New Music Friday: 11/28/25

"Meet the Sun," Joseph Solomon
If it's possible for a song to sound like the way it feels to open one's eyes on a sunny morning, take a few rested breaths while watching dust motes hover in the golden glow, and feel nothing but good about your life — up to and including the person laying in bed next to you — then I humbly submit that the song in question is Joseph Solomon's "Meet the Sun." Love songs this utterly unabashed are hard to pull off, and many who try make the mistake of erring on the side of rafter-rattling, Boltonesque yearning; Solomon takes the opposite approach, expressing gratitude with quiet grace. Bonus points for the lovely descending melody on the electric piano that reminds me of Bob James' "Angela."

"I've Got a Broken Heart," the Lemon Twigs
I've written about these guys here before, and I try to avoid repetition in this space, but sometimes it just can't be avoided. Case in point: "I've Got a Broken Heart," which might be the best thing I've heard from them — which is saying an awful lot, since I think they might be the best band around when it comes to delivering '60s-indebted, harmony-drenched power pop that pushes all the right buttons without sounding like it's trying too hard to do so. I mean, my goodness:

"How Much Will It Take," Kwaku Asante
I guess it must be Soft Soul Week for NMF, because here comes Kwaku Asante with a track that would have been luxuriously supple enough to earn an endorsement from noted rich Corinthian leather enthusiast Ricardo Montalban. You know who else I bet would like this song? Michael McDonald, who wrote his own classic ballad begging an object of affection to give love another chance. Kwaku Asante sees your broken heart and he is here to heal it:

"Colors," AVAION
This is the type of dance track I can get behind, which is to say it sounds like something you'd listen to on your way home from the club instead of something that'd batter your eardrums with OONTZ OONTZ OONTZ for hours on end. If I don't hear this in an episode of Industry next season, someone has failed at their job.

"Feel It All," Ryan Harris
I liked "Feel It All" more before I read Ryan Harris' self-written bio, which gets misty-eyed about a childhood spent listening to Jack Johnson, but it's been a while since we made room for one of our periodic reminders that there's nothing inherently wrong with a gently loping folk-pop song that includes a little banjo, and this one's as good as any other.

"Opo Opo," Riot Jazz Brass Band
The Riot Jazz Brass Band is based in the UK, but you'd never know it from listening to them. And while their press kits describe them as dabbling in various genres, this nine-piece outfit excels at dispensing exactly the type of vibes you'd expect after reading their name — as reflected in "Opo Opo," their 11th single of the year. If you're into brass and/or brass bands, you'll hear a lot to love here; if not, you have issues beyond my ability to help.

"Taking Out the Trash," SML
This one's filed under jazz, but that's a bit of a stretch — SML really traffics in improvisational music, and before you scroll past this one without listening, hear me out. The group's new album, How You Been, was assembled by taking bits of live performances and using them to construct new songs; it's a technique that sounds to me like a gigantic pain in the ass, but it's also basically how Paul Simon put Graceland together, so when it's done right, it does pay significant dividends. While hastening to add that How You Been is no Graceland, I think this stuff is a lot of fun — if you're in an adventurous mood, dial it up and see how it strikes you.

"No Jacket Required," Zilla Rocca
I'd didn't know much about Zilla Rocca before coming across his new album Fast Eddie, but that isn't really a surprise, as I have never been and will never be any kind of hip-hop authority. (Surprise!) I like what little I do know, however — a relentless grinder, Rocca was a somewhat slept-on producer/MC in the Philadelphia scene for years, even releasing an album titled Future Former Rapper, before all that effort started really paying off a few years ago. (Read more here, courtesy of Friend of Jefitoblog Gary Suarez.)

On the sonic/lyrical spectrum, Rocca's solidly on the indie tip, with consistently creative beats and lines stuffed with the sorts of pop culture references and curveballs you'd expect to find on, say, an Aesop Rock record. "No Jacket Required" is a fun example of both: