I have come to accept that winter is never going to leave. So, you should join me on the couch as I eat my way through all of the 50% off Valentine’s Day candy I scooped up and push play on some of the great music released this week. Remember to wake me when the temperature is above 65.
Grimes Miss Anthropocene
It has been four long years since Grimes released Art Angels and nearly a year since she announced via social media that a new album was coming. The wait is finally over as Miss Anthropocene has been released into the world. The Canadian pop star has given the world a dark and somber album revolving around the climate crisis. Every song on the album talks about the different ways to die or suffer.
Where Art Angels was very upbeat and positive, Miss Anthropocene is its counter opposite. In “My Name Is Dark,” Grimes settles in and gets ready to watch the world burn declaring that the “imminent annihilation” of mankind as “so dope.” Grimes spends “4AEM” with her brain racing about the unknown and inevitable like the possibilities of death, disease, and destruction.
The acoustic “Delete Forever” touches close to home for many with the losses many have suffered to the opioid crisis. Grimes is a one-woman machine who produces and engineers her music and her talents really shine on “Delete Forever.”
While the sound and theme of Miss Anthropocene is a departure from her last effort, it is a very ambitious outing. Having the climate crisis as the theme for the album is very brave and Grimes has done a great job by adding a voice and soundtrack to the ongoing problem. @grimezsz
Ozzy Osbourne Ordinary Man
After the first listen to Ozzy’s new album, I’m hit with a felling of déjà vu. Suddenly I released that in January of 2016 I listened to an album just like this one. David Bowie’s Blackstar was his way of saying goodbye and two days after its release he was gone. The Prince of Darkness’ health has been in question over the last few years, so it easily feels that Ordinary Man is his Blackstar.
There’s a who’s who of rock and metal superstars that perform as special guests on the album. Slash and Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Sir Elton John are some of the guests on Ordinary Man. The beautiful track “Ordinary Man” featuring Sir Elton John is one of the album’s highlights. Ozzy proclaims he doesn’t ‘wanna die an ordinary man’ and not to ‘forget me as the colors fade.’
For die hard Ozzy and Black Sabbath fans, this album has everything you would want and expect from scorching guitar solos, heavy drums, and dire themes. Producer Andrew Watt of Post Malone fame did a phenomenal job overseeing the project.
Ozzy had a very rough 2019 health-wise, and with the recent disclosure that he has a form Parkinson’s, he has been forced to cancel all tour dates for 2020. @OzzyOsbourne
Allie X Cape God
Alexandra Ashley Hughes moved from Canada to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music and in doing so adopted the moniker Allie X. Why the X you ask? “In mathematics, X is any possible variable. It’s an unknown quantity. Once it’s solved, it’s no longer X. With that in mind, X is the identity that I take on as I go through my journey of self-discovery. It’s these questions that I’m trying to grapple with in the public sphere. If I ever find that piece that I’m after or solve the equation, as it were, then I will no longer be Allie X.”
With her latest release Cape God, Allie X is really close to solving for X. The album is a sure fire hit for the Canadian indie pop star. It’s a very well manicured album that is partly centered on Allie balancing her many forms while instilling in the listener that your identity is not a single concept. X has a stronger voice on the album as she is able to speak more of what’s on her mind while not fearing the backlash from a male-driven industry.
The highlight of Cape God is the Troye Sivan duet “Love Me Wrong.” The hypnotic song is about two lovers in a quarrel giving both of their sides to the listener. You can catch Allie X at the High Watt in Nashville on April 12. @alliex
Coin Dreamland
If you’re a fan of synthesizers, then boy do I have an album for you. Mere seconds after pushing play on Coin’s new album you catch on that the ‘80s played a huge inspiration on the bands sound for Dreamland.
The party starts immediately with opening track “Into My Arms” and the new wave bash continues throughout the album while making a quick stop at the land of synth-ballads. “Youuu” tells the old-as-time tale of a heartbroken lover who has found a new love but still yearns for the past.
Despite the new sound, Coin stays true to their indie-pop roots on the bass heavy “Crash My Car.” Clean harmonies with a keyboard playing a large part make this track a must-listen for fans of the band’s previous albums.
The Nashville based band is scheduled to headline the Ryman on March 14 and is also listed for the Moon River Music Festival in September in Chattanooga. @COIN
Please check out the other great releases this week:
- Pat Metheny From This Place
- King Krule Man Alive!
- Agnes Obel Myopia
- Banofee Look At Us Now Dad
- Best Coast Always Tomorrow
- Garren The New (Normal)
- Guided By Voices Surrender Your Poppy Field
- Kamaiyah Got It Made
- Katie Pruitt Expectations
- Moses Sumney græ
- Purr Like New
- Royce da 5’9” The Allegory
- Sarah Harmer Are You Gone
- The Word Alive MONOMANIA
- Wilsen Ruiner
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
