Weekend Music Roundup

Though it's still April, it's like July outside up here in the foothills of the Catskills. But despite the heat, it is weekend, which means time to talk about music, which is my favorite thing to talk about. This week features new releases by artists I've followed for a long time, and one backlist album from another band that I enjoy. All in all, lots of good stuff that ranges from folk to hip hop to metal. More new releases to come in the coming weeks, as well as reviews of my Record Store Day purchases. Enjoy.

Timber Timbre - Sincerely, Future Pollution: The Toronto indie band's fifth album sees them moving a bit further away from their folk sound to a more art rock sound which if fuller, though less immediate. I enjoyed this record, though I must admit to preferring some of their earlier albums. However, on the songs where everything comes together, this is easily some of their most ambitious and rewarding material. For me, those songs were "Sewer Blues," "Western Questions," and the title track.

San Fermin - Belong: The third album from the Brooklyn indie pop band was released earlier this month. The band continues to refine their sound, developing a deeper sense of melody. However, with that comes a loss of some of the psychedelic elements that crept into their first and second album, elements that I enjoyed. This is far more appetizing album for most listeners, and still quite good if somewhat less special. "Bride," "Better Company" and the title track are my personal favorites.

Orchid - Capricorn: Released in 2011, this is the debut album from the San Fran doom metal band. I acquired their 2013 follow up record about a year ago and truly loved it, so I was excited to check this one out, their only other full length to date. The first half of this album sound much less like Black Sabbath than their later album, falling more into a heavy metal sound than blues based origins of Sabbath. By the second half of the album, it begins to find that sound which made the follow up super intriguing. "Down Into the Earth, "He Who Walks Alone,"and "Cosmonaut of Three" are my personal favorites.

Elvis Perkins - The Blackcoat's Daughter: I eagerly await every new release by Elvis, one of my favorite contemporary songwriters. While this soundtrack isn't exactly what I'd call an "Elvis Perkins" album, it does represent his most ambitious project to date. He moves beyond the folk ethic of his previous work and explores the more experimental ambient sound that crept onto his last record. This could easily be an album Pink Floyd would have made for a soundtrack, with a feel similar to their "Zabriskie Point" material. Haunting and beautiful, this album offers a number of memorable soundscapes.

Raekwon - The Wild: After a brief period of silence from the Wu Tang Clan member, The Chef has been quite active lately, releasing his second album in two years, as well as appearing on various other projects and mix tapes. While this newest effort may lack the grit that he displayed in the late '90s, it's still a solid record with interesting and fresh sounding beats. The highlights on here are "My Corner" with Lil Wayne, "M&N" and "This Is What It Comes To."