Published on
April 26, 2024
Category
Features
Essential weekend listening.
This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty, and contributors Annabelle Van Dort, Emily Hill and James Hammond.
Shygirl
fabric presents Shygirl
(fabric Records)
Fresh from supporting big names like Beyonce and featuring on records with Lyzza, Erika De Casier and Bjork, Shygirl continues to create a unique artist vision for herself. Her fabric compilation dives into her identity as a DJ, with several hot takes and reworks of original tracks, as well music and features from the likes of Nick Leon, Metrist, 96 Back and Coucou Chloe. The mix and subsequent collection of 24 tracks, hits hard as a neo-trance-pop hybrid–euphoric, joyful and holding a healthy dosage of nostalgia.–EH
Bullion
Affection
(Ghostly)
Bullion, aka Nathan Jenkins, builds on the shoulders of his productions for the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen on this release for Ghostly. A slab of endearing alt-pop, Affection is boppy and sweet without becoming sickly. Packed with ’80s synths, slick production and features from the aforementioned Jepsen, Panda Bear and Charlotte Adigéry, Affection is an early summer soundtrack that matches charming love concerned lyricism with peppy, sunny day electronic.–KD
Six Organs of Admittance
Time Is Glass
(Drag City)
Prolific indie folk guitarist Ben Chasny releases his 21st album, Time is Glass, under his Six Organs of Admittance moniker. Returning to his acoustic guitar roots following his electric guitar experiments on 2021’s The Veiled Sea, Time is Glass is a record that revels in the quietude—inspired by Chasny’s return to his childhood home of Humboldt County, California. Full of John Fahey-inspired primitive guitar and yearnful passages of ambient drones, Chasmy’s softly sung searching vocals bring an earthy American warmth to this often gorgeous record.–AVD
Alain Gorageur
Rare Soundtracks & Lost Tapes (1973-1984)
(Disques Transversales)
Known for his collaborations with Serge Gainsbourg and the soundtrack to 1973 surreal animation classic Le Planete Sauvage, this collection from Alain Gorageur brings together like-minded and rare works from the composer. Featuring little-heard soundtracks to L’Affaire Dominici and Au Delà De La Peur, Gorageur’s arrangements keep a strong sense of melody at the core as they wind through wistful atmospherics and the occasional groove. Lovers of his work for Le Planete Sauvage won’t want to miss this one.–JH
Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling & Andreas Werliin
Ghosted II
(Drag City)
The trio of Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin reunite on this follow-up to 2022’s Ghosted. A live-recorded improvisational collection, Ghosted II is a stunning lesson in the interplay between bass, guitar and drums. Pulling from jazz, funk and ambient, Ghosted II is a steady showcase of musicianship.–KD
U-Roy
The Seven Gold
(333)
Death is not the End’s specialist reggae sub-label 333 returns with a reissue of U-Roy’s 1987 foundational digi-record, The Seven Gold. Originally recorded at Michael Carroll’s Creative Sounds Studio in Kingston and released on Prince Jazzbo’s Ujama label, The Seven Gold sees U-Roy flex his charismatic toasting chops atop Jazzbo’s distinctive machine-driven rhythms.–AVD
Olivia Block
The Mountains Pass
(Black Truffle)
Intricately composed and crafted over a period of three years, The Mountain Pass finds Olivia Block reconciling the breadth of her adventurous sounds into a beguiling whole. Inspired by the landscape and fauna of Northern New Mexico, fragments of song appear here amidst expanses of piano, percussion, synths, brass, and a sense of woozy experimentation that opens up further possibilities. A unique convergence of orchestral, pop and musique concrete vocabularies.–JH
DJ Fokus
Get A Bearing/ Dream
(Fundamental Frequencies)
DJ Fokus gets a first-ever reissue of his highly sought-after jungle anthems “Get Bearing ” and “Dream” via Fundamental Frequencies–a backroom record label headed by Doug Shipton of archival label Finders Keepers. This rave classic is steeped in the history of late ’80s and early ’90s breakbeat science, arguably uncreatable today despite the new generation’s best efforts. The beats are raw and driving and create e a sense of rave nostalgia people search for.–EH
