DAVID HOPKINS Overlook
He’s the singer formerly known as Barnabus Wu, although you might know David Hopkins from his tenure in the Irish band LiR. The musician—who most recently went by “Wu” in his band Bombay Heavy—just released LP Overlook, his first in nearly a decade. Unlike Bombay Heavy’s driving, Zeppelin-influenced blues-rock, Overlook finds Hopkins experimenting with a gamut of sounds (and tapping the talents of friends like Killers bassist Mark Stoermer and Most Thieves drummer Rob Whited). From French synth-pop (“C’est La”) to piano-based ballads (“Let Somebody Inside”) to sexy, soulful grooves (“When I Do It With You”), Overlook shows Hopkins’ creative range. He has already released a handful of videos to accompany it, including one for the breezy French lounge cut “Irresponsible.” staugustrecords.com
TRADE VOORHEES Saturday 5 (Side A)
If you like your hip-hop with a side of horror, look no further than Vegas rapper Trade Voorhees, who just dropped Side A
of his latest album, Saturday 5, on April 14. (The second half, Side B, is set to arrive July 14.) The MC, who derives his name from Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees, has released four previous installments of his Saturday the 14th album, beginning in 2013. Saturday 5 is loaded with uber-chill, downtempo beats and bars about life’s complexities (“What Would Life Be Like”), all with a heavy dose of Voorhees’ boisterous bravado. music.tradevoorhees.com
TED RADER & THE MAGIC FAMILY Magical Mystery Detour
It’s been almost a year since Ted Rader returned to Vegas from Portland, Oregon, and he has wasted zero time replanting roots with his latest brand of cerebral space-rock. Rader’s latest LP, Magical Mystery Detour, wasn’t composed as an album but as a collection of improvised jams, none of which have been played live. Fans of Spiritualized will love the celestial whimsy of “Paper Canyon Drive,” served up like a palette cleanser before Rader jumps back in with his maniacal sing-panting throughout psychedelic-blues cut “Hot Cold Desert.” Also brand new: solo EP Murder Mart, a drippy, celestial bedroom trip that finds Rader experimenting with drum machines, synthesizers, effects pedals and droning, hypnotic noise. From his frenzied live shows to his sprawling recordings, Rader has tapped into a creative groove all his own. tedrader.bandcamp.com
THE LIQUE Times Like These
The new album from jazz/hip-hop hybrid The Lique follows the group’s 2016 debut, Democracy Manifest, and continues MC and storyteller Rasar Amani’s insightful lyrics ruminating on social anxiety, politics, community and more. The Lique will celebrate its soaring, jazz-infused achievement May 18 at the House of Blues. thelique.com
