Stream: Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 290)
Kevin Bronson on
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Buckle up for Greatest Hits … This Week (Vol. 290), featuring new music from Mondo Cozmo, Jay Som, Wand, Forever Never Changes (the new project from Justin Warfield), Remi Wolf, Polyglam, Paige Stark, Deap Vally, Dosiopath (the new project from Deap Vally’s Julie Edwards), Frankie Bird, EELS, Communicant, Giant Waste of Man, Double Wish, Towa Bird, Vicky Farewell and many more.
Stream it on Spotify, find info on the tracks beneath the player and catch up with other recent mixes here.
■ Mondo Cozmo, “Angels” — Josh Ostrander’s Mondo Cozmo return with their first single since the 2022 album “This Is for the Barbarians,” and the vibe of “Angels” will feel familiar to anyone who’s seen the band live. “We’ve been covering The Verve’s ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ for years,” Ostrander told Relix, where the song premiered. “I wanted our own mid-tempo song with the strings leading the charge. The idea was to strip the instrumentation back and shoot for a U2 ‘Live at Red Rocks’ feel. Lyrically, the song references ‘time’ — ‘These statues of youth / now covered in sand.’ This will all go away someday and I should probably take the dog to the park.” Live May 16 at Saint Rocke and May 17 at the Constellation Room.
■ Nightjacket, “All of My Friends” — “All of My Friends,” Nightjacket’s first original single in a year and a half, orbits somewhere in the vicinity of the Sundays and Natalie Merchant, in the imaginary galaxy of music to melt to. Check it out with all your pals.
■ EELS, “If I’m Gonna Go Anywhere” — “EELS TIME!” (introduced back in March with “Time”) is the title of the 15th full-length from Mark Oliver Everett and Eels, and it’s out June 7. And since it’s never not EELS time, here’s the latest single.
■ Jay Som, “If I Could” — Melina Duterte’s new Jay Som single, “If I Could,” is a dose of power-pop goodness, written for the new film “I Saw the TV Glow,” out next weekend.
■ Aaron Frazer, “Time Will Tell” — Three things about Aaron Frazer: We first saw him in L.A. when he was drumming for Durand Jones & the Indications at Tarfest in 2016. His 2021 debut album “Introducing …” was produced by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. And the video for the new single “Time Will Tell” — from his sophomore full-length, “Into the Blue” (out June 28) was filmed by three cats: Georgie, Ginger and Gigi. No, really, watch it. Catch the now L.A.-based Frazer and his falsetto at the Wiltern on June 28.
■ Paige Stark, “Zombie Brain Drain” — Clementine Creevy (Cherry Glazerr) and Jon Brion are featured on “Zombie Brain Drain,” a tome to a relationship that’s lost its bite and the second single from Paige Stark’s EP, “Good at Love” (out June 7). Creevy appears in the Therese Gstottenmayr-directed video, too, as part of the zombie girl gang doing their thing in the graveyard. Stark released the title track in April. Live June 9 at Scribble.
■ Communicant, “Controller” — Following up singles “The Day,” “Dream State” and “Annabella,” Dylan Gardner stretches out on “Controller” as he marches toward the release of “Harbor Song,” his second album as Communicant.
■ Forever Never Changes, “Only” — The debut single from Justin Warfield’s new project Forever Never Changes doesn’t stray far from the moody post-punk of She Wants Revenge. Stay for the interesting twists and turns.
■ Giant Waste of Man, “Gaeta” — In 2022, post-rock quintet Giant Waste of Man released their pretty-damned-epic album, “Biographer.” (Who are these people? Watch this video.) They return in all their aching, riveting, psychoactive glory (plus a skronky sax) with the new song, “Gaeta.”
■ How to Dress Well, “No Light” — Pop experimentalist Tom Krell today released his first How to Dress Well album in six years, “I Am Toward You.” For the purposes of this playlist, we started in the middle, picking “No Light.” But the record is truly a front-to-back experience.
■ Double Wish, “Periwinkle Pantone” — Double Wish (Adam Sabolick and Philippe Andre) have announced the June 28 arrival of a new EP, “Universe Sometimes.” It’s the follow-up to last year’s “Light Split Sparkle,” and “Periwinkle Pantone” (video) suggests that if there’s such a thing as cloudy sunshine pop, this duo is doing it. Live June 28 at the Constellation Room.
■ Draag, “Microgravity Tank” — The follow-up to the song “Orb Weaver,” “Microgravity Tank” is the second single from Draag’s new EP, “Actually the Quiet Is Nice” (out May 17), and this one throws your equilibrium all aswoon.
■ Towa Bird, “Sorry Sorry” — “American Hero” (wink, wink) is the title of the debut album from Towa Bird (see “B.I.L.L.S.”), the Filipino-British artist who was born in Hong Kong and spent spent much of her childhood in Thailand and London. The album is out June 28.
■ Las Cafeteras, “Caravana” — East L.A.’s Las Cafeteras today released their third album, “A Night In Nepantla,” and the latest tease, “Caravana,” like the first single “Cumbia de Mi Barrio,” makes dancing mandatory.
■ Remi Wolf, “Alone in Miami” — Along with “Toro,” “Alone in Miami” is one of two singles that arrived today from Remi Wolf’s new album, “Big Ideas,” out July 12. Wolf wrote both songs with Ethan Gruska and Jack Demeo, and both will be on the record, and that’s about where the similarity ends. Because, as the irrepressible songwriter says, “You can’t put me into a box, bitch, so don’t even try.”
■ Otis Kane, “Morning Sun” — The latest stand-alone single from soul man Otis Kane, aka Anthony Vasquez, who released his debut album, “Blue,” in 2021 and his follow-up EP, “November Love Notes,” later that year. His new jam, “Morning Sun,” debuted in a recent episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
■ Vicky Farewell, “Love Ya Like Me” — Friendly reminder that Vicky Nguyen, aka Vicky Farewell, today released her new album, “Give a Damn.” Here’s an OG ballad to celebrate. Speaking of celebrations: Live May 15 at Zebulon.
■ Polyglam, “Pleasure” — Written, the trio says, on a balcony overlooking the Silver Lake Reservoir, “Pleasure” is the latest feathery indie-pop from Polyglam, following up “Vegas,” released in February. Polyglam’s debut EP is due to arrive later this year.
■ Deap Vally, “It’s My World” — It’s been two months since L.A. duo Deap Vally played their local farewell show at the Teragram Ballroom and three since Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards released the remake of their 2013 album, “Sistrionix 2.0.” Turns out we have not heard the last of them. There’s a May/June goodbye tour in Europe and the U.K., for one thing. And there’s some unfinished business — a final EP, “(ep)ilogue,” coming out on May 24. “It’s My World” sounds like a fantastic finish. Cue the bit about the solo project …
■ Dosiopath, “Parade of YAY” — Dosiopath combines the talents of Deap Vally’s Julie Edwards and Solon Bixler (Great Northern), who wax delightfully confrontational on their acid-dipped debut single, “Parade of YAY.” Dosiopath will be opening some of those Deap Vally shows across the pond.
■ Wand, “Smile” — Shapeshifting rockers Wand return July 26 with a new album, “Vertigo.” Lead single “Smile” is dense and dark, guitar doing the heavy lifting, yet undeniably tender. Live May 30 at the Constellation Room and Aug. 3 at the Troubadour.
■ Sofia Bolt, “Bus Song” (feat. Stella Donnelly)” — Today brought the release of “Vendredi Minuit,” the sophomore album from L.A.-based Frenchwoman Amélie Rousseaux. Live July 17 at Zebulon.
■ Daniel Brouns, “Ash” — The latest single from Daniel Brouns’ album “Stock Music for the Cosmos” (out May 17 and co-produced with Goon’s Kenny Becker), “Ash” is about “when I moved away from home. I didn’t know at the time, but I was leaving everything I knew to be true. I left my family, the church, my friends, the first girl I fell in love with, and more.”
■ Jess Cornelius, “Laps in the Drugstore” — Bright and brisk, “Laps in the Drugstore” is the latest rocker from Jess Cornelius’ sophomore album, “Care/Taking,” out June 14. The native of New Zealand worked with producer Mikal Cronin on the record. Live June 14 at Scribble.
■ Dreamer Boy, “Big Sky” (feat. Miya Folick) — “Lonestar,” the third album from Spokane, Wash.-bred, L.A.-based Zach Taylor (aka Dreamer Boy) arrived today. He bares his teeth on singles such as “Heartbreaker,” but the album has some softer spots, such as “Big Sky,” on which Miya Folick guests. Live June 27 at the Troubadour.
■ Frankie Bird, “Unstuck” — “Unstuck” is the latest taste of Frankie Bird’s debut album, “Twenty Something,” out June 6. (See also: “Twenty Nothing.”) Live June 10 at the Troubadour.
■ Fitz & the Tantrums, “No Goodbyes (Friends Forever)” — L.A. popsters Fitz & the Tantrums have one for the kids — their new single “No Goodbyes (Friends Forever) interpolates Vitamin C’s 1999 hit “Graduation (Friends Forever).” Live, opening for O.A.R., on Aug. 8 at the Greek Theatre.
■ Monica Aben, Made of You” — The follow-up to “Force of Nature,” “Made of You” is the second single from Monica Aben’s forthcoming EP, “Everything I’ve Ever Known,” out July 26.
■ Grant Langston, “This Old Truck” — Veteran honky-tonker Grant Langston originally intended to release his 10th album, “aLAbama” (a nod to his home state and his current longtime home), today. That was before a handful of his songs were stolen and uploaded to streaming sites under a fictitious name. It’ll make your head spin — or send shivers up your spin if you’re a musician. Anyway, “aLAbama” is now set for a June 14 release.
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