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Cool New Singles (with links to their YouTube videos)
Babyshambles. "Dandy Hooligan". First new song in 12 years. BEST NEW SINGLE.
Bootsy Collins, Jennifer Batten, Billy Sheehan. "Troops". Thank you for your service.
Charli XCX. "House" (feat John Cale). Velvet Underground vet helps out on the soundtrack to Wuthering Heights.
Dropkick Murphys. "A Hero Among Many". Tribute to Welles Crowther who died saving others on 9/11.
Etran De L'Aïr. "Amidinine".
Gorillaz. "The God Of Lying" (feat Idles). Follows collabs with Sparks and Trueno & Proof.
José González. "Pajarito".
The Molotovs. "Rhythm of Yourself".
Shudder To Think. "Thirst Walk"
Vienna Vienna. "Idle Hands". Follow-up to smash hit/queer anthem "God Save The Queens".
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Cool New Albums from national treasure, 86-year-old Mavis Staples, guitar wizard Bill Orcutt, and Snocaps (Katie from Waxahatchee + her twin sister Allison Crutchfield = BEST NEW ALBUM!!!)
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Cool New Albums
Aesop Rock. I Heard It's A Mess There Too. His second album this year. Hip hop for people who don't like hip hop? Well it is refreshing to hear clever smart rhymes instead of mere bragging.
De La Soul. Cabin In The Sky.
Dropkick Murphys. For The People. The digital version of this fine album came out in July, but the recently released vinyl version contains 5 bonus tracks, including the powerful "Sirens". Maybe the best political band out there today. I like the Woody Guthrie connection too. And their version of Ewan MacColl's "School Days Over" with Billy Bragg is just stunning.
Mavis Staples. Sad and Beautiful World.
Orcutt Shelley Miller. Orcutt Shelley Miller. Being a word guy, I hate instrumentals, but for some inexplicable reason, I find Bill Orcutt's guitar instrumentals, full of feedback drone and fuzz, incredibly compelling. He's suddenly all over the place, an unlikely rock star, but fresh and exciting. He's helped here by bassist Ethan Miller and drummer Steve Shelley from Sonic Youth.
Snocaps. Snocaps. Surprise album from new group feat Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee and her twin sister Allison Crutchfield, (along with MJ Lenderman and Brad Cook) has indie rock, jangle pop, and hints of Americana, all with great harmonies. Check it out. BEST NEW ALBUM.
Willie Nelson. Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle. Willie's Tribute to Merle Haggard.
Wreckless Eric. England Screaming. We know and love him from his 1977 punk classic "Whole Wide World", but he's still at it in 2025. This album is actually pretty good and worth checking out.
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Cool Archival & Randoms
Bob Dylan. Through The Open Window, The Bootleg Series Vol 18, 1956 - 1963 feat "Boots Of Spanish Leather".. Focus on Bob's early career and his transition from Minnesota teen to NYC folkie "unwashed phenomenon".
Curtis Mayfield. The Makings Of: A Curtis Mayfield Collection. The soundtrack of the Curtis documentary is a nice overview of his amazing career.
Devo. Energy Dome Frequencies: Songs From The DEVO Documentary. Classic.
Faces. Early Steps. Rhino (love them!) just released this collection of alternate takes for the first Faces album First Step (1970) feat Rod Stewart (voice), Ronnie Wood (guitar), the late Ronnie Lane (bass), the late Ian McLagan (keys), and Kenney Jones (drums), recorded shortly after the band formed from the ashes of The Small Faces (feat Steve Marriott) and The Jeff Beck Group. Now we're waiting for the rumored NEW Faces album and tour feat Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, and Kenney Jones to emerge in 2026.
Hüsker Dü.1985: The Miracle Year. Husker Du live in 1985 feat their cover of "Eight Miles High".
Jimi Hendrix. Bold As Love - The Axis: Bold As Love Sessions. Simply great!
Sweet. "Ballroom Blitz" (1973). On many minds lately as Trump demolished The White House East Wing for a fancy ballroom, just like in Cinderella.
Thin Lizzy. 74-75 - Night Life/Fighting. Their first two albums feat the classic line-up, with several bonus tracks. All these years later, the twin guitar attack of Thin Lizzy, along with their frontman, the immortal and singular Black Irishman, Phil Lynott, still rings strong in the valleys and on every mountainside. Feat "She Knows" from a session with John Peel in 1974.
The Who. Who Are You (Super Deluxe). This 1978 classic was the last album The Who did with psycho drummer with a heart of gold Keith Moon. The Super Deluxe version contains lots of extras including some live rehearsals and concerts showing the band trying to plot a path forward from tragedy.
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Highly Anticipated Cool New Releases
Zach Bryan. With Heaven on Top. [Warner]. January 9, 2026.
Joyce Manor. I Used to Go to This Bar. [Epitaph]. January 30, 2026.
Big Thief on The Tonight Show
As he's inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Jack White pays tribute to 33 artists that inspired The White Stripes: The Gories. The Gun Club. Loretta Lynn. Fugazi.The Misfits. Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Love and Arthur Lee. The Flat Duo. Jets and Dexter Romweber. The Hentchmen. Dick Dale. Beck. Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow. Tampa Red. The Sonics. Pavement. The Strokes. Black Flag. Sleater-Kinney. Death. Jethro Tull. The Creation. The Breeders. The Cramps. Merle Haggard. The Hives. Them. The Damned. Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The Troggs. Minor Threat. The Rats. Captain Beefheart.
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