New Music Monday: Modest Mouse, AWOLNATION, Death Grips, and More!

Happy Monday music maniacs! LIke new stuff? Great! You’ve come to the right place. Each week all sorts of audiolicious goodies are unleashed onto the masses and this is where they come to be judged. I’ll tell ya what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s a waste of your time. Thanks for stopping by!

The Big News!
Huge week this week! Last week Mumford and Sons returned from a short hiatus, released a new single and announced a new record and tour dates. This week long lost American alternative legends Modest Mouse return from their Fortress of Solitude in the Pacific Northwest to release their highly anticipated sixth record Strangers to Ourselves. With the exception of a few EP’s and other jargon, it’s been eight years since the last record, 2007’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, and fans and critics both are excited for this new one. The Skinny says “it sounds like they never went away” and says “as re-introductions go, it’s pretty close to perfect”. The San Francisco Gate praises the record for capturing “the full breadth of [Issac, band founder and front man] Brock’s eccentricities”, and the fact that the record keeps the band’s “essence intact”.

For the last two years or so AWOLNATION has been everywhere, movies, television, radio, video games, etc. Get ready for round two as the LA based, Red Bull funded electro-rockers unveil their sophomore effort, Run, this week. Also, check out their appearance on the Fifty Shades of Gray soundtrack.

Metal Mania
Portuguese metal warriors Moonspell unleash their Blabbermouth praised “lush, tuneful, and often beautifully constructed” eleventh effort, Extinct.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d262qdmbz5A

Folksy Dolksy
Avett Brothers brother Seth Avett and singer/songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield, two of my favorite people in the world, have teamed up to release a tribute to Elliot Smith called Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield Sing Elliot Smith. Rolling Stone says the album is a “bare boned project with subtle production highlighting the duo’s gentle harmonies and soft-spoken guitar playing”. It’s a wonderful release from two accomplished artists (Mayfield’s last record was genius), and their going to tour on it this spring.

Omaha, NE based lo-fi subterranean homesick blueser Simon Joyner, releases his 13th record, and first since 2012, Grass, Branch, and Bone, a “meditative and pastoral” follow-up to his last masterpiece Ghost.

https://soundcloud.com/woodsist/simon-joyner-you-got-under-my-skin

Solo Stuff
Dire Straits dude and good friend of Bob Dylan, the masterful Mark Knopfler returns with Tracker, his eighth solo record. The Guardian calls it “an album that could have been written for the jukebox of a crumbling backstreets pub”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1mUOnwi-68

Cool country chick Allison Moorer returns with her ninth release, the “honest” and “very upfront“ Down to Believing.

My Recommendation
No brainer. This week’s recommendation is the new Death Grips, Jenny Death, the second half of the alterna-rap monster mash featuring MC Ride and drummer Zach Hill. If you aren’t familiar with Death Grips check out this fantastic piece by Andrew Tran as an introduction.

Next Week
Tune in next week, same new music time, same new music channel, for new LIGHTNING BOLT – it’s streaming now on NPR, go check it out!!!