It’s impossible to cover every bit of new music that comes out during the week, so every Friday, we’ll be doing an end of the week music roundup. It’s called Final Track, and we’ll count off a few songs released during the week that are worth giving a listen to. (Banner via)
Today we’ve got: Passion Pit, Danny Brown, the D, Guided by Voices, and more.
“Take a Walk” by Passion Pit
It’s been far too long since we’ve heard any new music from Passion Pit. Three years, in fact. But earlier this week, the Cambridge, Massachusetts quintet released the first single from their upcoming album, Gossamer (out July 24), and it’s a reminder of why they were hailed as electro-pop saviors in 2009. The lyrics are darker and singer Michael Angelakos’s vocals are more up front, but the synth remains the same.
“The Roadie” by Tenacious D
“The Roadie” has been bouncing around the Internet for a bit now (and will be officially released next Tuesday on Rize of the Fenix), but it didn’t have a music video until this week. It’s got Jables and Rage Kage, of course, but Kenny Powers himself, Danny McBride, also makes as an appearance as the titular roadie named Sebastian who looks like Johnny Cash by way of the Predator. Can’t f*cking wait for this album.
“Jay-Dee’s Revenge” by Danny Brown
Our friends over at the Smoking Section have a nice write-up about this track.
“Class Clown Spots a UFO” by Guided by Voices
The notoriously prolific Guided by Voices (one of my favorite bands, to boot) are putting out their second album this year in June. In anticipation, they released the title track, “Class Clown Spots a UFO,” a song that frontman/drunk Robert Pollard originally penned in the 1980s. Since then, he’s been tinkering around with it, but after getting back together with the “classic-era” version of the band (Tobin!), they found the harmony that the song desperately needed. Here’s hoping the rest of the album’s just as good.
“We Can’t Be Beat” by the Walkmen
In terms of slow builds that pay off gorgeously, no, you can’t be beat, Walkmen.
“I Love It” by Icona Pop
If this was 2012’s Song of the Summer, I wouldn’t complain. It certainly sounds the part, with its giant chorus, buzzy verses, and instant-earworm lyrics. Plus, unlike, say, the Black Eyed Peas, “I Love It” actually sounds like a party song that was made by honest-to-God humans. No small feat these days.
“Do It Anyway” by Ben Folds Five
I didn’t realize how much I missed that fuzzy bass until hearing this song. Ben Folds Five is a rare nostalgic reunion that seems like it’ll exist beyond “HEY GUYS REMEMBER THE ‘90S”; Ben Folds, who can write a pop hook and rollicking melody like few others, is just at his best when teamed with Robert Sledge and Darren Jessee. And yes, that is a slight dig at “Rocking the Suburbs.”
