Midsummer tends to be a fallow time for new albums, but we’re already in the thick of it when it comes to planning for the fall. That means some interesting new advance singles for New Music Friday.
Singles
1. Great Lake Swimmers, Caught Live (Weewerk)
GLS’s ninth album is set for release on October 10. Its title refers to photography, something that founding member Tony Dekker likes very much and is trying to capture with this record. He spent time in the Ganarsaska Forest (it’s between Peterborough and Port Hope) to capture music that brought back the feel of early 70s folk/pop/rock. Feel like a trip back to 1972? Start here.
2. Hotel Mira, Right Back Where I Was (Frontside)
Vancouver’s Hotel Mira is preparing for a fall tour of Canada and the US, so some new music is required. Here’s how they describe the song: “It’s about not learning your lesson and repeating your mistakes. It describes a particular brand of panic that comes along when it feels like someone is pulling away from you. When you are getting everything wrong and you have no one to blame but yourself. And the joy that comes from knowing that you’re the only one you’re hurting.”
3. King Ultramega, Rusty Cage (Reigning Phoenix Music)
Well, this is interesting: A fundraising record for mental health causes that includes members of Alice in Chains, Mastodon, Metal Allegiance, Anthrax, and Pantera. What do they all have in column? They were all friends of Chris Cornell and current friends of the guys in Soundgarden.
4. Mother Mother, On and On (Song for Jasmine) (Warner Music Canada)
Mother Mother’s tenth album, Nostalgia, came out last month. This is the fourth single from it.
5. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Slipping Through (No Kings) (Better Noise)
If the parenthetical “(No Kings)” tweaked something Trumpy in your brain, you’re right. Singer Ronnie Winter says this song is “about what’s going on in our country. The destruction of it. Everything we ever stood for is ‘slipping through.” This is the second single from the forthcoming album X’s for Eyes. We’ll get a release date soon.
6. Shame, Quiet Life (Dead Oceans)
Moving to something British, Shame is a five-piece from South London who have been around for about a decade and are about to released their fourth album (it’s due September 5). If you’re looking for some snarling rockabilly–or if you appreciate what bands like Fontaines DC are doing–this is where you want to be.
7. Sloan, Dream Destroyer (Known Accomplice/Murderecords)
The immortal Sloan–one of Canada’s most enduring and influential bands–roll on. The new album, Based on the Bestseller, due on September 26, this is our first taste of the next slab of Sloany goodness, this time with a little bit of early 70s British glam. Watch for details of the Tour de Force fall tour.
Albums
1. Alice Cooper, The Revenge of Alice Cooper (earMusic)
Speaking of things immortal, Alice Cooper (age 77) has reunited with his original band members–the guys who created those seminal albums back in the 70s–along with producer Bob Ezrin to recapture some of that magic. This is their first time in the studio together in 51 years. One of the singles features Robbie Krieger of The Doors.
2. The Dirty Nil, The Lash (Dine Alone)
Hamilton’s Dirty Nil continues to crush it. The JUNO-winning punk band is now up to their fifth album which to my ears sound more raw and with more power than anything they’ve done up until now. Much of the material on the record was inspired by a singer Luke Bentham took a trip through a dark, dingy, basement at (of all places) The Vatican. Now you’re curious, right?
3. Fitz and the Tantrums, Man on the Moon (Atlantic)
It’s album number six for the LA-based neo-soul indie-pop band. Leader Michael Kirkpatrick says that they went into this project without worrying about writing another hit song. Here’s what he says: “No one knows what a hit is anymore, the landscape is totally different, and that was actually incredibly liberating for us during the making of this record. We said ‘screw it,’ and just did what we wanted 1000% of the time. Zero compromise and all feeling. The air finally came back into the room and writing songs felt joyful and easy again.”
4. GWAR, The Return of Gor Gor (Pit Records)
These aliens won’t leave us alone, but at least they’re entertaining. This new offering features three new songs, four live tracks, and a 32-page comic book.
5. Paul Weller, Find El Dorado (Warner/Parlophone)
The Modfather’s new records features 15 mostly obscure covers from the early to mid 70s from artists ranging from The Bee Gees to The Flying Burrito Brothers. It’s the second time he’s done this. Remember Studio 150 from 2004? Guests include Robert Plant, Noel Gallagher, Declan O’Rourke, and a kora player from Senegal named Seckou Keita. This single was originally recorded by a French jazz and soul group called The Guerillas in 1969.
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