3 New Albums Out this week you Should Listen to Now: Neil Young, Bill Callahan & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, and Tierra Whack
This week we highlight new music from Neil Young, Bill Callahan & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, and Tierra Whack.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Barn
Neil Young’s latest album, Barn is a classic Young recording that resembles many of his trademark sounds while talking to the future. The album’s name, Barn, came as all the tracks were recorded in an old 19th-century barn high in the Rocky Mountains. The sounds bounce off of those old, rustic barn walls and through your speakers like an old friend embracing you. From the onset of the album’s first track, ‘Song Of The Seasons’ one could tell quickly this was gonna be a good listen. Young’s trademark harmonica are those first sounds. And they set the mood perfectly. The album also sees Young and his voice never sounding better. He’s reflective, confident, and at times, prophetic. Young brings back Crazy Horse and their lo-fi, vintage sound for the 10 songs. The band swirls between bluesy tracks and pure rock n’ roll. You can just tell that Young and company love what they do. And they do it quite well. The album oozes the sounds of Americana and drips of cuts that compose what should be a well-regarded Neil Young album for years to come.
Standout Songs: Song Of The Seasons, Heading West, Human Race
8.1
Artist Links:
Bill Callahan & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – Blind Date Party
Bill Callahan (Smog) and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (Will Oldham) have been busy during the pandemic. The album is an album of covers from fellow label mates and musicians they’ve looked up to (Steely Dan, Billie Eilish, Robert Wyatt, Iggy Pop, and more.) The 19-track album is a sprawling album. And coming in at 1 hour and 30 minutes the collection is a commitment to listen to. But what you’ll find during your time listening is a feeling of warmth and peace set by a cast of musicians that change from song to song. Bill Callahan & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, the Americana/indie-folk masters, have added a commendable album to their already well-respected discographies.
Standout Songs: Blackness of the Night, OD’d in Denver, Our Anniversary, Deacon Blues, Ive Been The One, Arise, Therefore
7.4
Artist Links:
Tierra Whack – Pop?
Since her debut album, Whack World in 2018, Tierra Whack has been on a steady, albeit slow, and methodical release schedule. In the last 3 years, Whack has released 10 singles. Now in 2021, the Philadelphia native has released 2 singles and 2 EPs. Her latest EP, Pop? is a 3-track project released by Interscope on December 9, 2021. On it, Whack uses her vibrant, high-energy, and in-your-face attitude to deliver her message. Often theatrical, the rapper has been known to use unconventional backing beats. Take ‘Dolly’ for instance. In it, she uses a banjo track to rap over. Not many of her contemporaries would dare to do that. Our favorite is ‘Body of Water.’ We’re looking forward to her next LP to see how she brings it all together in a longer format. 8+ minutes just isn’t enough for us.
Standout Songs: Body of Water
6.5
Artist Links:
When you’re done here lose yourself in our full library of 3 Albums Out This Week You Should Listen to Now.