New Music from Parcels, Patterson Hood, The Altons and 7 Songs to Stream Right Now

Each week, the Jacksonville Music Experience team shares a list of new songs to stream. No genre restrictions, just songs we thought were worth your ears. Want this list to arrive weekly to your inbox? Sign up for the JME newsletter.

Alt-Country/Singer-Songwriter

Patterson Hood – “A Werewolf and a Girl”

Recommended If You Like: Drive-By Truckers, Wilco, The Decemberists

Legendary Drive-By Truckers cofounder, the singer-songwriter and guitarist Patterson Hood’s hotly anticipated new solo album Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams (out Feb. 21 on ATO) is set to feature an all-star cast of alt-country darlings, from Kevin Morby and Katie Crutchfield to members of Wednesday, the Decemberists, Los Lobos and more. On the album’s lead single, “A Werewolf and a Girl,” Hood is joined by guest vocalist Lydia Loveless and builds an ambient world of rising synths and saxophone, while ruminating on a formative relationship, looking back with the kind of wisdom gleaned from decades more of formative experiences. 

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube 

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Soul

The Altons – “Waiting”

Recommended If You Like: Sade, Thee Sacred Souls, Leon Bridges

A longtime fixture in the West Coast scene known as “souldies” – a collection of SoCal-based artists drawing inspiration from the region’s sweet soul sound – The Altons seem a perfect fit for the retro-inclined Daptone Records. On “Waiting,” the first single from the quartet’s forthcoming full length, Heartache in Room 14 (Feb. 14 on Daptone), is a languid, chill-AF soul stunner, with bouncing bass, hammond stabs and haunting harmonies. 

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

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Indie Pop

Parcels – “Leaveyourlove” 

Recommended If You Like: Dirty Projectors, Doobie Brothers, Unknown Mortal Orchestra 

Australian indie-pop quintet Parcels has built a substantial audience with its facility for pleasant, often danceable, perhaps-yacht-rock-inspired tunes, and “Leaveyourlove” – the lead single from a new collaborative EP – is the band at its most endearing, with saccharine harmonies over a disco-beat and funky guitar vamps. 

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

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Jazz/Soul/Chillout

Brooklyn Funk Essentials – “Take the L Train (to B’klyn)”

Recommended If You Like: Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, Makaya McCraven

A New York City club scene staple since the early 1990’s, the enduring pan-genre collective Brooklyn Funk Essentials has shared two new and highly enjoyable compositions, including the downtempo, jazz-leaning number, “Take the L Train (to B’Klyn).” Over a funky groove, with a heavy emphasis on reed solos, the eclectic outfit throws in a rush-hour-commute’s worth of tasty surprises – vibraphone, swirling synths, alt-percussion, etc. 

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube  

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Desert Blues 

Songhoy Blues – “Gara”

Recommended If You Like: Tinariwen, Mdou Moctar, Imarhan

Beloved in their home country of Mali, Songhoy Blues found the ears of an international audience with a heavier take on the desert blues sound – a distinctive guitar style that originated in North and West Africa. On “Gara” (translation: “blessing”), a single from the group’s new collection of more acoustic-inclined tunes, the band achieves something more traditional and contemplative; though no less heavy.

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

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Classic Rock/Experimental 

John Cale – “Graham Greene” (remastered)

Recommended If You Like: The Velvet Underground, Donovan, Elton John 

More than 50 years after its release, John Cale’s opus, Paris 1919, can still confound and thrill. Domino Records – the current home to the octagenarian polymath, who is still releasing music at a prolific rate – recently reissued Cale’s early ‘70s albums, including 1973’s Paris 1919 and 1972’s The Academy in Peril. And as JME’s Daniel A. Brown said in his review of the releases: “Longtime fans and the curious alike can now enjoy these fleshed-out versions of ‘70s-era Cale, when his powers of blunt inquiry were both cutting and sweet.”

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

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Indie Folk/Ambient/Local

Jacob Cummings – “Joan”

Recommended If You Like: Bon Iver, Little Wings, Nick Drake

Multi-instrumentalist and multi-disciplinary artist Jacob Cummings was raised in Central Florida. But before decamping to Los Angeles, Cummings spent a big chunk of his formative years in Jacksonville – studying classical saxophone at UNF, making photographs and short films and honing a distinctive regional sonic fingerprint. Released in November, Cummings’ debut solo album Southern & Enlightened ambient-leaning, experimentally-inclined indie folk is a fine articulation of his unique musical language. Read more about the album here. 

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube