Tag: Music

Album Recommendations – June 2026

~ Liam ~ 1 Comment

I’ve given up on trying to regularly write reviews of new albums, but I still want to share albums I enjoyed.  Below are several new (and new-ish) albums – no ratings, no criticism – just music I enjoy listening to and hope you will to.


Album: Dear Children of Our Children, I Knew: Epilogue 
Artist: Alabaster DePlume
Genre: Jazz
Release Date: April 18, 2026
Label: International Anthem
Favorite Tracks:

  • Bringing Up The Nakba
  • I Play A Role In It and I Know
  • Glass

English jazz saxophone player and spoken-word artist Angus Fairbairn performs under the name Alabaster DePlume.  Apart from his eclectic musical style, he is known for his activism which is evident even in the instrumental pieces on this collection.

Album: Fold
Artist: Jump Source
Genre: Electronic
Release Date:April 30, 2026
Label: naff
Favorite Tracks:

  • Shattered (feat. Helena Deland & Ross Meen)
  • Affect (feat. Loukeman)
  • Fade City (feat. Deaton Chris Anthony)
  • Fold (feat. CFCF & Helena Deland)
  • Museum Fatigue

Jump Source are the electronic duo of Francis Latreille and Patrick Holland from Montreal, Quebec.  Their music transcends the dance floor to places of reflection.

Album: FENIAN
Artist: Kneecap
Genre: Hip hop
Release Date: 1 May 2026
Label: Heavenly
Favorite Tracks:

  • Smugglers & Scholars
  • Carnival
  • Liars Tale
  • FENIAN
  • Irish Goodbye (feat. Kae Tempest)

The politically-active hip hop trip from Belfast returns with the follow-up to their debut album Fine Art.  The album gestated in the wake of Kneecap’s North American tour getting canceled due to the group’s opposition to Israel’s attacks on Gaza, as well as bogus terrorism charges against band member Mo Chara. The album demonstrates that Kneecap have also grown musically since their first album.

Album: Loud Bloom
Artist: Olof Dreijer
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: May 8, 2026
Label: Rabid Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • Rosa Rugosa
  • Makwande
  • Blood Lilly
  • Iris

Olof Dreijer is Swedish DJ and producer most known for being part of The Knife, a duo with his sister Karin Dreijer (who also performs under the name Fever Ray).  Dreijer’s first full-length work as a solo artist joyfully mixes African and Latin dance styles with electronic music.

 

Album: Now You Exist
Artist: The Field
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: May 15, 2026
Label: Studio Barnhus
Favorite Tracks:

  • In Our Dreams

The Field is the stage name for Axel Willner, another Swedish DJ and producer.  This EP showcases his minimalist techno style.

Album: REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE
Artist: Genesis Owusu
Genre: Hip Hop/Neo-soul
Release Date: May 15, 2026
Label: Ourness
Favorite Tracks:

  • PIRATE RADIO
  • STAMPEDE
  • DEATH CULT ZOMBIE

Genre-jumping, Ghanian-born Australian artist Genesis Owusu returns with a third album making sharp observations on the political and social crises of the world.  According to Wikipedia, “The music blends neo soul with alt-pop, synth-punk, deep funk and Brit rock stylings,” which just scratches the surface of Owusu’s eclecticism.

Album: Flame Folclòre 
Artist: Cocanha
Genre: Occitan Folk
Release Date: May 15, 2026
Label: Les DIsques Bongo Joe – Pagans
Favorite Tracks:

  • Adissiatz Palhassonaira
  • La Majorana
  • Au nòst’ casalòt
  • Diuré samsir

Cocanha are the French duo Caroline Dufau and Lila Fraysse.  This collections includes original music based on Occitan folk traditions.  Occitan is an endangered language spoken by people in the southern region of France.

Album: Rumspringa
Artist: ear
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: May 29, 2026
Label: A24 Music
Favorite Tracks:

  • Coil
  • Ne Plus Ultra
  • F
  • Good Day Will Arrive

If you do not enjoy minimalist electronic music, you’re not going to be pleased that I have yet another recommendation in this genre.  ear are the duo of Jonah Paz and Yaelle Avtan who began recording while attending Bard College a couple of years ago.

“Cumbia fantasia” by Mexican Institute of Sound, Meridian Brothers

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“Cumbia fantasia” is a collaboration of Mexican Institute of Sound,  Mexico City-based DJ and producer Camilo Lara, and the Colombian band Meridian Brothers.

Songshare: “TUNDRA” by OTYKEN

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OTYKEN are a Siberian folk-pop group who sing in the Dolgan language (spoken by the indigenous people of the Taimyr Peninsula in Russia). “TUNDRA” is a fun song with a fun video. I previously highlighted their song “Belief” in 2024. 

 

Album Recommendations – May 2026

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I’ve given up on trying to regularly write reviews of new albums, but I still want to share albums I enjoyed.  Below are several new (and new-ish) albums – no ratings, no criticism – just music I enjoy listening to and hope you will to.

Album: Indigo Park
Artist: Bruce Hornsby
Genre: Heartland rock
Release Date: April 3, 2026
Label: Zappo Productions | Thirty Tigers
Favorite Tracks:

  • Indigo Park
  • Silhouette Shadows
  • Alabama
  • Might As Well Be Me, Florinda

I was a big fan of Bruce Hornsby back in the 1980s and 1990s but have lost touch with his career since then, so it was nice to be reminded that he’s still making good music.  Back when I lived in Williamsburg, VA he was a local celebrity frequently spotted in restaurants and stores.  This album shows his eclectic style of heartland rock fused with jazz, classical, and folk music.  Guest artists include Bonnie Raitt, Bob Weir, and Ezra Koenig.

Album: Daydreaming
Artist: Arrows of Athena
Genre: Alternative Rock
Release Date: April 3, 2026
Label: Belhaven Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • Abandoned Love
  • Room With a View
  • You’re Not All That
  • She’s Late to the Party

The Boston-based duo of Scott Lerner and Jac-Lyn Gibson make up this energetic indie rock/pop group.  Their music has a very 1990s vibe if you’re into that.

Album: The Undone is Done Again
Artist: Tanya Donelly and Chris Brokaw
Genre: Medieval
Release Date: April 17, 2026
Label: Fire Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • Novvus Annis Adiit
  • Sainte Nicholaes
  • In Hoc Anni Circulo
  • Plaudat Letitia

Speaking of Boston-based artists from the 90s, Tanya Donnelly (Throwing Muses, The Breeders, Belly) and Chris Brokaw (Come and Codeine) have teamed up for this EP of … medieval music. If the idea of carols and ballads of the middle ages arranged for electric guitar appeals to you, check it out!

Album Recommendations – April 2026

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

I’ve given up on trying to regularly write reviews of new albums, but I still want to share albums I enjoyed.  Below are several new (and new-ish) albums – no ratings, no criticism – just music I enjoy listening to and hope you will to.

Album: Midnight Feature
Artist: Grace Givertz
Genre:  Indie Folk
Release Date: March 13, 2026
Label: Self-released
Favorite Tracks:

  • Purgatory
  • In 500 ft, Your Destination is on the Right
  • Black Belt (feat. Rat Tally)
  • Midnight Feature
  • America (feat. Jake Blount)

Boston-based folk musician Grace Givertz lends her unique voice to songs of heartbreak and the experience of being bi-racial in a predominantly white folk scene.

 

Album: Foggy Mountain Mental Breakdown
Artist: Sweet Petunia
Genre: Americana
Release Date: March 13, 2026
Label: Righteous Babe Records
Favorite Tracks:

  • Kennedy Rag/Clementine
  • I Wanna Run
  • Grub
  • Heels
  • Guise

The Boston-based duo of Maddy Simpson and Mairead Guy take a contemporary approach to Americana/old-time music with banjo, acoustic guitar, and close harmonies.

Album: Land of the Noon-Day Moon
Artist: Boxing Robin
Genre: Traditional Folk
Release Date: February 27, 2026
Label: Richard Cunningham
Favorite Tracks:

  • Ned Coleman’s #2/The Orphan
  • Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine/Time Will End
  • Ridee six Temps/Quand les Garçons Vont Aux Noces
  • The Scots Guards Set

Tennessee-based duo Rick Cunningham and Gypsy Youngraven use instruments like button accordions and Hurdy Gurdy to perform traditional music styles from Ireland, Scotland, France, England, and Brittany.

Album: Creature of Habit
Artist: Courtney Barnett
Genre: Indie Rock
Release Date: March 27, 2026
Label: Mom + Pop
Favorite Tracks:

I’ve been following Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Bartnett since her first album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit came out in 2015 so it’s a pleasure to see her return with her fourth album.

Album: Ö
Artist: Fcukers
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: March 27, 2026
Label: Ninja Tune
Favorite Tracks:

  • Beatback
  • if you wanna party, come over to my house
  • Shake it Up

Fcukers are the electronic music duo of Shanny Wise and Jackson Walker Lewis from New York City.  This is their debut album.  It slaps.

 

Ten Songs With … Nina Simone

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“Ten Songs With…” is a new, irregular series of posts in which I explore the music of a group or artist I like but am only familiar with a small portion of their catalog.  Unlike my previous Deep Dives series this will be more focused, limited to highlighting – yep, you guessed it – ten songs.

Ten Songs With … Nina Simone

Around 25 years ago, I had my alarm clock set to a college radio station.  During exams the station would play long blocks of songs by the same artist, so one beautiful spring morning I woke up to Nina Simone.  This was the first time I heard “Mississippi Goddam” and was bowled over by the raw anger of the song, but also how it was so funny.

Eunice Kathleen Waymon was born in 1933 in North Carolina.  She trained on piano and planned to be a classical concert pianist.  As a side gig to pay the bills, she started performing in nightclubs under the name Nina Simone.  This launched her into an entirely different career predominantly in jazz, but performing an eclectic style that drew on blues, gospel, folk, soul, calypso, and reggae.  But Simone’s greatest talent may be as an interpreter of songs ranging from the standards of the American songbook to current pop and rock hits.

Simone died in 2003, but her music remains popular and is frequently used in samples, remixes, and movie soundtracks.  Notably, “Feeling Good” scored the final scene of two very different movies in 2024 – Perfect Days and A Quiet Place: Day One.  As an aside, “Feeling Good” originated in the mostly forgotten stage musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd in 1964, but Simone made it her own.

If you’re interested in learning more about Nina Simone, I recommend the documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?  Her music is also significantly featured in the movies Four Women, Summer of Soul, and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat.

My Ten Songs

I listened to a dozen Nina Simone albums to prepare for this list and selecting only ten songs was extremely difficult.  But at least that ensures that the ten songs I selected are all excellent.  If you have a favorite Nina Simone song, or a suggestion for the artist for my next Ten Songs With post, let me know in the comments.

Plain Gold Ring (1958, from Little Girl Blue)

Just In Time (1961, from Nina at the Village Gate)

Mississippi Goddam (1964 from Nina Simone in Concert)

Feeling Good (1964, from I Put A Spell on You)

Sinnerman (1964, from Pastel Blues)

Either Way I Lose (1965, from Wild Is The Wind)

Four Women (1965, from Wild Is The Wind)

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (1966, from Silk & Soul)

22nd Century (1970, from Here Comes the Sun)

Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (1971, from Black Gold)

 

 

Songshare: “The Book of Love” x 2

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One of my favorite songs by The Magnetic Fields, “The Book of Love” from the 1999 album 69 Love Songs, was covered by Olivia Rodrigo for a charity album, Help(2).  Both versions are lovely so I’m sharing them here together.

The Magnetic Fields

Olivia Rodrigo

 

Album Recommendations – March 2026

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

I’ve given up on trying to regularly write reviews of new albums, but I still want to share albums I enjoyed.  Below are several new (and new-ish) albums – no ratings, no criticism – just music I enjoy listening to and hope you will to.

Album: Mandy, Indiana
Artist: Urgh
Genre: Noise Rock
Release Date: February 6, 2026
Label: Sacred Bones
Favorite Tracks:

  • Magazine
  • try saying
  • Dodechahedron
  • ist halt so
  • Cursive

Mandy, Indiana is a fictional midwestern town, but a real band lead by French vocalist Valentine Caulfield and a trio of instrumentalists from Manchester, England. Their sound is described as Noise Rock, but could also fall under Punk, Hyperpop, and/or Electronic. I know I’m not doing reviews, but this is already one of my favorite albums of the year.

Album: Nothing’s About to Happen to Me
Artist:  Mitski
Genre: Indie Rock
Release Date: February 27, 2026
Label: Dead Oceans
Favorite Tracks:

  • In A Lake
  • Where’s My Phone?
  • Rules
  • That White Cat
  • Lightning

Mitski, a voice of her generation, is back with another collection of melodic and lyrically-complex songs.

Album: Currently
Artist: Scottish Fish
Genre: Celtic Traditional
Release Date: July 30, 2025
Label: self-released
Favorite Tracks:

  • Annie’s
  • mapnol
  • St. Patrick’s
  • Fleur

The five members of Scottish Fish – Ava Montesi (fiddle), Caroline Dressler (fiddle), Giulia Haible (cello, piano), Julia Homa (fiddle, piano), and Maggie MacPhail (fiddle, piano)  – are in their early 20s, but have been performing together for over a decade!  Growing up in Boston’s Celtic Music scene they’ve become a tight unit performing Scottish and Cape Breton music, which is largely instrumental but with occasional vocalization.

Album: Cutthroat
Artist: Shame
Genre: Post-punk
Release Date: September 5, 2025
Label: Dead Oceans
Favorite Tracks:

  • Cutthroat
  • Quiet Life
  • After Party

Shame is a post-punk quintet from South London, and Cutthroat is their fourth album.  Shame’s sound is reminiscent of post-punk pioneers The Fall and demonstrates a variety of styles across the album.

Album: Sibyl
Artist: Sibyl
Genre: Folk
Release Date: February 27, 2026
Label: Gold Bolus Recordings
Favorite Tracks:

  • Witch Wife
  • I Felt a Cleaving In My Mind
  • The Saddest Noise, The Sweetest Noise
  • I’ll Fly Away

I’m a sucker for the close harmonies of siblings and the soprano voices of Chloe and Lily Holgate joined together is quite stunning.  Sibyl’s music sounds both ancient and contemporary, folky and experimental.  Lyrically their songs draw on the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Emily Dickinson, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Album: Blame the Clown
Artist: Twisted Teens
Genre: Punk Rock
Release Date: February 13, 2026
Label: Jazz Life
Favorite Tracks:

  • Is It Real?
  • Little Seed
  • Who Could It Be?
  • Hurricane

Caspian Hollywell and R.J. Santos are a duo from New Orleans whose punk rock sound includes elements of country and folk rock which Pitchfork calls Southern garage rock.

Songshare: “Beatback” by Fcukers

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Songshare is an irregular series of posts where I share a song – new or old – that I like, in hopes that you may like it too!

Fcukers – “Beatback“

Nothing much to say other than “Beatback” by Fcukers is a weird and funky track that just hits right at this moment.  Fcukers is an electronic trio from New York City consisting of Shannon Wise on vocals, Ben Scarf on drums and Jackson Walker Lewis on the bass and keys.

Ten Songs With … Dee-Lite

~ Liam ~ Leave a comment

“Ten Songs With…” is a new, irregular series of posts in which I explore the music of a group or artist I like but am only familiar with a small portion of their catalog.  Unlike my previous Deep Dives series this will be more focused, limited to highlighting – yep, you guessed it – ten songs.

Ten Songs With … Dee-Lite

Dee-Lite emerged at the start of the 1990s, and despite mixing house music with 70s funk & disco and 60s psychedelia, their sound was very forward looking for the new decade.  The trio was lead by Lady Miss Keir (Kierin Magenta Kirby) whose vocals and sense of style made her the epitome of Downtown New York cool. The lineup also included Supa DJ Dmitry (born in USSR as Dmitry Brill) and Korean-Japanese DJ Towa Tei.  Towa would be replaced on their final album by DJ Ani.

The group’s lineup and sound represented the early 1990s embracing diversity and global unity in the post-Cold War era.  While the songs dealt with dancing, partying, and romance, as you might expect, Dee-Lite also embraced political causes including environmentalism, reproductive rights, voter participation, safe sex, and anti-war activism.

Dee-Lite’s debut album World Clique was a global phenomenon, and it included their most memorable track “Groove is the Heart.”  If I ever get around to making a list of my all-time favorite songs “Groove is in the Heart” would rank high on the list.  Dee-Lite’s later work did not reach the same broad popular appeal but they continued to have number one hits on the dance charts.  I was unfamiliar with their second and third albums, but they still sounded fresh listening to them today.

After releasing three albums and touring extensively, Dee-Lite broke up over artistic differences.  The members of the band continue to make music, produce, and DJ.

 

Brief Discography

World Clique (Elektra, August 7, 1990), peaked at #20 on the US album charts and was certified gold.  The group released five singles from this album starting with “Groove is in the Heart” which reached #4 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the dance charts.  “Power of Love” and “Good Beat” were also dance chart number ones.

Infinity Within (Elektra, June 23, 1992), peaked at #67 on the US album charts. This album spawned three singles starting with “Runaway” which hit #1 on the dance charts but failed to make it on the Hot 100.

Dewdrops in the Garden (Elektra, July 12, 1994), peaked at #127 on the Billboard 200.  This album included four singles with “Bring Me Your Love” and “Call Me” hitting #1 on the dance charts.

My Ten Songs

These are the ten standout tracks from Dee-Lite’s catalog.  Note that all the links below go to original album/single tracks but there are also numerous excellent remixes of all of these. If you have a favorite song by Dee-Lite, or want to suggest an artist for Ten Songs With, let me know in the comments.

Good Beat (1990)

Groove is in the Heart (1990)

Power of Love

What is Love? (1990)

Pussycat Meow (1992)

Rubber Lover (1992)

Two Clouds Above Nine (1992)

Music Selector is the Soul Reflector (1994)

Party Happening People (1994)

River of Freedom (1994)