Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 18 August 2023.
The three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn presents her new recording of Eugène Ysaÿe’s Six Sonatas for Violin Solo, op. 27. Inspired by the example set by J.S. Bach two centuries earlier, legendary Belgian violinist and composer Eugène Ysaÿe wrote the first work in what turned out to be a six-sonata cycle in June 1923. One hundred years later, Hahn has recorded the set on her own wave of inspiration – driven by the impetus of the upcoming centenary to realize one of her dream projects. These six sonatas are among the supreme feats of technical virtuosity in the violin repertoire. Hahn’s interpretations, recorded last fall in the lead-up to this year’s centenary, see her come full circle as a direct musical descendant of Ysaÿe himself.
World Music Radio is the new musical transmission from multi-GRAMMY® and Oscar® winner Jon Batiste. This concept album stars Batiste as interstellar traveling griot/DJ Billy Bob Bo Bob (a.k.a B4) who examines popular music from around the globe on a radio broadcast from Earth to the rest of the universe – begging the question, isn’t all music, world music? Inspired by his decades-long study of music and culture, World Music Radio is a sonic passport for the ears, seeing Batiste reach new artistic heights with global collaborators Jon Bellion, Lil Wayne, Fireboy DML, J.I.D, Camilo, NewJeans and others – blurring the sonic boundaries known as “genre” and transforming your Tuesday morning into Saturday night.
In the past, Mapache recording sessions have been pretty laid-back affairs, with friends coming and going, the sessions starting and stopping at the band’s discretion — as relaxed a process as the immaculately sunny vibes that their four albums would suggest. Their new album Swinging Stars, an album of calm, second-nature swagger, is the natural result of a band that’s existed in one form or another for its founders’ entire adult lives. Finch and Blasucci first met as students at La Cañada High School, just north of Los Angeles, where they both had a guitar class: “There wasn’t much supervision or anything,” remembers Blasucci. “It was really nice. And we got to just play guitars together.”
Last year saw the release of Jo Meares and Anth Dymke’s collaborative album Dream Hotel, which culminated in a very special album launch in Sydney. That performance was recorded and filmed and is now released today as Faster Than A Kiss: Live at the Factory Fusebox. The live album and accompanying concert film vividly bring to life the drama, tension and cathartic release of the album Dream Hotel. From the hypnotic and mesmerising female backing vocals to the beautiful and cinematic sounds created by Jo’s backing band, these recordings document yet another fascinating chapter in Jo’s musical career.
Naarm/Melbourne indie-pop artist Winten has shared debut album Waving To My Girl, a landscape of compassion and growth that blends momentous, feel-good instrumentation with understated subtle touches. Beginning life as a poem written during a particularly confronting time for Winten, the album represents the pain and hope of standing at the precipice of self-acceptance and understanding after years of denial and negative self-talk.
Tenor saxophonist, woodwinds player, composer, bandleader, and educator John Wojciechowski has released his third leader album, Swing of the Pendulum, on AFAR Music. Originally from Detroit, Wojciechowski (woe-jih-HOW-skee) has been a sought-after performer and educator on the Chicago scene for two decades. Featuring first-call accompanists in pianist Xavier Davis, bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall, Swing of the Pendulum marks his next evolutionary step.
ARIA platinum artist Tia Gostelow has released her third album, titled Head Noise. Produced by Chris Collins (Middle Kids/Skeggs), Head Noise is the follow-up to Tia’s critically acclaimed debut album Thick Skin and her equally lauded sophomore album CHRYSALIS. The album features ten tracks, including the already released singles ‘Spring To Life’, ‘Sour’, ‘Early Twenties’ and current single ‘I’m Getting Bored Of This’ that delve into the complexities of human emotion, exploring themes of heartbreak, safety, loss, and self-discovery.
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- New music round-up (for w/e 3 May 2024)
- New music round-up (for w/e 11 November 2022)
- New music round-up (for w/e 11 August 2023)
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television