We love a debut on Fresh Picks, and besides our Pick of '76 (a debut from none other than Tom Petty), please welcome our News Director Chelsey Perkins to the Fresh Picks writers crew!
For new albums, we have Irish folk-punks The Mary Wallopers' third, Minnesota indie-folk artist Humbird's fourth, the modern R&B star Leon Bridges' fifth, and Aussie indie-rocker Julia Jacklin's fourth.
Okay, after the debut single, no one keeps track anymore, so we're done with that. We have new singles from English rocker Jake Bugg, Minnesota folksinger Kelley Smith and Tennessee rock band Kings of Leon.
Check out this week's suggestions from Music Director Kari Hedlund, Asst. Music Director Malachy Koons, Volunteer Coordinator Dan Gannon, News Director Chelsey Perkins and KAXE Morning Show Host Jennifer Barr.
Albums
Album of the Week: The Mary Wallopers - Paddywhackery
"This is Irish rock 'n' roll!"
As you listen to "The Juice" from The Mary Wallopers latest album Paddywhackery, try to stay calm as Andrew Hendy belts out this line before the uillean pipe breakdown takes this tune to another level.
Like The Pogues before them, it's a perfect pairing of punk's raucous energy and the free spirit of Irish folk music, and what makes the Dundalk band's third album so special.
The line before that moment is "Dance to Your Daddy and Rosin the Beau," referencing two traditional Irish songs and showing the band is just as much stewards of a long musical history as they are forward looking.
Tracks like "Banks of the Roses," 'Smuggling the Tin," and "Mickey Dam" have a long history in Irish music, while "Crowns of England" and "Seán na Sagart" are new originals despite their timeless feeling.
Paddywhackery, a term referencing exaggerated or stereotypical portrayals of Irish culture, is proudly and explicitly Irish from start to finish, and never shies away from calling out the lasting harm of centuries of British oppression.
"Crowns of England" alone is a worthy history lesson and entry point into the views of The Mary Wallopers.
In a little over three minutes we learn the Union Jack can also be called "The butcher's apron," that Winston Churchill is no hero in Ireland, that in English pubs, the patrons "don't dance or sing, they just watch football," and I could go on and on.
Altogether, it's a classic protest song about the Irish diaspora living throughout the UK, the oppression of their culture, and their eternal connection to Ireland, or as the Mary Wallopers call it, "Erin's shore."
Paddywhackery is our Album of the Week. -MK
Humbird - Morning When It Comes
Nature has always been intertwined with Siri Undlin's songwriting, which is maybe one of the reasons Northern Minnesota has long been a fan of hers. This album feels even more rooted and connected, with every song offering something different. From the calm and steady in “All Water,” '70s-inspired folk-country “Daughter of Empire,” “Make Believe” and “Moonlight and Tobacco” to the lullaby closer of “Morning When It Comes.” This is an album that deserves a full and careful listen. -KH
Leon Bridges - Happiness Anytime
On his fifth LP, Fort Worth Texas neo-soul singer Bridges continues to expand and evolve his sound. Happiness Anytime is co-produced by members of UK dance-soul crew Jungle, and builds off the Afro-Caribbean rhythms we hear with artists like Sault, Ezra Collective and Little Simz. But it is unmistakably a Leon Bridges record.
Soulful songs abound as we hear on album opener "Light The Way," with its walking bass line, chanted chorus and plaintive trumpet. "Tears of Joy" shuffles along with a chorus of "don't worry" to a Fela Kuti-infused bass and drum workout. Smooth and danceable tunes are the order of the day on Happiness Anytime, but tracks like "Illusion," with the line "They got your money/ Down on your knees/ They got your warnin/ Begging please," keeps your brain and heart pumping right along in a resistance dance. What an artist! -DG
Julia Jacklin - The Gem
The fourth album from the Australian indie-rocker is named after her favorite pub in her adopted hometown of Melbourne. She even recorded it at a studio located above the pub, working with friends and close collaborators. The result, as you might expect, is loose, communal and freeflowing. It's a welcome addition to her sound. Make no mistake, this is still very much a Julia Jacklin album, with emotional songwriting that can bring tears to your eyes at a moment's notice. -MK
Singles
Jake Bugg - "Never Can Tell"
Fourteen years ago, Jake Bugg's debut album went No. 1 on the UK charts, the single "Lightning Bolt" was a KAXE staple. Now, six albums later, his new single is full of vim, vigor and, um, well, doubt. "You Never Can Tell" speaks to a place we all live in now, where night may be day, up can be down and every lie can be proven true. Bugg is as clear voiced as ever, the lyrics are clever and questioning and his guitar work bouncy and driving us to more unanswered questions. The full album Alamo is out in October. -DG
Kelley Smith - "Come Down Oh Maid"
Pining over a lover who is just out of reach — it’s a tale as old as time. And in the first single released by Brainerd musician Kelley Smith in the four years since her EP Moon Child, this well-worn human story nests deep within your gut.
“Come Down Oh Maid” features an almost-lullaby quality, with Smith’s lilting guitar and poignant piano backing her emotional vocals. She’s joined by Iowa-based Kathryn Severing Fox, a classically trained violinist turned Americana artist, who lends her wistful playing to the track.
Smith brings us down into the valley, snug in a home surrounded by flowers and birdsong, gazing upon the mountains in both a figurative and literal sense. So close, yet so far away: “How sweet is your voice dear/ but every sound makes a home/ hear the calls of the children/ while through the fields they roam/ hear the birds in the garden/ while I am pacing the floor.”
The lyrics are poetic storytelling, encouraging you to listen on repeat and think about their multiple meanings. And this makes sense: Smith says she was inspired by an Alfred Tennyson poem in its writing. -CP
Kings of Leon - "My Whole World"
Family lineage and the roots of where we come from must be floating around in the ether (see Brandy Clark in last week’s Fresh Picks). The 10th album from the band (out Nov. 6), O My Beloved, is apparently a love letter to family, and this first song is exactly that. Vibewise, it’s giving me cozy afternoons at the sewing machine and a cup of tea. There is a very timeless feel, both musically and lyrically, with a nugget of CNSY. “I’m grateful today for, my whole world.” -KH
Pick Of '76
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
In this week’s Pick Of ’76, it’s Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut album. Fifty years ago, there was no way to know how much of a rock star Tom Petty would become. So, while the album is fantastic, it’s not surprising that it largely flew under the radar in the United States.
Released on Leon Russell’s Shelter Records, the album sets the stage for this ultimate rock 'n' roll group’s career.
While “Breakdown” was the lead single in the US, other songs on the album are more indicative of what this band is all about. “Anything that’s Rock 'n' Roll” hit the charts in the UK, and the lead track “Rockin’ Around (With You)” feels exactly how a Tom Petty song should.
The album ends with an all-time classic “American Girl,” leading the way into 13 more albums for the Heartbreakers and three solo albums for Tom Petty. -JB
