FEATURE:
One for the Record Collection!
IN THIS PHOTO: Ariana Grande/PHOTO CREDIT: Ariana Grande
Essential March Releases
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THERE are a load…
of great albums out next month that I think people should pre-order. You can see the full range of albums out in March. I shall start with 1st March. There are some amazing albums that are out this week. There are two I want to highlight particularly. The first is Faye Webster’s Underdressed at the Symphony. This is an album that I would recommend people pre-order:
“Faye Webster’s songs are direct lines to the human subconscious, and Underdressed at the Symphony documents what happens once you begin to build a new self from the ashes of your old routines. This rebirth isn’t flashy or definitive, but is instead a series of seemingly mundane moments that, scattered across weeks and months, sneak their way toward something like healing. Yes, there’s a breakup in play, but Webster is not documenting the heartbreak of a breakup so much as she’s navigating the contours of heartbreak itself.
Recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in Texas with her longtime band, Webster is accompanied on Underdressed at the Symphony by Matt Stoessel’s arcs of shimmering pedal steel, the plaintive, unhurried drums of Charles Garner, and, occasionally, additional guitarwork from Wilco’s Nels Cline, among many other crucial players. The title of the album refers to Webster’s post-breakup compulsion to visit the symphony on a whim, usually buying a ticket at the last possible second. “Going to the symphony was almost like therapy for me. I was quite literally underdressed at the symphony because I would just decide at that moment that that's what I wanted to do,” she says. “That's what I felt like I needed to hear. I got to leave what I felt like was kind of a shitty time in my life and be in this different world for a minute.”
That strain of lightheartedness with a melancholic backbone permeates the album, and is the major driving force behind “Lego Ring,” which features Atlanta multi-hyphenate Lil Yachty, the only guest voice on the entire album. Yachty’s ghostly warble floats just under Webster’s voice, jabbing through empty space, trembling over a low rumble of bass. The song is also a sort of release—a buoyant moment that cuts through the sadness. “I think I hit a point in songwriting during this record where I was just like, man, I said a lot.” Webster says. “I'm just going to sit down and sing about this ring that I really want.” Like the rest of the album, Webster isn’t providing answers, nor is she on some epic journey of healing and self-care. Instead, she’s choosing to just live, to document heartbreak and ridiculous moments right next to each other, until they start to blur together, becoming real enough for us all to feel”.
The other album out on 1st March that I want to point people towards is Everything Everything’s Mountainhead. One of our most consistent and original bands, there are few that have a sound and dynamic as Everything Everything. Mountainhead looks like it will be among their best albums. If you are a big fan of the band or not, this is going to be an amazing album that I would urge people to pre-order:
“In another world, society has built an immense mountain To make the mountain bigger, they must make the hole they live in deeper and deeper. All of society is built around the creation of the mountain, and a mountain religion dominates all thought. At the top of the mountain is rumoured to be a huge mirror that reflects endlessly recurring images of the self, and at the bottom of the pit is a giant golden snake that is the primal fear of all believers. A “Mountainhead” is one who believes the mountain must grow no matter the cost, and no matter how terrible it is to dwell in the great pit. The taller the mountain, the deeper the hole”.
There are four albums from 8th March that have caught my eye. The first, and one of the biggest and most anticipated of the year, is Ariana Grande’s eternal sunshine. You can pre-order the album here. Following the release of its first single, yes, and?, there is a lot of excitement around the album. Rolling Stone provide more detail:
“Ariana Grande‘s hint-dropping tactics in the lead-up to her latest single, “Yes, And?” offered fans a few puzzle pieces about her upcoming album era. In the song’s music video, a red card reading AG7 — shorthand for her seventh studio album — featured coordinates that led to Montauk, New York. And on Instagram, the singer shared a selection from Alexander Pope’s poetic “Eloisa to Abelard” from 1717. The clues all came together as Grande finally announced the record title: Eternal Sunshine, out March 8.
As it turns out, Montauk was the prime filming location for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the 2004 film directed by Michel Gondry. Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey — whose birthday is today — star in the film. The “Eloisa to Abelard” passage that Grande shared read: “How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot! the world forgetting by the world forgot. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind! Each pay’r accepted. and each wish resign’d.”
Eternal Sunshine marks Grande’s first album release since Positions arrived in 2020. Over the last few months, the singer has quietly teased the record with videos and photos of her in the studio with Max Martin. She first worked with the pop juggernaut on her sophomore album My Everything, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary later this year.
At the close of 2023, Grande reflected on her year in a post that described it as “one of the most transformative, most challenging, and yet happiest and most special years of my life.” She added, “There were so many beautiful and yet polarized feelings. I’ve never felt more at the mercy of and in acceptance of what life was screaming to teach me. I feel more human than ever. I feel more deeply than ever. I feel softer and stronger, all at once.”
The album’s first single, “Yes, And?,” took aim at critics and skeptics who observed her from a distance over the course of time and came to their own conclusions about her artistry and personhood. The record’s lyrics request that people “don’t comment on my body, do not reply” and prompt them to investigate: “Why do you care so much whose d— I ride?”.
The second album out on 8th March is Kim Gordon’s The Collective. This is the second solo album from the legendary Kim Gordon, it follows 2019’s No Home Record. It is going to among the absolute finest albums of this year. I would recommend that people pre-order the album. A magnificent and must-hear release from Sonic Youth icon. Here are some more details. If you are on the fence or have not heard about the album, this will give you some motivation and insight:
“Musician and visual artist Kim Gordon returns with her second solo album, The Collective on Matador.
Recorded in Gordon’s native Los Angeles, The Collective follows her 2019 full-length debut No Home Record and continues her collaboration with producer Justin Raisen (Lil Yachty, John Cale, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Charli XCX, Yves Tumor), with additional production from Anthony Paul Lopez. The album advances their joint world building, with Raisin’s damaged, blown out dub and trap constructions playing the foil to Gordon’s intuitive word collages and hooky mantras, which conjure communication, commercial sublimation and sensory overload”.
I shall get to 15th March soon. Before that, Norah Jones’s Visions is going to be an album you’ll want to keep an eye out for. Like Ariane Grande, Norah Jones’ new album has a gorgeous and eye-catching cover. Her upcoming ninth studio album sounds fascinating. I have loved her music since the 2002 debut, Come Away with Me. Visions looks really intriguing. You should go and pre-order this album:
“Nine-time Grammy winning singer, songwriter, and pianist Norah Jones releases her ninth solo studio album Visions, a collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Leon El Michels. Visions is a vibrant and joyous 12-song set that finds Jones singing about feeling free, wanting to dance, making it right, and acceptance of what life brings. It’s the yang to the yin that was Pick Me Up Off The Floor, Jones’ last album of new original songs which was released early in the pandemic lockdown of 2020 and foreshadowed many of the dark emotions of that period”.
Another pretty big this year comes out on 15th March. It is The Libertines’ All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade. Another album with an interesting and distinct cover, I have been thinking all the band have gone through. Their debut, Up the Bracket, arrived in 2002. Their last album, Anthems for Doomed Youth, came out in 2015. The latest release looks to be their strongest since 2004’s The Libertines. It is going to be worth pre-ordering this album. Make sure that it is on your radar:
“The Libertines release their fourth studio album entitled, All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade. The release marks the band’s first new album in nine years and opens with the infectious new single, Run Run Run.
On All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade, the quartet of unlikely lads have gathered from their new-found homes in France, Denmark, Margate and London to solder a strongest-ever internal bond, and scale new creative heights resulting in the best music of their extraordinary career so far”.
Moving to 15th March, there are plenty of top albums to seek out. Because there are quite a few from the final two weeks of March, I will highlight one from 15th March that is worth investigating. Lenny Kravitz’s Blue Electric Light is going to be a tremendous listen. Kravitz always releases amazing albums. In a month that is offering up striking album covers, Lenny Kravitz throws his hat into the ring! In May, Kravitz turns sixty. His debut, Let Love Rule, is thirty-five on 6th September. His consistency is amazing. Go and pre-order Blue Electric Light:
“Timeless. Explosive. Romantic. Inspiring. How else to characterize Blue Electric Light, Lenny Kravitz’s 12th studio album? Kravitz’s mastery of deep-soul rock ‘n roll is a long-established fact. As a relentless creative force—musician, writer, producer, actor, author, designer—he continues to be a global dynamic presence throughout music, art and culture.
Blue Electric Light is an impassioned suite of songs, that broadens this distinction and is the latest contribution of a man whose music—not to mention his singular style—continues to inspire millions all over the world. On the album, Kravitz's talents as a writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist resonate as he wrote and played most of the instruments himself, with longtime guitarist Craig Ross”.
There are six incredible albums out on 22nd March. It is a busy week! The first is FLETCHER’s In Search of the Antidote. The Pop trailblazer is a name that should be on people’s minds. She is a tremendous artist. You can pre-order the album here. If you are new to the wonder of FLETCHER’s music, CLASH fill some gaps in this article that looks ahead to the release of In Search of the Antidote:
“Fletcher will release new album ‘In Search Of The Antidote’ on March 22nd.
The pop trailblazer released her debut LP ‘Girl Of My Dreams’ back in 2022, a scintillating set of future-facing anthems that saw Fletcher speak her truth.
Returning with recent single ‘Eras Of Us’, the American star hinted that something new – something big – was upcoming.
New album ‘In Search Of The Antidote’ ends the wait for her next statement. Out on March 22nd, it’s typically personal, with Fletcher acting as the creative pivot alongside producer Jennifer Decilveo.
This time round Fletcher assembled a stellar cast, with contributors including Aldae, Jon Bellion, Julia Michaels, Monsters & Strangerz, and Michael Pollack.
The title should be taken literally – Fletcher believes that love is the antidote to our human problems. She comments..
Over the years, I’ve looked for the antidote in so many things: women, the road, the stage, fans, spirituality and self-reflection. Making this album was an excavation, a deep dive where I asked myself what would truly heal me, and my ultimate realisation was that love is the antidote.
From the ‘Finding Fletcher’ EP to ‘you ruined new york city for me’ to ‘THE S(EX) TAPES‘ to ‘Girl Of My Dreams’, love has always been my muse. But before now, I don’t think I’d ever really looked at love through all the different lenses and angles and discovered all its infinite manifestations. That’s what this album is about for me”.
In addition to some magnificent album covers arriving in March (including FLETCHER’s), there is some sensational music too. Adrianne Lenker’s Bright Future is an album I want to bring to your attention. Out on 22nd March, you can pre-order it here. A must-own album from a truly special songwriter and artist. Here are some more details about potential one of the best albums of this year:
“Bright Future marks Lenker’s first album since 2020’s songs and instrumentals, and features co-production from Philip Weinrobe, alongside contributions from Nick Hakim, Mat Davidson, and Josefin Runsteen. On Bright Future, Adrianne Lenker, a songwriter known for turns of phrase and currents of rhyme, says it plainly, “You have my heart // I want it back.” Documented with analogue precision, what began as an experiment in collaboration, became proof Adrianne’s heart did return, full to the brim, daring her into the unknown.
Bright Future’s co-producer and engineer, Philip Weinrobe, prepared the studio. He has been Adrianne’s partner on previous solo albums, but this was something new. Adrianne did not intend to make an album. They would instead explore the songs with no expectations. Even with an open outcome, from the start, Phil wanted to capture the sessions with the purest, technical honesty. He rolled onto Double Infinity’s old cherry wood floors an Otari 1/2 inch 8-Track and Studer console.
To fill the air of the 150 year-old main room, Adrianne wanted piano, guitar, and violin. Mat Davidson plays them all. “I’ve known Mat a long time,” she says, “It doesn’t matter what instrument, his spirit just pours through.” At 17, Adrianne met Nick Hakim. She trusted her friend of 15 years to bring his sensitivity to the piano. “The way Nick would hold my songs, he would put every ounce of love.” Adrianne first met Josefin Runsteen in an Italian castle, and sought the classically trained violinist and percussionist’s “magnetic and contagious” energy. “She has such fire.” In addition to instrumentation, they made a chorus, adding carefully measured vocal harmonies. The sessions impressed and enchanted Adrianne. “I think the thing these people have in common, they are some of the best listeners I know musically. They have extreme presence.”
Admirers of Adrianne’s solo music and Big Thief will find on Bright Future her reliable talent captured in stunning, magnetic clarity. In the company of parlour instruments, Adrianne’s modern melodic and lyrical inventions create new traditions. Her vocal flights at times outwit gravity, then land, guiding along an earthly path. The wholeness of the un-spliced recordings preserves a time of musical friendship during a golden season. The album also features the original recording of the now-beloved Big Thief song ‘Vampire Empire.’ Although they recorded for only some days, in Adrianne’s recollection, “It felt like we were together forever”.
An album that I am particularly interested in is Gossip’s Real Power. Another tremendous album cover – it must be something about March or 2024, where artists want to make a visual impression in addition to a sonic one -, it is amazing that we get a new album from Gossip. It has been a long time coming. You can pre-order the album here. Real Power is among the most anticipated of the year:
“Beloved, Portland pop / indie-rock trio Gossip returns with Real Power, their first album in 14 years. The album marks a reunion with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin, who helmed the band’s pivotal 2009 album Music For Men. Rubin coaxed the band started recording in 2019 after completing a tour for the ten-year anniversary of Music For Men. Recorded at Rubin’s home studio in Kauai, the process was temporarily halted by the pandemic and resumed when restrictions lifted. The result is an 11-track celebration of the galvanizing might of music, the joy of creative expression, and the power of chosen family in the aftermath of collective and personal trauma. The timing is ripe for a Gossip reunion, and Real Power heralds a new maturity and renewed sense of purpose for the trio. “When we began, so much about Gossip was about running away—that was always in the music,” says Ditto. “We survived. We came from nothing, and we got the fuck out of there. And to be here 20 years later and still making music together is just incredible”.
There are three more albums I want to cover off before getting to one from 29th March that is well worth checking out. On 22nd March, Lauran Hibberd’s girlfriend material arrives. Again – and not to labour the point to death! -, we have a standout album cover. I have been following Lauran Hibberd’s career for years now. She is one of our very best artists. Her new album is one you will want to pre-order:
“After documenting her life to date on Garageband Superstar, more than anything Girlfriend Material captures who Hibberd is in this moment – changed from the artist we met on album one and likely different from the artist we’ll meet in the future. It is, she says, a record that captures everything she is right now. “I’m figuring out who the hell I am,” she smiles. “I’m lighting candles and trying to manifest, I’m reading books, and I’m trying to run – all of these things will fade off in the next two months, and I’ll never do them again, but it’s part of that process.” ‘Girlfriend Material’ courses with that exploratory, sometimes confused, questioning feeling. The widescreen, glittering duet ‘Pretty Good For A Bad Day’ was co-written with and features Alex Gaskarth, frontman of All Time Low, one of her biggest influences. The bravest moment of the album comes in ‘I Suck At Grieving’, a song that manages to both jangle and pummel as it finds Hibberd lamenting herself for “avoiding” mourning her dad and projecting her feelings onto other incidents and annoyances instead”.
The incredible duo, The Staves, release All Now on 22nd March. Formerly a trio of Jessica, Camilla and Emily Staveley-Taylor, the duo of Jessica and Camilla continue on. 2021’s Good Woman (which was their previous album) was the last as a trio. All Now is a new chapter. You can pre-order the album here. I would urge people to pre-order their copy:
“It was in December 2022 that The Staves celebrated the 10th anniversary of their debut album Dead and Born and Grown - a strange and beautiful period in the lives of sisters and band members Jessica, Camilla and Emily Staveley-Taylor, making their fourth album All Now with the same organic vulnerability as that first record: except now everything was different, and they kind of were too.
All Now emerges, bold and bright, from a period of quiet, which followed a period of chaos, for the band. When Good Woman was released in 2021, to positive reviews, it felt like "an echoing silence" to share such a cathartic album with a world shut down. So The Staves had to retreat, again, and actually wrestle with everything they had been through.
The result? An album as rich and honest as all the most profound music by The Staves scattered across albums for the last decade, calcifed here into something special.
But the most thrilling part of this album, is that the hardest pills to swallow, here, almost have a sweeter taste. Once you've survived the climb to the top, learned from the journey, you may as well enjoy the view. "When you sing about hesitation and fear, there's a lot of power in not making it sound fearful and being quite steadfast instead," says Camilla. "It feels like an act of taking control." With All Now, there's no letting go”.
The final album from 22nd March I want to spotlight is Waxahatchee’s Tigers Blood. This is going to be a terrific album. A slight mystique looks back at us from the album cover. Making the listener wonder what will great them when it comes to the songs within. Here are some more details about an album that you will definitely want to add to your collection:
“One of the hardest-working singer-songwriters in the game is named Katie Crutchfield. She was born in Alabama, and grew up near Waxahatchee Creek. Skipped town and struck out on her own as Waxahatchee. That was over a decade ago. Crutchfield says she never knew the road would lead her here, but after six critically acclaimed albums, she's never felt more confident in herself as an artist. While her sound has evolved from lo-fi folk to lush alt-tinged country, her voice has always remained the same. Honest and close, poetic with Southern lilting. Much like Carson McCullers's Mick Kelly, determined in her desires and convictions, ready to tell whoever will listen.
And after years of being sober and stable in Kansas City-after years of sacrificing herself to her work and the road- Crutchfield has arrived at her most potent songwriting yet. On her new album, Tigers Blood, Crutchfield emerges as a powerhouse-an ethnologist of the self-forever dedicated to revisiting her wins and losses. But now she's arriving at revelations and she ain't holding them back”.
Out on 29th March, we get a welcome offering from a music legend. Sheryl Crow releases Evolution then. Many thought that 2019’s Threads was going to be it from her. Luckily and happily that is not the case. Whether there are going to be more albums to come or this is definitely her final one, it is just great Crow is bringing us more music. Go and pre-order Evolution. It is going to be pretty special:
“Nine-time Grammy Award winner and 2023 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee Sheryl Crow releases her 11th full length studio album, Evolution via The Valory Music Group. The album comes as a welcomed surprise after Crow publicly stated that she would not release another full-length album after Threads (2018) and kicks off with her lead single “Alarm Clock,” which is perhaps Sheryl Crow’s most radio-friendly pop song since “Soak Up The Sun”.
March is a busy month for awesome albums. I have listed the ones I think you should pre-order. There are many more that you might want to check out too. From Ariana Grande to Everything Everything…there should be something in there for everyone. If you were looking for some early tips about the March albums to add to your collection, then I hope the above was of…
SOME use to you.