This past week has been such a blur. My birthday was Friday, so the festivities began with an amazing dinner that included downing a 30oz Porter House steak from the Butcher Shop in Memphis with some good friends and the wife. To paraphrase the legend that is Frank the Tank in regard to our Saturday plans, “Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we’re going to Ikea. Yeah, buy some blinds, maybe get some pantry storage, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don’t know, I don’t know if we’ll have enough time.” The star studded week long birthday celebration took me away from focusing on all of the new music released this week, so let’s take a moment and take a look at some of the key albums that came out.
Trippie Redd Mansion Musik
Trippie Redd has come a long way since his early SoundCloud days. 2020’s Pegasus found the rapper exploring his R&B side but the following year’s release, Trip at Knight, found the rapper returning to his SoundCloud roots. On his 10th studio release, Mansion Musik, the rapper depends heavily on features from some of today’s up-and-coming lyricists as well as some MC’s cemented in today’s hip-hop world. Newcomers Ski Mask the Slump God, Rob49, and Big30 are some of the rappers to join heavyweights Kodak Black, Travis Scott and Mansion Music’s executive producer and drill music godfather Chief Keef on the album.
The album features 19 collaborators over 25 tracks which can be deemed overkill. Some of the featured verses do not add to the project over all and some of the substandard production mixing takes away from songs that could be album highlights including the Travis Scott guested “KRZY TRAIN.” Overall, Mansion Musik is a perfect album for a listener who is looking to blow out some speakers or to get riled up for their own birthday celebration.
The Bad Ends The Power and the Glory
From the opening notes of “Mile Marker 29,” the opening song on The Power and the Glory, the debut album from The Bad Ends, one is whisked back to the glory days of college radio in the early 90s. The Athens, GA supergroup was formed by longtime R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry and includes Five Eight frontman Mike Mantione. Vocalist Geoff Melkonian of the Josh Joplin Group is a featured member of the group along with Five Eight’s Sean Dunn and Drive-By Truckers John Neff.
The album shows a lot of promise for a first time outing. The album’s highlight is without a doubt “Honestly.” The song begins with a very familiar 90s alternative subdued introduction like one would hear from the Counting Crows and continues to build as it progresses. The themes are very dark in theme and focus a lot around death. The lead single, “All Your Friends Are Dying” plays as a tribute to Big Star’s Alex Chilton who died in 2010. Mantione describes the band’s music as “depressed dad rock” and I cannot think of a more fitting description for the Athens based super group’s sound.
Måneskin RUSH!
The Italian glam rock band, Måneskin, easily had the most anticipated release of the week and rightfully so. The 2021 Eurovision winners have been without a doubt one of the most in demand groups of the last 2 years. They have rocked festival stages all over the world, played Saturday Night Live, been nominated for a Grammy, and featured on the soundtrack to ELVIS.
On their fourth album, the group does not seem to be slowing down and are here to prove that they are more than their Four Seasons cover of “Beggin’.” “Beggin’” was recorded for their EP Chosen from 2017, but didn’t start to become a global smash until the summer of 2021. On their new album the band is eager to continue experimenting with their sound and show why they are what’s best in rock music today.
Lead singer Damiano David dives into his New Wave side on the infectious “Bla Bla Bla,” a song that very easily could be visioned as a Wet Leg hit. Mega-hit producer and songwriter Max Martin was brought in to put some shine on the record. After 25 years of pushing out hit after hit for everyone from Britney Spears to The Veronicas to Adele, it is refreshing to hear that Martin’s touch on popular music is still as fresh today as it was in 1995 working with Ace of Base.
RUSH! features the polished pop influenced Martin tracks as well as the punk fueled “Kool Kids” and album standout “Timezone.” The Red Hot Chili Peppers-esque ballad was produced by production duo Sly and Rami. Sly, who has produced hits for Dua Lipa and Shawn Mendes, is joined by his partner Rami who has collaborated his whole career with Martin has cranked out hits for Demi Lovato, Weezer and N’Sync. The song is about having to give up true love in exchange for fame and wealth and realizing that long distance is truly not an option for a love struck rock star. In the end, David sings “So fuck what I’m dreaming, this fame has no meaning. I’m coming home.”
Steven McCash is the Lead Music Writer and Utility Man for SoBros Network. Steven is the host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast, and 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. He also pitches in as a Nashville lifestyle writer and football analyst (hence the ‘Utility Man’ title). Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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