It’s Saturday and I’d like to welcome you to another installment of my weekly new music revue. This time I ended up picking six tracks, which are all included on albums that dropped yesterday (August 11).
Les Imprimés/You
Les Imprimés is the moniker of Norwegian artist Morten Martens. According to his Bandcamp page, he keeps a low profile while making his heartfelt, highly infectious, and unique music. Martens explains it’s “soul music, but I don’t exactly have the soul voice,” adding, “But I do it my own way, in a way that’s mine.” While Martens has been making records for decades as a hired gun, Rêverie is his solo debut. Here’s the beautiful You, which blends elements of ’60s and ’70s soul and doo-wop.
Bonnie “Prince” Billie/Crazy Blue Bells
Joseph Will Oldham is an American singer-songwriter and actor who since 1998 has released music as Bonnie “Prince” Billie. His music has been compared to Americana, folk, roots, country, punk and indie rock. Off his latest album Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You, here’s Crazy Blue Bell penned by Oldham. The tune first appeared as a single on July 10.
Cordovas/Fallen Angels of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Cordovas are an Americana and country rock band from East Nashville, Tenn. They were formed in 2011 by singer-songwriter, bassist and vocalist Joe Firstman after a six-year stint as bandleader for former NBC late-night show Last Call with Carson Daly. Cordovas who have named The Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and The Band as influences are now out with their fourth studio album The Rose of Aces. Here’s the fantastic opener Fallen Angels of Rock ‘n’ Roll co-written by Firstman and Cory Hanson, frontman of Los Angeles rock band Wand.
Andy Frasco & The U.N./Iowa Moon
Andy Frasco & The U.N. are a Los Angeles band blending soul, blues, jazz and rock into an upbeat sound. Led by lead vocalist and keyboarder Andy Frasco, they were formed in 2007 and have released six studio albums to date. Their latest is titled L’Optimist. I like that title! And here’s a tune to match it, Iowa Moon, co-written by Frasco, Kenny Carkeet, Steve Poltz and Paul McDonald.
Caskets/Better Way Out
Originally formed as Captives in 2018, Caskets are a band from Leeds, England. AllMusic describes their sound as melodic and synth-heavy, combining elements of post-hardcore and emo with a poppy edge. From their sophomore album Reflections, here’s Better Way Out. The tune is credited to band members Matthew Edward Flood (vocals), Craig Robinson (guitar), Benjamin Wilson (guitar), Christopher Mcintosh (bass) and James Lazenby (drums), as well as Phillip Strand and producer Dan Weller.
Hurry/Something More
Rounding out this week’s New Music Musings are Hurry. Their Spotify profile notes this Philadelphia-based group fuses the melancholic jangle and tunefulness of classic power pop with a fuzzy, ’90s-inspired indie rock aesthetic. Hurry grew out of a solo project by Matthew Scottoline, former bassist of Philly Emo and indie rock band Everyone Everywhere. From their sixth and latest studio album Don’t Look Back, let’s listen to the pleasant Something More, penned by Scottoline.
Sources: Wikipedia; Les Imprimés Bandcamp page; Bonnie “Prince” Willie Drag City artist page; Cordovas website; Andy Frasco & The U.N. website; Caskets website; AllMusic; Hurry Bandcamp page; YouTube; Spotify
Christian's Music Musings 