February is the shortest month of the year but the past 28 days were jam packed with good stuff including a new track by Regina Spektor, ODESZA, and the first Tears for Fears album in 17 years!
Daniel Olbrych – Design and Content Coordinator
Rick and Morty Soundtrack
Rick and Morty is truly special.
After 20 minutes of lunacy, an episode might end with an unsolicited product placement for a certain fast food chain’s nugget sauce or break the 4th wall and directly tell the viewer there will be more episodes, or… sometimes, sometimes an episode ends with a song.
The creators Justin Roiland & Dan Harmon, and composer Ryan Elder understand that Rick doesn’t always have to be on. In fact, quite often it’s the opposite. Once and a while people need time, even if it’s just a minute or two. Time to catch their breath. Time to wrap their head around an episode. Time to ponder “Why would a Pop-Tart want to live inside a toaster? That would be like the scariest place for them to live. You know what I mean?”
Yep. That’s Rick and Morty and it is a cartoon.
Rick and Morty Season 5 started streaming on Hulu February 6th and I watched it one night.
Here are some songs from each season.
Tears for Fears – The Tipping Point
Songs from the Big Chair was released in February of 1985. The sophomore album from the British duo Tears for Fears would catapult them to worldwide success. 37 years later on February 25, Tears for Fears returned with The Tipping Point.
It doesn’t feel like Tears for Fears were desperate to recreate their angsty early 20’s selves with the new album, but it’s radiates melancholy. Things are different for Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith and this record didn’t come easy. It took nearly 17 years to get to this moment, at one point Smith walked away from the project entirely and Orzabal’s wife died in 2017 which greatly impacted it’s tone and lyrical content.
On The Tipping Point, Tears for Fears balance a modern sound without ignoring their nostalgia filled identity. This is how an 80’s band stays relevant.
Rich Hobby – Director of Marketing
The Last Goodbye (feat Bettye LaVette) – ODESZA
This new release from the NW Electro duo ODESZA has been a heavy feature in my listening these last few weeks. The song creates this incredible fusion of classic soul vocals (courtesy of Betty LaVette) over exceptionally slick electronic production in a way that makes it both cutting edge and timeless. It doesn’t hurt that they also crafted a visually stunning video that adds a deeper appreciation to the driving rhythms that also features a guest cameo from Eva Walker of the The Black Tones – who we just had as part of our 10×10 series in October.
Abbey Aronica – Marketing Coordinator
Becoming All Alone – Regina Spektor
Regina Spektor just released her new single, Becoming All Alone, and announced she’ll be releasing a new album, Home, before and after in June. I’ve loved Regina’s music since her first album came out in 2004 and my mom and I would always belt the lyrics on our drives home. She truly did not disappoint with her latest LP. She is lyrical storyteller with extremely relatable and honest lyrics. Her voice and sound is so uniquely her own, which is another thing I absolutely love about her – I don’t think you could ever mistake her for another artist. I can’t wait for this new album, but until it’s released, I’ll just have to play this single over and over again.