What’s up DJs?! One more week ‘till we can party again with James Franco. Someone say “Springggg Breaaaak!” ? While you’re counting down, check out these sweet new adds to the rack: silver goddess St. Vincent, finally some more rap with ScHoolboy Q, the captivating sounds of Neneh Cherry, new noise from The Men, and strange songwriting from Linda Perhacs.
Love, The Music Department

St. Vincent – St. Vincent (Loma Vista)

This is the album where Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, proves herself peerless. The eleven songs on her latest, eponymous project could have been written by no one but herself, displaying the poppy yet wildly unpredictable songwriting of her previous releases, yet pushing her boundaries in every direction all at once, never allowing you a moment to quite pin her down. Each track here is a dichotomous blend of smooth and jagged, with bright, synthesized instrumentation and heavenly vocals being torn straight down the middle by massively distorted guitar work and chaotic drum syncopation. Clark‰’s songwriting exhibits a need for the unpredictable, often leading a song down paths that are drastically different from where we began, as on “Huey Newton‰” where airy, synth driven first half is utterly destroyed by one of the heaviest riffs seen this side of Electric Wizard, or on the opener “Rattlesnake‰” in which funk-synths evolve into a discordant, desperately performed jam which lays the groundwork for everything that‰’s about to come. Compliment the bedlam of her performances with hooks that any pop star would be jealous of and you have St. Vincent‰’s most dynamic, most interesting, and most consistent album yet. The work “eccentric‰” is often thrown around when discussing her work, but this is simply a discredit to her work. When you‰’re done listening to St. Vincent, she‰’s not “eccentric‰” or “quirky‰” or “peculiar‰” as some say, she‰’s downright dangerous.
– Richard Murphy

RIYL: Talking Heads, Dirty Projectors, Janelle Monae, Funkadelic

Recommended Tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 9

ScHoolboy Q – Oxymoron (Top Dawg Entertainment)

With ScHoolboy Q‰’s newest release, Oxymoron, he continues the trend of tailoring the title to the album content. Similar to 2012‰’s Habits & Contradictions (which, surprisingly enough, is about his habits and contradictions) Oxymoron juxtaposes his daughter against his past lifestyle of drug use and gang life. The strength of this album lies towards the first half, with tracks like “Gangsta‰” and “Los Awesome‰” bringing high energy beats and a Jay Rock feature. There are also introspective songs that reinforce the title, such as “Hoover Street‰” where ScHoolboy Q outlines his life living with grandmother while simultaneously being an active gang member and dealing with his addict uncle. “Prescription-Oxymoron‰” is essentially a two part song, the first half of which contrasts ScHoolboy Q being so high he is unresponsive and his 4-year-old daughter trying to get his attention; this is followed by the second half which opens with the anthemic “I just stopped selling crack today.‰” Other songs, such as “The Purge‰” featuring Tyler the Creator and Kurupt, “Man of the Year‰” and “What The Want‰” featuring 2 Chainz fall flat with stereotypical gangster rap themes that lead them to be both unsurprising and uninteresting. Outside of those times, Oxymoron seems to be a more coherent and personal version of Habits & Contradictions that both new and old fans can vibe to.
– Leigh Hopkins

RIYL: Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, Danny Brown‰’s Old (Side A)

Recommended Tracks: 1-3, 5-7

Neneh Cherry ‰ÛÒ Blank Project (Smalltown Supersound)

Though Neneh Cherry has not released an album for 16 years, Blank Project captivates the listener with a modern, understated, emotional sound. The LP, filled with musical themes of jazz, soul, hip-hop, rock, pop, and electronica, was mixed over five days, giving it raw, powerful, and concise qualities. Neneh Cherry has a unique, detailed narrative style, strongly evident in “Dossier.‰” Her duet with Robyn, “Out of the Black‰” proves to be a wonderful combination, holding delicate, mysterious harmonies. The lyrical emphasis of Blank Project is enhanced by the simplistic, yet interesting instrumentation; however, the cowbell in “Weightless‰” will forever haunt my dreams. All of Neneh Cherry‰’s feelings are out on the table in her latest project, one that definitely deserves a careful listen.
– Jack Fitzpatrick

RIYL: Four Tet, Robyn, Erykah Badu, Fiona Apple, Yoko Ono

Recommended Tracks: 8, 9, 1, 2, 10

The Men ‰ÛÒ Tomorrow‰’s Hits (Sacred Bones)

On last year‰’s New Moon, The Men made headlines by exploring alt-country in addition to their punkier, noisier sound that they made their bones off of, essentially splitting that record into two halves. There‰’s no such dichotomy on Tomorrow‰’s Hits, as the group dives head first into more classicist rock n roll sounds while still keeping a unique identity, sounding like Tom Petty reimagined by Guided by Voices. This is probably best expressed on the opener “Dark Waltz,‰” which is ostensibly about wanting to have a good time and just play rock n roll, but with its minor chord progression and aloof harmonica outro, still has a sense of darkness, of loneliness, of sheer dark stranger brooding in a corner cool. Keeping with this darkly sweet vibe, The Men don‰’t totally abandon their louder and faster days. “Pearly Gates‰” is a raucous rocker featuring the disorienting combination of classic rock guitar and high-speed steel pedal and “Different Days‰” uses a horn section as just another layer of sound in an overwhelming curtain of sound. Tomorrow‰’s Hits may not seem like much at first, but, trust me, repeat listens reveal it to be a hugely satisfying if not curious release.
– Michael Lovito

RIYL: The Replacements, Tom Petty, Dinosaur Jr., if Wilco went more lo-fi

Recommended Tracks: 1, 6-8

Linda Perhacs – The Soul of All Natural Things (Asthmatic Kitty)

At 77, Linda Perhacs came out of retirement to make her second album in 44 years. Her first album, Parallelograms, flopped on the charts, but gained a cult like following through internet forums and the like. Now, with the help of Sufjan Steven‰’s record label, Asthamatic Kitty, Perhacs has created what sounds like a psychedelic folk album with hints of Latin rhythms and guitar riffs. Her voice tiptoes through a mix of nostalgia and maternal advice in what comes together as a deeply pensive and thoughtful album about balance and perspective. Despite the sometimes painfully strange and whisperlike quality of her voice, you can‰’t help but keep the record on – it feels like she is about to reveal something massively important in poetic form. There is no denying Perhac‰’s flowerchild roots, but the album is much more than just her journal of the 70‰’s to a melody: there is power, intention, and wisdom beneath the odd and cryptic tracks.
– Julia D‰’Amico

RIYL: Sibylle Baier, Bridget St. Johns, Anne Briggs

Recommended Tracks: 6, 9, 10