So sorry to have left you hanging for a week - but no worries, we'll catch up and look at both weeks, though I think I'm already excited about 17.4 which comes our way tomorrow.
So what new music have you found so far in 2017? I think that music can help bring us together, whatever our politics, religion, worldview, or life experiences - and we really need that now! As Levon Helm once said "If you pour some music on whatever's wrong, it'll sure help out."
What really caught my ear for 17.2 (Jan 13 releases) will surprise some of you. I listened several times to Oczy Mlody by The Flaming Lips. Wait - I can explain. Yes there are some really silly lyrics like:
At first there should be unicorns.
The ones with the purple eyes,
not the ones with green eyes.
And yes, there are enough (4-letter and other) words dropped which I don't use in the course of normal conversation, garnering the 'explicit' warning label on the cover - and some drug references (there you were warned). Yet those moments sneak in as they are sung so softly and are nearly-ethereal sounding that you barely notice. Maybe it is the unexpected of this album and that irony that catches the ear.
Don't be mistaken, there are still moments like this in "Sunrise (Eyes of the Young)":
Tell me love is neither living or dying
It's a power in your mind
I think it's with you all the time
It only hurts when it leaves you
Paste Magazine says The Flaming Lips here "manage to build a bridge to the rest of us norms, making some of their must listenable and straight-up lovely music along the way."
Moving on to less-sombre sounding music that caught my ear... this one comes from the garage rock sound of The Molochs on America's Velvet Glory. A reviewer on www.musicexistence.com describes 'The One I Love' as a tune that's "sweet without ever being too sugary with lyrics such as “I will pour the water on your heart to grow”.
Another project just as happier-sounding and fun comes from Colony House, a group making the late-night circuits to promote their sophomore release "Only The Lonely". Part of their fame comes from the fact that two of the band members' father is Steven Curtis Chapman, known for his success in contemporary Christian. The web site www.wepluggoodmusic.com credits their U2 and The Killers influences as the reason their sound is "a nostalgic trip to when music was not about perfection but about energy and making people dance."
What really caught my ear for 17.3 (Jan 20 releases) was first and foremost, Foxygen's Hang, on which the band enlisted the help of a 40-plus-piece symphony orchestra. I've loved Foxygen ever since 2013's "We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic". That's still a classic in my book and if you've never heard it, you should. I love how Foxygen takes elements from so many places, that, as you listen will sound familiar, yet fresh. Your mind will be so active, causing you to ask yourself repeatedly 'what does that remind me of?" - yet its like nothing you've heard before.
From the song "Rise Up":
Quite a few shall wonder
Very few shall know
Everybody wants to change the world
Everybody wonders where the red fern grows
Everybody wants to save their souls
And everybody wonders
The very few shall know
Here, Foxygen is performing the opening track on Conan, Follow The Leader.
Want something really different? Try Throwing Snow's Embers. The album ends as it begins, with the smoldering remains of a dying fire, driving home the album's theme of interconnectedness (www.allmusic.com). This is the second full-length release for the British electronic producer Ross Tones and includes natural field recordings from around the small English village he held the recording sessions at (www.metacritic.com). It will draw you in, not with lyrics, but with feelings, and with the imagery in your mind.
Now about tomorrow - 17.4! Japandroids release their new project Near To THe Wild Heart Of Life. The title track is already out and if it is anything like the rest of the album, I'll have good things to say. Title track kicks off with these lyrics:
The future's under fire
The past is gaining ground
A continuous cold war between
My home and my hometown
Also looking forward to Ellie Holcomb's new release. Her beautiful, rich and emotive tones have captured my ears for the last couple years. If you need to catch up, her last release "As Sure as the Sun" is available now via www.noisetrade.com. Get it now and prepare yourself for tomorrow and 17.4
