sky ferreira – The Concordian

Some of the best records to look forward to in the new year

Migos
The famed Atlanta trap trio released the companion piece to last year’s smash-hit Cultureon Jan 26. Members Quavo and Offset stated last year that the album would be released in October 2017. Now that the album is out there, the shaky details are crystal clear. The album is a veritable who’s who of rap, including guest spots from Drake, Big Sean, Gucci Mane and 21 Savage. “MotorSport,” an October collaboration with Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, was included among the cuts on the album. Expectations are undoubtedly high, as a followup to the group’s platinum career-maker “Bad and Boujee” is what’s really on listeners’ radars.

Porches
Porches’s 2016 debut on Domino Records, Pool, mingled minimal synth beats with colourful production flourishes. Released on Jan. 19, Aaron Maine’s full-length, The House, features a plethora of gold-standard guests, including (Sandy) Alex G and Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes. In terms of the album’s sound, Maine told Pitchfork he wanted to capture the quality of a home-recorded demo. The record’s lead single, “Country,” is a true testament to this approach, gentle and drenched with reverb.

My Bloody Valentine
According to front man Kevin Shields, shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine will release an album in 2018. “A hundred per cent,” Shields confirmed to Pitchfork last year. As both a followup to 2013’s mbv and a rare release from the group, the project will reportedly be “more all over the place” than its predecessor. According to Shields: “This one is like if somebody took that and dropped some acid on it or created a dimensional clash or something.” The band also released analog remasters of Loveless and Isn’t Anything on Jan. 18.

No Age
More than a decade ago, Randy Randall and Dean Spunt emerged from the grimy gutters of Los Angeles’s DIY punk scene, releasing five EPs and two albums of noisy, hyperactive rock music. After regular stints at legendary DIY venue the Smell, they secured a record deal with Matador Records. This gave them the professional backing to hone their unique hybrid of nihilist punk energies and ambient noise across a decade-spanning career. On “Drippy” and “Soft Collar Fad,” the first two singles from their upcoming record on Drag City, the band sounds revitalized, tapping into vibes that made them a formidable force to begin with.

Sky Ferreira
Following a series of cryptic tweets and hushed word-of-mouth hype, Sky Ferreira’s followup to her excellent 2013 debut album, Night Time, My Time, has been in a stagnant state of production hell. The release has been delayed for several months to make room for Ferreira’s budding acting career. Her acclaim as a singer has been put on the backburner in exchange for film and TV roles, including appearances in Baby Driver and Twin Peaks: The Return. Though Ferreira opened up about the album’s progress, teasing in April that new music would be released “very soon,” this is one we’ll have to see to believe.

FKA twigs
In February 2016, still fresh off her 2014 debut masterwork, LP1, FKA twigs released “Good to Love,” a somber single that further expanded the reaches of the singer’s experimental sound. This year will see the release of the singer’s first set of material since 2015’s surprise-released EP, M3LL155X. Recently, she has teased “Trust in Me,” a new collaboration project with ambient producer Oneohtrix Point Never. With this release, the prospect of new material in 2018 isn’t too much of a stretch.

Frank Ocean
The reclusive Frank Ocean released a small number of singles in the middle of last year. And after vowing to release a followup to 2016’s Endless and Blonde, Ocean went to Tumblr to clear the air. In a post, he indicated he has two mixtapes in the vault that would count as his third and fourth full-length albums. “I JUST AIN’T PUT THAT BITCH OUT!” he posted in November.

Earl Sweatshirt
Earl Sweatshirt’s last album, the spacey I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside, was the rapper’s last public release. Aside from sharing a guest verse with Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul on Danny Brown’s menacing “Really Doe,” Earl’s activities in and outside the music industry have been few and far between. He has also been performing a fair share of new songs live. The idea of a new LP could point toward a proper return for the Odd Future provocateur.

Sky Ferreira – Ghost EP (2012; Capitol)

“What does Sky Ferreira even do?” some ask, in mention of the hipster icon’s second EP, Ghost. In short, model-turned-musician

Ferreira makes her living by looking pouty and occasionally singing. But she isn’t some auto-tuned, over produced pop fairy, like one may have suggested prior to Ghost.

The opening number, “Sad Dreams,” is an acoustic lullaby, featuring a tambourine, stand-up bass and ukulele. Ferreira’s alto drips over the bass line like a pro. The EP’s second track, “Lost In My Bedroom,” could make 12-year-olds squeal into their hairbrushes while prancing in front of a mirror, reminiscent of Ferreira’s earlier electronic singles. The title track, “Ghost,” is a soft rock ballad with just enough country to make you sway. Another song channels Courtney Love. The last track features lo-fi pop with an ‘80s drum machine twist. With such variation, you could say Miss Ferreira has a little something for everyone.

Trial track: “Lost In My Bedroom”

Rating: 8.7/10

– Leah Batstone

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Cobra Juicy (2012; Rad Cult)

From the second the aptly titled “Windshield Smasher” takes you into Black Moth Super Rainbow’s 6th full length album in nine years, it

prepares you for the rush. With experimentally eloquent wide bass lines, you can feel your neck pushing your head along to its heavy vibes, slowly coming in layer upon layer. The Cobra Juicy rush calms and then jolts you for a second wind, loud and exalting, followed by a preparation for a crash. Instead of reaching a plateau, the album gets you high once again, breaking all further expectations, before it suddenly comes to an end.

The album follows suit, with highs, lows and atmospherical invitations in “The Healing Power of Nothing” and dance-friendly numbers like “Gangs in the Garden.” If you like a variety of musical stylings, lush vocals and flowing, engaging electronica, you can’t go wrong with Cobra Juicy.

Trial track: “Windshield Smasher”

Rating: 8.5/10

– Jamie Klinger

Martha Wainwright – Come Home to Mama (2012; V2 Records)

Come Home to Mama confirms that Montreal-born Martha Wainwright still has a voice as incredible as when she used to musically interject her father, Loudon Wainwright, with the feisty “Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole.” The record is powerful and deep with hoarse edges, and then suddenly turns airy, almost fragile, when she whispers the lyrics of “Everything Wrong.”

Musical arrangements throughout the record vary in unexpected ways, though the unusual-for-Martha electronic twist lacks unity. With her voice and guitar, Wainwright takes us on a musical journey, discussing what it’s like to settle into “adult life” and navigate from the loss of a mother to the birth of a son. The resulting record is intimate and poetic. Some parts of the album are full of energy, love and hope, but others hint at pain, as life often does.

Trial track: “Proserpina”

Rating : 7/10

– Flora Hammond

Various Artists – REWORK_Philip Glass Remixed (Orange Mountain Music; 2012)

In celebration of his 75th birthday, Philip Glass approached Beck to create a remix album.

Unlike most tribute albums which predictably create a dance remix of the artist’s ”greatest hits” catalog, REWORKwas conceived to do as its name implies, rework Glass’ pieces into something new. With this in mind, Beck collected an impressive group of collaborators: Tyondai Braxton, Amon Tobin, Dan Deacon, Johann Johannsson, Peter Broderick and Beck himself, to name but a few.

Each artist reinterprets the avant-garde composer’s tracks. Not an easy feat, considering Glass’ extensive body of work, from minimalist piano pieces and film scores, to operas, theater and dance performances. Beck’s ”NYC: 73-78” incorporates over 20 of Glass’ compositions creating a ”distillation of the composer’s entire career as a continuum,” while Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson constructs a solemn film score with ”Protest.”

iPhone users be on the lookout for the interactive app, created by Scott Snibbe Studio (Bjork’s ”Biophilia” project), set to be released with REWORK.

Trial track: ”NYC: 73-78”

Rating: 9/10

– Paul Traunero