Chromesthesia on Freeform Portland

Remember when new albums used to drop on Tuesdays? I think they made the change because people were pirating Kanye West or something? Maybe because of Black Friday? Payday? All of the above? I don't know how I feel about it. Actually, I feel a little rushed. New albums now come out on Friday and singles/EPs seem to trickle in throughout the rest of the week. Sometimes an album comes out on another day. I don't remember how many songs, albums, hours, and minutes worth of music came out last Friday that piqued my interest but I've already skimmed through what I added to my playlist to screen. My favorites so far:

Boogarins: "Boogarins on Audiotree Live"

https://open.spotify.com/album/6c7teFBFk7xzlhfTyVLPpk?si=82eptayqTMm9mpqXosgCrA

I saw them in Portland fairly recently at the Star Theater. Great Brazilian group with a bit of a psychedelic influence.

(Богемный) Люфт: Второй прощальный концерт в клубе "Бездна" - EP

Russian post-punk / no wave. I think their name translates to Bohemians but perhaps one of my Russian-speaking friends can correct me? They remind me of X-Ray Spex much of the time.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5KP0lNCsmVPgqnNuoDO5xO?si=XDr635aRRbOl9AljeA2Ypw

One of their older singles has a cover photo that looks like my cat Hampton (RIP) and features purring sounds behind sexy sax and bass lines, with the singer pulling more of a chanteuse schtick than channeling Poly Styrene. The B-side to that begins and ends with a cat growling and is funkier, like a 70s Blaxploitation soundtrack.

https://open.spotify.com/album/01yWF6lJndOenv08offcQM?si=zm4yuAXFTaatRB8RzZ1Ylw

I need to listen to the rest of their back catalog. I don't know how I stumbled upon them. I thought it was Bandcamp but I can't find them there now.

Ezra Furman: "Jump Out"

From their forthcoming album:

https://ezrafurman.bandcamp.com/album/goodbye-small-head

https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/6hBXDmcyrsLeTcSxzqNNc3?si=a532670a78884ff4

Beirut: "Tuanaki Atoll"

The usual France meets Eastern European folkiness from their forthcoming album:

https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/2Vxa18QIKSw8EdnC9of0oY?si=b79946c7ef2f4110

Francoise Hardy: "La question"

Not new but new to me. I've intended to listen to this for some time now. I love plenty of Françoise Hardy songs and had this album in a playlist of things to catch up on. I was prompted to dive in sooner by a review in Pitchfork.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/francoise-hardy-la-question/

Bossa nova meets yeyé? Yes yes.

https://open.spotify.com/album/42FkWEwDRihRWbsOdZmLSn?si=QNkLtgRZR0-QQ3NxJKPa-w

I think everything Scratch Acid ever released just got reissued. They're pretty great if you like The Jesus Lizard, Big Black, and other post-hardcore noise rock stuff.

https://scratchacid.bandcamp.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/219VCiRViG60EbPiocSWJp?si=k7m5ioSvSDiWOxS84-UUeQ

Here's an okay cover of The Velvet Underground's "I'll Be Your Mirror" by a dream pop band from Kyoto called AmovingmoviE. I wasn't that into the rest of their latest EP but might revisit it or check out their earlier stuff.

https://sangorecords.bandcamp.com/track/ill-be-your-mirror-the-velvet-underground-cover

https://open.spotify.com/album/5xhzMS9XIgHXhhb3ftS2H2?si=ELG-nFCfR3WXOniAQuPmjg

Throwing Muses: "Moonlight Concessions"

I saw Kristin Hersh perform for the Live Wire radio show recently and got to briefly chat with her after. She was very nice and I've been looking forward to this album since. In the meantime, she released a solo EP, Clear Pond Sessions, which I wasn't that into. Something about her voice just suits rock better than acoustic sing-songwriter stuff, for me anyway.

https://throwingmuses.bandcamp.com/album/moonlight-concessions

https://open.spotify.com/album/2ftAcFZMDD89fpNo89ZkG6?si=WGloOFE7QGOA9ijZlYuM3A

Anoushka Shankar: "Chapter III: We Return to Light EP"

Daughter of Ravi. The third in a series of EPs. I don't know if the previous two didn't impress me or if I overlooked them, so I'm going to circle back and catch up or remind myself. I dug this though.

https://anoushkashankar.bandcamp.com/album/chapter-iii-we-return-to-light

https://open.spotify.com/album/10y2phPg1DNcq2YALjzABR?si=tvUhJjvERAuafo-km2z21A

Gang of Four reissued their 1995 album "Shrinkwrapped"

https://gangoffour.bandcamp.com/album/shrinkwrapped-2025-remaster

It sounds a little tinny to me. I'm not that into guitarist Andy Gill's production choices this outing. I kind of like that singer Joe King croons a bit on it but he's pretty buried in the mix. On the whole, I'm not that into it, but I do like the song "I Parade Myself:"

https://open.spotify.com/track/6EKina1KclL4Muu6GNP6zJ?si=d9e5430a29aa4b89

I also saw Portland band Glitterfox at a Live Wire taping. I want to like them more than I do and can't explain offhand why I'm underwhelmed by them. I'll give them more chances and I'm glad I did this time because their new EP, "Highway Forever," closes with a pretty cool song sung in Basque:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4VShBZDVlmUM0G3mu1P0UI?si=cdb4129523084af3

https://glitterfoxband.bandcamp.com/album/highway-forever

Attaca Quartet released an album of Ravel's String Quartet in F Major. I can't tell you if it's especially noteworthy but I enjoyed it well enough.

https://open.spotify.com/album/1bg69IvoHOmsn6Rcne0tKG?si=2hgPLl3qSo6O8rjsNgiIDA

Phantasm released yet another recording of Bach's "The Art of the Fugue." I keep telling myself I'm not going to bother with such things anymore because there are already so many excellent recordings already but you could do worse if it's new to you:

https://open.spotify.com/album/0PgmKsuZrqjDxfwov6jYWb?si=yQrKnDBwQSmFzsdEoU3lrQ

Similarly, Grace Park put out a recording of "Works for Violin & Orchestra" by Dvořák and Mozart. If I'd only seen the title, I probably would have passed, but I'm a sucker for works arranged for alternate instruments and the second Dvořak piece was not originally composed for violin and orchestra:

https://open.spotify.com/album/4RRRHqclcqUkFEmAv2TJpl?si=zdWPHNFZQHKfTXguKYwAmA

The only jazz release that jumped out at me is a sort of classical hybrid. I assume there's a full-length album coming out eventually but so far it's just two track by pianist Stefano Bollani, who I know I like and is how I came across this, with pianist Iiro Rantala, who I haven't heard before. I'm usually averse to piano duos or works for four hands, as they are too busy for me, but I liked this single, which is the intro to the Verdi opera La Traviata:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3zjL4thP3SpGNWoxiHDWvq?si=fX-oftzuSPSlqPrRFOUGIg

Esther Rose has a new album coming out on May 2 called "Want." I think I like the first two singles off of it but suspect they won't hold up to repeated listenings. We'll see:

https://estherrosemusic.bandcamp.com/album/want

https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/1RpHMoFe2YFonTcJnQdXd8?si=a7ead47f952f474f

Mamalarky's album "Hex Key" comes out on April 11. They're hit and miss for me depending on how much tolerance I have for the vocals but I like what I've heard of it so far:

https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/0srXbkubl8nv0MZZkSn7Cy?si=1d76db20fe4440c1

https://mamalarky.bandcamp.com/album/hex-key

I'm not sure how I found Portuguese artist Jasmim, which is annoying, because it was just earlier today. I like his two most recent singles though:

https://open.spotify.com/album/57GZvCemPWlUgrSyGxYveD?si=BzV53fTgT9-CAwycFNwqyg

I really like "Myself to You," the new album by Portland's Sunbathe. It's got a Laurel Canyon country-rock vibe, with more fuzzy jangling than twang, which is right up my alley. Pretty vocals too.

https://thisissunbathe.bandcamp.com/album/myself-to-you

I like 4 songs from "Gaman," the debut album by Bay Area band Star 99. They're maybe a bit too pop-punk or emo for me sometimes and, predictably, some dude sings instead of a woman every now and then and f***s things up. That's all too common in emo. See: Rainer Maria. Anyway, I don't know how well the 4 songs I liked so far will hold up. Maybe others will grow on me. The lyrics either seemed clever or trite, so I fear they'll wear out their welcome. Maybe you'll be more into them:

https://open.spotify.com/album/2yKtncNYgsI6U62w243r9i?si=K1ZedmzaQaWI58GgX1TAig

https://star99.bandcamp.com/album/gaman

I think I've saved the best for last. Sunbathe might have earned a draw but I'm biased because I already know and love Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek. Their new album "Yarın Yoksa" combines Anatolian folk with psychedelic soul:

https://deryayildirimandgrupsimsek.bandcamp.com/album/yar-n-yoksa

https://open.spotify.com/album/5l7ypUMco5BLsIYBjIYWay?si=YMNTeDhsRnWCha1vSEXEBA

I'm going to re-listen to a couple of new songs by El Michaels Affair but they're instrumental and I'm not as into that as when Piya Malik from Say Sue Me sings for them (incidentally, I'm not as into Piya Malik when she sings for Say Sue Me). There will probably be some more things that come out between now and Friday, so I could add to this, but this is what I've been digging so far this week.

Yarın Yoksa Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek · Album · 2025 · 11 songs

https://www.openculture.com/2025/03/why-the-girl-from-ipanema-is-a-richer-weirder-song-than-you-realized.html

Why “The Girl from Ipanema” Is a Richer & Weirder Song Than You Realized Say what you want about YouTube’s negative effects (endless soy faces, influencers, its devious and fascist-leaning algorithms) but it has offered to creators a space in which to indulge.

Old but new to me. Found via comments in New Bands for Old Heads. https://meandtimory.substack.com

https://youtu.be/QW0i1U4u0KE

oração . a banda mais bonita da cidade (c/ leo fressato) instagram.com/bandamaisbonitaMúsica de Leo Fressato.pré-produção & conceito: Cassiana MaranhaUyara TorrenteVinícius Nisi direção: Vinícius Nisifotografia:And...

Good Looks

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jan/18/she-couldnt-walk-she-couldnt-talk-music-therapy-helped-joni-mitchell-recover-from-a-stroke-could-it-ward-off-depression-and-dementia-too

‘She couldn’t walk, she couldn’t talk’: music therapy helped Joni Mitchell recover from a stroke – could it ward off depression and dementia too? When his friend, the legendary songwriter, had a catastrophic stroke, neuroscientist Daniel Levitin put together a programme of music therapy. Now he’s recommending it for a whole range of conditions