THIS WEEK'S KEY RELEASES
Ride _ "Weather Diaries"
Ride have not picked up where they left off, nor have they pandered and written 10 new versions of "Vapour Trail." One reason for why Ride may not want to spend much time in the past is because they keep seeing it everywhere they look. "While you were sleeping on it/Your future was thrown from under you/It's not a pretty picture/This is 1932" goes a potent line in "All I Want" that compares the current political situation in the UK to Weimar Germany near its end. The band didn't make a formal decision to focus on such matters, Bell explained to the NME, it's that things have become too screwed up to go ignored. _ Ian King
Royal Trux _ "Platinum Tips and Ice Cream"
Royal Trux's first record in nearly two decades, "Platinum Tips + Ice Cream," has the band tearing through some live rippers with its red hot reconfigured classics that show that the band has not lost its elasticity, chemistry, or ability to tear it up, down, and all around. "Red Tiger" oozes out of the speakers like a sexy desert hazy crawl, while the early and experimental "Ice Cream" comes off very trippy and funky, with a lot more teeth grinding and strychnine on this version. It is nothing short of a thrill to hear guitar genius Neil Hagerty and rock queen vocalist Jennifer Herrema ease into stone cold grit rock jam "Sewers of Mars" and shake off the dust like no time has passed. It's just the DNA of rock 'n' roll in their bones: hardwired to self-deconstruct and reconstruct, baby. _ Morgan Y. Evans
2 Chainz _ "Pretty Girls Like Trap Music"
Big Boi _ "Boomiverse"
Com Truise _ "Iteration"
Beth Ditto _ "Fake Sugar"
The Drums _ "Abysmal Thoughts"
Steve Earle & the Dukes _ "So You Wannabe an Outlaw"
Fleet Foxes _ "Crack-Up"
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit _ "The Nashville Sound"
Lorde _ "Melodrama"
Kevin Morby _ "City Music"
Alison Moyet _ "Other"
Nickelback _ "Feed the Machine"
Portugal. The Man _ "Woodstock"
Matthew Sweet _ "Tomorrow Forever"
Young Thug _ "Beautiful Thugger Girls"
NOW HEAR THIS
The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers _ "No Glory"
Now, this is Americana! The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers use gospel music as a foundation for their sound with blues, country, soul, folk, and a little bit rock 'n' roll woven in for good measure. Everything the band does is based on American roots musical forms, and the mixture is astounding. On their latest single, "No Glory", they start from a spare and bluesy place with a solo vocalist and eventually reach a crescendo of joyous, thrilling gospel rock with a full-fledged choir and exciting guitar riffs. The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers are a band everyone needs to hear as they look to become a major force on the Americana scene. Their sound is rousing, full of energy and consummate musicianship. _ Sarah Zupko
(http://popm.at/2sfGK7E)
Mare Island _ "Alight"
San Francisco is known as a breeding ground for colorful musical collaborations, so it's no surprise that newcomer Mare Island hails from the Bay Area. Formed by members of the Velvet Teen and Loma Prieta, the musicians have played together (in various forms) for many years, so it was a no-brainer for guitarists Derrick Chao and Sean Leary to start the band in 2015. Fast-forward two years and they're releasing their eponymous debut EP on June 23, with the lead track, "Alight", showcasing how their previous "indie pop and post-hardcore" sound helped to create their own brand of lush, maximalist indie rock". It's a beautifully anthemic piece that's sure to invigorate. _ Jordan Blum
(http://popm.at/2tdyFgS)
WATCH THIS
ODESZA _ "Late Night"
ODESZA's "Late Night" is the perfect segue from spring into summer. Airy and free, it wafts between bass hits like a breeze. Ethereal vocal effects add a particular magic to the single, balancing out driving beats with a delicate touch. Even without words, this song inspires, rising on an elevated melody and never looking back. It's a warm, starlit song full of possibilities, never too heavy to keep going. _ Adriane Pontecorvo
(https://youtu.be/hqK0pqV-c9c)
Arcade Fire _ "Everything Now"
Arcade Fire seemed to have satisfied their experimental urges and returned with something more pleasingly uncomplicated and more akin to the band that made one of the finest albums of the decade in The Suburbs. However, this is less concerned about understanding the mundanity of life, more celebrating existence in general. Built on a circular, bright piano refrain, the band slowly builds the song with gentle acoustic guitar and the confident strut of bass. Only when the foundations of the song have been established, do they add in the gospel vocals, panpipes, and string slashes. It sounds like a band unshackled and in love with the simple act of playing music. _ Paul Carr
(https://youtu.be/zC30BYR3CUk)
