Hereâs some new music to get your weekend started.
5 songs we have on repeat this week:
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VANDALS -- FEVER 333
FEVER 333 dropped an aggressive new track last week.
âVANDALSâ blends hardcore, hip-hop elements and dark themes into a heavy anthem.
âI learned toâ be let down when yâall was learning 'bout them fables / Got accustomed to them wars while I was laid up in my cradle / You got the (expletive) nerve to tell me that Iâm unstable / Now what the (expletive) you doing to put food up on my table?â
The group throws politics into the mix, even taking aim at President Donald Trump with an impeachment reference:
"And if you ever really thought to even practice what you preach / Then we wouldnât be here screaming out, âImpeach, impeach, impeachââ
Itâs not surprising, really, as the groupâs websiteâs tour page calls concerts âdemonstrations,â and many of FEVER 333âČs tracks are political in nature, at least to an extent.
The song âMade an America,â a track that addresses what lead singer Jason Aalon Butler calls âdark history,â is nominated for the Best Rock Performance Grammy.
Million Pieces -- Bastille
Bastille collaborated with The Chamber Orchestra of London for version of âMillion Piecesâ from Doom Days -- and it is truly magnificent.
Bastilleâs album âDoom Daysâ was released on June 14, but this month they released an extended version of the album. âDoom Days (This Got Out of Hand Edition)â was released on Dec. 6.
The orchestra version of âMillion Piecesâ is deeper, more personal. Itâs reminiscent of the end of the song âThe Descentâ from Bastilleâs âOther Peopleâs Heartache (Pt. 4)â
âOne of the highlights of our year was recording this ReOrchestrated version of âMillion Piecesâ with The London Chamber Orchestra at the iconic Abbey Road Studios. Weâre so happy to have it out on 'DOOM DAYS, THIS GOT OUT OF HAND,ââ the band said on Facebook.
This version seems to carry more emotion than the original. Dan Smithâs voice is incredible and blends well with the skill of the orchestra, really taking the song to the next level. Listening to the original, itâs a good song, but Smithâs voice seems to get lost in this synth-pop vibe that really draws you away from the power of his voice.
âIt breaks my heart into / A million pieces / If itâs gonna break me / Wonât you let me go / Leave it 'til the morning / I donât wanna know / Breaks my heart / Breaks my heart into / A million piecesâ
When I Watch The World Burn All I Think About Is You - Demo -- Bastille
I thought a bit about whether the Friday Finds should have two songs from the same artist in the same week, but when I heard Bastilleâs new music, the answer was obvious ...
So, alas, another Bastille track because they are great.
The demo track, âWhen I Watch The World Burn All I Think About Is You,â consists of a chorus that was the intro to the song âDoom Days,â though the demo song is a much slower, more emotional work.
Itâs a simple song about unrequited love and the pain associated with falling in love with someone who doesnât feel the same, a feeling seemingly so overpowering that it is more distracting than other issues going on in the world.
âWell it (expletive) me up when I fell for you / I shouldnât have let me fall for you / The world is ending on the news / But here in my head Iâm drunk on you / My love, my love, unrequited / My love, my love, undecidedâ
Even When Youâre Home -- Ben Kessler
Emerging Nashville-based artist Ben Kessler released a new single âEven When Youâre Home.â
Kesslerâs sweet-tempered voice combines with a gentle beat to create a graceful song. Kessler wrote and produced the song himself.
âSurrounded by familiar faces / But Iâm seeing in silhouettes / Trying to color in the empty spaces / Oh Iâ donâtâ recognize where Iâ am / Foreign to the ones I love / Maybeâ all the love has been depleted / Staring at the ceiling above / Maybe there ainât a place I belong inâ
Last month Kessler opened up on Twitter about what it felt like to work in New York City. He said he had been going to the city for music since he was in high school and never felt like he deserved to be there. But last month, for the first time, âI felt like I deserved to be in NYC. Donât know exactly whatâs changed -- but Iâm thankful to be in rooms with people who really believe in what iâm doing for the first time."
Cash Machine -- Oliver Tree
Oliver Tree, the singer known for his eccentric style choices, tackles greed and materialism on âCash Machine.â
On the surface, the song could come off as silly, especially when watching the music video, but thereâs so much more to it.
Tree questions the purpose of accumulating things and calls out people who use their wealth to try to hide insecurities or flaws.
âSmile show your golden teeth / Thatâs how youâ coverâ up your cavities / Youâreâ glowing like a diamond ring / I sawâ you bought some other things / Youâre spending like a cash machine / To cover up your insecurities / Donât front, no needâ
Treeâs album, âUgly is Beautiful,â is due out March 27, 2020.