Here’s a list of things I’m going to do when it’s finally safe to go out: (1) Get a haircut; (2) Enjoy a meal at my favourite restaurant; and (3) Go browsing in a record store. Until such time, we’ll all remain shaggy, eating delivered food, and getting all our music online.
1. Weezer, Hero (single)
If this were a normal year, Weezer would be soon heading out with Green Day and Fall Out Boy on the Hella Mega Tour, a road trip that’s been in the planning stages for almost a year. But you know what they say about best-laid plans and pandemics, right? Hero is the first single from the heavy rock record Weezer has been threatening to release for years. (Rivers Cuomo was in a series of hard rock bands before he founded Weezer). Van Weezer — yes, that’s the name of this forthcoming record — is being introduced with a song inspired by frontline healthcare workers. Last Wednesday, the band sent a bunch of deli meals to nurses at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles.
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2. The HU, Wolf Totem (single)
Quick: Name another from rock band Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Since they were formed in 2016, The HU have been attracting global attention with their combination of metal styles that use traditional Mongolian instruments (the morin khuur or the tovshuur, anyone?) and throat singing. They’ve been so successful that in 2019, the government awarded them the Order of Genghis Khan for their work promoting Mongolian culture around the planet. Wolf Totem, one of their major hits (32 million YouTube views and counting), has been re-released in this form featuring Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach. An album aimed at North America called The Retaliators will be out this October.
3. Butch Walker, American Love Story
Walker, a Grammy-nominated producer for his work with acts like Weezer, Green Day, and P!nk, is out this week with a new solo album that he describes as “a love story about hate.” It’s a full-on rock opera, following the story of Bo, a product of a broken home who eventually straightens out thanks to the love of a woman. The libretto was inspired partly by his own upbringing and his observations about what’s going on in America these days. Listen to this single, but know that the album is best digested as a whole.
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4. Hayley Williams, Petals for Armor
The lead singer of Paramore apparently has some things she’d like to say on her own. Her debut solo LP follows the release of a five-track EP in February that she considers to be part one of the Petals for Armor project. Part II came in the form of another five-track EP last month while this album (PFA III, obviously), contains the material from those two EPs along with five more, thereby completing the cycle.
5. Mark Lanegan, Straight Songs of Sorry
Mark Lanegan is one of the most underappreciated singer-songwriters to emerge out of the Seattle grunge scene. Back in the day, he was the lead singer for Screaming Trees. A solo career followed, which was interrupted by a short stint playing with Josh Homme in Queens of the Stone Age. This album is very autobiographical and is accompanied by a memoir entitled Sing Backwards and Weep, which features his stories of drugs, death, and tragedy. A quote from the book: “I was the ghost that wouldn’t die.” Not necessarily a feel-good record, then.
Bonus Tracks
London Calling: The Allergies, Felony
If this were any other period in history, Felony would fill the dance floors. Using drum loops, big horns, and a soulful approach, the Bristol band might make you think of everything from Northern Soul to the sample-heavy rave tracks of Fatboy Slim.
Undiscovered Gem: Henry Alexander, Troublemaker
Recorded in Collingwood, Ont., 19-year-old Henry Alexander cops bits from INXS, Bono, and a little Jagger. This is only a single for now, but this kid is definitely one to watch.
Throwback Track: The Stranglers, Golden Brown
The Stranglers were right there at the beginning of the British punk explosion of the ’70s but differed from their contemporaries (Sex Pistols, Clash, Damned) in two ways. Firstly, they were a lot older than everyone else. And secondly, they had a secret weapon in Dave Greenfield. No punk bands featured a keyboard player. His playing added a completely different element to punk. The Stranglers were supposed to embark on a farewell tour this year, but even before the coronavirus hit, Greenfield had heart issues. He was admitted to hospital where he contracted the virus and died May 3 at the age of 71.
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