Written by Ella Fortine and Jacob Flores, Staff Writers
From Fleetwood Mac’s return to jazz fusion classics, read further to see good music now and then.
New Releases From September, 2025
Wake up everyone, Fleetwood Mac has been reborn. In this life, their frontmen consist of FINNEAS and Ashe, who, after multiple collaborations, finally answered their calling and started a band. Blending crisp production from the man responsible for Grammy nominated album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT with stripped back, organic instrumentation, The Dream tells stories from vastly different chapters of one’s life, but that all come back to that one person you never stopped loving. FINNEAS and Ashe’s vocals are beautifully complimentary and perfectly suited to either a loving crooner or dancing out of your seat. A perfect meeting point between both singer’s most recent projects plus a splash of something more. The songwriting and sonic feel of this project takes the listener to the heart of the story, buoyed by exquisite execution. It draws on a plethora of classic inspirations, calling back to both Fleetwood Mac and others like Van Morrison and The Velvet Underground. Emotionally vibrant and varied, The Dream is the pinnacle of collaborative projects.
In true post-punk revival fashion, NewDad has put together another beautiful, melodic masterpiece. Taking a step further into a ground down, distorted instrumentals that made sporadic appearances on their debut album, MADRA, this project creates a wonderful sonic atmosphere of just heavy enough backing production that leaves space for airy lead vocals and angelic harmonies. Building on previous work heavily influenced by shoegaze and post-punk artists like Mazzy Star and Cocteau Twins, Altar brings in inspirations that are a bit rougher around the edges, echoing at times the dynamics of rockier bands like Paramore. A satisfying evolution of style and musical personality, with this record NewDad proves to be a band to watch.
“How can beauty that is livin’ be anything but true?” is the question that begins the listener’s journey into an album of truths. Adrianne Lenker’s songwriting prowess, demonstrated on both her work as part of Big Thief and her solo projects, shines on this record, with unique vocals guiding moving rhythms. Love, death, and infinity itself come up as themes beautifully sung about, bolstered by quintessential Big Thief soft indie rock production with a twist that verges on psychedelic. Pieces of the album and the songs themselves seem in conversation with each other, each building on and elevating the other to form a unitive and sweetly melodic project. This album has shown the true depth that music can have, vulnerable, real, and exceptionally cohesive.
Releases from the Past
Hidden gems are known for being extraordinarily creative, and Begin by The Millenium shows the true musical creativity of its time. Released in January 1968, The Millenium released their passion project under Columbia Records with the mixed genres of Psychedelic, Baroque Pop, and Sunshine Pop creating what is known as a masterpiece. The album starts off with Prelude, an instrumental piece mixing heavy drums, and vibrant piano while also keeping an upbeat tune to set up the future themes of the album. Prelude sets up the next song of the album To Claudia on Thursday, a song about taking your time and letting go of your thoughts while “letting the breeze of the weather go through your hair” while mixing an upbeat tune of a guitar and mixing the Psychedelic genre. The album also includes I Just Want to Be Your Friend , Some Sunny Day, and It’s You, which are songs that all mix the genre of Baroque pop and Sunshine pop, making for an easy listening experience. 5 a.m. is the album’s most popular song, heavily relying on the psychedelic vibe while talking about how at 5 a.m. in the morning is like another world, for its cold air, and empty space surrounding the morning. The album continues with more songs such as It Won’t Always Be the Same, The Island, and I’m With You Heavily using the 60’s Pop aesthetic and pushing the limits of music for its time while mixing Pop and Rock in different variations. There Is time to understand the meaning of the songs, all the while making a Mellow beat and uprising tempo combining a soft organ and loud guitar, making the ultimate Psychedelic Pop song of the genre. The album closes off with Anthem(Begin), a half instrumental piece with a wacky backwards beat while switching to the lyrical chant about Columbia Records and CBS, mixing the Phycadelic, Mellow, and Pop themes throughout the instrumental piece and lyrical part. Although “Begin” never got the ultimate success it was planned to get, reviewers credit the album as “One of the best 60s albums that compete with the likes of the Beatles and The Beach Boys.” If you want a calming and unique album for a rainy day or an album to seek your curiosity, Begin by The Millenium is the album for you.
With hits like Reelin’ In the Years and Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, Steely Dan has built a reputation for being a trend setting band. What many people don’t know is Steely Dan’s album, Countdown To Ecstasy which is a little known treasure on multiple levels. Released in July of 1973 it is truly one of the greatest Jazz albums of that decade. Starting the album off with a heavy hitter Bodhisattva, an upbeat rock piece mixing vibrant instrumental piano, guitar solos, and a beautiful mixed chorus by Donald Fegan making for a headbanging track. The second track on the album is Razor Boy, a soothing track mixing jazz and an upbeat tune while singing about the future to hold and will you still find joy “when the razor boy comes and takes your fancy things away” as the “razor boy” being put as the grim reaper or death itself. The album continues with songs such as The Boston Rag, Your Gold Teeth, and Show Biz Kids making for classic and amazing scores that collide with each other as masterpieces that hold up to today’s generations music standards. My Old School, the 6th track and the most known song on the album, is a wonderful soothing and upbeat track that mixes Jazz and rock together as one while discussing the dark themes of arrest and substance use of students at Donald Fegan and Walter Becker’s old college in 1969. Pearl Of The Quarter is the mellow and subtle track on the album, discussing the topic of a man discussing love and sorrow for a French prostitute, only for his affections to remain unreturned as she continues her work. The album ends off with King Of The World, an amazing song that has keyboard solos, guitar solos, and vibrant tones pushing Steely Dan’s Creativity to the limits, all the while discussing the topic of A post apocalyptic world where one man is the lone survivor of the world calling himself the “king” ending off the album with a bang. Countdown To Ecstasy is an album that discusses dark topics that Steely Dan as a band thought was the perfect way to explain the meaning of the truth to an audience all the while creating a masterpiece in the music genre and being known as a true one of a kind album. If you are looking for an album to lighten up the day with upbeat tunes but also an album that tells a story of its own, Countdown To Ecstasy by Steely Dan is the album for you.
When it comes to the Jazz Fusion genre of albums, Masayoshi Takanaka’s Seychelles is at the top of fans list. Released on July 1st, 1976 under Kitty Records, Masayoshi Takanaka Started off with a bang for his debut album. The album starts off with a banger OH!TENGO SUERTE , an instrumental piece mixing the vibrant funk and groove of guitar riffs and solos while building up a theme for the second track on the album. Tokyo Reggie, the second and most played song on the album, is an upbeat track that mixes Jazz- Funk and City Pop while adding soothing vocals, amazing guitar riffs,and lyrics to the track. The album continues with songs such as Shinkirō no Shima e, Funkee Mah Chan, and Bādoairando Kyūkō that hold up as some of Masayoshi Takanaka’s best pieces of work in today’s standards while creating the true feeling and soul of Jazz Fusion. Akogare no Sēsheru Shotō, is a track on the album that introduces the more mellow side of the Jazz Fusion and Jazz- Funk genre, mixing subtle guitar, soothing vocals, while also capturing the aesthetic of feelings of loss or happiness at points. Sayonara…… Fuji-san, Is the third lyrical track of the album and most experimental track, mixing vocals and guitar as one together creating a beautiful masterpiece of a song that shows Masayoshi Takanaka’s musical skills at the time. The album ends off with Tropic Birds, an instrumental piece that starts off as a compilation of all the songs to come from the album and reusing elements from songs such as notes and riffs and combining it into a completely new song mixing Jazz Fusion and City Pop together to end the album off with a memorable experience. What started off as Masayoshi’s debut album, Seychelles became the main reason Takanaka continued his musical journey for many years to come after 1976. Masayoshi Takanaka will forever be known as “Japan’s Rock Fusion King” and still never disappoints when it comes to creativity for instrumental and musical pieces. If you are in the mood for an upbeat and amazing soothing album, Seychelles by Masayoshi Takanaka is the album to listen to.