THE AFGHAN WHIGS – SOFT CONTROL
Few artists have aged as gracefully as Greg Dulli. Soft Control finds The Afghan Whigs embracing maturity without sacrificing any of the intensity that has defined the band for four decades. The title reflects Dulli’s evolving perspective on life, trading youthful anger for confidence and self-awareness. Yet songs like “House of I” still deliver a grinding, soulful menace that made The Afghan Whigs one of alternative rock’s most distinctive voices.
Stream • Royal Cream • Connect: @theafghanwhigsofficial
BRANDON FLOWERS – THRASHER
Brandon Flowers wants to “cowboy up” on his new album, THRASHER. He said it’s him finding his way back to his father’s music and that he “discovered that the stories [he carries] really feel most at home in the skin of this beautiful American tradition.” Recorded in Nashville and inspired by his upbringing in Utah, this is Flowers’ most personal solo work to date. Longtime collaborators Shawn Everett and Jonathan Rado help create a sound that’s far removed from the neon glow of “Mr. Brightside.”
Stream • Island • Connect: @brandonflowers
THE TRAGICALLY HIP – LIVE JULY 22-AUGUST 20, 2016
If you aren’t from Canada, you might not understand the weight of The Tragically Hip‘s final tour. They were like the U2 of Canada and frontman Gord Downie was as emotionally connected to fans as Bono. Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, Gord push forward and did one last tour. Live July 22-August 20, 2016 captures that farewell, collecting performances from across the band’s final Man Machine Poem tour before Gord Downie’s death.
Rather than focusing solely on the famous Kingston finale, the collection draws from multiple cities and showcases the full emotional arc of the tour. Songs like “Fifty-Mission Cap” and “Locked In The Trunk Of A Car” remind listeners why The Hip became such a powerful force in Canadian culture.
Stream • Universal • Connect: @thetragicallyhip
WEEZER – WEEZER
“Breaking out another ’90s jam” is how Weezer‘s new song “C.E.O.” starts and lays out the catch 22 of being Weezer. The band wants to keep making new music, but the boss (aka us) just wants, well, another ’90s jam. And there are plenty of “Weezer” sounding songs on the album, like “Shine Again.” But with significant songwriting contributions from Brian Bell and Patrick Wilson alongside Rivers Cuomo, there’s some interesting swings like, “We Might as Well Be Strangers,” which sounds fresh and very 2026 while still topically in the world of Weezer. It’s hard to keep it surprising 30-plus years into a career, but the “Gold Album” provides a couple of unexpected moments.
