Out This Week 6/2

Highlights this week include the latest from London/NYC-via-Atlanta trio Algiers. KEXP Music Director Don Yates describes their debut as "an electrifying blend of edgy post-punk with soul and gospel, featuring a dark, haunting sound with ominous guitar squalls, icy synths, hypnotic drum-machine rhythms, gritty, soulful lead vocals, gospel-influenced harmonies and politically charged lyrics. Easily one of this year’s most powerful albums."

Sub Pop artist Daughn Gibson returns with "another strong set of haunting noir-pop inflected with atmospheric country sounds and spaghetti western. Recorded in Seattle with Randall Dunn producing and featuring contributions from a number of Seattle musical luminaries, the album features an ominous beautifully textured sound to frame Gibson’s cavernous baritone and dark, often-sexually charged narratives."

South African producer Nozinja (a.k.a. Richard Mthetwa) has been called "the chief architect of Shangaan Electro," a style of music blending South African folk traditions with electronic music. "His debut full-length is an impressive set of adventurous grooves with rapid-fire electronic rhythms, prominent marimba and other traditional sounds along with soulful harmonies."Young Irish singer-songwriter SOAK shares "a promising set of ethereal folk-pop with a stripped-down sound featuring dreamy guitar lines, mournful violin, occasional piano, spare, sometimes electronic beats, melancholy melodies, aching, reverbed vocals and emotive, well-crafted lyrics of lost innocence." Seattle's own Kinski release another "visceral set of aggressive psych-rock with grungy guitars, driving rhythms, occasional vocals and potent song hooks," while Brooklyn band Wild Yaks share an eight-track album of "surging pop-rock with a bright sound combining a variety of colorful instrumentation with sing-along gang choruses and anthemic song hooks."

• Algiers – “Irony. Utility. Pretext.”
• from Algiers on Matador
• Arthur's Landing – “Change My Life (Hugoy Mix ft. Peter Zummo)”
• from Second Thoughts on Buddhist Army
• Ben Lee – “Giving Up On Miracles”
• from Love Is the Great Rebellion on Warner Bros.
• Bruce Brubaker – “Glass Piano”
• from Glass Piano on InFiné
• The Catenary Wires – “Intravenous”
• from Red Red Skies on Matinée
• Daughn Gibson – “It Wants Everything”
• from Carnation on Sub Pop
• The Darkness – “Barbarian”
• from Last of Our Kind on Canary Dwarf
• Dawes – “Things Happen”
• from All Your Favorite Bands on Hub Records
• The Dunwells – “Lucky Ones”
• from Lucky Ones on Concord
• Eternal Summers – “Gold and Stone”
• from Gold and Stone on Kanine Records
• Expert Alterations – “A Bell”
• from Expert Alterations EP on Slumberland
• Florence + the Machine – “Delilah”
• from How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful on Island
• Fort Lean – “Quiet Day”
• from Quiet Day on Ooh La La
• Girlpool – “Before The World Was Big”
• from Before the World Was Big on Wichita
• Goatsnake – “Black Age Blues”
• from Black Age Blues on Southern Lord Records
• Holychild – “Money All Around”
• from The Shape of Brat Pop to Come on Glassnote
• iji – “Hard 2 Wait”
• from Whatever Will Happen on Team Love
• In Camera – “Era”
• from Era on 4AD
• Jaga Jazzist – “Starfire”
• from Starfire on Ninja Tune
• Joanna Gruesome – “Last Year”
• from Peanut Butter on Slumberland/Fortuna Pop!/Turnstile
• The Kentucky Headhunters – “Meet Me In Bluesland”
• from Meet Me in Bluesland on Alligator Records
• Kinski – “Flight Risk”
• from 7 (Or 8) on Kill Rock Stars
• Maribou State – “Raincoats”
• from Portraits on Counter
• Melody Gardot – “Preacherman”
• from Currency of Man on Decca / Verve
• Merle Haggard / Willie Nelson – “It's All Going to Pot”
• from Django and Jimmie on Legacy
• The Mothmen – “Afghan Farmer Driving Cattle”
• from Pay Attention! on On-U Sound
• The New Division – “Senseless”
• from Gemini on Division 87
• Nozinja – “Xihukwani”
• from Nozinja Lodge on Warp
• Roman à Clef – “Abandonware (Josh And Jer)”
• from Abandonware on Infinite Best
• SOAK – “Sea Creatures”
• from Before We Forgot How to Dream on Rough Trade
• Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – “Line On You”
• from The High Country on Polyvinyl
• Sun Kil Moon – “Garden of Lavender”
• from Universal Themes on Caldo Verde
• Tasseomancy – “The Grass Harp”
• from Palm Wine Revisited on Healing Power
• Tenement – “Dull Joy”
• from Predatory Headlights on Don Giovanni
• Vows – “Day To Day”
• from Soon Enough Love on Section Sign Records
• Wild Yaks – “Paradise”
• from Rejoice! God Loves Wild Yaks on Ernest Jenning
• Zella Day – “High”
• from Kicker on Pinetop Records