The music industry is moving into the all-important fourth quarter, so New Music Friday should be very interesting over the next ten weeks or so.
Singles
1. Black Pistol Fire, High Horse (Frontside)
The loud and ferocious Canadian duo has a new single for the first time since 2022. And this is only the start, too, because it’s time to set things up for a new album and a major two-leg North American tour that started in February. As for this song, it might help if you’re feeling trapped and stuck. It may get you out of your situation.
2. Boy Golden, Suffer (Six Shooter Records)
Manitoba’s shape-shifting Boy Golden is back with what he calls a “transformational” album entitled Best of Our Possible Lives. Getting back into a little more of an indie-rock headspace, he’s brought out the cowbell. And you know what they say, right?
3. Florence + The Machine, One of the Greats (Polydor/Universal Music Canada)
You may have experience the Girl Concert Scream, a live music behavior that is so prevalent that it’s become a meme. Florence Welch is fueled that with the first single from her new album, Everybody Scream (due October 31) with the title track. This song is somewhat different. Florence: “I don’t really know how to explain myself with this one, it was sort of a long poem about the cost of greatness. Who gets to decide what that is? Why do I even want it? Why am I never satisfied?”
4. Oasis, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory (Acoustic) (Big Brother/Sony)
We continue to live in an Oasis world. This is one of four acoustic re-interpretations of four songs from the band’s second album, the others being Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova, and Cast No Shadow. An acoustic version of Acquiesce” will also be included on a 30th anniversary re-issue of Morning Glory, which is due next Friday (October 3).
5. Portugal. The Man, Tanana (KNIK/Thirty Tigers)
A new album entitled SHISH (an ode to the sound of snow under a toboggan in the band’s native Alaska, I think) will be here on November 7. And like Boy Golden, PtM keeps fans guessing with what they’ll do next. In this case, we have a song that “voices a generational sadness, searching for fleeting meaning in a world on edge.” A North American tour starts the day the album is released. That’s “Tan-na-nah,” by the way.
6. Rolling Stones, Shame Shame Shame (Polydor/Universal Music Canada)
This obviously isn’t knew–it dates back to the Black and Blue album from April 1976–but there is a 50th-ish-anniversary release coming on November 14. Along with the rest of the album, this song (a cover by Shirley & Company) has been remixed for the 21st century. When the album arrives, you can go whole-hog with a 5 x LP box set or a 4 x CD collection, along with a Blu-ray disc. Expect plenty of rarities and other fun stuff.
Albums
1. Absolute Losers, In the Crowd (Having Fun Records/We Are Busy Bodies)
There haven’t been that many alt-rock bands out of PEI, but Absolute Losers is doing their best to bust out of their small-town existence. Everything I’ve heard from them has been quite excellent, so this second album could be the thing that brings them a nationwide audience.
2. Biffy Clyro, Futique (Warner)
This is one of those bands who are huge at home (Scotland, in this case, as well as throughout the UK) but haven’t managed to gain much of a foothold in North America. That’s a shame, really, because through nine previous albums, they’ve established themselves as pretty formidable. Maybe this tenth album will do the trick. I’m pulling for them.
3. Geese, Getting Killed (Partisan)
Born in Brooklyn about ten years ago, Geese is now up to four albums of…well, it’s hard to describe. They’re from the post-punk world, but they’re also indie, art punk, country rock, and alt-country. They take bits from Television, The Strokes, and LCD Soundsystem. It makes for an interesting listen.
4. The Living End, I Only Trust Rock N Roll (BMG Rights Management)
Australia’s punk rock masters (they have too many accolades to count back home) have been sorely missed, but they’ve returned with their first album in eight years, although they’ve been dribbling out singles for most of the year.
5. Robert Plant, Saving Grace (Nonesuch)
Our Led Zeppelin man has left his former band far, far, behind, saying that what Zep did doesn’t fit with his current headspace. This record, his first solo album since 2017, features things like a banjo, a cello arrangement, plenty of strings. This single is cover of a song by Low.
6. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, bones (Atlantic)
They’re an indie/alt-rock band from North Carolina, but have a sound all their own. A little Kings of Leon, maybe some Modest Mouse, and, in this case, a lot of skeletons that have been piling up in the closet, hence the title of the album. Love records featuring interpersonal dynamics? Here you go.
7. Sloan, Based on the Best Seller (Murderecords/Yep Rock)
Sloan is immortal. Sloan will never die. Sloan will keep releasing albums. People will keep supporting Sloan because they’re Sloan. Be more like Sloan. This is their 14th album.
8. Patrick Watson, Uh-Oh (Secret City)
Back in 2023, Patrick (a Polaris Prize winner) felt something go with his voice. “Uh-oh,” he thought. It turned out to be a rupture of a vocal cord, and he was left unable to sing. What to do? Well, how about invite some friends to perform his songs until he recovered? So he did. Patrick has his voice back but the results provided by his friends was so good that he just couldn’t let the project go away. So here we are. This single features Martha Wainwright.
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