JORDAN IRELAND WITH PURPLE ORCHESTRA : s/t : Spunk (out now)

You might remember Mr. Ireland as one of the former driving forces behind underrated Aussie indie-folk outfit The Middle East - now he’s making a triumphant return with an album high on densely airy, yet richly instrumented songs that might cite Eno and the brightest moments of Paddy McAloon in places, but is without a doubt a very unique and stunningly beautiful kind of beast. 9/10

 

GABRIEL GARZÓN-MONTANO : jardin : Stones Throw (out now)

The Brooklyn–based artist finally delivers his debut album for Stones Throw, and as expected it draws up on the musical ideas presented on the “Bishouné“ EP: an analog-sounding melange of Dilla and pop and Prince and Omar and folk and all kinds of lush yet forward-thinking R&B. Can’t really say that it’s speaking to me, but “Jardin“ sure is a beautifully crafted album. 6.5/10

MOIRÉ : no future : Ghostly International (17.02.17)

The London-based producer is back with his second album, on which he boldly ups the machine funk ante. Aptly titled “No Future“, it feels like an urgent musical outcry, like the essential soundtrack of now: cold, angry with a hint of resignation, yet fierce and undoubtedly human. If Cronenberg would realize another adaptation of Orwell’s “1984“, he’d have the ultimate score with this one here already. 7.5/10

TORNADO WALLACE : lonely planet : Running Back (out now)

If you look at all the (musical) ingredients used on “Lonely Planet“, it would be easy to assume that it’s something coming straight from the Balearic textbook. In actuality though our fav Australian DJ/producer delivers an early contender for “album of the year“ with “Lonely Planet“, a free-floating stroke of genius that confidently prefers to march to its very own beat than feeding current dancefloor preferences. 9.75/10

 

PETER SILBERMAN : impermanence : Transgressive (24.02.17)

Silberman took a break from fronting NY-three-piece The Antlers to work on a very fragile collection of reduced songs together with Port St. Willow’s Nicholas Principe. Triggered by a very nasty tinnitus he’s suffering from, the six tracks on “Impermanence“ can easily be understood as an ode to Minimalism - which actually isn’t too far away from the early, sparse Antlers material Silberman wrote without the band. 7/10

SACRED PAWS : strike a match : Rock Action (out now)

When infectious tropical/Afro-pop rhythms clash with oldschool indie-rock sensibilities and a prominent brass section, well, it might not necessarily be your cup of tea exactly - still you just can’t help yourself but doing your best happy dance routine in no time. 6/10