Music Monday: The Old and the New

Music Monday doesn't feel like a chore this week, huzzah! I just finished watching a great BBC4 programme on American folk music, so I'm swathed in the thoughts of folk and blues from the 1920s and 30s and a rather happy girl.

I thought it was time to do another post featuring artists who are releasing new albums soon - in some cases new songs will be included, but in some cases new material is not quite available yet, so you'll just get some old stuff that I like.

I am attempting to do this chronologically, so we'll start with Franz Ferdinand's new album "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand" due out on Tuesday (27th January). I thought I knew the older song of theirs I would feature because I love it, then remembered I was actually thinking of the Kaiser Chiefs' "Modern Way". The two bands sound nothing alike in name, with the former taking its name from an assassinated Austro-Hungarian Archduke, and the latter's name inspired by a football club in South Africa.

Admittedly, I don't even like Franz Ferdinand, and I don't really like the Kaiser Chiefs either. Since I've bothered to type this much though, I might as well pick a song by FF I don't hate, followed by their new one.

Old:

Walk Away -


New:

Ulysses -



Next we have Bruce Springsteen. Now I know a lot of you are big fans of The Boss, so I'll give you a few minutes to revel in Boss-ness. I have to say I'm a casual listener of Bruce, but I am massively digging the new song from his album, "Working on a Dream", oddly enough, called "Working on a Dream". The album is due out on Tuesday as well.

May I just add here that I HATE RECORD COMPANIES THAT REMOVE THE EMBEDDING FEATURE. YOU MAKE MY JOB VERY, VERY HARD, YOU THOUGHTLESS BASTARDS.

Old:

I'm on Fire (playing on a street in Copenhagen) -


New:

Working on a Dream -


Monday, 9 February (UK) and Tuesday, 10 February mark the release of Lily Allen's new album, "It's Not Me, It's You". I'm on the fence about this girl both musically and personally, but that title kinda rocks. I've always been a reluctant quasi-fan of Lilly Allen - I appreciate that she's outspoken and doesn't give a shit, but sometimes shut the fuck up, you know? Anyway, her new song is my favourite new song in quite awhile and I've been listening to it on repeat. It reminds me of early/mid-90s poppy indie like Saint Etienne, a nostalgia trip which is always going to make me happy.

Old:

Littlest Things -


New:

The Fear -


Just for fun, and to make you get down with your gin and juice like it's 1994, I'm going to throw a little video of Warren G's Regulate on down here. Apparently young Warren has a new album out on Tuesday, 10 February, aptly called, "The G-Files". I wondered how Warren could record an album so soon after having a series of strokes, then I googled and saw that I was mixing him up with Nate Dogg. I then wondered how I even knew about any of this in the first place.

Regulate-


Most importantly, my heart, my life, Morrissey, has an album coming out Monday, 16 February (UK)/Tuesday, 17 February (US). It's called "Years of Refusal", and the first single is "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris". I'm always struck by how much Moz reminds me of my Dad, but without all the alcoholism, DUIs, and checking himself out of rehab 55 days early.

Old:

You Have Killed Me -

New:

I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris -

It seems there are quite a few artists coming out with new material within the next few months, though not immediately. Here's some older stuff of people/bands that will have new albums in late winter/spring:

The Gossip, title not yet announced, Spring 2009

Don't Make Waves -



Massive Attack, title not yet announced, Spring 2009

Unfinished Sympathy -



Matisyahu, Light, 2009

Youth -



Patrick Wolf, Battles, 2009

Magic Position -


I was going to do some more, but I can't handle the brick wall that is "embedding disabled by request". It's doubtless my laptop's screen can withstand further punching.

Happy Monday everyone (oh, btw, the Happy Mondays have a new album out sometime this year too - I thought [hoped] they were all dead)! If anyone is having trouble with my feed, please tell me. I have no idea how to fix it, but I guess I should know about it. Or something.