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When it was announced that The Strokes were working with Rick Rubin, it was natural to assume that their first album in seven years, The New Abnormal, would be a deliberate evocation of Is This It. Failing that, perhaps Rubin would hand Julian Casablancas an acoustic guitar and encourage him to do dirge-y covers of Soundgarden and Danzig tunes. But The New Abnormal , thankfully, is not that. It sounds, in fact, like an amalgam of the ’80s synth-pop and stoner-experimental chicanery of the previous two Strokes albums. It also reprises the batting average of those LPs: Four undeniable bangers, and five weird and bombastic sorta ballads in which Casablancas addresses his own profound Strokes disappointment in bizarre, fascinating ways. Put another way, The New Abnormal has been consciously constructed to be another “disappointing Strokes album” that will sound better in about three years. Check out Uproxx’s review here.
-- Steven Hyden, Uproxx Cultural Critic and author of This Isn't Happening: Radiohead's "Kid A" And The Beginning of the 21st Century OPENING TRACKS
PHOEBE BRIDGERS
This singer-songwriter has been so busy lately playing in supergroups like Boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center and duetting with pals like The 1975 that it’s easy to forget she hasn’t put her own album since 2017’s Stranger In The Alps. That’s about to change: Her latest, Punisher, drops June 19.
LISTEN GORILLAZ JULIEN BAKER
This wacky cartoon super-band Countless indie musicians have has been busy lately with their turned to live streaming at-home “Song Machine” singles series. performances during this crisis as Fortunately for us, animated a way to stay in touch with fans. musicians aren’t affected by Some have even debuted new epidemics, which has enabled the material via this channel, including “Song Machine” machine to keep one of our favorites, Julien Baker. churning out hits like “Aries,” During a recent broadcast, she featuring Georgia and the great played the stunning new “Mercy.” Peter Hook of Joy Division and Grab your tissues. New Order.
LISTEN LISTEN
DEEP CUTS THE BETHS YAEJI
Who couldn’t go for a little power- This producer is perhaps best pop these days? Dark days call for known for her work remixing indie- relentlessly catchy numbers that pop jams by Robyn and Charli can chase away bad thoughts, and XCX, as well as her redux of one of the best young practioneers Drake’s “Passionfruit.” But her own of this form are New Zealand band work is just as worth checking out The Beths. They just announced on the new mixtape, What We that their second album, Jump Drew, in which whispery vocals Rope Gazers, will drop July 10. play off strange yet hooky soundscapes.
LISTEN LISTEN
VINYL OF THE WEEK
THE MONKEES — 'THE MIKE AND MICKY SHOW LIVE' Recorded just over a year ago, in March 2019, The Mike And Micky Show Live marks The Monkees' first-ever official live album. It features 25 career-spanning hits and fan favorites, including “Last Train To Clarksville,” “I’m A Believer,” and “Daydream Believer,” as well as many songs that were never performed live in their heyday. The Mike And Mickey Show Live was released earlier this month on CD/digital, and is due on vinyl in June.
PRE-ORDER
THROWBACK
TOWNES VAN ZANDT — 'LIVE AT THE OLD QUARTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS' While this old school troubadour wasn’t famous in his time, it’s pretty much guaranteed that he’s your favorite indie songwriter’s favorite songwriter. This classic live album captures him at his best while also giving a great overview of his work. Listen close and you can almost hear the beer bottles clanking.
LISTEN
LINER NOTES
Laura Marling Embraces Adulthood On Her Great New Album, ‘Song For Our Daughter'
The great British singer-songwriter Laura Marling just released her first album in three years. Check out the review by Uproxx’s Steven Hyden.
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