Since I’m home with a sick pup whose recovery plan includes sleeping on my lap in as unbroken a stretch as possible (bathroom breaks and beverage refills be DAMNED!), thought I’d capitalize on the stasis to throw out some songs that got caught in my snatches since last time. First, in honor of his beloved Toronto Raptors beating the broken down Warriors to win their first NBA title, superfan Drake dropped a couple new tracks last week, the best of which finds him teaming with Rick Ross again on the thumping “Money in the Grave.” Drake’s been prolific yet sporadic the past few years, dropping albums and mixtapes on the regular, which unfortunately are mostly mediocre in quality, minus a few choice hits. Same principle applies here — “Omerta” is a throwaway, but “Money” lives up to its name, particularly when the big man shows up. Give it a ride here:
Next, in honor of his upcoming performance at Glastonbury, former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher dropped a new single from his forthcoming follow-on to As You Were ( a debut that landed at #11 in last year’s rundown here). Thankfully we didn’t have to travel to the festival to hear it (the thought of camping out at a farm with 100,000 people sweltering in 100 degree heat sounds about as much fun as doing hot yoga naked in front of your entire family). Sonically it’s in line with the songs found on his debut (and not far from those of his former band) — solid guitar riff, ominous bass line, and sturdy rhythm all chugging alongside Gallagher’s ever-stellar voice as it soars into the chorus. (“I’ve been waaaaaiiting so looooooong for you dooooooooown by the rivaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah…”) It’s a strong song — let’s hope the rest of the album continues the trend when it arrives. Give “The River (Why Me? Why Not)” a listen in the interim:
Up third is the return of the one thing I (for one) have been most craving lately, with the string of underwhelming releases from beloved bands (the National, Silversuns, Foals, Vampire Weekend, Raconteurs, etc etc etc) — a balls out, unabashed rocker intent on delivering a much-needed kick to the ass of anyone it meets. No synthesizers, no gimmicky schtick (“Now with LADIES!”), just guitars, energy, and attitude. And who better to deliver than the notoriously riotous Swedes? That’s right, the superficially staid and polite purveyors of crisp, clean interior design elements and small, sauced spheres of meat are also home to one of the most raucous, entertaining bands of the last 20 years — Howling Pelle Almqvist and his gang of garage rocking rebels in the Hives. They’re back just in the nick of time, too, with one hell of little ripper. It’s the back (front?) half of the “double A-side” release this week (classic Hives swagger there — “we don’t do B-sides — everything we do is an A!”) and the better of the two by far, hearkening back to their glory days of Veni Vidi Vicious and Tyrannosaurus Hives. Howlin’ Pelle may say he’s “not the answer to your problems,” but you sure could fool me — if more of this is in store we just might have found the antidote we so desperately need.
Last up is a new discovery, one I stumbled on in my endless hunt through blogs and new release piles to find something to get excited about (see the aforementioned malaise from established acts and the unspoken dearth of good tunes from newbies (despite their rabid fanbases and elevated chart positions)). The name and cover were enough to draw me in and the music was good enough to keep me — a mix of Sergio Leone style guitar riffs and Al Green style soul from two dudes down in Austin. Said gentlemen are producer Adrian Quesada and singer/songwriter Eric Burton who linked up last year and recorded their debut after a run of well-received live performances deep in the heart of Texas. It’s a really solid affair — laid back vibes riding along on the back of Burton’s silky voice with riffs that would sound at home in any retro rap song (or those Leone westerns). It’s perfect for a lazy Sunday — give “Fire” a ride here:
We’ll close with a couple readers to round things out — first, this one from Pitchfork on Neutral Milk Hotel’s debut album, On Avery Island. The follow-on is the one that garners all the praise and is described as a modern classic (rightfully so), but this makes a compelling case for the debut. Worth a read and revisit.
Next comes an interview in Entertainment Weekly with Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach on the long-awaited return of that band this week and the inspirations behind the new album. There’s some interesting inclusions in there — Vice Principals, as well as the Stooges and ZZ Top — that are worth checking out. We’ll see how the new album goes down and whether those are notable influences or not (early returns are ok — album sounds good, if not the barn-burning return I so desire (or is indicated might be forthcoming based on the title)).
Last comes a Stereogum interview with Spoon frontman Britt Daniel where he talks through some of the band’s biggest hits in anticipation of their upcoming greatest hits album. (A phrase they, like me, likely never thought they’d hear anyone say.) It’s an interesting retrospective — the album goes all the way back to Girls Can Tell (probably still my favorite album of theirs), covering everything in between (but not their first two) — and hits a lot of the high notes. (I still might need to do a “One You Should Know” post/playlist for em soon because there’s a lot that’s left out…) It includes one new song, too, the track “No Bullets Spent,” which is a good cut — give it a listen here while you wait for that “OYSK:”
That’s all for now, my friends… — BS