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 20 July 2020

Jess Cornelius - Distance (Part Time Records / Remote Control)**Album of the Week

Well known in Australia and New Zealand for her work in the band Teeth and Tongue, Jess Cornelius wrote her debut solo album after making the move from Melbourne to Los Angeles. As referenced in the title, this album addresses divides, especially between the expectations of others and those of the individual on their own journey, and the way we navigate the need for solitude and surrender in our deepest relationships.

Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas (Warner Music)

5 years after her last album Blood, the Londoner releases her self-titled third record. Lianne La Havas, feels like the breaking of shackles, following a difficult period with the death of a number of loved ones including her mentor Prince. Here, La Havas moves beyond the constraints of genre and expectation to channel the purity and energy of her live performances, with simple arrangements allowing her impressive vocal abilities to shine.

Kase Avila - Minerva (Low Key Source)

Minerva is an album written during and in response to a world turned upside-down by Covid-19. When the pandemic hit, the Fillipino-Australian producer self-isolated in his Sydney studio, emerging with Minerva, an album which is a celebration of the resilience of creativity when faced with uncertainty. The result is a joyful, beat-driven sonic landscape, surrounded by lush chords, ethereal synth flourishes and cleverly sourced samples.

Kllo - Maybe We Could (Good Manners Records)

Following the surprise success of their 2017 debut, and a brief hiatus to explore solo projects, the Melbourne electronic duo return with Maybe We Could. With a sound that owes much to UK acts who have brought sounds of two-step and garage from the underground, Maybe We Could is driven by the smokey, vulnerable vocals of Chloe Kaul, whose lyrics float above and around the sizzle and crack of her cousin Simon Lam’s production.

L-Fresh The Lion - South West (Elefant Traks)

As a child, Sukhdeep Singh grew up in a Sikh migrant family in South-West Sydney, oscillating between languages between home and playground. This migrant experience forms the thematic core of his new album under his hip-hop moniker L-FRESH the LION, through his remarkable talent for lyrical, cerebral and often anthemic hip-hop.

Jarv Is... - Beyond The Pale (Rough Trade / Remote Control)

Jarvis Cocker continues his storied career with his new band JARV IS, surrounded by a collection of established and talented instrumentalists and songwriters. Continuing many of the hallmarks of a Cocker project - dead-pan wit, sharp songwriting, gently pulsating synths - what sets this album apart is the novel approach to recording which combines live recordings in small clubs in northern England with studio overdubs, giving the whole project a certain kinetic, collective, and alive energy.

Soko - Feel Feelings (Because Music / Caroline Australia)

The LA-based French musician releases her third studio album following a five year hiatus from music and a period of psychological healing. Feel Feelings is a shimmering and dreamy record, with clear sonic inspiration taken from Soko’s countrymen Air, and even moments of Serge Gainsburg’s Melody Nelson era. True to the album’s title. Soko seeks brutal honesty through self-reflection, as stated by the artist “This whole record is about embracing all the emotions: joy, bliss, contempt but also fear, sadness, anger… the thrill of it all!”

Wagons - Need A Ride? (Independent)

Wagons channel the energy of their live sets with the new EP ‘Need A Ride.’ Led by charismatic front-man Henry Wagons, who recorded, mixed and produced the album from his Melbourne studio, the band exhibit their talent for stomping, energetic country, with repeat listens revealing nuance, care and hidden gems.

Apollo Brown & Che' Noir - As God Intended (Mello Music Group)

The new collaboration between producer Apollo Brown and emcee Che’ Noir channels the story, history and heritage of their two cities, Detroit and Buffalo respectively. Both once industrial centers built in fire and steel, they are now all too often known for poverty, crime, and America’s broken dream. With Brown’s soulful production and Che’s lyrical talent, the album “drifts up and down city streets and offers a glimpse behind closed doors, telling the stories of gunshots, missing fathers, & playing the system..”

Crack Cloud - Pain Olympics (Tin Angel)

Crack Cloud are a collective from Vancouver who largely met and formed around addiction recovery programs. Band leader Zach Choy has said in interviews that they have used the band as a recovery mechanism and have turned their focus to working in prevention and harm reduction programmes during Canada’s opioid epidemic. This communal spirit runs through their debut Pain Olympics, an album which runs from manic punk to choral beauty, and explores claustrophobia, fear and wide-eyed expressions of joy.