Release Day Picks: January 10th New Album Highlights

Each week Release Day Picks profiles new LPs and EPs Team JamBase will be checking out on release day Friday. This week we highlight new albums by Cory Wong and Moon Hooch. Read on for more insight into the records we have all queued up to spin.

Cory Wong – Elevator Music For An Elevated Mood

The Scoop: Vulfpeck guitarist Cory Wong is back with a quick follow-up to his 2019 album, Motivational Music For The Syncopated Soul. The guest-filled Elevator Music For An Elevated Mood comes with 11 tracks and includes appearances by Dave Koz, Phoebe Katis, Cody Fry and Rachel Mazer. Here’s Wong’s description of the new record:

Elevator Music in general has been the same for decades. In fact it was my first introduction to smooth jazz … yea. I mean … I didn’t get exposed to smooth jazz. Smooth jazz exposed itself to me, unwillingly in every elevator I was in from 1993-2016. If you haven’t noticed, we’re in a transitional period of what “elevator music” really is … and you better believe I’m here to make my mark. (note: this is not a smooth jazz album)

It’s kind of a … part 2 of my last record. I’m super proud of it and I think you’ll love it! This one will be a digital-only release for the time being. Ao please click and pre-save the album on whatever platform you listen to music on!

Moon Hooch – Life On Other Planets

The Scoop: Brooklyn-based trio Moon Hooch — consisting of saxophonists Wenzl McGowan and Mike Wilbur and drummer James Muschler — retreated to Winooski, Vermont to record Life On Other Planets. The sessions yielded the nine-song follow-up to the band’s last LP, 2016’s Red Sky. While initially intending to make a heavily produced and composed record, the group instead ended up taking a live approach, often capturing first takes. “When we got to the studio, we just felt inspired to record these live pieces we’d been performing for so long,” stated Wilbur. “We never really consciously wrote these songs, and we never really consciously planned to release them, but we loved playing them and we realized they were something the fans were really excited about.”