Gun Outfit – Teardrops (Classic Hell On Earth)

Soon to return on 8th May with a double album, ‘Process And Reality,’ that marks twenty years of Gun Outfit, this is a sneak preview of a track from the record that was made amidst the heat and uncertainty of wildfires. Something in the warm sounds capture that contrast of the familiar and the unknown, just as our senses open out like a valley appearing ahead evoke a sense of wonder and trepidation at the ever changing natural world. Of the song, the bands Dylan Sharp says it was “written in the wake of one of the endless iterations of fire, prior to the one that burned Altadena. It is not about the fires though. It’s about the futility of caring.” So, maybe this is the sound of a band retreating into their music if that be so, at least Gun Outfit appear to be in fine command of the one element in their lives that they do have some control over. The album can be found here: https://amzn.to/49n30Qp

Mod Lang – Try Your Love

It feels strange but also rather pleasing that one of the bands being touted as the bright young hopes in the pop world are making music essentially identifiable as sixties flavoured folk-rock. Or jingle-jangle guitar pop, or even classic Britpop leaning indie but whichever way you identify it, this is pop music that would do the music world a whole lot of good if it became, well, massively popular. But lets not get ahead of ourselves and besides, when did becoming massively popular ever do any band a lot of good? The really promising thing is this, for all the retro signposting of their clothes and style, the feeling you get when listening to Mod Lang is that it is the music they are really throwing creativity into, which means they have their priorities bang on. Keep an eye on them, or jump right in immediately and get the ‘Borrowed Time’ album, available here today: https://amzn.to/4uqHT88

Khun Narin Electric Phin Band – Sut Sanaen

The Khun Narin Electric Phin Band are about to return with their first new album in a decade, ‘III,’ which is due out on 15th May via Innovative Leisure. These exotic psychedelia merchants are a multi-generational ensemble from rural Thailand whose ecstatic performances have quietly become a global cult phenomenon. This is their take on one of the foundational melodic patterns in the musical tradition of the Isan people from Northeastern Thailand. The band originated as a celebration ensemble for rural ceremonies, particularly pre-ordination fire rituals. What begins as a spiritual procession often transforms into something more transcendent, musicians of all ages locked into spiralling repetition, rhythms surging forward, the entire village pulled into a shared state of euphoria. Obviously to English ears psychedelia is a fairly loose musical reference point, but it is hard to argue that the hypnotic sound does not take you on a head spinning trip just as the best music falling under that general umbrella can often do. Find out more about the forthcoming album here: https://www.innovativeleisure.net

Jason Joshua – A Real Good Woman

The first out and out soul music I am offering you this week and it is a really great one. Jason is a Miami born soul singer with the appropriate nickname ‘The Golden Voice.’ His is a classic sound that is undeniably fine in the authentic way it combines Latin Soul, classic R&B, Boogaloo and a true funk heartbeat that has the patina of something matured and refined. This single arrives ahead of a forthcoming album from Jason called ‘Terapia’ and it is high on my list of future releases to make sure I do not miss out on. Find out more via the link: https://mangohillrecords.bandcamp.com/album/terapia

Joan As Police Woman – Anyone

The more Joan keeps drip feeding teasers for her 12th June release of the re-worked, re-imagined and newly recorded take on classic debut album ‘Real Life,’ the more excited I am becoming to hear it. It is so rare for any artist to revisit older material, especially in a recording studio, and produce something that can bare any comparison to the original but you know what, she might just have done it with ‘Real Life Evolution.’ And I absolutely love the original. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what is elevating these versions beyond a nostaligic re-run but I suspect a big factor is this, Joan still sounds wholly connected to the material emotionally. I will leave it at that for now as I suspect a full length review on these pages will follow nearer the time but still, you have got to admit this is gorgeous haven’t you? Pre-order via this link: https://amzn.to/3PgZGj0

Gabrielle Cavassa – Diavola

Let us conclude this weeks ‘Fresh Juice’ with some sumptuous Jazz on the ever reliable Blue Note label. Here Gabrielle is accompanied in a live take by Gabe Schneider on guitar and it is one of those hypnotic takes where two musical performers lock into an impenetrable zone and seem to play as one. This is the title track from the singers debut album that is produced by a couple of Blue Note heavyweights in Joshua Redman and Don Was. The album stands as a textbook calling card first release for an artist that a label clearly has high hopes for. It balances original material with re-arrangements of other titles that emphasise the artists range and individualist style. Redman’s part in Cavassa’s career runs deep, for it was his manager a few years ago who first came across her singing at a New Orleans wedding. That it should lead to a debut like ‘Diavola’ makes it one of those magical stories in music that is usually left in the hands of fiction. This could be the launch of something very real indeed. You can buy the album via the link: https://amzn.to/3QUDMT9