Partner - "Long and McQuade"

True story. I got the email with this new single from Partner in my inbox about an hour before I drove over to Long and McQuade to pick up a fuse for an amp that blew when I was recording a live session with.....

PARTNER.



This track is from Saturday the 14th, the follow-up to their Polaris Shortlisted album In Search of Lost Time. The new record is out April 5th at which point the duo will be on the road with Wintersleep.

The Elwins - "Grind You Down [Live at The Sharon Temple]"

In Canada this is Bell Let's Talk day so there is a lot of internet traffic around mental health.

The Elwins released a video for a live performance of "Grind You Down" to mark the occasion and add to the discussion.

I've had the pleasure of recording live performances from the band on two occasions, but they haven't been touring with a string section and choir which makes this performance particularly special.

The statement that accompanied the video is as follows:
"The lyrics to ‘Grind You Down’ have significant meaning to myself and the members of The Elwins,” says singer Matthew Sweeney. “Mental illness health and the stigma surrounding it are very serious subject matters that can affect anyone. We are doing our best to address the topic, and trying to encourage dialogue, support or anything else we can to encourage people to seek assistance if they require it. We’re very fortunate that there are many incredible organizations that offer services in Canada and while it’s sometimes a difficult bridge to cross we want people to feel as comfortable as they can.” For more information about the work CAMH is doing to help those affected by mental illness, please visit http://camh.ca/MentalHealthIsHealth or email Foundation@CAMH.ca

Paper Tiger - "The Cycle ft. Steve Spacek"

Has it really been 14 years since Steve Spacek released Space Shift? When I saw his name featured as guest vocalist on this track from Paper Tiger's forthcoming Rogue Planet LP, I did a quick Google search to see just how long ago that broken-beat soul masterwork came out. It's been almost a decade and a half since "Dollar"'s slippery spacey vibe first entranced me (not to be confused with Aloe Blacc's "I Need A Dollar" from 2010).

While he's had some singles and 12" it wasn't until last year's Natural Sci-Fi on Eglo that he was well and truly back and it appears that's continuing on into 2019. Leeds UK sextet Paper Tiger create a wonderful, funky cut for Spacek's vocals to float atop and make me wish for a record where they feature as his backing band the whole way through. It's a great pairing. Rogue Planet comes out April 5 and while it doesn't feature any other collabs, the other tracks streaming on Bandcamp suggest they don't need the talents of a vocalist like Spacek to make a record that sings.

 

Max Jury - "Sweet Lie"

Mike Milosh needs to watch out because Max Jury is stepping on his breathy falsetto "is this a dude singing this" vocals corner. No surprise I'm all over this track considering I (a) love Rhye, and (b) can't get enough of "bah bahs" in songs.

Harriet Brown - "Driver's Seat"

Last time I mentioned Harriet Brown on here was when I included Contact on my 2017 longlist. Based on the strength of the "Driver's Seat" single, there's a chance Mall of Fortune will be on the 2019 list.

The full-length comes out next month on Innovative Leisure, but there are already four track streaming on the Bandcamp page and the video for "Driver's Seat" came out last Thursday.

The track is a percussive, insistent JAM that is just pristinely produced. The mix, with echoed vocals, bubbling synth lines and a litany of snaps, claps and taps just pushes the listener forward for a full five minutes. SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD.

 

American Football - "Uncomfortably Numb ft. Hayley Williams"

While "American football" is about to wind down after yet another Patriots Super Bowl game, AMERICAN FOOTBALL are just gearing up. The Illinois rock band are set to release their third record on March 22nd. The self-titled album is due out on Polyvinyl Records, with a pretty sweet limited edition red & blue splatter vinyl and a deluxe 2LP mastered for 45rpm. But regardless of the bells-and-whistles of the physical materials, what makes this a record worth owning is the actual music and boy-howdy is "Uncomfortably Numb" quite the appetizer.

Manatee Commune - "My Dearest Friend"

Winnipeg is in the midst of a pretty stellar cold snap. Waiting for the bus is a soul-chilling experience so this summery slice of sunshine from Manatee Commune is deeply appreciated. "My Dearest Friend" drops today on the always reliable Bastard Jazz. There are only 13 plays on Youtube as of this post, and 46 on Soundcloud, so get on board the train early and take a trip to Manatee Commune.

Time Grove - "Sir Blunt"

So last summer, I mentioned in a post about Nitai Hershkovits that Wah Wah 45s were teasing a forthcoming album from jazz act Time Grove.

Well, that forthcoming album is much more imminent. Mark your calendar for January 25 because that's the day More Than One Thing is set to drop.

There are only two tracks streaming on the Bandcamp in advance of the release including "Sir Blunt" below but if this and "Roy the King" aren't enough to whet your appetite and get you excited then I'm not sure how you landed on this post. Folks who follow RR know I'm big into the UK jazz scene and potent combos and this makes a circle of the venn diagram.

There's a nice fat synthy bass-line supporting "Sir Blunt" that undergirds some great keyboard work from Hershkovits here.

ll nøthing ll - higeki

Man, I needed a discovery like this. My life has been anything but chill as of late, so to stumble across this brief slice of vaporwave from Houston, TX act ||nothing|| I got a quarter-hour's respite as it bathed me in beats and ambient instrumentation.

I know it's the New Year and some people are coming out the gate full force, but if you need to press pause, put on higeki.

My Top 20 Albums of 2018

So now that the countdown show on New Year's Eve has come and gone and the loyal UMFM listeners got to hear it spoiler-free, I can finally post my Top 20 Albums of 2018.

20 Zhen Chen and Lin Ma - On & Between [Navona]



19 Leila Abdul-Rauf - Dimunition [Malignant]



18 Ben Pirani - How Do I Talk To My Brother [Colemine]



17 Witch Prophet - The Golden Octave [Independent]



16 Safia Nolin - Dans le noir [Bonsound]



15 Khalab - Black Noise 2084 [On the Corner]



14 Dirty Projectors - Lamp Lit Prose [Domino]



13 Kadhja Bonet - Childqueen [Fat Possum]



12 Zaki Ibrahim - The Secret Life of Planets [Independent]



11 Molly Burch - First Flower [Captured Tracks]



10 Kamasi Washington - Heaven & Earth [Young Turks]



09 Bear Grass - LEFT [Five Kill]



08 GoGo Penguin - A Humdrum Star [Blue Note]



07 V.V. Lightbody - Bathing Peach [Independent]



06 Maribou State - Kingdoms in Colour [Counter]



05 Khruangbin - Con Todo El Mundo [Fat Possum]



04 Renata Zeiguer - Old Ghost [Northern Spy]



03 Makaya McCraven - Universal Beings [International Anthem]



02 Rhye - Blood [Last Gang]



01 Jeremy Dutcher - Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa [Independent]