The Friday Refrain: What's New In Music
Are you ready for Halloween? I’m… not. Pumpkins on the step but the costumes and the decorations, well they’re still tucked away because it’s been a busy busy month. Anyway, let’s see what’s new today…
New Music
The pile of Christmas albums is piling up under my listening Christmas tree to be discussed before Thanksgiving. Except there is one that I can’t wait to talk about and that is William Shatner’s Shatner Claus. Too perfect. Right now I’m listening to famous tenor Andrea Bocelli’s new album Si. Songwriter David Crosby brings us Here If You Listen. Boy George And The Culture Club return with Life. Psychedelic Unknown Mortal Orchestra recorded their new album in Hanoi and titled it Ic-01 Hanoi. Prolific fuzzy gritty rocker Ty Segall is back with Fudge Sandwich. The soundtrack for Suspiria is out and if you’ve been under a rock, it’s written by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. Kimbra joins the ranks of artists redoing their albums with Songs From The Primal Heart: Reimagined. Moving to rap artists, Ty Dolla $ign and Jeremih release Mihty. And finally The Black Eyed Peas are back sans Fergie and return to their rap roots with the album Masters of the Sun, Vol. 1.
Should I Bother?
Black Eyed Peas: This is not “I Gotta Feeling” pop. And it’s worth a listen.
Andrea Bocelli: You know, there’s a reason he’s famous. That voice is so smooth and expressive. I know some might just sluff it off as popular classical but it’s good popular classical.
Boy George: I think that fans of Boy George will be happy to put on this album.
David Crosby: It’s an easy album to put on and work to, definitely a couple songs I’m going to be making note of.
Thom Yorke: This is as close to the movie I’m getting, that’s for sure. And Thom Yorke’s already has that haunting feeling to his music; it’s full of sound but still there is this vacuum in the middle of it all.
Ty Segall: Fuzzy gritty covers of songs Ty Segall loves from John Lennon to Funkadelic.
Kimbra: acoustic versions of songs from her album Primal Heart. There are some really pretty arrangements on here and worth a listen.
Well there we have it, another Friday, another Refrain. Hope you get all the treats you need this week. I’m looking forward to a new stash of chocolate. Happy Listening!