“Cusp” – Youth Group. After a decade away from recording, the great Australian jangle-pop band Youth Group returns with a brand new album today. I’ve not listened to it yet, but I’m loving the sound of the first single.
“Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)” – Bombay Bicycle Club. BBC hasn’t been on hiatus as long as Youth Group, but when their new album comes out in January, it will be their first in nearly four years. This is a promising first listen at what’s to come. BBC will almost certainly be making an appearance on my Favorite Songs of the Decade list, which is only about two months away from release.
“Forgotten Eyes” – Big Thief. Their second album of the year is out today, and I’m looking forward to taking a listen in a bit. I doubt they’ve sold that many albums or cracked terrestrial airwaves very well, but Big Thief is still having one of the biggest years in indie rock.
“Scare Easy” – T. Hardy Morris covering Mudcrutch. I don’t know much about Morris – he was the lead singer of Dead Confederate – and I never listened to much original Mudcrutch – Tom Petty’s first band. I do know I really dig the sludgy, mellow ‘70s vibe on this track.
“Cars” – Gary Numan. Two things I’ve learned recently about this Mt. Rushmore of New Wave song: 1) Prince was obsessed with it, and Numan’s sound overall. Numan’s use of synthesizers had a huge influence on the music Prince made in his prime. 2) This song was based on a real event in Numan’s life, when he hid in his car to avoid a group of thugs that were chasing him after a gig. “Here in my car, I feel safest of all…” has a whole different meaning in that context.