New music round-up (for w/e 19 July 2024)

Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 19 July 2024.

Beachwood Sparks pioneered the indie-country genre, pushing Americana into experimental territories with their fusion of twangy country vibes and psychedelic sounds. Their unique niche in the indie music landscape is marked by ethereal melodies and introspective lyrics, influencing countless artists and shaping the “weirder” side of Americana music. With the release of their new record, Across The River Of Stars, their legacy as genre innovators continues to grow, solidifying their place as trailblazers in the indie-country movement.

George Benson recorded Dreams Do Come True during a prolific period and chose to delay the album’s release. In the meantime, the recordings went missing and remained lost until recently, when they were rediscovered in Benson’s archive. Now, after 35 years, the album will finally receive its proper release. The original recording sessions for Dreams Do Come True were impeccably captured by Grammy® Award-winning engineer Al Schmidt, who manned the recording console for some of Benson’s most successful albums. All 11 tracks have been newly remastered for the upcoming release. Benson partnered with Grammy®-award-winning pianist, composer, and arranger Randy Waldman as his co-producer, adding in overdubs and expressive choral arrangements throughout the reimagined record.

Following a ten-year hiatus, multi-instrumentalists Rafael Anton Irisarri and Benoît Pioulard return with How to Color a Thousand Mistakes, their third LP together as Orcas. Building on the electronic minimalism of Orcas (2012) and the Twin Peaks-inspired haze of Yearling (2014), the duo have expanded their sound and vision into a full-spectrum ensemble.

Violinist Fenella Humphreys has released a new album with Rubicon Classics after her 2023 BBC Magazine Premiere Award-winning album Caprices. The unique programme, called Prism, focuses on unaccompanied violin works. These consist of new works written by young British composers such as Michael Small, Bethan Morgan-Williams and Cheryl Frances-Hoad to more iconic contemporary works by British and American compoosers such as Caroline Shaw, Jessie Montgomery, George Walker and the wonderful Sir Peter Maxwell Davies! The highlight of the album is Fenella’s new arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue BWV 565.

Prolific Australian singer-songwriter Greg Gould strikes again with his new album Strings Attached. Showcasing original soul-pop music, Strings Attached sees Greg collaborate with some of the industry’s biggest names, reinforcing his status as one of the country’s most powerful vocalists and sought after artists of his generation. Tony nominee and Broadway icon Shoshana Bean, Asia’s Phoenix Morissette, Australian Idol winner Kate DeAraugo (her first pop release in nine years) and Drag Race legend Kween Kong all feature alongside Greg as his multi-octave voice celebrates themes of survival, pride, independence and resilience. Behind the microphone, Greg has teamed up with the likes of legendary American songwriter Scott Alan (Cynthia Erivo, Pentatonix), ASTON (aespa, Jessica Mauboy), Tania Doko (Bachelor Girl), Andrew De Silva (CDB), and the iconic John Foreman, to write and produce a pop masterpiece that lingers long after the final note.

Recorded at Munich’s Muffathalle in September 2004, September Night is a previously-unreleased concert recording of the Tomasz Stanko Quartet. This is a fascinating document, capturing a developmental chapter in the music between the song forms of the Suspended Night repertoire and the improvised areas that the Polish musicians would explore on Lontano. The Munich show was a highlight in a year in which the Stanko Quartet played a record number of gigs, with extensive tours of the US and Europe. The great trumpeter himself is at his charismatic best here, playing superbly, clearly inspired by the energetic support and communicative power of Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz and Michal Miskiewicz, the dynamic young players for whom he had been a mentor. The live album was produced by Manfred Eicher.

Acclaimed Scottish composer Anna Meredith has scored a variety of projects including the award-winning Eighth Grade for A24, Living With Yourself for Netflix, and more recently The End We Start From, which was nominated for a BIFA Award. Now she provides the score for the poignant, imaginative drama Tuesday, which Meredith pushes into cathartic sonic terrain. Written and directed by Daina O. Pusić, Tuesday stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lola Petticrew, and Leah Harvey. The story revolves around a mother and her teenage daughter, who must confront death when it arrives in the form of an astonishing talking bird. It’s a heart-rending fairy tale about the echoes of loss and finding resilience in the unexpected. The official soundtrack album is out now.

Other reviews you might enjoy:

• New music round-up (for w/e 31 March 2023)
• New music round-up (for w/e 18 August 2023)
• New music round-up (for w/e 15 March 2024)