What's New?: Music Library Updates (Part 6)
This week’s round-up of records includes a few of the titles that have drifted into the radio station’s music inbox… and when we’re back to regular programming you’ll be hearing a few of these no doubt! In the meantime, look ‘em up online. Now more than ever, artists need your support!
THE MAGNETIC FIELDS – QUICKIES
Veteran songwriter and performer Stephin Merritt has done some interesting things during his career. He’s been a member of The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, The Gothic Archies and Future Bible Heroes, all of which are basically outlets for his prolific songwriting (and we do mean prolific - this is a guy that released an album with the (very literal) title 69 Love Songs). The newest Fields release has a different theme: brevity. These are, indeed, quickies; the songs on this album range from 12 seconds to two-and-a-half minutes. The worst thing to be said about this, is that sometimes, you’ll be left wanting more.
LISTEN: QUICKIES BY THE MAGNETIC FIELDS
THE DEARS – LOVER’S ROCK
Montreal’s The Dears have been indie stalwarts since the early 2000s, when their contemporaries (Metric, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Feist) also rose to prominence out of the Canadian underground. Murry Lightburn & co. are still making gloomy, moody art rock; Lover’s Rock sounds not unlike their debut, No Cities Left, in that regard. "There's a direct line between the sort of doominess of No Cities Left and this album," Lightburn explained to Exclaim! Magazine. " But it's a different kind of doom.”
LISTEN: LOVER'S ROCK BY THE DEARS
KAMASI WASHINGTON – BECOMING
CFMU has a little less jazz programming than it used to have, but that doesn’t mean we’ve forsaken it. Whenever Kamasi Washington releases a new record, it charts. This one’s a bit different, though; instead of Washington’s usual languid, long-form experiments, these tracks are tight and focused and, in a lot of ways, poppy. Becoming is the soundtrack to the Netflix documentary of the same name, a companion piece to Michelle Obama’s memoir.