INDISPENSABLE NEW MUSIC PICKS
April 2023
Kristine England
April 30, 2023 at 4:00:00 PM
Cinder Well
Cadence
Amelia Baker, aka Cinder Well, bridges the distance between two west coasts -- those of her native California and acopted Ireland -- on her latest album. Irish folkloric elements inhabit the moody songs, with haunting strings from Cormac MacDiarmada of the Dublin-based folk group Lankum. It’s lovely. “Cadence consistently finds the dark places and, rather than bring them to light, finds beauty in them.” (No Depression)
FEATURED TRACK: “Two Heads, Grey Mare”
Dirty Heads
Cadence
The Huntington Beach, CA alt-rock-reggae released the first three planned EPs for 2023, with Night 2 documenting some of the upcoming Midnight Control sessions (thus the title) as well as some remixes and special guests. The lead single (and featured track) is a hip-hop love letter to California, which the group describes as a “flipped Red Hot Chili Peppers hook.”
FEATURED TRACK: “Rescue Me”
JaRon Marshall
Earth Sounds
Louisiana native JaRon Marshall began playing piano at age 11 and began experimenting with tape loops in middle school. His original plan was to be a music producer, but he slowly drifted toward jazz, performing in clubs throughout college. After moving to Austin, he fell in with a group of artists, including Adrian Quesada who eventually formed Black Pumas. He was there for the group’s meteoric rise but never strayed too far from jazz. He assembled a stellar group of musicians to record his full-length debut “live to tape,” and the energy is inescapable.
FEATURED TRACK: “Water Flows”
Ritual Cloak
Vanished in Transition
Guitarist Daniel Barnett was a member of the award-winning Welsh rock group Samoans. Drummer/producer Andrew Sanders is the proprietor of Cardiff’s Kings Road Studio. Together, they are Ritual Cloak, a duo who explore piano-laden ambient soundscapes with jazz and Indian flavors. The EP features guest collaborators Rob Smith of Wonderbrass, Wylderness’ Harri Rees, and Karl Griffiths of Morning Arcade. The title track wouldn’t be out of place on Bowie’s Low album.
FEATURED TRACK: "Vanished in Transition"