One thing I've learned while keeping my eye on new music is, sometimes a snappy title can encourage people to check you out. And so, I've changed the title of my periodic blog posts on new music to reflect what they are, at least to me: and that is, little audio mini-vacations from the cubicle I sit in every day of the week. And who wouldn't want that? Through sound, the entire world is our oyster. So here is your list of some of the most exciting, newly purchased CDs from our circulating collections for your listening pleasure. Just click on the album titles to be taken to the catalog and put the CDs on hold, and don't forget the provided PREVIEW tracks. Enjoy!

Ibeyi (self-titled) (2015) Ibeyi are twin sisters, born into a musical family (their father, Anga Diaz, was a percussionist for Irakere and the Buena Vista Social Club) , who spent their childhood in both Havana, Cuba, and Paris, France. They both sing and play various instruments, and incorporate Afro-Cuban styles, rhythms, themes of Santeria, and the Yoruba language into their music. Add some punchy state-of-the-art production, and you've got Ibeyi. They've made all these influences their own, turned it all into something that sounds modern yet as old as the centuries; ancient, somehow. You see, uniqueness is good, but there's got to be something more, an undeniable musical appeal as well. This music has both; it speaks for itself. It's worth checking out!  PREVIEW

Commune by Goat (2014)

Blanketed in the fog of an autumn evening, under the Swedish skies of Norrbotten County, natives played on local instruments, dancing and paying homage to the gods, to nature, to the mystery, the presence always there but just beyond the realm of site, between the trees and the rustling leaves. It was the age before science, and the world was still magic. The gods were conjured and brought with them instruments of unknown lands, from worlds yet-to-be-known or heard by the natives. The sounds started out slow and sparse, as more folks and spirits joined in. The sound became a power, greater than could be explained, or understood. The campfires came at twilight, if only to insure that the sound would not end. And intoxication also came, on magic moss and mushrooms, with dancing and the ecstasy of shadows cast by the moon.

And the gods said, "These natives have never known electricity and the way it can shape sound, dare we blaze into this night with our electric, distorted guitars from worlds unknown to them? Might it cause horror? Fright? Disorientation?" But the music of the natives continued, became louder and livelier, and the shadows of the dancers and the trees, it all answered, "yes, gods, we want to go further!" And the gods said, "why not?"

The forest will never tell of what happened that night, but this record will.  PREVIEW

Alvvays (self-titled) (2014)

I once fell asleep on the sand by the ocean, and I dreamed I saw a band. I had backstage passes. It was pretty cool. At one point the singer inexplicably turned into my 3rd grade teacher and it never even dawned on me that that was weird. They must have played for a solid two hours. This was the band I dreamed of, that day at twilight by the sea. PREVIEW

Passerby by Luluc (2014)

When Nick Drake's old manager was getting a tribute album together, it's no mystery why he specifically asked Luluc to to sing the lead single on that album. They share the same somber and gentle approach to folk music. Close your eyes and listen to this preview track. There is such a beautiful weightlessness to it, no? It just floats there in the air. This must be what clouds feel like. PREVIEW

Electric Brick Wall by Black Bananas (2014) 

180 degree turn alert! Ain't no clouds up in here. This is dirty, grungy, electronic music, with guitars and swirls and grooves and beats that make you snarl and bob your head. Hell, you might even make the metal sign to yourself with your hand, you know the one. This is in-your-face and down-your-throat electronic rock and roll, not for the faint of heart. In fact, "Electric Brick Wall" is pretty apt. If Luluc is weightless, this music is like a ton a bricks. PREVIEW

Just Be Free by Big Freedia (2014)

If you are unfamiliar with Big Freedia, there's a really great mini-doc about her online. And if you've never heard of Bounce Music, it's about time you had. Bounce music is hip hop's crazy southern cousin from New Orleans, and it is awesome. Big Freedia is a fantastic entertainer; her tireless dedication to her music has probably done more to bring attention to the New Orleans Bounce scene than anything or anyone else. The energy in her music blows everything else away. No opinions here, folks, just facts. And it feels like there is a lot of the spirit of the city in the music as well. There must be! I'm certain many in New Orleans consider her a hero of sorts, at least an outspoken representative of just how crazy and fun and unique and amazing that city is. It's all captured in her music! This is your trip to New Orleans.  PREVIEW

Sisyphus (self-titled) (2014)

If someone suggested to me we put Serengeti and Sufjan Stevens in a room and see what comes of it, I would have balked; would have made that peak with my eyebrows, like I was kind of worried about the person who suggested it. And if you don't know who they are, imagine putting Paul Simon and Nicki Minaj in a room, to musically collaborate. I mean, maybe, maybe. It's just not something I would have ever thought of on its own. I would say this record is booty-shakin if it didn't make me feel like a nerd trying to sound cool. So, let's see, it's got some really good beats!  PREVIEW

Introducing Darlene Love by Darlene Love (2015) 

It's funny because how do you introduce someone in 2015 who had their first single back in 1962? That single was "He's a Rebel" by the Crystals. The group had their first #1 hit with that song. Problem is, was, Ms. Love wasn't in the Crystals. Phil Spector had her ghost-sing it and credited it to The Crystals, who weren't, as it turns out, particularly good at singing it live.  That's because nobody else could sing like Ms. Love, but fellow musicians knew who really sang that song, and they sought her out, often. She went on to sing backup for the likes of, now get this, Elvis, Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, Tom Jones… I mean, really, this woman's voice is all over the place in popular music! If you've ever heard the Ronettes' "Be My Baby," Sinatra's "That's Life," Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang," "Jonny Angel," so many more, then you've heard her voice before. The list of famous artists and hit songs she's backed up does not run into the dozens, it runs into the hundreds. 

And though her name is not as recognizable as some, The New York Times summed it up nicely by saying her “thunderbolt voice is as embedded in the history of rock and roll as Eric Clapton's guitar or Bob Dylan's lyrics." And this album is refreshingly great, as it demonstrates her powerhouse of a voice has literally not lost a cent in over 50 years! I'm not kidding, not a cent! This lady is 74 years young! And that's just refreshing somehow. It's cool. These tracks have all the fun and feel of those early '60s hits; but this time, she gets top billing… as it should be. And so may I "introduce," if you don't know her already, Ms. Darlene Love! PREVIEW

Mosaics within Mosaics by Circulatory System (2014)

Take influences like the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows", those tiny little Casio keyboards, and the biggest tribal drums you can find. Then put a bunch of psych-rock musicians that like to play around with electronics and effects in a studio. "What would happen?" you might ask. Well, you guessed it. This album is what. PREVIEW

Touristes by Vieux Farka Toure & Julia Easterlin (2015)

Ignore at your own peril, dear reader. This one is amazing! Um-mazing! The vocal acrobatics on this… you've got to be kidding me! It's the track that made me think of my new blog title: music as an audio vacation from your cubicle. Next stop, Mali! Now I told you we could go anywhere, didn't I? Anywhere we want. So Bon Voyage! We'll miss you! Be safe. And DO bring us back some kitschy souvenirs, will you?  PREVIEW