Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 27 September 2024.
Kit Sebastian – composed of K. Martin and Merve Erdem – have released their latest album New Internationale. The duo wrote most of it on the road, energised by the sounds they discovered as they magpied instruments during their travels—Turkish clarinet, santour, oud, gangsa, zither, harpsichord, and on and on. They cut most of the tracks in London during brief breaks, longtime drummer Theo Guttenplan and double bassist David Richardson joining a panoply of horn, string, and percussion players. And during a year off from the road, where K. and Merve could concentrate on making sure the pieces moved together, they decamped to the French countryside for two weeks, leaving the distractions and moodiness of home. They captured vocals for 14 songs there in only half that time. Both Kit Sebastian’s busy touring schedule and subsequent break from it allowed Merve to step fully into these songs and their ever-shifting shapes, her confidence and versatility rising in tandem.
Highway Prayers, the latest album from Billy Strings, is out now. Recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, the album features Strings and his longtime band—Billy Failing (banjo, vocals), Royal Masat (bass, vocals), Jarrod Walker (mandolin, vocals) and Alex Hargraves (fiddle)—as well as additional contributions from Jon Brion (bass, drums, percussion), Matt Chamberlain (drums), Jerry Douglas (dobro), Jason Carter (fiddle), Lindsay Lou (backing vocals), Nathaniel Smith (cello), Taneka Samone (backing vocals), Cory Henry (piano), Peter “Madcat” Ruth (harmonica, jaw harp) and Victor Furtado (clawhammer banjo). The album includes fan favorites like “Seven Weeks In County,” “Cabin Song,” and “Leadfoot.” Plus treasures in the making “Stratosphere Blues / I Believe in You,” “Gild the Lily,” “Don’t Be Calling Me (at 4AM),” and many more.
Joshua Bell, INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra, Dalia Stasevska, Matt Haimovitz, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra and Dennis Russell Davies bring Thomas de Hartmann’s glorious music back into the limelight Thomas de Hartmann Rediscovered. This album brings the glowing, cinematic Violin and Cello Concertos of Ukrainian composer Thomas de Hartmann, an important compositional voice in his own time, back into the limelight. Using an international all-star cast, the recording not only aims to re-establish de Hartmann’s oeuvre, but also to bring musicians together in times of war. The Violin Concerto was recorded in Warsaw with Joshua Bell as soloist and Dalia Stasevska conducting the INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra, managing to temporarily leave their besieged country. The Cello Concerto is presented by Matt Haimovitz and the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dennis Russell Davies. This album is made possible by the dedication and generous support of the Thomas de Hartmann Project, aimed to reintroduce his colourful and compelling music.
Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer allie has shared her evocative self-produced sophomore studio album Every Dog. The meditative LP is a vulnerable exploration of queer love and one’s self, carefully crafted by the artist who wrote, produced and mixed it herself. Every Dog is a twenty-seven minute-long, highly-focused collection of sonic portraits, with each song offering uniquely immersive, richly-layered meditations on queer love, isolative depression, Western U.S. road trips, and singing through the pages of a personal journal.
Saxophonist Walter Smith III pays homage to his hometown of Houston, Texas on his sophomore Blue Note album, three of us are from Houston and Reuben is not, the follow-up to 2023’s return to casual. The album’s wry title signifies the lineup, which includes fellow Houston natives – pianist Jason Moran and drummer Eric Harland – while bassist Reuben Rogers, who hails from the Virgin Islands, rounds out the quartet. Together they enliven 10 compelling Smith originals and an imaginative rendering of the Sam Rivers composition “Point of Many Returns” – all of which speaks to Smith’s ascending status as one of modern jazz’s most engaging talents of his generation.
South African-born, NYC/Dublin-based folk-rock musician Tuelo’s long-awaited cinematic second full-length studio album, Regarding My Heart, brings together her humble beginnings with who she is today–filled with lush textures, dynamic sounds, layered strings, horns and guitars, soaring vocals and intimate lyricism. With its vivid storytelling and unbridled honesty, the project has provided Tuelo with the space to heal, listen to herself and centre her voice.
Fresh off the back of a tour as special guest to Liam Gallagher and John Squire, UK rock troubadour Jake Bugg returns with his sixth album A Modern Day Distraction, out now on RCA Records. Jake returns to his roots on the rock-driven album – a record that turns up the noise while shining a light on the injustice he’s seen dealt to the family and friends he grew up with. Fiery and engaged, the record was born out of a frustration of societal inequality. Bugg found that a time had come when he just couldn’t look away.
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- New music round-up (for w/e 1 March 2024)
- New music round-up (for w/e 17 November 2023)
- New music round-up (for w/e 22 September 2023)
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television
