In No Particular Order: Cadence Weapon Stands Out, Plus 7 Must-Hear Albums of the Week (Apr 30, 2021)

It’s another speed week!

Courtesy of the abundant number of artists that chose today to release their album, this week’s In No Particular Order album round-up is short and sweet!

Just like From The Inbox, I’ve created a In No Particular Order Spotify playlist to match my weekly album picks! Featuring the three ‘notable tracks’ from each release, check by every Friday to find something new in your music library.

As always, you can find Dusty Organ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify to stay up to date on new releases. Also, you can find tracks from these albums and more on our Monthly Spotify playlist.

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VISSIA – With Pleasure

Hurry Hard Records

Singer-songwriter/Indie pop

Edmonton singer-songwriter Alex Vissia has departed from her folk beginnings as an artist. Confidently on her sophomore release With Pleasure, VISSIA sets her sights on exploration and expanding her paradigm of genre and style. From R&B, soul, pop, and with a subtle tinge of her folk roots hidden in the details, her new record focuses on progress, both musically and personally. Thematically, With Pleasure is about experiencing change, both good and bad, and finding the reward in the journey. From romance to friendship to introspection, the record moves through different subjects at the same pace as it changes styles, showing VISSIA’s flexibility as a songwriter and performer.

Notable tracks: “Dooryway” // “The Cliffs” // “On My Mind”

Cadence Weapon – Parallel World

eOne Music

Hip-hop/Electro-hop

For Cadence Weapon, the moniker of Edmonton-born, Toronto-based rapper, producer, writer and poet, Rollie Pemberton, music remains a dominating tool to spark conversation and change. His new album Parallel World leaves no leaf unturned, scrutinizing society and people of power with his articulate lyricism; from his backyard of Toronto to the internet, Cadence Weapon pulls away the curtain, executing it with dense hip-hop beats that span grime, trap, drum n’ bass, and drill. As well, the curated features on the record help make an even stronger statement, bringing on the likes of Fat Tony, Jacques Greene, Strict Face and Manga Saint Hilare, and 2020 Polaris Music Prize Winner backxwash to emphasis Cadence Weapon’s clear mission statement.

Notable tracks: “On Me” // “SENNA” // “Connect”

Crumb – Ice Melt

Indie psych-pop

Crumb Records

Now onto their second full-length, Brooklyn-via Boston indie psych outfit Crumb have continued their hypnotic and psychedelic brand of hip-hop-tinged neo-soul pop. The colliding styles, in line with acts such as BadBadNotGood and Mild High Club, makes for a hazy, yet engaging sound, and on Ice Melt, the group have focused more on style and delivery than hook-driven hits of their past. While the sweet, shoegaze vocals of frontwoman Lila Ramani effortlessly glide across the tracklist, her bandmates bassist Jesse Brotter, keyboard/saxophonist Bri Aronow, drummer and Jonathan Gilad construct dense melodies underneath, creating a lush and exciting listening experience. Coming in just under a half hour, the track list of Ice Melt seamlessly blend into one another, with each finding a moment to ensure they are, in fact, different songs.

Notable tracks: “BNR” // “Trophy” // “Balloon”

Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God

Loma Vista Recordings

Alternative rock

Atlanta-based alternative rock group Manchester Orchestra have built a reputation courtesy of their dynamic and arena-sized sound, and as they surpass the decade milestone, things have not changed in that regard. Their sixth album The Million Masks of God retains that colossal, spine-tingling power, but shifts into storytelling and the human obsession with life and death. For 45 minutes, The Million Masks of God seamlessly plays as one, transitioning between tracks as if it were a live performance with no gaps (nor necessity) for banter. Intentional in its shape, the album is structured to travel through the cycle of life to death to beyond, exploring the surreal idea of what is “next”, emphasized by its wide range of emotions. Manchester Orchestra do not rely solely on the strength of their instrumentation and frontman Andy Hull’s soaring vocals. Instead those become a vessel for the poetic and emotionally-driven lyrics and songwriting, making The Million Masks of God a rollercoaster from start to finish, mirroring the human experience.

Notable tracks: “Bed Head” // “Telepath” // “Dinosaur”

Rochelle Jordan – Play With The Changes

Royal Mountain Records / Young Art Records

Electro-R&B/UK Garage

It’s been seven years since Toronto-bred, Los Angeles-based R&B artist Rochelle Jordan released her stellar sophomore album 1021. Keeping busy with songwriting and features, she has made a triumphant return with the long-awaited Play With The Changes. Her elegant blend of R&B and UK garage comes alive on the new record, courtesy of her futuristic beats and scattered hints of drum n’ bass produced by Produced by KLSH, Machinedrum, and Jimmy Edgar. Colliding the bedroom with the dance floor, Play With the Changes has a sultry and sweaty aesthetic that switches between either environment.

Notable tracks: “GOT EM” // “NEXT 2 YOU” // “SOMETHING”

Julia Stone – Sixty Summers

Arts & Crafts

Singer-songwriter

Written over a number of years and life experiences, Australian singer-songwriter Julia Stone has put out her third full-length Sixty Summers after an eight year break from her previous release. Her unique, raspy vocals lead the album across different seasons of emotions – from reminiscent to confident to affectionate. Regardless of where she lands, Stone has an inviting melancholy to her voice, welcoming the listener into her state of mind on each track as she creates a story through her emotive delivery and lyricism.

Notable tracks: “Break” // “We All Have” // “Dance”

Royal Blood – Typhoons

Warner Records UK

Alternative rock

On Brighton duo Royal Blood‘s third album Typhoons, the band have officially walked in as the UK’s response to the Canadian veterans Death From Above 1979. While the pair of Mike Kerr and Ben Tatcher have had their fun with blues-driven rock n’ roll riffs and raw, carnivorous percussion and have stemmed into the world of dance-punk for their latest. Citing artists like Daft Punk and Jungle as influences, they meet them halfway with searing distortion and disco time signatures, bringing out both the grooviness and explosiveness of the bass, and the power of a solid drum fill.

And continuing the comparison to DFA, one major difference seems to be the hand of a major label. While Death From Above have had their struggles, they’ve seemed to hold a consistent level of intensity and experimentation with their track list. For Royal Blood however, they slip up to the powers of the “pop” appeal less than halfway down the track list, finding a few radio-friendly faults throughout the track list that swap gusto for generic.