Welcome to The Notebook. Every month explore the new sounds that the Hult Center team and friends are listening to.
Abbey A – Marketing Manager
Summer always has me leaning toward more ambient country music, so unsurprisingly, Zach Bryan’s latest album has been on repeat. It’s the perfect easy-listening album for a hike or long drives out to the coast and everything in between. Some standouts on the album have been “28” and “Pink Skies” – both show off Zach Bryan’s excellent songwriting that is both emotionally raw & thought-provoking. This album has more touches of alt-indie than previous releases and is absolutely worth the listen.
Zach Bryan – The Great American Bar Scene
Daniel O – Content and Design Coordinator
Amythyst Kiah just released “Play God and Destroy the World”, a fantastic new song from her upcoming album Still + Bright. The song also features S.G. Goodman and was produced/co-written by Butch Walker. It’s an absolute jam. If you’re familiar with Walker’s work, you’ll feel right at home. I cannot wait to hear the whole album which will also feature Billy Strings and Tim Armstrong (Rancid).
Amythyst Kiah – “Play God and Destroy the World”
I’m always down for something that pairs nicely with Flock of Seagulls and She’s In Parties has done just that with their newest song “The Man.” Dreamy vocals and some real catchy synth fill the track, plus it’s topped off with a guitar solo that comes straight out of 1982. I like this song a lot.
She’s In Parties – “The Man”
Evan G – Marketing Coordinator
With his newest release, No Name, Jack White has added another excellent album to his discography. From start to finish, No Name is filled with all the classic high-energy, expressive sounds that you would expect from a Jack White release. Where I think this album really shines is in its unique blending of the stripped-back garage rock sound of Jack White’s older work with the more modern and experimental qualities that you hear in his more recent releases.
It’s always a good day when new Jack White music is released. I imagine I’ll be keeping this record on repeat for quite a while.
Jack White – No Name
Eryn H – Marketing Coordinator
It’s not summer without bluegrass, it’s not bluegrass without Billy. Ten-track Live Vol. 1 released in July features some of Billy Strings’ time-tested top tunes from venues and performances around the world in all their glory. If you missed him at the FairWell Festival in Bend and can’t get your hands on tickets to Renewal in Buena Vista, you’re in luck. Listeners can experience the next best thing to a live show from the first unforgettable lick on “Dust in a Baggie” to the last resounding refrain on “Richard Petty.” Not to mention, the wait for Billy’s September release of much-anticipated Highway Prayers just got a little easier. Best enjoyed out-of-doors.
Billy Strings – Live Vol. 1
Greg – House of Records
This is actually the new LP by country superstar Sturgill Simpson. A few accordion interludes and intros reference the French title, but what you get here is old school honky-tonk with a modern touch, as well as some tunes that are reminiscent of Waylon Jennings. Musically, the electric guitar harmonies, burbling Fender Rhodes, organ, and cool string arrangements are very effective and never overwhelm the singer or the songs. The eight songs go by so fast that it feels like an EP. Always leave ’em wanting more.
Johnny Blue Skies – Passage du Desir
They started off as a doom metal band, but their new LP has more in common with classic Alice in Chains. At its heaviest, this record has echoes of local heroes Yob. Much of Mind Burns Alive seems influenced by the gray cloudy skies of the Pacific Northwest. You would never guess that these guys are from Arkansas! Great late-night listening.
Pallbearer – Mind Burns Alive
Jim O – The Jazz Station
I first heard about trumpeter Riley Mulherkar him via Ted Gioia’s newsletter, The Honest Broker, which has been my major source for incisive cultural commentary and new music recommendations for the last couple of years. Gioia spoke highly enough about Mulherkar’s debut album that I found myself ordering it the next day (and finally listening to it a month later…).
At any rate, Riley is definitely one of the major jazz releases in 2024. Mulherkar is obviously an outstanding musician, as is everyone else on the date (pianist Chris Pattishall, bassist Russell Hall, drummer Kyle Poole, and vocalist Vuyo Sotashe), but what makes this album unique is its creative use of sound design. Producers Rafiq Bhatia and Chris Pattishall have crafted a sonic environment where everything, even standards like “Stardust” and “King Porter Stomp,” sound utterly contemporary. At times it seems almost cinematic, with Mulherkar’s trumpet serving as the main actor in short audio “dramas.”
This isn’t to minimize Mulherkar’s contributions: He’s a first-rate trumpet player who has written some engaging tunes (“Hopscotch”, “Ride or Die”). You can certainly hear his influences (Wynton Marsalis in his phrasing, Dave Douglas in his lines), but he’s got his own thing going on, too. He’s got a full, rich sound and ideas that make total sense, even when they don’t go where you expect them to: Check out his solo on “Hopscotch”, which is amazingly convoluted until it suddenly locks into the groove.
What more can I say? Riley is one of the best albums that I’ve heard in several years. Do not sleep on this one!
Riley Mulherkar – Riley
