruder share brief insights on new and upcoming releases for KEXP's rotation. These reviews help our DJs decide on what they want to play. See what we added this week below (and on our Charts page), including new releases from Amber Mark, Jay Som, NoSo, and more. 

Amber Mark - Pretty Idea (PMR Records/Interscope)
The second full-length album from NYC-based Amber Mark is a portrait of an artist at the top of her game. Her intoxicating fusion of R&B, soul, pop, and a little disco (for good measure) boasts magnetic arrangements, funky grooves, and sultry, expressive vocals. ‘Pretty Idea’ feels equal parts fresh and nostalgic, showcasing a singer, songwriter, and producer who knows no bounds. –CS

Jay Som - Belong (Polyvinyl)
The fourth studio album from LA-based Melina Duterte, her first in six years, is an addictive mix of hazy dream pop and lively indie rock. Simultaneously intimate and elaborate, Belong features memorable guitar licks, electronic flourishes, infectious hooks, and muddied vocals that wash over listeners. Across 11 captivating tracks, Duterte explores the tension of being pulled in different directions while trying to find her place in the world. –CS

NoSo - When Are You Leaving? (Partisan)
On their sophomore album, Baek Hwong (aka NoSo) takes their craft to new heights. With a penchant for killer pop hooks and deeply introspective lyrics, they blend airy, emotive vocals with exceptional guitar work, gauzy synths, gentle piano, and saxophone embellishments to reveal sophisticated groove-laden gems. When Are You Leaving? is a beautiful snapshot of their thrilling artistic and personal evolution, demanding that listeners answer the question with: “never.” –CS

Packaging - Packaging (Share It Music)
The new project from Spirit Award’s Daniel Lyon and Flaural’s Daniel “Connor” Birch feels tailor-made for a Pacific Northwest fall. Through lush, atmospheric arrangements featuring dynamic keys, driving drums, expressive guitars, hazy vocals, and intimate lyricism, Packaging unveils a vibrant fusion of psych, krautrock, and dreamgaze. With mesmerizing peaks and valleys, the duo’s clear and confident vision is on full display, gripping listeners through all ten tracks of this knockout debut.  –CS

dust - Sky Is Falling (Kanine)
The debut full-length from Australian quintet dust is one of those albums that hits you like a freight train. Their masterful blend of post-punk, noise, shoegaze, and krautrock, punctuated by prominent saxophone, is, quite simply, chef’s kiss. Striking a perfect balance between melodic and chaotic, Sky Is Falling carves out well-deserved space for dust in the modern post-punk landscape. –CS

Flock of Dimes - The Life You Save (Sub Pop)
Jenn Wasner has a way with, well, everything. From her rich, immaculate vocals and gut-wrenching lyricism to her intricate arrangements and ornate instrumentation, there’s simply no replicating her evocative artistry. The Life You Save, her third studio album as Flock of Dimes, finds Wasner zooming out, examining a life lived, others avoided, and the ones that have crashed, fused, or coexisted with hers along the way. The result is a transfixing collection of moody, labyrinthine tracks featuring guitars, keys, pedal steel, horns, strings, and her unmistakable voice, which lights the way for listeners. The Life You Save is a refined, captivating, and reflective gift for those who’ve struggled to figure it all out, and for anyone still searching. –CS

FONTINE - Good Buddy (Birthday Cake Records)
The debut full-length from queer, Indigenous, Winnipeg-based FONTINE is a confident, focused, and catchy-as-hell collection of folk-rock goodness. With commanding vocals, melancholic lyricism, and bold guitar lines, Good Buddy walks the line between powerful and vulnerable, introducing–or re-introducing–listeners to her unmistakable talent. –CS

Hollie Cook - Shy Girl (Mr Bongo)
The fifth solo album from this veteran London-based singer, songwriter, keyboardist and former member of the UK punk/reggae band The Slits is another stellar collection of luscious R&B-tinted reggae and breezy contemporary lovers rock. Nearly fifteen years removed from her self-titled debut album, Hollie continues to perfect her smooth, sunshine-kissed “tropical pop” through her warm vocals, romantic lyrics, pillowy melodies, relaxed rhythms, and effortlessly cool charisma. –AR

Lack of Afro - Love Dealer (The Bastion Music Group)
The alias of British multi-instrumentalist, producer, remixer and DJ Adam Gibbons, Lack of Afro has been consistently crafting infectious, colorful, loopy disco jams ever since dropping his debut single in 2006. Nearly two full decades later, he’s deciding to officially hang up his Lack of Afro hat with Love Dealer, a non-stop feel-good dance party packed with jubilant samples and clever vocal bits that keeps the joyful grooves going all the way to the very end. –AR

Niia - V (Candid Records)
The fifth studio album from LA-based singer, songwriter, and pianist Niia is a seductive set of contemporary jazz fusion. With a remarkable vocal range, robust and dramatic compositions, soulful cadences, and masterful co-production from Spencer Zahn and Lawrence Rothman, V marks an electrifying new chapter from this talented artist. –CS

Car Culture - Rest Here (NAFF Recordings)
Car Culture is an alias of Daniel Fisher, a Queens, NY-based DJ, producer, and musician best known as Physical Therapy who also runs the Allergy Season label. His second Car Culture album is a heady and hypnotic set of fuzzy downtempo songs with an organic, psychedelic touch that weaves together moody guitars, laidback beats, flickering vocals, and dreamy samples in mesmerizing fashion. –AR

Cataldo - Two-Way Mirror (self-released)
The latest Cataldo album from Seattle artist Eric Anderson is another smartly-crafted set of folky indie pop bolstered by his evocative voice, reflective storytelling, soaring hooks, and a sweeping full band sound produced by Andy D. Park (who’s recently produced standout albums by Deep Sea Diver, Sea Lemon, and Pedro the Lion). Backed by some of Los Angeles’ most exciting session players and featuring guest contributions from local luminaries Jessica Dobson, Al Menne, Matt Batey, and Abby Gundersen, there’s a journeyman confidence that runs throughout Two-Way Mirror befit of a musician who’s been crafting nuanced PNW-steeped anthems for 20 years now. –AR

Deki Alem - Forget in Mass (Amuseio AB)
The debut studio album from this Swedish duo composed of twin brothers Sammy and Johnny Bennett is a riveting set of explosive hip-hop, adventurous rave-pop, magnetic trip-hop, and omnivorous dance-pop that pairs hard-hitting beats with their urgent lyricism and magnetic hooks. There’s an undeniable late 1990s and early 2000s nostalgic bent to Forget In Mass, with Deki Alem’s commanding sound recalling the likes of Massive Attack, Tricky, Prodigy, Faithless, and Gorillaz, yet it’s modern-day sheen and provocative pulse also makes it sounds as timely as ever. –AR

glass egg - visions & ecstasies (frances dietrich/Den Tapes)
The first full-length album from this project led by Seattle-based singer, songwriter, and producer Emilia Glaser and now joined by Julian Stefanzick on bass and percussion is an impressive set of sparkling dream-pop and moody shoegaze with an imaginative and slightly operatic touch. –AR

HAAi - HUMANiSE (Mute)
The highly anticipated second full-length from London-based DJ and producer Teneil Throssell, aka HAAi, is a riveting fusion of techno, house, drum’n’bass, industrial, and ambient, all underscored by a distinct pop sensibility. Quite literally humanizing these electronic soundscapes with a myriad of guest vocalists, including Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Obi Frankly, two choirs, and her own voice, HAAi delivers 17 tracks that take listeners on an intense and mystifying journey. Through inventive song structures that feature kaleidoscopic synths and pulsing beats, HUMANiSE explores “the sweet spot between machine-led dystopia and emotion-filled utopia.” –CS

Hannah Frances - Nested in Tangles (Fire Talk)
The new studio album from singer, songwriter, guitarist, and poet Hannah Frances is a spellbinding set of jazz-inflected avant-folk. With intricate, lavish compositions featuring layered guitars, keys, strings, horns, woodwinds, pedal steel, and percussion, Frances’s acrobatic vocals bring her vivid lyricism to life. Nested in Tangles is a triumph that invites, and rewards, many repeat listens. –CS

Long Fling - Long Fling (self-released)
Long Fling is an Amsterdam-based duo composed of Pip Blom and Personal Trainer’s Willem Smit. Their debut album is a sweet set of arty, off-beat, catchy post-punk jams distinguished by the duo’s charming overlapping vocals and a raw, skeletal sound driven by old drum machines and angular guitars. –AR

Los Membrillos - Distimia (self-released)
The debut album from this Peruvian band is a solid set of lush shoegaze, swirling dream-pop, and celestial noise-pop that balances airy ethereal vocals (all sung in Spanish) with the band’s dense, enveloping, and often downright beautiful backdrops. Distimia wears its iconic influences – namely Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins – on its proverbial sleeves, yet the band brings their own Latin underground flair to the “dreamgaze” template. –AR

Madi Diaz - Fatal Optimist (ANTI-)
The seventh studio album from celebrated Nashville-based singer-songwriter Madi Diaz is a raw, intimate affair. Featuring her breathtaking signature vocals, acoustic guitar, and tender piano, the minimalist arrangements on Fatal Optimist beautifully highlight her profound lyricism, allowing these raw and heartfelt songs to deliver a delicate yet impactful punch. –CS

Nightbus - Passenger (Melodic)
The debut full-length album from this Manchester, UK duo composed of Olive Rees and Jake Cottier is a strong set of moody nocturnal pop that revels in the shadowy corners of dream-pop, post-punk, New Wave, and trip-hop with intermittent touches of goth (“Host”) and post-dubstep (“Somewhere, Nowhere”). –AR

Shadowgraphs - Don't Chase, Will Run (self-released)
The fourth studio album from North Carolina-formed, Portland-based outfit Shadowgraphs is a hazy, welcoming fever dream. Blending psych, dream pop, and indie-rock, Don’t Chase, Will Run offers catchy melodies, delicious guitar tones, bright synths, and bittersweet vocals, resulting in a thoroughly captivating listen. –CS

The Telephone Numbers - Scarecrow II (Slumberland)
The second album from this San Francisco band that shares members with The Reds, Pinks & Purples, The Umbrellas, and Chime School is a strong set of delightful indie pop that finds inspiration in the power-pop, jangle-pop, guitar-pop, and twee pop of 20th century college radio icons. Lead singer Thomas Rubenstein’s buoyant voice and melancholic lyrics mesh wonderfully with the band’s robust, spritely arrangements that are often accented by violin, mandolin, and harmonica, yielding yet another winning entry in Slumberland’s consistently great catalog. –AR