Earbuds are jonesing for an insatiable itch this time of year. Good vibes, smiles and summer air continue surrounding music fans globally. Brit-pop, pop rock, anything with a little pop–it’s all guaranteed to put pep in your step. Here’s the best new music out today.
blur – The Ballad of Darren
It’s been eight years since brit-pop legends blur last released an album but their newest LP The Ballad of Darren took just six months to record and release: a quick and intense turnaround for one of music’s biggest names, frontman Damon Albarn. Despite how quickly whipped out the record is, you wouldn’t be able to tell.
The Battle of Darren is chill but touches some dreary tones too. Take the third track “Barbaric” as an example. Echoey drums and power chords start an optimistic tone without being too upbeat. This song never is. And often, there are times when this seems like a straight-up happy song.
Albarn hits higher notes in his trademark voice heard across those numerous successful musical ventures of his (Yes, we have to mention Gorillaz). “I have lost the feeling that I thought I’d never lose” in one stretched-out line in the chorus. That phrase starts happily, and “lose” hits a darker tone so that the listener can focus on the words and realize that this song is about an emotion slipping away.
There’s a plentiful dose of strings and piano throughout this LP, namely on “Russian Strings.” If this sounds like an atypical but fitting feeling for blur, and somehow familiar to fans of contemporary English music, you’d need a little more background.
Blur had a producer shakeup on The Ballad of Darren. Albarn and his cock-eyed crew of London groups love collaboration–and since their second ever single “There’s No Other Way” was released in 1991, London-based producer Stephen Street (you can thank him for working on the best released from The Cranberries and Kaiser Chiefs) has worked alongside Blur on four albums including their most recent, 2015’s The Magic Whip.
Instead of Street, blur turned to James Ford, best known for helping Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets arrange classical instruments into their rock sound. There are clear moments of Ford’s influence on The Ballad of Darren and some other hints sprinkled throughout.
The battle of brit-pop is long over. There is no Oasis to compete with or really anyone. The album’s cover might allude to 90’s blur–but like Albarn and the crew have spent the last few decades doing–they’re making good music for the sake of making good music.
Fans were shocked at the album announcement in May, and were excited to have a taste of blur in their lives again.
The Ballad of Darren is not the aftertaste The Magic Whip served by the “Ice Cream Man” offered. Rather, it’s the memories told about having treats as a kid while having a treat in the present with other friends who weren’t around, yet everyone in the conversation has similar fond memories. That’s not plain-face nostalgia. It’s cookie covered legacy.
Big Thief – “Vampire Empire”
Big Thief has released their most anticipated song yet. “Vampire Empire” was released to the masses this week. If the masses love one thing, it’s Big Thief. The group fronted by powerful vocalist Adrianne Lenker has played as far away as the deserts of the world.
They’re also making a statement about gender identity here. Lenker’s screechy vocals match over screechy guitars, making sure they hit their goal of breaking destructive internal cycles.
Lenker sings “I wanted to be your woman, I wanted to be your man // I wanted to be the one that you would understand.”
“For me, it’s about getting out of toxic internal patterns,” Lenker said in a release. “Leaving the empire of energy drains that obscure pure essence, learning about what healthy boundaries are, and finding the power to implement them for the possibility of giving and receiving (both inwardly and outwardly) unbroken and infinite love.”
It’s a poetic nod to the complexities of life.
This song is also the start of a cool rollout for fans. It’s part of a 7″ being released in October.
The band is enjoying success on numerous fronts, there’s still time to catch them on their North American tour featuring tracks from their GRAMMY-nominated album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You.
Which of these tracks from New Music Friday will you be adding to your favorite playlists today? Any we missed? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!
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