New Music Friday: 13th Floor New Album Picks: September 20, 2024

Its another New Music Friday and another chance for us here at The 13th Floor to share the best of this week’s new releases with you, including new albums from Joan As Police Woman, Steve Forbert and more!

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

1. Joan As Police Woman – Lemons, Limes and Orchids (PIAS) Joan Wasser releases her 10th studio album today and its a winner! The new album sees Joan venture deeper into her jazz influences with further affectations associated with electronic and ambient music. The album features production and instrumentation from an impressive list of collaborators. The accomplished personnel includes the legendary and GRAMMY-Award winning Meshell Ndegeocello on bass, Chris Bruce (Seal, Trevor Horn, Alanis Morisette) on guitar, Daniel Mintseris (St. Vincent, David Byrne, Elvis Costello & The Imposters) on keys, and Parker Kindred (Jeff Buckley, Liam Gallagher) and Otto Hauser alternating on drums. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.

2. Steve Forbert – Daylight Savings Time (Blue Rose) At age 69, “Little Stevie Orbit” just keeps rolling along. Daylight Savings Time addresses the changing of the seasons and the passing of time. The new album contains 10 new, literate, melodic folk-rock tunes. As Forbert approaches the milestone of his 70th birthday, Daylight Savings Time contemplates and celebrates the proverbial ‘extra hour of day-light’ that comes with the time change. “Yeah to chirping crickets and to daylight savings time!” he sings on the album’s first single “Sound Existence,” “The best ain’t yet to come, but you could still get by just fine.” Click here to watch the 13th Floor interview with Steve Forbert.

3. Brant Bjork Trio – Once Upon A Time In The Desert (Duna) Kyuss co-founder Brant Bjork forms a trio with longtime friends Mario Lalli (Yawning Man, Fatso Jetson, Desert Sessions) on bass guitar and Brant Bjork band alumni Ryan Güt on drums. The new release is the result of a long collaborative friendship between Bjork, Lalli and Güt. The power trio recording the tracks at Donner & Blitzen studios in Southern California with another long time collaborator Mathias Shneeberger. Mathias has recorded and engineered many of the classic desert rock albums over the years.  Click here to read the 13th Floor album review. And watch for a 13th Floor MusicTalk interview with Brant, coming very soon!

4. Bright Eyes – Five Dice, All Threes (Dead Oceans) Comprised of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nate Walcott, the beloved band’s 10th studio album features guest performances from long time friends Cat Power, The National’s Matt Berninger and The So So Glos’ Alex Orange Drink. Even with a rich history behind them, these new songs exude a visceral thrill like nothing they have attempted before. Conor has always sung in a voice that conveys a sense of life-or-death gravity. At times throughout Five Dice, All Threes, you may feel worried for him; other times, he may seem like the only one with the clarity to get us out of this mess. Watch this space for a 13th Floor Bright Eyes interview…

5. Office Dog – Doggerland (Flying Nun) Kane Strang & co follow up their debut album with a 7-track EP. Kane says, “Doggerland is the name of a place in the northern hemisphere that was once inhabited by people and then completely submerged by the sea. Since themes of water, surfacing, and things like that were naturally appearing in my lyrics as we worked on these songs in late 2023, we named the EP after it. I’m glad we did because I feel like this word not only hints at the lyrical themes this time around but also at how these tracks are different sonically from Spiel and other songs we’ve done – they’re definitely softer, more fluid and spontaneous.” Again, watch this space for a chat with Office Dog on The 13th Floor…