SINGAPORE - From a long-lost album by veteran Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young and a posthumous album by American rapper Pop Smoke, to a genre-bending album by American trio Khruangbin and a dance-pop collaboration between Marshmello and Halsey, here are 10 new works in pop, hip-hop, rock, electronic and alternative music.
1. FOLK ROCK/COUNTRY ROCK
HOMEGROWN
Neil Young
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Watch it on YouTube here.
Hailed as one of Canadian veteran musician Neil Young's finest "lost albums", Homegrown is finally released about 46 years after it was recorded.
Young originally planned to put it out in 1975, but went with Tonight's The Night, another album recorded earlier, instead.
"I apologise," he writes in a letter posted on his website. "This album Homegrown should have been there for you a couple of years after Harvest (1972)."
The songs in Homegrown reflect the heartache and damage from a sad love affair, he adds.
"I just couldn't listen to it. I wanted to move on. So I kept it to myself, hidden away in the vault, on the shelf, in the back of my mind...but I should have shared it. It's actually beautiful. That's why I made it in the first place."
2. PSYCHEDELIA/ROCK/SOUL
MORDECHAI
Khruangbin
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Watch it on YouTube here.
American band Khruangbin, best known for fusing international influences ranging from Persian funk to Jamaican dub, are back with their third album Mordechai.
The band are made up of bassist Laura Lee Ochoa, guitarist Mark Speer and drummer DJ Johnson, and its name is Thai for "flying engine".
While previous albums comprise mostly instrumental songs, the new tunes feature more prominent vocals, such as Dearest Alfred, which is inspired by letters that Ochoa's grandfather wrote to his twin brother.
3. ELECTRONIC/EXPERIMENTAL
KICK I
Arca
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Watch it on YouTube here.
Venezuelan-born, Barcelona-based electronic music artist Arca, whose real name is Alejandra Ghersi, has released her fourth album Kick I.
The guest artists on the record include Icelandic icon Bjork, whose 2015 album Vulnicura had Arca among its producers and songwriters, Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalia and Scottish producer Sophie.
4. ALTERNATIVE/POST-PUNK
KITCHEN SINK
Nadine Shah
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Watch it on YouTube here.
Kitchen Sink is the follow-up to British singer-songwriter Nadine Shah's 2017 album Holiday Destination, which was nominated for the Hyundai Mercury Prize and BBC 6 Music's Album Of The Year award.
Shah, who is of Pakistani and Norwegian ancestry, seamlessly blends genres such as post-punk, goth, rock and jazz in songs that are centred around being a woman in her 30s.
5. ALTERNATIVE POP/ART ROCK
SHADOW OFFERING
Braids
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Montreal-based trio Braids - comprising singer/guitarist Raphaelle Standell-Preston, drummer Austin Tufts and multi-instrumentalist Taylor Smith - spent three years working on theirfourth album Shadow Offering.
Produced by Chris Walla, former guitarist of American alternative rockers Death Cab For Cutie, it is the band's first release under music label Secret City Records.
6. SOUL/ROCK
ON SUNSET
Paul Weller
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Veteran British singer-songwriter Paul Weller, also known as the Modfather, shows no signs of slowing down in his latest work On Sunset.
The musicians who play on his 15th album include Mick Talbot, who was part of Weller's old 1980s band The Style Council.
One of the songs, Old Father Thyme, is about ageing. "I think it's just me getting old," the 62-year-old former frontman of influential new wave band The Jam told music publication Rolling Stone.
"Because whether you like it or not, your perspective on things changes. I don't mean that in a morbid way, that's just the cycle. I'm not particularly sentimental or nostalgic, though."
7. GARAGE PUNK/INDIE ROCK
WELCOME TO BOBBY'S MOTEL
Pottery
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Watch it on YouTube here.
Welcome to Bobby's Motel - titled after an inside joke among band members - is the rollicking debut album by Canadian quintet Pottery.
Guitarist Jacob Shepansky said in an interview with British music publication DIY that the songs are about adapting to one's environment, no matter how bad it is.
"The whole world (of the album) is about being comfortable in a s****y situation, and shrugging it off and just being content," he said.
8. GROOVE METAL/THRASH METAL
LAMB OF GOD
Lamb Of God
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Watch it on YouTube here.
Grammy-nominated American band Lamb Of God's self-titled 10th album is their first since 2015's VII: Sturm Und Drang.
It is also their first album featuring new drummer Art Cruz. He replaced Chris Adler, who left in 2019.
The songs feature guest vocals from singers of fellow metal bands - Hatebreed's Jamey JastaandTestament's Chuck Billy.
9. DANCE-POP
BE KIND
Marshmello And Halsey
Hear it on: Spotify, Apple Music and other music streaming platforms
Watch it on YouTube here.
Masked American electronic dance music star Marshmello teams up with singer Halsey for the single Be Kind.
In a tweet, Halsey describes their first collaboration as a "cute optimistic heartfelt dance summery 80s" tune. "Me and Mello thought you guys could use the vibes right now," she adds.
The song is a top 20 hit in many countries, including Singapore.
10. HIP HOP/DRILL
SHOOT FOR THE STARS, AIM FOR THE MOON
Pop Smoke
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Watch it on YouTube here.
Shoot For The Stars, Aim For The Moon is the posthumous debut album by American rapper Pop Smoke, released five months after he was killed by assailants who broke into his home in February. He was 20 when he died.
The album shot to No. 1 in several countries. The rapper also made history by being the first hip-hop artist to have a posthumous debut album go straight to the top of the US charts.
The work features some of the most prominent acts in hip-hop, including Quavo, Lil Baby, DaBaby, Swae Lee, Future and 50 Cent.
