San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
New tunes by Gabriel GarzónMontano, Mogwai and others.
The Chronicle’s guide to notable new music.
NEW ALBUMS
Mogwai, “As the Love Continues” (Temporary Residence LTD): Twentyfive years after the release of their first single, members of Scottish postrock band Mogwai have released their 10th studio album. Produced by Dave Fridmann, behind the boards for albums from bands like Spoon, SleaterKinney and the Flaming Lips, “As the Love Continues” also features appearances by Oscarwinning composer Atticus Ross and Arcade Fire saxophonist Colin Stetson. Mogwai frontman Stuart Braithwaite said the album aims to transport listeners to different locales while their ability to travel continues to be hampered by the pandemic. If you close your eyes when listening to lead single “Dry Fantasy,” there’s no telling where your mind will take you.
Hand Habits, “Dirt” (Saddle Creek): The modest threesong EP sees Meg Duffy, who uses genderneutral pronouns, pushing through lingering emotions from their past
through new experimental tracks. Coproduced by Duffy and Sasami Ashworth, “Dirt” features the single “4th of July,” a cover of Neil Young’s “I Believe in You” and a version of Hand Habits’ “What’s the Use” by electronic producer Katie Dey. Duffy is a fantastic guitarist who also plays lead guitar on Kevin Morby’s touring band, and “Dirt” is a potential window into the artist’s upcoming work.
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
GLBL WRMNG, “glbl wrmng Vol. 1” (InGrooves): New Orleans rapper Pell and former Oakland resident Nate “Suave’' Cameron launched the GLBL WRMNG collective to showcase the resilient spirit and diversely minded sound of hiphop in the Big Easy. Released via the Bay Area’s InGrooves imprint, the project is loaded with memorable tracks: “Take Time” sees Pell and Kr3wcial flowing on an emotive R&B number with thick and pronounced bass hits. Single “504” is an emphatic shoutout to the city the album honors, and “What Is Love” pairs Pell with vocalist Angelika “Jelly” Joseph of Grammynominated funksters Tank and the Bangas.
SONG OF THE MOMENT
Middle Kids, “Cellophane (Brain)” (Domino): The Aussie indie rock trio’s third single from their upcoming sophomore album, “Today We’re the Greatest,” shows total mastery of the pop songwriting formu
la. The track opens with restrained guitar picks and delicate synths as singer Hannah Joy sets the stage. The song slowly builds into a big payoff of a chorus that just gets more and more evocative after every verse.
“I want to make music that loves its listener,” Joy said in a statement, and “Cellophane (Brain)” — with its enveloping melody and openarms guitar — might be the most honest expression of exactly that.
The followup to 2018’s hit debut, “Lost Friends,” is out on March 19 and is produced by Lars Stalfors, who has worked on notable productions for Electric Guest, St. Vincent and others.
LOCAL PICKS
Sitka Sun, “All the Way West” (The Long Road Society): The second album from Oakland jazz ensemble Sitka Sun is a globally minded collection of explorations fit for a hifi lounge. Led by bandleader and composer Patrick Murphy, Sitka Sun vigorously veers toward psychedelia on its six stellar winding tracks. “Presence” features a billowing horn section alongside a juicy double bass line. “Dauntless” has a distinct Afrobeat sensibility and feels like being in a smoky and somber jazz club. This is music made for an inspired drive down Highway 1 or a night indoors with your record player and the lights turned down low.
Bobby Renz, “Grapefruit Juice” (Text Me Records):
Recorded in his San Francisco apartment during shelterinplace, “Grapefruit Juice” is a chilledout summer rock number from Renz. The uncertainty surrounding the pandemic caused him to leave his rehearsal space at Secret Studios, and recording at his goto Different Fur Studios wasn’t an option early on either, but he made the most of the situation at home.
“I loved having my whole home studio right at home,” Renz told The Chronicle. “It was like such a creative blast for such a weird time and helped keep me occupied and sane.”
His upcoming album, “Eat a Rainbow,” is out March 19, and for Renz, who has since moved to Long Beach, the music is now a time capsule of his 13 years living in San Francisco.
CAN’TMISS REMIX
Gabriel GarzónMontano featuring Jamila Woods, “Someone (Armando Young remix)” (Jagjaguwar): Released in October, Gabriel GarzónMontano’s second LP, “Agüita,” is a gorgeous mishmash of reggaeton, R&B and pop, representative of the Colombian American artist’s roots. Its lead single, “Someone,” just got a reenergized remix by producer Armando Young and vocals from Chicago R&B singer and poet Jamila Woods. In a world where remixes generally tend to make you want to listen to the original version instead, Young’s tropical treatment adds new flair, and applies the artistic vision of GarzónMontano’s latest offerings to a song that seemed forged in his past work.