It’s a busy week for new music releases. Keep your ears open for new music from Acceptance, Crystal Fairy, Old 97s, Steel Panther, Thundercat, and more.
Colliding by Design, Acceptance
In their early days, Seattle-based pop/rock band Acceptance were off to a great start. They were touring with bands like Seether and Anberlin and appeared at festivals like Warped Tour and Cornerstone Festival. Shortly after their first album, Phantoms, was released in 2005, the band split up. Ten years later, Acceptance announced that they were reuniting, and this week they’re finally releasing their second album, Colliding by Design. In December, Rise Records posted a video for the first single, “Diagram of a Simple Man.” Last month, they added a lyric video for the single “Haunted” on their YouTube channel. If you’re a pop punk fan who doesn’t remember Acceptance from your MySpace days, be sure to check them out now that they’re back.
"Tracklist:1. Diagram of a Simple Man2. Colliding By Design3. We Can Escape4. Come Closer5. Goodbye6. 737. Fire and Rain8. Sunset9. Haunted10. When I Was Cursed11. Golden"
Crystal Fairy, Crystal Fairy
If you were ever a fan of the Melvins, At the Drive-In, Mars Volta, or Le Butcherettes, you may be excited to hear the debut album from a band called Crystal Fairy. Members of Crystal Fairy include Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover (Melvins), Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (At the Drive-In, Mars Volta), and Teri Gender Bender (Le Butcherettes). Crystal Fairy is just the kind of psychedelic, energetic, alt/punk aural adventure you’d expect from this kind of collaboration. To get a better idea of what you’re in for with Crystal Fairy’s self-titled debut album, check out the first three singles — “Chiseler,” “Drugs on the Bus,” and “Crystal Fairy” — on their Bandcamp page.
"Tracklist:1. Chiseler2. Drugs on the Bus3. Necklace of Divorce4. Moth Tongue5. Crystal Fairy6. Secret Agent Rat7. Under Trouble8. Bent Teeth9. Posesión10. Sweet Self11. Vampire X-Mass"
Graveyard Whistling, Old 97s
The alt-country kings known as the Old 97s are back with a new album, a follow up to their 2014 hit Most Messed Up. The album, titled Graveyard Whistling, is the band’s 11th studio album. The first single, “Good with God,” features Grammy-nominated Brandi Carlile as the voice of God. Other collaborations on the album include Butch Walker and Nicole Atkins. It’s no surprise that the Old 97s enjoy consistency, considering that they’ve had the same lineup for the past two decades. Keeping with that theme, they recorded this latest album in the same studio where they recorded their first album, Too Far to Care, back in the mid-1990s. For fans who want to build their vinyl collections, you’ll have a choice of four differently colored covers — red, blue, green, silver — that come with matching translucent albums.
"Tracklist:1. I Don’t Wanna Die in This Town2. Bad Luck Charm3. All Who Wander4. Jesus Loves You5. Good with God (feat. Brandi Carlile)6. She Hates Everybody7. Irish Whiskey Pretty Girls8. Nobody9. Drinkin’ Song10. Turns out I’m Trouble11. Those Were the Days"
Lower the Bar, Steel Panther
How do you explain a band like Steel Panther to someone who has never heard of them? It would be easy to dismiss them as a joke band if they weren’t so good at what they do. Think of something a bit more serious than Spinal Tap but equally as fun and entertaining. Steel Panther is essentially a parody of the 80s glam metal hair bands — lots of AquaNet, neon colors, and leopard print — but without all of the Behind the Music-esque drama. They’ve even toured with many of the bands they’re sort of mocking, like Motley Crue and Def Leppard. And now Steel Panther is set to release their fifth studio album, Lower the Bar. Try not to snicker when you see some of these track titles. They’re cheesy, raunchy, and just plain fun.
"Tracklist:1. Goin’ in the Backdoor2. Anything Goes3. Poontang Boomerang4. That’s When You Came In5. Wrong Side of the Tracks (Out in Beverly Hills)6. Now the Fun Starts7. Pussy Ain’t Free8. Explicit9. I Got What You Want10. Walk of Shame11. She’s Tight"
Drunk, Thundercat
If you liked Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, you owe it to yourself to check out Thundercat’s new album, Drunk. Thundercat, stage name of musician Stephen Bruner, was a major player on Lamar’s album, earning a Grammy in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category for “These Walls.” Over the past several years, Thundercat has worked with artists like Erykah Badu, Childish Gambino, Ty Dolla Sign, and Suicidal Tendencies. Somewhere along the way, he found time to record his own album and it’s finally available this Friday. Among the tracks are a collaboration with Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald on “Show You the Way.” It may seem like an odd pairing but Thundercat makes it work. And if you need a new song for your breakup playlist, look for “Friend Zone.”
"Tracklist1. Rabbot Ho2. Captain Stupido3. Uh Uh4. Bus in These Streets5. A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song II)6. Lava Lamp7. Jethro8. Day & Night9. Show You the Way (featuring Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins)10. Walk On By (featuring Kendrick Lamar)11. Blackkk12. Tokyo13. Jameel’s Space Ride14. Friend Zone15. Them Changes16. Where I’m Going17. Drink Dat (featuring Wiz Khalifa)18. Inferno (featuring Tom Smith)19. I Am Crazy20. 3AM21. Drunk22. The Turn Down (featuring Pharrell)23. DUI"
Next: On Ed Sheeran’s Birthday, He Gave us All a Gift with a New Song
Other new music releases this week include Brian Owens, Dams of the West (a solo project from Vampire Weekend’s Chris Tomson), Los Campesinos!, Rhiannon Giddens, The Feelies, and Xiu Xiu. There’s also a new Sun Kil Moon album out, Common As Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood.