The Friday Refrain: A little bit about what's new in music
Happy Final February Friday! There are so many albums warranting a further listen this week, that I think it would take me a month to get through it all. I've been doing this little project of mine for two months of writing on here and I've been listening for three, and I feel as though I showed up to a pop quiz without a #2 pencil this week.
New this week - Here's a link to my list of releases, including all the ones I don't get to listen to on Spotify. So if you just want to dive in, go for it. I'm going to add genre to the list in the future as well, but one step at a time. And I try to catch everything and make sure it's accurate, so I apologize for any mistakes or miscalculated dates.
Tally ho! So big names this week: Dierks Bentley, RISER; The Fray, Helios; St. Vincent, St. Vincent; and Beck, Morning Phase. But I'm sure you knew that already, what else is there? Let's take a walkabout
Instrumental guitar? Try Harry Taussig, The Diamond of Lost Alphabets, or Suni McGrath, Seven Stars. Need a little blues? Joe Louis Walker released Hornet's Nest as well this week.
Something to go with that new Beck album?
Greg Ashley, Another Generation of Slaves - Loungy jazzy singer-songwriter with a hint of Dylan.
New Madrid, Sunswimmer
Barzin, To Live Alone In That Long Summer - Perhaps I'm feeling a bit behind because I had to listen to this album every day since I listened to it on Tuesday. It would seamlessly work after Morning Phase by the by...
Reed Turchi, When You're Lost, It's All A Sign
Let's jump onto that Playground of Rock - never know what you're going to find
Pillar Point, Pillar Point - Synthy and 80s if you'd like. Check out "Touch"
Real Estate, Talking Backwards - maybe everything sounds California-like and cheery to me at this point, but that's what I'm going with. 2 songs, worth checking out.
Priscilla Ahn, This Is Where We Are - I had to take a second stab at it. There are some really beautiful moments and great songs ("Remember When I Broke Your Heart") on this album
DVA, Nipomo - I almost don't know what to say about this but to give it a whirl.
New-Electric-Ride, Balloon Age - You can pretty much figure this one out yourself, right? Yep, psychedelic and good.
The Family Crest, Beneath the Brine - Orchestral rock. I'm excited to dive into this one more.
Lo-Fang, Blue Film; I really like the closing track, "Permutations."
The Notwist, Close to the Glass
Yellow Ostrich, Cosmos
Neneh Cherry, Blank Project - My husband had me listen to/sang along with "Buffalo Stance" and when he told me she's related to Eagle-Eye Cherry, I sang along word for word to "Save Tonight."
Cloud Becomes Your Head, Rocks or Cakes
Kelis released a new single Jerk Ribs from her upcoming album Food
Also out this week: Menace Beach, Lowtalker; SKATERS, Manhattan; Death Vessel, Island Intervals; She Sir, Go Guitars; Guiye Frayo, Electric Boundaries; FKA x inc., FKA x inc.; VERIDIA, Inseparable; Qui, Life, Water, Living; Mike Gordon, Overstep; Milagres, Violent Light; Have Mercy, Split EP; Blackbird Blackbird, There is Nowhere; Caramel Snow, You Walk On Air
Rock
Revolution, I Love You, The Atlantic Ocean EP
Marvin Berry & The New Sound, Bootleg
Vertical Scratchers, Daughter of Everything
Bleeding Rainbow, Interrupt
Keel Her, Keel Her
Flagland, Love Hard
Tacocat, NVM
Creative Adult, Psychic Mess
Hard Rock and Metal
The Wounded Kings, Consolamentum - I'm coming back to this album. Think it's going in my like list
The Kindred, Life in Lucidity
House of Lords, Precious Metal
Vanden Plas, Chronicles of the Immortals
Mother of Millions, Human
Bury Tomorrow, Man On Fire
Or maybe some Folk Rock?
Twin Forks, Twin Forks LP - Leans to the Americana side
Run River North, Run River North
Natural Child, Dancin' With Wolves- More like Hippie Country
Speaking of Country
Already mentioned Dierks, but here's a couple others:
Bob Frank, Bob Frank
runaway dorothy, The Wait
WORLD! (love this part)
Alsarah & The Nubatones, Soukura EP - Full album in March, and I'll be excited to hear it.
Flaco Jimenez, Max Baca, Flaco & Max Legends & Legacies - yes!
The Souljazz Orchestra, Inner Fire - double yes!
Celtic Woman, Emerald: Musical Gems
Maybe you want to dance?
Brandt Brauer Frick, DJ-Kicks
Major Lazer, Apocalypse Soon
Podgy Figures, MAD
DCUP, Someone Told Me - This will be on my list this weekend
Electronica
Patten, Estoile Naiant
Christina Vantzou, No.2
Costa Profunda, Trabajo
Chymera, Tidal/Moot Point
Heterotic, Rain
World Tour, Surreal
Wow, I got quiet at the end there. Maybe because it's snowing again outside. If it's snowing where you are - put on "Snow Day" by Tacocat now. You're welcome and happy weekend!
Friday Refrain is a weekly post regarding what new releases have caught my ear for the week. I try to compile a pretty comprehensive list of pop/rock releases of the week and see what is available for me to listen to on the web. This is just my non-scientific, highly-subjective, randomly-listened-to list of stuff I enjoyed from the week. Oh, and I don’t always listen to lyrics or look at album art/music videos, so appropriateness is left up to the listener.