thePULSEJASON SAVIO
Music can be good medicine during bad times, providing relief and release from feeling like the walls are closing in – especially during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite not being able to tour and perform live, many artists have continued to release new music as we navigate this new COVID-19 world. I, for one, have used what extra time I’ve had these past few months to enjoy new music being posted online.
Starting locally here in Massachusetts, I’ve come across Cape Cod native Tianna Esperanza, whose debut album Afro Gypsy hit record shop shelves and online merchants on July 24. At just 20 years old, Esperanza has a lot to say, specifically about race and her experience growing up as a mixed person in a mainly white community. Songs like “Tyrone” and “Truth” especially standout, with Esperanza laying down an impressive spoken-word delivery in the latter. It’s an important collection of songs and, between the honesty in her lyrics and her velvet voice, it seems as though Esperanza has a bright future ahead of her. For more, visit tiannaesperanza.com.
Heading up north a bit, I was bestowed with a pleasant surprise amid the gloominess when Vermont jam-band Phish dropped a surprise new full-length album Sigma Oasis on April 2. The announcement came out of nowhere, during one of the band’s weekly Dinner and A Movie concert webcasts, in which they air a free video replay of an entire concert from their extensive vault to benefit different charities and organizations. As a Phish fan, I was obviously ecstatic, even if it was only released (to date) as a digital download, something I try to steer clear of (call me old-school, but I’d rather have a tangible copy in my hands – vinyl or CD, preferably vinyl). Sigma Oasis lived up to my expectations for the most part. I’m a bit hard to please when it comes to these guys’ studio albums because I’ve had such positive experiences seeing them play live that never seem to translate to albums, but here they play freely and catch some of that live feel, namely on “Everything’s Right,” a song that gets into a knee-deep jam you’d expect to hear at a live show. For more, visit phish.com.
Right as the pandemic hit, I was writing up a review for this very column on Viking Zombie, the new album from Brazilian Viking metal band Armored Dawn. Yes, such a sub-genre exists (I was previously unaware myself), and it is awesome. It’s glorious metal mayhem that demands you to raise those devil horns and bang your head. All the distorted guitars riffs and heart-racing double-bass drum beats you can handle are here. What helps make Armored Dawn’s third release more interesting is the way the band utilizes those common tactics and throws in a piano. Keyboardist Rafael Agostino is the band’s secret weapon, providing melodies that help these songs transcend to another level. His work adds a haunting, atmospheric quality to “The Eyes of the Wolves” and helps make “Embrace the Silence” something special. There’s plenty of debauchery, too, and more than once, the fast pace will stop on a dime, revealing a swinging rhythm section to back up strong guitar solos on songs like “Animal Uncaged” and “Drowning.” For more, visit armoreddawn.com/2018.
I was hoping to include the new Weezer album here, but the band pulled the release of Van Weezer and are saving it for next year when they presumably – along with Phish and everyone else – will be touring again. It’s a bummer that they did that, considering their fans could use the new music to help them through these daunting days. Hopefully other artists who have music in the can and were planning on releasing it will stick to their schedules as opposed to waiting for when they’re on tour again, seeing as how we don’t know how long a wait that will be. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and check out the new music that is out there, whether it’s something listed here or something you find on your own. You’ll be glad you did.
