Soundscape is a weekly look at local and international releases making an impression on our musical radar. The list offers a cross-section of EPs and albums arriving at the station.

We have been busily scouring the Soundscape! Check out some of our favourite finds for this week 18 May 2020

SilentJay - Summer Drive Fonky Ride (Independent)**Album of the Week

On Summer Drive Fonky Ride, the pivotal Melbourne soul, jazz and beats figure delivers a masterclass in beat making and sample slicing. Well known for his creative output with Australian acts Hiatus Kaiyote, Jace XL, Sampa the Great the musician otherwise known as Alejandro Jay Abapo tracks the history of hip hop, house r&b and disco, hinting at new shapes in sound for the ascendent Australian jazz scene.

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - The Mosaic Of Transformation (Ghostly International)

“I guess in one sentence, this album is my expression of love and appreciation for electricity”, the pioneering Californian composer, artist and producer has said about her newest release. Following a run of critically acclaimed albums, Smith’s newest continues her exploration of the shapes, movements and expressions of both electronic music and the physical body's relationship to sound and colour.

Nightclub - Private Party (Independent)

The Melbourne group expand upon the sludge-punk sound from their two releases with Private Party. With a sound like a messy, half forgotten night, these are tracks to soundtrack moments that you wish you remembered, featuring members of Parsnip and Deaf Wish.

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down - Temple (Ribon / Domino)

The San Francisco four-piece release their fifth full-length and first self-produced album. Thao and the Get Down seek inspiration from the lost concept of the temple - a place of worship and belonging - but also pushing for a new kind of sanctuary: one where you don’t have to whisper.

Moses Sumney - Græ (Jagjaguwar / Inertia)

The second part of a 20 song double album (the first half having appeared in February), Græ , as a whole, represents a preternaturally talented musician and songwriter widening his scope, and opening up to his vulnerabilities.

Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now (Warner)

Written and recorded with only “the tools ...at my fingertips to create all music, all artwork, all videos...everything,” the LA based British singer has released potentially the first major label Covid pop release, working collaboratively with her fans by crowd sourcing ideas, artwork, videos and remixes. The results are refreshingly low-fi and egalitarian, yet retain her sugar-hit pop sensibilities.

Kamasi Washington – Becoming (Young Turks / Remote Control)

The cross-over Jazz auteur resurfaces following a decade of critically acclaimed albums and superstar collaborations to score a new documentary by Nadia Hallgren about Michelle Obama. Over 15 short tracks, the saxophonist and bandleader composes meditative piano pieces with rhythmic rumbles and comfy lounge sensibilities to accompany the former first-lady on her tour in support of her best-selling memoir.

Perfume Genius - Set My Heart On Fire Immediately (Matador/Remote Control)

Mike Hadreas’ fifth album as Perfume Genius is his most ambitious and dynamic yet. Bright and lush, on Set My Heart on Fire Hadreas has outgrown the bedroom-pop of his earlier records, embracing a maximalism rich with orchestral instrumentation, while exploring themes of mental health, self-image and emotional connection.

Dijit  -  Hyperattention: Selected Dijital Works vol 1 (Youth)

Hyperattention - Selected Dijital Works vol 1 rounds up five years of recordings made in Cairo by the Egyption producer Hashe L Kelesh. The set introduces a fully formed artist to new audiences, revealing a master of abstract trip-hop, electronica and woozy R&B.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Reunions (Caroline Australia)

The former member of Drive-By-Truckers releases his fourth solo album, exhibiting a remarkable level of post-sobriety consistency in navigating the porous boundaries of 21st century rock, country and Americana.