As we close down the beautiful month of June, The The continues their A List streak! This week Phantogram, Blitzen Trapper, and Metronomy return for more. Vampire Weekend is back again!
Make sure to stay up to date with the latest and greatest songs carefully curated by your fellow music aficionados and delivered to you directly by our very own music director, Nils Illokken. Join Nils every Friday from 3 - 7p EST to hear this list and so much more.
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10. "Contact High (Feat. Miki & Faux Real)" - Metronomy
Metronomy gets us groovin’ with "Contact High", featuring Miki and Faux Real. This track is the first single off of their new EP that is scheduled to release on July 12. Posse EP Volume 1 came out back in 2021, so it has been a long wait for the reprise that is Posse EP Volume 2.
"Contact High" is paired with two other pieces – "With Balance (feat. Naima Bock and Joshua Idehen)" and "Nice Town” (feat. Pan Amsterdam), which was also featured on our 5/17 A List. We love the Posse tracks because they utilize features, so each track kind of has its own vibe while still sounding like a Metronomy song.
9. "Every TIme The Sun Comes Up (Alternate Version)" - Sharon Van Etten
Showing up at spot #9 this week is Sharon Van Etten with an alternative version of her hit song “Every Time The Sun Comes Up,” which originally came out back in 2014. This new version of the track comes as a 10th anniversary special, along with a 7” vinyl release.
Van Etten explains that this version comes as a result of the sound of her band growing and maturing through the years, leading to them performing live songs differently than they were recorded many years ago. Drawing inspiration from the band’s direction, she decided to release a version of this song that better reflected their new spin on things.
Sharon Van Etten sadly only has one upcoming show right now. If you’re able, you can catch her on September 28th at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles where Mitski will also be performing.
8. "Frogs" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds bring us “Frogs”, their second single of the year. The Australian band was formed in 1984 – 40 years is such an impressive lifespan for a band, not to mention the fact that they’re still creating new music!
The band’s new album Wild God is set to release on August 30, with the title track available for listening now. Along with the new album, the band will embark on a tour of Europe starting in September. Check out dates here, and preorder the new album!
7. "Hello Hallelujah" - Blitzen Trapper
Blitzen Trapper is back on our A List with “Hello Hallelujah,” the band last appearing on 5/24 with “Cosmic Backseat Education.” Both tracks are off of their new album, 100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions, which came out back on May 17.
Frontman Eric Earley said of the album “This whole project grew out of a box of old four-track tapes from the ’90s that I found recently, the tapes were full of songs I’d written and recorded back when I was 19 or 20 years old, and the sound and the spirit of those recordings got me excited to start writing music again, to go back to working the way I did when I was first starting out.”
6. "Vintage" - Moses Sumney
"Wanna double back/
Wanna put my time machine on it/
It's alright, it's alright, I lean on it/
Can we turn vintage?/
Can we put that afro-sheen on it?/
It's alright, it's alright, I feed on it”
Moses Sumney appears at #6 on our A List with his R&B track “Vintage,” released as a single on June 5. The stunning vocals of “Vintage” are accompanied by a video with bright visuals and choreography that really is a call back to the styles of 1990’s R&B music.
Stay up to date on Sumney’s latest releases on his bandcamp page and website.
5. "Gen-X Cops" - Vampire Weekend
Back again, YET again, this week is Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend makes strides with their new album. The longevity in relevance of this band is truly astounding! Pitchfork reviewed this specific track saying that “its scattered arrangement of sputtering distortion and tiptoe piano has an off-ness that acts as a window into their fifth album.” We definitely hear the polarization between the guitar distortion that sounds almost like it belongs in a surf rock album, and the more gentle piano – yet, it’s a perfect pairing for the near-dystopian vision of this track. It also just sounds sick.
See Vampire Weekend and Cults at The ICON Festival Stage at Smale Park in Cincinnati on September 20, tickets available here!
4. "Didn't (Feat. Cavetown)" - illuminati hotties
“Didn’t” from illuminati hotties is full of summer vibes. Featuring Cavetown, this track was released with one other song “Can’t Be Still” on June 5. This single comes with the announcement that illuminati hotties will be releasing their new album POWER on August 23 via Hopeless Records. There is lots to look forward to with this band, as their US tour also starts in September.
Stay up to date on the latest from illuminati hotties here.
3. "All A Mystery" - Phantogram
Back for the second week in a row is Phantogram with “All A Mystery” dropping from the top spot to #3. Released on May 31, this catchy tune is the latest song from the band, with 4 years passing since their album, Ceremony, came out in 2020. Phantogram (Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter) have not yet announced any more singles or a new album, but we will be sure to let you know if they do!
The Greenwich-native duo will tag along for the North American portion of Kings of Leon's Can We Please Have Fun tour starting in August. They make their way to Cincinnnati on September 14 at The Andrew J Brady Music Center. Other stops include Nashville, Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland and more!
2. "So Lo" - Pond
Pond released their new album Stung! last week on June 21, and man is it good! “So Lo” gives us all the funky feels.
Rolling Stone Australia got a chance to talk to the band and find out more about this track, with Pond frontman saying “I think Gum was just messing around on guitar playing something fun and cheesy and then realized it could be cool in a kind of cold, concrete, No-Wave way.” Check out the full article here.
Pond will be performing at a couple locations across the US, with the closest being Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit, Michigan on November 20.
1. "Cognitive Dissident" - The The
Back for the third week in a row, and finally in the top spot, is The The with their new track “Cognitive Dissident” off their single release on May 17. The The have released a long string of singles, a couple compilation/sample albums, and a live album since their last true album, NakedSelf, came out back in 2000 (check out this vintage Pitchfork album review). Their new single “Cognitive Dissident” reels you in with some of the band’s 80s charm, yet delivers a modern twist.
We hope this is a peek into what’s to expect from this band, as they have announced their new album Ensoulment will be released September 6 – we are glad to see this band back releasing an album after 20 years! Check out their website to stay up to date on their latest releases.
Same time next week? Thanks for joining us for this A List!
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