Newer Music:

Damon Albarn : The Nearer The Fountain; More Pure The Stream Flows

Albarn, the mastermind behind Blur, Gorillaz, The Good, The Bad, and the Queen, and several other
worthy music projects is truly a songwriting genius and continues to release new music at an
impressively prolific clip. His latest is a solo album under his own name entitled The Nearer The
Fountain; More Pure The Stream Flows. Originally imagined as an instrumental record, the pandemic
provided Damon with ample time and opportunity to flesh out the concept into a full solo album. Albarn
has stated that the source of inspiration behind this project was his frequent travels around the
beautiful landscapes of Iceland. While the album’s soundscapes do successfully conjure images of
nature, the strengths of any Albarn composition remain his uncanny ability to find an appealing melody
and his unassuming, effective vocals that have a way of penetrating the fragile parts of a listener’s
psyche. Both this record and Damon’s first solo record Everyday Robots from 2014 are absolutely
required listening.

God bless Damon Albarn and may he continue to churn out inspiring music for decades to come.
Standout Tracks: Title Track; Royal Morning Blue; Polaris; Particles; The Tower of Montevideo;
Combustion

Snail Mail : Valentine

Lindsay Jordan started Snail Mail back in 2015 at the age of 16!. Early EPs and nonstop support touring
led to a record deal with respected indie label Matador. Snail Mail’s debut record Lush was released in
2018, highlighted by lead single Pristine which received sizable attention in indie media and streaming
circles.

Sophomore record Valentine sees Jordan and her band continue their trajectory as one of the fastest-
rising, promising indie rock acts recording today. The title track showcases the bands appealing 90s-style
alt-rock sound led by Jordan’s impressive lead vocal performance and brash attitude. Still just 22 years
old, she joins Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, et al. in the top tiers of exciting, young female indie music
stars.

Standout Tracks: Valentine; Ben Franklin; Glory; Headlock; Madonna

Elbow : Flying Dream 1

Guy Garvey and his fellows in the beloved Northern English band Elbow released another collection of
earnest, life-affirming songs in the form of their ninth LP Flying Dream 1. The band decided to
memorialize this album as their pandemic record by recording live in the empty Royal Theater in
Brighton. The resulting sound is more mellow and soothing than anything in their catalog since their
debut Asleep in the Back all the way back in 2001.

Now two decades into an objectively impressive career, Elbow are practically a national treasure in
England, but remain largely unknown and certainly underappreciated here in the US. Few bands today
can write such beautiful, heartfelt songs and even fewer lead singers are at the top of their craft like
Garvey.

Standout Tracks: The Seldom Seen Kid; The Only Road; Flying Dream 1; Calm and Happy; Six Words;
What Am I Without You

Andy Shauf : Wilds

The brilliant Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf released yet another delightful indie folk record just
a year after his excellent LP The Neon Skyline. Shauf is already building an impressive body of work
between his solo catalog, starting with his lauded 2016 debut The Party, to his output as part of the
indie rock outfit Foxwarren. This new solo record Wilds features more of the reliably solid chamber folk
goodness we now come to expect as standard operating procedure from Shauf.

Standout Tracks: Judy (Wilds); Jeremy’s Wedding (Wilds); Spanish On The Beach; Jaywalker; Green
Grass

Throwback Selection:

Radiohead : Kid A MNESIA

Earlier this year, I showcased Radiohead’s 2001 album Amnesiac as a throwback selection of the week.
This time, I submit to you the other half of Radiohead’s recently released literal double album reissue of
both Kid A and Amnesiac. Kid A was released the year before Amnesiac in 2000, but both albums were
the fruits of the same labored recording sessions in 1998-99 following the release and subsequent
grueling tour cycle of their masterpiece record OK Computer.

The reissued double album entitled Kid A MNESIA includes a collection of unreleased songs and
alternate versions of songs from both albums. Longtime Radiohead fans have awaited a proper release
of Follow Me Around for many years, but the greatest discovery for me as a diehard is the unexpected
melding of Radiohead classic True Love Waits with underrated Amnesiac track Pulk/Pull Revolving
Doors.

The unreleased material is fun, but the reason to treasure this collection is to adequately appreciate and
commemorate the genius musicianship behind these recording sessions that yielded all of this amazing
music, highlighted by the tracks that would become Kid A, the second best Radiohead record but still
one of the greatest records ever. That’s just the truth.

Standout Tracks: Everything In Its Right Place; The National Anthem; How To Disappear Completely;
Idioteque; Follow Me Around; Pulk/Pull—True Love Waits Version

More Related Music You Should Also Check Out: Damon Albarn : Everyday Robots; Elbow : Asleep In
The Back; Radiohead : I Might Be Wrong; Andy Shauf : The Party

To listen to the standout tracks from this week’s recommended albums, please check out the most
recently added songs in the spotify playlist found below: