Back to the (mostly) newer music this week.

“Lucky One” – The Big Pink
I like the heavy, almost ominous feel of this track.

“Literary Mind” – Sprints
I’m a long-time sucker for songs that capture the feeling of being young and in love, and this sure does that. I especially like how, as the song builds, the band’s Dublin accents come out more-and-more.

“Wolf” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I finally got around to giving the new YYY album a listen on Tuesday or Wednesday. It lived up to the hype it was getting from critics. I’m enjoying the sheen they’ve added to their familiar sound.

“After The Earthquake” – Alvvays
I probably would have listened to the YYY album more if not for Blue Rev, the new Alvvays album. It came with a whole heap of hype. And it 100% delivered on all that praise. It is one of my favorite albums of the year, and it is certainly one of the most fun to listen to. This is one of the standout tracks, which like most of their best tracks on Blue Rev, has a strong Johnny Marr vibe to the guitars.

“Waile” – WITCH
The first new song in nearly 40 years from this legendary Zamrock band. It comes from the band’s early days, and was often played live, but they never recorded/released it until now. It is also the band’s first recording with their original lead singer since 1977. With all that history, you might expect for the track to lumber along. Never fear: it smokes! BTW, mega bonus points for the meaning of the band’s name. We Intended To Cause Havoc. YES!

“Stir It Up” – Johnny Nash
I’m sure I heard this when I was a kid, but I had no memory of it at all. I’m sure any memories of it were wiped out by 25-ish years of listening to Bob Marley’s original. I heard it yesterday and thought, “Johnny Nash covered Marley?!?!” The follow-up to Nash’s #1 “I Can See Clearly,” this peaked at #12 in April 1972. Marley’s original never charted in the US. We weren’t ready for him.

“If I Can’t Change Your Mind” – Sugar
A random Sugar track popped up the other night, which led me back to their amazing debut album Copper Blue. As I was listening to the entire disk I read several articles about it. Somehow the music sites I follow most closely failed to highlight that the album’s 30th anniversary passed about six weeks ago. I know I’ve said this many, many times in my various music writings, but Copper Blue is one of the best albums of the 1990s, and of those great albums, it might hold up better than any of them. Just great song after great song. I could have shared any track here, but I’m going with this since it is one of the few videos I can find from the album. You could do worse than to put on Copper Blue and use it as the soundtrack to your Friday.