FEATURE:
One for the Record Collection!
IN THIS PHOTO: Suki Waterhouse
Essential September Releases
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AS I write this (10th August)…
IN THIS PHOTO: London Grammar
there are some really great albums planned for next month. A busy month for new releases, I am going to highlight those I think you should pre-order. You can see a more comprehensive and extensive list of albums out next month here. There are four release weeks/dates I am going to include. Each of them is pretty packed! On 6th September, there are a fair few albums you will want to get a hold of. I am going to highlight three. The first is David Gilmour’s Luck and Strange. You can pre-order here. The legendary musician is an amazing solo artist. Of course, formerly with Pink Floyd, you are going to want to get a hold of this album. A musical master showing that he is still very much a major force in music:
“The brand-new album by David Gilmour, Luck and Strange was recorded over five months in Brighton and London and is Gilmour’s first album of new material in nine years. The record was produced by David and Charlie Andrew, best known for his work with ALT-J and Marika Hackman, with lyrics mostly written by Polly Samson, Gilmour’s co-writer for the past thirty years. The album features eight new tracks along with a beautiful reworking of The Montgolfier Brothers’ ‘Between Two Points’, which sees Romany Gilmour, who performs backing vocals across the album, on vocals and harp. Musicians contributing to the record include Guy Pratt and Tom Herbert on bass, Adam Betts, Steve Gadd and Steve DiStanislao on drums, Rob Gentry and Roger Eno on keyboards and the string and choral arrangements are by Will Gardner. The title track also features the late Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright, recorded in 2007 during a ‘Barn Jam’ at David’s house. The album’s cover image, photographed and designed by renowned artist Anton Corbijn, is inspired by lyrics written by Charlie Gilmour for the album’s final song ‘Scattered’. Gatefold sleeve and booklet with photography and design by Anton Corbijn”.
Another album from 6th September I want to recommend comes from Hinds. The amazing Viva Hinds is an album I think you will want to add to your collection. The first album from them since becoming a duo – from a quartet -, Viva Hinds follows from The Prettiest Cure. The title seems to indicate some form of new confidence or liberation. Maybe a sense of defiance after losing band members. I really love the group and don’t feel they lose any impact and importance halving members. Still so magnetic as a duo. You will want to pre-order this album:
“Spanish indie rockers Hinds are back with their utterly triumphant fourth album, Viva Hinds. Written by the band’s co-founders, co-vocalists, co-guitarists and co-songwriters Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote, it features their first-ever fully Spanish language songs, as well as first collaborations with the likes of Beck and Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten”.
Boasting one of the most eye-catching and well-designed album covers of this year so far, Max Richter releases In a Landscape on 6th September. It sounds like it is going to be a really interesting and original idea. Something you will want to check out. I would advise people to pre-order the album. I am relatively new to Richter and have not really investigated his previous work. I do think he is a phenomenal artist that everyone should check out and spend some time with:
“Max Richter presents his 9th studio album 'In A Landscape'. A record about “reconciling polarities"; bringing together the electronic and the acoustic, the human and the natural world, the big questions of life and the quiet pleasures of living. "A memoir of the present moment”. In his own words, Max describes the music on the record as being about “connecting or reconciling polarities. the tracks themselves are, as ever, my attempts to figure out how to make sense of our lives in the here and now of our daily life as I experience it.” One of the most influential and acclaimed composers of all time, Max's fusion of classical technique and electronic technology, heard across genre-defining solo projects, countless scores for film, dance, art and fashion, has won him legions of fans world-over, and blazed a trail for a generation of artists”.
There are five from 13th September that are well worth getting into. Pre-ordering. It is a busy week with plenty of options. I think there are five albums in particular worth spending some money on. The first is from a wonderful British trio who I have been a fan of since their debut album over a decade ago. That is London Grammar. The Greatest Love is going to be among this year’s absolute best albums I feel. With another great album cover, the Hannah Reid-led trio are going to provide a real treat. An album well worth pre-ordering:
“The Greatest Love follows the British trio’s critically acclaimed #1 selling album Californian Soil, which was released in 2021 and earned the band their second BRIT nomination for Best British Group. Arriving over a decade since the trio first entered the industry, the new album is a celebration; the sound of a band laying to rest the past and realising a newfound sense of freedom.
First single House embodies London Grammar’s new trajectory as frontwoman Hannah Reid delivers the uncompromising lyric: This is my place, my house, my rules. Speaking about the single Hannah said, “House is about drawing boundaries around yourself. When I hit my thirties, my mindset shifted, and I no longer felt like a victim of anything – it all felt within my power. I thought, making music should be fun, and we're gonna make that happen.”
Having first formed as teenagers at University, their seminal double-platinum selling debut If You Wait paved the way for what was to become a hugely successful career for the band, the rare longevity of which has firmly rooted London Grammar in British pop culture. Now over 10 years later, the band have sold more than 3 million albums world-wide, with two #1 selling records, 1 billion streams, an Ivor Novello and numerous BRIT Award nominations under their belts”.
Let’s get to another great album out on 13th September. Similar to David Gilmour, Nick Lowe is this long-serving and wonderful legend who continues to produce magnificent music. Indoor Safari sounds really interesting. I know I have pretty much said that about every single album so far. I have known about Nick Lowe for years but not checked out his latest tracks. This is an album that sounds like it will appeal to long-time fans and newer converts. Go and pre-order this album:
“Nick Lowe returns with Indoor Safari, his frst studio album in over a decade. Backed on every track by Nick's trusted collaborators Los Straitjackets, Nick exhibits his razorsharp songwriting ability through a multitude of sonic environments. With his signature wit on display for grooving numbers like "Went to a Party" and "Don't Be Nice to Me," to the heartfelt sentiment on "Blue on Blue" and "Jet Pac Boomerang," and topped with Nick breathing new life into hidden gems of the '60s like "Raincoat in the River" and "A Quiet Place," Indoor Safari demonstrates how Nick Lowe continues to make his mark as a performer, songwriter and producer over a half-century after his start in the music industry”.
Completely different in terms of style and sounds, Nilüfer Yanya’s My Method Actor is an album that I am excited about. There is not a lot of information out there about it. It is a shame that there is not more on websites that have new albums. How much information do consumers need?! I guess keeping it brief can be useful and economic, though I would like to see more about My Method Actor. I would suggest people think about pre-ordering the new album by the exceptional Nilüfer Yanya:
“One of the most exciting musicians today, Nilüfer Yanya returns with a brand new studio album My Method Actor via Ninja Tune. With a unique blend of soulful melodies, indie rock grit, and jazz influences, Yanya’s music continues to captivate audiences worldwide. The new body of work being a development and evolution from her previous sound. Her first album Miss Universe and its 2022 follow-up Painless cemented her as one to watch and a staple in the indie scene, lauded by critics on both sides of the Atlantic. Recommended if you like…Arlo Parks, King Krule, Sharon Van Etten, Helado Negro, Sudan Archives”.
The album I am most excited about next month is Suki Waterhouse’s Memoir of a Sparklemuffin. One of my favourite artists around, the fabulously-titled new album from the British-born, American-based artist is one I am going to check out. With a fabulous album cover, it makes me think about great album art and how we do not highlight it enough these days. Anyway, I think that you will want to pre-order the latest album from an artist I have so much admiration for:
“The new album by Suki Waterhouse is a masterful slab of exuberant, emotionally vulnerable pop with hooks galore. It features her hit songs “OMG”, “To Love”, “My Fun”, plus 15 brand new songs.
Suki Waterhouse’s music sounds like a collage of her inspirations, experiences, and emotions stitched together by honeyed vocal delivery, bright-eyed melodies, and evocative storytelling. It doubles as a mirror image of her life as a consummate creative, artist, actress, model, and mother, yet it also breaks the glass to unveil raw truth. She leans on an ever-evolving sonic palette to convey what she’s feeling - whether it be folky Americana, nineties alternative, turn-of-the-century indie, or handcrafted otherworldly pop. You’ll hear Suki’s longing in a swooning chorus, fearlessness in a crunchy chord, elation in a danceable waltz, and wonder in a soft coo befitting of a lullaby. She faithfully followed a lifelong passion for music to her 2022 full-length debut, I Can’t Let Go. Adorned by “Moves” and “Melrose Meltdown,” it incited widespread critical applause from Variety, Nylon, NME, The Line of Best Fit, and more. Between headlining shows and touring with Father John Misty, “Good Looking” surged online, generating nearly a billion streams, going RIAA platinum, and paving the way for the Milk Teeth EP. Simultaneously, she absorbed inspiration from a season of change earmarked by unforgettable moments a la gracing the stage of Lollapalooza 2023, performing on multiple continents, becoming a mom, and closing out the Gobi Tent at Coachella in 2024. Everything just set the stage for the gold-certified songstress to assert herself as a versatile, vibrant, and vital presence on her 2024 double-LP, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin”.
Prior to getting to the great albums due on 20th September, there is one more from 13th that I am interested in. Tindersticks’ Soft Tissue. One of the most prolific bands around, this is going to be another tremendous and original album from Tindersticks. Nobody sounds like them. I think that there are many people who will want to pre-order this album:
“Tindersticks' 14th album Soft Tissue showcases their exploratory spirit, mixing intimate songwriting with experimental soundscapes. The album evolves from their previous work, balancing introspective lyrics with innovative musical textures. Band members, including singer Stuart Staples, emphasize the collaborative nature of the creation process, fostering a dynamic dialogue that shapes their music. Key tracks like "New World" and "Always a Stranger" highlight this blend of personal reflection and sonic exploration, underscoring the band's enduring ambition and versatility”.
There are five from 20th September I am excited to get to. The first is Blossoms’ Gary. The Stockport band released their eponymous debut in 2016. Their fifth studio album follows 2022’s acclaimed Ribbon Around the Bomb. I am really looking forward to hearing what Gary offers, as Blossoms are a fantastic band who have been consistently releasing brilliant music since their inception. I would recommend those new to the band to pre-order Gary, as it will be a really rewarding and satisfying album. It is shaping up to be among this year’s most promising releases:
“Produced by J Lloyd (Jungle 12M MLs) and James Skelly, What Can I Say After I'm Sorry? ushers in the start of the band's 5th album campaign. The album titled Gary is named after a 8 foot fibre glass gorilla was stolen from a Lanarkshire Garden Centre in early 2023, and since then there has been a campaign to locate him, his rear end was recently found, but his frontage is still missing! Cameo from Everton Football Manager Sean Dyche…The band's 5th album comes after four top 5 albums in the UK. Blossoms’ 2016 debut topped the album charts for two consecutive weeks and went on to earn the band Brit Award and Mercury Prize nominations, while 2018’s Cool Like You charted at Number 4 in the UK album chart, spawning the anthemic singles I Can’t Stand It, There’s A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls) and How Long Will This Last? Their third studio album, 2020’s Foolish Loving Spaces was the band’s second UK Number 1 album and following the release of In Isolation/Live From The Plaza Theatre, Stockport in 2020”.
The next album due on 20th September I want to recommend is Joan as Police Woman’ Lemons, Limes & Orchids. Yet another September with a wonderful cover, I am looking forward to hearing the new album from an artist I have been following for a while. Go and pre-order Lemons, Limes & Orchids. Joan as Policewoman is such a distinct and remarkable artist. With every album, she produces work that gets into the heart, mind and soul. Her forthcoming release will be no exception to that rule:
“The twelfth of her studio albums, Lemons, Limes, and Orchids is a crowning showcase of Joan's voice in all its metamorphic splendour.
“I was ready to make an album that truly featured my voice. The basics were recorded like they used to be- with me singing live along with the band. My good friend said told me this is the sexiest album I’ve ever made. Honestly, I think she’s right.”
The record is a nocturne about love and loss — what else is there? — and a reckoning with our collective disorientation, part hymn to holding on and part benediction of letting go.
Joan has toured the globe, performing in dive bars and symphony halls, at independent music festivals and on the BBC, and has collaborated with a kaleidoscope of luminaries, including Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright, Tony Allen, Damon Albarn, John Cale, Laurie Anderson, Sufjan Stevens, Anohni, Beck, Meshell Ndegeocello, Toshi Reagon, David Byrne, and Daniel Johnston. She has participated in three Africa Express trips, teaches at NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, lives in Brooklyn, and loves the world”.
There are three albums from musical Katys/Kates. We have new work from Katy Perry (143) and Kate Pierson (Radios and Rainbows). The best of the K-named artist releasing a new album on 13th September is Katy J Pearson with Someday, Now. Go and pre-order the album. Here are all the details that you need to know:
“Following 2020’s Return and 2022’s Sound of the Morning, Someday, Now sees Katy J Pearson’s signature acoustic-led, sweetly-voiced singer-songwriter fare transmuted through the desk of electronic producer Nathan Jenkins, aka Bullion. After a period of burnout, self-enforced exile from music-making, and solo travel, Pearson came back to her practice with clarity of mind and vision. “I knew exactly who I wanted to work with, I knew exactly who my session band were going to be, I knew where I wanted to record. It felt like I was finally calling the shots for myself, and that was so empowering”, she reflects.
Where previous Katy J Pearson records were made with a slower, more piecemeal approach, Someday, Now was rigorously written and rehearsed ahead of time, and laid down efficiently over a couple of weeks at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, with a band composed of Heavenly label-mates Huw Evans [H. Hawkline, Aldous Harding, Cate Le Bon, and Pearson’s Sound of the Morning and The Wicker Man EP] and Davey Newington [Boy Azooga], along with fellow Broadside Hacks collaborator Joel Burton. It was engineered by Joe Jones [Aldous Harding, Dry Cleaning, Jane Weaver]”.
I will do two more albums from 20th September before ending with three from 27th September. The next from 20th is Nelly Furtado and 7. Again, there is little about the album available on the Rough Trade site. I would advise people to check out interviews like this. You will get some more background and insight from Furtado. I have loved her music ever since her 2000 debut, Whoa, Nelly! It is one of my favourite albums from that decade. Her seventh studio album, in spite of the uninspiring title, seems like it is going to be a very personal album. One that follows on from 2017’s The Ride. Even if you are new to Nelly Furtado or have dipped in and out through the years, I would suggest people go and pre-order her new album:
“Grammy Award-winning global superstar Nelly Furtado releases her highly anticipated new studio album, 7. Her most inspired and personal collection to date, 7 is the culmination of four years of artistic rediscovery. Nelly Furtado is an undisputed icon whose innovative songwriting shaped an era and transformed pop music”.
Let’s move on to the final album due for release on 20th September. I am looking ahead to Pale Waves’ Smitten. A band that I am pretty keen on, it is going to be an incredible album I am very sure. The Manchester band should definitely be on your radar. I think that you need to get involved with them. Go and pre-order their upcoming album. It is going to be truly tremendous:
“Acclaimed Manchester-based pop-rock outfit Pale Waves burst onto the scene back in 2018 with the runaway success of their debut album My Mind Makes Noises. Two top five albums later and an outpouring of support from the likes of BBC Radio 1, Apple Music, Spotify, NME, and more, the band are back with a newfound maturity to accompany their fourth studio album Smitten.
While Pale Waves’ first three albums focussed on the band’s immediate present, Smitten is a lot more preoccupied with past lives – some more recent than others. Written two years after Unwanted, and after the tour that followed, Heather found herself in a headspace where she could finally breathe, and reflect, like peeling through the pages of a long-forgotten teenage diary and being surprised by what she found. “I found myself writing about not just a certain time period, but my whole life, from years ago,” she says. “When I fall in love, I fall deep, and it’s interesting to me that you can feel so fascinated and smitten with someone and then they can become a total stranger. So I feel like Smitten really summarised perfectly what I felt for others at a certain point”.
Even though there are many more from 20th September worth buying, I am selecting three from 27th September you will want to pre-order. The first one is Hayden Thorpe’s Ness. The former Wild Beasts lead has had this amazing solo career. This is an album with another fabulous cover. Quite a bounty in September! If you are new to his work, I would suggest you pre-order Ness. It is going to be a sumptuous and beautiful album. The concept and narrative for his upcoming work is really engrossing and original. I am compelled to listen and see what Ness offers:
“Using a process of redaction, Thorpe brings songs to life from the pages of best-selling author Robert Macfarlane’s book of the same name. Ness is inspired by Suffolk’s Orford Ness, the former Ministry of Defence weapons development site during both World Wars and the Cold War. Acquired by the National Trust in 1993 and left to re-wild, it to this day remains a place of paradox, mystery and constant evolution. Thorpe’s Ness is an ode to Orford Ness, the physical place and the book it inspired, both featuring the words of Robert Macfarlane and the artwork of Stanley Donwood. Where possible, this album has been made using recycled materials”.
Let’s wrap up with two more albums from 27th September. The first is Holly Macve’s Wonderland. You may not know this artist. You really do need to listen to her music, as she is this relatively undiscovered gem. I think people need to pre-order Wonderland. If you need some more details about an album that is sure to scoop some hugely positive reviews, then the below should give you some guidance:
“Having been declared by Lana Del Rey as "one of the most beautiful singing voices in the world," Holly Macve returns with her 3rd album Wonderland.
Released on her own imprint 'Loving Memory Records' Wonderland is Macve's most opulent, cinematic, luxurious album yet and confirms Macve's status as one of the UK's most exciting songwriters.
When singer-songwriter Holly Macve wrote her third album Wonderland, it coincided with a period of profound transformation - but not in any way she could have imagined. "It's been a time of real change in my life," she shares. "Moments of extreme highs and extreme lows, it's just kind of been chaos."
Now taking ownership of her journey in every possible way, optimistic that the future is finally looking a lot brighter. "I think that Wonderland is meant to represent the next chapter in my life, which is me being unashamedly myself," she says,"and just appreciating being alive”.
The final September-due album I want to highlight is bittersweet. It is the posthumous eponymous album from the much-missed SOPHIE. We sadly lost her in 2021 having suffered an accidental fall in Greece. Her absence is notable and yet her influence lives on. SOPHIE is such an important album that people need to pre-order:
“SOPHIE, the self-titled second album from the visionary artist, producer and pop pioneer, released via Transgressive and Future Classic.
This album was created by SOPHIE and some of her most cherished collaborators. Close to completion when she tragically died, it has been lovingly finalised by those who hold her closest. As SOPHIE's studio manager and most trusted sounding board for over a decade, Benny Long was heavily involved in the release of Oil Of Every Pearl's Un-insides, with mastering, production and mixing credits to his name. The two then worked together over several years developing the concept and production of this follow-up album, which Benny has lovingly completed, honouring SOPHIE’s vision.
“When we, SOPHIE’s family, took our first steps towards bringing this project to fruition we contacted the dear friends with whom she envisioned the album. We wrote, “We have been finding comfort in the music SOPHIE left us, it is a gift that we truly cherish as we try to find a way forward, with SOPHIE forever at the centre of our worlds.”
SOPHIE didn’t often speak publicly of her private life, preferring to put everything she wanted to articulate in her music. It feels only right to share with the world the music she hoped to release, in the belief that we can all connect with her in this, the form she loved most.
This album has always told the story of SOPHIE’s musical journey, a cacophony of skill and creative vision eclipsing time and genre. Her unique sound world moves at an emotional level, encouraging the listener to intuitively embrace the ever-evolving landscape of light and dark, soft and hard, to the end of self-love and joyful self-acceptance. Emphasising contradictions of sound and material, SOPHIE’s work supersedes the pure aural to create the dimension she dreamed of.
Now, it holds another poignant meaning, it tells a life story, from mysterious unknown, through wild clublands, to euphoric immateriality.
SOPHIE gave all of herself to her music. It’s here that she can always be found”.
Above are albums from next month that you will want to investigate. So much variety and choice! From SOPHIE and London Grammar to David Gilmour and Suki Waterhouse, it is a really busy month with some potential year-best releases. You can check out what else is out next month. If you are stuck of which albums you need to add to your collection, I hope that the selections in this feature…
PROVIDE some useful guidance.