Newer Music:
Genesis Owusu : Smiling With No Teeth
There is a completely overwhelming amount of new music released each week. It is honestly impossible
to keep it up with it all. There are typically around 8-10 new albums each week that I am interested in
exploring to see if I will connect with it. And there are literally dozens more every week that I just don’t
have time or energy to give a listen.
I inevitably make snap judgements when I see an album cover, artist name, or genre and write
something off without checking it out—which I initially did with this brilliant album Smiling With No
Teeth by Genesis Owusu. I made the decision to forgo listening based partially on seeing the album
cover (I haven’t ever listened to a Post Malone, Lil Wayne, Lil Jon, any other Lil’s album for likely the
same reason—maybe I should change that too!).
Thankfully, I research new and upcoming music through a variety of resources—Spotify and Apple Music
Playlists, Sirius XM, Bandcamp, music websites and blogs, and great music magazines (like MOJO, Uncut,
Record Collector, Record Culture Magazine, Rockin’ On, Under the Radar, etc.) and was exposed to
enough positive buzz about this record that I added it to my priority listen list.
All it took was one listen to the tracks Don’t Need You and A Song About Fishing and I was won over.
Genesis Owusu, born in Ghana but raised in Australia since he was a small boy, is an artist that is difficult
to categorize by genre; it feels mostly hip-hop, but saying that feels like a betrayal to the diversity of the
sound and scope of the record. Having now listened to the album several times through, I am reminded
of bands and artists as diverse as Bloc Party, Young Fathers, Twin Shadow, Chance the Rapper, and Yves
Tumor. Regardless, it is an irresistible collection of accessible, catchy songs featuring first-rate
production and an extremely promising debut record from an intriguing new artist.
Standout Tracks: Don’t Need You; A Song About Fishing; The Other Black Dog; No Looking Back;
Waitin’ on Ya
Sofia Kourtesis : Fresia Magdalena EP
Another fairly recent pleasant discovery of mine is the Berlin-based Peruvian DJ and producer Sofia
Kourtesis. Last month, she released Fresia Magdalena through Ninja Tune sublabel Technicolour
Records. Fresia Magdalena is Kourtesis’ third EP of accomplished dance music released in three years.
The opening two tracks La Perla and By Your Side are some of the most delightful electronic music in
recent memory. For fans of this type of music, I strongly recommend not only this entire EP, but also her
eponymous 2019 debut EP and follow-up 2020 EP Sarita Colonia. Kourtesis’ Bandcamp page describes
her sound as “astutely collected samples and a joyous sense of personality and place to make something
utterly infectious.”
Standout Tracks: By Your Side; La Perla; Nicolas; Dakotas; Juntos
Goat Girl : On All Fours
This all-female London four piece created enough buzz playing live shows around their hometown that
legendary label Rough Trade signed them in 2016. Their self-titled 2018 debut record, featuring a
scruffy, scuzzy post-punk sound, couldn’t help but struggle to meet high expectations. Goat Girl’s
sophomore LP On All Fours, released on January 29 th once again on Rough Trade, sounds refreshingly
more polished and mature. Most importantly, the record contains several strong alt-indie rock singles
that will guarantee that there will plenty of people in attendance once the live shows around London
start again later this year.
Standout Tracks: The Crack; Badibaba; Sad Cowboy; Pest; Anxiety Feels
Menahan Street Band : The Exciting Sounds of the Menahan Street Band
I had a bit of a revelation this week. I’ve been enjoying the music of the instrumental soul and funk
collective Menahan Street Band for over a decade and did not even realize it. For four albums, MSB was
the primary backing band for legendary Daptone Records soul revival artist Charles Bradley, who
tragically passed away from cancer a couple years ago. I saw Charles (and I am assuming MSB as his live
backing band) play a fantastic show in Portland many years ago and it was gut-wrenching to lose him
just as his career had finally hit its peak.
Menahan Street Band, comprised of several individuals moonlighting away from their primary Daptone
Records acts, are an accomplished group on their own merits. Their new record is their third under the
MSB name on Daptone sublabel Dunham Records, the same label that put out all of Charles Bradley’s
wonderful output. Their music has been sampled by a number of rappers including Jay-Z and Eminem.
I dropped the needle on new album The Exciting Sounds of the Menahan Street Band and immediately
felt like I had been transported into a heist montage scene from one of the Ocean’s Eleven films. If you
are looking for some great background instrumental music to liven up your home office atmosphere,
you can’t do much better than Menahan Street Band or the many associated acts that are part of the
Daptone Records stable of stars (or at least a stable of underappreciated musical genius).
Standout Tracks: The Starchaser; The Duke; Rainy Day Lady; Devil’s Respite; Snow Day
Throwback Selection:
Gorillaz : Gorillaz
Last month marked the 20 th anniversary of the release of yet another landmark record, this time the
undeniable classic self-titled debut record of the Damon Albarn-masterminded project Gorillaz. Gorillaz
began as the side piece that Damon Albarn could use to channel all of his music interests that didn’t
quite fit with the vision of his primary band Blur. Instead, this cartoon concept band created by Albarn
with visual artist Jamie Hewlett, has totally surpassed the influence of Blur in most of the world, especially America, and has helped solidify Albarn’s reputation as a true music genius and one of the most accomplished artists in popular music history.
This brilliant record, that sounds equally great on headphones or blasting from a hifi, still amazes at how
Albarn and his collaborators cover so many genres to perfection, from pop to rap to punk to triphop and
a hundred more. The revelatory jazz-funk horn section loop on single Rock the House has lost none of its
power. Latin Simone, featuring a stunning vocal performance from Ibrahim Ferrer of legendary Cuban
band Buena Vista Social Club, is so achingly beautiful and satisfying. Clint Eastwood, 19-2000, and
Tomorrow Comes Today were the far-reaching singles, but low-key dubby album track Slow Country
might be my favorite song on the record.
I’d seen Blur a couple of times, as well as a Damon Albarn solo show at Governor’s Ball Festival in NYC in
2015, but I had not seen Gorillaz live until I finally caught them on the Humanz tour at Red Rocks in
Denver a few years back. We splurged for some front-row tickets and it was worth every penny. Damon
and his army of collaborators put on a phenomenal show that I will never forget. Over the past two
decades, Gorillaz has put out so many great records with such regularity that they have now become a
bit of an overlooked afterthought and victims of their success. More sad evidence of the coddling of the
American mind.
Standout Tracks: Rock The House; Slow Country; Latin Simone Clint Eastwood; Tomorrow Comes
Today; Sound Check (Gravity); 19-2000
More Related Music You Should Also Check Out: Bloc Party : Silent Alarm; Young Fathers : White Men
Are Black Men Too; Twin Shadow : Confess ; Yves Tumor: Safe In The Hands of Love; Charles Bradley :
Victim of Love
