The Monthly RecommNeds: April 2022

Apologies this is coming so late folks, real life keeps kicking my ass … hopefully these are worth the wait!

As a reminder, the RecommNeds is a monthly rundown of maybe-not-on-your-radar new music, hopefully with something-for-everyone variety. I’m also putting together a special 25-track playlist each month: songs I’ve been digging, some from the monthly picks, some from albums that weren’t featured, some singles from upcoming releases, and maybe a random blast-from-the-past favorite or two. This month’s playlist is here. Dig it!

Without further ado, here are my latest finds, enjoy!

The Monthly 10:

Ten under-the-radar albums released last month that I think you might dig, presented in alphabetical order.

Action & Tension & Space: Tellus

Hey, buddy, you like jams? Sure you do! Do you like Eurojams? Heck yeah! Well, here are some totally killer Eurojams coming to you straight out of Norway. Action & Tension & Space combine psychedelic guitar-led instrumental music with hypnotic krautrock rhythms and mind-wander ambient to pack a potent punch. This is a must-listen right out of the gates this month, five tracks of pure jammy bliss. Enjoy!

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Blue States: World Contact Day

Blue States is British musician Andy Dragazis and his latest album, World Contact Day, refers, I believe, to the day we make contact with extraterrestrials. Or something like that? Regardless, the album is a dreamy mix of vocals and well-constructed electro-centric instrumental melodies. My first time through this record felt like each song was a little bit better than the first, as you give yourself over to Dragazis’ point of view and lose yourself in his sound. A very good sound to lose yourself in. This is just one of those records you have to go listen to firsthand to fully grasp. Check it out, I think you’ll dig.

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Amir Bresler: House Of Arches

Amir Bresler’s Bandcamp page bio describes him as Tel Aviv’s “most jaw-dropping drummer” and who am I to argue? His latest release, House Of Arches, is a groover’s delight: tight funky rhythms, spaced-out dreams of keyboards and bass and a little bit of that old school vibe that guys like Herbie Hancock used to deliver back in the day. This is pop-the-headphones-and-bob-the-head music, equally good for chair boogie as it is for totally zoning out. This is the good shit, friends, don’t skip it.

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Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves: Hurricane Clarice

When it comes to old time Americana, there are few that do it better than Allison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves, a banjo-and-fiddle duo that feel like they’ve been unearthed from another age completely. Their latest, a follow-up to their previously Recommned’d self-titled debut is alive with traveled-back-in-time energy. Jaunty instrumental pair with two-part-harmony throwbacks. It’s all rather delicious, start to finish. Enjoy!

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Jameszoo: Blind

Getting in the habit of throwing in something “weird” on the regular and I think this latest from Dutch producer Mitchel van Dinther fits the bill. Van Dinther creates music as Jameszoo and his latest is a series of sound collages, bits of jazz and electronical lovingly crafted into something new and, yes, weird, with musical glue and duct tape. The results are kind of all over the place, in the very best sense.

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Allegra Krieger: Precious Thing

Allegra Krieger is on that (unfortunately) long list of artists that I always assume everyone knows but turns out probably not everybody. And that’s a shame, because she’s a songwriter everyone should know. Her last album was featured here and this latest is just a masterpiece of can-we-listen-to-that-again!? songsmithing. Vocals and lyrics draw you in, with a dreamy, often haunting acoustic guitar plucking melodies. This is music to wrap yourself in, sparse but cozy, often masterful. Highly recommended.

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The Laurels: Homecoming

While we do like to find the painfully unique around these parts, we can still appreciate a great rock record at RecommNeds HQ. The Laurels, out of Sydney, Australia, fit the bill with their latest, a great rock record. The question is: what kind of rock? The answer is … all of ‘em? Garage, classic, psych, shoegaze, punk, etc. they’re all represented across the 10 excellent tracks of Homecoming, with plenty of guitar riffage, complementary keyboards, bopping bass and hard-hitting drums. Rock on, friends!

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Duncan Marquiss: Wires Turned Sideways In Time

Man, so many fabulous albums in this month’s column. This next one is pure magic. The artist is Duncan Marquiss out of the UK and I do hope you’ll check him out. His music is built on the acoustic guitar coupled with electronics and you can really just feel how the music isn’t just built on that guitar, but on the physical vibrations of the guitar strings. This music vibrates in gorgeous ways, organically building from the very simple to the very dense and complex. On one hand quite lovely, on the other … takes your brain for a trip. You’re gonna dig this one, I know you will.

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M Ross Perkins: E Pluribus M Ross

The thing about the Beatles is that they had songs that were both catchy and fun and also took you on a bit of a journey, musical or otherwise. In that way, M Ross Perkins‘ new album is decidedly Beatleseque. His songs have fun lyrical hooks and hummable melodies, but the music also goes somewhere, often somewhere quite technicolored. Groovy or psychedelic or rocking, showing off his influences but finding his own voice, Perkins has out together a far-flung set of original music that just feels right. Enjoy!

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Walter Smith III & Matthew Stevens: In Common III

We’ll end this month’s set with some quite excellent jazz. In Common is a project from saxophonist Walter Smith III and guitarist Matthew Stevens who have rounded out their ensemble with some true heavy hitters in Kris Davis (piano), Terri Lyne Carrington (drums) and Dave Holland (bass). The band just clicks very hard, the compositions swing and the recording is rather electric, particularly highlighting the excellent rhythm section backing the main players. This is one of the better jazz releases of the first quarter of 2022, highlights abound!

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Bonus Round

In the interest of time and bandwidth, gonna skip the bonus round this month.

Please note: all of the music mentioned in this column can be found in this April compilation playlist on Spotify. I’ll also keep up this running playlist with all the recommendations from 2022 so they’re all in one place for easy new music discovery at any time.