This week: glam-folk grandeur, jazz stylings and genre dissolutions

Essential weekend listening.

This week’s rundown is by VF’s Kelly Doherty and Becky Rogers, alongside contributors Annabelle Van Dort and James Hammond.

---

Yaeji

With A Hammer

(XL)

Buy

Yaeji finally releases her debut album With A Hammer via XL. Whilst Yaeji’s relative silence over the last few years may have been disappointing for her devotees, the step away from the limelight has resulted in an album that moves away from her zeitgeist tendencies toward a more pronounced, personal sound. Yaeji is still club-adjacent on With A Hammer yet the ironic party anthems are gone, replaced by confessional ruminations on identity and emotional development against a backdrop of bass, trip-hop and pop. An emotionally realised project from one of electronic’s most understated stars.—KD

---

Oracle Sisters

Hydranism

(22TWENTY)

Buy

During the pandemic, Parisian trio Oracle Sisters locked themselves down on the Greek island of Hydra to record their debut album Hydranism. Once home to a young Leonard Cohen, the sun-kissed retreat shines through into Hydranism’s hedonistic approach to late-‘60s folk rock, echoing in a warm welcome into the Oracle family. It’s a refreshing return to the heyday of Baroque delicacies and glam-folk grandeur but remains timeless in its portrayal. Let yourself get whisked away with this impressive debut.–BR

---

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru

Jerusalem

(Mississippi Records)

Buy

Mississippi Records return to the works of Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru for an archival release that takes in home recordings and key tracks from the Ethiopian pianist’s 1972 rarity, Jerusalem. With Gebru’s uplifting musical sensibilities at the forefront, the idiosyncratic rubato tempos, key modulations and cascades of notes are in full bloom here, along with a rare chance to hear her voice accompanying the piano. A fine way to celebrate the life of a legend of Ethiopian music.–JH

---

Brandee Younger

Brand New Life

(Verve)

Buy

On her second album for Impulse! Records, harpist Brandee Younger pays tribute to her musical forebearers—Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby—whilst keeping an ear firmly to the musical pulses of the present. Brand New Life features a selection of Younger’s own compositions alongside reinterpretations of Dorothy Ashby classics such as “Come Live With Me” and “Moving Target”. Younger deftly suffuses these tracks with boom-bap bounciness and neo-soul grooves. Makaya McCraven’s diligent production ensures that Younger’s sonorous jazz stylings pair effortlessly with the more contemporary hip hop-influenced productions, bringing Ashby’s glistening harp compositions into today’s musical landscape.–AVD

---

Various Artists

The Now Sound of Nashville: Psychedelic Gestures In The Country Music Experience (1966-1973)

(Iron Mountain Analogue Research)

Buy

Outsider Country music specialists Iron Mountain Analogue Research Facility return with an expansive compilation which delves into the psychedelic fringes of Country music from 1966 to 1973. The Now Sound of Nashville features prominent country players like Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, alongside more obscure artists like Roy Junior. While the lack of female musicians is disappointing, this collection of tripped-out guitar nuggets and reverberant vocal haze ensures that this compilation is a wild ride from start to finish.–AVD

---

Nathan Fake

Crystal Vision

(Cambria Instruments)

Buy

Nathan Fake returns to Cambria Instruments for his sixth album, Crystal Vision. Fake has made a reliable name for himself with his genre-bending experimentation and Crystal Vision is another solid release of heady, patient electronic. Each cut here takes its time, whether it’s the under-tempo title track subverting expectation through its slow unwinding or the ever-building “Ousider”. Crystal Vision is a precise collection that meets the sweet spot between dancefloors and late-night lonely drives.—KD

---

Teleman

Good Time / Hard Time

(Moshi Moshi)

Buy

“You’ve got to experience the hard times to appreciate the good times,” admits Teleman’s Thomas Sanders. On their fourth album, Good Time / Hard Time, the group delve into relationship breakdowns, childhood trauma and gentrification irony, making their first full-length outing as a trio an open and honest take on their melancholic dance-pop. Layers of child-led choruses, synth solos and glimmers of hope line the record, but at times it feels bare, leaving moments of reflection for both the listener and the trio. Good Time / Hard Time is a triumphant return for Teleman, whose mantra of living every moment to its fullest, together, is something we should all follow.–BR

---

Richard Youngs

Modern Sorrow

(Black Truffle)

Buy

Utilising voice, sampling and improvisation, Richard Youngs’ Modern Sorrow brings forth a pair of long-form tracks that abound in exploration, unpredictability, and genre dissolutions. No stranger to these qualities, each work from Youngs is marked by an adventurous streak, which is set in motion here by sparing piano samples, organ swells and vocals that fully indulge the inherent musicality of a cranked autotune. Using the breadth of the LP to zone in further on these elements and an alluring sense of permutation, this one’s an essential listen for intrepid ears.–JH