Music

New Music Friday: Mastodon, Bob Dylan and more

It’s our favourite time of the week – New Music Friday is the new release fix you need to get your weekend started. This week we’ll be listening to Mastodon, Bob Dylan, Jamiroquai and more.

What’s even better about New Music Friday is that you can listen to a lot of the new music live. We’ve also found artists who’ve got new records out and are about to take them on tour. Double win!


RELEASE OF THE WEEK: Mastodon – Emperor Of Sand

This week we’re kicking off New Music Friday with Mastodon’s newest and seventh record Emperor of Sand (grab your copy here). The Atlanta-based four-piece deliver a heavy, doomy new album that is just what every metal fan needs this year. About the record Brann Dailor said: “Emperor Of Sand is like the Grim Reaper. Sand represents time. If you or anyone you know has ever received a terminal diagnosis, the first thought is about time. Invariably you ask, ‘How much time is left?’ We tend to draw inspiration from very real things in our lives.” The band is set to take over Download Festival at Donington Park this June at the Main Stage on the Friday. Don’t miss them alongside an amazing alternative line-up. Get your tickets here.


Bob Dylan – Triplicate

One of the greatest songwriters of our time, and receiver of a Nobel Prize for Literature, Bob Dylan pays homage to the Great American Songbook with his new album Triplicate (available here). A year after his last studio album, Fallen Angels, Dylan is back with a trio of 10-track sets: Til The Sun Goes Down, Devil Dolls, and Comin’ Home Late. It’s the latest of three records that feature covers of the songs that influenced Dylan as a songwriter, and he pays tribute in very beautiful way. You can see him live this spring as he heads out on a UK tour with tickets available via Ticketmaster.co.uk.


Jamiroquai – Automaton

Jamiroquai are back and better than ever! The funk and acid jazz band, fronted by the multi-talented Jay Kay, is set to play London’s Roundhouse today and will head to The O2 in June for the venue’s birthday celebrations. Later on in the year you can catch them playing in Manchester and Birmingham (you can tickets right here). After seven years, Jamiroquai’s new record is everything we imagine our funky future to sound like with tracks like Shake It On and Dr Buzz. Grab you copy here.


British Sea Power – Let The Dancers Inherit The Party

After nearly a decade and a half, and five albums later, indie band British Sea Power are back with a new record, Let The Dancers Inherit The Party. With an upbeat lead single (Bad Bohemian) and killer intros and outros, it’s an indie album you can’t miss in your collection this year. Get your hands on a copy here and don’t miss them on their UK tour in April. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.co.uk.


Goldfrapp – Silver Eye

Electro duo Goldfrapp are having a whirlwind of a year with a sold out show at Somerset House for their Summer Series concert line up and a slot at this year’s Latitude Festival, their new album comes as the cherry on top. A silver-eyed, moon-shaped cherry. Their latest record Silver Eye features themes of rituals, transformations and the moon with Alison Goldfrapp’s soaring vocals. Catch hem live at Latitude festival this summer (tickets available here) and get your hands on a copy of the album here.


The Mavericks – Brand New Day

With album number nine, American five-piece The Mavericks deliver another spot-on project. Brand New Day may not be the musical rebirth the title makes it out to be, but there ain’t nothing wrong with The Maverick’s classic country-rockabilly sound fans know and love. The band is set to play Sage Gateshead on 22 June and you can be part of the party with tickets available via Ticketmaster.co.uk. Your copy of the album await here.


Tall Ships – Impressions

English indie-rockers Tall Ships release their second album Impressions today. Five years after album number one, the band have worked through splitting from their management and label and doing it on their own. “We recorded and engineered it all. The DIY nature of it is one of necessity, not aesthetic,” Jamie Fields explains. The do-it-yourself approach seems to work for the guys, though. The new record is impressive and lavish in sound. You can see the trio in Birmingham and London at the beginning of May for two intimate shows (tickets on sale now via Ticketmaster.co.uk) and get your copy of the album here.


Nelly Furtado – The Ride

She is the singer of many of your favourite 00s tunes such as I’m Like A Bird and Say It Right, she’s collaborated with the likes of Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Nelly Furtado has won GRAMMY’s and topped the charts. Now she’s an independent artist after taking a step back. The Canadian singer’s sixth studio album features what she does best: anthemic pop. We can only hope the album will be followed by a UK tour because we’d sure love to see her live again. Get the album here.


Did we miss something? Let us know on Twitter. And check back every Friday for a list of album releases to get excited about.