Like Haim, Lorde has taken a long break between albums. Her third effort, Solar Power, came out in 2021.
That folk pop record was a departure from her usual sound, and it was met with a lukewarm response both critically and commercially. I was one of the detractors, finding it a rather dull follow-up to 2017’s excellent Melodrama.
Now she’s back, having nursed the wounds of Solar Power‘s reception, with Virgin, an album that finds her back in the synth-pop groove of her early work.
The Los Angeles sister trio Haim is back with their fourth album, I quit. This is their first release since 2020’s Women in Music Pt. III, a record I really loved.
This album comes on the heels of a break-up that had both personal and professional ramifications. Lead singer Danielle split from longtime boyfriend Ariel Rechtshaid, who was also a producer and co-writer on the band’s first three albums. That makes I quit a potent break-up album as well as a (relatively) new sonic direction for Haim.
The week of July 13, 1965, saw a couple of repeats atop the Billboard Hot 100 in The Rolling Stones’ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction‘ and Four Tops’ ‘I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).’
At #3 that week, on its way to #1, was ‘I’m Henry VIII, I Am’ by Herman’s Hermits. At 1:50, this is one of the shortest songs to ever top the Hot 100.
Throwing back to the week of July 12, 1955, we find Bill Haley & His Comets holding on to the top spot of the pop chart with ‘Rock Around the Clock.’
That brings us to #2, and the first appearance of Mr. Frank Sinatra on Throwback Weekends. The song is the Dolores “Vicki” Silvers-penned ‘Learnin’ the Blues.’ I’m excited to hear frequent commenter Peggy chime in on this one.
Concluding my look at Just Daniel, the new EP by singer-songwriter Daniel Gallup…
The EP began with ‘Just Say’ and it ends with ‘Just Gray,’ a nice bit of symmetry that is reflected in the collection’s title. And while the opener was a jaunty portrait of young lust, the closer is more somber and contemplative.
Daniel is a political science major who now makes a living performing music, so it’s not hard to decipher the first lines of the chorus: “When LA is the clouds and DC is the ground you land somewhere in between.” This song suggests you shouldn’t lose yourself in pursuit of your dreams, but that those dreams are still worth pursuing.
Meet Me In Montauk 