Welcome to the BroBible New Music Round-Up, where we have to admit, we did not know Joe Pesci could sing. For more follow me on Twitter:  @ryanoconnell79

This Week’s Playlist

Last time I checked, we’re still inching closer to the end of the decade and with it, the sharing of best-of lists. Not to be outdone, here is my (updated) playlist of my favorite 200 songs from the decade.

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This Week’s Releases

Clams Casino Moon Trip Radio

Clams Casino used to be a myth.

The New Jersey-born producer had his fingerprints on a handful of notable releases from the likes of Danny Brown, Lil B, Vince Staples and A$AP Rocky in the first half of this decade, but those fingerprints and the name Clams Casino in the liner notes were largely all that existed.

The reason is that he worked from home, he kept to himself. He helped launch a new genre of rap (cloud-rap) all from the friendly confines of his house, never actually coming face to face with those that he collaborated with.

Clams Casino (real name Michael Volpe) started to transition from urban myth to real-life person around 2016 when he dropped his debut album 32 Levels. He had released mixtapes prior to that, but 32 Levels was his first legit and proper album. The release has been sandwiched between installments of his Instrumentals series. Instrumentals 4 was released in 2017.

The new album, Moon Trip Radio, could be included in the Instrumentals series if he wanted because it too is comprised solely on instrumentals.

Or more specifically, the album is “an immersive, boom bap exploration of a psychedelic world of Michael Volpe’s design, one that can be imagined when gazing up at the cosmos with a willingness to explore.”

That’s exactly how I describe The New Music Round-Up to my editor when they ask what I’m working on.

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross Watchmen: Volume 1

So far we’ve seen three episodes of HBO’s new series Watchmen and I’m going to be honest with you. I was skeptical initially, but now I’m all in. I mean, I have very little idea what the eff they’re talking about, but I’m game to find out.

Watchmen has an overlying feeling of both dread and creepiness to it and part of the reason for that is the score. This makes sense because the show’s score has been done by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, purveyors of scores that provide a feeling of both dread and creepiness.

Earlier this week, the Oscar-winning duo released the first volume of Watchmen music. They had held off releasing anything so as to better protect some of the show’s mysteries and riddles.

Reznor elaborated more in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.

“Well, we’re having some fun with the way that it’s released. There are a number of reasons behind doing that. One is there is quite a bit of music, and I think when you drop a big chunk — a couple hours’ worth of music — on the public these days, that’s a good way to get 90 percent of it ignored. So breaking it up is good. The motivation wasn’t to monetize it three times; that wasn’t what the deciding factor was. And we’re putting it out on vinyl because we’ve been on a physical-object kick. Speaking for myself, that’s for nostalgic reasons. I’m looking at a shelf full of vinyl albums right now, and it that feels a little different than something that’s a cloud-based file, which feels a little disposable. They also tie into Watchmen. Let’s put it this way: We overthought it.”

Cool, cool, cool.

So like, Jeremy Irons is the bad guy, right?

Asking for a friend.

Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders Get the Money

Foo Fighters’ drummer Taylor Hawkins loves himself some classic rock. Hawkins stepping out from behind the drum kit to belt out classic rock covers has become a staple of Foo Fighters’ shows, whether it’s something from Queen, Ted Nugent among others.

It would then make sense that classic rock is what Hawkins leans on when he decides to record songs for solo efforts. Get the Money is his third record with The Coattail Riders.

The album is packed with heavy-hitting guest spots. Dave Grohl is obviously there, but so is Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Joe Walsh, Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor, Perry Farrell, Chrissie Hynde, Nancy Wilson of Heart and another Foo Fighter, guitarist Pat Smear.

In an interview with Billboard, Hawkins said that he almost called the album Tales From Suburban Hell.

“(The album) has a lot to do with being a 47-year-old man with a family who never thought he would be in that position. When I was 25, I never thought, ‘I’m going to be a suburban dad someday.’ But that’s what I am, so I can’t write about being young and going to clubs, and I’m not very political. It’s all sort of tongue-in-cheek though.”

On the Foo Fighters’ front, the band continues to release EPs comprised of B-sides, live tracks and unreleased gems as they gear up for next year when they’ll celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Luke Combs What You See Is What You Get

Luke Combs has some expectations to live up to when it comes to his new album What You See Is What You Get.

His debut album, which was released in 2017, produced five number-one singles and recently, he tied Shania Twain’s record for the longest-running number-one album on the Billboard country charts. He followed up his debut with an EP that subsequently saw him place five songs on Billboard’s Hot Country Chart, making him the first artist since Johnny Cash to do so.

So yeah, when it comes to his new album, homeboy has some big shoes to fill.

For part, Combs seems to be playing it safe and not changing things up that much.

“It’s just, I would say, more of the same — in a good way,” he explains. “I feel like ‘more of the same’ sounds bad sometimes, but I just tried to go from — if the last record was here to here, I tried to take it, from a production standpoint, little bit wider on either side.”

Earlier this week, Combs appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to play a couple tunes from the new album.

Allen Stone Building Balance

Allen Stone is out here getting emotional and sounding soulful as hell in the process, so look out! Consider yourself warned.

The soul troubadour’s new album comes roughly four years after his last release and because of that break, Stone wanted to make sure he took the time to ensure that everything was where it needed to be.

“This record has been a wonderful evolution not only of my music and in the comfort and security of who I am, but also it’s a testament to the security I feel working with others,” he says. “I went through a point in my musical career when I didn’t trust anybody. I’ve been screwed over by managers, and it was through the process of putting this record together that I think a lot of those walls were taken down.”

Since his last album, Stone has gotten married and become a father, two things that proved to be hugely inspirational when it came to writing songs for a new record.

Stone is currently in the middle of a live karaoke tour, which I guess sounds kind of cool.

Elsewhere in Music…

This Week in Kanye

Eh, this week we’re taking a break.

I feel like it’s for the best.

Drake: The Weed King of Canada

Perhaps the most Drake thing imaginable is Drake selling drugs, but selling drugs legally.

That is apparently what Drake’s new venture entails, as he made news this week promoting More Life Growth Company. The company will work with one of the biggest marijuana growers in the wonderful country of Canada to produce a product that will focus on “wellness, discovery and overall personal growth.”

Drake teased the venture on Instagram on Thursday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4gK3hGFNaV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Drake might also be dating Kylie Jenner, but this seems much more important.

Uh, YES PLEASE!

Them Crooked Vultures came together in 2009, released one devastatingly, fierce rock record and then were gone. Just like that.

Made up of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, it seemed like they were one of those supergroups that would be like a comet, soaring past us briefly, never to be heard from again.

Well, NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND!

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Homme became the second Vulture to express an interest in getting the band back together, saying that “we all want to do another Vultures record.”

Apparently, it’s all about to Grohl to work things out, though.

“I think everyone has certain roles they play in the Vultures, and in all honesty, I feel like part of Dave’s role — since he got it together the first time by saying, ‘Hey, do you wanna try this?’ — I feel like that’s part of in his job description in Vultures. I have my various things that I’m supposed to do I think, but that isn’t one of them. But I’m always ready to be in Them Crooked Vultures again. I don’t chase, you know?”

Yeah, yeah, I get it. No one wants to chase. Totally not cool.

However, Grohl seems like kind of a busy guy, so maybe, just maybe you could chase a little, Josh Homme?

And Now, Lil Nas X With the Traffic

This Week in Hey, Thanks YouTube

Seth Meyers has been a fan of The Hold Steady for a while now and when it came time for Meyers to pick a theme song for his new comedy special Lobby Baby, he naturally turned to the band.

The band responded with “Meet Me In The Lobby,” which they performed on Meyers’ show earlier this week.

Lobby Baby is currently available to stream on Netflix.

And We’ll End Here

 

See you next week!