September’s Best New Albums A mere 2 months ago, M.I.A.’s Mathangi Arulpragasm announced that her next new album as M.I.A. would be her last. This news came as a surprise to lovers of her music, as she has been involved in the music scene for many years. Unsurprisingly, however, AIM proves once again to be politically-charged and full of need for change, such as with opening track “Borders,” which addresses oppressors as M.I.A. sings “We solid and we don’t need to kick them/ This is North, South, East, and western.” M.I.A. has not been known to be a person who ignores the state of the world’s issues, as she frequently tackles topics such as refugees and immigrants head-on. For her final new album as M.I.A., Arulpragasm couldn’t have gone out on a better note. Wilco returned this month with new album Schmilco, their 10th studio album since beginning in 1994. This album thus far is one of their most cynical yet, yet somehow it sounds like one of their most laid-back. Schmilco observes and delves into some of frontman Jeff Tweedy’s deepest memories, such as his youth in opening track “Normal American Kids,” in which he reflects on the happiness in his childhood. Now that he is older, Tweedy has witnessed all sorts of horrors that occur in the world and in his own everyday life that he recognizes that we dread the best times of our lives when we do not even know the worst that is yet to come. With such heavy topics, it is surprising that the arrangement of most of the songs is relatively tuned down, with simple acoustic guitar and gentle drumming. By far, the new album Schmilco is one of Wilco’s best works, and shows the progress they have made together as a band after all these years.
Singer-songwriter Angel Olsen released new album My Woman this month. Following her debut album in 2014, Burn Your Fire For No Witness, Angel Olsen embraces her synthpop sound and finds herself shifting genres in a unique way. The opening track, “Intern,” introduces the album with a slow beginning. She later shifts to a more commanding tone in “Shut Up Kiss Me,” singing “I ain’t hanging up this time/ I ain’t giving up tonight.” The ending few songs on the new album take the tone back
down instrumentally, such as in “Sister,” a song spanning 8-minutes long about nostalgia. Lastly, track titled “Pops” features a single piano melody, as Olsen vulnerably sings “take my heart and put it up on your sleeve/ Tear it up so they can all sing along.” With these best new albums of September, we can celebrate once again the exciting and dynamic music that is created today. Spanning across many different genres, these new albums can appeal to almost anyone, opening their eyes to artists they may have never heard of before.