Every Friday, 88Nine music director Erin Wolf and Lilliput Records co-owner Tanner Musgrove tell you about the new albums you can’t miss on a new episode of On Vinyl. Check out their top picks and a list of this week’s other releases, and listen to their full conversation using the player on this page or on the 88Nine airwaves at 1 p.m. every Friday.
This particular Friday feels vibrant … even though it’s so durned cold outside! We’ve got just the music to warm you up, including collaborative and memory-filled releases from Cat Power, and tunes from Down Under to get that blood pumping as you reach for your air guitar.
Or, you could go in the defiant direction and chill out even further via funky instrumental grooves with languid vibes that’ll make you wish you had a cool drink to temper the build it creates; and some intimate, off-kilter, lo-fi, piano-driven goodness from the genius of André 3000 to make you smile. If the doldrums have set in, this Friday’s releases will help reset your mind, body and soul. We guarantee it.
Happy New Music Friday!
Best new albums out Jan. 23
Cat Power, Redux
Cat Power’s new release celebrates the 20th anniversary of her milestone 2006 album, The Greatest. This one may be short (song-wise), but it’s extra sweet for Cat Power fans, with a reimagined version of one of her standout tracks, “Could We,” performed live on The Greatest Tour with Dirty Delta Blues.
The two additional songs are notable covers — James Brown’s “Try Me” and Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” — that also feature Dirty Delta Blues as the backing band, recorded at Church House Studios in Austin. Both are tied to the original album in a cool way, if you’re into a little musical history. The three-song EP is available now on 10-inch vinyl via Domino.
Fazed on a Pony, swan
Fazed on a Pony is the songwriting project of New Zealand’s Peter McCall, who creates memorably ramshackle songs that are a truly satisfying hit of smart and bittersweet guitar rock. Swan is Fazed on a Pony’s second album and is already being praised for its honest humor and raw but warm sound that’s gotten comparisons to Sparklehorse, MJ Lenderman and David Berman. A limited edition clear vinyl is available from Meritorio Records via special order or through Bandcamp.
YĪN YĪN, Yatta
The Dutch band known for their vibrant ’60s and ’70s East Asian-inspired sound are back with their fourth studio album. We first came across them in 2019, when they released debut album The Rabbit That Hunts Tigers. We’re big fans of how they meld psychedelia, electronic and funk, and feel like we’re in for a total treat on this new one. Yatta is available via Glitterbeat Records on bio-vinyl with a full-color inner sleeve at any record shop near you.
André 3000, 7 piano sketches
Recorded almost a decade prior to releasing 2023 debut album New Blue Sun, André 3000 has brought us a project he never intended for the public to hear. 7 piano sketches was entirely recorded between his iPhone and laptop microphone, resulting in many of the tracks having a lo-fi sound; we really enjoy that aspect and are charmed by the samples and especially the intros assigned to each track. This 16-minute instrumental EP is available on a standard black 10” via Epic Records.
More of our picks
- Ari Lennox, Vacancy
- DJ Harrison, ElectroSoul
- Lucinda Williams, World’s Gone Wrong
- Megadeth, Megadeth
- Panic! At the Disco, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out (20th Anniversary)
- Poppy, Empty Hands
- PVA, No More Like This
- Searows, Death in the Business of Whaling
- The Paper Kites, If You Go There, I Hope You Find It
