Newer Music:

Wolf Alice :  Blue Weekend

Acclaimed London alt/indie rock band Wolf Alice returned this month with their highly-anticipated third record Blue Weekend. The band’s first two records, Mercury Prize-nominated My Love Is Cool in 2015 and Mercury Prize-winner (!) Visions of a Life in 2017, both mainly featured a 90s’ grunge guitar-centric alternative rock sound. This new album Blue Weekend shifts a bit more into shoegazey indie rock (or even dream pop) territory, though still obviously with designs on world domination. While there are not likely to be any singles on this record as immediately compelling as the phenomenal Don’t Delete The Kisses from the last LP, this latest record is almost certainly their most consistently strong record from top to bottom. 

Wolf Alice set the tone for this album cycle when the announcement of the new record was accompanied by the release of incredibly ambitious, piano-driven lead single ballad The Last Man On Earth. Follow-up single Smile is the hardest rocker on the record and will calm any fan fears that Wolf Alice has gone too mellow. Still, most the remaining album high points are the more delicate, fragile, beautiful midtempo songs such as No Hard Feelings, How Can I Make It OK?, and Safe from Heartbreak (if you never fall in love) that reinforce the album’s breakup recovery narrative. Lead singer Ellie Rowsell is a bonifide rock star and it will not surprise if Blue Weekend expands the reach of Wolf Alice’s popularity further across the globe, perhaps even to America. 

Standout Tracks: The Last Man On Earth; Lipstick On The Glass; No Hard Feelings; Safe From Heartbreak; How Can I Make It OK?; Smile; Teenage Headache Dreams

Hildegard :  Hildegard

Hildegard is the exciting project of promising Montreal-based indie artists Helena Deland and Ouri. Deland’s and Ouri’s respective skillsets and styles complement each other very well and the resulting product has to have exceeded their expectations going into the project. Their newly-released self-titled debut record is a thrilling, satisfying electronic tour de force.

Just last year, Helena Deland released the brilliant record Someone New under her own name. This record was apparently recorded over 8 days, with one track coming out of their sessions each day. Standout album opener Jour 1 expertly builds up to a frenetic, cathartic climax and then slowly cools back down to blend into the dreamy, midtempo lead single Jour 2. The rest of the record is an engaging blend of Deland’s inviting vocals and Ouri’s elite production. 

Standout Tracks: Jour 1; Jour 2; Jour 3; Jour 8; Jour 4

Loraine James : Reflection

Loraine James is an exciting, young electronic artist from London. She began experimenting with music production while in high school and uploaded loads of music on her bandcamp page leading to the release of her debut record in 2017. Two years later, prominent electronic label Hyperdub released her sophomore album For You and I to significant critical acclaim from across the music critical landscape.

Earlier this month, James released her latest album entitled Reflection. Recorded last summer, Reflection features more of the complex, glitchy, rewarding IDM goodness that gained James deserved notoriety from her earlier output. Like she did on For You and I, James deploys guest collaborators with great results throughout Reflection.

Standout Tracks: Simple Stuff; Built To Last; Self Doubt (Leaving the Club Early); Let’s Go; Black Ting; 

Erika De Casier :  Sensational

Erika De Casier is a Danish pop music artist based in Copenhagen. After several years of disparate music projects in Denmark, De Casier self-released her debut studio record Essentials in 2019 to sizable accolades around Europe. She signed to legendary UK label 4AD and released her follow-up record Sensational in April. De Casier channels 90s-era R&B and pop artists, but also incorporates some fun electronic and world music elements. Listening to the record, I had the thought that De Casier is a compelling candidate to be the heir to the legacy of Sade. Sensational is an intoxicating, sexy record. 

Standout Tracks: Drama; Polite; No Butterflies, No Nothing; Someone To Chill With; Better Than That

Throwback Selection: 

Neko Case : Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

Red Butte Gardens released the lineup for their Summer Concert Series this past week and, as you might expect, the lineup is stacked with several can’t miss shows. One of those is New Pornographers colleagues Neko Case and AC Newman playing on August 29th. In addition their legendary, stacked discography together with The New Pornographers, both Neko Case and AC Newman have impressive solo catalogs that don’t get enough appreciation. My favorite album from headliner Case is her 2008 blockbuster Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, although 2009’s Middle Cyclone is not far behind. I genuinely dare anyone to listen the first five tracks of this record and then tell me that Neko doesn’t have one of the greatest voices in modern pop music. I cannot wait to hear her on a perfect summer night at Red Butte.

Standout Tracks: Star Witness; That Teenage Feeling; Margaret vs. Pauline; Hold On, Hold On; A Widow’s Toast; Title Track;  People Got A Lotta Nerve; I’m An Animal; The Pharoahs

More Related Music You Should Also Check Out: The New Pornographers : The Electric Version; A.C. Newman : The Slow Wonder; Helena Deland : Someone New ; Mura Masa : R.Y.C.