If it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all. So sez Albert King‘s blues clasic (fun fact: Booker T. wrote the music!). I can dig where Al is coming from. After all, if it wasn’t for Friday the 13th, I wouldn’t have a cheap, easy way to introduce the biggest and best albums arriving next week. Hey, you try writing these blurbs every week for years without running out of ideas. But before you do that, be sure to peep the newest plays of the week:
Miranda Lambert
Postcards From Texas
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Postcards From Texas captures the country siren’s freewheeling, funny, at times feisty take on swing, shuffles, bluegrass and ballads with unbridled gusto. Co-produced with Jon Randall, Postcards delivers Miranda Lambert’s glorious, wild, Lone Star freedom.”
Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets
Indoor Safari
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Six years ago, the revered British artist and songwriter Nick Lowe had almost abandoned the idea of making another full-length album. The realities of the marketplace and the expense aside, Lowe was busy enjoying the more immediate “camaraderie and rewards” of touring with Los Straitjackets, those masked marvels who’ve been his fellow musical voyagers for the past decade. Together, they’d released a handful of EPs and singles between 2018-’20. But Lowe saw those mostly as “souvenirs to let people know the store was still open.” But this fall, Lowe returns with his first LP in over a decade: Indoor Safari. So what changed his mind? “We’ve really got a style together now,” Lowe says. “When it started out, it was just to do shows. We had no thoughts of recording, really. But after a while, we started to attract an audience — and a much younger one. When we started noticing the younger fans, I realized my fate maybe wasn’t to just keep playing the same old songs to the same old tubby ex-pub rockers (laughs). Suddenly, the whole thing started to get some bounce to it. Like, ‘Wait a minute, this is really something.’ ”
Motorpsycho
Neigh!!
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “There are songs that makes friends with anyone and do great at parties, doling out compliments left, right and center. And then there are those songs that just don’t seem to fit in, songs that knock over glasses and makes awkward comments to the host as they stubbornly refuse to adapt and adjust to whatever larger setting you needed them to work in; these are songs that seemingly insist on remaining outside your control no matter how many stylistic or production tricks you try to pull. Usually, for a band such songs eventually fall by the wayside, are left behind or butchered for parts a few years later. But sometimes quite a few of them show up at the door, at the same time, unruly and ready to shake things up a bit. Sometimes there is trouble. These are the songs that makes up Motorpsycho’s Neigh!! Not merely a companion piece to last year’s Yay!, not a collection of B-sides or simply leftovers from that same period, but a reaction, a party for those not invited to parties, consisting of troubled, sometimes weirdly clothed outcasts that refused to go away and instead languidly found their place in the post-plague world while the tunes from Yay! were being pampered and sing-along’ed by band and fans alike.”
Nada Surf
Moon Mirror
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Moon Mirror, Nada Surf’s new record, has everything fans love and expect from them. Bittersweet anthems that begin quiet but explode into soaring harmonies? Check. Songs that are play-on-repeat heart punches? Check. Songs that are poetic and thought-provoking while also being absolute belt-at-the-top-of-your-voice-with-the-windows -down masterpieces? Check. It’s all here. Moon Mirror is a thrilling and moving leap forward for Nada Surf. The songs on the album are true to the human experience — as meaningful and mysterious and sometimes absurd as it is. There’s love, yes, but also grief, deep loneliness, doubt, wonder, and hope. These are not the songs of a band in their 20s. There is hard-won wisdom here, and hard-won belief in possibility — the kind that comes from falling down and getting back up.”
Joel Plaskett
One Real Reveal
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The title of Joel Plaskett’s 11th album One Real Reveal hints at some sort of unveiling. But, as with most works where artists investigate their inner worlds, the shadows expand and multiply even as their torches turn toward dim corners, revealing more questions than clarity. For over three decades, Plaskett has proven himself a spinning wheel of reinvention. The Nova Scotia songwriter’s eclectic body of work reveals a restless and playful spirit, always transforming and expanding. While continuing to celebrate — and be celebrated for — his regional ties and embrace of East Coast musical traditions, Joel’s omnivorous appetite for new sonic horizons is an integral part of his work. For this four-track project, Plaskett strips his songwriting down to its raw materials, allowing everything in — all the human touches the tape could pick up — and letting (almost) everything out.”
Porches
Shirt
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Part angsty fantasy, part confessional melodrama, Shirt — the sixth studio album from Porches — is a rock album that oscillates between reality and make-believe to reflect both the innocence of suburban youth and the frayed reality of adulthood. A fusion of chaotic impulses, insatiable desires, and a perpetual yearning, Shirt plays with the tension between one’s person and persona — the weight of your dreams crashing up against your reality. The result is something both familiar and uncanny, an anthemic tribute to this intrinsic duality built on crashing and caressing sounds. Following in the sonic footsteps of 2022’s All Day Gentle Hold!, Shirt is instantly recognizable as Porches’ heaviest album to date. Grungy guitars that shine with a menacing glint, drums and bass that punch you warmly in the stomach, interspersed with moments of eerie calmness to create a physical sense of tension and release that resonates with each track. “All my life, all I’ve known, all it was was rock ’n’ roll. It was never meant to last and I think it’s time to go, I pray to God the music takes me home.”
Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Red Future
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Snotty Nose Rez Kids portray a world where it’s exhilarating to prove people wrong and where focusing on your goals and doing what makes you happy is the only world these hip-hop heads live in — a message we can all relate to. “Red Future is about wanting to see our future generations thriving,” says Yung Trybez. “We were inspired by Indigenous futurism and we see us, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, as a small part in opening doors and inspiring future youth to realize the vision for their own lives, whether it’s music, art or anything else.” Red Future presents a bold sound and serves as a clarion call. They’re staking their claim, simultaneously laying out a big new sound. And it’s also a hip-hop banger, with wicked beats, lush production, and the trademark seamless, sneaky lines that manage to be both political and playful. Hailing from the Haisla Nation in B.C., SNRK tore into the music scene in 2016 with unmistakable talent and an unforgettable name. They are blazing their own trail, weaving together a musical fabric of hard-hitting lyricism, revealing stories about the struggles they and their people have encountered, empowering protest songs for the front lines, and a humor that keeps even the heaviest of topics something you can vibe to.”
Snow Patrol
The Forest Is The Path
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Snow Patrol have never really taken the easy route. Now comprising the trio of Gary Lightbody, Johnny McDaid and Nathan Connolly, the band have emerged from the process of writing and recording their extraordinary new album, The Forest Is The Path, perhaps a little battered, but maybe, just maybe, a little wiser and certainly more humble from the experience. Fans of the band will all have favourite albums that they return to again and again. What could possibly hold a candle to Final Straw, to Eyes Open? To A Hundred Million Suns, Fallen Empires? To Wildness? Yes, a trillion times, to all of those. But wait, wait, until you listen to The Forest Is The Path. Love, loss, regret, self-doubt, denial, delusion: anyone afflicted by any of these experiences, emotions and afflictions — and isn’t that all of us? — might be well advised to gird themselves before listening to Snow Patrol’s new album. It’s not a record for the faint-hearted, to be sure — but it may just be a salve for the heart that hurts.”
Tindersticks
Soft Tissue
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Tindersticks’ 14th album Soft Tissue showcases their exploratory spirit, mixing intimate songwriting with experimental soundscapes. The album evolves from their previous work, balancing introspective lyrics with innovative musical textures. Band members, including singer Stuart Staples, emphasize the collaborative nature of the creation process, fostering a dynamic dialogue that shapes their music. Key tracks like New World and Always A Stranger highlight this blend of personal reflection and sonic exploration, underscoring the band’s enduring ambition and versatility.”
The War On Drugs
Live Drugs Again
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Recorded on tour between February 2022 through December 2023 in America, U.K., Europe and Australia, Live Drugs Again follows 2020’s Live Drugs and represents The War On Drugs at their ragged, righteous best. Bandleader Adam Granduciel comments, “Live Drugs Again chronicles the evolution of these songs from the studio to stages all over the world; documenting our continued growth as a live band. This series ensures that these versions, and some of our favorite moments on stage, will live on.”
Suki Waterhouse
Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Suki Waterhouse’s music sounds like a collage of her inspirations, experiences, and emotions stitched together by honeyed vocal delivery, bright-eyed melodies, and evocative storytelling. It doubles as a mirror image of her life as a consummate creative, artist, actress, model, and mother, yet it also breaks the glass to unveil raw truth. She leans on an ever-evolving sonic palette to convey what she’s feeling — whether it be folky Americana, ’90s alternative, turn-of-the-century indie, or handcrafted otherworldly pop. You’ll hear Suki’s longing in a swooning chorus, fearlessness in a crunchy chord, elation in a danceable waltz, and wonder in a soft coo befitting of a lullaby. Now, the platinum-certified songstress asserts herself as a versatile, vibrant and vital presence on the double LP Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin. Ultimately, Suki’s unapologetically being herself on the album, and it’s wonderful to hear, see, and feel. “I just hope this can be the soundtrack to somebody’s life,” she says. “Whenever I’m making music, I always try to remember why I started writing in the first place and continue to do so. If I truly capture something pure that I’ve gone through, I know it’ll resonate with other people.”
Nilüfer Yanya
My Method Actor
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Nilüfer Yanya’s third album asks questions with no easy answers. It is a supple, expansive body of work that peers into the crevices of life, exploring them with comforting strings, skittering beats, soul-tinged melodies and swooning harmonies. It asks, who are we? Why do we follow the paths we follow? What is at the heart of it all? While writing My Method Actor, Nilüfer retreated into the studio with her creative partner, Wilma Archer (Sudan Archives, MF Doom). She had toured her second album Painless for a year and entered a period of transition, between albums, between record companies, between homes. My Method Actor deals a lot with the idea of movement from one part of life and into another. The seeds were planted in early 2023, but it wasn’t until the spring of that year that shoots began to appear. As songs started to form, Yanya and Archer squirreled themselves away from the world. “This is the most intense album, in that respect,” Yanya says. “Because it’s only been us two. We didn’t let anyone else into the bubble.” They wrote and recorded in small sessions, spread across London, Wales and Eastbourne. You can feel this cocooning of creative energy in the atmosphere of the record: it envelopes you entirely in cinematic sweeps while feeling intimate, finally inviting you into the little world they created and offering up its secrets.”
Frank Zappa
Apostrophe (’) 50th Anniversary Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “As the calendar turned to 1974, Frank Zappa was riding high. His revised rethink of The Mothers collective had begat the stone-cold classic known as 1973’s Over-Nite Sensation, the album generally acknowledged as the gateway listening experience into the ever-expanding Zappaverse. The followup Apostrophe (’) became Zappa’s most successful commercial venture. It was Zappa’s first gold record in the U.S., peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. The forever prescient and perpetually catchy single Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow made its own splash on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Key Apostrophe (’) favorites — such as the seething indictment of flim-flam gurus and phony psychics in Cosmik Debris, the ongoing exploration of racial inequality in Uncle Remus, and the examination of the unending olfactory horrors of Stink-Foot —further solidified Zappa’s hold on the public consciousness and subconsciousness alike. A half-century on, Apostrophe (’) remains a consistent go-to release in the extensive Zappa catalog, not to mention being one of its top-tier bestsellers. In proper celebration of 50 years of Apostrophe (’), this newly expanded 50th anniversary edition features 75 tracks in total. Produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, this collection sports the 2024 remaster of the original album, along with scores of additional session outtakes, alternate takes, and 2024 mixes. Also included are two historical live concert recordings from 1974 — one show from Colorado Springs and the other from Dayton.”
