Leyla McCalla – Scaled To Survive

Leyla has, during the past ten years of solo releases after raising her profile as part of Carolina Chocolate Drops, released some essential albums often thematically linked, be it a tribute to the writer Langston Hughes or a deep dive into the history of Haiti’s first Kreyol-language radio station. However, for her incredible new album ‘Sun Without The Heat’ she has parked the conceptual approach and made space for her more personal singer-songwriter instincts to find a path. And because this multi-instrumentalist, who in a past life would busk Bach on a cello, is so kaleidoscopic in her natural range the resulting album is a pure delight, including this gently lilting song about motherhood…

La Luz – Strange World

Ahead of the release of new album ‘News Of The Universe’ La Luz tease this, a track that suggests the often used “always the same but always different” phrase could easily apply. Some changes are obvious for whilst Shana Cleveland remains at the core this is clearly a different line-up to the last configuration of La Luzers heard on 2021’s brilliant self titled album. Other evolutions are hazier for while that distinct surf-noir sound remains this is definitely a band looking to a more electro-friendly future; albeit a future rooted in the past as it tries to imagine the coming decades through the lens of a 1970s disco flavoured starship trooper…

The Losin’ Streaks – The Slink

This bands 2024 album ‘Last House’ is the record I have heard this year that most authentically captures that scuzzy garage band sound I love so much. If you check out the record I’d suggest going for ‘Last House On The Block’ as the must-hear modern day nugget but as I could not find a video of that online I offer instead this recent live film which deceptively weaves in sixties crowd footage but belongs very much in the hear and now…

AC Sapphire – Weed Money

From the ‘Dec 32nd’ album that I have already predicted on klofmag.com will be one of this years new releases that enjoys a shelf life way beyond 2024. It is a songwriters album that is wonderfully diverse, being neither Americana, folk, desert haze or indie pop even though it has echoes of all and much more besides. ‘Weed Money’ is one of the albums more straight-ahead acoustic troubadour numbers but be sure to go to the long player for the full cosmic road-trip experience…

Pokey LaFarge – One You One Me

Always a delight to report that Pokey has new old-time music on the way. He is a performer who cannot help but put a smile on the face of an audience and so even when he offers up a video of grainy loved-up footage from his wedding day, rather than reach for the sick bag you feel the joy too. After being in the same room as him last year and grinning like an idiot for ninety minutes, I don’t think I’ll ever try and resist the charming sounds of Pokey, now with added rhumba…

Parsnip – Turn To Love

There simply aren’t enough Australian and yet curiously Welsh sounding bands prepared to wear am-dram headwear, pull Wicker Man dance moves and detonate their song with one harmoniously trippy blast in the middle before returning to the church organ hymn-like mantra of the opening never to hit full bloom again. I mean a chorus this grand and lush deserves more than one serving so the only thing to do is go back to the start and bathe in the whole thing all over again…