Fiona Apple – Fetch The Boltcutters

First up, gotta thank Shemeikah. That was nice of her. Okay, moving on, it’s been eight years since Fiona Apple last graced us with an album and that album was one of the legit masterpieces of the last decade. It’s way too soon to tell if this one is in that same stratosphere, gotta let an album simmer before settling on grand statements like that, but Fetch The Boltcutters is a genuinely stunning record. Apple’s lyrics have never been more profound and her voice is typically astounding (and unorthodox)... in fact many songs on FTB are specifically about finding (and having confidence in) one’s voice despite those that would belittle it. The upright bass and drums supply a gorgeous framework while Apple’s dog gets plenty of spotlight in the recordings too. Yes, her dog. It’s the kind of record where everything feels inspired... and the more you listen, the more it gifts you its treasures.

A$AP Twelvyy - Before Noon

An undercover member of A$AP Mob, Twelvyy bounces back from his previous release '12' with 'Before Noon' with a wavy yet gritty vibe. Twelvyy's rhymes are infectious, consistently exploring different flows and pockets, stepping up to provide greater intensity on tracks like Catch Up and Kratez, while maintain that duality of being rooted in NYC streets and floating in the clouds. This isn't a project to sit with, nerding out trying to rap it yourself, just hit play and let it be the soundtrack to whatever you're doing. You'll be head-bopping and jigging.

Ty Segall – Segall Smeagol

How good is this? We’ve all come up with different ways to be productive during our physical isolations and Ty Segall, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, has used his to make more music. In this case a six-song EP of Harry Nilsson covers which is as great as it sounds. Beginning with a revved up version of Coconut and basically just soaring into the clouds from there. These are very much Ty Segall versions of these songs, meaning that the fuzz is prevalent and the drum sticks are absolutely smashing it. And he gave it away for free too, the champion. Special mention to Early in the Morning which is especially supreme.

Westside Gunn - Pray For Paris

Another offering from the Griselda whanau, this time Westside Gunn steps in to offer a solo project 'Pray For Paris'. This is art, exactly what one has come to expect from Gunn and with Griselda's Daringer, Alchemist, DJ Premier and Tyler, The Creator providing some of the production, we're dealing with intricate fine art. For those who are new to listening to Gunn, expect standard fly-talk that oozes over the eerie production and all sorts of pop culture references that set the scene for the dirtiest Buffalo antics. Griselda shines with Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher sharing bars with Gunn on 'George Bondo' and ‘Allah Sent Me', while '$500 Ounces' with Freddie Gibbs and Roc Marciano epitomises the avant-garde wave of hip hop that many are coming to love. I'm coming to appreciate Gunn as someone who brings various elements together, whether that's bringing Griselda together or wiggling between working with Tyler, The Creator and Joey Bada$$ ('327') and troopers such as Boldy James ('Claiborne Kick'). When listening to a Gunn album, it feels like you're listening to a curator building an art gallery. This isn't exactly an upbeat project, yet the attitude of Pray For Paris is intense and you'll be wise to take a journey with Westside Gunn.

Ratboys – Printer’s Devil

Nice crunchy indie rock here courtesy of Chicago’s Ratboys, their third full length album and by the looks of it another one that’ll sneak under the mainstream radar. Not sure why it should though. Printer’s Devil sees the band putting more emphasis on the riffage to beautiful effect with wistfully catchy hooks balancing it all out, sugared with a little 90s alt rock in the vein of, say, Liz Phair or Helium. And that’s fitting because there’s a sort of vague nostalgia to these tracks. And a not so vague sense of accepted uncertainty. Like that shrug of the shoulders before plunging from the high board. Whatever happens, happens.

Asher Roth - Flowers On The Weekend

Asher Roth hasn't dropped too much music in recent years, re-appearing with 'Flowers On The Weekend' and there is a familiar vibe to the post 'I Love College' Asher Roth I came to enjoy. There is a certain integrity that comes with Roth's music, leaning into good vibes and wisdom with all sorts of funky little pockets that could be kinda corny if you didn't view Roth as a good friend providing some light ear pleasure. Don't think too much about this project, just whack it on when the mood is mellow and chill out.

Thundercat – It Is What It Is

There’s nothing drastic about this new Thundercat record. The man lays down the virtuosic bass, collabs with some top notch mates (reflecting his position in the industry), and then slaps his falsetto vocals all over it. It’s all the same kind of territory as his last album Drunk. It’s funny and poignant in equal measures, it’s modern and funky... it’s Thundercat, basically. Dragon Ball Z mixed with George Clinton mixed with the internet. The one complaint with Thundercat is the same as usual, he’s not a particularly great songwriter and a few of these tracks do feel like half-baked ideas. But that’s fine, it is what it is. Some folks won’t dig that but others of us thrive listening to such blissfully soggy ruminations about calmness on the brink of existential crisis.

Drakulas – Terminal Amusements

The energy, the sheer energy of these jokers. These amusements might be terminal but they’re an absolute blast. The Drakulas are the guitarist from Rise Against and the singer and bass player from Riverboat Gamblers and together they serve up the kind of midnight garage punk that makes you wanna jump up and down while you scream at the moon, pausing only to drink the blood of the aristocracy. The whole album pops but Dark Blood is as good as any song that 2020 has served up to date. This is the album The Strokes should have made... although they did alright on their new trajectory. More on them soon.

Joey Fatts - Still Cutthroat

The variety of sounds coming out of California with regards to hip-hop has been pleasure to absorb over the past decade or so and Joey Fatts lives in the banger bucket. 'Still Cutthroat' is Fatts' first project in a few years and the Long Beach native has a bunch of beats that slap, dealing in standard street business while exploring different flows - always with the option to slow down. Whether it's 'Picture Me Rollin Pt. 2', 'Outside WIth It' or 'Fuck You' there are some delightful jams to turn up loud in your car and you'll find yourself vibing out to slick features from Larry June on 'Brand New AMG' and Jmsn on 'When Did It'.

Laura Marling – Song For Our Daughter

Released months ahead of its initial planned date and with a loose conceptual thread of offering a guiding light to the young women of the world, Laura Marling’s latest is yet another immaculate songwriter’s album from one of the most consistent in the game. Strange Girl is one of those songs that sounds immediately familiar from the very first time you hear it (I had to look it up thinking it must be a cover) while Alexandra and Only The Strong are pure Marling with her distinctive voice and subtly shattering poetry. Perhaps a bit slow down the back half but that’s no obstacle. Just turn it up louder and drown in the tender immensity of what she has to say.

The Strokes – The New Abnormal

It’s The Strokes. And yet it’s 2020. What’s going on here? Well, the fellas are sounding a little softer these days, experience and electronics softening that crunchy edge of yesteryear... but then who really wants to listen to a band re-doing the same thing? Hence the Pearl Jam album, although perfectly serviceable, never made it to an Album Jukebox. This is a different sound for The Strokes but the band remains as tightly wound as ever even in their newfound maturity (the first song is literally called The Adults Are Talking) and Casablancas still knows his way around a lyric sheet, that’s for sure. Tunes like Bad Decisions and Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus hit nicely and while the album doesn’t truly pop like their early stuff, it grows with multiple listens. And Hammond’s guitar work is still a beautiful thing.

Smino - S.A.D

If you’re not quite in tune with Smino, ‘She Already Decided’ may be the project to lure you into one of the more varied artists going around at the moment. Rooted in hip-hop and R&B, Smino offers all sorts of fresh grooves, sometime rapping with skill and sometimes busting a bunch of ad-libs, sometimes providing a weird melody to vibe to. S.A.D. itself is mainly about relations with females, yet the futuristic sound that throws back to Mike Jones and T-Pain at different stages, is an engaging listen until you settle into a comfort zone with Smino and it becomes an inspiring take on music in 2020. ‘Good ol Julio’ is impossible not to vibe with, to be honest though every song has a different little reason to wiggle your body and enjoy funky music.

Tre Burt – Caught It From The Rye

American folkster signed to John Prine’s Oh Boy records, and you already know that second bit vindicates the first bit. This is his debut full length album and it’s full of gritty wisdom and troubadour tales. Nothing too complicated in its delivery, you’ll hear plenty of acoustic guitar with a little bit of harmonica and not much else. John Prine is a natural touchstone here but early Bob Dylan even more so. Perhaps even another recently departed legend too: Bill Withers. Lofty idols right there but Tre Burt keeps it nice and grounded. Gonna assume you didn’t miss the Salinger nod in the title either.

Sorry – 925

Oh dude this thing is all over the place. The opener alone, Right Round The Clock, has so many ideas in it you can hardly keep up. Modern beats, saxophone riffs, a chorus lifted from that song from Donnie Darko, grunge guitars, alternating vocals... it’s weird yet invigorating. Dripping with ironic detachment except for the places where it’s authentically vulnerable. The whole album stays breathlessly irrepressible like that, occasionally settling into more natural indie rock territory (Snakes/Rosie) but only for long enough for Sorry to shock and surprise and thrill some more (Starstruck/Rock ‘n’ Roll Star/Heather). This is rock music that sounds fresh and modern and great. You don’t get that combination too often.

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