Whether you’re gearing up for a wild weekend of parties and shows or winding down for a few days of relaxation, we’ve got an album to mirror your plans. Turn it up with hip-hop legend Ghostface Killah, take action with angsty pop-rock group Estrons, or cozy up to an emotive acoustic anthology from City and Colour, out today.
Ghostface Killah, an OG Wu-Tang Clan member and NYC hip-hop legend is back with his 18th studio album, The Lost Tapes via X-Ray Records/Cleopatra Records. An affiliate of of Wu-Tang, Matt “M-Eighty” Markoff explains to HipHopDX that the album, produced by Big Ghost, “… is definitely something that is going to blow the minds of Wu-Tang and Hip Hop fans alike.” With notable features including Snoop Dogg, E-40, Raekwon, Big Daddy Kane and even Michael Rappaport, Rolling Stone describes The Lost Tapes saying, “it finds its all-star crew spitting over a classic Big Ghost beat of dusty drums, resonant horns and soulful vocal samples.” According to Soundscan, Ghostface Killah has already sold over 2.6 million albums as a solo artist in the US, not including the 5 million and more sold as a result of his participation in the Wu-Tang Clan. Catch Ghostface on tour and headlining the World Underground Festival this year in Long Island City, New York and listen to The Lost Tapes, now.
Estrons expresses the rebellious thoughts we all share with their new album You Say I’m Too Much, I Say You’re Not Enough, from Gofod Records. Fiery personalities fuse to create electrifying angsty songs with rock and pop influences. With thrashing guitar competing with expressive vocals from frontwoman Tali Källström, Estrons challenges everything in their path, bringing themes of empowerment to the forefront of their music. Songs like “Make a Man” and “I’m Not Your Girl” define the powerful feminist message of the group. Estrons (which is Welsh for ‘misfits’) clashed frequently over sound which took about 12 fleeting members to define. Källström tells NME, “I didn’t want to be another rock band that looked and sounded like something else that had existed before.” Their search paid off because the music echoes that exact sentiment. Listen to the new album and catch them on tour in the UK!
Dallas Green works his magic once again as City and Colour. The 20-track live album Guide Me Back Home follows Dallas on an intimate tour of 28 sold out shows through out Canada during the Spring of 2017. Each acoustic ballad transports you to that exact room where the dreamy, introspective artist performed. The overall audio quality is unmatched as Rock ‘N’ Load states, this new album from Still Records is “a sublime recording packed with beautiful, tranquil and emotive numbers … laid out for all to enjoy. ” Complete with commentary, Green bears his soul with a few light-hearted stories between each track. With a long history in music in a number of groups, Green has overcome a myriad of struggles, but as the album alludes, he always seems to find his way back home, perhaps with a little help from his listeners. With a dedicated fanbase, City and Colour’s previous albums have climbed charts across the US and Canada. Enjoy the favorite “The Girl” below and travel back in time to his Canadian tour with the new album, out now.
That’s it for this week friends! We’ll see you next week with another round of new independent releases distributed by The Orchard.