After several busy weeks, New Music Friday is rather light on recommendations, but consider this the final push of winter releases before we get down to the business of new music for the spring and summer.
Singles
1. Tori Amos, Stronger Together (Fontana)
Tori will soon be back with her eighteenth(!) album, In Times of Dragons, on May 1, a double disc concept album that she describes as a “metaphorical story about the fight for Democracy over Tyranny, reflecting the current abhorrent non accidental burning down of democracy in real time by the ‘Dictator believing Lizard Demons’ in their usurpation of America.” So an anti-Trump record, then. Background vocals are handled by her daughter, Tash.
2. Rise Against, Damage is Done (Fat Wreck Chords)
This is the latest release from a “fan-driven community initiative” called The A.R.T. (All Rise Together) Project. It’s a live performance that’s part of an effort to “shape a new visual world” for the band’s 2025 album, Richochet. Dozens of fans made contributions. You gotta love when a band can connect with their fanbase like this.
3. Temper Trap, Into the Wild (Mushroom)
Australia’s Temper Trap has been largely absent for the last ten years, with their last studio album being Thick of Thieves in 2016. To put it another way, the last time there was a Temper Trap album, Donald Trump was still a fringe candidate for president. The hiatus is officially over with the release of a new single. An album surely can’t be far behind.
Albums
1. Gorillaz, The Mountain (Kong)
When Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett conceived of Gorillaz in the late 90s, they probably had no idea the project would still be going more than a quarter-century. Yet here we are with their ninth album, which seeks inspiration from Indian culture. (The album artwork features the title in Devanagari: पर्वत. The records appearances by De La Soul, Bobby Womack, and despite being very dead, actor Dennis Hopper and Mark E. Smith from The Fall. Five singles have been released in advance.
2. NOTHING, A Short History of Decay (Run for Cover)
I rarely pass up an opportunity to recommend some shoegaze–hey, it’s my jam–so here’s something from NOTHING, the Philadelphia band now up to their sixth album. If you’re into Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride, Swervedriver, and even Oasis, pay attention.
3. The Sheepdogs, Keep Out of the Storm (Right On Records)
Saskatoon’s Sheepdogs are back with their eighth studio album on their own label. This one was a right-off-the-floor affair with “no digital sheen,” in their words. Without a permanent drummer for the time being, the group rotated a bunch of guys in and out. A cross-Canada tour begins in Chatham, Ontario, on March 13 and ending in Sault Ste. Marie. Two more dates are scheduled for Halifax in October, but you know that gap will be filled with more gigs.
4. Rob Zombie, The Great Satan (Nuclear Blast)
Rob Zombie has been off doing other things like making movies for the last five years. But it’s back to albums for more of the kind of thing he was doing during his Hellbilly era. From analyzing the lyrics to this single, I have a feeling that the theme of the album might be…Satan?
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