New Music Reviews (9/8)

Each week, Music Director Chris Sanley and Associate Music Director Alex Ruder share brief insights on new and upcoming releases for KEXP's rotation. These reviews help our DJs decide on what they want to play. See what we added this week below (and on our Charts page), including new releases from Blind Yeo, corto.alto, Eden Samara, and more. 

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Blind Yeo - The Lemoine Point (Bongo Joe)
The debut album from this Falmouth, UK-based collective founded by singer-guitarist Will Greenham is a brilliant blend of psychedelic-folk and Krautrock that consistently delights. Lyrically the band explores themes of grief, joy, spirituality, and our connection to the natural world, and their intricate, robust, euphoric electro-acoustic arrangements balance dense, kaleidoscopic, propulsive, groovy jams with more spacious, earthy, orchestral-tinted gems for a wonderfully trippy and welcoming experience. –AR

corto.alto - SOME SMALL FORTUNE (Ninja Tune)  
The new album from Glasgow-based producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Liam Shortall, aka corto.alto, is an expansive set of contemporary jazz fusion. With mesmerizing expressions ranging from dizzying cadences to smooth grooves, his blend of hip-hop, jazz, and neo-classical soundscapes is undeniable. Featuring kaleidoscopic arrangements of horns, guitars, percussion, and samples, with guest appearances from anaiis, Vector, Eriff, Oscar Jerome, Mick Jenkins, Terra Kin, BINA., and Jacob Alon, SOME SMALL FORTUNE is a true treasure.  –CS

Eden Samara - Odyssey (Lapsus/Local Action)
The second album from this London-based Canadian electronic producer, songwriter, and vocalist is a strong showcase of her forward-thinking pop music that blends synth-pop and R&B through an adventurous club-minded prism. Over sleek UK-steeped electronic rhythms that include production assists from Loraine James, Tim Reaper, TSVI, and more, Eden’s intimate songwriting and beautiful voice addresses “substance abuse, toxic relationships, and the internalised belief that love must come through sacrifice, even at the cost of one’s selfhood,” and this therapeutic confluence of progressive styles yields one of the standout vocal-laced electronic records of the year. –AR

Rapsody - God Gotta Afro & Gold Hoops (We Each Other/Roc Nation)
The fifth album from North Carolina  rapper Rapsody (aka Marlanna Evans) is another stellar set of reflective, expansive, hard-hitting hip-hop. Her razor-sharp lyricism, confident delivery, and versatile flow is in top form as she weaves through an amorphous hip-hop lane tinted with R&B, reggae, gospel, and jazz flavors, and she beautifully celebrates Black love, Black womanhood, Black spirituality, and Black culture through her powerful, insightful, multidimensional lyrics. –AR

Sofie Royer - before/after (Stones Throw) 
She may be “too pop for the art world, too indie darling for the mainstream,” but Austrian-Iranian multidisciplinary artist Sofie Royer is 100% Sofie Royer on her outstanding fourth studio album. A classically trained violinist, she’s transformed her background into shimmering synth pop magic, exploring the push and pull of inner turmoil across twelve utterly infectious tracks on before/after. She explains: “We are constantly in a battle with the ‘pre’ and ‘post’ states of time. There is a preoccupation with these two tenses; yet by remaining entangled in these states, we are often our own greatest obstacle to overcome. Really, in the state of before/after, it’s always you vs you.”  –CS

Soft Science - Sand (Shelflife)
The fifth album from this Sacramento-based band continues to revel in their sweet intersection of shoegaze and dream-pop with lead vocalist Katie Haley’s ethereal vocals soaring beautifully over the band’s swirling guitars, propulsive beats, and complimentary celestial synths. –AR

The Linda Lindas - GOTTA GET OUT (Reprise/Warner) 
The third studio album, and major label debut, from LA four-piece The Linda Lindas finds this young punk outfit truly coming into their own. With politically charged lyricism, including the fiery Spanish-language heater “Helado de Limón,” GOTTA GET OUT features potent guitars, dynamic rotating vocalists, kinetic percussion, and a sole guest appearance from the iconic Hayley Williams. Across twelve tracks, The Linda Lindas deliver a maximalist, refined fusion of punk, power pop, and garage rock that packs a whole lot of punch while maintaining a melodic, catchy air. –CS

Beach Vacation - Delayed Affection (16 Entertainment)
The third full-length album from this solo project of Seattle-based musician Tabor Rupp is another solid set of shimmery, melancholic, dreamy guitar-pop carried by his hazy vocals, airy melodies, expressive guitars, and steady rhythms that closely recalls the likes of Day Wave, Craft Spells, and Hibou. –AR

Diary - Spiral Bound (Kanine)  
NYC-based five-piece Diary serves up a gripping, nostalgic set of fuzzy indie rock and post-punk on their debut album. With jangly guitars, pop hooks, and a balance of bright and hazy atmospherics, Spiral Bound brings ‘90s sensibilities to a contemporary space, offering a listen that feels both fresh and familiar. –CS

FATHERS (Nate Smith x Kiefer x CARRTOONS x Kenny Beats) - FATHERS (Blue Note)
The result of an impromptu 2-day recording session at Kenny Beats’ Los Angeles studio to test out a new custom recording console, this debut offering from FATHERS features Nate Smith on drums, Kiefer on keys, CARRTOONS on bass, and Kenny Beats on production, and they’ve cooked up an expectedly fresh set of luxurious instrumental grooves that sit in the sweet spot between jazz and hip-hop with splashes of bossa nova and funk. –AR

Jim James - Wowed Out (ATO)
Kentucky-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jim James returns with his fifth solo album, his first in eight years. With gentle, lush atmospherics driven by intricate guitar picking, ornate piano, and James’ signature expressive vocals, Wowed Out finds the My Morning Jacket frontman exploring overstimulation, disillusionment, and wonder through an expansive, meditative lens. –CS

LA Priest - Into the Sky (Domino)
The fourth album from this solo project of British musician Samuel Eastgate (aka LA Priest, formerly of Late of the Pier and one-half of Soft Hair alongside Connan Mockasin) is another solid set of slinky groove-focused synth-pop with an off-kilter psych-funk streak. Created on his custom-built Polygene synth and Gene 616 drum machine and co-written, co-produced and mixed by his longtime friend Alex Ridha aka Boys Noize, Into the Sky carries a consistently sleek palette and largely revels in LA Priest’s gently pulsating rhythmic lane. –AR

Lex Walton - ULTIMATE LOVE FOREVER (Sub Pop)
You had me at “Yr Op-Ed Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore.” NYC-based multidisciplinary artist Lex Walton makes a spunky Sub Pop label debut with ULTIMATE LOVE FOREVER. With pointed lyricism, inventive, bombastic arrangements, and a stylistic flair entirely her own, this spirited collection, co-produced with Dan Boeckner, is nothing short of thrilling. –CS

Liim - A Sunflower Garden in Harlem Is Hard to Find (three times LOUDER)
The second album from this Harlem-raised, now Brooklyn-based rapper, singer, and producer is a super promising set of imaginative, charismatic, expansive hip-hop infused with a melodic R&B streak that spotlights his cool, low-key flow, catchy hooks, and colorful beats. Early singles “R.I.P. Peace,” “Is Loving Really Bad?,” and “1980” all still shine bright here, and the rest of the album taps into a vibe that splits the difference between Tyler, the Creator and The Internet. –AR

Lily Seabird - Lightspheres on Their Way (Lame-O Records)  
The third studio album from Vermont-based singer-songwriter Lily Seabird is a deliciously textured set of indie folk rock. With rich, dynamic arrangements guided by her expressive vocals, Lightspheres on Their Way drags listeners into the dimly lit corners of Seabird’s psyche, resulting in a compelling collection of coming-of-age vignettes. –CS

Mona et Toi - Radical Romance of Mind (Hey Boy)
Mona et Toi is a Barcelona-based duo composed of French singer-songwriter Alison Manicourt and British-Persian guitarist-producer Shervin Hejazi. Their debut album is a strong set of addictive, punchy, gritty indie rock with a smart, sensual, magnetic pop swagger. The trifecta run of early singles “Nothing Rhymes With Myself,” “Jail Cell,” and “Sweet + Sour” is a particularly thrilling entrypoint. –AR

Odeal - For A Good Time… (OVMBR/LVRN)
The latest mini-album from this rising British-Nigerian artist is a fresh set of silky, groovy R&B inflected with a scintillating Amapiano/Afro House pulse. Jorja Smith makes the lone guest appearance on standout single “Coming Home.” –AR

Russian Circles - Nine (Sargent House)
The aptly titled ninth studio album from Chicago-based outfit Russian Circles is an exhilarating set of post-metal and post-rock. Featuring intense, muscular guitars, pummeling percussion, and a few spare moments of levity, Nine hits hard and fast for a fiercely cathartic listen. –CS

Sibille Attar - Amor Fati (PNKSLM Recordings)  
The latest from Stockholm-based singer-songwriter Sibille Attar is a moody, bittersweet collection of art pop. Ornate arrangements built from synths, autoharp, guitars, drum programming, strings, and a wide array of backing vocalists allow Amor Fati to float with a breezy yet intentional flow as Attar, with her dreamy vocals, “proposes a serene acceptance of fate.” –CS

Siichaq - The Righteous Sword (self-released) 
The third album from Atlanta’s Siichaq, aka Kennie Mason, who records under her Inuit name, is an endearing collection of hazy, folk-inflected slacker rock. With layers of guitars, noise, and drums she explores themes of stagnation, conformity, nostalgia, isolation, and overstimulation through a murky yet lucid lens. Across nine gripping tracks, Mason, alongside producers Ben Wulkan and Evan Dangerfield, crafts a dense, intricate soundscape that illuminates the foggy existence of the modern era.  –CS