The Wrap-Up: This Week in Music + 12 Cuts
The Wrap-Up brings you the 5 largest music news stories of the week as well as information about new album and music video releases. HEADLINES OF THE WEEK 1. New Tame Impala single a preview for third album In 2012, Tame Impala released Lonerisms, 51 minutes of...
The Wrap-Up brings you the 5 largest music news stories of the week as well as information about new album and music video releases.
In 2012, Tame Impala released Lonerisms, 51 minutes of frontman Kevin Parker’s airy falsetto and psychedelic reverb. On Wednesday, he dropped the 7:49 single “Let it Happen,” a tall, building mountain of chimes, bass, strings, organs, a key change, and lyrics like “Something’s trying to get out/And it’s never been closer.” If nothing else, this single seems like a new beginning: It’s long. At points, the melody stutters as if there is some new idea that Parker’s trying to find the vocabulary to express. It trails off at the end, like Parker never fully got to the end of his thought. “Let it Happen” is a resounding, trance-like summertime song that hints at more to come. And it will: Tame Impala’s new album will be coming out later this year.
We always loved Mumford & Sons whole folk rock thing, but to be honest we’re pretty psyched about the direction they’ve revealed on their latest single “Believe” — they’ve incorporated some electric instruments into their classic sound. The guitars and drum kit hint at U2 influences, whereas the vocals and lyrics are grander than anything the band has ever produced before. The big change? No banjo. It seems that our favorite banjo boys are growing up…although they argue that it’s a “natural departure” from their previous records. They’re ready to take on a whole new sound and build their band to even greater heights. Listen to the new single here, and get ready for their album “Wilder Mind”—it’ll be out on May 4th.
Steven Tyler — known for feathered hair, American Idol, and, you know, being a rock star — is ready to move on to new horizons. Or should we say, the next frontier: He’s putting on a cowboy hat, moving to Nashville, and recording a country album in collaboration with local artists. The album is set to come out as early as November, and will probably be produced through Big Machine Label Group (aka, Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw’s record label). This isn’t too much of a departure from his past work—in November, he performed a duet with Brad Paisley at the CMAs. Even though country isn’t our favorite genre, we’re excited to hear what this new collaboration brings.
The New Pornographers have finally announced some tour dates to follow up on their 2014 album Brill Bruisers. They’re playing some festivals, like Sasquatch in May and Pitchfork in July, as well as two of Europe’s Primavera Sound festivals (aren’t all the good artists playing those festivals?) So if you’re lucky enough to be gallivanting across the world, you’re in luck: so are the New Pornographers. If you’ll be staying in Rhode Island this summer like I will be, we’ve got Youtube and good old WBRU to listen to.
HEADLINES OF THE WEEK
1. New Tame Impala single a preview for third album
In 2012, Tame Impala released Lonerisms, 51 minutes of frontman Kevin Parker’s airy falsetto and psychedelic reverb. On Wednesday, he dropped the 7:49 single “Let it Happen,” a tall, building mountain of chimes, bass, strings, organs, a key change, and lyrics like “Something’s trying to get out/And it’s never been closer.” If nothing else, this single seems like a new beginning: It’s long. At points, the melody stutters as if there is some new idea that Parker’s trying to find the vocabulary to express. It trails off at the end, like Parker never fully got to the end of his thought. “Let it Happen” is a resounding, trance-like summertime song that hints at more to come. And it will: Tame Impala’s new album will be coming out later this year.
2. Muse brings us back to rock
After a couple years where the alt-music world was dominated by pop, electronic R&B, and folk rock, rock (and I mean rock) is back. Muse’s latest single “Psycho”—the first off their upcoming album Drones—is all-out, unapologetic guitars and drums. The song has real late-90s alt cred: they’ve been playing the same basic riff since 1999, and now it’s finally made it into a song. We suggest you listen to “Psycho” along with “Psycho Killer” by The Talking Heads (who, by the way, are from Providence and used to drop by WBRU) or some of the latest Fall Out Boy album, American Dream/American Psycho. Or maybe that’s too much psycho. Anyway, check out “Psycho” here and pre-order Drones here.3. New Mumford & Sons: No banjo?
This won’t be a common sight anymore: we hear there’s no banjo on the latest Mumford & Sons album.
4. Steven Tyler goes country
Steven Tyler — known for feathered hair, American Idol, and, you know, being a rock star — is ready to move on to new horizons. Or should we say, the next frontier: He’s putting on a cowboy hat, moving to Nashville, and recording a country album in collaboration with local artists. The album is set to come out as early as November, and will probably be produced through Big Machine Label Group (aka, Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw’s record label). This isn’t too much of a departure from his past work—in November, he performed a duet with Brad Paisley at the CMAs. Even though country isn’t our favorite genre, we’re excited to hear what this new collaboration brings.
5. New Pornographers tour dates announced
The New Pornographers have finally announced some tour dates to follow up on their 2014 album Brill Bruisers. They’re playing some festivals, like Sasquatch in May and Pitchfork in July, as well as two of Europe’s Primavera Sound festivals (aren’t all the good artists playing those festivals?) So if you’re lucky enough to be gallivanting across the world, you’re in luck: so are the New Pornographers. If you’ll be staying in Rhode Island this summer like I will be, we’ve got Youtube and good old WBRU to listen to.