San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Aidin Vaziri
The new albums that you need to hear. The song of the moment. The classic record on your shelf that deserves a fresh spin. Local acts headed for the big time. The songs dominating on the charts. You’ll find it all in “Listen,” a new column by Chronicle pop music critic Aidin Vaziri.
New albums
Albums to listen to out Friday, July 12:
1. Ed Sheeran, “No. 6 Collaborations Project” (Atlantic) You may have already heard the first single “I Don’t Care,” featuring a vocal turn by Justin Bieber. It turns out that song was a teaser for a musically eclectic album full of collaborations with fellow charttoppers like Bruno Mars and Chris Stapleton (“Blow”), Camila Cabello and Cardi B (“South of the Border”) and Khalid (“Beautiful People”). What it lacks in stylistic cohesion, it makes up for with 75% less Ed Sheeran.
2. K. Flay, “Solutions” (Night Street / Interscope) The Stanfordeducated rapper’s third album leads with the single “This Baby Don’t Cry,” which was cowritten by label boss and former touring partner Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons. In “Solutions,” K. Flay continues to lay her candid verses over an ominous soundtrack of rock, hiphop and electronic pop, but with songs such as “I Like Myself (Most of the Time)” and “Good News,” things may be looking up. 3. New Order, “∑ (No,12k,Lg,17Mif) New Order + Liam Gillick: So it goes …” (Mute) Recorded live in 2017 at Manchester’s Old Granada Studios, where Joy Division made its television debut on Tony Wilson’s “So It Goes” program in 1978, this awkwardly titled set finds New Order collaborating with visual artist Liam Gillick and a 12piece synthesizer orchestra on a careerspanning collection highlighted by outsize reworkings of classic cuts like “Shellshock” and “Bizarre Love Triangle.”
4. Tycho, “Weather” (Mom+Pop Music / Ninja Tune) The latest album by San Francisco producer and graphic designer Scott Hansen — who plays a sunrise DJ set at Burning Man every year — is the first to feature vocals, lifting his blissedout sounds into another realm.
5. Yuna, “Rouge” (Verve) The latest offering from the Malaysian pop singer is loaded with guest spots by artists like Tyler the Creator, GEazy, Little Simz, Jay Park and others, who help give her sweet, ’90sinfluenced R&B songs a sleek contemporary edge.
Song of the moment
The one to put on repeat:
Bill Callahan, “Camels” The somber singersongwriter from Maryland returns with a loosely strummed folk song that puts his signature wit and parched baritone front and center. At just three minutes long, the song comes and goes all too quickly. Fortunately, it’s just a taster for the former Smog frontman’s new double album, “Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest.”
The classic
The record that you need to dust off and play right now: Quicksilver Messenger Service, “Happy Trails” (1969) With the passing of colead guitarist and vocalist Gary Duncan, the world lost one of the primary architects of the San Francisco Sound. While Quicksilver never achieved the iconic status of contemporaries like the Grateful Dead or Jefferson Airplane, the band’s inventive, intricately wound tunes set it apart from the pack. Released 50 years ago, the band’s sophomore album, mostly recorded live, is built around an extended, almost unrecognizable cover of Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love” that’s capable of triggering major flashbacks to that era — even if you weren’t actually there.
Editor’s Note: Pop Quiz will return.