New music round-up (for w/e 2 August 2024)

Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 2 August 2024.

The music of Brigitte Calls Me Baby is equal parts elegant time warp and up-close exploration of our modern-day neuroses. With their name nodding to frontman Wes Leavins’ teenage pen-pal correspondence with iconic French actress Brigitte Bardot, the Chicago-based five-piece emerged in early 2023 and soon scored a breakout hit with “Impressively Average” — a sublimely shimmering anthem that shot to the Top 10 at Triple A radio, setting the band on a swift rise that’s recently included embarking on a headline tour with sold-out dates across the country. Now, with their debut LP – The Future Is Our Way Out – Brigitte Calls Me Baby share a body of work that ingeniously spans genres and eras, merging the lavish romanticism of mid-century pop with the frenetic energy and spiky intensity of early-millennium indie-rock.

Meshell Ndegeocello follows her GRAMMY-winning Blue Note debut, The Omnichord Real Book, with No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, another visionary album that pays homage to the eminent writer and activist James Baldwin. Meshell’s transformative music and collaborative spirit ignites this genre-bending work that is at once a musical experience, a church service, a celebration, a testimonial, and a call to action, creating a shared space for reflection, conversation, and social change. Co-produced by Meshell and guitarist Chris Bruce, No More Water also features frequent collaborators Justin Hicks, Kenita Miller, Abe Rounds, Jake Sherman, Jebin Bruni, and Julius Rodriguez, as well as powerful spoken word performances by Jamaican poet and activist Staceyann Chin.

Multi-instrumentalist electronic artist Gryffin has released his newest album, PULSE. The album aims to redefine the dance music landscape with fresh sounds and innovative production. ‘The Reason’, anthemic pop dance focus track, feat. John Newman, promises to be a summer favourite with John’s vocals yearning throughout the catchy chorus, “Give me a reason to stop loving you”.

Janine Jansen has released her first concerto album in nine years, pairing the iconic Violin Concertos of Sibelius and Prokofiev. Janine is joined by Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra for the album, forming the ultimate classical dream team. Sibelius / Prokofiev 1: Violin Concertos is out now via Decca.

Going Nowhere Fast, the sophomore project by ZEBEDEE out now, is an ode to the band’s love of neo-psych and desert rock sounds. Fuzzy guitar licks, glittering synths and post-punk drums merge to create a compelling, robust sound that is all their own. The songs were written by bandleader Row, and his wife and band’s guitarist Kelsey Van Mook who are able to channel their love and mutual understanding into their music. It was produced by GRAMMY award winning engineer Daniel Avila and recorded, mixed and mastered in Flux Recording Studios in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

The ongoing Mr Bongo Cuban Classics Series shines a light on Los Reyes 73 and their sensational debut LP from 1975. The album had multiple different pressings under various titles and artworks, but the music stayed the same and speaks for itself. The group set the bar high with this fiery Afro-Cuban-funk gem, letting loose a vibrant Latin workout combining psych rock trippiness with a heavy dose of deep funk. Elements that fuse to firmly cement this album as a ‘70s Cuban masterpiece.

The origin of Chrystabell and David Lynch’s album Cellophane Memories comes from a vision that David experienced during a nighttime walk through a forest of tall trees, over the tops of which he saw a bright light. As he recalls it, the light became the lilt of Chrystabell’s voice and revealed a secret to him. It is from these mysterious convergences of light and sound, day and night, starry sky and black forest that Chrystabell and David’s collaboration has continued to blossom. For Cellophane Memories, the two have traveled through different portals. Fittingly, many of the songs are set in fairytale forests, mountain peaks, swimming holes, crepuscular highways and darkened bedrooms.

Other reviews you might enjoy:

• New music round-up (for w/e 16 June 2023)
• New music round-up (for w/e 11 October 2024)
• New music round-up (for w/e 11 August 2023)