We’re half way into January, and releases on the new music front have picked up – happy Saturday and welcome to my latest weekly review! All picks are included on brand new albums that dropped yesterday (January 12).
Bill Ryder-Jones/If Tomorrow Starts Without Me
Starting us off today is English singer-songwriter Bill-Ryder Jones, who co-founded British rock band The Coral in 1996 and was their lead guitarist until 2008. He has since launched a solo career, releasing his own albums, writing film scores and producing other artists, such as English rock bands The Wytches, Milburn and Our Girl. If Tomorrow Starts Without Me, written by Ryder-Jones, is from his fifth studio album Iechyd Da, which his website calls his “most ambitious record to date.” The strings give the song a bit of a chamber pop vibe.
The Vaccines/Love to Walk Away
English indie rock band The Vaccines were formed in West London in 2010. Their March 2011 debut album What Did You Expect from the Vaccines? was the best-selling debut of the year in the UK. The group currently includes co-founders Justin Young (lead vocals, guitar) and Árni Árnason (bass, backing vocals), along with Timothy Lanham (keyboards, guitar, percussion, backing vocals) and Yoann Intonti (drums, percussion). Off their sixth studio album Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations, here’s Love to Walk Away. Credited to producer Andrew Wells, Anthony Rossomando and all four band members, the song first appeared as a single on December 8 – catchy stuff!
Nailah Hunter/Strange Delights
This brings me to Nailah Hunter, an LA-based multi-instrumentalist and composer who her website states has been recording mystical folk and ambient-inspired music since she shared her debut single “Apple, Maple, Willow” in 2019…As the daughter of a Belizean pastor, Hunter began her musical journey in the church where she played drums, guitar and sang in the choir. She continued on to study music at CalArts, where she studied vocal performance and was given her first harp lesson. Strange Delights, penned by Hunter, is the opener of her first full-length album Lovegaze. Her neat sound drew me in right away!
Harrison Storm/Tomorrow
Harrison Storm is an Australian singer-songwriter. From his website: Storm’s musical journey was a heartfelt escape from a culture of toxic masculinity. Influenced by artists like City and Colour, Angus Stone, and Jeff Buckley, music became his solace. Busking in Melbourne in 2015, he funded his debut EP, “Sense of Home.” A record deal with Nettwerk followed, leading to four EPs: “Change It All” (2017), “Falling Down” (2019), “Be Slow” (2020), and “Under Dusk” (2022) with Enna Blake. Here’s Tomorrow, written by Storm, from what appears to be his first full-length album Wonder, Won’t You? Nice!
Magnum/The Seventh Darkness
Magnum are an English hard rock and AOR group around songwriter and guitarist Tony Clarkin and vocalist Bob Catley. Formed in 1972 in Birmingham, they started out as house band at a local night club. During the group’s initial run until 1995, they released 11 studio albums. Magnum reunited in 2001 and have since issued 12 additional albums, including their latest, Here Comes the Rain. While they have had various changes in their line-up over time, Clarkin and Catley have remained as core members. Off their new album, here’s The Seventh Darkness. Hearing horn action in a hard rock song isn’t common, but it’s an intriguing feature that I think works well. Sadly, Clarkin passed away on January 7 at age 77, prompting Magnum to cancel a planned spring tour.
Holler Choir/Ain’t Too Soon
My last pick for this week is new music from Americana group Holler Choir, who have been around since 2022 and are led by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Clint Roberts. According to their website, the distinctly Appalachian, old-time sound of Asheville’s Holler Choir combines haunting harmonies, stirring string compositions, and heart-wrenching ballads, yet hardly conforms to a stereotypical genre. The band came together when Roberts recorded his 2022 solo EP Mountain Air. Off Holler Choir’s debut album Songs Before They Write Themselves, here’s Ain’t Too Soon. Love that warm sound!
Note: This post was updated on January 13, 2023 to reflect the death of Magnum co-founder Tony Clarkin at age 77.
Sources: Wikipedia; Nailah Hunter website; Harrison Storm website; Holler Choir website; YouTube; Spotify
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