Natural Music #4: April 2024 Standouts
Some favorite Albums, EPs, Singles, and Mixes from April
Spring is in full bloom and and life is busy but good.
April brought some incredible new music from Cindy Lee’s genre bending opus to samlrc’s crushingly beautiful bedroom shoegaze to Vampire Weekend’s strong return to form.
I compiled a list of interesting concerts happening across NYC over the next two months, if you’re looking to experience something outside the club use this link to jump to that section.
I meant to get out a mid month mix roundup but life got in the way - expect that in the next week or two. If you missed last month check it out below.
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For a more comprehensive list find all the picks below + more on this Buy Music Club List or check out playlists featuring selections from everything featured here.
Albums
Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee [REALISTIK]
Cindy Lee's "Diamond Jubilee" is a haunting, genre-bending must listen masterpiece that blends vintage aesthetics with modern production. The album's dreamy ballads, funk jams, and ghostly melodies evoke a sense of longing and nostalgia for the the faded dreams of a bygone era, while its lo-fi style creates a fragmented, hypnagogic version of Americana.
Fury - 44 Minutes [College Hill // footwork]
A flurry of experimental footwork dealing in drugs, depression, domination and darkness from Blood Frenzy Records boss & maintainer of grimearchive.org, Fury.
Recorded in 2018, primarily during a caffeine-fueled all-nighter, 44 minutes, is a manic but precisely produced smattering of samples and mashups like ‘Marshalsea’ featuring spliced lines by Lana Del Ray and Lorde pitted against each other along with the occasional bark and a fury of subby percussion. Breakbeat wizardy lives on.
samlrc - A Lonely Sinner [self released // shoegaze, post rock]
Listening to A Lonely Sinner for the first time I was transported back to first listening through Parannoul’s breakthrough To See The Next Part of The Dream. Samlrc is a 19 year old from brazil and this project was recorded in her bedroom alone but it has the emotional heft of something so much greater. Sonically the album oscillates between shimmering shoegaze and crushing post-metal and more lo-fi acoustic/ambient moments and the result is not an album to be missed. It feels like GY!BE for zoomers.
Yosa Peit - Gut Buster [self released // experimental pop]
Yosa Peit spawns fleshy sonic escapades, a swarm of vigorously processed vocals and soulful bass, set to a backdrop of visceral percussive structures. The free-ranging sound of Yosa Peit recalls the intense arrangements of a cyber-era Prince with the surrealist tones of Arthur Russell and early Björk.
Still House Plants: If I Don’t Make It, I Love U [Bison]
If I Don't Make It, I Love U is a singular, genre-defying project that seamlessly blends elements of post-rock, math rock, and soul. The album's unconventional fusion of guttural, jazz-influenced vocals with spluttering guitars and stop-start drums occasionally seem to lock in before spinning off in a new direction.
Kevin - Laundry [Motion Ward // ambient pop, slowcore]
A new collaboration between Ben Bondy and Mister Water Wet, presents what feels like a time-machine hidden in the back of your closet. ‘Laundry’ pleasantly haunts listeners with phantom purrs, harmonies, hums and horns.
Other Noteworthy Albums
Ulla & Ultrafog - it means a lot [Motion Ward // ambient, glitch, post rock]
Mount Kimbie - The Sunset Violent [Warp // indie rock, post rock]
Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
Chanel Beads - Your Day Will Come [Jagjaguwar]
Claire Rousay - Sentiment [Thrill Jockey // slowcore, bedroom pop, emo]
Dekalb Works - For Barney, Who Was A Bad Dog, But A Good Boy, And Very Much Loved [29 Speedway]
bela - Noise and Cries 굉음과 울음 [Subtext // deconstructed club, experimental, hard drum]
Adult Jazz - So Sorry So Slow [Spare Thoughts // art pop, chamber jazz, neo psych]
Clarissa Connelly - World of Work [Warp // progressive folk, singer-songwriter]
EPs
Otik - Cloud Runner [3024]
A mesmerizing listen front to back this is dreamscape headfuck jungle. The EP opens with the floaty propulsive twinkling bliss of ‘Cloud Runner’. Another standout track, ‘Theta’ opens with heavily filtered snares and angelic rising strings before snapping into proper dnb territory featuring interludes of friends having a conversation about Theta, the golden ratio.
V.I.V.E.K - Ghosts EP
It feels wrong featuring artists consecutively when there is so much music being released but this is deep sound system exploration and innovation delivered the way only VIVEK can, essential dubwise listening.
Konduku - Ebedi [Nous'klaer Audio]
Konduku returns to the nest for the fifth and final installment on his Nous’klaer Audio K-series. A diverse four tracker embodying Konduku’s signature style of poly grooves and vibrant euphonies.
trickpony - Pillow Talk [Step Ball Chain]
An assortment of sensual cyber jams collaged together by Mike Midnight and Roza Terenzi; old friends joined by Helsinki’s visionary songstress Maria Korkeila. A metamorphosis of nostalgia and a subconscious deep dive into lustful pop, guided by spine tingling vocal fantasies; textural hallucination, harmonic odes to the golden era underground and a flirtation with drum and bass, tribal percussive freakouts and dream tinged lyrics of desire.
TMSV - Antagonist
TMSV delivers four killer tracks of relentless subwoofer shaking wobbles and dubby percussion; bass face guaranteed.
Dub Phizix - Something Good
Just some quality jungle / DnB that deserves more love.
Cristoph De Babalon - Ach, Mensch
Christoph de Babalon continues to innovate pushing the boundaries between his shadowy and haunting variant of breakcore, drum 'n bass, jungle, drone, and dark ambient. This EP is Christoph's continual evolution into territories few will dare risk.
Mei Semones - Kabutomushi
Mei Semones is a self described “Jazz influenced DIY artist based” and this EP is a wonderful showcase of her unique blend of jazz, bossa nova, and math-y indie rock. Mei’s tender bilingual lyrics float over her intricate guitar work and sweeping string arrangements. She plays in Brooklyn a lot including upcoming shows at Public Records (may 15) and Baby’s All Right (may 16) and is very worth seeing live.
Other EPs
Sweetpea - Silly Girls / Ur Luv [AKO Beats]
VOOR - MONITORS EP [French Tabloïd]
Fleet.dreams - Echoes of Ego [Vinezza Records]
Eden Aurelius - Plateau [co:clear]
DJ Fokus - Watch Out/Media [Fundamental Frequencies]
Singles
Some standout tracks from the month of April
Sets & Mixes
An ongoing lists of my favorite mixes and sets from the year can be found here but these are a few that particularly caught my attention this month.
DJ Plead - Sustain Release Year 9
A quick read through the comments should tell you all you need to know about this mind bending set from the Grove at Sustain Release this summer. A true standout moment from a festival with a very high bar for sonic hedonism.
Top sustain set…ever - Baby Leo
—- “Top festival set ever…” -DJ POSSUM
Mix of the year confirmed - Sputnik One
honestlyyy.....absolutely crushed :O - CCL
Fictions #64 w/ Nono Gigsta 28.03.2024 - Amidst The Bells
Gigsta explores bell sounds for the March edition of Fictions. This mix is like a calming balm for any stressors you may have, beautiful selections and tranquil bits of speaking with some interesting bell facts.
Fifth World with Ian Kim Judd and Lovefear
“Music is kind of pretty hard to describe” - Ian Kim Judd with a very true statement to open this beautiful mix featuring Lovefear in support of their new album.
Groovy Girl - Bang The Drum Mix
A house and acid percussive groover of a mix that will have you raving where ever you are - pure energy as always from Octo Octa.
Animix 154 - Bambi
Bambi opens the mix with a heady karmic meditation of sub before ramping up for a springy journey of trance, trippy techno, bass, breaks and more.
DJ HEZEN [Notion Magazine]
playbody resident artist and DJ HEZEN creates a mix that merges melancholia with evocative beats and experimental club music.The mix is controlled chaos ranging all the way from an Arca track to techno, with classical music elements – snippets from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, or a sneak peak of LUXE’s stunning upcoming album.
Stenny Live from The Cause
Trusted label cohort Stenny warms up the room for the Ilian Tape x Transmissions party last December, he refused to hold back in delivering a stellar set, exploring his trusted sounds in techno, IDM and bass music.
If you enjoyed this newsletter I’d really appreciate if you shared it with a friend or two. It’s a lot of work, and I love it, but the point is helping people discover new music or make it to a concert they may have missed otherwise and sharing is the key to that.
Playlists
NYC Concerts in the Next Two Months
Wed, May 8 - Fontaines D.C. @ Warsaw
Fri, May 10 - Lolina, Dekalb Works, James K b2b Yumi @ TBA
Fri, May 10 - Bjork (DJ set) @ Under the K Bridge
Wed, May 15 - Amen Dunes / billy woods @ Brooklyn Steel
Fri, May 17 - Julia holter @ Webster Hall
Fri, May 17 & 18 - Swans @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Tue, May 21 - Squirrel Flower @ Union Pool
Thu, May 23 - serpentwithfeet @ Warsaw
Sat, May 25 - MIKE & Tony Seltzer @ Webster Hall
Wed, May 29 - Chanel Beads and Mount Kimble @ Webster Hall
Fri, May 31 - Anastasia Coope @ Baby's All Right
Fri, May 31 - Black Marble / Desire / Johnny Jewel @ Knockdown Center
Sun, Jun 2 & 3 - Sam Gendel and Sam Wilkes @ Public Records
Tue, Jun 4 - Of Montreal & Godcaster @ Elsewhere
Thu, Jun 6 - Akusmi + Christopher Tignor @ Public Records
Thu, Jun 6 - Snarls @ Elsewhere
Fri, Jun 7 - Machinedrum @ Market Hotel
Sat, Jun 8 - The Menzingers / Lucero / Dirty Nil @ White Eagle Music Hall
Sat, Jun 8 - Arushi Jain @ National Sawdust
Sun, Jun 9 - The Antlers & Okkervil River @ Bowery Ballroom
Mon, Jun 10 - English Teacher @ Bowery Ballroom
Tue, Jun 11 - Nourished By Time @ Bowery Ballroom
Tue, Jun 11 - Charli XCX @ Knockdown Center
Fri, Jun 14 - Bendik Giske w/ Concrete Husband @ Public Records
Fri, Jun 14 - Protomartyr @ Warsaw
Fri-Sun, Jun 14-16 - Dripping Fest
Sat, Jun 15 - Liturgy @ Le Poisson Rouge
Tue, Jun 18 - Juana Molina @ Public Records
Fri, Jun 21 - Wilco / Cut Worms @ Beacon Theatre
Sat, Jun 22 - ML Buch @ Elsewhere Zone One [sold out]
Sat, Jun 22 - Hannah Frances @ Public Records
Wed, Jun 26 - Horse Lords @ Le Poisson Rouge
Thu, Jul 11 - Cassandra Jenkins @ Public Records
Sun, Jul 16 - Snooper @ Elsewhere
Mon, Jul 17 - Cola @ Bowery Ballroom
Sat, Aug 3 - The Body & Dis Fig w/ Cel Genesis @ Le Poisson Rouge
Mon, Jul 22 - Hana Vu @ Bowery Ballroom
Mon, Aug 7 - DIIV @ Brooklyn Paramount
Sat, Aug 10 - Juan Wauters @ Bowery Ballroom
Thanks for reading <3
-Alek
Super informative as always! That upcoming shows list has me wishing I lived in NYC (though my bank account is glad I don't). Did you hear the albums from Locsil and Lanark Artefax that dropped recently? I thought both were excellent.