New Music: Happy New Tears

           

Sire Records release "Happy New Tears" by Morrissey. The song will be available as a digital download. On May 22, Sire Records will globally release a Deluxe 12-inch vinyl disc of Notre-Dame, from the album Make-up is a Lie. The 12-inch will include both Hello Hell and Happy New Tears available for the first time on vinyl. Also, the disc will include a previously unreleased orchestrated version of Notre-Dame, with all strings recorded in Paris. The 12-inch is pressed on colored vinyl. The Notre-Dame live shot by Dave Mushegian. Apparently the shot was taken at Lucca, in Italia, 2025. Additional photographs by Ryan Lowry.

New Music: Raindrops

           

Rick Astley shares the new single "Raindrops" on time when it comes as his huge UK and Ireland headline arena tour gets underway in Glasgow tonight. Good vibes all the time to describe Rick's joyous, hit-packed live show and that feeling pulsates throughout "Raindrops". It is punchy, anthemic pop-rock with an exhilaratingly soulful hook that makes a passionate plea to be given another chance. In the process, it also encourages us to keep the faith that good times will soon follow bad. The track was written solely by Rick Astley. It was produced by his long-term friend, the two-time Grammy. Rick says about the single: “‘Raindrops’ is about letting the person you love the most down. They’ve seen your worst and you want to know is this the end, you can feel the ‘Raindrops’ falling and know the pain you’ve caused but you’re asking for one more chance. Let the healing begin and let’s try again.

New Music: Going Shopping

           

After teasing the release of their long-overdue seventh record Reality Awaits earlier this week, The Strokes have shared the album's first single, "Going Shopping". Musically, it's pretty much what you would expect from The Strokes, with catchy hooks and playful percussion. The main point of difference is the use of auto-tune, with Julian Casablancas’ familiar twang featuring added robot distortion. Reality Awaits is The Strokes’ first long player since 2020’s The New Abnormal. Rick Rubin was tapped to produce, with the album dropping Friday 26 June via Cult Records/RCA Records.

 

Rocktrospectiva: The Groundbreaking "Jessico" Cumple 25 Años

 

Released on 9 April 9, 2001, "Jessico" was the sixth studio album by the Argentinian band Babasónicos. The album propelled the band onto the list of Argentina's most important groups, at a time when the country was experiencing the infamous crisis of December 2001. Four singles were released from the album: "El Loco," "Rubí," "Los Calientes," and "Fizz." 

 

To understand the context of the album's release, 2001 was a chaotic year for Argentina, as the country was going through an economic and political crisis, leading many Argentinian citizens to emigrate to other parts of the world. On this album, the band showcased an innovative, fresh, and trendy sound, which, interestingly, remains a benchmark for Ibero-American rock to this day. It is said that their departure from Sony at that time and the loss of a member motivated them to create something great. The band had just released "Miami," the album that marked the end of their contract with Sony. 

 

Now this wasn't just another album; it was clearly intended to be, in its own unique way, the pop album that would cement their success. It offered a varied and playful sound, with hints of sensuality and a certain modern sensibility. Although somewhat disorganized, with too much irony and information overload (elaborate orchestrations coexisting with samples, rancheras, instrumental passages, and ballads), it was difficult for the general public to digest it according to the band's expectations, and this is what would ultimately define the album. With "Jessico," they had it all: a danceable, joyful, edgy, and sensual album. "Jessico" ushered in a new era and revolutionized the Argentine pop scene in a powerful and spectacular way. The band, then formed by Adrián Dárgelos, Gabo Manelli, Diego “Uma” Rodriguez, Diego “Uma-T” Tuñón, Diego “Panza” Castellano, and Mariano Roger, was about to make a breakthrough. 

 

From the very beginning, its quality was evident, starting with the opener, the magical and unusual "Los Calientes," a mellow rock track enveloping playful lyrics that put them back at their peak and which would become the fourth official single. Next came the playful and somewhat DEVO-esque "Fizz," followed by the odd track—perhaps due to the fish video featuring "Delectrico"—which would be the third single from the set. The album showcased their essence more than ever; the drums sounded better than ever, seasoning the rhythm and shaping the central sonic concept. Furthermore, Dárgelos' lyrics were better than ever, focused on seduction, hedonistic characters, and suggestive body language. Of course, special mention must be made of the bizarre and brilliant "El Loco," the album's first official single, which is probably the song that best reflects this spirit, introducing the sound of the koto to all Argentine radio stations. A strange ballad of metaphysical helplessness that positioned them at the top with both the public and critics. Also worth mentioning is the sensual "Rubí," which released two videos featuring a girl and a boy pleasuring themselves, as well as other tracks like "La Fox," "Tóxica," and "Atomicum," which gave flavor and vibrancy to an album that became a reflection of an era and which, 25 years later, is still widely discussed. 

 

The album undoubtedly stands out as the defining moment that separates two distinct periods for the band, both in terms of continuity and creation. It demonstrates their awareness of what was happening and how they used it to their advantage to create this masterpiece. This is why it was ranked as one of the best not only in the Argentinian scene but also across much of Latin America. Its reception was excellent, both from critics and listeners who continue to love it to this day.

 

Jessico Track List: 

 

1. Los Calientes

2. Fizz

3. Deléctrico

4. Soy Rock

5. Pendejo

6. El Loco

7. La Fox

8. Tóxima

9. Yoli

10. Rubí

11. Camarín 

12. Atomicum

News: The Strokes Announces New Album

A new Strokes album draws near. The band has shared a retro teaser video featuring a 1980s Nissan 300ZX and the tagline "In the Flesh, it's Even Sexier," which confirms that their seventh studio album is called Reality Awaits. It will be out June 26.

 

Reality Awaits will mark the first Strokes LP since 2020's The New Abnormal. That record earned Julian Casablancas & co. their first Grammy. In 2024, Casablancas' band the Voidz released the album Like All Before You. The Strokes are performing at Coachella this weekend. They’re also headlining Bonnaroo and Outside Lands in the summer.

 

Reality Awaits Track List:

 

1. Psycho Shit

2. Dine N’Dash

3. Lonely in the Future

4. Falling out of Love

5. Going to Babble On

6. Going Shopping

7. Liar’s Remorse

8. The Fruits of Conquest

9. Pros and Cons

New Music: Cult Of Celebrity

            

Lambrini Girls; The British punks call out hypocritical elites on their first new music since Who Let the Dogs Out, the single "Cult Of Celebrity" sees Phoebe Lunny and Selin Macieira tear into the dark hypocrisy of the wealthy elite, particularly following the headlines of recent years. The new song comes with a devilish music video directed by Harv Frost. Lambrini Girls said when unveiling the track. “However, due to recent events come to light – it turns out that the elite are very much actually the devil incarnate, baby eating, pedos. What a fucking surprise! They had no souls to sell in the first place.”

 

Rocktrospectiva: The Tougher And Lushy "Ringleader Of The Tormentors" Turns 10

Released on 3 April 2006 "Ringleader Of The Tormentors" was the 8th., studio album by the English alternative rock singer Morrissey.  The album was described as showcasing "a thicker, more rock-driven sound", which Morrissey attributed to new guitarist Jesse Tobias. Spawning four singles "You Have Killed Me", "The Youngest Was The Most Loved", "In The Future's When All's Well" & "I Just Want To See The Boy Happy."  The album debuted at number 1 in the UK Albums Chart and number 27 in the US, and also reached number 1 in Sweden, Malta, and Greece.

Recording for the album commenced in late August 2005 in Rome, Italy. Mixing began in late October 2005. Initially, Morrissey was to record the album with producer Jeff Saltzman; however, he could not undertake the project. Producer Tony Visconti, of T. Rex and David Bowie fame, took over the production role and Morrissey announced that Ringleader of the Tormentors is to be "the most beautiful—perhaps the most gentle—so far". Visconti wrote on his website: "We have been working on the music and each day it just sounds better and better. I find every musician in the band a joy to work with. Morrissey's vocals are passionate and confident. Right now I'm at the mixing stage and most of the musicians have gone home. I am two-thirds of the way through one of the best albums I've ever worked on, with not only Morrissey at his best, but the plot has twists and turns which somehow involve film composer Ennio Morricone and an Italian children's choir. That should whet your appetite, you Moz fans, you!"

The album opener "I Will See You in Far-Off Places" had grinding glam guitars and a couple of waspish one-liners. The second track "Dear God Please Help Me" proceeded with a stately, lovely piano figure, a funereal organ and the image of Morrissey strolling through his adopted hometown of Rome in the usual melancholy haze, "so very tired of doing the right thing". Thinking about the metaphor here of Mozza testicles, "Dear God," he adds, as indeed you might if you were trying to walk through the Eternal City while suffering from distended testicles, "please help me."

The brilliant "You Have Killed Me" where Mozza compared himself to film director Pier Paolo Pasolini, who compellingly illustrated the downside of trawling the vias for a shag, when a bit of rough trade he picked up in Ostia ran him over with his own Alfa Romeo. Much of Ringleader of the Tormentors was given over to fretting about the effect that admitting sexual satisfaction - or, apparently more disastrous still, love - might have on Morrissey's image. "I am the same underneath," protested the album's remarkable centrepiece for many, "Life Is a Pigsty," as if trying to reassure both his fans and himself. The following song titled "I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now." It's all a bit ridiculous - in the admittedly unlikely event that Morrissey was filmed throttling a kitten, thousands of fans would storm the chatrooms claiming it was the kitten's fault - but nevertheless, this seems to have inspired some of his most impressive songs in years.

Then the "At Last I Am Born" was a fabulously overblown, deliriously joyful closer. Here, as a way to separate from "You Are The Quarry", the violins are not only real, but scored by Ennio Morricone. T Rex producer Tony Visconti lends everything a muscular authority. They have even splashed out on a children's choir, who turn The Youngest Was the Most Loved's refrain - "there is no such thing in life as normal" - into something impossibly moving.

Ringleader of the Tormentors had a mystery and magic of its own and received positive reviews from most critics, stating the album was musically, it's both tougher and lusher than You Are the Quarry, with proper orchestrations replacing that album's nasty synthetic strings.

 

Ringleader Of The Tormentors Track List:  

 

1. I Will See You In Far-Off Places

2. Dear God Please Help Me

3. You Have Killed Me

4. The Youngest Was The Most Loved

5. In The Future When All's Well

6. The Father Who Must Be Killed

7. Life Is A Pigsty

8. I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now

9. On The Streets I Ran

10. To Me You Are A Work Of Art

11. I Just Want To See The Boy Happy

12. At Last I Am Born

Rocktrospectiva: The Smooth And Setting The Tone "Mama Said" Turns 35

Released on 2 April 1991 "Mama Said" was the second studio album by US rock musician Lenny Kravits, the album had the collaboration of Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash who co-wrote and played on the song "Always on the Run". He also played on the song "Fields of Joy". The song "All I Ever Wanted" was co-written by Sean Lennon. The album spawned five singles "Always On The Run", "It Ain't Over ('Til It's Over)", "Fields Of Joy", "Stand By My Woman", "What The Fuck Are We Saying", "What Goes Around Comes Around".

When Kravitz released his gold-certified debut album Let Love Rule through Virgin Records in 1989, the biracial, dreadlocked performer reintroduced the pop music landscape to the prolific, one-man-show dipped in a Sixties-themed vibe. Of course, something had changed when Kravitz, frequently told by record executives that his music wasn't black enough, came back and released his second album Mama Said.

The artist formerly known as Romeo Blue had just come off tour from promoting Let Love Rule, so he was seemingly well on his way to superstardom (or so we thought). His highly-publicized marriage to actress Lisa Bonet, known to television audiences as the free-spirited Denise Huxtable on both The Cosby Show and A Different World, was beginning to deteriorate, leaving a devastated Kravitz to find ways to deal with the heartache. His rising fame and success didn’t make things any better, he was mildly depressed, causing him to go into a brief period of hibernation. Still, with Mama Said, Kravitz, a love child of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, poured his respect and feelings onto wax. The only problem was, like the slew of major record companies that continuously turned down his demo tape, the music critics were equally as reluctant to really understand and appreciate his musical integrity.

Mama Said started off with "Fields of Joy," opening with a folky acoustic riff backing Kravitz's psychedelic vocals resembling post-Beatles John Lennon. Guitarist Slash contributes some funk/rock shredding to boot. The Guns N’ Roses member had a recurring role, joining Kravitz and Earth, Wind & Fire’s horn section, The Phenix Horns, on the Led Zeppelin-esque "Always On the Run." The track "Stand By My Woman" was one of the album's more remorseful moments, allowing Kravitz to be vulnerable over gospel-inspired pianos and organs.

Them the hit "It Ain't Over Til It's Over" earned Kravitz his highest pop chart position, peaking at No.2 . The single married his Curtis Mayfield-inspired falsetto with chunky Stax Records guitars and a lush MFSB-flavored (possibly Love Unlimited Orchestra) string arrangement. "More Than Anything In This World," was like many of Kravitz's latter recordings, presents his knack for laying down echoing vocals, specifically with an ambient Sunday morning feel. "What Goes Around Comes Around" revisited againg Mayfield.

The blues-influenced track "The Difference Is Why" and "When the Morning Turns to Night." "Stop Draggin' Around" poured Jimi Hendrix's guitar effects underneath a harmonious Sly Stone groove and vocal arrangement. The lullaby-resembling "Flowers for Zoe" was a tender hommage to his daughter, now young actress and singer herself. The echoing "All I Ever Wanted," was an auditory rendition of an empathetic Kravitz on bended knees, filtering Al Green’s spirit through Robert Plant’s screeching pipes.

The concerned "What the Fuck Are We Saying?," showed Kravitz taking crash courses in studying Stevie Wonder's lyricism on Innervisions and Brian Eno’s (or maybe Kraftwerk’s) synthesizer methodology. And finally "Butterfly" closer of Mama Said, resembling singer-songwriters like Jim Croce, Joni Mitchell, John Denver and even Lennon again. 

Critics were mixed some still considered him as remain a promising but minor artist. And keep borrowing those said musical elements, however, clearly worked to Kravitz's advantage. Mama Said became the entertainer’s first Top 40 album on the Billboard 200, peaking at #39. Basically, the album was not Kravitz's crowning moment in the studio and for record retailers, but definitely set the tone for what was about to come for Kravitz down the line. 

 

Mama Said Track List:  

 

1. Fields Of Joy

2. Always On The Run

3. Stand By My Woman

4. It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over

5. More Than Anything In This World

6. What Goes Around Comes Around

7. The Difference Is Why

8. Stop Draggin' Around

9. Flowers For Zoe

10. Filed Of Joy (Reprise)

11. All I Ever Wanted

12. When The Morning Turns To Night

13. What The Fuck Are We Saying?

14. Butterly 

Rocktrospectiva: The Energetic "Super" Turns 10

Released on 1 April 2016, "Super" was the 13th., studio album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was released on the band's own label, x2, through Kobalt Label Services. Super debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart, and it was number one on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart, the album spawned five singles "The Pop Kids", "Twenty-Something", "Inner Sanctum", "Say It To Me", & "Undertow".

Super was the second in a trilogy of albums produced by Stuart Price, preceded by Electric (2013) and followed by Hotspot (2020). As on the first album, the music on Super was purely electronic, with no additional instruments. Pet Shop Boys wrote 25 songs between November 2014 and July 2015, working in London and, mainly, Berlin. Twelve were ultimately used on the album, with an emphasis on upbeat electronic dance tracks.

"The Pop Kids" was the first song written for Super. The music originated as a demo titled "Munich", written in that city by Chris Lowe during the Progress Live tour in 2011. Neil Tennant added the lyrics during the album writing sessions, telling a story about two students and their shared love of pop music. The music of "Twenty-something" was inspired by reggaeton, which Lowe heard at a club in Bogota, while the lyrics refer to young professionals in London. "Sad Robot World" was written after the duo were given a tour of the Wolfsburg Volkswagen Plant, where they saw cars being washed by robotic arms.

Some tracks on Super were largely instrumental, with only a few lyrics and non-traditional song structures. "Pazzo!", meaning "crazy" in Italian, was made using a collection of sounds saved from another track. "Inner Sanctum" celebrates an exclusive club experience; the duo imagined how it would sound in the Berlin nightclub Berghain as they worked on it. Tracks that were not used for Super included more conventional pop songs, as well as some dark, topical songs like "In Bits", which became a b-side of "The Pop Kids", and "The Lost Room", which was eventually released with other Super-era tracks on the Lost EP (2023).

Pet Shop Boys teased Super in January 2016 with an anonymous poster and social media campaign using the circle logo (pictured), leading to the now-defunct website What Is Super, which featured a brief music clip. On 21 January, the site went live with the album announcement, along with a video preview of the song "Inner Sanctum". Super was made available for pre-order on compact disc, vinyl, or digital download. 

The album was released with colour variations of cover. Each format was given its own fluorescent colour scheme. The different music streaming services also have their own colour schemes

Super received generally favourable reviews from music critics. Some described it as a record that's frequently playful, vibrant and witty and shows off all the hallmarks of classic Pet Shop Boys… 'Super' was confirmation of their position at the head of the pop pantheon with an album brimming with excitement and fizzing with energy". Other critics said that  Super was a grower and a brave rejection of pipe and slippers, embracing the mythical dance floor with admirably vacuous experimentation, even if it mines the mid-nineties, when dance music grew least interesting, but other stated that the album offered nothing new but definitely it was made for fans caused the brand was already established.

 

Super Track List:  

 

1. Happiness

2. The Pop Kids

3. Twenty-Something

4. Groovy

5. The Dictator Decides

6. Pazzo!

7. Inner Sanctum

8. Undertow

9. Sad Robot World

10. Say It To Me

11. Burn

12. Into Thin Air

Rocktrospectiva: The Sweet And Lighter Underrated "Book Of Love" Turns 40

Released on 1 April 1986 "Book Of Love" was the self-titled debut studio album by the US synth-pop band Book Of Love, the album apwned four singles "Boy", "I Touch Roses", "You Make Me Feel So Good", & "Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes)". 

The Philadelphia-based synthpop quartet Book of Love released their debut, Book of Love, in the spring of 1986, when synthpop was at its peak in the mid-1980s. During 1984 and 1985, the band recorded various demos at the recording studio Noise, in midtown Manhattan. One of the demos was the song "Boy", a toe-tapping tale of teen-girl angst featuring tubular bells and a skip-along beat. Noise recording studio had many bells and chimes available at the band's disposal. Reflecting on that time, Ted Ottaviano stated, "I was fascinated with Altered Images and other bands that were incorporating bells and chimes into their music. Long brass chimes, tubular bells, whatever. It sounded right, for the time." Keyboardist Lauren Roselli gave a copy of the "Boy" demo to disc jockey Ivan Ivan, who had recently co-produced the dancefloor hit "The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight" by Dominatrix. Ivan forwarded the demo to Sire Records president Seymour Stein, who subsequently signed the group to his label in August 1984.

In 1985, the band began recording what would become their debut album at Unique Recording with Ivan Ivan as producer. The band recorded two tracks for the single, "Boy" and the band's theme song "Book of Love". "Boy" was released as a single, and became a huge dance club hit, peaking at no. 7 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

After having a hit with "Boy", the band quit their day jobs. While doing promotion for the single, the band met Depeche Mode at a party hosted by Rockpool (modern rock promotion company). Subsequently, the band was offered the opening slot on the North American leg of Depeche Mode's Some Great Reward Tour. Starting in Washington, D.C., on March 14, 1985, the band, still without an album, joined the tour with Depeche Mode, playing coast to coast throughout their fifteen North American tour dates.

Upon returning from the Depeche Mode tour, the band went straight into the recording studio to record "Happy Day" for inclusion on the UK single of "Boy". The remainder of the summer was spent on a small club tour of the southern states that the Depeche Mode tour had skipped over, and recording the songs "I Touch Roses" and "Lost Souls" for the next single. A second single, "I Touch Roses", was then released in September 1985. Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records and producer of Depeche Mode, remixed the song as a single remix and an extended 'Full Bloom Version' for the European single that was released in early 1986. "I Touch Roses" became a big club hit, peaking at no. 8 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Because of the success of "I Touch Roses", the band got a green light to finish the album.

Up until the end of the summer of 1985, the band had only recorded five songs. ("Boy", "Book of Love", "Happy Day", "I Touch Roses", and "Lost Souls") Following the success of I Touch Roses", the band resumed work on the album in September 1985 at Unique Recording and Sigma Sound Studios in New York City, recording the seven new songs that would make up the rest of their debut album. Instruments the band used to record the album were various synthesizers (Oberheim Xpander, Yamaha DX-7, Casio CZ-1000, Roland Juno 6, Roland JX-8P), an E-mu Emulator sampler, piano, tubular bells, chimes, melodica, and both acoustic and electronic percussion (Yamaha RX-11 drum machine, Simmons Toms). The main songwriting duties on Book of Love fell to Ted Ottaviano, with Susan Ottaviano co-writing six of the tracks, and Jade Lee contributing to two. One of the songs recorded was a cover song of "Die Matrosen" ("The Sailor", in English), originally by the all-girl Swiss post-punk band LiLiPUT, which features a catchy chorus of whistling. Recording of the album was finally finished in January 1986.

"You Make Me Feel So Good" was released as the first official single from the record on July 31, 1986, and became Book of Love's first CHR radio hit. In April 1986, a music video was filmed on location in New York City for "You Make Me Feel So Good" and released in late July along with the single to promote the album. In 1986, Depeche Mode once again asked the band to be their opening act. Finally with an album to promote, Book of Love toured as the opening act on the massive Depeche Mode Black Celebration Tour, joining the band's first European leg on April 29, 1986 in Hanover, West Germany, and playing 48 shows in twelve weeks throughout the full North American leg which ended on July 15, 1986, in Irvine, California.

A second official and final single taken from the album, "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)", was released in April, 1987. The song was a dance club hit, peaking at no. 17 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, becoming as popular as New Order and Depeche Mode singles in clubs at its peak. "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" is an ode to Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani. The track was penned by Jade Lee, Susan and Ted Ottaviano (no relation), who had all been art school students and were inspired by the Italian painter's paintings and history.

The four-minute 'Requiem Mass' remixed version of "Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)" was featured in an episode of Miami Vice on November 6, 1987, and both the original single and 'Requiem Mass' remix were used in the 1987 film Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Upon release, Book of Love did not chart, receiving little attention among the large number of new wave and synthpop albums at the time. Four of the album's tracks were released as singles, which charted successfully on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Dance Singles Sales charts in the US.Meanwhile some critics called the album's music as sweeter and lighter than much of this genre, and vocalist Susan Ottaviano has a matter-of-fact phrasing style that keeps it all from getting too sweet."

 

Book Of Love Track List:

 

1. Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes)

2. You Make Me Feel So Good

3. Still Angry

4. White Lies

5. Lost Souls

6. Late Show

7. I Touch Roses

8. Yellow Sky

9. Boy

10. Happy Day

11. Die Matrosen

12. Book Of Love&