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Listen Here! Decorated Nashville Songwriter Finally Tells His Own Story

“Sweep It Into Space”

Dinosaur Jr.

Jagjaguwar
“Sweep It Into Space” Dinosaur Jr. Jagjaguwar

"99"

Steven Moss

Def Jam Recordings

Twenty one-year old singer/songwriter/rapper Steven Moses, who has drawn critical acclaim for his outside-looking-in heartbreakers "Lose It" and "Fake Love," released his debut album, "99," on Sept. 18. Merging 2000s' pop-punk aesthetics with emo rap, the loner sensibility that has defined Moses throughout his teens is living up to its promise on "99."

"99" is aimed at building the bridge between a past filled with substance abuse, promiscuity, depression and nihilism, and the more optimistic and positive, sustainable future that Moses envisions for himself and his friends. This includes his Going Nowhere Fast collective, a group he formed around his friends' creative talents and collaborative potential. "What would have happened if Kurt Cobain could have been Bob Dylan's age? I think about that and I'm like, I can't be another one of those," he asserts. "I want to be around to watch this s happen. I'm going to be around to watch this s happen."

"Music Row"

Luke Laird

It's hard to believe that a songwriter as decorated as Luke Laird -- 24 No. 1 country singles and multiple Grammy, ACM and CMA awards -- has never put out a record of his own voice telling his own stories. On Sept. 18, Laird shared exactly that with an album called "Music Row," a self-produced 10-song collection chronicling his journey from being a kid in rural Hartstown, Pa., to becoming one of the most in-demand co-writers and producers in Music City, USA.

Rolling Stone premiered the album's title track and first single, "Music Row," noting that, "The song deftly straddles the line between old Nashville and new, mixing weeping steel guitar with a computerized drum loop," and Taste of Country praised Laird's meld of styles on "Good Friends" saying, "Steel guitar cries across the intro and chorus, but Laird's more contemporary influences color the song with a unique and personal set of tones."

"Music Row" runs the gamut of vibes, tempos and emotions. Laird has written and produced an album which stands as one collective piece of work. "I've always been a fan of albums, but I'm not a huge fan of writing songs and randomly throwing them together then calling it an album," Laird says. "But this made sense. It's my story as a songwriter who moved to Nashville to write songs for other people."

"Live In...New York City"

Tex Crick

Mac's Record Label

Australian artist Tex Crick is preparing for the release of his debut album, "Live In...New York City," out March 26. While Crick is best known as an adaptable collaborator, most notably playing with Iggy Pop, Weyes Blood, Kirin J. Callinan and Connan Mockasin, "Live In... New York City" presents his own fleshed-out sound. Taking a leaf from piano-driven pop records of a bygone era, the album is an homage to sentimentality, merging classic songcraft with a naturally delicate approach to instrumentation.

In between tours, Crick settled down in New York City to write and record the aptly-named debut. During this time, Crick was learning to tune and repair pianos from an old Steinway technician. While honing his skills as a piano repairman, Crick hauled a junk piano off the streets in Queens, N.Y. back to his third-floor apartment where he turned and repaired the piano back to playable condition. With the addition of a microphone and a metronome, Crick began sketching out a string of ambitious love songs. The recordings were filled with background noises, clicks of Crick's metronome, and organic sounds of bustling New York City streets. Crick embraced these raw sounds, adding background noises on purpose.

"Sweep It Into Space"

Dinosaur Jr.

Jagjaguwar

Dinosaur Jr. return with "Sweep It Into Space," their new album out April 23, and their first new collection of music since 2016's "Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not" -- continuing what is perhaps the greatest "second act" of any band ever. Originally scheduled for mid-2020, this record's temporal trajectory was thwarted by the coming of the Plague. But it would take more than a mere Plague to tamp down the exquisite fury of this trio when they are fully dialed-in. And "Sweep It Into Space" is a masterpiece of zoned dialing.

In the decades since the release of Dinosaur Jr.'s original triptych of foundational albums, it has become clear that their sound, once hailed as a sort of almost-tamed noise, is/was/always-has-been fully functioning pop music of a sort. There had always been melodies at the center of everything they did. What Dinosaur Jr. produces is nothing but a beautiful new version of the rock continuum -- riff, power, beat and longing, created with an eye on the infinite future.

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This spot will continue to be filled by news and reviews of new albums, both local and national. Send information about your new releases to Jocelyn Murphy at [email protected].

“99”

Steven Moss

Def Jam Recordings
“99” Steven Moss Def Jam Recordings
“Music Row”

Luke Laird
“Music Row” Luke Laird
“Live In…New York City”

Tex Crick

Mac’s Record Label
“Live In…New York City” Tex Crick Mac’s Record Label

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