Last new release thread of 2021. Anything doing? I’ve just caught up with a couple of good uns that came out on Boxing Day.
Jeffrey Lewis - 2021 Tapes (Suddenly It’s Been Too Late for a Long Time)
Latest annual lo-fi tape of new stuff from the great and prolific ‘antifolk’ singer-songwriter Jeffrey Lewis, including a cover of It Happens In Florida by another of my favourites, The Burning Hell.
"Hi, Jeffrey here, I’m putting out another batch of home-made songs today (in digital form only, no physical copies)! This is the new “2021 Tapes,” same as how I put out the 2019 and 2020 Tapes last year. Assembled from some of this year’s personal recordings, and all mastered by Brian Speaker, so the volume-levels are consistent from the different sources.
I don’t currently feel like dealing with plastic and manufacturing and shipping for this stuff, it’s just kind of lo-fi home-made material anyway. Like the tapes full of songs I used to do every year in my early days. This is not on CD, not on LP, not on dubbed cassettes, not on streaming services. Thanks for being there, best of luck to all in the new coming year.”
Nancy Kerr - The Poor Shall Wear the Crown: Songs by Leon Rosselson
Former Folk Singer of the Year (and my neighbour) Nancy Kerr with this album based on her 2020 lockdown project covering songs by Leon Rosselon, the satirical songwriter, children’s book author and part of the folk revival scene. Didn’t know these songs at all; they’re great/funny/both.
And a couple of good free/pay what you decide label compilations:
Various Artists - Artoffact Records 2021 Sampler
Enjoying this selection from the Toronto-based label’s 2021 releases, mainly electro, synth-y rock and post-punk. A couple of artists whose stuff I know (including Novosibirsk’s finest, Ploho) and a few I plan to explore further.
Various Artists - Reverberation Appreciation : Label Compilation
60 track compilation of loosely psych rock stuff from 11 years of releases on The Reverberation Appreciation Society record label, including Ty Segall, OSEES and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
And one more, the latest Death Is Not The End archival release.
Morteza Mahjubi - Selected Improvisations from Golha, Pt. II
"The second part in a collection of stunning Persian-tuned piano pieces, cut from Iranian national radio broadcasts made for the Golha programmes between 1956 & 1965.
Morteza Mahjubi (1900-1965) was a Iranian pianist & composer who developed a unique tuning system for the piano which enabled the instrument to be played in all the different modes and dastgahs of traditional Persian art music. Known as Piano-ye Sonnati, this technique allowed Mahjubi to express the unique ornamental and monophonic nature of Persian classical music on this western instrument - mimicking the tar, setar & santur and extracting sounds from the piano which are still unprecedented to this day."
Also name your price on Bandcamp
Lastly, thanks to all of you on here for sharing your recommendations during the year. I’ve listened to so much great stuff that I wouldn’t have found if not for these weekly threads.