September continues to be strong for new releases. Highlights include the latest from Staten Island, NY band Cymbals Eat Guitars. KEXP Music Director Don Yates says their fourth album, "brings a bit more of an expansive and energetic sound to their anthemic indie-rock. Produced by John Congleton, the album adds synths, occasional horns and other instrumentation alongside the band's searing guitar work on emotionally hard-hitting songs with often-dark lyrics revolving around anxiety, depression and mortality."
Eight-piece Birmingham, AL band St. Paul & The Broken Bones release their second album of old-school soul, "nother excellent set that pairs a darker, more funk-edged sound with more politically conscious lyrics. Produced by Paul Butler (who also just produced Michael Kiwanuka's impressive new album), the album features an airtight sound with some beautiful arrangements to frame Paul Janeway's powerful vocals." Bellingham producer/multi-instrumentalist Manatee Commune (aka Grant Eadie) shares "a strong set of dreamy, psych-tinged electro-pop with a warm, intimate sound featuring bubbly synths, unhurried beats, sampled ambient sounds, blissed-out melodies, manipulated vocal fragments and occasional guest vocals from Marina Price, Moorea Masa and Flint Eastwood."
Preoccupations -- the band formerly known as Viet Cong -- "offers up their debut full-length under their new name. It's a potent set of dark, adventurous post-punk with driving rhythms, atmospheric guitars, hypnotic keyboards, gloomy vocals, bleak lyrics and sharp song hooks." Icelandic artist Sin Fang (aka Sindri Már Sigfússon) "ditches the chamber-pop orchestration that colored his last album (2013's Flowers) in favor of a moody, R&B-influenced electro-pop sound with more forceful beats, atmospheric synths, gentle vocals, dark lyrics and dreamy melodies. Guest vocalists include Jonsi, Soley and Farao." Danish producer Trentemøller returns with "a bleak blend of moody electro-pop and atmospheric dream-pop. Marie Fisker, Lisbet Fritze and Savages' Jehnny Beth are featured as guest vocalists."
It's another strong week of new releases, and don't forget: KEXP can only discover this new music when you help power us! Consider making a gift to KEXP during the Fall Fundraising Drive.
Fall is kicking off with some heavy hitters. KEXP Music Director Don Yates calls the latest from Wilco, "one of their more modest-sounding releases, featuring a mostly low-key and acoustic-oriented folk-rock sound on bittersweet songs revolving around alienation and childhood memories."
