27fm Album Jukebox – March 2019
Flight of the Conchords – Live in London
Guys, it’s Bret and Jemaine. Don’t even worry about it. This is the album version of their telly special from last year and it remains excellent and the songs are great and it’s hilarious and it’s only a shocker that Flight of the Conchords waited this long to get a live album out there. Here’s our review from when the telly show aired.
Logic - Supermarket
The soundtrack to Bobby Hall’s (Logic) novel by the same name, Supermarket offers a completely fresh canvas for Logic to splash his musical endeavours upon. Supermarket is far less rappy than his previous pieces of work, which is exactly what you’d expect as Logic doesn’t just make a soundtrack to share more music, he’s catered music to the novel and that’s pretty damn funky.
Ex Hex - It’s Real
Mary Timony has been shredding that guitar since the 90s and her work with Helium is enough for legendary status all on its own. But holy mother of riffage, batman, this new Ex Hex album is ferocious. Reclaiming the anthemic sounds of 80s hard rock and merging it flawlessly with that grunge/alt credibility. Tough Enough. Rainbow Shiner. Diamond Drive. No Reflection. Cosmic Cave. Let me tell ya, this one is pure.
Zacari - Run Wild Run Free
Having previously been one of three features on Kendrick Lamar’s ‘D.A.M.N’, Zacari then got signed by Top Dawg Entertainment (another six hit by TDE) and now Zacari has offered his first EP via TDE. From California, Zacari had been been working at Katmai National Park in Alaska, which is apparently the inspiration for this album as the idea is that it’s ‘musically free’. A kinda beautiful little EP that will having you zoning out on a lazy autumn afternoon, then you’ll be learning the words to sing to your beloved.
Stella Donnelly – Beware of Dogs
Take that gentle indie sound and chuck a sweet Aussie accent over the top and then let that take you where it takes you before you really focus in on the caustic and defiant lyrics and chill out in the contrast between the two. Stella Donnelly has a youthful and progressive voice at a time when there is no shortage of woke singer-songwriters and that perspective seems to get a lot of attention in her press… but what really sets her apart is the quality of her craft.
Blu, Oh No - A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night
Something for those hip hop heads who still claim the underground, A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night is a strong collaborative effort from two of the west coast’s low key troopers. Oh No lays down the production and brings the best out of Blu that will have you grooving, with more than enough layers to then really dig into the production and rhymes as you hit replay. This is the type of project that will have you earning all sorts of cred if you jam it on the aux for your folks.
Townes Van Zandt – Sky Blue
No songwriter ever quite reached the levels of bittersweetness that Townes Van Zandt specialised in. The Texan troubadour was almost the definitive version of the underappreciated and tortured genius. This new collection is a set from the mid-70s, with a couple new songs, a couple new covers, and early versions of later tunes. It’s not a revelation but it’s a pleasant acquisition for those who’re already a part of the TVZ cult and should be a nice introduction for those that aren’t.
Smoke DZA - Prime Location, Vol. 1
Yet another offering from Smoke DZA, Prime Location, Vol. 1 is entirely produced by CThaSound and has DZA in his element. With a features from Benny Tha Buthcer and Wallo, this is a reliable Smoke DZA project and with just three songs, it’s light and something to chuck into your playlist, either among other DZA offerings or other easy listening rap tracks.
Strand of Oaks – Eraserland
Strolling in the ether between indie and heartland rock, Tim Showalter’s dished it up right here with some poignant and powerful new tunes. It’s an album that carries plenty of emotion, spilling out in a haze of guitar and synth, absolutely tense with doubt and depression and ultimately redemption. Definite War on Drugs and Songs: Ohia vibes. Hyperspace Blues goes good. Keys too. Ruby is a bit of a classic. But Forever Chords is where it really soars.
Jenny Lewis – On The Line
Somewhere along the way, probably around the time of her brilliant previous album The Voyager, Jenny Lewis assumed her rightful place as the Stevie Nicks of the new millennium and we’re all better for it. This is a breakup album but it’s so much more. It’s a summer’s glare upon the lens. It’s a wistful look back over your shoulder. It’s a field of daisies. It’s the hard-worn morning after. Ringo Starr plays drums on Heads Gonna Roll. On The Line and Little White Dove are the standouts but the whole album shimmers.
Uranium Club – The Cosmo Cleaners
File this away in the Early Parquet Courts bag of chunky and stunted politi-punk. “I find it extremely unsettling”, goes the opening track Flashback Arrestor. Some people might. But if you’re into challenging the establishment then step right up. Stretching out with some extended tracks (seven songs across 39 mins), happy to embrace spoken word passages and krautrock influences, this is the best thing Uranium Club has done yet and it deserves to get absolutely mashed through those loud-ass speakers of yours.
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