Cool, New Music: Indie Music Playlist, May 2021, Part II

ALBUMS

Marianne Faithfull (with Warren Ellis) She Walks In Beauty. Marianne performing spoken word versions of her favorite classic poems from Keats, Byron, et al, accompanied by music. For fans only. Having said that, I will add that I am a mega fan and it's a real gem and well-worth checking out.

Big Thief Live At The Bunker Studio

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Deja Vu (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

Paul Weller Fat Pop

St. Vincent Daddy's Home

The Black Keys Delta Kream. Sure to be a big hit. It features the magnificent Kenny Brown, from R.L. Burnside's band, on slide. Will shine a bright light on electric country blues.

Norah Jones ...'Til We Meet Again. Live album, Norah singing and playing piano. Nice versions of "Cold, Cold Heart" and "Black Hole Sun".

Jack Ingram / Miranda Lambert / Jon Randall Marfa Tapes. Country/folk around a roaring campfire. I'm there!

Mdou Moctar Afrique Victime. Incredible psychedelic/folk guitar from Niger, featured on the new Superwolves album from Matt Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy as well as being one of the stand-out guitarists on Music from Saharan Cellphones.

SINGLES

Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen "Like I Used To"

Son Volt "Reverie"

Donovan "I Am The Shaman"

Soccer Mommy "Wide Open Spaces" (The Chicks cover)

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You might also be interested in Part I of May's Playlist:

Cool, New Music: Indie Music Playlist, May 2021, Part I

Cool, New Song "Reverie" by Son Volt; Album Coming in July

Jay Farrar's Son Volt will soon release their tenth studio album Electro Melodier (July 30/Transmit Sound/Thirty Tigers). "Reverie" is the first single from that album.

Cool, New Song from Donovan: "I Am The Shaman"

 

Cool, New Music: Indie Music Playlist, May 2021, Part I

                                                                        Billy Bragg

 SINGLES

Angel Olsen & Hand Habits "Walls" (Tom Petty cover)

Sharon Van Etten "Let Go"/"Some Things Last A Long Time" Two songs, the first an original, and the second a Daniel Johnston cover, from the soundtrack of the documentary Feels Good Man.

Vagabon (feat Courtney Barnett) "Reason To Believe" (Tim Hardin cover) 

Phoebe Bridgers "Seize The Day" Paul McCartney (Beatles, Wings) recently released a surprisingly strong album called McCartney III. For a new, companion release, McCartney III Imagined, McCartney invited friends to do versions of his new songs, and one of the best is this one from Phoebe Bridgers.

Big Thief "Off You" (The Breeders cover). From the tribute to legendary British indie label 4AD who gave us The Pixies and much more: Bills & Aches & Blues (40 Years of 4AD). Also enjoyed very much the recent solo album(s) from Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker.

Mick Jagger & Dave Grohl "Easy Sleazy". Mick did a quarantine song with Dave Grohl. Not bad.

Brittany Howard "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher" (Jackie Wilson cover). Inspiring.

Prince "Welcome 2 America" (recorded in 2010, released in 2021). Now more than ever.

St. Vincent "The Melting Of The Sun". A new twist from the guitarist/singer/writer Annie Clark.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "Ivory Tower" Recently released outtake from 1970's Deja Vu 

David Bowie "Mother"/"Tryin' To Get To Heaven". Recently released covers of John Lennon & Bob Dylan.

                                                                        Get Vaccinated!!!

ALBUMS

Matt Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy Superwolves. Album of the Year! (so far).

Manchester Orchestra The Million Masks Of God. Great variety of different styles.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Nathan Salsburg, Max Porter Three Feral Pieces (3-song EP)

Sharon Van Etten epic Ten. Celebrating the tenth anniversary of epic, a new bonus disc contains covers by Fiona Apple ("Love More") and Courtney Barnett & Vagabon ("Don't Do It")

Dry Cleaning New Long Leg

Waxahatchee Saint Cloud +3. It's a re-release of Katie Crutchfield's excellent 2020 album Saint Cloud, with three previously unreleased covers as bonus tracks: "Fruits of My Labor" (Lucinda Williams), "Light Of A Clear Blue Morning" (Dolly Parton), and "Streets of Philadelphia" (Bruce Springsteen). The original album is great, if you haven't heard it, and the three covers are just perfect.

Lana Del Rey Chemtrails Over The Country Club

Julien Baker Little Oblivions

The Who The Who Sell Out (1967)(5-Disc Super Deluxe version). "I Can See For Miles", "Pictures of Lilly", and so much more.

Angel Olsen Song Of The Lark And Other Far Memories. A three-disc boxset containing her last two albums and a bonus disc of rarities.

Iceage Seek Shelter. Worth a listen. They are evolving before our eyes.

Dinosaur Jr. Sweep it Into Space. Very strong album from these indie stalwarts.

Richard Thompson Serpent's Tears. A new 6-song EP now available on Bandcamp.

Jack Nitzsche The Reprise Singles 1963 - 1965

Eagerly Anticipated: 

New Paul Weller album - Fat Pop - out May 14 on Polydor.

New St. Vincent album Daddy’s Home is out May 14 on Loma Vista.

New Black Keys album Delta Kream (their tribute to old school Mississippi hill country blues) out May 14 on Nonesuch.

The Black Keys Pay Tribute To The Late, Great Bluesman R.L. Burnside

Long live R.L. Burnside! The Black Keys new album Delta Kream (May 14/Nonesuch) is a tribute to the old school sound of the Mississippi hill country blues artists. R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Mississippi Fred McDowell, John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Williams are all here. 

Kenny Brown, R.L. Burnside's "adopted son", plays slide guitar on the album, and can be seen above performing "Crawling Kingsnake" with The Black Keys on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and later on "Going Down South":

Delta Kream:

1. Crawling Kingsnake (John Lee Hooker / Bernard Besman)
2. Louise (Fred McDowell)
3. Poor Boy a Long Way From Home (Robert Lee Burnside)
4. Stay All Night (David Kimbrough, Jr.)
5. Going Down South (Robert Lee Burnside)
6. Coal Black Mattie (Ranie Burnette)
7. Do the Romp (David Kimbrough, Jr.)
8. Sad Days, Lonely Nights (David Kimbrough, Jr.)
9. Walk with Me (David Kimbrough, Jr.)
10. Mellow Peaches (Joseph Lee Williams)
11. Come on and Go with Me (David Kimbrough, Jr.)

Here's the video for The Black Keys' first single, "Going Down South", one of two R.L. Burnside songs on the new album:

I got to see R.L. & John Lee Hooker a few times live. They were the best! 

Check out Hooker 'n Heat, the 1971 classic John Lee Hooker collaboration with Canned Heat:

1. 

Waxahatchee 2021 Tour

Sep 02 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
Sep 03 - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Festival 
Sep 04 - Columbus, OH @ Skully's Music-Diner
Sep 05 - Millvale, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
Sep 07 - Detroit, MI @ The Majestic Theatre
Sep 09 - Maquoketa, IA @ Codfish Hollow Barn
Sep 10 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
Sep 12 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
Sep 16 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
Sep 17 - Tacoma, WA @ Spanish Ballroom
Sep 18 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
Sep 19 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Sep 21 - Sonoma, CA @ Gundlach Bundschu
Sep 22 - San Francisco, CA @ Castro Theatre
Sep 24 - Los Angeles, CA @ First Church of LA
Sep 25 - Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet's
Sep 27 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress (Outside)
Sep 29 - Austin, TX @ Scholz Garten
Sep 30 - Austin, TX @ Scholz Garten
Oct-01 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
Oct 05 - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Oct 07 - Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
Oct 08 - Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre 
Oct 09 - Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall
Oct 11 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Oct 12 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
Oct 13 - Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
Oct 15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Oct 16 - Boston, MA @ Royale

Cool, New Music: April 2021 Playlist

Cool, New Music: April 2021 Playlist

SINGLES

Courtney Barnett "Don't Do It" (feat Vagabon). This is a cover of a Sharon Van Etten song taken from epic Ten, the new expanded tenth-anniversary edition of Van Etten's 2010 release epic. Courtney's cover is great. Looking forward to hear Fiona Apple's take on "Love More"...

Manchester Orchestra "Keel Timing" from the forthcoming album The Million Masks of God (April 30th). We've already heard another single from the album, "Bed Head", and now there's an acoustic version of it on YouTube.

Garbage "The Men Who Rule The World" from their new album No Gods No Masters (June 11)

Big Thief "Off You" (The Breeders cover)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "Ivory Tower" (out-take)

St. Vincent "The Melting Of The Sun". I haven't liked most of her new stuff, but I like this. She also performed this song on Saturday Night Live on April 3, 2021.

Bobby Gillespie & Jehnny Beth "Remember We Were Lovers"

ALBUMS

Waxahatchee Saint Cloud +3. It's a re-release of Katie Crutchfield's excellent 2020 album Saint Cloud, with three previously unreleased covers as bonus tracks: "Fruits of My Labor" (Lucinda Williams), "Light Of A Clear Blue Morning" (Dolly Parton), and "Streets of Philadelphia" (Bruce Springsteen). The original album is great, if you haven't heard it, and the three covers are just perfect.

Joe Strummer Assembly. Nice to hear The Clash's Joe Strummer again in this retrospective from the late George Harrison's Dark Horse label. Great versions of "I Fought The Law" and "Junco Partner". Tim Armstrong (Operation Ivy, Rancid) befriended Strummer and released his final albums with The Mescaleros on Hellcat records. Another Strummer compilation, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros: The Hellcat Years, contains selections from those albums, as well as tracks from the Acton concert, recorded a month and a half before Joe's untimely death. In addition to many of Joe's best-known songs, the Acton show included three numbers with Mick Jones on guitar, the first time the former Clash bandmates had played together for some time.

Dry Cleaning New Long Leg. From the UK, a new exciting band. The first single from the album is "Scratchcard Lanyard". Here's a set they did in Seattle for KEXP.

Cool, New Song "My Blue Suit" by Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney; 'Superwolves' June 2021 Shows In California Announced

 

Bonnie "Prince" Billy and his frequent collaborator Matt Sweeney will be releasing the album Superwolves on April 30, 2021. "My Blue Suit" is from that album, a follow-up to 2005's Superwolf.

They've announced these four shows in California for June 2021:

06-07 Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Memorial Library
06-08 Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Memorial Library
06-10 Sonoma, CA - Gundlach Bundschu Winery
06-13 Malibu, CA - Dry Gulch Ranch

Many of us have not been to a show for a year now. June sounds nice. Vaccines now!

February 2021: Cool, New Music Playlist

                                Riz Ahmed's poem "I Miss You" about loved ones lost to COVID

Albums 

Paul McCartney McCartney III - Not bad for an old feller... I had the lowest of expectations for this new Macca album and it surprised me by being pretty darned good.

Femi Kuti & Made Kuti Legacy - Fela Kuti's son Femi and Femi's son Made collaborate on this new exciting album that sounds as if it were already well within the Fela canon.

Black Country, New Road For The First Time - Great, high-energy music for the 21st century

The Weather Station Ignorance - This album is getting lots of attention and although it's much more pop than I usually like, it's definitely worth listening to.

Dinosaur Jr. Sweep It Into Space - 90s indie rockers drop a new album that's really good!

Steve Earle & The Dukes J.T. - Steve Earle's loving tribute to his late son, singer/songwriter Justin Townes Earle.

Vampire Weekend 40:42 - Consists of two songs, each 20:21 long, full of guitar antics and meditations on 2021. I'm not sure what it is, but I kind of like it, and I haven't been a huge fan of them previously.

Singles 

Sharon Van Etten "In My Room". Beautiful cover of Brain Wilson's (The Beach Boys) incredible melody.

Matt Sweeney & Bonnie "Prince" Billy "Hall Of Death". From their highly-anticipated forthcoming Superwolves album. Sweeney does something to Will's music which takes it to a whole 'nother level. Fuller, richer, bolder.

David Bowie "Tryin' To Get To Heaven"/"Mother" A Bob Dylan cover and a Lennon cover, neither of which we've previously heard. Surprisingly, Bowie provides Dylan's "Tryin' To Get To Heaven" with a lot more heart than his cover of John Lennon's "Mother"

Bill Callahan & Bonnie "Prince" Billy "The Night of Santiago" - The series of covers from Bill and Will (this one written by Leonard Cohen) coming about once a week lately, is fantastic. Check it out on bandcamp.com

Waiting Impatiently For: The new Lana Del Rey album Chemtrails Over The Country Club

"Biko" (2021 Version) by Peter Gabriel with Angélique Kidjo, Yo-Yo Ma, & Meshell Ndegeocello

 

Cool, New Music Coming Out in Early 2021

Expected in January/February 2021:

Steve Earle J.T. - Steve Earle's tribute to the songs of his late son, singer/songwriter Justin Townes Earle, who passed away recently from an overdose caused by fentanyl-tainted cocaine.

The Band Stage Freight (Deluxe Remix 2020). Extra tracks include live recordings from a hotel in Calgary in 1970 and a concert in London in 1971

Bob Dylan 1970. Includes studio takes with George Harrison.

The Hold Steady Open Door Policy. I'm not as fond of the band as I once was, but I'll give this a listen.

Julien Baker Little Oblivions. I know her from her work with Phoebe Bridgers in boygenius. She's great.

PJ Harvey Is This Desire? (Demos). PJ has been releasing the demos of her first albums from the 90s and they are a revelation. Powerful. Primal.

New, Cool Music: December 2020 Playlist

• Bob Dylan The Best of The Bootlegs Series

• 
  

• Adrianne Lenker Songs

• 
  

• Phoebe Bridgers Copy

cat Killer (EP)

• Kelley Stoltz Ah!

• 
  

• 
  

• 
  

• 
  

Grammys 2020: Tributes to Sister Rosetta Tharpe & John Prine

The tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe begins at 28:00

Cool, New Lana Del Rey Song: "Let Me Love You Like A Woman"

Lana Del Rey's new album Chemtrails over the Country Club is expected to be released January 7, 2021. "Let Me Love You Like A Woman" is the first single from that album and continues her collaboration with Jack Antonoff, with whom she had such great success with last year's Norman Fucking Rockwell!

Cool, New Song: Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Bill Callahan: "OD'd in Denver" (feat. Matt Sweeney)(Video)

 

Demi Lovato's New Anti-Trump Song "Commander In Chief"

 

Fiona Apple Live 2020 The New Yorker Festival: "Shameika", "Fetch the Bolt Cutters", & "I Want You To Love Me"

Jack White Rocks "Saturday Night Live" with "Ball And Biscuit"

 

Michael Donnelly/ThisSmallPlanet.com Video of Jack White doing "Lazaretto", Beck's "Devil's Haircut", "Steady As She Goes", and "Sixteen Saltines" from 2014, live in San Francisco:

Kevin Morby & Nathaniel Rateliff Do "Passing Through", a Dick Blakeslee song popularized by Leonard Cohen

 

Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses) & Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains) Sing "A Satisfied Mind" For Jimmy Carter's 96th Birthday!

 

Cool, New Music: Trump's Got Covid! Indie Music Playlist

Trump's Got Covid! Indie Music Playlist

                      Saturday Night Live: Joe Biden (Jim Carrey) & Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph)

ALBUMS

Angel Olsen Whole New Mess

The Avett Brothers The Third Gleam

Beck Hyperspace

Bob Dylan Rough And Rowdy Ways

Bob Mould Blue Hearts feat the blistering single "American Crisis"

Bonnie "Prince" Billy I Made A Place

Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Three Queens In Mourning Hello Sorrow/Hello Joy

Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst) Down In The Weeds

Cut Worms Every Once In A While

Dawes Good Luck With Whatever

Fleet Foxes Shore

                                           John Prine (October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) 

Kurt Vile Speed, Sound, Lonely KV (EP) feat. two John Prine songs: "Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness" and Kurt & John's duet of "How Lucky".... We lost John to COVID earlier this sad, weird year.

Oh Sees Protean Threat

Phoebe Bridgers Punisher (2020) her new album and her first album Stranger In The Alps (2017) are essential.

Stephen Malkmus Traditional Techniques

Sufjan Stevens The Ascension

Susanna Baudelaire & Piano

Tim Heidecker (with Weyes Blood) Fear Of Death feat the singles "Property" and "Fear Of Death"

Various Artists Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T. Rex. Fantastic album, one of the last projects producer Hal Willner, of Saturday Night Live fame, worked on before his COVID-related death in April. Amazing line-up including: Kesha, Joan Jett, Devendra Banhart, Lucinda Williams, Peaches, Todd Rundgren, Sean Lennon, David Johansen, and Maria McKee.

Marc Bolan of T. Rex

                                                               Hal Willner

                                                    @JimCarrey:

SINGLES

Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Bill Callahan "Blackness Of The Night" (feat AZITA)(Cat Stevens cover)

Courtney Barnett "Just For You" from Cannot Buy My Soul: The Songs Of Kev Carmody 

Father John Misty "To S. /To R."

M.I.A. "CTRL"

Nina Hagen "Unity"

Phoebe Bridgers "Fake Plastic Trees" (feat Arlo Parks)(Radiohead cover)(BBC Radio 1 Piano Session)

Phoebe Bridgers "Summer's End" (John Prine Cover) [Live for SiriusXMU Sessions]

Stephen Malkmus "Juliefuckingette" (outtake from Traditional Techniques)

ARCHIVAL

PJ Harvey To Bring You My Love (Demos). PJ Harvey has recently been releasing the demos for her first three albums - Dry (1992), Rid Of Me (1993), and To Bring You My Love (1995). The demos are raw and are a revelation - and they remind us just how much PJ rocked in the early 90s, easy to forget when considering today's more "proper" and restrained version of PJ.

The Rolling Stones Goats Head Soup (Deluxe) esp. "Scarlet" (feat Jimmy Page) & "Star Star" 

Steve Miller Band Bright Lights, Big City (Live NYC 1976)

The Who Odds & Sods (Deluxe)

Ken Kesey mural in Springfield, Oregon. 

Statue of Kesey reading to his grandchildren, Eugene, Oregon.

RANDOM

Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Tortoise Brave And The Bold (2006) Interesting covers album.

Melanie Beautiful People: Greatest Hits of Melanie esp. "Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)", "Ruby Tuesday", "Brand New Key", and "What Have They Done To My Song, Ma"

Tom Robinson Band "2-4-6-8 Motorway". Best road song ever.

Tommy James & The Shondells The Very Best Of. Listen while reading Tommy's book Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells. Harold Bronson in his book The Rhino Records Story also tells the tale, which he insists would make a great movie. He's right!

Original Photos for ThisSmallPlanet.com by Michael Donnelly & Jay BellBlack Lives Matter! Sinead O'Connor Sings Mahalia Jackson's "Trouble Of The World"