The Circling Sun – Spirits

Basically what we’ve got here is a collection of Aotearoa jazz maestros serving up a fresh collection of cosmic visions. Drummer Julien Dyne is probably the best known of the crew for his work with Tom Scott’s Avantdale Bowling Club so if you dig the jazzier soundbeds of that genius-level work then you might as well stick around for this effort. Spirits, true to its title, is jazz on that spiritual level, capturing the energy of Alice Coltrane whilst adding some Sun Ra afrofuturism and a few of those good latin touches too. Kohan is the best of the bunch, the one tune which seems to embody all of those influences at the forefront. It’s an instant classic with a wicked bassline and those delicious percussions, the flutes and the deep-set vocals. Seven minutes of that and you’re tripping through desert sands as the trickster coyote whispers riddles in your ear. But the entire can take you to space, don’t worry about that. Glorious melodic transcendence.

Kara Jackson – Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love?

A renowned poet from Illinois who also happens to play a bit of guitar, Kara Jackson’s work is built around those two elements. Her voice is deep and evocative. Her guitar parts are simple and moody via acoustic fingerpickers. Those talents then serve as conduits for some profound lyrical messaging (mostly about relationships, as the title suggests)... and also a gift for melody and structure. Dickhead Blues is fantastic, drifting thrillingly all over the place. Pawnshop and Brain have electric slide guitar, which sounds awesome. This is a debut album from someone best known for their clever words and yet it turns out to be a work of real sophistication with some lovely touches in the production. It’s actually hard to figure out touchstones for this unique album... though for sure it runs parallel to that indie folk world (Weather Station, Marissa Nadler... maybe even some Aldous Harding?). Give it a go, especially in those pensive moments.

Coast Arcade - Next To Me EP

The new five-track project from Auckland's Coast Arcade "Next To Me' is a groovy collection of jams. The band hovers around indie rock but NTM is best summarized as being some good ol' Aotearoa rock and roll rooted in a young folks wave. There are splashes of teenage angst and light tones that come together for a vibrant package which is probably better suited to epic summer days, although it works well as a winter warmer. Coast Arcade provide a project that already sounds like Aotearoa classic, capturing everything lovable about kiwi tunes.

Jay Worthy & Roc Marciano - Nothing Bigger Than The Program

Two sneaky forces in hip-hop come together with Roc Marciano laying a soundtrack for Jay Worthy to preach on. Marciano's production is typically intriguing and mysterious as he offers a funky sound that Worthy shines on. Marciano pops up to offer his own poetry as part of an enticing group of guest features such as Bun B, Aston Matthews, Kurupt and Ab-Soul. Themes are dangerous throughout NBTTP and it deals in plenty of dark arts, so be warned when listening with the youngsters. Much of this is delivered with soul though and whether it's Marciano's production or Worthy's creative energy, somehow NBTTP winds out as a wholesome listen.

Mega Bog – End Of Everything

Self-described in its own press as a “nightmarish experimental pop ensemble”, there are moments on this latest Mega Bog effort that sound like the soundtrack to some kinda alien neo-noir freakout film like Blade Runner crossed with Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. Led by the inimitable creative stylings of LA musician Erin Elizabeth Birgy, End Of Everything starts in more conventional artpop places and proceeds to dismantle and disintegrate from there with the warm synths joined by slashing electric guitar and ominous saxophone and various other cool things. It’s dark and it’s vivid. It’s sometimes brutal, it’s always rewarding. Wonderfully weird. Beautifully beguiling.

Maxine Funke – River Said

Reliably delivering regular doses of the gentlest of gentle folk tunes, so delicate that they sound like they could break through the effort of squeezing them through your headphones, River Said is the fifth full length album from Dunedin’s Maxine Funke. Funke is song-writer of immense care and elegance. Sparse acoustic guitar leads the way for most of the runtime although the last two tracks, Long Beach and Oblivion, bring in extended cello workouts as the formula gets stretched out in fascinating ways with atmospheric audio (birdsong!) and dreamy electronics. Both are predominantly instrumental, at least until Funke reappears singing about sealions for the last few minutes. It’s a trip. Call it Side A and Side B. The whole thing is like a gentle winter’s breeze, chilly but calming.

Chuck Strangers - The Boys & Girls EP

New York's Chuck Strangers offers mellow hip-hop with his latest project 'The Boys & Girls EP'. Strangers handles production on a few tracks but draws upon beats from a variety of producers led by Evidence. Guest appearances come from Navy Blue who weaves European football into his verses, along with Obii, Pink Siifu and Fly Anakin. Regardless of who the producer is, Strangers walks through his rhymes and offers a minimalist flow of bars. Folks won't be getting rowdy to Chuck Strangers but the mellow sound combined with grit and grime ensures head-nodding.

Danny Arakaki – Tumble In Shade

You may not know the name but hopefully you know the band. Danny Arakaki is one of the heady maestros in Garcia Peoples, an absolute elite modern jam band who have featured plenty in these Album Jukeboxes over recent years. This is Arakaki’s debut solo side-project and basically it exists as a home for all the tunes he’s churned out that didn’t quite fit the GP vibes. A band that eclectic, it’s hard to know what wouldn’t fit with them... but then maybe the bloke simply had too many songs to go around. Here he works out some freaky folk and acid rock ideas with an all-star band of indie NYC talent. Would be curious to know how these songs would’ve gone with GP but it’s also choice to hear Arakaki stretching things out in a different environment.

Sparks – The Girls Is Crying In Her Latte

So many people are crying in their lattes and Sparks are here to document it. The bazillionth album from the American electropop weirdos continues a hot streak for the Mael brothers. There was the Edgar Wright documentary that brought them into the spotlight. Then the musical film Annette (2021) that they co-wrote and did the soundtrack for. Chuck in a new album and it’s been a supreme few years. The best song is Veronica Lake (a ridiculously catchy tune about the titular golden age actress – and how her trademark peek-a-boo haircut was causing problems during the second world war because of all the women with copycat do’s). The whole thing slaps though. These guys still have such an incredible ear for a mint melody and funky sounds.

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