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

Happy Labor Day weekend! The last hurrah, the final countdown, the end of a season, the time of hot dogs and beer. And for me the end of a decade. I hit 30 this week. I am no longer in my twenties. It's a whole new bold frontier and I am ready for it, I think. I like to reflect around my birthday, seems like a good time for it, and so this week you're getting a couple lists of reflecting. Maybe it will inspire a bit of music for your weekend, maybe it won't but it's what you're getting.

First though, let's make you smarter in the new music of the week. Ariana Grande, that one with the "Problems" song co-starring Iggy Azalea, well she released My Everything this week. Billy Idol joins the leagues of veteran acts releasing new material with the single, "Can't Break Me Down." Go listen. Country fans -  Brad Paisley released Moonshine in my Trunk, but you probably already knew that. On the alt-rock/playground of rock field, we've got a couple of big ones: Cymbals Eat Guitars, LOSE, and The New Pornographers, Brill Bruisers. More? Okay, Ty Segall, Manipulator; The Bad Plus, Inevitable Western; Robyn Hitchcock, The Man Upstairs; and J Mascis, Tied To A Star all came out this week or so as well.

Duck! It's the list! (birthday/vacation/work-on-the-house week has made this list not the most complete and without genres, but don't worry, it will be back to all its glory next week.)

30 albums I liked this year, in no particular order

1. Clear Plastic Masks, Clear Plastic Masks

2. BRONCHO, Try Me Out Sometime/Please Try Me

3. Hell Beach, Welcome To Hell Beach

4. Cherry Glazerr, Haxel Princess

5. Señor Flavio, Nada Especial

6. Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Wig Out At Jagbags

7. Fulhäst, Broken (I really thought I'd get sick of this album but I keep putting it on from time to time. Not often, but once a month)

8. Quilt, Held In Splendor

9. Vertical Scratchers, Daughter of Everything

10. Moonrise Nation, Moonrise Nation

11. Bombay Bicycle Club, So Long, See You Tomorrow

12. Exmortus, Slave To The Sword

13. Ex Hex, "Hot and Cold"

14. Ruby The Rabbitfoot, New As Dew

15. "Get My Dough," Ester Dean

16. Damon Albarn, Everyday Robots

17. Natalia M. King, Soulblazz

18. Lovey James, "Rollercoaster"

19. My Bubba, "Feverish"

20. Shawn Amos, The Reverend Shawn Amos Tells It

21. De Lux,  Voyage

22. WV White, West Virginia White

23. The Bamboos, Fever in the Road

24. La Dame Blanche, La Dame Blanche

25. Yonatan Gat, Iberian Passage

26. Walter Martin, We're All Young Together

27. Sylvan Esso, Sylvan Esso

28. Barrows, Red Giant

29. Big Freedia, Just Be Free

30. Bobby Patterson, I Got More Soul!

30 songs or albums that transport me back

1. "How Bizarre," OMC

2. "Song 2," Blur

3. "In Particular," Blonde Redhead

4. "New York I Love You, But You're Bringing Me Down," LCD Soundsystem

5. The Microphones

6. "Saeglópur," Sigur Rós

7. "Batdance," Prince

8. I'm From Barcelona, I'm From Barcelona

9. They Might Be Giants, They Might Be Giants

10. "Pumpin Blood," NONONO

11. "No Duh," K.Flay

12."Put Your Arms Around Me," Pearl Jam

13. Run Lola Run soundtrack

14. "Uncle Ray," Looper

15. "Kiss From A Rose," Seal

16. Sea Change, Beck

17. "Art Star," The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

18. II, Led Zeppelin

19. Stars For A Summer Night, Various Artists, 1961

20. Brother For Sale, Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen

21. Symphony #40, Mozart

22. "Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits," The Magnetic Fields

23. Arcade Fire

24. "Victory Dance," My Morning Jacket

25. "Too Many Rappers," Beastie Boys (and "Sabotage")

26. "Rainy Day Woman," Bob Dylan

27. "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)," My Morning Jacket

28. "Live And Let Die," Paul McCartney

29. "Old Friends," Simon & Garfunkel

30. Stevie Wonder's whole set at Bonnaroo.

Oh my goodness, do you ever touch a hot pepper and are forever paranoid thereafter to touch anything, especially your eyes, lest you start to feel that burning sensation? Then awhile later, you do touch your eye and suddenly you're ultra sensitive and wondering, "Oh no. Does my eye feel weird? Didn't I wash my hands 20 times? But still, maybe I should go look at it.." Yeah... So be careful with those spicy peppers this weekend and happy listening!

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

Happy Friday all! Well let's take a look-see at the happenings of the week... Dr. John released Ske-Dat-De-Dat: Spirit of Satch containing, you guessed it, Louis Armstrong tributes. Wiz Khalifa came out with Blacc Hollywood and Imogen Heap is back again with Sparks  The buzzing bees are all about Kimbra, Golden Echo; and Benjamin Booker, Benjamin Booker. The former is a dancey pop album heavily early-90s influenced with some catchy grooves. The latter is a bluesy rock reminiscent of earlier years, but who can get enough of that vintage rock? Not this girl. Maybe you, and then you should give it a whirl because you never know, but you probably won't be as into it and ask "Why does everyone like this anyway?" and then frustratedly walk out of the room, despairing you have lost your connection to the world. But don't worry, it's just this music and it's not you. Go put on something you like and dance happy-like.

Look! In the sky, it's a bunch of words strung after each other, it's THE LIST!

Get your americana/country on!

Various Artists, Look Again To The Wind: Johnny Cash's Bitter Tears: A tribute album with a host of names on it recorded in a live style in a relative-short amount of time.

Catherine MacLellan, The Raven's Sun - winner of my favorite album cover for the week, this album straddles the line between singer-songwriter and americana.

Rob McCoury, 5 String Flamethrower - I am a sucker for banjos.

Haven't I seen you on tv?...

Colton Dixon, Anchor - this pop heavy album is from American Idol alum

Chase Rice, Ignite the Night- 2nd place winner of Survivor: Nicaragua, you should at least read this dude's bio. It's pretty interesting.

If you want...

...to just try something new? Zigtebra, The Brave

...your life to suddenly sound like an action/suspense movie? William Ryan Fritch, Heavy EP

...something lo-fi? Twerps, Underlay

...fusion/prog rock? Trioscapes, Digital Dream Sequence

...California Rock?Beach Day, Native Echoes

...some fiddle music? Smoke Dawson, Fiddle

...a little jazz? Michael Carvin, Flash Forward

...a speed metal cover of "Ring of Fire?" Dragonforce, Maximum Overload

...a little Abba inspired music? Music Go Music, Impressions

To-Listen, aka I need another/full listen before jumping on the bandwagon

Smokey Robinson, Smokey & Friends

Electric Wurms, Musik, Die Schwer zu Twerk

Dan Svizeny, Every Weekend

Sleeping Bag, Deep Sleep

Say Yes, Say Yes

*Ruthie Foster, Promise of a Brand New Day

*Literature, Chorus

Kyle Hollingsworth, Speed of Life

*Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, Secret Evil

*leaning towards the like pile on these.

Well that wraps it up for the week. The summer is winding to a close and for me that only means State Fair time and my birthday! For those who are catching one last vacation before it's too late, safe travels; and for those who are just going to ride this week out in style taking in the transition as it happens, have fun. Remember to stay hydrated and reapply sunscreen. No one wants to return to school with stories of overheating and representing a funny sunburn. Happy Listening!

Friday Refrain is a weekly post regarding what new releases have caught my ear for the week. I try to compile a pretty comprehensive list of releases of the week and see what is available for me to listen to on the web. This is just my non-scientific, highly-subjective, randomly-listened-to list of stuff from the week. Oh, and I don’t always listen to lyrics or look at album art/music videos, so appropriateness is left up to the listener

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

It seems that mid-August is a bit of the doldrums when it comes to new releases because this was one of my easiest listening weeks in months. Note that future musicians of the world - yes, people are all on vacation and stuff but not much competition to rise above in mid-August.

For the heavy-hitters we've got Sinead O'Connor with I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss; the reggae/dub band SOJA released Amid the Noise and Haste; Gaslight Anthem put out Get Hurt; and Brian Setzer rounds up the week with Rockabilly Riot! All Original.

What's that there? It's so small, could it be? It is. It's The List.

In theme with this week, let's keep it short.

Do You Need...

Electronica? Porter Robinson, Worlds - This is a great album to throw on. I liked it, my husband said it brought him back to college days, Clyde approved. (as in, my cat hasn't glared at me to turn it off or left the room while it's playing)

some banjo? Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Cold Spell

a little world music? Antibalas, Tattletale

chill-out music? Dragon Turtle, Distances - the first track is titled "Narwhal."

a singer-songwriter fix? Try Chris Staples, American Soft or Mirel Wagner, When The Cellar Children See The Light - I think the album titles do all they need to let you know what sort of mood you're getting into.

To Listen (what I need to dig into but on first listen liked something about it)

Body Futures, Brand New Silhouettes - it's rock. Sometimes you just need some rock.

Bunji Garlin, Differentology - need to capture a few songs out of this for my upcoming birthday party

Rivergazer, Random Nostalgia - if you need your retro-rock fix

Also, I have Thurston Moore on the list because it was there on Tuesday but now it's not and everyone says later this year. Hum.... It's a mystery. What's not a mystery is why my keyboard is kinda goopy. I've been eating a cheesecake topped with strawberry topping as I write this. Which is why I am glad my husband and I don't share computing devices anymore. Happy listening!

 Friday Refrain is a weekly post regarding what new releases have caught my ear for the week. I try to compile a pretty comprehensive list of releases of the week and see what is available for me to listen to on the web. This is just my non-scientific, highly-subjective, randomly-listened-to list of stuff from the week. Oh, and I don’t always listen to lyrics or look at album art/music videos, so appropriateness is left up to the listener

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

And I'm back! Well, I am the worst at staying connected on vacation and all plans for pre-planning fell through, but this week here I am with new music for you to fill your music coffers with.

I didn't have as much time to dig into the music this week, but here is The List.

As for popular releases this week, there aren't as many of the headliners as usual. Spoon released They Want My Soul, Godsmack is out with 1000hp, and Al Jarreau released My Old Friend: Celebrating George Duke. Let's see what else we've got...

Rebranded (or a releases from artists formerly of a different band/name)

EDJ, EDJ - The guy behind Fruit Bats is the name behind EDJ. He maintains his singer-songwriter sound with lyrics that tell a story.

Flux Forteana, September - From the bassist of Coheed & Cambria comes this solo project

Operators, EP1- Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Divine Fits) teams up with Divine Fits drummer, Sam Brown for this new band.

Owl John, Owl John - Scott Hutchinson of Frightened Rabbit released this new solo project. The album is pretty solid and falls soundly in the category of Playground of Rock.

The 69 Cats, Transylvanian Tapes

The Empty Hearts, The Empty Hearts

Tuatara, Underworld - more of a supergroup than a rebrand, but still. Mike McCready of Pearl Jam joins up for this album.

Wovenwar, Wovenwar - As I Lay Dying bandmembers sans frontman paired up with a new singer to do that modern metal thing.

The To-Listen List:

Billy Joe Shaver, Long in the Tooth  - classic country sound

Alestorm, Sunset on the Golden Age - Pirate metal, do you really need any more convincing? Well, then listen to the first track, "Walk the Plank." Or just save this one for September 19th, Talk Like A Pirate Day

Goodnight, Texas; Uncle John Farquhar

Angus & Julia Stone, Angus & Julia Stone - It's got that boy and girl duet fun to it that is playful and intriguing at the same time.

Twin Peaks, Wild Onion - It's got that vintage record store sound to it.

The Rosebuds, Sand + Silence

Wildcat! Wildcat!, No Moon At All

Albums with throwback covers

Roses, Dreamlover

Family Force 5, Time Stands Still

Mozart's Sister, Being

Blues Pills, Blues Pills

Well there we have it, happy listening!

 Friday Refrain is a weekly post regarding what new releases have caught my ear for the week. I try to compile a pretty comprehensive list of releases of the week and see what is available for me to listen to on the web. This is just my non-scientific, highly-subjective, randomly-listened-to list of stuff from the week. Oh, and I don’t always listen to lyrics or look at album art/music videos, so appropriateness is left up to the listener

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

Happy weekend all! Lots of releases this week, but not many that you might know. Jesse Mccartney and 5 Seconds of Summer released albums this week, just in time to slip into the summer pop rotation. Yes released Heaven & Earth, Richard Thompson released Acoustic Classics, and that's about it for the recap.

Ugh, what a letdown recap with barely an ramp-up for The List. Ah well, sometimes it's just how the cookie crumbs roll.

Well this week, let's just roll through the vague genres and cast out a few suggestions, shall we?

Playground of Rock

The buzzy ones are probably Got A Girl, I Love You but I Must Drive Off This Cliff Now; PS I Love You, For Those Who Stay; Alvvays, Alvvays; The Raveonettes, Pe'ahi; and Nico Vega, Lead to Light. Also consider:

Monomyth, Saturnalia Regalia! - My husband and I batted around a few comparisons last night. His was that it reminded him of DTCV (which came out late last year, if you're not listening to that regularly, go listen now.) and I decided it was what might've happened if They Might Be Giants decided to be a trippy Beach Boys influneced band.

Sugar Stems, Only Come Out At Night - also my favorite album cover of the week.

WORKING, More Weight - Fuzzy guitared female singer rock

Bleached, For The Feel - another female singer rock band

Electronica

Nunca Duerma, Shapeshifter - an actual album you can put on and party to. Not just for the DJs.

Metal

This is such a hard category for me. I'm so picky, and I probably don't have a taste that's particularly shareable. But I am going back to listen to more of Rage Nucleáire, Black Storm of Violence.

Country/Americana

Sammy Kershaw, Do You Know Me: A Tribute to George Jones

Hook & Anchor, Hook & Anchor

World

Quraishi, Mountain Melodies: Rubab Music Of Afghanistan - I know just one recommendation for a category is weak, but this has started playing in my mix and continued for several songs without me interrupting it several times now.

Soul

Bobby Patterson, I Got More Soul! - so good.

Allright, short, sweet and simple. Next week The Refrain might be on a bit of a hiatus, but there will be something. I just haven't decided what. That should keep you on the edge of your seat, but until then - happy listening!

Friday Refrain is a weekly post regarding what new releases have caught my ear for the week. I try to compile a pretty comprehensive list of releases of the week and see what is available for me to listen to on the web. This is just my non-scientific, highly-subjective, randomly-listened-to list of stuff from the week. Oh, and I don’t always listen to lyrics or look at album art/music videos, so appropriateness is left up to the listener