Now that American Thanksgiving is out of the way, it’s time for the annual orgy of holiday shopping beginning with Black Friday. There are plenty of things to be found through the Black Friday edition of Record Store Day (see everything here) but that doesn’t mean that our New Music Friday programming has been pre-empted. It’s just that this week, the pickings are pretty slim.
Singles
1. Band Aid, Do They Know It’s Christmas (2024 edition) (UMe)
This is the new “ultimate mix” of the original recording which took place in November 1984. A 20th anniversary edition was released in 2004 and a 30th came in 2014. So why not a 40th-anniversary remix by Trevor Horn? All the old voices are here along with some new ones (whether they want to be or not, eh, Ed Sheeran?)
2. Mt. Joy & The Philly Specials, Santa Drives an Astrovan (Vera Y)
Since we’re on the topic of Christmas songs, I thought Santa might have better taste in wheels. And do reindeers really smoke cigarettes? And how’s this for a clip?
3. The Manic Boys and Girls Club, Lose My Mind (Frontside)
Now back to our regular sort of releases. Here’s a new Toronto duo featuring siblings Bela and Fernando Ferreira who were sent away by their parents to be brought up by their grandmother (a former nun) in rural Portugal. This is from a five song EP produced by Gavin Brown (Sting, Metric, Billy Talent, and more). This is solid stuff for people who like acts like The Killers, Arcade Fire, The Beaches, and Twenty One Pilots.
Albums
1. The Sweet, Full Circle (Metalville)
Yes, this is what’s left of the same The Sweet from the glam era, the band that gave us Ballroom Blitz, Fox on the Run, and Love is Like Oxygen. This is their fifteenth and final album. Fun fact: This band has been an obsession of mine since 1974. Here’s a stream of the whole album.
2. Wilco, Hot Sun Cool Shroud (dBpm Records)
One of the die-hards. This EP features “six unused but revisited tracks” from the sessions that resulted in their Cousin album last year. Call it an end-of-the-year housecleaning.
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