Welcome to the BroBible New Music Round-Up, where I’m sad to report that “over-enthusiastic gardening” has claimed another victim or you could say, that another one bites the dust. For more follow me on Twitter:  @ryanoconnell79

If you haven’t checked out the playlist Spotify put together featuring songs from The Last Dance, ESPN’s mega-documentary about Michael Jordan, you’re missing out.

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This Week’s Releases

Gorillaz feat. Tony Allen, Skepta “How Far?”

Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen passed away last week, leaving behind an amazing legacy as one of the most influential drummers ever. Allen is said to be one of the creators of Afrobeat, alongside the equally iconic Fela Kuti.

In recent years, Allen teamed up with Damon Albarn of the Gorillaz and Blur on a couple different projects, The Good, The Bad and The Queen and Rocket Juice & The Moon. Following Allen’s death, Albarn and Gorillaz released a new song paying tribute to Allen. Allen plays drums on the track, which also features vocals from rapper Skepta.

“The track was written and recorded with Skepta in London just before lockdown and is being shared immediately as a tribute to the spirit of a great man, Tony Allen,” according to a press release.

Gorillaz have been busy releasing songs over the past couple of weeks that are part of their Song Machine project.

Weezer “Hero”

In an alternate timeline, Weezer would be releasing a new album, Van Weezer, today. Sadly, in this current timeline of ours, that is not the case. You know, because of the pandemic.

On the bright side though, Weezer did release “Hero” this week, their first new release since they dropped “End of The Game” back in September. Both songs are said to be included on Van Weezer. Rivers Cuomo has described the new album as “back to big guitars. ‘Blue Album’-ish, but a little more riffy.”

Rivers, you had me at “‘Blue Album’-ish.”

Weezer are still slated to be headed out on tour with Green Day and Fall Out Boy this summer as part of the Hella Mega Tour, but I’d stand by on that one. As far as certainties go, the band is set to appear on this Sunday’s episode of The Simpsons. They’ll be dusting off some old favorites as well as debuting a few more songs from Van Weezer.

So see, it’s not all bad news, right?

Lettuce Resonate

This run Lettuce has been on since 2015 just keeps on going and more importantly, keeps on giving. On Friday, they released their seventh album, Resonate. This comes only a year after their last release, 2019’s Elevate. Resonate is their fifth studio album released since 2015.

The new album feels and sounds familiar to Elevate, but that’s due in large part to the fact that it was recorded during the same sessions. Yet whereas Elevate tended to zig, Resonate zags. Lettuce have always been scientists when it comes to their grooves and jams, so it makes sense that they wouldn’t be complacent and just run it back a second time.

“Resonate is where it’s at,” drummer Adam Deitch said recently. “It’s like if you think of the Star Wars trilogy and Empire Strikes Back, it gave everybody the chills, it has that vibe.”

You can check out a review of Resonate here.

Migos “Taco Tuesday”

It’s not much, but it’s something new from Migos, so that’s pretty sweet. And I’m serious. It really isn’t much. It’s barely a minute and a half long.

Eh, whatever. It’s a pandemic, we’re taking wins when we can, right?

The song seems to be taking its cue from LeBron James, himself a lover and strong advocate of Taco Tuesdays. James can be heard as the song opens up. From there, it’s pretty standard Migos fare.

Back in April, Quavo teased the possibility of a “Quarantine Mixtape,” giving fans a little something to keep them busy while they wait for the band’s next album, Culture III, which had been slated to come out this summer. But you know, pandemics are gonna pandemic and the album will probably be delayed because everything is being delayed.

So yeah, how about that “Quarantine Mixtape,” fellas? Let’s do it.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever “Falling Thunder”

As of now, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever’s sophomore album Sideways To New Italy is still expected to come out in June, so at least there’s that. Again, it’s not all bad news, kids! It’s only a little bad news sprinkled here and there. Nothing major.

This week, the Australian band released the third single from their upcoming album, and much like the past two songs, it’s full of big old melodies and guitars all propelled by a driving backbeat. The band seriously might have ten guitarists and eighteen singers because it certainly feels that way at times.

Sideways To New Italy comes out on June 5th.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Who the hell knows at this point?

Dirty Projectors “Lose Your Love”

What do you do when your band has five people in the band who could all be lead singers? Well, if you’re Dirty Projectors the answer is pretty simple. You release five albums with each album featuring a different singer handling lead vocals.

See? Simple.

This week, the band released “Lose Your Love,” the first song from their upcoming album Flight Tower. It’s their second release this year and this one features keyboardist/percussionist Felicia Douglass on lead vocals. The band released Windows Open, featuring Maia Friedman on vocals, in March.

The other three albums will be released later this year because teamwork is dope.

Elsewhere in Music…

What’s The Latest On Concerts?

Well, it depends on who you ask.

Earlier this week, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson unveiled a plan for his state to start to open. Part of that plan includes a note that live concerts can resume starting on Monday, May 4th. This plan made Missouri the first state in the country to bring live music back after the Coronavirus outbreak began.

But hold on now. In Missouri, as in most states, it’s actually up to cities to determine what can be opened back up and in response to the governor’s announcement, the mayors of St. Louis, Springfield, and Kansas City all said that they would not be opening up concert venues just yet. “We will continue to be guided by data, not dates,” St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson said in a statement.

Okay, then.

Over in Arkansas, it was announced that Bishop Gunn frontman Travis McCready would perform at TempleLive in Fort Smith, Arkansas on May 15. The show would be the first concert in the country since the concert industry closed up shop nearly two months ago.

From Pitchfork:

“The venue’s 1,100-person maximum capacity has been reduced to 229 seats, separated into what Ticketmaster is calling “fan pods,” which are rows of 2-12 tickets sold in groups at least six feet apart, with the intention of isolating separate groups of people. All attendees are required to have their temperature taken upon entry and wear face masks, which will be sold at the event. A 10-person limit will be enforced in each bathroom.”

Cool. Sounds fun. Also sounds like it might not happen seeing as how it doesn’t exactly jive with Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson’s directive that limits audience sizes at venues to 50 people.

Okay, then.

Europe recently made some news when it was announced that artists would be performing drive-in concerts in Denmark and Germany. Basically, concert-goers watch the show from the confines of their own car. It’s not a bad idea, actually. Good work, Denmark and Germany!

Electronic musician Marc Rebillet announced this week that he was bringing the idea to the states. Rebillet’s tour will include seven stops, mostly in Texas. The shows will feature short films in lieu of an opening act.

I guess it’s better than nothing.

For more about the future of live music in the states, check out this piece I wrote for the site earlier this week.

This Week in Guns n’ Roses News

Yes, Guns n’ Roses made some news this week because THIS YEAR IS FUCKING NUTS SO OF COURSE THEY DID.

First, Axl Rose got in a little Twitter dust-up with none other than Steven Mnuchin, Donald Trump’s Treasury Secretary. And yes, it was a dust-up because, OF COURSE, Mnuchin responded because OF COURSE he apparently has nothing else to do right now.

Mnuchin is a busy man, so of course, he’s not going to respond, right? WRONG.

Ugh. That’s not even our flag, dude. Your move, Axl.

Cool, cool, cool.

In other Guns news, the band is releasing a children’s book. Sure, why the hell not?

Checking In On Those Opened Vaults

As has been previously reported here, damn near everyone and everything are opening their vaults, giving fans something to hopefully keep them going during these incredibly weird times. This week featured two such vaults being cracked open and with that happening, two amazing performances coming out.

Radiohead, who has been releasing footage from live shows weekly, released their performance from Bonnaroo in 2006, a set that guitarist Jonny Greenwood called “the best festival experience [he’s] ever had in America.” He continued, “I hope the heat, dust, and smell of fine Southern whiskey comes over as well as the songs.”

Meanwhile, Lollapalooza, who started releasing old sets last week, dusted off the Foo Fighters’ performance from 2011, a show that was notable for happening despite a driving rain that kept on going throughout the band’s set.

Hard To Argue With This…

This Week In ‘Thanks, I Needed That’

 

And We’ll End Here

 

See you next week!