Tuesday New Music Recommendations (+ New Freedom Sound release day!)
Tuesday music: New playlist featuring themes of transformation, incl. Zach Barocas New Freedom Sound album. Let the vibe decide.
Remember when music was released on Tuesdays? What a welcome respite from the doldrums of mid-week that was. Friday releases are okay, I guess, but they tend to get buried in the excitement and scramble of the upcoming weekend.
In honor of Tuesday releases, here is a playlist of the best very-recently-released music I could find. The loose theme here is transformation, from the darkness embodied in Haskell’s leadoff Neil Young-ish track “Everyday”, to a more joyous future. It felt fitting given the hopeful, energetic, and transformative convention currently underway in Chicago this week. Many of the songs in today’s playlist are alternately looking back or looking forward, or processing change in some way.
Yes, that is my cello on the fourth track, from the new album out today by Zach Barocas New Freedom Sound. This is truly one of the most rewarding and joyous projects I’ve ever been a part of. I hope you enjoy it and order the vinyl version before it sells out!
Some other highlights from the New Releases Playlist
HASKELL - this Vermont folk musician’s first release in 20 (?) years is gorgeous, brilliant, and virtually unknown. There are still cassettes left of a forever-limited edition of 100, which is unbelievable. Let’s sell him out!
Thor Axe is the best post-arcadecore three-guitar instrumental band in existence. It’s impossible to listen to their music without grinning wildly.
The version of Swervedriver’s “These Times” here is an outtake/alternate mix, just released, that is similar to the pop mix the band rejected in 1999 (leading to re-recording the song for the album 99th Dream). The poppier mixes would have made it a stand-in for countless high school and college graduation class songs. Now, it’s an anthem for our currently changing times.
The legendary LA punk band X have made their final album, and it’s really good.
English rock/post-hardcore brothers duo Sick Again’s new album comes out in September. I play on the song here (“Club & Fang”) and another (“The Ocean”) which will lead off the album. They’re really great, and have almost no visibility — I highly recommend getting the album and adding another hidden gem to your collection.
Here’s that playlist link again.
Until next music time,
Gordon