This Week's Playlist #66 - The Easter edition
5 songs from albums released 10+ years after their precedessor.
Hello everyone!
This Week’s Playlist - Season 2, episode 14.
Happy Easter, everyone :-) Happy long weekend bank holiday for the European readers.
No guest featured today. Instead, I'm back to an old 2022-style topical newsletter :-)
As Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, as described in the New Testament of the Bible, I decided to pick 5 songs from bands who released a new album after a 10+ years hiatus (i.e. "Back from the Dead" :-))
See you next week.
TL;DR: I'm running a musical newsletter with a new guest sharing 5 songs each week.
There is a YouTube link for each of the songs on the cover, and here are the playlists for each streaming platform:
Tidal (coming soon)
Deezer (coming soon)
Guns N’ Roses - Chinese Democracy
A classic to start with, with the (self-titled) opening track of Chinese Democracy, the infamous GnR album, which took 13M USD and 14 years for Axl Rose and his multiple collaborators to be released. A lot has been written on this album, and its endless recording process.
Reviews were mixed at the release, but the opening track is one of the few I really enjoy (not to the level of "Welcome to the Jungle", of course, but what else is? :-))
Gil Scott-Heron - New York Is Killing Me
Gil Scott-Heron, often dubbed the "Godfather of Rap," was a New York American musician, poet, and activist. His pioneering work in the 70s laid the foundation for the broader hip-hop movement with socially conscious lyrics and spoken words.
This track is from his final album, "I'm New Here", his first release of original music in 16 years, following a period of personal and legal troubles with drug addiction.
Cannibal Ox - Iron Rose (feat. MF Doom)
Cannibal Ox is another avant-garde hip-hop duo from Harlem. Even though they never got as much commercial exposure as their East Coast counterparts, their atmospheric production, intricate wordplay, and dark lyrics give them an influential status in the underground scene.
Their second album, "Blade of the Ronin" (2015), 14 years after their first album, continues to push the boundaries of the genre.
As a bonus, MF Doom delivering a memorable verse adds to the song's dark, gloomy and atmospheric side.
Swans - Lunacy
We're staying in New York for the Swans. Another influential band in the noise/experimental rock community. They started with a very post-punk and industrial sound, but their later works evolved into a unique blend of noise, gothic, and art rock.
The band has gone through various line-up changes over the years. This track is the opening of "To Be Kind", their album of 2012, released after 10 years of dissolution.
Incidentally, Swans are also the first band I saw live in London 10 years ago.
Portishead - The Rip
Another classic to finish this week's playlist: the Bristol-based trip-hop legends Portishead with their signature sound, characterized by haunting melodies, atmospheric production, and Beth Gibbons' emotive vocals.
"Third" was released in 2008, over a decade after their previous album. It was widely praised for its experimental sound and unique dark, moody, and atmospheric approach.
Until the next time, Godspeed!
Thomas
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