The Friday Refrain: Your Weekly New Music Digest

So it's Friday once again and I am here to divvy up some of the music release news. It's a pretty exciting release day, albeit in the shadow of Chris Cornell's death which I can't even wrap my head around. It is a good reminder that it doesn't matter who you are, your accomplishments in life, or whatever - the darkness of our minds can be all but too much. Find help. It may be scary, it may seem that no one cares, but it's not true. Reach out and you will be surprised. It sucks, it doesn't seem like it can work or happen, but help and caring can be found. There is more love in the world than all the darkness. Sucks that sometimes we have to strive to find it. But it's worth it. Get help if you need it or ask someone to help you find help. Anyway... I'll step off my soapbox now and proceed as usual.

It seems that New Kids on the Block and Seether was just the beginning of the iceburg of 90's and early 00's to have new releases: Faith Evans, wife of deceased Notorious B.I.G., is releasing Faith Evans & the Notorious B.I.G., The King & I. Snoop Dogg is back with Neva Left, and I hope it has a song as captivating as "Legend." And now back to the early 00's. You would not believe that today is May 19th two thousand SEVENTEEN when I say this next sentence, but it is and not 1999. Papa Roach releases Crooked Teeth today and Linkin Park returns with One More Light. (wasn't that super weird? Yeah.) Couple other big names before we get to the indie acts: Rascal Flatts follow up their Christmas album with Back To Us. Matisyahu released Undercurrent today, which I will be checking out as soon as I finish listening to my favorite new dance indie pop awesomeness band: MISTERWIVES and their newest Connect the Dots. (nothing will be as good as the previous album cover though) !!! return with  Shake the Shudder, and I always find it fun to see what that band is up to. Wavves release You're Welcome and retro songmaker Pokey LaFarge returns with Manic Revelations.

Revelate on This List: my aggregated list of last week's releases genrefied by me as much as I got listened to.

So it's another week where I'm all booked up - piano party, Pint Notes week, etc. So I've got the Spotify playlist up below and hopefully you'll find something that attracts your ears. Personally, I really like the Pavementy sounds of Spencer Radcliffe today. Or maybe the soulful singing of Don Bryant - a songwriter for years and now stepping behind the mic. Maybe you need some hard rock, then check out Snakecharmer. Maybe you need some metal? Try out Ulsect or White Ward. Whatever it is your ear is craving, I hope you find it and Happy Listening everybody!

The Friday Refrain: Your Weekly New Music Digest

Sunshine sunshine. How beautiful is looking out the window right now and what's more beautiful? The music I've been listening to this week. That was pretty cheesy but I'm leaving it. Today's releases are exciting for those who like to be reminded of their glory days and then there's a few newer bands too. Let's hit it: Dreamcar is a supergroup of AFI and No Doubt members playing new wave on the album also named Dreamcar. Paramore releases After Laughter. Todd Rundgren released White Knight. And kicking it back to my college days, Seether released Poison the Parish. Of Destiny's Child past, Letoya Luckett released Back 2 Life. Surrounded by issues they are workign through, PWR BTTM release Pagaent. One of my favorite newer bands Girlpool released Powerplant. Also Elf Power is back with Twitching in Time. Zac Brown Band declares Welcome Home  with their new album that is said to be a throw back to their older sound. And for the big finale today: NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK released an EP today, Thankful. You're welcome teens from the 90's. You're Welcome.

And you're welcome to check out this list I aggregated of the releases from last week. Maybe you'll notice that 100 bands are genrefied. That's because I sampled 100 bands from last week. No wonder my ears are tired.

I promised lists. And lists you shall have.

Quite a few wolves in the last few weeks:

Wolfpakk, Wolves Reign

Cotton Wolf, Life in Analogue

Wolf Brigade, Run with the Hunted

Russ, There's Really A Wolf

Last week, people got questions

Peaness, Are You Sure?

Theme Park, Is This How it Starts?

Black Lips, Satan's Graffitti or God's Art?

Juan Maclean, Can You Ever Really Know Somebody?

Okay so I only did two but that's more than lately. Also, I almost did that thing where I write a letter using album titles to form the content because it could've been really interesting and funny this week. Unfortunately I don't quite have the time today. I am throwing together a Spotify list so check out bunkamade at Spotify or click through for the link.

The Friday Refrain: Your Weekly New Music Digest

Welcome to Friday folks! It's a buzzing weekend with so much going on - Record Store Day, Earth Day, Science is Real Marches, and the sun is finally out again today. Thank heaven. So let's get down to brass tacks. It's Friday and our new Pint Notes Episode is up, so click through to get to that. A little later today, check out our tumblr and see the latest edition of TerraSurf: A Festival Tale.

And today, Friday the 21st, what is out today you say? Well, let me see hear. Singer-Songwriter with one hand in her pocket, Sheryl Crow returns with Be Myself. Barry Manilow collects together some standards for This Is My Town: Songs of New York. Robyn Hitchcock released an eponymous album. Country star Brad Paisley relesaed Love and War. Eric Slick of Dr. Dog released Palisades. Rapper J Dilla returns with Motor City. Rockers Incubus cleverly titled their album 8. The Black Angels released Death Song. And all the way from New Orleans, The Preservation Hall Band released So It Is.

And so it is, here is my List of albums I aggregated together and genred what I listened to.

First, kudos to Larry Wallis for his guitar punny album title, Death in the Guitarternoon. I liked that. Made me chuckle. And... man I apologize, I just don't see the funny lists this week. But I've been creating some decompression time this week and I think my creative muscles will be back in full form next week. I promise at least one fun list (which I'm currently putting together in fact - take that procrastination!) So I'm going to leave you with my Spotify list and call it a Friday. Ps. the Spotify list is going to have some explicit lyrics on it. Most of the time I keep it clean, but this week I decided to just include whatever. So there you go. In case that matters. Also, I only know it's explicit because it says so. Long-time readers and regular listeners of the show know my odd ability to not understand lyrics. So I have no clue what's going on in most songs, I just react to how it sounds. Anyway... Happy Listening!

Update on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at 3:45PM by Becca Ruiz

My husband/editor/knower of real things just informed me that Alanis Morisette sang "One Hand in My Pocket." I have discovered that I was trying to think of "All I Wanna Do." So in that case, All I Wanna Do is listen to singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow's new album.

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

Happy post-Easter everyone! I know what you were all thinking, "She died. She died from not eating chocolate. I knew it was possible!" But I didn't. I just can't juggle really well. Metaphorically and in real life as well in fact. I have been eating a lot of chocolate this week though. Making up for lost time... And it's post-Easter, there's just a lot of chocolate around at this time of year. But on with it. I have bags to pack before the end of the day. Might make a pair of cool pajama/lounge pants too... FIRST MUSIC!

Oh my goodness people. It's here and it's not a prank. Violinist, beautiful, perfect whistler Andrew Bird released Are You Serious today. I think. The preview was on NPR but it's not Spotify. So maybe that was is a prank... Ha. Bombino that awesome guitarist and songwriter from Niger released Azel. Cheap Trick is back with Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello. My favorite instrumental rock band Explosions in the Sky returns from their soundtrack creating sabbatical with The Wilderness. Brit Pop Dance music makers Pet Shop Boys released Super today and that is exactly what I think of the first track on the album by the way. Weezer have made their own The White Album. Ahem. And indie rockers Yeasayer are here with Amen & Goodbye. Which would be cool to end like that but I forgot about Lukas Graham who I have already had to learn a single for a student so probably going to be a popular thing going on there. What a day. Will I even have anything else to discuss next week? Tune in. but don't tune out because

It's time to tune into last week's List of what I gathered that came out. Genrefied by moi.

Invasion of the 3 letter names

It just seemed like a ridiculous amount.

Blu, Crenshaw Jezebel - some three lettered rap

Bri, Keys To My Heart - a little Christian R&B

CB-R, DRSL - even the EDM scene got into this three letter action

Céu, Tropix - what do we do with these singular entities? Keep calling it singer-songwriter or folding it into the other genres. I mean, sometimes it's singer-songwriter for sure just a musician and they're instrument. But with so many multi-instrumentalists and those who get bands or have guests, what do we do? I dont' know. Sometimes I fold them in. I think this is more Playground of Rock material.

SOV, Aklamerad Kalamitet - Metal. I'm only missing country at this point, but no dice. Here ends the list of 3s.

Other Interests..

Beastmaker, Lusus Naturae - if you listened to Wolfmother's latest album and was like, "I wish it had more Sabbath." Then check out Beastmaker.

Blood Ceremony, Lord of Misrule - Never have I loved a flute solo more than on the amazing track, "Half Moon Street." Classic heavy rock style and extra points for amazing flute material.

Skating Polly, The Big Fit - Not telling Josh about this one because this is just Half Pints material written all over it. Female rock.

Khun Narin, II - I'm sure I've talked about this before but my husband and I are pretty obsessed with SE Asian psychedelic rock. Not obsessed but generally pick it up when we find it. And this one's not some odd we don't know the track listing cd from the library! This guy's making this music now. Anyway, this is pretty awesomesauce.

Margo Price, Midwest Farmer's Daughter - Not always old-style country sounding musically but Margo's voice is classic country. Love this.

Bayonne, Primitives - Remember when Animal Collective was eclectic in sound but had some restraint? This harkens back to those days. It's interesting, wasn't sure if I was into it at first but I like it.

Faith I Branko, Gypsy Lover - I'm also a sucker for gypsy music.

Brian Bromberg, Full Circle - Jazz. Let's be well rounded today.

The Sun Days, Album - if you like Best Coast maybe check this out. Not quite CA Rock straight up but in the alley.

And that's what I got this week. So try those on for size. Me? I'm going to pack up a weekend's worth of supplies and gallivant northerly. And hopefully make some pants. With that, good day to you and 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!