→ August 1, 2018
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Music update, July 2018.

July seemed like a weaker month for new music than we’ve had in a while, but it’s possible that after my vacation and around some trips I missed some good new releases, too. If you can’t see the widget below, you can access the Spotify playlist here.

TVAM — These Are Not Your Memories. Joe Oxley, the producer/musician who records as TVAM, is new to me, although he’s released a few singles going back to 2015. This track, from his forthcoming debut album Psychic Data, is shoegazey and atmospheric, but with a clear, defined hook, and some bravado to it that’s generally absent in shoegaze music and its spiritual descendants.

Spirit Animal — The Truth. Another artist with whom I was unfamiliar before this song, Spirit Animal, a four-piece act from Brooklyn, produce guitar-driven rock that calls back to classic rock but with hints of funk and metal mixed in. This track has a wonderfully dark riff behind the verses, then shifts to a soaring and funk-tinged mode for the chorus.

Slash — Driving Rain (feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators). Slash has been churning out memorable, heavy guitar riffs for thirty years now, but because his style of music hasn’t been cool since the late ’80s, he’s never really gotten the respect of other similarly talented guitarists. He has a clearly defined sound, evident here even through the fairly generic vocals – if you like Slash’s work, you’d probably pick this out (no pun intended) as his doing right away. It’s not “Slither” or Appetite-level work, but it’s more than just a nostalgia trip.

Greta Van Fleet — When The Curtain Falls. GVF get lots of praise for their Led Zeppelin-derived sound, but I’ve found them more akin to Kingdom Come, imitators rather than spiritual descendants, especially with the lead singer’s falsetto sounding too much like Lenny Wolf. (I’ll admit to a strange fondness for Kingdom Come’s one hit single, “Get It On,” though.) This is the best track I’ve heard from GVF so far, powered by a memorable guitar riff.

The Twilight Sad — I/m Not Here [Missing Face]. I could have sworn I included a Twilight Sad song on a playlist a few years ago but can’t find it. This Scottish (as if you couldn’t tell) duo seem to have drunk deeply from the spirit of Joy Division, early Smiths, Editors, and others in the tradition of depressing new wave-inflected music … but with more energy than they’ve shown in previous singles.

Death Cab for Cutie — I Dreamt We Spoke Again. DCFC’s ninth album, Thank You for Today, drops on August 17th; it’s their first album without guitarist Chris Walla since 1997. This is the second single and lead track, not as immediate as “Gold Rush” but very much in line with their peak output from the first decade of the 2000s.

Maisie Peters — Best I’ll Ever Sing. The now 18-year-old singer/songwriter behind last year’s “The Place We Were Made” is back with another track, this one driven by piano rather than guitar, once again showcases her sense of melody and adorable voice.

Interpol — Number 10. That’s now two promising singles ahead of Interpol’s forthcoming album Marauder, due out August 24th.

The Golden Age of TV — Television. TGATV, a five-piece indie-rock act from Leeds, has released three singles so far, this the strongest (and most rock-tinged) to date. There’s an anthemic vibe that feels like it was written to open a concert, with the lights coming on just as Bea Fletcher’s vocals kick in.

Cut Chemist — Work My Mind. Cut Chemist, formerly one of the DJs in the rap collective Jurassic 5, reunites with Chali 2Na here for the best track of CC’s latest album.

The Internet — Roll (Burbank Funk). The Internet, who may win any competition for the least google-able band name on the planet, earned a Grammy nod for their 2015 album Ego Death in the ‘urban contemporary’ category; I’m not sure what that term encompasses or excludes, but this song sounds like a modern twist on P-Funk to me and I’m good with that.

Jungle — Heavy, California. This English soul music collective, who had a hit in 2014 with “Busy Earnin'” and made my May playlist with “Happy Man,” will drop their second album, For Ever, on September 14th. They’ve released two other tracks from the album, “Cherry” and “House in L.A.,” but both are more downtempo and not my speed.

St. Lucia – Walking Away. It seems like St. Lucia’s sound is evolving further, this time in a more positive direction than their disappointing last album (aside from its lead single, “Dancing on Glass”), between this and “A Brighter Love.” The B side to that latter song, “Paradise is Waiting,” isn’t bad either, although the faux-gospel chorus is a little hackneyed for me.

Alkaline Trio — Blackbird. The Chicago punk trio veered off into more alternative territory with some of their early 2000s releases – “Help Me” is probably my favorite song of theirs, off 2008’s Agony & Irony – but they returned to their roots with their 2013 album My Shame Is True. “Blackbird” is more of the same, the lead single from their upcoming album Is This Thing Cursed?, due out on August 31st.

Mudhoney — Paranoid Core. Never change, Mark Arm. Never change.

Horrendous — Soothsayer. This Philly-based quartet is producing by far the most interesting and sophisticated music of any American death metal band going – it’s technically proficient, musically progressive, and apparently the lyrics are pretty smart too, not that I can understand a word they’re screaming. Their 2015 album Anareta was Decibel‘s top LP of that year, and Ecdysis was the same magazine’s #3 album of 2014. Idol is due out on September 28th.

Omnium Gatherum — Gods Go First. Omnium Gatherum are Finnish but hew closely to the Gothenburg school of melodic death metal, with progressive and thrash elements along with strong musicianship. Their eighth album, The Burning Cold, comes out August 31st.

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→ June 30, 2018
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Stick to baseball, 6/30/18.

I’m back from a European vacation that took us to Dublin, southern France, Monaco (my daughter really wanted to see it), Genoa (to visit my cousins there), and Milan. I ate a lot of gelato, which is the most important part, isn’t it? Before I left I did file one Insider piece, the annual top 25 players under 25 list, and please read the intro because as usual many people didn’t.

Over at Paste, my review of Merlin, the really awful new game from Stefan Feld, also went up while I was gone. Feld has designed several games I love, including The Castles of Burgundy, so this point-salad mess was a huge disappointment.

Book signings! I’ll be at Politics & Prose in Washington DC, with my friend Jay Jaffe, to talk baseball and both of our books on July 14th at 6 pm, and will be at Paul Swydan’s new bookstore The Silver Unicorn in Acton, Massachusetts, on July 28th at 1 pm (waiting for the link but it is confirmed). I will also be at the Futures Game in DC on the 15th.

And now, the links…

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→ June 1, 2018
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Music update, May 2018.

I went a little overboard this month and decided not to edit it down as much as I usually do, because of the time crunch with the draft coming up. So I give you 28 songs from the pop, alternative, hip hop, and metal worlds. You can also access the Spotify playlist here.

Lemaitre featuring Betty Who – Rocket Girl. An early candidate for song of the year, certainly my song of the year so far, powered by a soaring, anthemic vocal from Ms. Who.

Jungle – Happy Man. A welcome return from the British R&B collective behind 2014’s “Busy Earnin,” a top 20 song for me that year.

Childish Gambino – This Is America. I’ve never been much for Donald Glover’s music, which I thought showed his inexperience in that realm, but this song is truly catchy, makes a serious point in its sparse lyrics, and of course has come with a provocative video addressing gun violence in America.

Young Fathers – Toy. I linked to this song’s video a few weeks but had never put it on a playlist. This Mercury Prize-winning hip-hop trio has a unique sound that combines musical influences from two members’ African roots, American trap music, and more frenetic European EDM sounds.

Kid Astray – Can’t Stop. More pop goodness from this Norwegian quintet, although I was disappointed to learn that keyboardist and sometime vocalist Elizabeth Wu left the group at some point in the last two years.

Artificial Pleasure – I Need Something More. I could do without the 30-second intro, but after that there’s a droning, throwback new-wave sort of guitar riff that powers the rest of this song from their debut album The Bitter End.

Hinds – Tester. Maybe my favorite track yet from this Barcelona quartet, who always sound like they recorded their vocals in a tin can and as if they have never done anything so fun in their lives as recording music.

Black Honey – Bad Friends. I’m hoping this darker single presages a full-length release from Black Honey, who’ve dotted my top 100 lists the last two years.

Wye Oak – Join. A little Lord Huron, a little Cocteau Twins, maybe even a little Beach House (but with a stronger melody). This is from the duo’s new album The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs.

Hatchie – Bad Guy. I think I’ve now put four of the five song’s from Hatchie’s EP Sugar and Spice on monthly or annual playlists, ebecause she’s fantastic.

bülow – Not A Love Song. Megan Bülow is a teenager from the Netherlands with a heck of a pop sensibility; this track comes from an EP she first released in Europe in late November. She doesn’t seem old enough to pack this many musical influences into one track.

Courtney Barnett – Charity. Barnett’s second solo album Tell Me How You Really Feel dropped two weeks ago and is very similar to her first album (and, fortunately, not at all similar to the record she made with Kurt Vile).

CLOVES – Wasted Time. I think it’s clear at this point that CLOVES could sing an instruction manual for a toaster oven and I’d put it on a playlist.

Cœur de Pirate – Malade. From the Quebecois singer-songwriter’s new album en cas de tempête, ce jardin sera fermé, which dropped today. The entire record is in French, unlike her previous full-length, and has a broad mix of more upbeat dance tracks like “Prémonition,” some ethereal piano ballads like “Somnambule,” and in-betweeners like this.

Okkervil River – Love Somebody. I didn’t care for most of OR’s new album, In the Rainbow Rain, in large part because Will Sheff just isn’t a very good singer, but goes beyond his range in the intros to so many tracks here. This is the best song on the record and builds very nicely to a second movement (starting around 1:40) that showcases the best of Sheff’s songwriting both in music and lyrics.

Mourn – Fun at the Geysers. The ‘other’ great young band from Barcelona also put out a new song this month, with better production value and a bit more punk rock to their vibe, as with

The Charlatans – Totally Eclipsing. The track is just fair, but the Charlatans (sometimes called Charlatans UK here) are one of my favorite bands from the 1990s, so anything they produce gets consideration for a playlist here.

Sea Girls – Too Much Fun. Radio 1 tabbed Sea Girls a band to watch for 2018, and this song, from their forthcoming EP Adored, has that potentially anthemic chorus offset by an understated vocal in the verses.

Drenge – This Dance. I loved their first album (my #4 album of 2013), didn’t like the sonic shift on their second record, and am glad to hear this song sounds much more like their debut record.

Great News – Sleep It Off. A Norwegian trio who call their music “daze-pop,” Great News were among the big hits at last month’s Great Escape music festival in London.

Vast – She Is Murder. I lost track of Vast (or V.A.S.T.) aeons ago; their song “Touched” was one of the songs I played repeatedly while I was in grad school, but I had no idea Jon Crosby was still recording under this name. Their eighth album is due this summer.

The Get Up Kids – Better This Way. Emo/indie artists the Get Up Kids, not to be confused with the geddup noise, are set to release their first album in seven years and just their second since their breakup in 2005.

Wooden Shjips – Eclipse. Wooden Shjips’ latest album, just titled V., dropped on May 25th, and it’s only seven songs long because six of the tracks clock in between five and eight minutes. There’s a lot of spacey guitar noodling here, but that’s kind of my cup of tea, innit?

Bilk – Spiked. These guys are very British, very post-punk in sound, and very, very young.

Winger – Dance Macabre. I’m shocked to hear these glam-metal stalwarts, who sort of became the poster child for the hairspray excesses of the era, come back with a … wait, this is Ghost? And the song isn’t 30 years old? Never mind.

Lucifer – California Son. Lucifer is the new project from Johanna Sadonis, who was the lead singer for the one-album project The Oath, who broke up before their record was even released. It’s a deep throwback to the kind of 1970s British metal that I absolutely adore.

Pallbearer – Dropout. The dominant doom metal band recording today, Pallbearer just released this one-off single as they headed out on tour to support last year’s Heartless.

Amorphis – The Bee. This Finnish progressive/melodic death metal band has been recording for 25 years now, and just released their 13th album, Queen of Time, two weeks ago.

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→ May 5, 2018
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Stick to baseball, 5/5/18.

My first mock draft for 2018 is now up for Insiders, as is a short post on the Ronald Acuña show. I also held a Klawchat on Friday.

I did some podcasts with friends this week. I appeared on the Productive Outs podcast to talk some baseball and music. Then I talked with Seth Heasley on his Hugos There podcast to discuss To Say Nothing of the Dog, one of my all-time favorite comic novels (and a Hugo Award winner). And of course on Thursday I was on the BBTN podcast with Buster Olney.

By the way, if any of you happen to live in/near Stockholm, there’s a pretty good chance I’m going to be there for a conference in the near future. Let me know in the comments what I should try to do or see in the few hours I’ll have free while there.

And now, the links…

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→ May 4, 2018
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Music update, April 2018.

This month’s playlist is a little shorter than the last few because I’ve been traveling so much the last few weeks, but that should slow down now as we approach the draft, so I’ll get to spend more time hunting down new tracks. I’ve also broken with tradition and opened this month’s playlist with a metal track, although after that it’s back to normal, with two more metal tracks at the end. As always, you can access the Spotify playlist directly here if you can’t see the widget below.

Ghost — Rats. Ghost’s marketing shtick is that they’re a black metal band from Norway (of course) and no one knows the band members’ identities. The black metal stuff is stupid, the identity thing is tired, but they have turned out to be a rather adept creator of new heavy metal tracks that sound very much like peak New Wave of British Heavy Metal artists like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. Some of their songs have gone too far with the Satanic theme – which feels to me like patronizing the audience – but this one is just a straight-up rocker.

DMA’s — Break Me. The Aussie band’s early Britpop vibe, still more Oasis than Blur, continues throughout their new album For Now.

Hatchie — Sugar & Spice. The first of two songs from this Australian singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist on this playlist, although both of them have the same early Cranberries-meet-shoegaze vibe. Harriette Pilbeam doesn’t have Dolores O’Riordan’s pipes but she has the late Irish band’s sense of melody.

Ring the Bells — Johnnyswim with Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors. Johnnyswim is a folk duo from Nashville comprising Donna Summer’s daughter Amanda Sudano and Sudano’s husband Abner Ramirez. I freely admit I’d never heard them before this song, which is a sort of folk-rock banger, if there is such a thing.

Cœur de Pirate — Somnambule. I just adore Béatrice Martin’s voice, so I’m going to tell people she’s my girlfriend, and when they ask why she isn’t here with me, I can truthfully tell them, “She lives in Canada.”

Janelle Monáe featuring Grimes — Pynk. I’m still unpacking Dirty Computer, Monáe’s new album; so much of her music seems to demand repeated listens to pick up all her ideas. This isn’t as good as “Venus Fly,” the collaboration between these two women on Grimes’ Art Angels, but it’s a totally different kind of song, and there’s a lot of very suggestive wordplay here that wasn’t there on the Grimes-led track.

Hundred Waters — Mushroom Cloud. This spare, devastating new single from the Gainesville, Florida trio comes amidst rumors that the band might be breaking up, but it finds singer Nicole Miglis at her soaring, commanding best.

Snail Mail — Heat Wave. The second solid single from the Baltimore singer/guitarist starts slow, literally and figuratively, but wait for the guitar to come in before you pass judgment.

Wooden Shjips — Red Line. This San Francisco band, who always sound like they’re midway through a set at Altamont, just released this lead single from their forthcoming album V, their first new music in five years. All hail the Hammond organ.

Courtney Barnett — City Looks Pretty. I’m on record as preferring Barnett’s material when she picks up the tempo; her lyrics are always strong, but because her vocal style is kind of flat and talky by design, it doesn’t meld well with slower tracks. This one moves at a quick enough pace to work with her laconic singing.

Gang of Four — Ivanka (Things You Can’t Have). Gang of Four have always been political, but this has to be their most direct attack on a target in … ever? Of course, Go4 aren’t what they used to be, in a literal sense: guitarist and primary songwriter Andy Gill is the only one of the original Gang still in the band, and their sound is a lot more modern and less post-punk than it once was. It does still work, though, and Gill’s righteous anger is well-placed on this EP, titled Complicit.

Soft Science — Undone. This Sacramento outfit calls itself a dream-pop/shoegaze act, so it’s not surprising that this song’s main riff is at least similar to My Bloody Valentine’s “I Only Said,” from Loveless, long considered one of the seminal records of the shoegaze movement. At least here I can understand what the singer is saying, though.

Hatchie — Sleep. Pilbeam’s accent comes through a bit more here, but what really draws me to this track is the staccato, off-beat percussion.

Kid Astray — Are You Here? I wonder if this Norwegian outfit is just too weird to get much airplay here, but it’s a shame – they continue to churn out great hooks and there really isn’t anyone else who sounds like them at all. This five-minute track seems to keep folding in on itself and back out again into new shapes, like a musical hexaflexagon.

Speedy Ortiz — Buck Me Off. The lead track from the group’s third album, Twerp Verse, which I can say off one listen so far is really damn good.

Lord Huron — Never Ever. Huron’s new album, Vide Noir, feels like a big step forward, as they were caught in purgatory between folk-lite bands like Mumford & Sons and the rock mainstream, where bands like the Avett Brothers draw on folk but aren’t afraid to air it out a little. This record definitely airs it out, as on this track and on the two-part “Ancient Names.”

Johnny Marr — The Tracers. While Moz continues to milkshake duck himself with racist and bigoted commentary, Johnny Marr keeps making guitar-driven alternative rock, less charming than Smiths material but still bringing the hooks.

Lizzy Borden — My Midnight Things. File this one under “I had no idea this band was still recording and has been for the last thirty years.” I know Lizzy Borden (the band) from its occasional appearances on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, which was always a little light on the head banging and heavy on the hair metal. The original singer, who has always gone by the name Lizzy Borden, and drummer are still in the band, and I don’t think their sound has changed that much from what I remember of their 1980s output. This wouldn’t be out of place on a reboot of the aforementioned TV show.

Khemmis — Isolation. Desolation, the third album from this Colorado heavy metal outfit, arrives June 22nd; they have elements of doom, but this track is positively uptempo for that genre, and I appreciate the totally clean vocals in a space that generally looks down on guys who can actually sing.

League of Starz ft. Freddy Gibbs, G Perico, & Mozzy — Colors. A collaborative rap track dominated by Gibbs’ verse, as he’s one of the few MCs today whose style and technical skill rival the stars of the Golden Age of Hip-Hop.

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→ April 5, 2018
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New music update, March 2018.

Twenty-seven songs on this month’s playlist, which is a lot, but they’re almost all from artists I’ve listed somewhere here before. As always, you can access the Spotify playlist here if you can’t see the widget below.

Everything Everything – Breadwinner. This is one of four tracks on the British art-rockers’ recent EP, A Deeper Sea, one left on the cutting room floor from their 2017 album A Fever Dream. The EP opens with “The Mariana,” a slow, melancholy meditation on societal ideas of masculinity and the high suicide rates for young males.

DMA’S – For Now. Huge, soaring guitars, mixing electric and acoustic, with a memorable hook in the chorus … yeah, I’m all in. Take all my money.

Post Animal – Ralphie. A fun, bouncy rock track from a new band from Chicago that includes one of the actors from Stranger Things, Joe Keery.

Gang Of Four – Lucky. Gang of Four have always been overtly political, but their forthcoming EP, Complicit, is about as direct an attack as they’ve ever brought on a sitting politician. The EP’s cover is a photo of Ivanka Trump, and the EP’s title is repeated in Russian.

Sunflower Bean – Oh No, Bye Bye. The Brooklyn trio released their second album, Twentytwo in Blue, last week, and it’s filled with sunny, folk-tinged indie rock and great melodies; it feels to me like the album a band makes before they release the album that takes over the world.

The Men – Rose on Top of the World. This is very acoustic War on Drugs-ish, kind of surprising given The Men’s history of harder, punk-tinged songs.

Ride – Keep It Surreal. The second track from the shoegazers’ new EP, Tomorrow’s Shore, which also includes “Pulsar.”

Courtney Barnett – Need A Little Time. The second single in advance of the Australian singer/songwriter’s second solo album Tell Me How You Really Feel.

??????•?)?? ?? ??????? ?? – ? ? ? ?.·??? ? ? ? ? ?.·??? ? ? ? ? ?.·??? ? ? ? ? ?.·??? ? ? ? ? ?.·??? ? ? ? ? ?.·??? ? ? ? ? ?.·??? ?. That’s not a problem with your browser; it’s the actual name of the new project by Four Tet, a very dark, moody, instrumental track that was good enough to get me to copy and paste this ridiculous name, which is pronounced “I’m an asshole.”

The Decemberists – Once In My Life. Never a huge fan of the Decemberists, in part because Colin Meloy’s delivery always teeters on the brink of twee-pop, but it’s weird that they paired one of their best melodies ever with some of their weakest lyrics (a pale imitation of “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”).

Preoccupations – Disarray. This Canadian band’s latest album, cleverly titled New Material, came out on March 23rd; their sound, from reverbed guitars to production that dampens the vocals, gives everything they do a gloomy tinge while harkening back to everyone from Joy Division to Lotion to Mercury Rev. “Decompose” is another great track from the album, with an offbeat percussion line that keeps you off balance for the entire song.

Speedy Ortiz – Lean In When I Suffer. The noise-pop quartet led by Sadie Dupuis will release its third album, Twerp Verse, on April 27th.

Prides – Say It Again. These Scottish pop-rockers first showed up on my radar with 2015’s “The Seeds You Sow,” but they haven’t quite hit that level of hook in anything since … until this song, definitely my favorite track since that debut. Their better songs have reminded me of better Bastille stuff with a little early Coldplay (before they became just pop nonsense).

Artificial Pleasure – On a Saturday Night. It’s a bit slower than their first hit “I’ll Make It Worth Your While” or the track that made my top 100 from last year, “Wound Up Tight,” but I like the glam-rock stylings here even as they get away from the dance floor, with a song that sounds inspired by ’70s new wave (or even Bowie, apparently a hero of theirs) without coming off as derivative.

Young Fathers – Fee Fi. The 2014 Mercury Prize winners released their third album, Cocoa Sugar, on March 9th; as with their previous two, their tracks feature a lot of world-music percussion with less rapping than is typical of that genre.

Snail Mail – Pristine. Snail Mail is Lindsey Jordan, a Baltimorebased singer-songwriter, and her sound is sparse and also reminds me of Lotion – really, I don’t think I’ve mentioned that group in years, now they’re here twice in one playlist – whose voice and sound is way beyond her 18 years. She should tour with Speedy Ortiz.

Belly – Stars Align. That little opening guitar riff feels like a secret message to Belly fans from the ’90s that everything’s OK, Tanya’s here, although what comes after doesn’t have the same energy as King or Star, and I get the sense that Dove, their first album in 23 years, will be Belly-ish, but mellower.

The Districts – Nighttime Girls. The Districts feel like a mixture of Preoccupations (see above) and the Hold Steady, with the former’s general sound and style (including echoing vocals) with the dry delivery of the latter.

The Horrors – Fire Escape. The Horrors’ new single includes this song and “Water Drop,” with one of the keyboard loops repeated throughout both songs; this track has more of an identity, like an actual single rather than a B-side or deleted scene. I love the heavy guitar/drum break around the 1:10 mark that introduces the vocals.

Starcrawler – Different Angles. This LA glam-rock act released its debut album, produced by Ryan Adams, in January, with a good sound but not enough good hooks to sustain a full record. This was my favorite track, which, like most on the album, comes in well under three minutes.

Turbowolf – Cheap Magic. I wasn’t familiar with this Bristol psychedelic hard-rock act before a few months ago, but this is the second great, heavy rock track from them (think INHEAVEN) in the last 90 days, this one a collaboration with Death from Above’s Sebastien Grainger.

Underoath – Rapture. Underoath is, or perhaps was, a Christian hard-rock band, although it seems like their faith or stance on it is at least no longer the core feature of their music. This would have been considered metal when I was in high school, somewhere between glam rock and thrash (death metal existed, but had almost no audience or mainstream awareness at the time), and earned some nostalgia points with me.

Bicurious – Sleep. Bicurious describe themselves on their Bandcamp page as “a confused, loud, instrumental and experimental duo based in Dublin.” There’s some jazz in here, a little heavy rock, and what sounds like a good bit of two-hand tapping (or maybe even a Chapman stick?). It’s not boring, though.

Melvins – Stop Moving to Florida. King Buzzo is back – although I think I’m nominating him for “aging rocker most likely to go milkshake duck” – with a song that gives you two minutes of conventional grunge and then turns into abject silliness for the rest of its run time.

At The Gates – To Drink from the Night Itself. Pioneers of the Gothenberg sound, At the Gates will release an album with this as the title track in May, their first record without founding guitarist Anders Björler.

Memoriam – Weaponised Fear. I’m pretty sure Memoriam was supposed to be a one-off project, a tribute to the late drummer Martin Kearns, who played in the legendary British extreme metal act Bolt Thrower along with two members of Memoriam. They’re back now with a new album, The Silent Vigil, that continues the first album’s doom-influenced thrash with more growled vocals, not too far away from the sound on Bolt Thrower’s final studio album, Those Once Loyal.

Barren Earth – Further Down. Barren Earth is a Finnish supergroup that features Kreator guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, producing progressive death metal that incorporates symphonic, technical, and even folk elements.

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→ August 31, 2017
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New music update, August 2017.

Big month for new music in multiple genres, with new music from a number of artists I didn’t think were still recording and a slew of brand-new artists working towards their first album or EP releases. I lead off with one of my favorite bands of the last few years and bounce around between familiar and new names, finishing up with a trio of metal tracks at the very end. If you can’t see the widget below you can click here to access the Spotify playlist directly.

Everything Everything – Can’t Do. E2 are part of a small movement of British art/indie acts, along with alt-J (who seem to have gone full commercial this year) and Wild Beasts, who engage in a sort of hysterical version of indie-pop, with lots of falsetto vocals, strange arrangements, weird tempos, and other things you wouldn’t expect to find in a four-minute song on the radio … but with compelling melodies that tie their best songs together. Everything Everything’s fourth album, A Fever Dream, dropped last Friday and I think it’s their best overall LP yet, although it doesn’t quite have a huge single like “Cough Cough,” “Kemosabe,” or “I Believe It Now.” “Can’t Do” is my favorite track from the album and the most likely to creep on to American radio.

Confidence Man – Boyfriend (Repeat). Speaking of weird, artsy acts, Confidence Man is an Australian quartet whose music is just … peculiar. Actually, the music is great; the lyrics and vocals are the peculiar part. I don’t love the flat affect the singer uses here, although it’s of a piece with the subject matter – and damn that’s a catchy beat.

Queens of the Stone Age – The Evil Has Landed. Villains is QotSA’s seventh album, their first working with producer Mark Ronson of “Uptown Funk” fame, and the influence is immediately obvious, as this is the funkiest output of Josh Homme’s career, although I think there’s been a soulful, groove element to lots of his work in the past.

Daughter – Burn It Down. Singer Elena Tonra gets angrier on this darker-than-usual track from the folk/electronic trio, which comes from their forthcoming album, Music from Before the Storm, the score to the brand-new episodic video game Life is Strange: Before The Storm, released today from Square Enix.

Birdtalker – Looking for Love. Birdtalker is a little bit country, and a little bit folk, and I guess there’s a little rock and roll in here, but I’m as drawn to the group’s lyrics as their music; I’m still waiting for a release date on their debut album One, the title track of which appeared on my June playlist.

The Pale White – Downer. A trio from Newcastle-upon-Tyne – that doesn’t matter, I just like saying it – the Pale White do guitar-heavy alt-rock, along the lines of other recent British acts with big guitar sounds like Drenge, the Amazons, and early Muse. Their debut EP is out later this month.

Death From Above 1979 – Never Swim Alone. If the White Stripes covered a Sleigh Bells track, it would sound something like this.

Wu-Tang Clan featuring Redman – People Say. Every time I think the Wu-Tang Clan is done, they pop back up, although I also couldn’t tell you exactly who’s in the Clan and who just keeps showing up on their tracks like Redman. (Does he need to go through some sort of initiation? Give them all his worldly possessions?)

Beck – Dear Life. It’s not “Dreams” – my #1 song of 2015, and probably my favorite song of his prolific career – but it’s a lot better than last year’s dismal “Wow,” too.

The War On Drugs – Nothing To Find. It’s a little long, as all their songs are wont to be, and I find it hard to listen to any of their songs without picturing Richard Belzer doing his Bob Dylan impression, but I like their uptempo stuff more and the new album A Deeper Understanding, which came out last Friday.

Starsailor – All This Life. I wasn’t aware this Britpop (or “post-Britpop,” as Wikipedia calls them, which I think is a question of time rather than genre) act had reunited until last week; their comeback album, All This Life, comes out on Friday, their first new material since 2009.

Maisie Peters – Place We Were Made. Just 17 years old, Peters built up a following on Youtube and has now released her “first proper single,” this worldly paean to home that feels like it should have been written by someone many years her senior. I’m projecting big things for young Ms. Peters, not least because of the evocative nature of the imagery in her lyrics.

Sarah Chernoff – Markings on You. Chernoff is (was?) the singer of the Superhumanoids, whose last album, Do You Feel OK?, was my #5 album of 2015, thanks to their combination of her powerful, multi-octave vocals and intricate electronic tracks. Chernoff just released her debut solo album, Warm Nights, which showcases her incredible voice – never more than on this track – in a new milieu, soft rock that wouldn’t be out of place on 1970s radio between 10cc and …

Anna Of The North – Fire. Anna Lotterud’s first album, Lovers, comes out on September 8th, featuring her electronic-infused indie pop reminiscent of The Naked & Famous.

Wolf Alice – Beautifully Unconventional. If you just heard the first few measures, you might think this was a lost Blur track from their Britpop heyday – at least until Ellie Roswell’s distinctive vocals kick in. By the way, the London quartet – whose second album, Visions of a Life, comes out on 9/29 – says they got their name from an Angela Carter short story, but really, it’s because their name is pronounced “wool phallus,” right?

Kate Nash – Agenda. Kate Nash looked like she was going to be a superstar after “Foundations,” from her debut album, hit #2 in the UK and won her great critical acclaim, but she never quite produced a hit to follow it up and has been releasing music on her own the last five years. She’s a clever lyricist, at least most of the time, and I can’t decide if this song is a parody of people who wear their activism on their sleeves … or just something very silly.

Liam Gallagher – For What It’s Worth. Liam keeps releasing these faux-Oasis songs and I fall for it every time.

The Horrors – Something To Remember Me By. “Sheena Is a Parasite” is a distant memory, and now they’re a sort of hazy, neo-psychedelic band, supporting whatever is left of Depeche Mode on the latter’s tour this year.

Bad Nerves – Radio Punk. An anthemic punk-pop track from this Essex quartet on their third single to date.

Mourn – Color Me Impressed. These Catalonian punks are prepping to release their third album, having appeared a few times on my lists before (“Gertrudis, Get Through This!” was #66 on my top songs of 2015); Hinds gets all the love among Barcelona indie bands, but Mourn is much further along in both songcraft and pure playing skill.

Quicksand – Illuminant. This incredibly influential post-hardcore band just released its first new song in 23 years, which is weird because…

Less Art – Wandering Ghost. The three members of Puig Destroyer are all in this new post-hardcore quintet, whose debut album Strangled Light reminded me a ton of Quicksand’s first two LPs from the mid-1990s.

INHEAVEN – World On Fire. This south London quartet have released a bunch of singles but no album yet; this was the first of their tracks to hit my ears and I like the hard-rock leanings (the main guitar riff has a great hook) and ’90s college-radio feel.

Ensiferum – Way of the Warrior. Folk or Viking metal kind of cracks me up – it seems like such a strange mashup, these heavy riffs and loud percussion merged with what sound like Irish dance songs. This Finnish band just changed keyboard players, replacing Emmi Silvennoinen with accordionist Netta Skog, whose instrument is front and center on this track.

Mendel – Descending Upon Hades. Instrumental, progressive/classical metal from the Dutch guitarist Mendel bij de Leij, who is also the guitarist for the Belgian extreme death metal band Aborted, whose “music” doesn’t even deserve that moniker. It turns out Mendel is a technical wizard, however, and this track shows off his shredding skills and his creativity.

The Haunted – Preachers of Death. The Haunted were born from the ashes of At the Gates when that band broke up in 1996, although they later reformed and released a new (very good) album in 2014. The Haunted are similar musically to AtG, melodic death metal with a little less emphasis on melodic elements and heavier riffing … but this sounds for all the world to me like an At the Gates song. And that’s a good thing if you like extreme metal.

Arch Enemy – The Eagle Flies Alone. I really like the guitar work in this track … but if it weren’t for the death-growl vocals, this would barely qualify as metal, let alone as death metal, right? It’d be a better song with clean vocals given the disconnect, although the lyrics are so trite that perhaps it’s better if listeners can’t understand them. After “The World Is Yours,” I was optimistic about these Swedish stalwarts returning to form on this album; now I’m concerned they’re going the path of In Flames towards metal irrelevance.

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→ June 29, 2017
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Music update, June 2017.

Huge month for new music – 31 songs on this playlist is a new record for me, but this is after I cut a few tracks just to try to limit it to the best songs I’ve heard since June 1st. You can access the Spotify playlist below or via this direct link.

Oh Wonder – High On Humans. I know a few of you are big Oh Wonder fans, but they’re pretty new to me, and so far I’m a fan – this is good, smart, alternative pop.

Portugal. The Man – Rich Friends. Their latest album Woodstock dropped two weeks ago and is really strong, their usual mix of bombastic, melodic rock, with more R&B influences than I’ve heard on previous records.

The Amazons – Black Magic. Fairly new English band from Reading who’ve gotten a ton of hype in the British music and mainstream press; I’m a fan of the huge guitar riff driving this song.

Sløtface – Nancy Drew. The Norwegian punk-popsters who gave us “Empire Records” last year are back with another subtly poppy track with slightly twisted lyrics.

Waxahatchee – Never Been Wrong. Katie Crutchfield’s next album, Out in the Storm, comes out on July 14th, and this track is more in the folk-rock vein of 2015’s “Under a Rock.”

The Preatures – Girlhood. This Australian quintet is about to release its first album since 2014, with a similar ’60s British pop/rock vibe. Also, I couldn’t figure out what the repeated line was in the verse, but according to my Internet it’s “a morning girl.”

Beach Fossils – Tangerine. Brooklyn indie-rockers Beach Fossils just released their latest album, Somersault, of stoner/surfer/lo-fi tracks, with this track offering the best hook on the album.

The Districts – If Before I Wake. I didn’t love the Districts’ acclaimed 2015 album, A Flourish and a Spoil, but this song is absolutely anthemic.

No Win – You’ll Be Fine. Apparently No Win is a side project of a member of FIDLAR, although I’m not a big fan of FIDLAR’s music so I was totally unaware of this, but hey, this song rocks.

Ride – Lannoy Point. The shoegazers’ first album in 21 years, Weather Diaries, starts out very strong and has probably four songs that would fit in very well with their vintage output, but I felt like it tapered off towards more maudlin lyrics and less inventive music.

Radiohead – I Promise. Radiohead has reissued OK Computer for the seminal album’s 20th anniversary in a two-disc set called OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017, including three previously unreleased tracks from the recording sessions, including this melancholy acoustic track, which would have fit very well on The Bends.

Manchester Orchestra – The Alien. Speaking of melancholy acoustic tracks, one of two new singles from Manchester Orchestra off their upcoming album A Black Mile to the Surface, is a surprisingly melodic, gentle song from a band I typically associate with huge, crunching guitars and with Andy Hull screaming himself hoarse.

Birdtalker – One. Another acoustic track, this one more like vintage folk with some smart and incisive lyrics, from a new Nashville band founded by the wife-and-husband duo of Dani and Zack Green.

The War On Drugs – Holding On. At least this time, the boys kept the song under six minutes! The Bob Dylan overtones can still be a bit much but this song has a driving, memorable hook that really powers the track even when Adam Granduciel starts to sound more like Richard Belzer doing a Dylan impression.

Liam Gallagher – Wall Of Glass. Yep, that’s the former Oasis singer, with what sounds like a solid post-Be Here Now sort of Oasis track.

Death From Above (1979) – Freeze Me. They’ve dropped the ‘1979’ from their name, although it still appears on Spotify. After a decade-long hiatus, they’re about to release their second album in three years, with this lead single probably my favorite track from them yet.

Washed Out – Get Lost. To borrow a malaprop from my daughter, I’m just so-and-so on Washed Out, the nom de chill of Ernest Greene, whose latest album Mister Mellow drops on Friday. This song encapsulates what I like about Washed Out – a melodic, upbeat, highly layered track that brings more complexity than just calling it a dance song would indicate.

Sparks – What The Hell Is It This Time?. Sparks have been around since the early 1970s, although if you know them at all, it’s probably from their one-off collaboration with Jane Wiedlin, “Cool Places,” which reached #49 on the Billboard 100 and became a staple of new-wave compilations. Now aged 71 and 68, the brothers Mael are about to release their 22nd album, Hippopotamus, and this very catchy lead single finds them just as weird as ever.

Floating Points – Kelso Dunes (Edit). Experimental music is an acquired taste and I won’t pretend to be an expert, but I’ve liked some of Sam Shepherd’s stuff so far, and not just because he’s a neuroscientist who happens to make music.

Phoenix – Ti Amo. The title track from the Grammy winners’ latest record is a throwback to the two-step/garage era of the early ’90s on top of the new wave stylings they usually bring.

Arcade Fire – Creature Comfort. I liked “Everything Now” more, but that’s a top five track of the year for me, so that’s not exactly a slight to this second single from their upcoming fifth album.

Queens of the Stone Age – The Way You Used To Do. Anything from QotSA is an automatic inclusion. Their upcoming album Villains comes out August 25th.

Royal Blood – Hole In Your Heart. The duo’s second album, ?How Did We Get So Dark? , came out earlier this month and it really rocks – it’s a step ahead of their debut – with this, “Lights Out,” “Hook, Line, & Sinker,” “I Only Lie When I Love You,” and “Where Are You Now?” my favorites.

Wolf Alice – Yuk Foo. The first single from the British quartet’s upcoming sophomore album, Visions of a Life, is harder and harsher than anything I remember from their debut album, which had a great balance of hard, fast, driving rock and mellower passages that showcased singer/guitarist Ellie Rowsell’s vocal range.

A Giant Dog – Bendover. It’s so loud and obnoxious it’s almost shtick, but it works on this track.

Superchunk – Up Against the Wall. Not only have Superchunk not changed their sound in their nearly 30 years of recording, they don’t even sound like they’ve aged on their new two-track release (the other song, “I Got Cut,” is more of the same).

Jason Loewenstein – Superstitious. Hard rock from one of the guitarists in Lou Barlow’s Sebadoh and the Fiery Furnaces.

Big Boi with Troze – Chocolate. Big Boi’s album Boomiverse is … fine, I guess. I like his vocal style, but I think the album suffers from too many guest spots and from some mediocre beats. Highlights include this track and “Kill Jill” (with Killer Mike and Jeezy).

Ice Cube – Good Cop Bad Cop. A bonus track on the 25th anniversary reissue of Death Certificate, this new song has Ice Cube actually sounding a bit like his old self on a very angry track about police shootings of unarmed black victims and the blue wall of silence that protects the perpetrators.

Less Art – Pessimism as Denial. The new band featuring Ian Miller (Kowloon Walled City) and Riley Breckenridge (Thrice) of the old Productive Outs podcast and of the, uh, grindcore (?) band Puig Destroyer strongly reminds me of early ’90s post-hardcore acts like Quicksand. This first single is off their first album, Strangled Light, due July 28th.

Danzig – Skulls & Daisies. Here primarily for its novelty, as Glenn Danzig is now 62 and sounds it throughout his namesake band’s latest album, salvaged on this track by the guitar work of Tommy Victor, whose main band, Prong, also has a new album due next month.

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→ May 2, 2017
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Music update, April 2017.

I wrote a book, Smart Baseball. You should buy it.

This month’s playlist has 24 songs, and started out over 30 before I started cutting back; I have usually tried to keep them under 20 songs or under 90 minutes but I reached a point where I didn’t have anything left I felt good about removing. A few songs are here because of who’s singing, but most are here just because they’re good songs (Brent … I need to stop using that line). If the embedded widget below doesn’t work you can access the Spotify playlist here.

Royal Blood – Lights Out. This British duo had my #1 song of 2014 with “Out of the Black,” and this new single from their upcoming sophomore album does not disappoint – it’s heavy, dark, and menacing, just like their biggest hit.

DJ Shadow, Nas – Systematic. Nas sounds as good as ever here on this track from the soundtrack to the HBO series Silicon Valley. I particularly like the part where Nas gives us a recipe, complete with directions on how long to cook the cranberries.

The Afghan Whigs – Demon in Profile. Afghan Whigs’ comeback album in 2014? didn’t do as much for me as their upcoming record In Spades, which I heard early thanks to the band’s publicist. Gregg Dulli still sounds great for 52 (!) and the album brings a strong mix of hard rockers and more midtempo tracks like this one.

Ride – All I Want. Another big comeback, as Ride’s first new album in 21 years, Weather Diaries, comes out on June 16th. I believe this is the third single from the new album and they all sound like classic Ride, who were among the most important bands in the first shoegaze era.

Anteros – Cherry Drop. This London quartet sound straight out of the 1979 London new wave/post-punk scene; you can hear Debbie Harry’s influence in the vocals.

Tigers Jaw – June. This punk-pop act from Scranton has apparently had some drama in the last few years over whether they’d actually broken up. This single from their album spin, due out May 19th, marries sweet, high-register vocals with distorted guitar work that sounds like math-rock acts (such as Polvo) for a power-pop result.

The Night Game – The Outfield. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, or some trick of the mind, but this song reminds me strongly of the band The Outfield, both in the style of music and lead singer’s voice. Anyway, this is a strong pop track with background vocals from Gotye. And I’m not the only one to notice the similarity to the band behind perennial walkup song “Your Love.”

The Aces – Physical. The Aces, an all-girl quartet from Utah who made my top 100 last year with their single “Stuck,” return with their second release, “Physical,” another solid pop song that just doesn’t quite have the same hook as their first track.

Splashh – Closer. This Australian indie-rock act’s second album, Waiting a Lifetime, came out on April 14th, more evidence of that country’s tremendous music scene right now, producing great rock and electronic music. The production has a real shoegaze quality, with the vocals mixed somewhat towards the back (but not incomprehensible like on My Bloody Valentine’s work).

WATERS – Molly Is A Babe. Van Pierzalowski’s main band will release its new album, Something More, on May 19th, with this track the second single and “Stand By You,” which just appeared in the last few days, the third. Good luck getting this song’s whining guitar lick out of your head any time soon.

Panama – Hope For Something. Here’s another Aussie act, one I first found with their single “Always,” which I put at #51 on my 2013 year-end list. “Hope for Something” is more layered, with ornate instrumentation and a slower build to the hook, but it’s still a big one.

Feist – Century (feat. Jarvis Cocker). I have mixed feelings on this song, but Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker makes an appearance, so here you go.

Joseph of Mercury – Find You Inside. This was the first song I’d heard by Joseph of Mercury, a Toronto-based singer-songwriter who debuted in 2015 with the song “Lips.” This song, his second single this year, combines a less-poppy sort of ’80s new wave with brooding baritone vocals, enunciated like Morrissey does. The result feels soulful without any evident R&B influences.

Sundara Karma – She Said. This may not be new to Sirius XM listeners, as Alt Nation has it in heavy rotation because Sundara Karma is on some XM-sponsored tour.

Black Asteroid – Howl (feat. Zola Jesus). I’m not a big Zola Jesus fan – her incredibly pretentious stage name doesn’t help matters – but her voice’s hollow quality and the stark production here perfectly match the sci-fi horror feel of the electronic music.

Foster The People – S.H.C. Foster the People just put out a three-song teaser EP ahead of their third album, which they’re promising for June or July. “S.H.C.” is the most recognizably FTP of the three songs, with a ’70s guitar riff and vague Latin influences in the percussion.

Portugal. The Man – Number One (feat. Richie Havens & Son Little). Their first single from their upcoming album, “Feel It Still,” might be my favorite song of 2017 so far. This song, though … I don’t even know what I think of it and I’ve listened to it at least a half a dozen times. It’s way out there even for P.TM, with samples from the late folk singer Richie Havens’ song “Freedom” and a collaboration from singer Son Little. The new album, Woodstock, is out June 16th, and they have my full attention.

Pond – Paint Me Silver. Spacey psychedelic rock from Australia. Recommended if you like Tame Impala. Recommended even if you think Tame Impala could stand to keep their songs under four minutes.

Sylvan Esso – The Glow. I am truly not a fan of Sylvan Esso, neither their music nor Amelia Meath’s overly precious vocal style, so it says something about this track that I included it anyway. Saying I think it’s the best thing they’ve done doesn’t tell you much, but there’s a great chorus here if you can get past the track’s opening sound of a digital file skipping.

Miami Horror – Sign of the Times. This Aussie trio has a little bit of a Foster the People vibe, mixing electronic and funk, but more decidedly out of the mainstream, especially with the spoken-word section towards the end of the track. Their latest EP, The Shapes, just came out last week.

Sepultura – Iceberg Dances. I understand people have strong feelings on post-Max Sepultura, but their newest album, Machine Messiah, features some progressive and technically impressive fretwork, most notable for me on this instrumental track.

SikTh – Vivid. I’ve read in a few places how important or influential SikTh have been since their 2003 debut album, but I find it hard to believe given how little I’ve come across their music or how infrequently they’ve recorded anything. Their forthcoming The Future in Whose Eyes? will be just their third album in fifteen years. This frenetic track seems to veer in style from progressive death metal to aggro groove metal and back again.

DragonForce – Judgement Day. DragonForce cracks me up, although I don’t know that this is intended to be funny. They’re just such an unrepetant throwback to the earliest days of thrash, where soaring vocals reminiscent of Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson were common, and fantasy and mythology themes were king. If you remember vintage Helloween with Kai Hansen, that gives you some idea of what DragonForce is about, maybe with a few shakes of Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force.

Memoriam – Memoriam. This is some heavy, sludgy, old-school death metal, with the band and song a tribute to a deceased member of the seminal ’90s British death metal band Bolt Thrower.

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→ March 1, 2017
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Music update, February 2017.

Big month for new tracks, enough that I started out with 30 songs here and couldn’t cut any lower than 24 without taking out something I liked. I’ve got five metal tracks and two rap songs at the end, but before that we have returns from a bunch of my favorite artists, several appearing in new projects.

If you can’t see the Spotify widget below you can go directly to the playlist here.

WATERS – Hiccups. Friend of the dish Van Pierzalowski returns with the first new single from WATERS in almost a year and a half, and true to form it’s an upbeat indie-pop track with a big hook, definitely something to be sung by ten thousand people in an arena with the volume turned up to 11. (Because it’s one louder than 10.) WATERS’ third album, Something More!, is due out May 19th.

MisterWives – Machine. This NYC indie-pop outfit appears to be channeling Shakira with this funky, swirling, brass-heavy, stomp-along track that feels lush and intricate below the vocals. I think there’s real crossover potential here. The lyrics are a bit of a weak spot here, though, like rhymes from a teenager’s Poetry notebook: “Maybe I’m a dying breed/But I believe in individuality.” Yeah, no one else believes in that any more, it’s just you.

Johnossi – Hands. I heard this track, with lyrics about police profiling of African-Americans, and assumed Johnossi was an American singer of color … only to find out it’s a Norwegian duo singing rather well about an issue that I associated mostly with the United States. It should be a hit if for no other reason than the closing couplet “fuck them haters, we don’t care/put your hands up in the air.”

White Reaper – Judy French. White Reaper rocks your lame ass. Their second album, The World’s Best American Band, is due out April 7th.

Love Thy Brother featuring Ariel Beesley – Love Me Better. This actually came out last year, and I just whiffed on it because on first listen I couldn’t get past the singer’s weird pronunciations. The Montreal duo, actually brothers, teamed up with model/singer Beesley for a very catchy electronic track with an undeniable groove behind the verses, although I think when the music drops behind the choruses the song loses some momentum.

Ten Fé – In the Air. I think I’ve exhausted songs worth sharing from Ten Fé’s debut album, called Hit the Light, which has been my favorite new record of 2017 to date. (It’ll be surpassed shortly, with some big releases coming up this month and next.) Most of the songs I’ve liked from Ten Fé have had heavy new wave influences, but this one is just a straight pop song, something you might have heard on the radio as easily in 1980 as today.

Beach Slang – Bored Teenagers. These Philly punks supposedly broke up during a concert last year, then got back together and fired some members … I don’t know, I’m just here for the music. I do think it’s important that bands with “Beach” in their name deliver on that promise by playing punk or garage or even surf rock, as opposed to Beach House, who are basically just false advertising.

Bleached – Can You Deal?. They’ve doubled their membership over the last two years, adding a bassist and a drummer, and are about to release a new EP, with this punk-pop tune as the title track. It’s a bit of a slow starter, but when they hit the gas in around the midpoint it finally sounds more like a Bleached song.

Future Islands – Ran. I suppose they’ll never top their performance of “Seasons” on Letterman, but this is a good fascimile of that track, with the same pronounced bass line and ’70s soft-rock feel over a contemporary drum beat.

Depeche Mode – Where’s the Revolution. I’m a longtime DM fan, especially of their more goth-rock late ’80s heyday (think “Never Let Me Down Again,” not “Just Can’t Get Enough”), so any new single from them would make my list, but this felt a little soft for a lead single, like we got an album track instead of the song to make you want to run out and get the album.

Coast Modern – Comb My Hair. This LA duo reminds me a lot of WATERS and a little of Best Coast, with a dash of post-Pinkerton Weezer thrown in, which, uh, waters down the sound a bit. They could do with a little more complexity here, but from the handful of singles Coast Modern has put out to date I think it’s clear they have the ability to craft some solid hooks in the California indie vein.

Space Above – Let It Still. Space Above are a side project for The Naked & Famous keyboardist Aaron Short to do more experimental keyboard-driven songs, but there’s still a clear melody at work on this mesmerizing, textured single. The group’s debut album, Still, dropped on February 17th.

Strand of Oaks – Radio Kids. Timothy Showalter, who records as Strand of Oaks, seems to be at his best when writing nostalgic tunes about being a kid and listening to music. This psychedelic rock track, from his newest record Hard Love. reminds me of “Goshen ’97,” the best song off his previous album.

Mew – 85 Videos. This Danish group, whose singer calls their music “indie stadium,” is about to release its seventh album in late April, with “85 Videos” the lead single. The band has dropped the progressive trappings of its early career in favor of a more dream-pop approach with immaculate production and great technical skills, but without forsaking a good melody that wouldn’t be out of place in ’85.

Sarah Chernoff – Warm Nights. This solo debut from the lead singer of Superhumanoids shows off Chernoff’s incredible voice in a different milieu, over a bass-heavy, almost jazzy groove that’s evocative of a dark club or some sort of intimate venue for a concert. I’ll list just about anything she does on these updates.

Ride – Home Is A Feeling. Shoegaze has come back around again. Slowdive is back, Ride is back, Lush is back … I’m waiting for the Swervedriver/Catherine Wheel double bill. Ride hasn’t released a proper album since 1996, but have put out two singles in the last month – this and “Charm Assault” – presaging an album due out this summer.

Aristophanes – Humans Become Machines. Aristophanes (born Pan Wei-Ju) was introduced to the west on Grimes’ Art Angels album, where the Taiwanese rapper took the lead on the track “Scream.” It’s definitely disorienting to hear a high-pitched female voice rapping in Chinese, but Grimes produced this track, which is good enough for me.

Joey Bada$$ – Victory. The lead single from Bada$$’s upcoming second album is an ode to the NBA, which doesn’t do much for me itself, but his flow really stands out to me, even above other more popular “alternative” rappers like Kendrick Lamar or J. Cole.

CyHi The Prynce – Nu Africa. I’m not trying to change the world, I’m not looking for a nu Africa … wait, that’s the wrong song. CyHi, a frequent collaborator with Kanye West, is playing wordgames here as he tries to squeeze a slew of African country names into the lyrics (I counted 22), but there’s also a very old-school Native Tongues sort of Afrocentrism here, with an argument that black Americans should do more to help develop the “motherland.”

King Woman – Shame. You don’t see many women singing on doom metal tracks, but this is Kristina Esfandiari’s band and she is the dominant presence on this song, although I wish her vocals were produced more towards the front of the mix. It’s like Diamanda Galas doing guest vocals for Pallbearer.

Sleep – The Clarity. I didn’t realize this seminal stoner-rock act, best known for the single-track 2003 album Dopesmoker, had recorded any new material since that record, but this song first appeared on a compilation in 2014 and showed up on Spotify this week. It’s a nearly ten-minute dirge of vintage stoner metal, veering towards doom.

Ignea – Petrichor. A female-fronted symphonic/folk metal band from Ukraine, formerly known as Parallax, Ignea just released their debut album under this name, although several of these songs (including this one) have appeared previously. Their sound is fascinating, and also taught me a new word: the OED defines “petrichor” as “a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.”

Havok – Intention to Deceive. Havok are an old-school thrash outfit that draws heavily on 1980s influences like Overkill and Vio-lence, the latter of whom could easily have recorded this song – which has very timely lyrics about authorities distracting the public with trivial controversies while greater ones go unreported.

Mastodon – Show Yourself. This might be the poppiest song I’ve ever heard from Mastodon, and I don’t mean that as an insult. It’s the shortest track from the band’s upcoming album, Emperor of Sand, which comes out at the end of the month, and still has progressive/technical elements but rides on a strong vocal hook that introduces the song.

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