This week’s roundup sees new albums from Kimbra, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, metal supergroup A Perfect Circle, and Dhruv Visvanath, and a surprise new album release from J. Cole. Also, Ariana Grande makes her comeback, her first release since 2016, and new singles following album announcements from Father John Misty, Lykke Li and Deafheaven.
Albums:
Kimbra – Primal Heart
Primal Heart is the third studio album from the New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra. This follows up her 2015 effort The Golden Echo. She shot to fame with a collaboration with fellow Kiwi singer-songwriter Gotye with the song ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ which won two Grammy Awards. Her previous two albums Vows and The Golden Echo showed an eclectic range of styles from jazz to rock music.
J. Cole – KOD
Rapper and producer J. Cole has surprised dropped a new album, named KOD. This serves up as the follow up to his 2016 album 4 Your Eyez Only. Over the past week, J. Cole had dropped hints throughout his social media, before finally announcing the album on 16th April. He rose to fame with his 2014 album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, where the album was certified double platinum by the RIAA.
Alexis Taylor – Beautiful Thing
Beautiful Thing is the fifth studio album from British musician Alexis Taylor. This is the successor to his 2016 album Piano and its reworked version Listen With(out) Piano. The album is produced by Tim Goldsworthy, the co-founder of DFA record. Taylor is primarily known as the lead vocalist and keyboardist/guitarist of the band Hot Chip and keyboardist in About Group.
A Perfect Circle – Eat The Elephant
American rock supergroup A Perfect Circle has released their fourth record, Eat The Elephant. This is their first album in fourteenth year, after the 2004 album Emotive. The group consists of guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The band has seen various iterations, the current including Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, former Eagles of Death Metal Matt McJunkins and drummer Jeff Friedl.
Dhruv Visvanath – The Lost Cause
Singer-songwriter Dhruv Visvanath has released his second studio album The Lost Cause. The album, shot to number two on the iTunes India album charts just a few hours after it went live at midnight. It also entered the top 50 across all genres on Apple Music India. The album has come out three years after Visvanath’s debut release Orion.
Songs:
Ariana Grande – No Tears Left To Cry
Global popstar Ariana Grande is back with a brand new single called, ‘No Tears Left To Cry’. This is her first release since the 2016 album Dangerous Woman, and has been released by Republic records. It talks about picking up the pieces after a tragedy. The song seems to have been inspired by the shooting that happened at the 24-year old’s concert in Manchester. Soon after the incident, Grande had also hosted a benefit concert to help the victims of the shooting.
Father John Misty – Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All
Music media’s favourite headline maker Father John Misty is back. He has released two new singles in accompaniment to the announcement of his latest album, God’s Favourite Customer. ‘Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All’ is one of them. Unlike all of his songs in Pure Comedy, this newly released single clocks in at a measly 2:23 minutes. In a typical J. Tillman style, he uses unconventional metaphors that he shares with his wife. It is more like his 2015 album I Love You, Honeybear, and it feels just right.
Lykke Li – hard rain/deep end
Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li has announced her upcoming album, so sad so sexy. She has released two singles in accompaniment to it, named ‘deep end’ and ‘hard rain’. This is her first album in four years after her 2014 album I Never Learn. In contrast to the stripped back chamber pop style of I Never Learn, both ‘hard rain’ and ‘deep end’ are much more modern sounding melancholy bangers. Produced by former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij and super producer Jeff Bhasker, both takes elements from trap while keeping thing distinctly Lykke Li.
Deafheaven – Honeycomb
Presumably off their upcoming fourth full-length album, Deafheaven have released a new single named ‘Honeycomb’. This is their first release since 2015’s album New Bermuda. As an introduction to the band, this song is pretty good starting point. Mixing elements of noise rock, indie rock, shoegaze and black metal, these elements should not work together yet they just do, in this expansive twelve-minute journey.
