5 Great Tracks From This Week: Feat. Xiu Xiu, Jay Som, Cherry Glazerr, The Orwells and Nnamdi Ogbonnaya
Posted: by The Alt Editing Staff
Nnamdi Ogbonnaya—let g0 0f my eg0
The Chicago-based multi-talent Nnamdi Ogbonnaya has dabbled in a handful of genres throughout his musical career (jazz, screamo, pop-punk) and that creative pallet is evident on his latest offering, a flavorful hip-hop soufflé titled “let g0 0f my eg0.” Ogbonnaya channels the colorful, grinningly upbeat aesthetic of fellow Chicago star Chance the Rapper while employing a breathless, off-kilter, and deeply captivating delivery that rivals the frenetic Danny Brown. Though, regardless of how bonkers this track is structurally, it’s got a sugary hook that begs to be yelled back in the club with hands high in the air.
The song is the first single off of his upcoming album Drool¸ which is being released in an interesting collaboration between Ogbonnaya’s own Sooper Records and California’s Father/Daughter Records—who, up until now, have grounded themselves in the indie rock sphere with releases from PWR BTTM, Diet Cig, and SPORTS. Drool is set to drop on March 3rd.
Jay Som—The Bus Song
Jay Som is the moniker of San Francisco multi-instrumentalist Melina Duterte whose 2015 project Turn Into is finally receiving the widespread praise it deserves, landing her a deal with Polyvinyl Records. In addition to Turn Into being reissued by both Topshelf Records and Polyvinyl last year, she also released the fantastic I Think You’re Alright / Rush seven-inch that saw her furthering her unique sound. Today, Duterte announced her upcoming album Everybody Works and dropped its lead single “The Bus Song” that showcases how she layers her songs in a way that’s dreamy vocally, but with enough of an instrumental edge to keep them planted in reality. Much of Turn Into had a fuzzy, shoegazy quality to it, whereas this song recalls the foot-tapping folksiness of a Pinegrove cut. Everybody Works is out 3/10.
The Orwells—Black Francis
The Orwells have a vintage punk sneer to their music that’s as seemingly raucous and dangerous as it is tongue-in-cheek. On “Black Francis,” the latest single from their forthcoming record Terrible Human Beings and an apparent ode to Frank Black of the Pixies, the band sound riled up in a way that feels like they’re either threatening to mug you or are about to invite you to a kegger. The call-and-response gang vocals of the verse are punchy and raw like FIDLAR’s debut and the throaty delivery of the chorus recalls many an 80s punk act, but there’s a hypnotic funkiness to the rhythm that clarifies why this track is dedicated to Pixies fame. This song is reassurance that there’s still hard rockin’ happening in 2017. Terrible Human Beings is out 2/17 via Canvasback Music.
Xiu Xiu—Jenny GoGo
Throughout Xiu Xiu’s 15-year existence and dense discography, the band have never sounded as pop-oriented and accessible as they do on “Wondering,” the lead single from their upcoming 13th full-length FORGET. That shouldn’t be taken as a piece of bad news though because “Wondering” is still oddly textured and true to Xiu Xiu’s experimental tendencies; it’s just not a challenging listen like much of their other work is. The record’s second single “Jenny GoGo” once again finds itself somewhere in the pop universe—especially by Xiu Xiu standards—but this one’s a brooding, nightmarish dancefloor number. The track cuts between Jamie Stewart’s notoriously unsettling muttering and a booming electro beat, erratically interspersed with bouts of harsh noise and ghastly organ arpeggios. Between these two singles, FORGET might be the record that Xiu Xiu needs to expand their fanbase and convert a whole load of pop-heads into demented freaks. FORGET is out 2/24 via Polyvinyl.
Cherry Glazerr—Nuclear Bomb
Cherry Glazerr’s “Nuclear Bomb” is a soaring garage rock ballad that recalls the likes of Angel Olsen, LVL Up, and hell, even My Bloody Valentine. That’s a wide range of sounds there, yes, but the LA group are hard to put a finger on. Despite playing melodic, fuzzy, guitar-based pop rock—a style that should have no business sounding fresh in 2017—Cherry Glazerr are one of those bands who’re somehow cranking out creative variations of that idiom; proving there’s a seemingly endless supply of interesting, guitar-based music to come into existence. In addition to the song’s enticing buildup and satisfying keyboard inclusion, the music video for “Nuclear Bomb” is an outrageous visualization of a sexual relationship between a woman and a guitar. The band’s sophomore album Apocalipstick is out 1/20 via Secretly Canadian.
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Eli Enis | @eli_enis