New Music Friday: 13th Floor Album Picks: Feb. 17, 2023

New Music Friday is here again. The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda presents this week’s 5 new albums for your consideration plus a Kiwi classic celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Here we go, from P!nk to the blues, there’s something here for every taste.

1. P!nk – TRUSTFALL (RCA) Pink’s 9th album features guest appearances by The Lumineers, Chris Stapleton and First Aid Kit. Here’s what P!nk has to say about it:“I think it is one of the best records I’ve ever made, and I feel about it the way I felt about Missundaztood and I’m Not Dead and possibly The Truth About Love. And so I’m really excited and anxious.

2. Ron Sexsmith – The Vivian Line (Cooking Vinyl) It’s the Canadian singer-songwriter’s 17th album! Here’s what Ron has to say about it: “The Vivian Line is a rural route right near where we live in Stratford (Ontario). Whenever we have to get out of the city we jump on The Vivian Line and it dumps us out onto the highway. I wondered about the name when we first moved there and thought it was intriguing… it sort of represents escaping from our old life in Toronto to this new phase we’re in. And it’s also like a portal to my old life when I have to get back there.:

3. Joe Louis Walker – Weight Of The World (Forty Below) Album #25 for this 73 year old bluesman. Working with producer Eric Corne, Joe Louis Walker constructs Weight of the World as something of a showcase for his own diversity. Grounding himself in soul-blues, Walker stretches this form to include the string-drenched “Hello, It’s the Blues” and the jaunty, organ-driven jazz of “You Got Me Whipped,” as well as the funky workouts of “Count Your Chickens” and “Waking Up the Dead.”

4. Screaming Females – Desire Pathway (Don Giovanni) The New Brunswick, NJ trio has consistently created a hearty, surprising mix of indie-, alt-, punk- and stoner-rock, all with their original line-up of Paternoster, “King Mike” Mike Abbate (bass) and Jarrett Dougherty (drums). Desire Pathway was recorded at Minnesota’s Pachyderm Studios (where Nirvana recorded In Utero) and produced by Matt Bayles (Foxing, Pearl Jam, Mastodon, et al). Bright and full, the album captures the band at a time when nothing was certain other than their abiding desire to make music together.

5. Lowly – Keep Up The Good Work (Bella Union) The internationally acclaimed quintet from Denmark continue to develop their creative process, embracing other peoples’ affection and letting it blend into their songwriting. The result of this journey: Keep Up The Good Work, the band’s most heartfelt work to date.

Also released today: 

Shihad celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pacifier. The 2003 double platinum record is finally available on vinyl. Jon Toogood says, “This super deluxe version is a thing of beauty and has been remastered to sound awesome! (Especially at high volume!) This very limited edition is gonna go quick so make sure you grab yours before they’re all gone!”

Look for an interview with Jon and Karl of Shihad on The 13th Floor later today. (And we may have albums to give away)