It's been almost 5 years since Grammy-winning The War on Drugs released their fifth studio album. Yesterday, they released a new, anthemic single "Who's That" from their much anticipated upcoming sixth album, featuring a gritty lead singer Adam Granduciel singing and playing a powerful guitar break while seeming to walk LA's streets at night, reflecting on depression and a relationship. Glad they're back. Enjoy.
Singer / songwriter Gracie Abrams' latest album "Daughter from He'll" was released last month, following tours with Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo, and last year's American Music Award for New Artist of the Year. She's a gun safety and reproductive rights activist when she's not writing, recording and touring. Today's choice is a studio version of "What If It's Right?", with Marcus Mumford, off of her album.
Australian electronic trio The Avalanche was formed in Melbourne in the late 90s, and have won several Australian music awards, the latest being the Australian Music Prize in 2020 for album of the year for "We Will Always Love You." They've been teasing a new studio album by releasing some singles lately, and one of them "Blue Shadows," featuring the vocals of Karen O of the indie group Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is our song today.
Formed in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1989, alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub will release their 13th album in October, "Do Not Dare To Dream." The long-standing group has released a video of one of the songs on that album, "Day In The Sun," which was recorded in a studio on a remote island in the Scottish Outer Hebrides. Enjoy.
Indie rock group Death Cab for Cutie has produced several platinum-selling albums over a 30 year span. Their Grammy-nominated album "Plans" from 2005 cemented their status. Their new album, "I Built You A Tower," was released last month, and a track from that album "Trap Door," featuring lead singer Ben Gibbard, is our song today.
Starting out in Fullerton, CA, as a pioneering punk band in the late '70s, Social Distortion has evolved and incorporated different genres into their sound, while continuing to tour and record. Following a long drought, their latest album, "Born To Kill," was released a few weeks ago. A driving, evocative track from that album, "The Way Things Were," is our choice today.
Just a day ago, legendary Irish band U2 serenaded a lucky crowd in Mexico City with their new song "Street of Dreams," and it's a beauty as the joyous response from the audience demonstrates. For a band that's celebrating its 50th year, their music and voice for humanity is forever fresh and compelling. Enjoy.
The venerable alternative rock band The Afghan Whigs have gone through several lineup changes and breakups in their four decade history. Throughout, guitarist and vocalist Greg Dulli and bassist John Curley, have been through every iteration. Their latest album and their tenth studio album, "Soft Control," is being released on August 21. Here is the video for the lead track, "Jungle Roux."
Yesterday, singer / songwriter Olivia Rodrigo performed her new single "The Cure" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. It's from her new album, "you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love," scheduled to be released on June 12. Enjoy.
With the death of the preeminent jazz tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins on Monday at age 95, we observed a passing of a generational talent who played with the likes of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, the Modern Jazz Quartet, and Coleman Hawkins among so many more. Rollins received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2004, and a National Medal of Arts award in 2010. His 1957 album "Saxophone Colossus" was widely acclaimed, and featured a variety of styles ranging from fast bebop, to an instrumental version of "Mack the Knife," to blues. His best known composition on the album is "St. Thomas," a salute to his parents' Virgin Islands home. With Tommy Flanagan cutting loose on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and drummer Max Roach delivering a stunning drum solo, here is Sonny Rollins' "St. Thomas."
A couple of weeks ago, we featured the title track of Paul McCartney's new album "The Boys of Dungeon Lane," a nostalgic work that looks back on the days of his youth in Liverpool that helped form his sensibilities. "Home To Us" from that album is a duet with fellow Beatle Ringo Starr. The song clearly has a Beatlesque quality to it, and more specifically McCartney's style. Enjoy.
The venerable and durable Rolling Stones announced their 25th album yesterday, "Foreign Tongues." The iconic Stones' core, less drummer Charlie Watts who passed away in 2021 and Bill Wyman who left the group years ago, of Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ron Wood still provides powerful music. Our song choice today is one of the single tracks released yesterday, "In The Stars," which harkens back to their roots as a band. Enjoy.
