Until 2015, new music was released on Tuesdays in the United States, largely due to shipping constraints. With many record shipments arriving on Monday mornings, employees had to scramble to unpack albums and place them on the shelves. Ultimately, some stores received shipments before others, resulting in a competitive advantage against other retailers, and the recording industry decided the fairest course of action would be to make Tuesday their sabbath.
This Tuesday-centric arrangement worked out well for us. Even Garfield, a housecat, knows Monday sucks, and what is Tuesday more than a second Monday? Well, for 25 glorious years, Tuesday was no Monday — it was more like Christmas. Unfortunately, as the music industry has transitioned to digital platforms and consumers have access to music immediately upon release, record stores have lost their primacy. After some surveys and market research, the music industry shifted releases to Fridays, and violà: NEW MUSIC FRIDAY. Now Tuesday is back to being “Well at Least it’s Not Monday!”
I remain a firm evangelist for Tuesdays, and produce a weekly radio show that airs every Tuesday 10am-Noon on WZBC 90.3FM in Boston. Music discovery has been profoundly disrupted by streaming services (as outlined in my previous newsletter), and this two-hour program, in my not-at-all-humble opinion, is a transcendent escape from computer generated algorithms and playlisting. Every week features new records mixed in with old favorites, but for you, my dear friends, I will pull my favorite new tracks and deliver them through this electronic mail.
That’s right. I’m bringing back New Music Tuesday.
Hundreth - Sleeping In
This song about dreaming, the JFK assassination, and global warming is a cover of The Postal Service. The track is a relaxing combination of electronica and indie-pop, and I can’t help but get lost in the sparkling keys and vocals.
We wanted to throw our own spin on one of our favorite songs so we have been sending sessions back and forth over the past couple days of the quarantine. I feel like it’s pretty applicable to a lot of our situations at the moment. - Vocalist Chadwick Johnson
Pairs Well With: early mornings, late nights, disassociation
Phantom Planet - Time Moves On
With the opening line “It’s the same day over and over,” the latest single from Phantom Planet hits very close to home these days. The 90s L.A. pop-rock outfit is releasing a new album Devastator on May 8th (a Friday); it’s their first in 12 years, so that’s something to look forward to during the coming weeks.
Pairs Well With: walking, driving, activities with steady forward momentum
Juliana Hatfield - Canary in a Coalmine
Another cover, this time from Boston’s own Juliana Hatfield. Last year, she released an entire album of The Police covers, mixing up deep album cuts with rock-radio staples. She smartly reimagines these familiar songs with a prescription-strength dosage of fuzzy guitars and her distinct vocals. The entire record deserves a place in your library, but especially “Canary in a Coalmine.”
Pairs Well With: Cooking, hanging out, freshening up your dad’s CD collection
A Girl Called Eddy - Jody
Erin Moran (a.k.a. A Girl Called Eddy) has been releasing music since 1999, and her self-titled debut album received Top 10 of 2004 acclaim from The Wall Street Journal. Her aptly-titled sophomore record Been Around followed 15 years later, as soulful and introspective as ever before. “Jody” is an instant classic, with lush instrumentation, soulful horn stabs, and hand-claps.
Pairs Well With: bopping around your apartment
Further Listening
All of these songs were featured on Isolation Tapes this week. Press play, lean back, and let me take care of your music selection for a couple hours.