Hello again and welcome to another week of music picks here in My Four. We tread the dusty path of the music that should be in your collection so let me Mark Sharpley, guide you through the music valleys…
MARILYN MANSON
Goth king Marilyn Manson returns this week with the release of his new album The Pale Emperor. Manson has been quite busy since we last saw him, appearing in the final season of Sons Of Anarchy. It was SOA creator, Kurt Sutter, who also revealed Manson’s workings with Shooter Jennings. With the single, “Cupid Carries A Gun” getting its first airing on the TV series Salem, it does seem ol’ Marilyn is getting quite a taste for the small screen. Good Morning America next? Available on the Hell, etc Records label, this indeed is the video for, “Cupid Carries A Gun”.
THE DECEMBERISTS
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, indie folk rock outfit The Decemberists are here with their seventh studio album What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World. Their musical influences are very, very eclectic, ranging from Siouxsie And The Banshees, Death Cab For Cutie and R.E.M. They also have a liking for Orangina, which caught this writer out by surprise as I didn’t know it was still available. They have also been in a mock fight with Stephen Colbert, if your late night TV memories stretch back to 2006. Available on the Capitol Records label, this is the video for, “Make You Better”.
MIKKY EKKO
Louisiana born Mikky Ekko is our third choice this week, with the release of his new album Time. Some of you might just be thinking, hang on, I know that name, as might you should as it was a duet with Rihanna that brought him into the music forefront on the song, “Stay”. The song and its performance at the Grammys was called the most memorable by critics, propelled Ekko into the limelight. Indeed he has also contributed to the soundtrack of The Hunger Games. Now, he is here with his own efforts for the listening public and it promises to be a good one. Available on the RCA Records label, “Smile”.
VIET CONG
Finally this week, the fourth choice comes from the Canadian indie rockers Viet Cong and the release of their eponymous album, Viet Cong. Formed in 2012, they rose from the ashes of the band Women. It was 2010 that things took a turn for Women after a huge on stage brawl and the death of guitarist Christopher Reimer in 2012 ended the band. But, in 2013 the band now VIET CONG released their debut EP on a cassette (younger readers will need to ask their folks), and an appearance at SXSW earned them a record deal. Now they have a spot on My Four as well. Available on the Jagjaguwar/Flemish Eye Records label, this is their first single “Continental Shelf”.
And that’s your lot for this week. Jjoin us here at Fourculture as we continue to explore the musical planet for the four tracks you need to know about. Keep on keeping on…
