Tame Impala Sending You a Valentine

Modern Rock

By Kristi Kates | Jan. 25, 2020

Tame Impala has just announced the upcoming release date for its newest album, Slow Rush. The set will hit outlets on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, and includes the band’s previously released singles “Borderline” and “It Might Be Time.” The set was recorded in two locations: frontman Kevin Parker’s hometown of Fremantle, Australia, and Los Angeles. A heavy ’70s influence can be heard on the album’s tracks, which also feature more of Parker’s introspective lyrics …

The National’s Matt Berninger and his wife, songwriter Carin Besser, collaborated on a last-minute song for the off-Broadway play "Cyrano," which played recently at the Daryl Roth Theater in Manhattan. The National had previously composed the rest of the soundtrack for Cyrano, but with the show still in previews, Berninger and Besser were able to add in the new song, “Write Me a Love Song,” just in time to be featured in the play — featuring Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage in the title role — that retells the classic story of Cyrano de Bergerac …

Indie singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis appears as a comic version of herself in the latest issue of the comic book series "Jughead’s Time Police" (Archie Comics), in which the musician walks up to the Jughead/Archie gang and compliments their work as they’re practicing for a Battle of the Bands show. Lewis was chosen for the comic book inclusion because of her indie rock work and her fashion sense, which the scriptwriter (Sina Grace) and artist (Derek Charm) reportedly thought would fit in well with the Jughead/Archie aesthetic …

A group of West Michigan musicians have revived a set of long-forgotten Michigan folk songs, releasing them on the album Michigan-I-O, a project partially inspired by music historian and song collector Alan Lomax. The musicians — who include banjoist/guitarist Andy Bast, guitarist/singer Noah McLaren, mandolin player Jonathan Gabhart, and harmonium player Bruce Benedict — trekked to the Upper Peninsula to arrange and record the tunes, all of which were written prior to 1939. Tracks on the album include “Traverse City,” “Johnnie Carleses’ Lumber Camp,” “The Lumberjack’s Alphabet,” and “Red Iron Ore”…

LINK OF THE WEEK
The Weeknd recently stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for two nights, and on one, performed his newest single, “Blinding Lights,” with an ambitious mirrored cameras effect that was fascinating to watch. See for yourself at https://youtu.be/sveiX_mA9A4 …
 
THE BUZZ
Michigan modern jazz band Blushing Monk, fresh from the recent International Wine, Beer, and Food Festival in Grand Rapids, are prepping a full-length album for release later this year…

Umphrey’s McGee and the New Deal are set to perform live at The Fillmore in Detroit on Feb. 1 …

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony will rock the Sound Board at the Motor City Casino on Feb. 6 …
Fashionable Ferndale folk-roots-rock outfit Remnose are playing gigs around the state to promote their 2019 album, Waiting on the Wind, which was recorded at Stone House Recording in Grand Rapids … and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.

Comments, questions, rants, raves, suggestions on this column? Send ’em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com.