January’s new releases started the year with a bang. With an array of outstanding records from artists both new and returning, we’ve had the tough task of narrowing it down to five. You can also check out our Album of the Month playlist on Spotify here.

Viagra Boys – Welfare Jazz

Secret Meeting says:

Welfare Jazz is the band’s sophomore album, and is a far more complex proposition than may be obvious on the surface. It’s an eclectic blend of influences that feel like they’ve been crowbarred into shape by the Swedish sextet to provide a collection that keeps you glued for its duration. I Feel Alive sounds like Tom Waits gloriously expounding the beauty of life from the inside of a skip, while recent single, Ain’t Nice, has a foot-stomping groove and New Rave-come-Iggy Pop-evoking melody that is uncomfortably fun.

Buck Meek – Two Saviors

Secret Meeting says:

As Big Thief’s success has grown, the number of months that Meek spends away from Texas has grown year on year. And while various towns and cities across the globe crop up in Meek’s words – like a road map of his travels – it is the rolling hills and shallow creeks that keep calling back his mind. Canonball! Pt. 2, which acts a natural follow on to the first chapter found on his debut, conjures up a ‘race down to the well,’ as Meek recalls summer days playing his own version of Huck Finn.

Daniel Knox – Won’t You Take Me With You

Secret Meeting says:

Won’t You Take Me With You is a remarkable achievement from a uniquely talented artist. From despair to redemption, the record twists and turns through the full spectrum of emotions – each track narrated though an internal monologue. Painfully intimate, Daniel Knox has given us the first truly special record of the year.

Kiwi Jr – Cooler Returns

Secret Meeting says:

While some embarking on their musical excavation find their niche, stick in the bookmark, and repeat ad infinitum, Kiwi Jr. have continued to turn back the pages. Now just twelve months – and a move to Sub Pop – later, the group have returned with their follow up, Cooler Returns. For fans of their scratchily loveable debut, this thankfully still sounds like the same band that made Football Money. But the group have succeeded in unearthing new rooms in their basement – piling them high with serotonin infused lashings of The Velvet Underground, the tight night soft rock of The Band, and the wonky splutter and starts of Talking Heads.

Anna B Savage – A Common Turn

Secret Meeting says:

Refusing to be held back by internal strifes, A Common Turn is a bold declaration – one in which Savage rejects the notion of the definitive conclusion, and, instead, adeptly picks her way through tracks that lay bare her struggles. She questions – navigating the recurring themes of her existence – namely her sexuality, her relationships and her self-doubt.

Once you have made your way through the albums above, we would point you towards White Flower’s debut EP Within a Dream and the delightful sophomore record On All Fours from Goat Girl.

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