The Friday Refrain: Your Weekly New Music Digest

Welcome everyone to the Friday Refrain - we'll talk about what's out today, I'll give you the list of what I found was released last week, and then I'll leave you with a Spotify list. No fun lists because there is no nap today. So I'm going to go on a 3-5 mile walkabout in hopes of creating a perfect storm of sleepiness. But first - music!

Okay, the last few weeks have been pretty huge. This week quiets down a bit, as a holiday weekend normally will. Though the number of releases today was pretty high in my opinion. Danzig released Black Laden Crown which coincides with his festival of all things Danzig this weekend. I've read about that festival, it's pretty crazy sounding. I really can't wait to read the reviews. Anyway, Lil Yachty released Teenage Emotions. Justin Townes Earle is back with Kids in the Street, and Shakira returns with El Dorado. I think that's the big names, I might have forgotten to dogear any artists that I should include in this part and there is a toddler dancing up to me trying to be as patient as he can so there's no going back through right now.

Go through This List!

Well Josh his work cut out for him in researching for our show next week because I had a pile of like 10 albums that I liked, easily. If I were to throw together  a quick funny list, it would involve animals because just glancing I see Mountain Goats, Pumarosa, Dragonforce, Oxbow, Catz n Dogz... So half-hearted attempt there I guess. Anyway, have a nice weekend. Until next time, Happy Listening!

The Friday Refrain: Your Weekly New Music Digest

It's Friday. It's Gorgeous. It's time to talk music. Toniht we'll be recording Pint Notes so look for that over at csicon.fm at the end of the weekend. And oh my goodness I NEED to talk today's releases:

Of course, everyone else is talking about Father John Misty and Pure Comedy. I listened to the first 4 tracks, it's good. If you like him, I'm sure you'll love it. If you dont' like him, there's a review on Stereogum you should check out. Singer Karen Elson is out with Double Roses. Rockers White Reaper return with The World's Best American Band. Guided By Voices return with August By Cake.  Future Islands released The Far Field and Diet Cig released Swear I'm Good At This. Deep Purple return with Infinite. Oh wait, back to singer-songwriters Michelle Branch released Hopeless Romantic today. Tech N9ne has Dominion. Popular duo The Chainsmokers released Memories... Do Not Open. Back to rock, Cold War Kids released La Divine and Fujiya & Miyagi with EP3. And then to my list: The New Pornographers are back with Whiteout Conditions (but man Brill Bruisers is going to be very hard to equal or surpass); K.Flay (!!!!!!!!!) has a full release that is as rough and heavy as ever with more rapping on Every Where Is Some Where; The Octopus Project (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) also are back with Memory Mirror which is great because I've really listened their other albums through and through. Also, Kevin Eubanks, East West Time Line, and Pentatonix, Vol IV, have albums.

There you are. You should be set. Which is great because my note taking this week was disrupted. I went to my computer last night to start on this post, only to find  my file for 3/31 was gone on Spotify. I don't take written notes, I have playlists I sort the week into and go from there. Except that was all gone. So... The Little Fingers Got To It List.

Which means my making lists of things from last week won't work but I do have one list up my sleeve:

Sometimes you just gotta punch spring in the face

You see, for some reason, it gets warmer and I get spunky. So here are my recommendations for bands to listen to now that the weather is taking a turn for sure.

The Ramones - nothing screams spring more than windows down, and The Ramones up in the car

Dismemberment Plan

The Kinks

"My Sharona" by The Knack

Art Brut

Mudhoney

The Presidents of the United States of America

So it's short, but it's good. That's what spring sounds like to me. Also, a friendly reminder that it's time to change Radiohead albums again. This season is usually best accompanied by Amnesiac, especially in the rain. Anyway, that's about all I've got this week. Time for coffee and some review for this evening. I hope you all enjoy the sunshine and get out there to feel its rays on your skin. Happy Listening!

The Friday Refrain: Your Weekly New Music Digest

Hi ho hi ho I'm here to tell you what's new. Pretty busy last week - piano workshop for my younger students, pint notes week, and I guess that was it but it felt like a lot. Anyway. Here we are now and I have a puzzle that I want to finish so let's do this thing.

Last week was a pretty amazing Friday release day - RuPaul, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Raekwon, Mount Eerie, Craig Finn, Jethro Tull, Tuxedo, and Passion Pit sent you a free copy of their album if you retweeted the science post they had up. But that was then and this is now, so let's hit up today. Mr. Bob Dylansir released Triplicate today which is an album of folk/americana songs I believe. Get your country fix with Trace Adkins and Something's Going On. For a heavier groove, Mastodon is here with Emperor of the Sand. Dave Davies teams up with son Russ Davies to produce Open Road. Speaking of teaming up G-Eazy & DJ Carnage put Step Brothers together. Jackie Evancho returns with Two Hearts. George Winston released Spring Carousel. Nelly Furtado is back with The Ride. And rounding out our list today, Aimee Mann has another solid album with Mental Illness. Oh wait, British Sea Power and Let the Dancers Inherit the Party. Okay now I'm done.

Oh but I'm not done with the List(s)! Here's the releases I compiled for two weeks ago and Friday last.

And finally time to concoct a few lists based purely on a random commonality

Space. The Final Frontier

David Douglas, Spectators of the Universe - some trippy electronica

Los Planetas, Zona Temporalmenta Autónoma - this is some good trippy rock

Kingston All-Stars, Presenting Kingston All-Stars - some great reggae

Tonstartssbandht, Sorcerer - 3 songs and the album is 34 minutes, so it's a bit jammy but "Sorcerer" is an amazing journey with beautiful tinges of The Who.

Sera Cahoone, From Where I Started - I love this album, and not just because this is what I happend to have on the first night I started my secret project, but it's just a good singer-songwriter album.

The Moonlandingz, Interplanetary Class Classics - this pretty much sounds as I figured it would.

The Bug Vs. Earth, Concrete Desert - some more electronica

Seasurfer, Under the Milkyway... who cares - this is laid back ethereal rock

Okay, so that's just in the last couple weeks, if I included the entire month, this list would get ridiculous. Anyway, my day ended up being spent in the sun so that's that. I'll work on a Spotify list this weekend and post it later. Really, I'd just put on Red Baraat if I were you and get my weekend on track. Happy Listening!

The Friday Refrain: A bit of what's new in music...

Hey there, it's a gorgeous day out there, if not a little humid and scorching sun, but it's okay because it's August and that only means one thing in this neck of the woods - bitter cold and darkness creeps ever so closer. So suck it up while you can because you'll need these thoughts for the long winter nights. Like Frederick by Leo Lionni. Oh I love that book, actually I just love Leo Lionni books. But enough with that, pshaw books, time for music!

Out today - Country artist Pat Green released Home. 90's rock band Pavement are releasing some stuff they haven't released before and the first installment is out today, The Secret History Vol 1. I'm guessing that will surprisingly end up in our record collection at the house. - Okay, pause on the news, I organized our vinyl collection last weekend and as I'm going through the records I found a couple I didn't "realize" we had when in fact my husband admits that he had purchased them and slipped them in without me knowing... "I needed another one to get free shipping" *eye roll* I love him, but seriously. Okay unpause - Grace Potter has ditched The Nocturnals and released Midnight. Which is ironic? And rapper 2 Chainz is out with Trapavelli Tre.

Enough about new stuff, it's Last Week's List!

And this week it's another episode of Half Pints Whole Notes with my cohost Josh and me. We actually hit up a couple of the things from last week I really enjoyed, including Langhorne Slim & the Law, La Luz, and Golden Rules. So go check that out. I hope you enjoy it and if you like it, stop by csicon to find out how to support our awesome network of cohorts and discover other amazing podcasts ranging the gamut of topics from Sunday morning coffee to gaming.

Other things of note I found:

Toe, Hear You - Another instrumental band? Crazy. Don't know what woodwork these are coming out of...

Deaf Wish,Pain

HEALTH,  death magic

Jonathan Tyler, Holy Smokes,

Pridjevi, Pridjevi

Ultimate Painting, Green Lanes

Zachary Cale, Sundowner

Vaguess, Bodhi Collection

Moke Hill, Time Stops Moving

Built in Sun, Built in Sun

Hauschka, A NDO C Y

And that's it because well it's a zoo here. Time to flee. Happy listening!

The Friday Refrain: A bit of what's new in music...

So it ended up being a Saturday edition again... I started this yesterday for the record with an intro about how I'm not a TGIF person until this week. And it was true. Now it's Saturday though so that seems silly. Oh my goodness, the trash smells. I need to write this quick and take that out. Oh summer, you and your stinky garbage.

Today is a pretty big day. Dr. Dre is back with Compton: A Soundtrack. Let's not stop there, we've also got another big rapper from the 90s, Warren G and Regulate... G Funk Era Pt. II. Hopping over to the country side of things, Luke Bryan moseys on in with Kill the Lights. Jumping over the tracks to the indie rock/alt rock scene we've got Jack + Eliza, Gentle Warnings and The Mynabirds, Lovers Know. Stroll on down to the singer-songwriter side of things and Mac DeMarco is out there with Another One.

All right so that's today in a nutshell, what about last week? What might have slipped past? What gems can we unearth?

Doo wop bippidy bang The List!

And then some things about things on that list... thing.

Radar Cult, Memory Sweep - Kinda got that old Radiohead vibe to it at times. Good build to the songs. Feels like a journey

Musync, "Ghost" and "I Loved You More" - Ghost definitely has a First Aid Kit vibe to it.

Ripple Green, Timepiece - The singer reminds me of the vocal child of the lead singer from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetics

Russkaja, Peace Love & Russian Roll  - Okay, so it's gypsy and inherently you think Gogol Bordello right, but then I kinda get this Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Mariachi El Bronx to it too. Maybe it's because it feels so live and raw. Which all three of those have as well.

Lindo Man, Carotene Dreams - Totally the thing I can listen to when I can't sleep and am hanging out in  my dining room.

Instrumental rock got your goat?

Then try out Grimace Foundation, The Measure in Mixture or Haiku Salut, Etch and Etch Deep.

Attack of the Singer-Songwriters, Part Deux

Lianne La Havas, Blood - This one is getting buzz. One of two singer-songwriters from the British peoples.

Benjamin Clementine, At Least For Now - The other British one

Roadside Graves, Gospel Radio - Just a single but it was kinda fun and maybe it's the fact that I've been listening to stuff in the wee morning hours.

John Galea, I Am A Survivor

Sianna Plavin, Go On Now - This is good headphones music. Kinda sparse and simple.

Attack of the Misters

Mr Criminal, Evoluton of A G - A rapping mister

Mr G, Sweatbox - an EDM mister

Mr Sun, The People Need Light - And then an americana type mister for ya.

Okay I have so much more because it turns out I like a lot of stuff at 3 am. But I'm tired. I need to sleep. And take out the trash. Pew. And trap the cat downstairs. He has two hours until he gets fed and he's already freaking out. This cat, you'd think he hadn't eaten 10 hours ago. He would eat until he died if we let him. Once I got guilt-tripped by the vet because of his weight. He's good now. Because we don't listen to his bellyaching anymore. Anyway, good night, good day, happy listening!