This will be one of the last Five Songs lists of the year. I’m off for a couple of weeks, but when I return, I’ll see if there’s something we can squeeze in before New Year’s. Meanwhile, here’s what I’ve found for this week.
1. Blinker the Star, Love is Gold
Occult Classic (Independent)
Recommended If You Like: Hardworking Canadian singer-songwriters
Jordon Zadorozny has been around for a couple of decades now has songwriting credits on some big-name songs by other people. But his first love is still Blinker the Star. This is the 13th album, also made at his Skylark Park Studio in rural Ontario. Lovely fuzzy stuff.
2. Contrived, Jealousy
Addicted to Sadness (Independent)
RIYL: Wintersleep (for reasons which will become obvious)
Contrived is a Halifax-based side project of Wintersleep featuring members Loel Campbell, Tim D’Eon, Michael Bigelow, and Jon Samuel. They’re joined by their friend Michael McNeil to round things out. If you like what you hear, go back to the originating album which came out back on September 27.
3. Cracker, Merry Christmas, Emily
Alternative History: A Cracker Retrospective (Cooking Vinyl)
RIYL: Well, Cracker, obviously
Cracker had a real moment in the early 90s with alt-rock hits like Teen Angst, Low, and Eurotrash Girl. It’s now time to look back on all that with a 3-LP/2-CD set that collects together re-recordings, demos, outtakes, collaborations and live tracks. Five tracks have never been released and six are quite rare and out of print. A good one for collectors. I’m including this re-recording of their Christmas song.
4. PJ Harvey, Love Will Tear Us Apart
Single (ABC Signature)
RIYL: Remakes for TV shows
It’s become something of a trend for the music supervisor of a TV show to get an artist to record a cover for the soundtrack. We saw it with Eddie Vedder and The Bear. Now we have PJ Harvey covering Joy Division for the excellent Apple TV+ show, Bad Sisters (co-starring Bono’s daughter, Eve Hewson). PJ is joined by composer Tim Phillips for this one.
5. Franz Ferdinand, Night or Day
The Human Fear (Domino)
RIYL: Well, it’s FF, innit?
Alex Kapranos and his crew show no signs of slowing down. Their sixth album will be one of the first new rock albums of 2025 with a release date of January 10. This is the first studio record featuring drummer Audrey Tate, who replaced Paul Thomson (an original member) about four years ago.
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