The first week of 2017 was pretty quiet for album releases (except for Two Zero One Seven, s/o Sosa), but the second week has brought with it a ton of excellent new project.

Side note: for 2017, Audio Plug’s New Music Fridays series will feature not just albums released on Friday, but project that have come out over the course of the past week.

Alexandria – Cut of Cloth

Awful Records singer Alexandria has been featured on tons of her labelmates’ songs, but Cut of Cloth is her debut solo project. The fifteen-track album, released through Soundcloud, features Awful Records rappers Lord Narf, Archibald Slim, and Ethereal, who also produced the vast majority of the record. Cut of Cloth shows off Alexandria’s soulful, crooning voice in ways she hasn’t been able to express it before, creating an album that fits well in the 90s R&B revival aesthetic of recent years.

Ant Beale & Charlie Heat – No Rain No Flowers

GOOD Music producer Charlie Heat blew up in the last year or two, most notably for producing “All Day” and for making “Facts” into an actually decent song. Rather than branching out and working with more big-name artists, Heat decided to play it close to home for his next project and produce for Ant Beale, a fellow New Jersey native. Not a lot is known about Beale: he only has a few songs on his Soundcloud, but he’s worked with the likes of Trinidad Jame$ and Kehlani, including on the larrer’s upcoming  SweetSexySavage  album. No Rain No Flowers showcases both Beale’s impressive lyricism and melodic tendencies, and Heat’s proficiency for mixing bombastic percussion with interesting, varied instrumentation, using everything from guitars to accordions to craft his beats.

Baby E – Kill the Noise

Since signing to Young Money in 2015, Baby E has been producing for artists like Juicy J and Pitbull, and had a notable guest feature on Lil Wayne’s No Ceilings 2 mixtape. On Tuesday, Baby E finally dropped Kill the Noise, his much-anticipated debut record. Featuring verses from Juicy J, DeNiro Farrar, Hoody Baby, and one of the best Lil Wayne verses in recent memory, the 14-track project combines elements of hip hop, pop, and indie rock for a very eclectic sound that’s somewhat reminiscent of lil aaron’s recent Gloing Pain$ EP.

Bones – Disgrace

Bones output has been nothing if not consistent. Dropping four projects in 2016, he’s started off early this year with another project: Disgrace, which features production from Grayera, Vegard, Hush, Idotsdot, Messiah, and more. It’s nothing particularly new for the California rapper, but he’s not exactly known for his variation: Bones’ music is unwaveringly moody, dark, ambient music, delivering introspective lyrics in an aggressive monotone.

 

Curren$y, TY, & Corner Boy P – Jetlanta EP

Curren$y dropped twelve albums in 2016, and, apparently, has no intention on slowing down for 2017. He’s promised to curb his output until dropping a studio album in April, but he apparently spontaneously decided to drop Jetlanta, a joint EP with fellow Jet Life rappers TY and Corner Boy P. He’s also recently announced a joint EP with Freddie Gibbs, so expect some exciting things from Spitta in the upcoming year,

 

David Bowie – No Plan EP

Before his untimely passing last January, Bowie had made plans to drop an EP on January 8th, what would’ve been his 70th birthday. The release of No Plan went ahead posthumously, and features Bowie’s performances of songs from his musical Lazarus, based off Walter Tevis’ novel The Man Who Fell to Earth. All four of the tracks were recorded during Bowie’s Black Star sessions, and had previously been released as part of the Lazarus soundtrack album. The album release also coincided with the release of a final music video from the revered, innovative rock star, which you can watch here.

The Flaming Lips – Oczy Mlody

After more than thirty years in the game, it’s something of a surprise to see the Flaming Lips still going strong. Oczy Mlody, their first album since 2013’s The Terror (unless you count their joint project with Miley Cyrus), is a significantly more uplifting record than their last one, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. The Lips’ characteristic oddball lyrics have been criticized for being simply nonsensical, and the spaced-out style of the record veers Oczy Mlody into a territory that seems overextended and directionless.

 

PnB Rock – GTTM: Going Through the Motions

Philadelphia singer/rapper PnB Rock had a well-received mixtape run with his RNB series, but a collaborative album with Fetty Wap, as well tracks with Kodak Black and Lil Yachty, helped launch the melodic hitmaker into mainstream attention. GTTM: Going Through the Motions is his long-awaited debut album, featuring appearances by Quavo, Ty Dolla $ign, Wiz Khalifa, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and YFN Lucci.

 

 

Wiley – Godfather

This album, reportedly, almost didn’t come to be. According to Wiley, a phone call from a friend had him convinced that his time in Grime, the genre he essentially founded, was over, since mainstream artists like Drake had overtaken the musical movement. In the end, however, Wiley decided to make Godfather his curtain call: a final sendoff project, appropriately titled for his nickname as the “Godfather of Grime”. The tracklist features a who’s-who of prominent Grime MCs, with Skepta, Jme, Frisco, Ghetts, P Money, and many more. It’s undoubtedly one of Wiley’s best projects in years, and while it’s always a shame to see a veteran retire, Wiley went out with all the power, grace, and energy that he came in with.

Wintertime & Felix Snow – No Winter Without Snow

Florida rapper Wintertime drew attention, and some comparisons to Lil Yachty, for last year’s I Know What You Did Last Winter project. Like Boat, Wintertime combines trap music with melodic hooks, and for his latest project, No Winter Without Snow, he’s teamed up with producer Felix Snow, who’s credits include work with Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, SZA, and Terror Jr.. Known for his atmospheric, minimalist production, Felix is an excellent fit for the up-and-coming rapper’s latest project.

The xx – I See You

After releasing two critically acclaimed albums in 2009 and 2012, British indie/electronic/ambient/pop trio The xx took a five year hiatus, that saw the band’s DJ Jamie xx release his Mercury Award-nominated album In Colour. Today, Jamie reunited with singers Romy Croft and Oliver Sim for I See You, The xx’s third full project. It’s a welcome addition to the band’s discography, with all the ambient, emotional buildup and tender lyrics of the band’s early work, but with a much more ambitious, stadium-ready quality that bodes well for their upcoming tour.

Also released: Nick Grant, Return of the Cool; SOHN, Rennen; Trey Songz, Anticipation 3; USS, New World Alphabet