New Music Friday: 13th Floor New Album Picks: July 12, 2024

New Music Friday is back after a week off thanks to US Independence Day. This week we have plenty of new music for you to ruminate to over the weekend. Here are our top 5 choices.

The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda picks these five new releases for your consideration:

1. Cassandra Jenkins – My Light, My Destroyer (Dead Oceans) Cassandra got rave reviews for her previous album, An Overview On Phenomenal Nature, and…dare we say it…we think this one is even better! Cassandra considered hanging it all up before releasing her second album. We are sure glad she didn’t. This third long player is stunning with Cassandra’s lyrics taking on more resonance than ever. Make sure you check out the 13th Floor interview with Cassandra Jenkins and give her new album a good, close listen today.

2. Fan Club – Towards The Sun EP (No Smoking After) The members of this rocking Auckland quartet are all still in their teens…a true teenage Fan Club…and here they are with their debut EP. Produced by Andrew Isdale, the EP has been made possible through support from SmokeFree RockQuest, NZ on Air, and proceeds from the band’s dynamic live shows. You can catch that live show this Sunday at Big Fan. And be sure to watch the 13th Floor interview with all four members of Fan Club right here.

3. Psycho Gab – Crazy Talk (Self) Another debut EP, this time by a Kiwi “neo-soul collective”. “It’s our debut body of work!” exclaims vocalist Rosetta Stone. “A cocktail of our individual influences and styles, it documents how those styles collide into a sound that none of us would reach on our own. It’s the chaotic and exciting reality of five full-time students, with lots on the go, making music together. It’s also a reflection of our community – all those in Aotearoa music who inspire and support us.” Click here to watch Psycho Gab perform at The 13th Floor. And catch them live tomorrow night at Whammy Bar

4. Cody Dickinson – Homemade (Strong Place) The North Mississippi All Star steps out on his own with this, his first solo album. “I love how it all came together,” Cody says. “This album is very grassroots — it was
made at home, around my family, filled with Mississippi blues and southern music — but there’s also a very Hollywood-friendly, showbizzy angle to the story, because that’s where the deal went down. I made this record for me, but I made it for everyone else, too, and I like that it can occupy both of those worlds. It’s big enough to do that.” Watch for a 13th Floor interview with Cody very soon!

5. Color Green – Fool’s Parade (New West) They were a duo, now they’re a quartet. Running on full steam, LA psychedelic rock band Color Green have released their second album. The album was co-produced by the band and Mike Kriebel (Osees, Wand), and it also features appearances by members of Osees, The Nude Party, and more. The band says the whole album was written collaboratively as a band, with all of them in the room together the whole time. You can learn more about it when we post the 13th Floor interview with Color Green, coming soon!

REISSUE OF THE DAY:

John Lennon – Mind Games (The Ultimate Collection) (Capitol/UMe) A 6-CD, 2-Blu-ray box set of Lennon’s 1973 solo album. Produced by Sean Ono Lennon, here’s what you get:

A Limited Edition 10-inch square Box Set including 6 CDs, 2 HD Audio Blu-Rays, a 136-page hardback book; a reproduction of the original 1973 triptych marketing poster; postcard sized reproductions of 1973 advert artworks and an individually numbered Citizen of Nutopia ID Card.

6 CDs of The Ultimate Mixes, Elemental Mixes, Elements Mixes, Evolution Documentary, Out-takes and Raw Studio Mixes.

2 Audio Blu-Rays include High Definition 24/192 Stereo, 24/192 5.1 Surround, and Dolby Atmos versions of all of the above, plus the 2024 Remastered ‘Mind Games’ music video and a ‘You Are Here’ (additional out-take) tape boxes music video.

Produced by Sean Ono Lennon. Mixed and Engineered by Triple GRAMMY-Award winner Paul Hicks, Mixed and Engineered by Sam Gannon and Mixed by Rob Stevens. Stereos Mastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios. 5.1 Surround and Dolby Atmos mastered by Sam Gannon.

Included is a 136-page glossy, hardback coffee-table book about the writing and recording of the album – in the words of John & Yoko – taken from hundreds of hours of archive interviews; also featuring brand-new interviews with all the musicians and engineers, exclusive never-before-seen photographs by Bob Gruen and unseen photos, lyrics, letters, original tape boxes and memorabilia from the John Lennon & Yoko Ono Lennon Archives.

That oughta hold ya!