It’s an interesting selection of releases for New Friday, including a big one from Muse and an interstellar ode by PJ Harvey.
Singles
1. Almost Monday, No More Regrets (Hollywood Records/UM Canada)
San Diego’s Almost Monday started gaining momentum earlier this year when word of their second album, Thank God It’s Almost Monday (due September 9) was announced. This is the third advance single. Keep an eye on them.
2. PJ Harvey, Voyager (Partisan)
God love Polly Jean. Her latest single is about, yes, the Voyager space probes launched in 1977 and still operating, even though V1 is 24.56 billion miles away and V2 is 21.34 billion miles from home. Why is she so interested in interstellar craft? Boy band singer-turned-astrophysicist Brian Cox invited her to contribute a song to his Emergence stage show, which debuts later this. The song will also probably end up on Harvey’s next (still-untitled) album.
3. Odd Marshall, Wreck Your Life (For Rock’n’Roll) (Anagram Canada)
What do you do after you flip your pick-up in a snowstorm? You contemplate life and then start writing songs again. That was the experience Canada’s Odd Marshall, who is back making music after about 10 years. Through cheer chutzpah, he convinced Christopher Thorn and Roger Stevens from Blind Melon into the project. They have never worked together outside of their old band. And the keyboardist? Rami Jaffee of The Foo Figthers.
4. Tame Impala, Hummer (Independent)
The tribute album has returned via Sending Hearts to All My Dearies: A Tribute Album to The Smashing Pumpkins (yes, that’s a line from the song Mayonnaise). Among the 15 songs is this one by Kevin Parker and Tame Impala. Siamese Dream, he says, was the soundtrack to his high school years with Hummer the song that made the biggest emotional impression. The whole package will be out digitally on August 14 while a 2 x LP package arrives on October 16.
5. Team Dresch, One Song (Jealous Butcher)
Team Dresch, led by Donna Dresch, was a mainstay of the riot grrrl scene of the Pacific Northwest back in the 90s and heroes of queercore punks everywhere. Not only are they back playing gigs, but they will have a new record for the first time in 30 years on September 18. The woman in the video is the daughter of bass player Jody Bleyle. This rocks.
Albums
1. Butthole Surfers, After the Astronaut (Sunset Blvd.)
This isn’t exactly a new album because it was completed in 1998. But since it’s been shelved since then, it’s kinda new to everyone. This was supposed to be the follow-up to Electric Ladyland, the Surfers’ breakthrough album, but the label said it wasn’t commercial enough. When the band took it to another label, it was reworked and released under the title of Weird Revolution. This, however, is the first time it’s been heard in its original form.
2. Muse, The WOW! Signal (Warner)
This pairs well with the PJ Harvey single. As he’s shown with previous songs and albums, Muse’s Matt Bellamy is also a fan of astronomy and cosmology. For the band’s tenth album, Matt is all about “cosmic mystery,” the concept of First Contact, and the vastness of space. The title refers to a strangle signal picked up by a radio telescope in 1977 and never fully explained. They’re out there, Matt. They’re out there.
3. Beth Orton, The Ground Above (Partisan)
I have been a fan of Beth for years and I just wish more people knew about her. To the uninitiated, she’s an English singer-songwriter whose career goes back to at least 1993. You’ve probably heard some of her songs in TV shows like Dawson’s Creek and Grey’s Anatomy plus movies like Vanilla Sky. If you like what you hear, there are eight other albums worth checking out. (My favourite is Central Reservation from 1999.)
4. The Pretty Reckless, Dear God (Fearless/Concord)
Here’s the fifth album from Taylor Momsen and her crew. The band is darker and better for it. There’s plenty of misery here (depression, grief, abuse of various substances) and they handle it well. And yes, it’s also kinda sexy. That’s why the video is age-restricted. You’ll see why.
5. Switchfoot, Forever Now (BMG Rights Management)
Back to San Diego for the first new album from Switchfoot in five years. This is their fourteenth album and is being presented as a concept record around “the emotional rollercoaster of a person’s final day on Earth.” Joe Foreman, the band’s frontman, asks, “If you found out that today was your last day, how would you live it? What would matter most?” Heavy stuff.
6. Temples, BLISS (V2 Records)
Finally, a little psych from the UK. For their fifth album, Temples seemed to have been able to pull things in the direction of Massive Attack, Underworld, Tame Impala, and Daft Punk while still retaining that fuzzy, shimmery glow. My album of the week.
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