First Listen: She & Him, ‘Classics’
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward cover pop standards with the timeless impeccability for which they’re known. Once again, Ward hovers mostly in the background, leaving Deschanel to steal the playful show.
Category: Music
First Listen: Your Old Droog, ‘Your Old Droog’
If this is the first time you’re hearing of somebody called Your Old Droog, don’t even trip.
First Listen: Two Inch Astronaut, ‘Foulbrood’
On its second album, the D.C.-area duo borrows heavily from the legacy of Dischord Records — at times recalling Fugazi, Smart Went Crazy and Shudder To Think — while still sounding fresh and vital.
First Listen: Flake Music, ‘When You Land Here, It’s Time To Return’
Before James Mercer became famous in The Shins, he sang in a like-minded band called Flake Music. Its newly remixed, remastered and reissued 1997 debut contains many ideas he would later revisit.
First Listen: Mr. Gnome, ‘The Heart Of A Dark Star’
Whether its songs are bleak and primal, grandiose or seductively dreamy, the Cleveland duo delights in searching for the unexpected.
First Listen: Bryan Ferry, ‘Avonmore’
The Roxy Music singer channels his classic work while still sounding fresh. Ferry’s sound remains full, clear and direct, with intricate layers of instruments shifting in and out of focus.
First Listen: Robert Wyatt, ‘Different Every Time’
A double-length set provides an ambitious introduction to the prog-rock legend. Selections include songs from Wyatt’s bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, solo work and unlikely collaborations.
First Listen: Andy Stott, ‘Faith In Strangers’
The Manchester electronic producer alternates between ethereal beauty and viscous sludge, and with vocal assistance from Alison Skidmore, glints of light keep poking through the darkness.
First Listen: Big K.R.I.T., ‘Cadillactica’
K.R.I.T. raps about what many rappers probably want to discuss (spirituality, discrimination, insecurity) but are afraid to. This strain of authenticity has cemented his place in the hearts of fans.
First Listen: Marianne Faithfull, ‘Give My Love To London’
There’s fire in the rock ‘n’ roll survivor’s delivery, and it’s redemptive. Twenty albums in, Faithfull can still spin the kind of tale that silences a room, then fills it with something unexpected.
First Listen: Damien Rice, ‘My Favourite Faded Fantasy’
After an eight-year break from recording, Rice gives his bold, dreamy, impeccably rendered music plenty of room to breathe and seethe over the course of more than 50 minutes.
First Listen: Bedhead, ‘1992-1998’
A box set collects nearly all the recordings by the 1990s indie rock band that perfected the art of holding back. Bedhead’s minimal, whispered songs made boring beautiful.
First Listen: Hookworms, ‘The Hum’
On its second album, the Leeds band is beholden to a motorik beat and the pulse it leaves behind. But Hookworms’ members also explore the energy and chaos that such a solid anchor can provide.
First Listen: Bob Dylan, ‘The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11’
Sample 12 selections from an ambitious six-disc box set of archival Dylan recordings. The recordings capture and reflect one of the most vivid chapters in American music.
First Listen: Les Sins, ‘Michael’
Toro y Moi’s Chaz Bundick makes overt advances to the dance floor on his first album as Les Sins. But he keeps his mind on pop music, too, as he doles out pleasures in three-minute bites.
First Listen: Neil Young, ‘Storytone’
Young recorded all of Storytone‘s 10 songs with either a 92-piece orchestra or an elaborate big band, but wisely includes beautifully stripped-down acoustic versions, too.
First Listen: Grouper, ‘Ruins’
Recorded with Liz Harris’ voice, a piano and not much else, Ruins achieves striking intimacy, its emotional heft commanding attention throughout.
First Listen: Restorations, ‘LP3’
With its roots in punk and heartland rock, LP3 is a rattling, unpinnable record that doesn’t know when to stop baring its soul.
First Listen: Daniel Lanois, ‘Flesh And Machine’
After four decades of making records, Lanois has decided to chase sounds that have never been. An otherworldly adventure, Flesh And Machine has no songs and no words, using voices only for texture.
First Listen: Jessie Ware, ‘Tough Love’
Whether you use it as a balm or an echo chamber for your despair, Ware’s second album is a celebration of gloriously messy feelings, each tamed by her soft touch.