For every bad album we get sent to the station, we get a whole bunch of good records that are more than worth the attention from your ears. From cloudy psychedelic pop to brooding Irish blues-folk-rock, here are some the best new arrivals that really made our music staff reevaluate their morals this week.
- Caribou – Our Love
Veteran indie rock/electronic act Caribou has spent the better part of the last four years touring with Radiohead, which helped develop the band’s sound to a more electronic/dance-based formula. These songs are stellar slices of electronic goodness, hooking listeners in effortlessly with infectious grooves & pop sensibilities.
- Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
The fourth album by Bay Area producer Flying Lotus, You’re Dead!, is a 38-minute, 19-song psychedelic odyssey through phases of hard-bop jazz, ambient electronics, West Coast hip hop featuring Kendrick Lamar & Snoop Dogg & the deep reaches of interplanetary funk, featuring Herbie Hancock. This album is truly an experience unlike anything else this year.
- Peaking Lights – Cosmic Logic
The strangeness of Peaking Lights’ third album Cosmic Logic comes from the fact that the album is their most accessible and pop friendly. The ancient grooves carved into this album call back to times of disco & minimal techno and house, but swirls them together with an aura of sun-bleached dub & dancehall melodies and rhythms that are present on their other albums, making for a fun, groovy trip of an album.
- Nicholas Krgovich – On Sunset
The new album from Nicholas Krgovich, On Sunset, is a tribute to his second home of Los Angeles and it shows. It’s a glitzy parade through a realm of fantasy, expressing his love of LA through experimental, lust-filled grooves posing as traditional pop music, incorporating sliding and snaking synths as well as lush orchestral arrangements into his smooth jams.
- Hozier – Hozier
Irish blues-rock heartthrob Hozier has already won over the hearts of many even before releasing his self-titled debut album, including hundreds of attendees at Newport Folk Festival and amassing over 5 million views on his hit single “Take Me To Church.” This album is priming this dude to become an international success, so get on it while he’s still cool!