Compiling last week’s New Music Friday was a struggle because normal music almost completely swamped by new Christmas songs. We still have a lot of those, but the overall release schedule looks a lot more interesting especially on the album side of things.
Singles
1. Goat Girl, Gossip (Rough Trade)
If you look around the British indie scene right now, you’ll find a lot of young, interesting post-punk bands, many of which are powered exclusively by women. Goat Girl is on that cohort. There was a third album back in June called Below the Waste but they’ve already moved on with this new non-album single. Spooky stuff for when sunset comes early.
2. Horsegirl, 2468 (Matador)
Since we’ve broached domesticated animals, here’s a new single from Chicago’s Horsegirl, a three-piece all-female group. This is a taste of their upcoming sophomore record, Phonetics On and On. One adjective used to describe this song is “meditative.” Someone should also try to do a mashup with Feist’s “1234.”
Albums
1. Body Count, Merciless (Century Media)
Ice-T’s metal band is back with lots of guests, including former Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones, Max Cavalera, Fit For An Autopsy’s Joe Bad, and Cannibal Corpse’s Corpsegrinder. The biggest surprise though, is this cover of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb featuring some guy named David Gilmour on guitar.
2. Kim Deal, Nobody Loves You More (4AD)
The former bass player for The Pixies and co-founder of The Breeders has finally released a debut solo album. At first listen, I’d give this a rating of all killer/no filler. Another note: This was Steve Albini’s last studio project before he died.
3. Father John Misty, Mahashmashana (Sub Pop)
Josh Tillman is back with a sixth album that contains the usual soft folky stuff, but it also includes swaggering stuff like this. In another timeline, this could be an LCD Sound System song.
4. Michael Kiwanuka, Small Changes (Geffen/Polydor)
If you’re looking for a chill-out album on a cold fall night, this fourth album from Britain’s Michael Kiwanuka is perfect. The guy has a knack for coming up with unexpected chord changes that pair perfectly with his vocal style. Damn, this is good.
5. Marilyn Manson, One Assassination Under God (Nuclear Blast)
Manson is looking to un-cancel himself after all those sexual assault allegations. Can he do it? Will music fans let him?
6. Razorlight, Planet Nowhere (V2)
You might remember Razorlight as part of the British contingent in the indie-rock/garage rock revival back in the early 2000s. They took a break between 2014 and 2017 before regrouping to record the Olympus Sleeping album in 2018. They’re back again after a long break–and it features the group’s original lineup.
7. Smashing Pumpkins, Aghori Mhori Mei (Martha’s Music/Thirty Tigers)
Back in the fall of 2023, Billy Corgan told me that the next Pumpkins album would be a back-to-the-beginning affair in terms of sound and approach. He delivered. Two singles preceded the full album, so here’s our chance to compare this one to something like, say Siamese Dream.
8. Seven Hours After Violet, Seven Hours After Violet (Sumerian)
We might as well get used to it: We’re never going to get another System of a Down album. No one is in a hurry to make that happen. In the case of bass player Shavo Odajian, he’s got this new metalcore (I guess?) band. This single is all about “he agony of trying to hold on to something that’s already broken, that inevitable downfall when love turns into torment. It’s about being locked in a space of emotional suffocation, where every attempt to hold on only pulls you further into the abyss.” So, a feel-good track, then?
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