Music commentator, Luke Graves, put together his list of twelve albums worth listening to this month. Check out which ones made the cut.
Mark Kozelek – Mark Kozelek With Ben Boye And Jim White
The opening track of Mark Kozelek’s self-titled collaboration with Ben Boye and Jim White sees the oft-outspoken artist meowing about Trump’s border wall and post-Purina belly rubs over disaffected guitar riffs from the perspective of a modern house cat. That’s really all you need to know. With multiple >8-minute digressions, rants, and reflections on 2017 absurdity, Kozelek’s apathy toward (and flat-out rejection of) societal constructs and interactions is ever-present and as stark as the 50 year-old singer-songwriter’s previous collaborations and solo work. Mark Kozelek With Ben Boye And Jim White released on October 6 via Caldo Verde and Rough Trade Records.
St. Vincent – Masseduction
In a month full of high-profile releases, the hotly anticipated new album from Annie Clark (St. Vincent), Masseduction, is sure to assert its dominance within the avant-pop scene and beyond. The record’s two singles, “New York” and “Los Ageless,” employ Clark’s characteristically biting commentary and satire of the modern era, with the album itself being described by St. Vincent as more autobiographical than her previous work. Featuring guest appearances from Kamasi Washington and Jenny Lewis (among others), Masseduction releases on October 13 via Loma Vista Recordings.
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Lotta Sea Lice
The collaborative LP from the lackadaisical-power-duo of Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile is set to release later in October, having recently shared the single, “Over Everything.” Barnett’s presence is a welcome accompaniment and counterpoint to Vile’s oft-navel gazing introspection–the pair’s chemistry on the single exudes through their flannel-enshrouded veneers with extended jangling guitar solos and yelps of camaraderie. Lotta Sea Lice releases on October 13 via Matador Records and Marathon Artists.
Margo Price – All American Made
Following the critical success of her debut studio album, Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, Nashville’s enchantress of country music, Margo Price, is aiming to release her sophomore album towards the end of the month. Recorded at Sam Phillips Recording in Memphis and continuing in the tradition of the Nashville Sound and country stars as scribes of working class life, All American Made releases on October 20 via Third Man Records.
King Krule – The OOZ
Archy Marshall, better known by his stage name King Krule, is also slated to drop the follow-up to 2013’s universally acclaimed studio debut, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, this month under the Krule moniker. The gritty London songwriter’s third single from The OOZ, “Half Man Half Shark,” sees Marshall’s genre-bending tendencies and jazz hop/post-punk roots morphing into raw Clash-era punk angst, with the first, titled “Czech One,” also heralding the return of Krule’s unique brand of future jazz. The OOZ releases on October 13 via True Panther Sounds and XL Recordings.
Wolf Alice – Visions of a Life
The second full-length album from North London natives Wolf Alice is a riotous gem just released at the tail end of September. Following 2015’s impressive debut in My Love Is Cool, Wolf Alice’s latest gnashes out against the band’s power-pop beginnings with voracious intensity while retaining the memorable melodies and erratic sensibilities for which the band has come to be known. Visions of a Life was released on September 29 via Dirty Hit Records.
Destroyer – ken
Dan Bejar’s sixteenth release as Destroyer also arrives later in October, and if the singles are any indication, ken is slated to be another successful entry in the Vancouver intelligentsia’s extensive discography. The second studio album since 2014’s magnum opus, Kaputt, ken carries forth Bejar’s Gainsbourg-esque philosophizing with signature eloquence and stylistic individualism. ken releases on October 20 via Merge Records.
Wolf Parade – Cry Cry Cry
After a six-year-long hiatus, Wolf Parade’s new album, Cry Cry Cry, is the Montreal indie-rock band’s return to form and follow up to 2011’s Expo 86 and 2005’s critically acclaimed Apologies to the Queen Mary. Their first album in seven years, Wolf Parade’s iconic swelling choruses, springy guitars, and whirling synths are well on-display here and will surely please fans of the genre. Cry Cry Cry released on October 6 via Sub Pop and Universal Music.
Antwon – Sunnyvale Gardens
San Jose DIY rapper Antwon is back with his Sunnyvale Gardens mixtape, following last year’s Double Ecstasy EP. Braggadocios bedroom raps housed within the genre-and-time-and-space-defying interiors of smoked-out experimental California warehouse shows are sure to tide fans over until the rapper’s next full-length title. Guest features and production credits include Kaytranada, Shlohmo, Andre Martel, Lil Peep, and more. Sunnyvale Gardens was released independently on October 5.
Nashville-based grunge-rock favorites Bully are sure to stand out from the pack on their second studio album that arrives later this month with the band’s signature aural assault, fronted by singer/guitarist Alicia Bognanno. Losing releases on October 20 via Sub Pop.
JD McPherson – Undivided Heart & Soul
Undivided Heart & Soul, the new record from JD McPherson, revels in the Oklahoma songwriter’s midcentury sound, and is perhaps imbued with some magic left behind by the divine forerunners of rock and roll themselves, having been recorded at Nashville’s Historic RCA Studio B. Undivided Heart & Soul was released on October 6 via New West Records.
Protomartyr – Relatives In Descent
Post-punk sophists Protomartyr return with their fourth studio album, Relatives In Descent, after recently parting from indie label Hardly Art and joining forces with Domino Records. Following 2015’s critically revered The Agent Intellect, the Detroit natives are back with their winding rhetoric and dizzying guitar lines at their most evolved and divisive sound. Relatives In Descent was released on September 29 via Domino Records.
Here's Luke's best of playlist from this month's selections.
Luke Graves is a latchkey designer, printmaker, and occasional writer of words based in Nashville. See more at https://typehigh.club.
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