Gorillaz feat. Bad Bunny
Tormenta
This smooth piece is due to the collaboration of two big names. It takes us back to the sounds of Sergio Mendes, or Antônio Carlos Gobim. Life has picked up a bit speed since. The Bunny charms us with many changes in rhythm and subtle vocals. Gorillaz, still with Damon Albarn and Jimmy Hewlett at the helm, are releasing a new album, Cracker Island, in a few weeks and have teased various outtakes with different colleagues. The results, so far, are jazzy and light. (sgs)
Parlophone/Warner Records
Depeche Mode
Memento Mori: Ghosts Again.
The band is releasing their 15th studio album on 23 March. It looks a little somber. But is it? No, the old drive is there from the first beat, unmistakably Depeche Mode! It is the first album they have released since the death of Andy Fletcher, their keyboarder. “We started work on this project early in the pandemic, and its themes were directly inspired by that time. After Fletch’s passing, we decided to continue as we’re sure this is what he would have wanted, and that has really given the project an extra level of meaning.” (Martin Gore, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboarder)
Columbia/Mute
Nakhane
My Mom Was Good
Nakhane Mahlakahlaka is a South African singer, songwriter, actor, and novelist. Having grown up among a Christian community in Port Elizabeth, at fifteen they moved to Johannes, leaving the church in 2013 and publicly celebrating their queerness with their debut album Brave Confusion. They found both controversy and critical acclaim with their starring role in John Trengrove’s 2017 film Inxeba (The Wound), and relocated to London to record 2018’s autobiographical album You Will Not Die. (Wikipedia)
Columbia/Polydor
Boygenius
Live from Brooklyn Steel
The American Indie supergroup is made up of singer Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers (acoustic guitar and electronic production), and Lucy Dacus (singer-songwrtier and producer). Though the three women only burst onto the scene in 2018, each of them was already well-known on their own. They are releasing their first album soon, called The Record. According to Rolling Stone, “fans have always hoped for more». I agree.
Interscope
Schaltkreis Wassermann
2600Noise
For the first time since the early 80s, the pioneer electronic band Schaltkreis Wassermann has released several completely new tracks. Up to now Schaltkreis Wassermann was known for their early singles and their cult album Psychotron (1982) These, and a plethora of other Schaltkreis tracks from the early eighties, have been re-released on vinyl by Berlin-based Private Records over the last few years. And now there’s a new Schaltklreis EP called 2006Noise. It grooves!
Private Records