NPR Spotlights Week's Alternative Releases
NPR's "New Music Friday" highlighted top albums released February 20, including new work from WILLOW, Turkish psych-folk band Altin Gün, and a punk-jazz fusion project from Fugazi alumni. The show provides critical analysis and listening recommendations for adventurous new sounds across alternative genres.
- WILLOW's seventh studio album, *Petal Rock Black*, was a surprise release that she wrote and produced herself. The album features collaborations with funk legend George Clinton, jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, and experimental pop duo Tune-Yards. - The Amsterdam-based band Altin Gün's sixth album, *Garip*, is a tribute to the late Turkish folk singer and bağlama virtuoso Neşet Ertaş. The album reimagines ten of Ertaş's compositions, blending their signature psychedelic rock with lush string arrangements from the Stockholm Studio Orchestra. - The punk-jazz fusion project features Fugazi's rhythm section—bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty—in their band, The Messthetics. They collaborated with jazz saxophonist James Brandon Lewis for the new album. - The album from The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis, titled *Deface the Currency*, is their second collaboration and was recorded after playing 150 shows together, which significantly shaped their unified sound. - WILLOW played multiple instruments on *Petal Rock Black*, including guitar, piano, and drums, with the album taking over a year and a half to complete. - Altin Gün's new album, *Garip*, which translates to "strange," aims to be more "vibey" and less overtly pop and psych-rock than their previous work. - Other notable alternative releases for the week of February 20th included the British-born artist Absolutely's debut album *Paracosm*, which explores the boundaries of alternative R&B and contemporary pop. - Lana Del Rey also released a new single, "White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter," from her long-delayed upcoming album, *Stove*.
