I keeping saying this, but 2021 really is shaping up to be a good year for new music. Lots to enjoy here – and plenty of variety too, including the first fruits of the Jakob Bro/Arve Henriksen/Jorge Rossy collaboration, the soulful return of Valerie June, an unexpectedly brilliant hook up between Pino Palladino and Blake Mills, some cosmic pastoral goodness from Field Works and the VUisms of Whitney K. Plus the Coral, Teenage Fanclub, Femi Kuti and more.
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1.
CLARK
“Small”
(Deutsche Grammophon)
2.
JAKOB BRO / ARVE HENRIKSEN / JORGE ROSSY
“To Stanko”
(ECM)
3.
FIELD WORKS
“La’āli’”
(Temporary Residence Ltd)
4.
VALERIE JUNE
“Call Me A Fool” [feat. Carla Thomas]
(Fantasy)
5.
MASON LINDAHL
“Outside Laughing”
(Tompkins Square)
6.
FRUIT BATS
“Holy Rose”
(Merge)
7.
FEMI KUTI
“As We Struggle Everyday”
(Partisan)
8.
THE PEACERS
“Blexxed Rec”
(Drag City)
9.
NATALIE BERGMAN
“I Will Praise You” [Live]
(Third Man Records)
10.
MATTHEW E WHITE & LONNIE HOLLEY
This Here Jungle of Moderness/Composition 14
(Spacebomb/Jagjaguwar)
11.
PINO PALLADINO AND BLAKE MILLS
“Just Wrong”
(New Deal / Impulse!)
12.
VAGABON
“Reason Ro Believe” [feat. Courtney Barnett]
(Nonesuch)
13.
WHITNEY K
“Maryland”
(Maple Death Records)
14.
TEENAGE FANCLUB
“I’m More Inclined”
(PeMa)
15.
BILL MacKAY & NATHAN BOWLES
“Joy Ride”
(Drag City)
16.
JENNY LEWIS & SERENGETI
“Vroom Vroom”
(self-released)
17.
THE CORAL
“Faceless Angel”
(Run On Records/Modern Sky UK)