The Summer is in full swing and we are now in August, hard to believe. And August starts out with a bang for me as I am really excited about two releases today. Mammoth WVH’s second album simply called Mammoth II with Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfie!! The debut was awesome and with this kid’s talent, I don’t expect anything less. The second release is from a guy I have been following ever since Jessie’s Girl. That is right, Rick Springfield is back with another new release and he might be aging, but his music doesn’t seem to as it is always solid. Both of these are set to be delivered today. Now, let me know what you want to hear this week and if we missed anything. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!!
Mammoth WVH – Mammoth II – (I Am the Sheriff / BMG Rights Mgmt)
Can you believe it is the end of July already? It is nuts how fast this year has gone. Regardless of how fast it is going, it is never too fast to bring you the Friday New Releases. So, if you are out sitting by the pool like Post Malone is doing, here are some albums for you to blast including the new Post Malone. I might give his a listen and then try Borns new E.P., he’s an interesting chap. But the one I ordered is not a new one. It is the Expanded Edition of the debut album from Billy Idol. Comes with a live show. Cant’ wait. Let us know what you want to hear this week and what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Post Malone – Austin – (Mercury Records / Republic Records / UMG)
As the Summer heats up so do the releases and this week there are a couple big ones coming out. First it the Barbie Soundtrack…the movie is expected to be huge and the soundtrack as well. I particularly don’t care about it, but a lot of people will. The other is Greta Van Fleet and their new release, ‘Starcatcher’. I hadn’t ordered it yet, but probably will. My daughter said recently that the kids in her age group really like them. Good for them. That is it for me, hopefully there is something for you. Let me know what you want to hear this week or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher – (Republic Records / UMG Recordings / Lava Music LLC)
Blur – The Ballad of Darren – (Blur / Parlophone Records / Warner Music Group)
For My Sunday Song #369, we get Morgan’s 9th Choice and this time we have Billie Eilish’s song “TV” from her 2022 E.P. called ‘Guitar Songs’. The E.P. only has two songs and they thought about including them on her 3rd album, but instead she felt they needed to be heard immediately so they released them. The song “TV” was written by her and her brother, Finneas O’Connell who also produced the song.
The song is about depression and it talks about a lot of issues including abandonment which makes her want to curl up on the couch and watch TV. She wants to watch Survivor so she can see other people suffer. There is a strong desire to numb the pain and get away from all that plagues the world. There also seems to be worry about her celebrity and the effect that has on her relationships. There is a lot of loneliness coming from this song. And be the end, she blames all of her issues on herself and watching TV and all the problems flashed on that tiny little screen. Celebrities suing each other, the downfall of Roe v Wade and so many more world events playing out on TV.
The song is an acoustic performance and damn, it is sad and depressing just like the lyrics. There is a darkness to it and a loneliness. It opens with a soft, lonely acoustic guitar and Billie’s haunting vocals. The bass, keyboards and drums come in later (all played by Finneas) and it picks things up, but the drone of the music still has that melancholy feel which never goes away in the song, but during the last lines of the song “Maybe, I’m the problem”, there is a cheering crowd that brightens things up a little, only a little. The crowd sound was sampled from the the crowd noise from her debut performance at Manchester.
Welcome to New Release Friday! We have another batch of releases for you this week. Close to 40, but not quite. A ton of variety so hopefully there is something for everyone. I might stream the Brian May Deluxe set of Star Fleet Sessions with Eddie Van Halen on it, but that might be it. However, no buying this week which is good as the wallet needs a break. What are you interested in hearting this week? Let me know and what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Brian May – Star Fleet Sessions (Deluxe Edition) – (Duck Productions / Universal International)
Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Sticks and Stones – (6 Ace Records / Thirty Tigers)
For My Sunday Song #368, we are on Morgan’s 8th Choice and this time around it is The Weeknd’s song “Die For You” off his 2016 album ‘Starboy’. The song was a single and did fairly well, but in 2022 there was a resurgence on the popularity of this song thanks again to the wonderful social media tool, TikTok (that “wonderful” is very sarcastic btw). The song went all the way to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 six years after its original release. And the Weeknd is not stupid and took advantage of that popularity by releasing an new mix of the song with Ariana Grande. The version we will discuss is not that one. The song was written by an army of writers. Yes, because a good song needs 7 writers and they are the Weeknd, Doc McKinney, Cirkut, Prince 85, Cashmere Cat, Dylan Wiggins, and Billy Walsh.
The song was actually the last song written for the album and was apparently hard to finish and that might explain why there are so many writers…and yes, that does bother me. The song is apparently about a former girlfriend (rumored to be Bella Hadid) and their breakup. Although their relationship has ended, he still lovers her and would do anything for her, even die for her. It was hard for him to get over her and there was a lot of frustration and pain over the break up. I think it is a great little love letter for her to let her know he still cares and although they aren’t meant to be together, they are connected as he will always care for her.
The song is a ballad and there is a lot of pain and heartbreak in it and The Weeknd really comes across vocally with that emotion. The music is all electronic, the bass, the drums and the keys, but there is a really nice groove to hit and it gets my head bobbing back and forth. The chorus has a big payoff and is really catchy. The music is amped up, a little heavier and it s really a great beat. He sings at such a high register, it almost feels a lot like Michael Jackson and that is saying something. The song sticks with me long after I have listened to it.
Welcome to July! It’s been waiting for you! Our first big release of the month doesn’t get much bigger than this. The new Taylor Version for the album ‘Speak Now’ is out this week so does it really matter what else is out this week as it will blow the doors off the competition! Of course it matter what else there is or why do these posts. I’m sure my kids will get Taylor, but I’m more interested in Nita Strauss’ new album as well as the latests from Degreed. Outside of that, we will see what kind of time I have. Let me know what you want to here this week or what we may have missed. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend.
Taylor Swift – Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) – (Republic Records)
Nita Strauss – The Call of the Void – (Sumerian Records)
For My Sunday Song #367, we are now on the 7th selection in the Morgan’s Choice Series. This time around we are talking about the song “Escapism” by British singer Raye which features 070 Shake. The song started off as a huge TikTok sensation and became the third single off her 2022 album, ‘My 21st Century Blues’. The song hit #23 on the Billboard Top 40 and it charted in dozens and dozens of countries. It was written by Raye along with 070 Shakes and Mike Sabath who also handled production.
The song is about escaping from reality after a bad break-up. That escaping deals with unhealthy coping mechanisms including drugs, alcohol and even hooking up with a lot of people. In the lyrics she is hitting the clubs and sitting in the back of a cab doing coke. Within 24 hours after the breakup she is with another man doing God knows what. It is not healthy at all and not a great way to deal with the breakup, but she made a hit song so who can argue with the results.
The song has a strong electronic beat that carries a certain cock swagger. The drums and the bass are turned up almost to a slight distorted level, but that beat will get you moving. There are lots of changes throughout as Raye tackles the lyrics in different ways whether it is a cocky spirited delivery or a soft, vulnerable state and she has a great voice and can handle both perfectly. 070 Shake’s (or Daniella Balbuena’s) vocals pair nicely with Raye’s and she brings that hip hop break that a lot of todays’s songs have, but I don’t think they always need. This works with it or without it in my opinion. This isn’t something I would gravitate towards, but no denying it is a catchy number
This been a great month of releases and two of which might end up on My Top 10 list at the end of the year. We have a lot more for you today, but for me this is a good break week to get caught up on all the stuff I’ve purchased over the last month. Let me know what you want to hear this week or what we may have missed on our list so everyone will know. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend!!
The Weeknd – The Idol Vol. 1: Music from the HBO Original Series – (XO Records)
The Hu – Rumble of Thunder (Deluxe Edition) – (Better Noise Music)
June has seen some big releases a few that I am really enjoying and might end up in my Top 10 list of records for the year. This week has a ton of releases, although nothing I’m running out and buying just yet (if at all). There are a few I will stream such as the new Ayron Jones record as his last was pretty dang great. If this one is, I might be buying this one. There is also a Candlebox live album and a new Jason Mraz. If you are in to them, there is a new Portugal, The Man album and so much more. Check them out and let me know what you want to hear. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a great weekend!
Ayron Jones – Chronicles of the Kid – (Big Machine Records / John Varvatos Records)
Candlebox – Live at the Neptune Theatre – (Pavement Music)