Saturday, September 29, 2018

Week in Review: New Songs / Music Videos You Need to Check Out (September 23-29, 2018)


The weekend is here again. That means it’s once again time to take a look back at the new songs and music videos released over the last week.

This week seemed to be as much about the videos as it was about new songs. Marshmello released an emotional video for their Bastille collaboration. Weezer parodied themselves with the help of “Weird Al” in their latest video. The Black Eyed Peas made a powerful political statement with the double video for their latest single. That’s not to say that there weren’t some good new songs released this week as well. We had Avril Lavigne turning heads with her first new song and video in three years. AJR, J Mascis and Muse all released new singles and videos from their new and upcoming albums.

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, loves new music. That’s why we’ve scoured the internet to find some of our favorite new songs and music videos of the week. Here are six that we think are worth checking out.


1.       Marshmello feat. Bastille, “Happier”: EDM DJ Marshmello released a video for his collaboration with Bastille, “Happier,” this week. A song about love and loss, the video hits on much the same notes as the deceivingly sad song. The video tells the story of a girl and her dog from the moment she receives him as a present to the moment that she has to make the hard decision to put him to sleep to the time the cycle starts over with her own daughter receiving a puppy. It’s hard not to well up during that middle part, as it brings memories flooding back of one’s own losses. (video)

2.       Avril Lavigne, “Head Above Water”: Avril Lavigne made her return to music last week after her struggle with Lyme’s Disease left her sidelined for three years. “Head Above Water,” written about said struggle, is a different kind of sound for Lavigne, who’s pop-punk edge was one of the things that drew people to her music in the early 2000s, pulling instead in a more Christian rock direction. Passionately sung, the song is a desperate prayer / plea to G-d from someone who hopes not to be consumed by pain. The only thing missing are some hard rock guitars to support the haunting melody. (video)

3.       AJR, “Role Models”: Right from the opening line, “Role Models” shoots straight from the hip, delivering un-sugarcoated lines about finding it hard to keep looking up to the artists they once did and trying to figure out what you stand for when you can no longer trust your idols. All about the lyrics, the song’s simple acoustic melody plays around them so as not to interfere with the point. Even the video is minimalist and direct, showing the band playing in an almost empty room, just them and their instruments. (video)

4.       Weezer, “Africa”: Weezer released a video for their cover of “Africa” this week. A nearly shot-for-shot remake of their “Undone” video (sans dogs), the video finds “Weird Al” Yankovic (in an outfit out of the “Buddy Holly” video) filling in as frontman for a band of non-Weezer musicians dressed to look like Weezer. As a fan of the band, I got a kick out of it. It’s definitely a video worth checking out at least once. (video)

5.       Black Eyed Peas, “Big Love”: Not ones to shy away from politics, the Black Eyed Peas take on violence and gun culture in their latest single “Big Love.” Like their 2003 single “Where Is The Love,” the song asks why we’re nurturing this kind of behavior, holding both the government and ourselves as a country accountable. It’s a point that is driven home even further by the song’s two videos, one that depicts a school shooting and another that shows a group of children being taken away from their parents as they attempt to cross the border. (video)

6.       J Mascis, “See You At The Movies”: “See You At The Movies” is a slow, wistful indie-rock track, perfect for sitting and reflecting on one’s memories. It’s mainly acoustic melody and simple structure / cadence help make its subject matter easy to grasp and relate to. (video)


This week saw the release of a lot of great new songs and music videos. Check out some of our favorites above and let us know what songs you’ve been digging this week in the comments below.

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Find music new and old at Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop. We have thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres to satisfy the tastes of most music lovers. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location, as well as online at vinylbay777.com. Whether you’re looking for something new or to rediscover the classics, we have you covered. And with more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

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