NEW MUSIC FROM NEW ORLEANS: December 2024
Reviews by Paul Oswell
OK, so life got in the way of my last attempt to round up the city's best new music - forgive me, some of these releases are nearly-new, but their undeniable greatness means that they deserve to be talked about! Some big local names dropped some fantastic tunes over the last couple of months - here's your chance to catch any that you may have missed.
Reviews by Paul Oswell
OK, so life got in the way of my last attempt to round up the city's best new music - forgive me, some of these releases are nearly-new, but their undeniable greatness means that they deserve to be talked about! Some big local names dropped some fantastic tunes over the last couple of months - here's your chance to catch any that you may have missed.
Tell It To The Wind
Joy Clark
The wind can consider itself told, that is if we’re talking about the whirlwind of success that Joy Clark has enjoyed this last year or so. This album - crowdfunded by her growing army of fans - is long-awaited, and adds to Clark’s catalogue of singles and EP recordings. She recently headlined the new (and hopefully returning) Black Americana Festival, and that’s as good a musical label as any if you’re not familiar with her acoustic guitar-driven anthems. Gospel, folk, and a wide range of contemporary influences are all apparent amid Clark’s signature (and infectious) joyful nature, with musicians from New Orleans and beyond helping round out her catchy, melodic fundamentals. This is a supremely confident showcase of a singer-songwriter who is on a seemingly-irresistible cycle of ascendance right now; and well deserved it is, too.
Joy Clark
The wind can consider itself told, that is if we’re talking about the whirlwind of success that Joy Clark has enjoyed this last year or so. This album - crowdfunded by her growing army of fans - is long-awaited, and adds to Clark’s catalogue of singles and EP recordings. She recently headlined the new (and hopefully returning) Black Americana Festival, and that’s as good a musical label as any if you’re not familiar with her acoustic guitar-driven anthems. Gospel, folk, and a wide range of contemporary influences are all apparent amid Clark’s signature (and infectious) joyful nature, with musicians from New Orleans and beyond helping round out her catchy, melodic fundamentals. This is a supremely confident showcase of a singer-songwriter who is on a seemingly-irresistible cycle of ascendance right now; and well deserved it is, too.
Whisper Party!
Waveland
Dream pop isn’t necessarily the first genre that you think of in the New Orleans music scene, but Whisper Party! (the exclamation point is necessary - more bands should incorporate punctuation into their names, surely?) are looking to change that. Recorded in Waveland, MS (the band report that it was laid down “Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumors' style but without the drama!”), this is the second album from these dreamboats. Given that at least a few of the songs were already written as their first (self-titled) album came out in 2023, Waveland feels like a seamless extension of their sound. Self-proclaimed influences such as Blonde Redhead, Slowdive, and Cocteau Twins shimmer among some rockier riffs, and the dreams remain the kind that you just don’t want to wake up from. READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH WHISPER PARTY!
Waveland
Dream pop isn’t necessarily the first genre that you think of in the New Orleans music scene, but Whisper Party! (the exclamation point is necessary - more bands should incorporate punctuation into their names, surely?) are looking to change that. Recorded in Waveland, MS (the band report that it was laid down “Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumors' style but without the drama!”), this is the second album from these dreamboats. Given that at least a few of the songs were already written as their first (self-titled) album came out in 2023, Waveland feels like a seamless extension of their sound. Self-proclaimed influences such as Blonde Redhead, Slowdive, and Cocteau Twins shimmer among some rockier riffs, and the dreams remain the kind that you just don’t want to wake up from. READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH WHISPER PARTY!
Dusky Waters
A House on King Street
One of the founders of the aforementioned Black Americana Festival, Dusky Waters is also a singer-songwriter mixing melodies and stories to wonderful effect. Waters here evokes a nostalgic, lyrically engrossing ode to domestic familiarity, with the reassurances of putting down roots and thriving. Banjo, accordion, viola, upright bass, piano and percussion all help mold the world building, and the generational through-line, the celebration of tradition and life experiences from the Deep South all bubble up through the lovely instrumentation. READ OUR REVIEW WITH DUSKY WATERS AND CO-FOUNDER TEENA MAY
A House on King Street
One of the founders of the aforementioned Black Americana Festival, Dusky Waters is also a singer-songwriter mixing melodies and stories to wonderful effect. Waters here evokes a nostalgic, lyrically engrossing ode to domestic familiarity, with the reassurances of putting down roots and thriving. Banjo, accordion, viola, upright bass, piano and percussion all help mold the world building, and the generational through-line, the celebration of tradition and life experiences from the Deep South all bubble up through the lovely instrumentation. READ OUR REVIEW WITH DUSKY WATERS AND CO-FOUNDER TEENA MAY
Notes From Above Ground
Inko
OK, this is more of a regional review as opposed to a local one, but I’m going to welcome Savannah-based Inko to the column. Opener Keep Up jolts things into action with gospel-tinged, choral backing and clap-ably urgent drums. Songwriter/lead singer Raymond Hummel has unwavering good taste in synths, the darker retro fuzziness of single Humility channelling a whiff of Depeche Mode-esque electronica (you can hear Dave Gahan-like sentiments in the opening line “Sometimes humility doesn’t take/A good boy has a devilish streak”). The arena-sounding vocals are given a striking amount of heft in the (impressive) production throughout. The highly literate, compelling lyricism is cradled by delightful musical easter eggs - a quick diversion in time signature here, a little acapella there - that keep the listener guessing, all the while remaining accessible and instantly ripe for multiple re-listening. Every day above ground is a good one, and they’re even better when they enjoy a soundtrack like Inko’s.
Inko
OK, this is more of a regional review as opposed to a local one, but I’m going to welcome Savannah-based Inko to the column. Opener Keep Up jolts things into action with gospel-tinged, choral backing and clap-ably urgent drums. Songwriter/lead singer Raymond Hummel has unwavering good taste in synths, the darker retro fuzziness of single Humility channelling a whiff of Depeche Mode-esque electronica (you can hear Dave Gahan-like sentiments in the opening line “Sometimes humility doesn’t take/A good boy has a devilish streak”). The arena-sounding vocals are given a striking amount of heft in the (impressive) production throughout. The highly literate, compelling lyricism is cradled by delightful musical easter eggs - a quick diversion in time signature here, a little acapella there - that keep the listener guessing, all the while remaining accessible and instantly ripe for multiple re-listening. Every day above ground is a good one, and they’re even better when they enjoy a soundtrack like Inko’s.
Jambalaya Suitcase
Deadbeatniks
Darker winter days getting you down? I prescribe a healthy dose of this jauntily-uplifting number. What’s more uplifting than a suitcase of jambalaya, after all? There’s an almost Randy Newman-ian lilt to the observational musings that Anuraag Pendyal fits into this charmingly-meandering, folk-y, reggae-adjacent tune. It starts simply, and gradually picks up a host of great musicians along the way, including Branden Lewis (Preservation Hall) on trumpet, Isaac Eady (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Third Moon) on drums, and Whitney Alouisious. I think I even heard an enthusiastic pooch bark in a backing vocal there somewhere. Whistle away the gloom, and make sure to pack this along with your gumbo backpack.
Deadbeatniks
Darker winter days getting you down? I prescribe a healthy dose of this jauntily-uplifting number. What’s more uplifting than a suitcase of jambalaya, after all? There’s an almost Randy Newman-ian lilt to the observational musings that Anuraag Pendyal fits into this charmingly-meandering, folk-y, reggae-adjacent tune. It starts simply, and gradually picks up a host of great musicians along the way, including Branden Lewis (Preservation Hall) on trumpet, Isaac Eady (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Third Moon) on drums, and Whitney Alouisious. I think I even heard an enthusiastic pooch bark in a backing vocal there somewhere. Whistle away the gloom, and make sure to pack this along with your gumbo backpack.
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