San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Listen: A new duet from Angelique Kidjo and Sting, along with more hot new music
NEW ALBUMS
SleaterKinney, “Path of Wellness” (Mom+Pop): Originally from Olympia, Wash., SleaterKinney is one of the most notable bands of the postgrunge indie rock era of the mid’90s and beyond. In 2021, the band’s 10th album sees singer/guitarists Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein operating for the first time since parting ways with their fabled drummer Janet Weiss. Instead, they’ve brought in musicians from Portland, Ore. — where they recorded and selfproduced “Path of Wellness” — to fill out the sound.
The multitalented Brownstein, also known for her starring role in the sketch comedy show “Portlandia,” takes the lead on the flower child nostalgia of “High in the Grass,” before the pair harmonize on the hook. Then on “Method,” Tucker’s unmistakable vocals and Brownstein’s guitar are as sharp as ever, as they muse about our prevalent hardened psyches, with Tucker singing: “I’m singing about love, but it’s coming out like hate.” Martina TopleyBird, “Pure Heart EP” (selfreleased): The former Massive Attack and Tricky vocalist has released a threetrack EP of songs produced by Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja — who many conspiracy theorists also believe to be the true identity of street artist Banksy. But I digress. TopleyBird is arguably the defining voice of triphop, and “Pure Heart” taps into her moxie once again. The title track stands out, with glitchy, sullen and almost dystopian production as TopleyBird looks to make sense of the heartache in her life, which included the tragic death of her daughter in 2019. “Forever I’ll wait and I’ll die if I must, to be reborn again with the wings that don’t rust,” she sings.
All of the tracks on “Pure Heart” will appear on the Bristol singer’s forthcoming LP, “Forever I Wait,” out Sept. 10.
SONG OF THE MOMENT
Angelique Kidjo featuring Sting, “Mother Nature” (UMG): The fourtime Grammy winner’s latest single is the title track to her justreleased album and features the venerable Sting on the hook. An anthem to Mother Earth, the song reminds us about the power of nature and how it takes a global effort to preserve her.
“I want this record to inspire people to think about their connection to Mother Nature, and how dear this Earth is to us,” Kidjo, the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador from Benin, said in a statement.
The track is produced by KelP, best known for his work with fellow Nigerian rapper Burna Boy, who also appears on Kidjo’s album along with West African music stars like Mr Eazi and Sampa the Great as well as James Poyser of the Roots.
LOCAL PICKS
Brothers Comatose, “Soft & Blue” (Swamp Jam Records): This is the first single from the stalwart Bay Area bluegrass quintet’s yettobenamed upcoming album, due out this fall. The song is about “vulnerability and trying to mend a failing relationship by reflecting on past failed relationships,” singer Alex Morrison said in a statement — and it sees the band
beautifully blending strings. Morrison on banjo, his brother Ben on guitar, bassist Scott Padden (of Goodnight, Texas), mandolinist Greg Fleischut and violinist Philip Brezina (who also plays with the San Jose Chamber Orchestra) deliver the type of highcaliber musicianship that has made the Brothers Comatose an essential local act for years.
Brogan Bentley, “Ecstasy” (Leaving Records): In 2014, Brogan Bentley released “The Snake,” one of the best electronic albums to come out of the Bay Area in the past 10 years. Since then, the San Francisco producer got his master’s in electronic music and recording media at Oakland’s Mills College and has spent seven years writing, recording, producing and perfecting the complete aesthetic of his followup album, “Diapason Rex,” set for release on Aug. 13.
The lead single, “Ecstasy,” is a drum and bass track at its core, built on flawless amen drum breaks, atmospheric effects and Bentley’s soothing vocal chant. The track’s accompanying visualizer is an amalgamation of the album’s audiovisual experience.
A dynamic artist, Bentley also appears on an upcoming tribute album to the late psych rocker Roky Erickson, which is set to drop July 17 on Light in the Attic Records.
Deafheaven, “Great Mass of Color” (Sargent House): The first single from the San Francisco postmetal band’s recently announced album, “Infinite Granite” (out Aug. 20), is like nothing fans have ever heard from the band. When The Chronicle highlighted its “10 Years Gone” live album in December, the songs featured were all predicated on singer George Clarke’s signature metal yowl. With “Great Mass of Color,” he gets a chance to showcase his range into something more harmonious, as gorgeous guitars take the track into a whole new universe.
While longtime coproducer Jack Shirley of Oakland’s Atomic Garden East Studio is still the album’s engineer, Deafheaven has tapped Justin MeldalJohnsen to produce the record. MeldalJohnsen has been behind the boards for albums with unforgettable soundscapes like M83’s “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming,” “SVIIB” by School of Seven Bells and the Mercury Music Prizewinning “Visions of a Life” by Wolf Alice. His touch on “Great Mass of Color” is palpable, and it foreshadows an exciting new chapter for the band.