My Favorite Things of the Week

Good news from the world of '90s alternative rock, John Frusciante is rejoining the Red Hot Chili Peppers! Frusciante has been the on-again-off-again as the guitarist for the group, last leaving the band in 2009. He was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer, who is now departing. I'm excited to see what their next album will sound like with the iconic guitarist back in the fold!

As always, keep an eye on my Upcoming Releases page for new music that I'm excited about!

Lizzo has released several music videos for tracks from her third album, Cuz I Love You. Though she previously released a video for "Good as Hell," she released another video for the track this week. This video sees her joining up with the Southern University marching band in multiple roles; including bandleader, flutist, and dancer. The video brought out some real marching band nostalgia for me!

As beloved an artist as Frank Ocean is, I've heard surprisingly few covers from his contemporaries. This week, Nilüfer Yanya offered her take on "Super Rich Kids," for Triple J's Like a Version series.

Greg Dulli will be releasing a new solo album early next year, and released the album's first single, "Pantomima." The song bodes well for a great album from the artist!

The next album from The Flaming Lips will be a collaborative album with Deap Vally.

brooklynvegan.com

The two bands have formed a new group, called Deap Lips, and will release a self-titled album on March 13. The collaboration is one that is both surprising, and perfectly sensical.

Other upcoming albums:

Alanis Morissette - Such Pretty Forks in the Road (May 1)
Brian Fallon - Local Honey (March 27)
Caribou - Suddenly (February 28)
Cindy Lee - What’s Tonight to Eternity (February 14)
Dirty Projectors - Sing the Melody (out now)
Greg Dulli - Random Desire (February 21)
Halsey - Manic (January 17)
Kaytranada - BUBBA (out now)
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges - Texas Sun (February 7)
M. Ward - Migration Stories (April 3)
The Professionals - The Professionals (January 17)
Swamp Dogg - Sorry You Couldn’t Make It (March 6)
Wrekmeister Harmonies - We Love to Look at the Carnage (February 21)

New Music Friday - April 20, 2018

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

DRINKS - Hippo Lite This is the second album from the duo comprised of Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley (aka White Fence) following 2015's Hermits on Holiday. It's named for where it was recorded, Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort in France. Watch: "Corner Shops" Listen: "Real Outside"

Kimbra - Primal Heart Maybe still best known for her feature on Gotye's "Someone That I Used to Know," Kimbra is a talented musician in her own right. Primal Heart is her third album. It sees her experimenting a bit with rap, and not doing too badly with it. Watch: "Top of the World" Watch: "Everybody Knows"

A Perfect Circle - Eat the Elephants 14 years after their last record, Emotive, and eight years after reforming, Maynard Keynes' other project has released their fourth album. Watch: "TalkTalk" Watch: "Disillusioned"

Other Full-Length Releases

Alexis Taylor - Beautiful Thing Watch: "Oh Baby" Watch: "Beautiful Thing"

Chilly Gonzales - Other People’s Pieces

Sweet Valley - Eternal Champ II Watch: "Hit & Run" Listen: "Tunnel Rat"

Thievery Corporation - Treasures from the Temple Watch: "Voyage Libre" Listen: "San San Rock"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

David Bowie - Aladdin Sane Reissue Watch: "The Jean Genie" Listen: "Watch That Man"

Denmark Vessey - Sun Go Nova Watch: "Trustfall" (featuring Earl Sweatshirt) Listen: "Halal Avocado Toast"

The Flaming Lips - Scratching the Door: The First Recordings of the Flaming Lips Listen: "Scratching the Door" Listen: "Forever Is a Long Time"

Gang of Four - Complicit Watch: "Lucky" Listen: "Ivanka (Things You Can’t Have)"

Linda Ronstadt - Mad Love Reissue Watch: "Mad Love" Listen: "Girls Talk"

Little Dragon - "Best Friends"/"Sway Daisy" Listen: "Best Friends" Listen: "Sway Daisy"

Omni - "Sunset Preacher"/"Confessional" Listen: "Sunset Preacher" Listen: "Confessional"

Pete Townshend - Who Came First Remastered and Expanded Listen: "Let’s See Action" Listen: "Pure and Easy"

Tokyo Police Club - "New Blues" Watch: "New Blues"

The Who - Live at the Fillmore East 1968

New Music Friday - January 13, 2017

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

Essential Full-Length Releases

Flo Morrissey & Matthew E. White - Gentlewoman, Ruby Man Flo Morrissey is a young British singer with one album under her belt and Matthew E. White is an American singer and producer with just two solo records, but scores of collaborations and production work. Morrissey's and White's collaborative album is a collection of covers, with songs originally performed by Frank Ocean, Little Wings, and Frankie Valli. Listen: "Grease" Listen: "Look at What the Light Did Now"

Run the Jewels - RTJ3 Killer Mike and El-P are always welcome voices to hear, but the release of their third records is perfectly timed. With just one week until the inauguration of a new president, their angry, direct, and fiercely political music provides a needed response to both the real and feared social landscape. There will be many voices of opposition over the next four years, but few will be as unapologetically brash as those of Run of Jewels. Listen: "Legend Has It" Listen: "Down" (featuring Joi)

The xx - I See You The xx suffered one of the common sophomore curses with the release of 2012's Coexist; they'd released an album too similar to their debut. In the five years since that album, one of the group members, Jamie xx, released a celebrated solo record, one that informed the sound of his group's third album. While still identifiable as a The xx record, the sound is more expansive with the style of In Colour taking the band into a new direction. Watch: "On Hold" Listen: "Say Something Loving"

Other Full-Length Releases

Bonobo - Migration Watch: "Kerala" Listen: "No Reason" (featuring Nick Murphy)

The Flaming Lips - Oczy Mlody Watch: "How??" Watch: "Sunrise (Eyes of the Young)"

PnB Rock - Goin’ Through the Motions Watch: "Alone" Watch: "Selfish"

Sohn - Rennen Watch: "Hard Liquor" Watch: "Conrad"

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

Foxing - Two

Mr. Tophat - Trust Me Listen: "Right Time" (featuring Robyn) Listen: "Trust Me" (featuring Robyn)

Nirvana - Incesticide Listen: "Dive" Listen: "Sliver"

of Montreal - Rune Husk EP Listen: "Internecine Larks" Listen: "Widowsucking"

New Music Friday - November 27, 2015

In addition to being New Music Friday, it is also Black Friday Record Store Day. To see a full list of special releases, head to the Record Store Day website. Many of the releases will be getting broader digital releases in the next couple of weeks. As always, be sure to view my list of upcoming releases here!

Full-Length Releases

Ten Commandos - Ten Commandos Listen: "Four on the Floor" Listen: "Staring Down the Dust" (featuring Mark Lanegan)

Singles, EPs, Soundtracks, etc.

BOSS - "I’m Down with That" Listen: "I’m Down with That"

Deerhoof - Fever 121614 Listen: "We Do Parties" Listen: "Come See the Duck"

Erykah Badu - But You Caint Use My Phone Listen: "Phone Down" Listen: "Hello" (featuring André 3000)

The Flaming Lips - Heady Nuggs 20 Years After Clouds Taste Metallic Listen: "Hot Day" Listen: "Put the Waterbug in the Policeman’s Ear"

Lil Bibby - Free Crack 3  Listen: "Aww Man" (featuring Future) Listen: "Speak to Em" (featuring Common)

Major Lazer - Peace Is the Mission Extended Listen: "Boom" (featuring MOTi, Ty Dolla $ign, Wizkid, & Kranium) Listen: "Wave" (featuring Kali Uchis)

Merchandise featuring Dum Dum Girls - "Red Sun"/"Echo" Listen: "Red Sun" Listen: "Echo"

SOPHIE - PRODUCT Listen: "Just Like We Never Said Goodbye" Listen: "L.O.V.E."

Ty Segall - Ty-Rex Listen: "The Slider" Listen: "Woodland Rock"

New Music Tuesday - October 28, 2014

Be sure to view a list of upcoming releases here!

New Full-Length Releases

Creepers - Lush Creepers is a side project from Deafheaven's Dan Tracy and Shiv Mehra, who produce a mix of psychedelia, shoegaze, and prog rock. The band has been playing in San Francisco and the Bay area for some years, but the success of Deafheaven's Sunbather has allowed that band to further promote related projects. This album is being released on Deafheaven frontman George Clark's All Black Recording Company label. Watch: "Take You There" Listen: "Vanishing"

The Flaming Lips - With a Little Help from My Fwends The Flaming Lips have always been strange, but they seem to have allowed themselves to get to downright WTF-levels of weird in the past couple of years. The music itself has gotten stranger, but they've also chosen strange ways in which to release their music (gummy fetuses, for example), and have had some interesting bedfellows (like Miley Cyrus). Even as a full album of Beatles covers, their latest release is the most straightforward they've been in a while. Watch: "Lucy in the Sky" Listen: "A Day in the Life"

French for Rabbits - Spirits French for Rabbits is a dream pop band out of Waikiku Beach, New Zealand, who have been active since 2012. Over the past couple of years, they have built up their name primarily through touring in their home country and across Europe. This is their debut album. Watch: "The Other Side" Listen: "Woke up to a Storm"

HAERTS - HAERTS HAERTS is a truly international band. Members hail from Germany, England and the US, met at school in Iceland, but became a band in Brooklyn. This is their debut album, which follows an EP, Hemiplegia, which was released in 2013. They are an indie pop band, though they pull in some old school classic rock elements. Watch: "Giving Up" Listen: "Hemiplegia"

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Dust This gothic/classic rock band first got together in 2003, but took an eight-year break following the release of their 2006 debut album Fear Is on Our Side. Despite the amount of time that has passed, the band has not sacrificed anything; they maintain a similar sound, the same record label (Secretly Canadian) and the same producer (Paul Barker) for their sophomore release. Listen: "Faust" Listen: "Come Undone"

Nick Oliveri's Uncontrollable - Leave Me Alone Nick Oliveri is the former bassist for Kyuss, Dwarves, and, perhaps most famously, Queens of the Stone Age. His break away from QotSA has not been negative (he still sometimes performs with the band), but has merely served as an opportunity to explore his sound outside of the band. He has previously released music as the frontman for Mondo Generator, but this is his first release with this project. Listen: "Keep Me in the Loop" Listen: "Luv Is Fiction"

Pianos Become the Teeth - Keep You This is the third album from the Baltimore post-hardcore band. However, even after guesting on hardcore punk band United Nation's The Next Four Years earlier this year, they are dialing back their sound a bit. The band is part of the "The Wave" movement in punk music, which aims to produce music with "emotionally-centered lyrical content, dual musical emphasis on both melody and distorted intensity." Their latest album sees them pulling that intensity back some, and focusing more on the lyrics and melody. Watch: "Repine" Listen: "Late Lives"

Restorations - LP3 Restorations is a punk rock band out of Philly, who seem to embody the working class ethos that has come to define much rock music out of the city. As the album's title suggests, this is the third album from the band. Their latest sees them further pulling some of the heartland rock elements that were previously lurking in the background on prior releases. Watch: "Separate Songs" Listen: "Misprint"

Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2 This is easily already my favorite hip hop album of the year, and one of my favorites all-around. It's the second go-around as Run the Jewels for Killer Mike and El-P, who released Run the Jewels last year. Both are amazing artists on their own, but create something special when they get together. Their sophomore record deals heavily with issues of police brutality and redemption, but manages to find lighter moments with sex, love, and more than a few vulgar jabs. Watch: "Blockbuster Night Part 1" Listen: "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)"

The Twilight Sad - Nobody Wants to Be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave A couple of weeks ago, I said I love a good Scottish brogue in regards to We Were Promised Jetpacks' latest record. True, those guys employ a good brogue, but this band turns that up to 100. I first got into the band after the release of their incredible third album, No One Can Ever Know. While maintaining their dark, brooding, and emotional lyrics, this album may be even better. Watch: "Last January" Listen: "There's a Girl in the Corner"

Other New Releases

The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen at 21 Anniversary Edition After a 16-year hiatus, The Afghan Whigs regrouped last year and released the incredible Do to the Beast. They don't want us to forget the amazing music that they released in the past, though. Their fourth album is finally old enough to drink and is getting reissued to celebrate that milestone. Watch: "Gentlemen" Watch: "Debonair"

Cass McCombs/Meat Puppets - "Night of the World"/"(Hey Baby) Que Paso" Cass McCombs and the Meat Puppets are currently in the middle of a tour together. They have also gotten together to record a split 7" with two new songs from each artist. Listen: Cass McCombs - "Night of the World" Listen: Meat Puppets - "(Hey Baby) Que Paso"

HAIM - "My Song 5" 7" HAIM released their debut album, Days Are Gone, in October of last year. Their latest single shows just how big they've become leading up to and since that release. A new version of the track features A$AP Ferg, and its video features cameos from Ferg himself, Ezra Koenig, Vanessa Bayer, Grimes, and Kesha. Watch: "My Song 5" (remix featuring A$AP Rocky)

How to Dress Well - “What Is This Heart?” Reissue This may be one of the quickest reissue flips yet, Tom Krell released his third album in June of this year, so this reissue comes after just four months. There are no real changes in the album itself, though the reissue will come packaged with a remix compilation, detailed below. Watch: "Face Again" Watch: "Childhood Faith in Love"

How to Dress Well - “What Is This Heart?” Remixes This is the collection of remixes coming with the reissue of How to Dress Well's latest album. Tracks from the record are reimagined by A.G. Cook, The Range, Dubbel Dutch, and Cyril Hahn. Listen: "Repeat Pleasure" (A.G. Cook)

Led Zeppelin - House of the Holy Reissue This has been a busy year for Led Zeppelin reissues, though this is the last batch for the year. House of the Holy was the band's fifth album, originally released in 1973. Listen: "Dancing Days" Listen: "No Quarter"

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV Reissue Led Zeppelin IV was probably Led Zeppelin's most famous album containing the tracks "Rock and Roll," "Black Dog," and "Stairway to Heaven." As the name indicates, it was their fourth record, and saw its original release in 1971. Watch: "Rock and Roll" Listen: "Stairway to Heaven"

Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West Reissue Another reissue for this week, this time from a more contemporary band. Modest Mouse formed just over 20 years ago and released The Lonesome Crowded West, their second album, in 1997. The album is often considered to be one of their best and one of the best indie rock albums of that decade. Listen: "Heart Cooks Brain" Listen: "Doin' the Cockroach"

Paul McCartney - New Reissue At 72, Paul McCartney remains one of the most enigmatic performers alive, putting many of those even a third of his age to shame. Despite having released his 16 solo records, it should be no surprise that he's still got a lot of new material left in him. His latest album's reissue includes three new tracks, as well as a few live cuts. Watch: "Early Days" Watch: "Appreciate"

Panda Bear - Mr Noah EP Noah Lennox has made incredible music both as a member of Animal Collective and as a solo artist under the name Panda Bear. He will be releasing his fifth album, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, in January, but first we get a little tease of new material from him. Watch: "Mr Noah"

Ryan Adams - Vampires 7" Ryan Adams is still going strong with new material for 2014. This is the latest in his Pax Am EP series, featuring a great new track, "Vampires," along with a few others. Listen: "Vampires"

Swans - Filth Reissue Swans have all but positioned themselves for a place in many year-end best-of lists with the release of To Be Kind earlier this year. But right now, they're looking back to their beginnings by re-releasing their very first record, first put out in 1983. Listen: "Weakling" Listen: "Stay Here"

The Who - The Who Hits 50! It's been a long career for iconic British rock band The Who, 50 years since the beginning! Their new album celebrating their time time together, The Who Hits 50!, isn't a typical greatest hits release. While it does include many of their top singles, it also brings in less popular singles, unreleased cuts, b-sides and even a new song. Listen: "Be Lucky"