This week features various solo albums from members from various bands like David Byrne, Jonny Greenwood, Albert Hammond Jr. and Myles Kennedy. Also new singles from Hinds, Beach House, Vince Staples and Anderson .Paak.
New Albums:
David Byrne – American Utopia
The lead singer of one of the most celebrated bands of the 70s and the 80s, Talking Heads, David Byrne is back with a new album, American Utopia. This will be his first studio release in six years since the collaboration with St Vincent on Love This Giant, and the first solo release since 2004. The album is part of a larger multimedia project entitled Reasons to Be Cheerful which aims to give reasons for being happy and optimistic in spite of political strife and environmental problems.
Young Fathers – Cocoa Sugar
The Edinburgh-based rap trio, Young Fathers, are back with their third album named Cocoa Sugar. The group, which won the Mercury Prize in 2014 for their debut album Dead, have released the follow up to White Men Are Black Men Too. They were extensively featured in the soundtrack of Trainspotting 2, and were described by the film’s director Danny Boyle as the “heartbeat for the film.”
Jonny Greenwood – You Were Never Really Here Soundtrack
Fresh off an Academy Award nomination for Phantom Thread, Jonny Greenwood has released the soundtrack for the Lynne Ramsay-directed You Were Never Really Here. The multi-instrumentalist from Radiohead, Greenwood has been involved in some of the best soundtracks over the past decade, from There Will Be Blood to We Need To Talk About Kevin.
Fun Fact: Greenwood along with Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur recorded an album named Junun, with an ensemble of Indian musicians called the Rajasthan Express at the 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort.
Albert Hammond Jr. – Francis Trouble
Albert Hammond Jr. has released his fourth album, Francis Trouble, his first after 2015’s Momentary Masters. The singer-songwriter, the son of noted musician Albert Hammond, is most notably known for his role as rhythm and lead guitarist, as well as occasional keyboard player and backing vocalist, in the American rock band The Strokes. The first single off the album, ‘Muted Beatings’ was released on February 2, 2018.
Myles Kennedy – Year of the Tiger
This is the debut full-length solo album from the Spokane based musician. Kennedy is best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the lead vocalist in guitarist Slash’s backing band, known as Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. He is the second member of Alter Bridge to release a solo album after the lead guitarist, Mark Tremonti. The album is a departure from Kennedy’s heavier work with Alter Bridge and Slash, instead featuring a stripped-back blues-based sound, and explores the death of his father when he was four years old.
New Songs:
Hinds – The Club
Hinds have released another single in accompaniment to their second studio album, I Don’t Know, named ‘The Club’. This is the second single from their new album by the Madrid based band, which were formerly known as Deers. This is one of the best songs of their relatively young career, with a much rockier, grittier and a structured sense of songwriting in the song.
Beach House – Dive
Beach House have released the second single off their upcoming 7th album, named ‘Dive’. Their seventh album, aptly titled 7, comes three years after their last effort, Thank Your Lucky Star. Accompanied by trippy visuals in the video, this song is a glorious slow-burner, with reverb-laden guitars and synths and explodes into life at about 2:30 mark. A synth-pop gem.
Vince Staples – Get the F**k Off My Dick
The promotion prior to the release of Staples’ new song was something of a marketing genius move. Earlier this week, he set-up a GoFundMe page, claiming that if he raised $2 million, he would take an early retirement, giving haters and outspoken critics the opportunity to make him “shut the fuck up forever”. Thankfully, the song, named after the GoFundMe campaign, does not suffer from this PR stunt, offering dark, abrasive lyrics that cut through the simplistic instrumentals in contrast to the avant-garde hip-house of last year’s Big Fish Theory.
Anderson .Paak – ’Til It’s Over
Anderson .Paak has released his first new song since 2016 called ‘‘Til It’s Over’ which is his first new release since releasing Yes Lawd! with record producer Knxwledge in 2016. With his live band The Free Nationals, he visited India on a two-date tour as part of Backdoors 2018 curated by the Humming Tree. It’s a smooth, warm, sunny track, reminiscent of his album Malibu, and would fit in nicely with the turntables this coming summer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFni3ZJsWJs
