FEATURE:
One for the Record Collection!
IN THIS PHOTO: Michael Kiwanuka
Essential November Releases
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THERE are quite a few…
IN THIS PHOTO: Du Blonde
great albums out next month that you’ll want to add to your record collection. I will recommend those worth pre-ordering. Perhaps fewer than previous months, there is still a lot of great music coming. I will out with albums due out on 1st November. There are two I am going to recommend. The first is Du Blonde’s Sniff More Gritty. If you need more information about this tremendous album from one of our best young artists, then you can pre-order it here:
“Sniff More Gritty is an album of many faces, some belonging to Du Blonde, others belonging to a host of characters from past loves, to record industry executives, each played with humour and heartbreak in a one-man pantomime of glam-rock, punk, and a single, acrylic nail adorned middle finger. The glimmers of pop teased on 2021’s acclaimed Homecoming LP become firework displays that illuminate stories of missed connections, anxiety, controlling relationships and hard earned peace. In spite of darkness, Du Blonde is choosing fun.
Having self-produced her third album, after years of working relationships with record labels and industry producers, Du Blonde found herself able to finally express herself musically in a way that her previous situation would not allow. The freedom that came with her move to production and engineering opened up a new sonic world for Du Blonde, one that is arguably catchier, more colourful and more exciting than anything she had been allowed to bring forth previously. Sniff More Gritty is entirely performed (drums aside!), engineered and produced by Du Blonde, and also features unique collaborations with Skunk Anansie’s Skin, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, Maximo Park’s Paul Smith and The Futureheads’ Ross Millard, with additional mixing by Sam Grant of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs”.
One of the biggest and most anticipated albums of the year comes from The Cure. It is going to be exciting having their new album out in the world and seeing how it is perceived. Songs of a Lost World is going to be one of the biggest and most acclaimed albums of the year. The music they have released from the album so far has received so much love. Perhaps among their finest work ever. Here is where you can pre-order their upcoming album:
“Songs Of A Lost World is the long-awaited new album from The Cure, their 14th studio release and their first in 16 years.
Songs Of A Lost World was written and arranged by Robert Smith, produced and mixed by Robert Smith and Paul Corkett and performed by The Cure - Robert Smith: Voice / guitar / 6string bass / keyboard, Simon Gallup: Bass, Jason Cooper: Drums / percussion, Roger O'Donnell: Keyboard, Reeves Gabrels: Guitar. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales.
Robert Smith created the sleeve concept, and Andy Vella, a long-time Cure collaborator, handled the album's art and design. The cover art features 'Bagatelle', a 1975 sculpture by Janez Pirnat”.
Even though the release date is listed as 1st November and it is available on Bandcamp that date, Rough Trade list it as 8th November. I am not sure whether 1st November is the U.S. release date. Even so, I would recommend people go and pre-order Mount Eerie’s Night Palace. It sounds like it is going to be a terrific album:
“Night Palace appears as a culmination of eras, arrived at after tumbling through decades of a tumultuous life and building from scratch in the settled dust. The 26 track album is a palace of many rooms, all welcoming, all varied. The songs stand vivid in their diamond sharp eloquence and distorted feedback, but only after traveling the album as a whole do we find the door. The palace is dilapidated with moss dripping through, airy, bright and open.
This is a return to the beloved deep analog fuzz world of the Microphones' the Glow pt. 2 (2001) and the many thickly embroidered Mount Eerie universes that have followed. Smashed tape, breathing air organs, crackling tube amps and a welcome living reality just outside the open window all entwine to push the definition of what's "home" and what's "studio", of what's a "song" and what's at the heart of the unmediated idea itself.
Phil Elverum has slowly acquired an underground cult status since the late 1990's for exactly this kind of work; building recorded atmospheric worlds that are distinctly bottomless with a fuzzed out mystery, while the songs themselves speak with a raw intimacy that can be shocking to hear. These are recordings of an individual mind and heart going deeper within while turning over each stone along the way.
Mount Eerie released another ambitious world of an album called Sauna in 2014. Immediately after, Elverum became a father and then his partner fell ill with a fatal cancer and died a year later. These and other brutal waves of change kept pounding for years and it was all documented in the white knuckle songwriting on the albums A Crow Looked At Me (2017), Now Only (2018) and Lost Wisdom pt. 2 (2019).
After a natural disaster, things do grow back. A person catching their breath after a traumatic experience has a kind of reoriented clarity. Art that is made without urgency or expectation has a chance to reach beyond the usual. It was in this patient clarity that Night Palace came to be written and recorded from 2022 to 2024. Elverum's life settled back down and he reassembled the old analog reel to reel studio at his quiet deep woods home and began experimenting again.
"I saw lighting last night, but heard nothing", the first song's first words announce. Mystery is back! Over the next 80 minutes the songs weave our concrete reality together with the charged and rippling world beyond. Birds squawk and we speak back. These are songs of re-surrendering to a state of wonder and abandoning the wrung-dry skepticism that this hard world can impose. And here is the hard world too, in songs of decolonization and backwoods protest. "Some zen, some Zinn" Elverum has joked. With two feet on the ground, he writes with a sharp eye trained toward the quiet flashes in the blue distance. The ground shifts”.
Before moving onto 15th November, there is one more from 8th that I want to spotlight. Primal Scream’s Come Ahead is another album you will definitely want to pre-order. If you need more information about the upcoming album from the legendary band, then there should be enough to tempt you below. I am definitely going to check out their new album. It sounds like a slight change of direction from Primal Scream:
“Come Ahead is Primal Scream’s 12th full length record. 11 new songs that find Bobby Gillespie preparing to release some of the most personal songwriting of the band’s career.
The songwriting process for Come Ahead began in 2019. At which point Bobby Gillespie had no idea if he would make another Primal Scream album again. For the first time, the lyrics came before the music. The story came first. Bobby wrote alone, using an acoustic guitar. Ideas flowed fast, in long bursts of inspiration. This process, in tandem with encouragement from producer David Holmes, provided a new way in. Working with Holmes and Primal Scream guitarist Andrew Innes, the Come Ahead sessions were completed between Belfast, London and Los Angeles.
“I'm very excited about this album in a way that you would be making your first record. If there was an overall theme to Come Ahead it might be one of conflict, whether inner or outer. The title is a Glaswegian term. If someone threatens to fight you, you say, ‘come ahead!’ It’s redolent of the indomitable spirit of the Glaswegian, and the album itself shares that aggressive attitude and confidence. They have a word for this up there, gallus. Come Ahead’s quite a cheeky title too.” Bobby Gillespie”.
There are four albums due on 15th November that you’ll want to consider. The first is Gwen Stefani’s Bouquet. It is an album I would urge people to pre-order. There is not a lot of information about the album available. It would be nice to have a bit more detail and insight. However, this People article from September gives us a little bit of insight. Whilst Bouquet might suggest a Country-heavy album, that is not necessarily going to be the case at all:
“While Gwen Stefani may have been sporting a cowboy hat in the photo that accompanied her album announcement for Bouquet, she has revealed that she isn't sticking to country music.
“It’s not a country record," she told Rolling Stone in an interview released Friday, Sept. 20.
Gwen Stefani performs during the iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on Sept. 20, 2024 in Las Vegas.
While the album was recorded in Nasvhille, the record is actually full of '70s pop-rock songs with Stefani's signature flair.
“It’s all the stuff I listened to in the station wagon on the way to church,” she said of the forthcoming record. “Yacht rock, though it wasn’t called yacht rock then. The music I listen to now, I wanted this album to reflect that.”
Stefani, 54, added that she wanted Bouquet to be "one big statement."
"That’s why I feel Bouquet is a really perfect title,” she said. “Like each song was handpicked with meaning”.
There is another great album out on 22nd November that you will want to pre-order. The amazing Michael Kiwanuka releases Small Changes. Following on from the Mercury Prize-winning KIWANUKA, it is going to be another prized and tremendous album from the London-based artist. If you want to pre-order the album then you are in for a treat:
“Small Changes is the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Michael’s eponymous third LP, the Mercury Prize winning, and Grammy Award nominated Kiwanuka. Small Changes was produced alongside Danger Mouse and Inflo, the team behind the globally acclaimed Kiwanuka and its equally acclaimed predecessor, Love and Hate. The new record was recorded between London and Los Angeles. The core trio made up of Kiwanuka and his trusty co-producers expanded into a wish-list ensemble that featured legendary bassist Pino Palladino (D’Angelo, John Mayer, Beyoncé) and Jimmy Jam of the iconic Jam and Lewis songwriting and production duo (Janet Jackson, Prince, SOS Band). A welcome return for one of Britain’s most talented of songwriters, most recognisable of vocalists, and most virtuosic of guitarists”.
On 15th November, Mary J. Blige releases Gratitude. Two years after Good Morning Gorgeous, we get another great album from an icon. There is not too much information out regarding Gratitude. There is an article from People that reacted to Mary J. Blige’s recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. If you are a fan of Blige’s work then you will definitely want to order your copy of her forthcoming album. I am really interested to see what it offers:
“Mary J. Blige’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was nothing short of emotional.
Seconds after performing a sweat-producing medley of favorites from her decades-spanning body of work (“My Life,” “Love No Limit,” “Be Happy,” and “Family Affair”), the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul poured her heart and some tears into her speech at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland on Saturday, Oct. 19.
"If you’re a fan of Mary J. Blige, you know that I needed God," she told fans from the stage. "I needed something other than men."
After wrapping a photo shoot backstage, Blige spoke with PEOPLE about her new single, "You Ain't the Only One," out now, and more.
"I listen to a lot of stories that my fans talk to me about. I've been through a lot, but sometimes you listen to other people's stories, and you say, 'Wow, I'm just complaining' because their stories is worse than yours,” Blige says about the first single off her upcoming album, Gratitude.
Through teary eyes, the Grammy winner explains how listening to challenging stories from fans over the years has given her perspective on challenges of her own.
“Everyone has something that they're dealing with and that they're suffering through,” Blige says. “The single is basically saying, 'You're not alone. You're not the only one out here dealing with life. Life is not life-ing for you only."
Following the induction, the "Just Fine" singer hopes fans visiting her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame exhibit will walk away knowing more about her pre-stardom beginnings.
“The jersey [in the exhibit] represents how I came into game,” she says. “I came into the game with knee pads on, jerseys, leggings, hat turned backwards. It just shows the history of how I've been and who I am right now.”
After profusely thanking God in her acceptance speech, Blige also shared her gratitude for longtime collaborators Dr. Dre and Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man, who inducted her into the Rock Hall.
“Y’all have always been there for me from music to television," she said of the rappers. "I love y’all and appreciate you so much. These guys are here with me today, and they’re my friends."
Method Man and Blige collaborated in 1995 on "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By.”
“I wouldn't be here if Mary didn't make the phone call. She actually called me to be here for her tonight,” Method Man tells PEOPLE backstage after the moment. “[Mary has gone] through trials and tribulations, most of her career being misunderstood, being put in spaces that she does not belong in, or she's too big for…I love her. I’m always rooting for her.”
Blige’s Gratitude comes out Nov. 15, and the title represents her current focus in life.
“I start my day off by giving thanks,” she says. “I do not step on the floor from out of my bed without giving thanks and praise to the most high God... And that's how I move. That's how I move”.
Before moving onto 22nd November, there is another album from 15th November that you will want to check out. Warmduscher’ Too Cold to Hold is an album I would recommend people look into. You can pre-order the album here. It sounds like it is going to be a pretty exciting album with some great guests contributing:
“Too Cold To Hold is undoubtedly their best and most ambitious album to date. Taking on board the repetitive and polyrhythmic grooves of gqom (an alluring South African take on house music), adding in a dash of hip hop flavours and even jazz, and then harnessing that to their punk-funk, disco pogo, it’s a spellbinding mix. The album is produced by the band’s Ben Romans Hopcraft alongside Jamie Neville.
Too Cold To Hold sees the band stretch out, open up and produce their most dazzlingly eclectic and honest album to date. One of the many aces in Too Cold To Hold is that not only does it give people what they want, it also provides what they need. Having come off tour enthused about what the future held for the band.
Guests include Irvine Welsh, Lianne La Havas, Janet Planet, Jeshi and CouCou Chloe”.
I am going to finish off with two great albums due on 22nd November. The first I want to bring your way is Father John Misty’s Mahashmashana. I love Father John Misty’s work, so this is going to be another awesome album by the sound of things. Even if you have not heard his music or are quite new to it then I would urge people to investigate the new album. There is a bit of information about it below:
“After a decade being born, Josh Tillman is finally busy dying. Mahashmashana is the sixth album by Father John Misty. It was produced by Josh Tillman and Drew Erickson. It was engineered and additionally produced by Michael Harris. It was arranged by Drew Erickson. It was performed by Josh Tillman, Drew Erickson, Jonathan Wilson, Dan Bailey, Eli Thomson, David Vandervelde, Chris Dixie Darley, Jon Titterington, and Kyle Flynn. It was executive produced by Jonathan Wilson.It was recorded and mixed at Five Star and East/West , United and Drew's House
Mahasmasana - great cremation ground, all things going thither”.
One notable album from this week that you will want to pre-order is Kim Deal’s Nobody Loves You More. The former Pixies and The Breeders musician prepares to release her first solo album. With its striking cover and eleven incredible songs on it, you will want to pre-order Nobody Loves You More. It does seem like it is going to be an album that you will not want to miss out on:
“Kim Deal releases her new album, Nobody Loves You More. Featuring recent single ‘Coast’, the collection of 11 songs is the Dayton, Ohio resident’s first full-length album under her own name.
Nobody Loves You More is Kim Deal’s debut album although it’s not the first time she has gone solo – she self-released a five-part, ten-song seven-inch vinyl series in 2013. In keeping with Deal’s meticulous approach to her art, the album was refined over several years. Its oldest songs, ‘Are You Mine?’ and ‘Wish I Was’, were written and originally recorded in 2011 shortly after Deal came off the Pixies’ “Lost Cities Tour” and relocated to Los Angeles (early versions of those songs were included in said vinyl series); the last recording for Nobody Loves You More took place in November 2022 with legendary engineer and close friend Steve Albini, who helmed final track ‘A Good Time Pushed’ at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. Along the way she has brought in a variety of collaborators from Breeders past and present (Mando Lopez, twin sister Kelley Deal, Jim Macpherson, Britt Walford), to Raymond McGinley (Teenage Fanclub), Jack Lawrence (Raconteurs) and Savages’ Fay Milton and Ayse Hassan. Nobody Loves You More was mixed by Marta Salogni and mastered by Heba Kadry.
Every song has a story behind it, from the winter vacations with her parents in Florida Keys (‘Summerland’), wedding band covers of ‘Margaritaville’ (‘Coast’) to her mother’s dementia (‘Are You Mine?’). All in all, the record is a celebration of Deal’s unmatched artistry, nodding not only to her career highlights with celebrated bands across the alternative landscape (Pixies, The Amps, The Breeders), but also to her immovable cultural weight influencing musicians like Kurt Cobain and Olivia Rodrigo through the generations”.
There are other albums due next month that you can see here. The ones above are those that I would recommend you pre-order or consider. It is an exciting month for new releases. Maybe not quite as over-stocked as the summer, there are still plenty of albums well worth buying. It goes to show that the quality of releases is pretty strong as we head towards…
THE end of the year.