New Music Friday: 13th Floor New Album Picks: March 29, 2024

New Music Friday and Good Friday! Sure Beyoncé has a new album out. But while you’re line-dancing to Texas Hold ‘Em, give a listen  to these 5 new albums also out today.

There’s plenty to choose from…some new shoegaze from Ride all the way to gut-bucket blues of Bloodshot’s Dirty Old One Man Band, Scott H. Biram, and everything in-between.

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

1. Ride – Interplay (Wichita Recordings) Oxford’s finest release 7th album and third since reuniting in 2015. The four original members have made what they consider their most collaborative effort yet. as Andy Bell explains: “This album has taken a long time to make, and has seen the band go through a lot of ups and downs; maybe the most of any Ride album. But it has seen us come through the process as a band in a good place, feeling able to shake off the past, and ready to celebrate the combined musical talents that brought us together in the first place.” Watch for an interview with Ride on the 13th Floor very soon!

2. Sheryl Crow – Evolution (Big Machine) Sheryl claims that her 2019 album Threads would be her last, but here she is! “This music and these lyrics came from sitting in the quiet and writing from a deep soul place,” Crow said of Evolution in a press release. “I said I’d never make another record, thought there was no point to it. But this music comes from my soul. And I hope whoever hears this record can feel that.” We say, if it makes you happy, then so are we.

3. Alejandro Escovedo – Echo Dancing (Yep Roc) Alejandro digs into the past and comes up with something new. Part of a fabulous musical family, Alejandro draws on his days as a member of The Nuns, The True Believers and Buick Mackane…says Escovedo. “My original idea was to record an album of new material. But then I changed my mind and thought that revisiting songs from my various albums would be more interesting. I always feel that a well-written song can withstand a lot of abuse. Turning a past song inside out leads to discovery of new ideas you might not have understood. The songs never seem to be complete. They are always evolving.”

4. Sarah Shook & The Disarmers – Revelations (Abeyance/Thirty Tigers) Self-produced by bandleader River Shook, Revelations is all about songwriting. “A lot of artists are in this industry for fame, recognition, and money but those things don’t mean anything to me. Songwriting is it for me. It’s the only real healthy coping mechanism I’ve ever had. It’s life-saving, and all of my writing is autobiographical. I write everything based on my observations and experiences, but there was something about Revelations that felt more personal to me. I unlocked this level of honesty with myself and an ability to be more objective about the things I struggle with daily. I’m a firm believer that if you are an artist, and you want to make better art, a big part of that isn’t just exercising your musical skills, it’s growing as a human being. So every time I make a record, I want to be able to listen to it and look back on who I was then. I want to see this arc and this evolution. That’s really fucking important to me.”

5. Scott H. Biram – The One & Only Scott H. Biram (Bloodshot) Thirty years into his career, the solo bluesman releases his lucky 13th album. “I’m constantly trying to go back to the junky, lo-fi sounds of my early records,” says Biram. “But it’s harder to do now. The more you learn about production the harder it is to convey that genuine unproduced feeling. I have to compromise between overproduced and lo-fi, so it sounds pro, but still keeps that grittiness. It’s a mix of blues, country, folk, and influences from heavier genres like metal and hard rock.” Look for a 13th Floor interview with Biram very soon.