I would like to add this disclaimer to the 3-Stars Blog. This is very much a reactionary blog. Not every song I highlight is brand new. And especially since this is still a new venture, there may be songs I’m just now finding that have been out for a while. While I really am searching for the latest in new and interesting music, sometimes I find something that’s been in our stream of consciousness for several months. I am working on it. Either way, music discovery is about finding something that moves you and then sharing it. With that in mind, here we go…
The Number 3 Star: Sexless – Mary Middlefield
When the opening line of a song is “I haven’t had sex in the last year,” you immediately have my attention. In interviews, the Swiss-born artist has said this song takes the shame out of not prioritizing physical intimacy and wanting to be alone. The track can be found on Middlefield’s sophomore release, Poetry (for the scored and lonely).
The Number 2 Star: POP POP POP – IDLES
Imagine if Soul Coughing never broke up…and were British. That’s the feel of this new track from the five-man from Bristol. “POP POP POP” is the fourth release from their fifth album, Tangk.
The Number 1 Star: Favourite – Fontaines D.C.
Our returning champions have a new album out next month. Meantime, we’ll get to satiate our appetite for new music from Dublin City’s (hence the “D.C.”) favourite sons (sure…a play on the title). Not that the Fontaines needed to bolster their street cred, the new album, Romance, was produced by Blur and Arctic Monkey’s producer James Ford.
Ian Shane is the author of In Ten Years, Postgraduate and Radio Radio and creator of the blog, Liner Notes. His “almost memoir,” Sundry Notes of Music, is now available in paperback and Kindle. He currently lives in Denver with his cats.