NEW MUSIC FOR OLDS #57
Memorial Day clearance spectacular!
Good afternoon, dear reader. Who’s ready for a sunny and restful three-day weekend?
Today’s newsletter will function a bit differently. We’re temporsily be setting NMFO Fictional Band Madness off to the side, so you’ll have to wait fourteen days to find out if The Partridge Family managed to triumph over Dingoes Ate My Baby. O, the torture! Think of it as “edging”.
Instead, we’ll be doubling up on new music this week. This is the very best time of year for new releases and there’s simply too much to confine myself to three measly tunes—my ears runneth over!
Might I interest you in…
A windmill dunk soundtrack!
The B-52’s meet Dateline NBC!
Oiled-up vending machine seduction!
The block party of your dreams!
Music too sexy for sex!
And, the feel-gutted album of the Summer!
Let us commence with the new music cavalcade. But first…
GOOD STUFF
Your Glossary of Terms.
Flamingosis, “After The Pain”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Better Will Come (out now)
Nutshell: Sample-heavy funk/soul pastiche
Voltage: 6
Thoughts: Enjoy this very groovy tune before it ends up in a Gatorade ad. This is not intended as a slam—make that money, Mr. Flamingosis. Speaking of economics, I have no idea how one clears this many samples in 2024. Flamingosis’ sound isn’t as dense as The Avalanches or the Dust Brothers, but will likely appeal to fans of either. But there’s also acoustic sounds in the mix, giving the album a more organic feel than your typical “sound collage”. This entire album is refreshing and invigorating, like a name-brand sports beverage. Pay this man, Gatorade!
Pairing Suggestion: Slow motion footage of a windmill dunk
All these years later, I still know if it was “in me” Gustaf, “Close”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on YouTube
Album: Package, Pt. 2 (out now)
Nutshell: Early B-52s, fronted by a pissed-off Laurie Anderson
Voltage: 7
Thoughts: This one’s straining the boundaries of “new”, but I’m newly smitten with this performance art-y neo No Wave act. Gustaf employs a fun bit of schtick: one member sings through a voice modulator that makes her sound like a murder witness on Dateline NBC. The playing is punchy and the songs are tight as a drum. But Gustav’s main attraction is vocalist Lydia Gammill, who oozes pure audio charisma. This won’t be for everyone. Gammill’s lyrics are mostly shouted, and many of them read as if they were translated by a drunk Estonian. But what can I say—Gustaf is fun and I’m a fan of fun!
Pairing Suggestion: Acting like a fucking weirdo
Arooj Aftab, “Raat Ki Rani”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Night Reign (out 5/31)
Nutshell: Sade via the Middle East via Berklee School of Music
Voltage: 3
Thoughts: I’ve tried digging in to Middle Eastern music—most notably in the 90s, when everyone suddenly had Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan fever. But in all honestly, my Western ears find it mostly impenetrable. Like unsweetened tea, I can drink it, but there’s not much of a “yum” factor. If you are similarly challenged, might I suggest a musical Arnold Palmer? Arooj Aftab combines traditional Pakistani Folk music with elements of Jazz, Soul and Classical. And what’s impressive is, it’s all those things simultaneously. “Raat Ki Rani” is sparse, restrained and downright sexy. Too sexy for actual sex, I fear. Know your limitations!
Pairing Suggestion: Anointing your lover with sacred oils or some shit
We’re at the halfway point and, given that Substack polls max out at five options, let’s break things up.
Alternately, feel free to tell me why all three of these songs suck.
And now, the back half.
SOFT PLAY, “Mirror Muscles”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Heavy Jelly (out 7/19)
Nutshell: Self-aware punk
Voltage: 8
Thoughts: I once read an expose on professional bodybuilding, which included an anecdote about a guy who was roid-raging so hard, he fucked the coin slot on a vending machine. I can’t track the article down—my search history now includes the phrase “bodybuilder fucks soda machine”, which should be great for the ol’ algorithm. But the anecdote has never left my mind and I wanted provide you with a fun mental image while listening to this wry take on hypermasculinity. I wrote about SOFT PLAY back in NMFO #43A (which I’ve made public) and my basic take on this British duo is that they’re reformed edgelords, using edgelord techniques to troll other edgelords. I’m all for it.
Pairing Suggestion: Pumping so hard you dislodge yourself a free bag of Cheetos
Angélica Garcia, “Gemini”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Gemelo (out 6/7)
Nutshell: Indie-coded R&B
Voltage: 6
Thoughts: Angélica Garcia is a bilingual LA-based singer-songwriter who makes indie-coded Latin R&B. “Gemini” is a joyful little Summer jam, evoking cult figures like Santigold and contemporary hitmakers like Rosalia, although the first song that sprung to mind was Imani Coppola’s wondrous one hit, “Legend of a Cowgirl”. Comparisons aside, “Gemini” is fit for the cookout or block party of your dreams. It feels like something you would hear blasting from an outdoor PA system. Then again, it’s also a gratifying headphones experience. This kick drum sound is my platonic ideal—muffled and tight, but with enough thump that, if played loud enough, you feel it in your taint.
Pairing Suggestion: Eating potato salad off a paper plate
Beth Gibbons, “Burden of Life”
Listen on Apple Music // Listen on Amazon Music
Album: Lives Outgrown
Nutshell: Funereal folk
Voltage: 3
Thoughts: Maybe it’s because I’ve been Netflix-binging Vikings (a terrible show with which I am nonetheless obsessed), but the pagan vibes are strong with former Beth Gibbons’ solo debut. As I’ve likely mentioned, Portishead’s 1994 debut album (Dummy) is in my all-time Top 10. Lives Outgrown exists in a different realm, sonically. No breakbeats or record-scratching—this is an earthy affair, with acoustic instrumentation and hammered toms in place of a traditional drum kit. But the glorious melancholia remains! Gibbons delicate voice, always seemingly on the verge of failing, is like a skeletal hand reaching out of the grave to gently pull you under.
Pairing Suggestion: Covering your dead child with rocks
Here we are, back again.
Last chance for thoughts/praise/mockery.
Alright, time to land this plane. Paid Subscribers, see you next week. The rest of you, in a fortnight.
Enjoy the unofficial start of Summer! Eat some nasty shit and then wipe it on your shorts.
I was just wondering if maybe you had a B-side playlist with all the just misses.
Anyway, I've been voting for the song I like the most, period, this whole time, which is probably how you mean it, but maybe I should disqualify things I already know I like? It doesn't happen all that much but seems like maybe you rather we vote that way? But then you would have said it. I don't know! Sure, I'm thinking about this too much but you love that!