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Next Week in Music | June 17-23 • 150 New Releases Headed Your Way

All the music you'll be adding to your playlist next week. And then some.

2019-06-16

It’s another one of those odd weeks in the new-music game. While there are more than 150 albums, EPs and singles dropping between now and next Friday, only a handful are from major-label heavyweights. So it might be a good time to catch up on some of those smaller releases you’ve been neglecting lately. I’ll try and get to a few myself. Meanwhile, here’s a look at what’s due this week. Mark your calendars and pre-order your favourites — but don’t blame me if things change at the last minute:

THE SHORT LIST

The Raconteurs
Help Us Stranger

THE PRESS RELEASE: “The Raconteurs – Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler – have announced the release of their long-awaited new album, Help Us Stranger, which is the Grammy Award-winning rock band’s third studio LP and first new album in more than a decade. Help Us Stranger sees the mighty combo reassembled, stronger and perhaps even more vital than ever before as they continue to push rock ‘n’ roll forward into its future, bonding prodigious riffs, blues power, sinewy psychedelia, Detroit funk, and Nashville soul via Benson and White’s uncompromising songcraft and the band’s steadfast musical muscle. With Help Us Stranger, The Raconteurs have returned right when they are needed most, unified and invigorated with boundless ambition, infinite energy and a collectivist spirit operating at the peak of its considerable powers, once again creating a sound and fury only possible when all four of its members come together.”

Buddy & Julie Miller
Breakdown on 20th Ave. South

THE PRESS RELEASE: “Both Buddy & Julie Miller admit that Breakdown on 20th Ave. South took longer than expected. After initially starting work following the release of Written in Chalk in 2009, Julie was waylaid by health issues she continues to battle. With time on his schedule, Buddy became more in-demand than ever as a collaborator for Robert Plant & Alison Krauss during their Raising Sand tour and producing standout albums by Plant, Solomon Burke, Richard Thompson, Shawn Colvin & Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, The War & Treaty and more. He also joined T Bone Burnett on the musical team working on the hit ABC-TV series Nashville, and following Burnett’s departure, became the show’s executive music producer.
“I wrote the song I’m Gonna Make You Love Me as a message to Buddy, because we kept putting off making our album because he was so busy,” Julie says of the song that set the stage for Breakdown on 20th Ave. South. “In my mind I thought I was always about to get back to work with Julie, but in reality I kept getting put off,” Buddy says. “I apologized a lot. I look back, and I realized I was neglectful. It was a mistake I wish I hadn’t made. What Julie and I create together is fulfilling to me in a way nothing else is, and I should have nurtured it more.” Julie acknowledges the tension that arose in the years between recordings. “It took me too long to communicate how I was feeling,” she said. “I felt as if I was waiting for my turn. I know he feels guilty about it. I was ill, and I was depressed, and that complicated everything. Once he realized how I felt, he was incredibly gracious and he really focused on helping me craft what I wanted to create.” Once Buddy and Julie began work on Breakdown on 20th Ave. South, Julie wrote an astonishing 50 to 60 new songs to select from.”

Hollywood Vampires
Rise

THE PRESS RELEASE: “The Hollywood Vampires return with new music in the form of their explosive second album Rise. Rock ‘n’ roll royalty Joe Perry, Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp, and shock rock icon Alice Cooper join forces once again for the unmissable rock album of 2019. Unlike their 2015 debut record, the new album Rise, produced by Tommy Henriksen and the band, consists mainly of original material written by the band. However, in the spirit of the Vampires’ original mission, there are three covers of songs originally written and recorded by some fellow rockers who died far too young: an intimate and intense version of David Bowie’s Heroes, beautifully performed by Johnny Depp; the late Jim Carroll Band’s People Who Died; and Johnny Thunders’ You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory, sung by Joe Perry. “Rise is not only a totally different animal than the first Vampires album, it is unique to anything I’ve ever been a part of,” says Cooper. “I approached it very differently than I usually do when working on an album. Each of us; Joe, Johnny, Tommy, and myself have written songs on this album. What is different though is that I didn’t try to change any songs to be more ‘Alice-like.’ Because each of us has different influences, the sound of this album is very cool. I think that with this album, we are establishing what the Vampires’ sound really is, whereas with the first album, we were more tipping our hats to our fallen rock ‘n’ roll brothers.”

Willie Nelson
Ride Me Back Home

THE PRESS RELEASE: “The title track Ride Me Back Home is Willie Nelson’s sublime rendering of a song co-written by Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Sonny Throckmorton expressing a love for horses and their spirituality. “Sonny lives right by Willie’s Luck studio,” longtime friend/producer/musical compadre Buddy Cannon pointed out. “He said he wrote that song because he was over there and saw Willie’s horses. I don’t even know if Willie knows that or not.” The horses to which Cannon refers are a group of more than 60 that Willie has adopted over the years, rescuing them from the slaughterhouse and giving them a home on his Luck Ranch. A reflective, upbeat journey through life, love and time’s inescapable rhythms viewed from Willie’s inimitable perspective, Ride Me Back Home finds the artist in full appreciation of every moment, sharing his experience in songs he’s written and songs he loves to sing. This is the 13th album that Cannon has produced for Willie in a little over a decade and the album debuts three new songs co-written by the pair: Come On Time, Seven Year Itch and One More Song to Write.”

Mark Ronson
Late Night Feelings

THE PRESS RELEASE: “Late Night Feelings will feature collaborations with a diverse range of artists including Camila Cabello, Alicia Keys, YEBBA, Angel Olson, King Princess, The Last Artful Dodgr, Diana Gordon, and Ilsey. Mark has described this album as a collection of “sad bangers,” and the single, like much of the album, is emotionally complex and personal. Late Night Feelings feat. Lykke Li boasts an addictive chorus and was written by Mark Ronson, Ilsey Juber, Lykke Li and Stephen Kozmeniuk. The new album comes after a landmark year for Ronson, winning an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy Award for his work with Lady Gaga on Shallow from A Star Is Born. Ronson will make history by becoming the first artist to release an album in five formats simultaneously. Late Night Feelings will be available on CD, vinyl, cassette, and limited editions of 8-track and mini-disc – the latter two available only on Mark’s website.”

THE LONG LIST

Next Week in Music | June 17-23 • 150 New Releases Headed Your Way

THE SHORT LIST

The Raconteurs
Help Us Stranger

Buddy & Julie Miller
Breakdown on 20th Ave. South

Hollywood Vampires
Rise

Willie Nelson
Ride Me Back Home

Mark Ronson
Late Night Feelings

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THE SHORT LIST

The Raconteurs Help Us Stranger

Buddy & Julie Miller Breakdown on 20th Ave. South

Hollywood Vampires Rise

Willie Nelson Ride Me Back Home

Mark Ronson Late Night Feelings

THE LONG LIST

Now Playing | Best New Music

The Shuffle Button

The Raconteurs
Help Us Stranger

Buddy & Julie Miller
Breakdown on 20th Ave. South

Hollywood Vampires
Rise

Willie Nelson
Ride Me Back Home

Mark Ronson
Late Night Feelings