New Music Friday: The best releases out on Feb. 24
Cracker Island, the latest from Gorillaz, is on our shortlist of the best new releases out on Feb. 24. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The self-proclaimed "virtual band" Gorillaz returns this week with a surprisingly chill collection of songs filled with bleary-eyed reflections on encroaching technology, the bane of social media and our dying planet. Like previous Gorillaz releases, Cracker Island is also feature-heavy, with appearances this time from Stevie Nicks, Thundercat, Beck and more. We open this week's show with several samples across the album and talk about the ways frontman Damon Albarn navigates dystopian themes with sly grooves and opaque but effective storylines.
Hear The Songs
We've also got the 30th anniversary edition of Naughty By Nature's 19 Naughty III, a heartrending breakup album from singer Gracie Abrams, an expansive set of songs from jazz bassist Christian McBride and more. NPR Music editor Hazel Cills joins WXPN's John Morrison, WBGO's Nicole Sweeney and host Robin Hilton as they share their picks for the best releases out on Feb. 24.
Featured Albums:
- Gorillaz — Cracker Island
Featured Songs: "Oil (feat. Stevie Nicks)," "Tormernta (feat. Bad Bunny)," "Silent Running (feat. Adeleye Omotayo)" - Naughty By Nature — 19 Naughty III - 30th Anniversary
Featured Songs: "Hip Hop Hooray," "Daddy Was A Street Corner," "It's On (Beatnuts Remix)" - quinnie — flounder
Featured Songs: "emblem," "touch tank," "man" - Gracie Abrams — Good Riddance
Featured Songs: "Where do we go now?," "I should hate you" - Christian McBride's New Jawn — Prime
Featured Songs: "East Broadway Rundown," "Head Bedlam"
Lightning Round:
- Buster Williams — Unalome
- Kate Fagan — I Don't Want to Be Too Cool [Expanded Ed.]
- Laraaji — Segue to Infinity
- Neutral Milk Hotel — The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel
Other notable releases for Feb. 24:
- Adam Lambert — High Drama
- Algiers — Shook
- The Church — The Hypnogogue
- Dierks Bentley — Gravel & Gold
- Gruff Rhys — The Almond and the Seahorse
- Iris DeMent — Workin' on a World
- Logic — College Park
- Miss Grit — Follow the Cyborg
- Philip Selway — Strange Dance
- Shame — Food for Worms
- Russ Millions — One Of A Kind
- The Strokes — Singles, Vol. 1
- U.S. Girls — Bless This Mess