Posted by: Jamie McMillin
Every week WLUW’s music staff picks the best new music releases to add to our rotation. Check out what we’ll be spinning this week and into the future
New Albums
- Coral Collapse – Don’t Wait For Me To Say Goodbye – Admirable Traits
- Faye Webster – Atlanta Millionaires Club – Secretly Canadian
- Gemma – Feeling’s Not a Tempo – Double Double Whammy
- Mavis Staples – We Get By – Anti-
- Sebadoh – Act Surprised – Dangerbird
- Oh Sees- Foggy Hounds of Notion (reissue) – Castle Face
New Singles
- The Cuckoos – “We Can Take a Trip to Another Day” – Jiggy Jig Record
- Mannequin Pussy – “Who You Are” – Epitaph
ALBUMS
Coral Collapse – Don’t Wait For Me To Say Goodbye – Admirable Traits
On their seminal full-length, Don’t Wait For Me To Say Goodbye, Buffalo, NY dream-pop/surf-rock outfit Coral Collapse are awash in waves of sound, standing up to their namesake. This hazy sound, present in nearly every track never completely washes out any of the performances, and is serves surprisingly well to fit into the different landscapes the band evokes across the album, whether they be cities, seas, space or the Midwest.
Listen if you like: Wild Nothing, Slowdive, Swimming Tapes
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Faye Webster – Atlanta Millionaire’s Club – Secretly Canadian
For as bloated and broad Americana can be as a genre, Atlanta-based Faye Webster manages to do and say something new with Atlanta Millionaires Club. Webster expresses longing and loneliness with a sense of grace and humor not often seen. At first it may be surprising to learn that Webster points to Aaliyah as her main inspiration on this record, but the smoothness of the instrumentation and the bordering into R&B become clearer as the album strolls along. If you doubt that Webster is capable of blending the sounds of country and R&B, just take a moment to give at least a few of these tracks a spin.
Listen if you like: Natalie Prass, Hand Habits, Fleetwood Mac
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Gemma – Feeling’s Not a Tempo – Double Double Whammy
The Duo of Felicia Douglass (of Dirty Projectors and Ava Luna) and Erik Gundel make up Gemma. The two have crafted a landscape of twisting and off-kilter R&B with Feeling’s Not a Tempo, the duo’s follow-up to their 2015 debut. There’s little injections of color across the production and lyrics, and the duo sound like they were having a lot of fun producing this in the studio. Check out the video for standout track “‘Til We Lose the Feeling” below.
Listen if you like: Ava Luna, MUNYA, Christelle Bofale
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Mavis Staples – We Get By – Anti-
2019 marks Chicago R&B legend Mavis Staples’ 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of her self-titled debut record. Fittingly, Staples’ latest and 14th full-length, We Get By, is clearly the work of a seasoned veteran of the Chicago music scene, and demonstrates her continuing commitment to civil rights advocacy. Staples has put the work in over the years, but for her it will never be enough.
Listen if you like: Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley Bettye LaVette
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Sebadoh – Act Surprised – Dangerbird
Brooklyn lo-fi indie-rock trio Sebadoh return for their ninth record since debuting in 1992, Act Surprised. Though their sound is still largely rooted in 90’s lo-fi rock, they’ve come a long way from their beginnings and have a uniquely optimistic sound to even their hardest tracks.
Listen if you like: Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion, Pavement
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Oh Sees – Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion (reissue) – Castle Face
One of the many projects of the ever-prolific Ty Segall, Oh Sees (Formerly Thee Oh Sees), produced a film back in 2008, title Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion, and a soundtrack as a companion. Over a decade after its original release, the very lo-fi psych-folk record is resurrected as a capsule of a time when the group had a very different sound from their more recent work.
Listen if you like: Ty Segall, Cate le Bon, Amen Dunes
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SINGLES
The Cuckoos – “We Can Take a Trip to Another Day” – Jiggy Jig Records
Austin garage and psych rockers The Cuckoos tease their as-of-yet to be titled full-length coming later this year with “We Can Take a Trip to Another Day,” a off-the-wall and dramatic track that promises a hopefully even weirder album to come later.
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Mannequin Pussy – “Who You Are” – Epitaph
The second single from indie-rock outfit Mannequin Pussy’s upcoming third album, Patience, “Who You Are” brings a wholesome message of self-love. Energetic drummy and buzzy guitars help drive the track along, and lend a sense of urgency to singer Marisita Dabeast’s words. Check it out if you want to feel good about yourself today!
Listen if you like: Snail Mail, Ian Sweet, Palehound
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