San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
New music from Green Day, Stone Temple Pilots and more.
The Chronicle’s guide to notable new music.
NEW ALBUMS Green Day, “Father of All …” (Reprise)
Ahead of its big summer stadium tour with Fall Out Boy and Weezer, Green Day reverts to punkpop form on its 13th studio album, “Father of All …” (the ellipsis is used in the censored version of the album cover in place of a swear word in the original title). Taking another deliberate step away from the grand political gestures of 2004’s “American Idiot” and 2009’s “21st Century Breakdown,” the eternally 15yearold East Bay trio trades the pulpit for the mosh pit, blasting through a series of uncomplicated twominute cuts like “Fire, Ready, Aim,” the title track and “Oh Yeah!”
La Roux “Supervision” (Supercolour / Believe)
Five years since delivering her last album — and 10 years out from her selftitled debut, which launched the hit single “Bulletproof ” and earned a Grammy Award — La Roux singersongwriter Elly Jackson remains very much in her 1980s synthpop lane on “Supervision.”
Informed by panic attacks, a breakup and record industry turmoil, the 31yearold Brit plays it cool on slick tracks like “Automatic Driver,” “International Woman of Leisure” and “Gullible Fool” — at least until you listen more closely.
Stone Temple Pilots, “Perdida” (Rhino)
Undaunted by the dismal reception of 2018’s “Stone Temple Pilots,” the group’s first release after the overdose death in 2015 of original vocalist Scott Weiland and 2017 suicide of its second singer Chester Bennington, the surviving members of Stone Temple Pilots return with their second fulllength album fronted by former “X Factor” finalist Jeff Gutt.
This time, the group opts for a largely acoustic treatment of its plodding rock tunes. It’s kind of like revisiting the band’s 1993 MTV “Unplugged” session, minus the hits.
Marc Almond, “Chaos and a Dancing Star” (BMG)
Following his first U.S. tour in decades, former Soft Cell frontman Marc Almond issues his 24th solo album — and first of original material in five years — “Chaos and a Dancing Star.”
The 62yearold singer once again threads together synthpop, cabaret and louche torch songs in his own sensational way, this time adding a touch of faded glamour via songs recorded in Los Angeles such as “Chevrolet Corvette Stingray” and “Hollywood Forever.” The single “Lord of Misrule” finds Almond, who has collaborated with everyone from Gene Pitney to Russian choirs, working with yet another unlikely collaborator, flutist Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, sending the camp meter all the way into the red.
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges, “Texas Sun” (Dead Ocean)
On this foursong EP, the retro R&B singer and Fort Worth, Texas, native Leon Bridges teams up with the hirsute Houston funk trio Khruangbin for a laidback ode to their home state. The dreamy title track should immediately be deemed the new Texas anthem, while “CSide” is the cosmic jam you never knew you needed.
SONG OF THE MOMENT
Dua Lipa, “Physical” Even as “Don’t Start Now” becomes ubiquitous, Dua Lipa has — as the song says — already moved on.
“Physical” is another faceslapper, propelled forward with an irresistible rhythm and shouty chorus that gives a nod to the other best “Physical” song ever (that would be Olivia NewtonJohn’s) and kicks off with the breathy intonation, “Who needs to go to sleep when I’ve got you next to me?” Whew.