INDISPENSABLE NEW MUSIC PICKS
August 2023
Kristine England
Aug 31, 2023
Elephant Stone
“Lost in a Dream”
J’adore cette chanson. Another swirling, psychedelic delight from Quebec’s Elephant Stone. Rishi Dhir led the group after Dhir’s tenure in both the Datsuns and the High Dials. Elephant Stone's sound uniquely combines Indian classical music and psych-rock. The band has released five albums and several singles and EPs since its inception in 2009. Hopefully this single is a preview of more good things to come.
FEATURED TRACK: “Lost in a Dream”
Drab Majesty
An Object in Motion
Rippling synths and bright guitars highlight the featured track. Recorded in the coastal town of Yachats, Oregon, the album offers an array of psychedelic shoegaze delights, and boasts guest vocalist Rachel Goswell from Slowdive on “Vanity.” Pitchfork hails the records’ “ecstatic shoegaze” while Far Out touts its “kaleidoscopic soundscape.”
FEATURED TRACK: “The Skin and the Glove”
Ariana Delawari
I Will Remember
Afghan-American musician, filmmaker, and activist Ariana Delawari has released her latest album. Elements of folk, jazz, electronica, and Middle Eastern sounds grace her deeply personal songs. Writing about the troubling events in her home country, the death of both her mother and brother-in-law, and life in America as a refugee, the record is a tribute and an appeal for connection with those who have experienced great loss.
FEATURED TRACK: “I Will Remember”
Skindred
Smile
A Welsh band that blends metal and reggae is not something you encounter every day. Yet Welsh band Skindred does just that. Skindred has delivered its eighth album with all the ragga rock the group is known for, along with the featured track that The Guardian proclaims as “a gloriously sunny banger just perfect for blasting out at barbecues.”
FEATURED TRACK: “L.O.V.E. (Smile Please)”
Ora Cogan
Formless
Dreamy, reverb-laden melodies dominate Ora Cogan’s ninth album. Her lush voice glides over her folky, Americana tunes. Ghost Cult Magazine raves, “Formless is a record rich with atmosphere and possessed of powerful songs delivered with rare subtlety and grace.”
FEATURED TRACK: “Katie Cruel (Formless)”
Darrell Scott String Band
Old Cane Back Rocker
Darrell Scott has been playing music professionally since his teens. A respected Country/Americana musician and songwriter, his tunes have been covered by numerous artists. He was a member of Band of Joy along with Robert Plant and has released over a dozen studio and live records. His latest is a collection of originals and covers. If it’s strings you want, this album delivers with banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin and more.
FEATURED TRACK: "Red Bird"
Rody Dünyada
Kar
The single from Rody Dünyada’s latest album would not seem out of place on any folk or country album were it not for the lyrics being in Turkish. Born in Istanbul, Dünyada is a respected musician in his homeland, known for mixing rock, post-punk, and other Western genres with Turkish traditions and perfectly demonstrating the universality of music.
FEATURED TRACK: “Masallar Diyarı”
Andrew Hung
Deliverance
The founder of electronica duo Fuck Buttons and Dawn Hunger is back with his third solo album. Flood notes it’s “rife with floor-shaking beats and powerful waves of synthesizers” and a confessional mood. Deliverance showcases an artist looking for connection.
FEATURED TRACK: “Too Much”