MARK PRITCHARD
Under the Sun
(Warp)

After a series of EPs that flaunted his chops in the gridiron of drum 'n' bass and grime, Mark Pritchard took a detour over the past couple of years and found an introspective cove of creation to fabricate the cerebral mediums of Under the Sun. The compositions both call for imagery to accompany them (a summons satisfied in his current video installation for Red Bull Studios in New York) and creates its own. Meditations like "Where Do They Go, The Butterflies" and "Ems" find Pritchard as a snake tamer of different frequencies, unspooling them into his pastures and letting them graze and circulate. Thom Yorke plays the charmer in step with the spellbinding flutes on "Beautiful People," his transfixing falsetto forming an impeccable synergy with Pritchard's buoyant production. Simultaneously subduing and stimulating, Under the Sun is electro-ambience of high order and prime listening for those in need of a little sonic liberation. (Read More)

$34.99 LP
$15.99 CD

OLIVIA WYATT + BITCHIN BAJAS
Sailing a Sinking Sea
(Drag City)

The promise that the DVD will allow me, the viewer, to "swim under the sea past fishes and mermaids and delve into the minds of shamans" makes it almost irrelevant what the LP sounds like. The fact that it is a stunning combination of nature sounds, snippets of music by the profiled Moken people of Thailand and Burma, and dreamy soundscapes that remind me, at times, of the more blissed-out side of Finis Africae, makes it almost excusable that the group responsible for this lovely music is called "Bitchin Bajas". One of my favorite releases of this Wretched Year of Our Lord, 2016.

$19.99 LP+DVD

ANOHNI
Hopelessness
(Secretly Canadian)

Though I’ve always been a fan, Anohni's new album, Hopelessness, is quickly becoming my favorite. Marking not only a shift musically with co-production from Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never, but also personally as the first release under her new name, the results are challenging, confrontational and, as with all of her previous releases, a beauty and passion unmatched. Anohni’s strength has always been the power and control of her voice, and here atop the electronic/synthetic backing, the three producers create a perfect triangle. Slightly framed as a dance album, there are moments where you could ignore the weight of the lyrics and simply sway to the rhythms. There is the feeling of a world at odds with the oppressive powers that be, which the oft-brittle soundscapes perfectly mirror. Recommended for those who feel, deeply. (Read More)

$18.99 LP
$11.99 CD ON SALE

VIVIEN GOLDMAN
Resolutionary (Songs 1979-1982)
(Staubgold)

Vivien Goldman went from being a musical participant of the early-'80s London-New York fusion of dub, post-punk, reggae, hip-hop and African sounds to a keen, informative critic and professor of those genres in general. The excellent Resolutionary (Songs 1979-1982) is the first collection of Goldman's brief yet vibrant musical explorations. Finding herself within a ripe collective of friends from NYC and LDN, she worked and played with some of the scene's key (albeit 'outsider') players. Included among the various talents are members of the Slits, PiL, the Raincoats, Robert Wyatt, Steve Beresford, David Toop, and Adrian Sherwood. These tracks combine a pop sensibility with the avant-dub deconstructionist mindset that lends her work that rare and special mix of accessibility and experimentation. Absolutely recommended! (Read More & Listen)

$21.99 LP
$15.99 CD

JULIANNA BARWICK
Will
(Dead Oceans)

Since Julianna Barwick’s 2006 breakthrough debut, each release that’s followed has marked significant growth. 2011’s The Magic Place proved its beauty primarily through its repetition; the ethereal, lush songs rode waves of barely distinguishable vocal-looped melodies, deeming Barwick one of the most accessible ambient artists of our day. Two years later, Nepenthe added clearer vocals and actual instruments, deviating from the general atmospheric abstraction and colliding more with a pop format. Will, her newest long-player, adds even more, allowing Barwick to reveal her full potential within some deeply poignant electronic music. Drum kits, piano, bass, and cello guide the arrangements, acting as a counterweight to her always-airy layers of reverbed vocals. But these new elements do not replace the traits that made Barwick’s music so great to begin with; amidst the electronics and harsher accoutrements persist her unrelenting voice and graceful environments that we know and love. (Read More & Listen)

$15.99 LP
$11.99 CD

JOANNA BROUK
Hearing Music
(Numero Group)

Flutist and electronic music composer Joanna Brouk emerged from the realm of new age music, the quintessential American genre that proliferated in the 1980s West Coast cassette underground. Formed by her training at Mills College, as well as manifold collaborations with the likes of Robert Ashley and Terry Riley, her elegant and classically oriented compositions are at the same time steeped within the lingo of minimalism. This turns out to be a huge feat, as her contribution to new age is entirely devoid of the genre’s oftentimes saccharine tones and other cringe-worthy aspects, such as esoteric flute arpeggios. Brouk’s is a universe of trance-like repetition, stretched by stark simplicity and occasionally dizzying drones. (Read More & Listen)

$21.99 LP
$14.99 CD

DICK DIVER
New Start Again
(Trouble in Mind)

I'm not here to argue with anyone, merely stating a fact: Dick Diver's Melbourne, Florida was the best record released in 2015. It was also the Melbourne, Australia band's debut American release, so it's great news to report that their domestic label has seen clear to reissue their first two albums to growing appreciation. With 2011's New Start Again, guitarists Al McKay and Ru Edwards lay out missives to a new kind of youthful contemporary rock, one where the guitars occasionally burn but mostly take their lessons from Fleetwood Mac in the Buckingham era. Their playing is nuanced in a way that suggests a musical partnership that spans decades, and while the songs they sing may not speak to specific experiences we know, the tone and realistic depth of these tunes is incomparable to our experience and to any US or European contemporaries. (Read More & LIsten)

$15.99 LP
$10.99 CD ON SALE

DICK DIVER
Calendar Days
(Trouble in Mind

Given the alleged success of 2013's Calendar Days in Australia, it's a surprise that things didn't happen for Dick Diver more quickly worldwide. From the basis of this one, I wouldn't hesitate to call them one of the most masterful pop bands anywhere, with such a complete grasp of the nuances of the best singer-songwriters to pick up guitars since the '70s, and an ability to leverage commonly felt needs and desires with offhand grace (lyrics like “I get out of bed/I get my toast to the perfect shade of gold” from "Alice" are but one of the dozen or so genius moments on this one that gently thwacks you between the eyes). No group is able to summon such an easy and immediate familiarity, both in topic and approach, the way that Dick Diver does so effortlessly across their body of work. They should be the gold standard of what we should accept from any band picking up guitars. (Read More & Listen)

$15.99 LP
$10.99 CD ON SALE

SHIT ROBOT
What Follows
(DFA)

With every Shit Robot release, one can expect loads of vintage synth and drum machine goodness, and you’ll certainly find that here with What Follows. Featuring a lot of DFA-related friends on vocals (Alexis Taylor, Nancy Whang, Pat Mahoney, Jay Green), and the aforementioned synths, the new album does take a left turn into the after-hours. This really is a late-night record, reflecting Marcus Lambkin’s love and propensity for filling his sets with the dark-club vibes of his early ventures into UK rave culture. Tracks evolve here, take their time, and linger a while. Shit Robot does good on his promise to make more house and techno. Equally good on the way out or on the way home. (Read More & Listen)

$23.99 LP
$11.99 CD ON SALE

JESSY LANZA
Oh No
(Hyperdub)

Singer/songwriter Jessy Lanza returns with a new album for the Hyperdub label. As with her 2013 debut, production comes from Jeremy Greenspan (Junior Boys), but unlike Pull My Hair Back, her follow-up is more energetic, shiny and upbeat. Gone is the laid-back, sultry attitude which seemed to be the perfect approach for her style of retro-leaning electronic soul. With Oh No, she’s fully embraced her yearning to make an unmistakable pop album, often channeling mid-period Madonna and/or other ‘90s-era top 40 divas. However, this new formula doesn't always have the same appeal as before, so it makes for a bit of an uneven listen. There are still plenty of highlights though, including "It Means I Love You,” with the song’s slight double percussion reminiscent of last year’s great collab with DJ Spinn and Taso. (Read More & Listen)

$19.99 LP
$16.99 CD