NEW RADICALS – “ONE NIGHT ONLY (BREAK LOOSE BREAK FREE!)”
I love a surprise come back. Back in the ’90s, New Radicals put out one good record with one perfect song, “You Get What You Give.” They made a great music video, became a hit, and then called it a day. Frontman Gregg Alexander went on to write and produce music for other artists that won him a Grammy (“The Game of Love” by Santana), got him nominated for an Oscar, or just became huge hits. With no real reason to ever go back, someone must have been very convincing (or poured enough liquid courage), because the New Radicals are back for “One Night Only (Beak Loose Break Free!).”
The movie soundtrack one-off sounds like it could have been on that early release; it’s filled with that high-octane optimism that made “You Get What You Give” such an earworm. This one probably won’t take away their one hit wonder status, but it’s always nice to welcome back an old friend.
Stream • Universal
PRIMAL SCREAM – VANISHING POINT (EXPANDED)
This Friday you can get your hands on the first part of Primal Scream‘s “Bunker Trilogy” with their expanded reissue of 1997’s Vanishing Point. Frontman Bobby Gillespie explained, “The albums constituting The Bunker Trilogy were the complete antithesis of everything that was going on in UK music in the 1990s. We were making uncompromising aggressive experimental pop and rock music with lyrics about psychic dislocation, addiction, alienation, depression, questioning our very existence and documenting the dark sleazy underbelly of UK youth culture.” A perfect album to toss on to dissociate, with additional B-sides, rarities, new liner notes, and a fresh mix.
Stream • Sony • Connect: @primalscreamofficial
TOM TOM CLUB – LET THERE BE LOVE (7LP REISSUE)
Tom Tom Club often gets reduced to “the band that did ‘Genius of Love,'” but Let There Be Love reminds us there’s a whole lot more to the story. This expansive 7LP collection gathers all six studio albums from Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth‘s long-running side project, tracing a musical journey that stretches from New Wave into funk, reggae, dance music, and early hip-hop influences.
Stream • Rhino • Connect: @thetomtomclub
VARIOUS ARTISTS – NOW YEARBOOK ’99: EXTRA
The ’90s were so weirdly diverse, sure, it was boy bands and pop girls, nu metal and the death of grunge, but dig deeper and you get a Blondie comeback, underrated Duran Duran, Hole with a clean and sober Courtney Love. Now Yearbook ’99: Extra is a deep dive into the deeper cuts of 1999 with 61 songs pulled out on pink vinyl.
Sony/EMI • Connect: @nowmusic
