INDISPENSABLE NEW MUSIC PICKS
December 2022
Kristine England
Dec 31, 2022
Cat Clyde
I first discovered Cat Clyde when writing a piece for the Rosie G. spot. I loved her voice and her plaintive lyrics with an uncanny universal appeal as well as her classic country guitar twang. She’s previewing a track from her upcoming album, Down Rounder, due in February. I drop what I’m doing when I see her name and head to the nearest music site.
FEATURED TRACK: "Mystic Light"
Snotty Nose Rez Kids
I'm Good, HBU?
The First Nations hip-hop duo met in high school growing up in a Haisla village in British Columbia. Darren "Young D" Metz and Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce combined forces and released their debut album in 2017, earning plenty of plaudits for telling honest and humorous stories. Now they're on album number five and show no signs of easing up.
FEATURED TRACK: “Damn Right”
Various Artists
Southeast of Saturn, Vol. 2
Two years after Volume 1, Third Man Records has released its second volume of midwest psychedelic and shoegaze underground acts that makes for seriously spacy listening. It's time to burn one and settle in a for a listen. You have 18 tracks, so get comfortable.
FEATURED TRACK: Rhodes "Monaural"
Yes
Progeny: Seven Shows From Seventy-Two
If you’re a fan of classic prog and just can’t get enough, this opus is sure to sate you. Seriously, Rhino may have given you 14 discs and seven shows and oodles of tunes to choose from (but no “Starship Trooper,” wtf?) back in 2015, but what if you've been longing to have it on vinyl. Well, your time has come (in colors of ruby, orange, cobalt, soda bottle clear, tan, forest green, and electric blue). Dreams really can come true.
FEATURED TRACK: “Yours Is No Disgrace”
IDLES
Five Years of Brutalism
Has it REALLY been five years since IDLES graced us with its debut album, Brutalism? Since then, they’ve become one of the most important bands of our times. Here’s to many more increments of five to come of raw, unadultered awesomeness. This reissue of Brutalism also features a live set from the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury in 2022.
FEATURED TRACK: "1049 Gotho"
††† (Crosses)
Permanent.Radiant
Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno teamed up with childhood friend Shaun Lopez (Far) and bassist Chuck Doom more than a decade ago. After a prolonged absence, the group has released a new EP, PERMANENT.RADIANT (sans Chuck), highlighting the now-duo’s “atmosphere and vastness [and] depth of sound”... (Kerrang)
FEATURED TRACK: “Vivien”
Cheap Trick
Live at the Whisky 1977
Oh, to have a Wayback Machine to check out these sets! I’ve always considered Cheap Trick to be one of the most underrated bands of all time. The songs are tight, well-crafted rock. Their sound is distinctive. They employ humor to great effect while also tackling weightier topics from time to time. “He’s a Whore” is one of my favorites from their debut album, a record more people should listen to. It’s SO good.
FEATURED TRACK: “He’s a Whore”
Frank Zappa
Waka/Wazoo
If there is a new Zappa release, I can’t just ignore it. This four CD box set recounts the recording of the Waka/Jawaka and Grand Wazoo albums during his “Electric Orchestra” period. An added bonus is the inclusion of a live set from December, 1972 at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom and previously-unreleased Zappa-produced George Duke demos.
FEATURED TRACK: “Psychosomatic Dung" (George Duke Demo)