Features / The Weekend Stream

Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. From classic rocker comebacks to ’90s nostalgia and more – we’ve got the goods to set you up for these days off.

Bruce Springsteen, Addicted to Romance (Columbia) (iTunes / Amazon)

While he’s postponed the rest of this year’s tour due to a battle with peptic ulcers, Bruce Springsteen had time this year to contribute a new song to the new romantic comedy She Came to Me, starring Peter Dinklage and Marisa Tomei, written and directed by Rebecca Miller (daughter of Arthur and wife of Daniel Day-Lewis). The track features Bruce’s wife Patti Scialfa on backing vocals and is co-produced by Ron Aniello and Bryce Dessner of alt-rock group The National, who penned the film’s score.

U2, Atomic City (Island/UMO) (iTunes / Amazon)

With their new Las Vegas residency, U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere kicking off this weekend just past the Strip in that oddly-shaped venue at The Venetian Resort, the Irish quartet (including drummer Larry Mullen, Jr., who is sitting out the live dates to recover from surgery) have released a new, typically stomping late period rocker- one that interpolates the melody to Blondie’s “Call Me” in its chorus.

*NSYNC, Better Place (RCA) (iTunes / Amazon)

The forthcoming animated flick Trolls Band Together – the third installment in the series based on the popular Danish dolls – features Justin Timberlake’s character Branch reuniting with his heretofore unseen brothers in a boy band he was part of as a kid. Inevitably, life imitates art on the film’s soundtrack, as Timberlake’s co-vocalists in *NSYNC have teamed up to release their first single in over two decades.

311, Music (30th Anniversary Expanded Edition) (Volcano/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon)

Music introduced the world to the Omaha, Nebraska-bred combo 311, known for an extremely laid-back alternative fusion of rock, funk, hip-hop and reggae. Their gold-selling debut, which featured modest alt-rock radio hit “Do You Right” and fan-favorite “Freak Out,” has now been remastered and expanded to include a handful of previously unreleased “pre-production” versions of songs from the album sessions.

Art of Noise, Beat Box (Diversions Zero to Seven) (ZTT) (iTunes / Amazon)

Forty years on – both from its release and the founding of the ZTT label – the Diversion Series collects seven versions of the Art of Noise’s terrific debut single in one place.

Doris Day, The Complete Columbia Singles, Volume 4 (1950-1951) (Columbia/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon)

The next installment in Legacy’s collection of Doris Day’s singles for Columbia Records is truly “Something Wonderful”! Includes the Top 10 chart hits “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” and “Would I Love You (Love You, Love You),” plus versions of “It Had to Be You,” “Makin’ Whoopee,” “On Moonlight Bay” and more. Also features a brief promotional interview with the beloved singer/actor!

Jethro Tull, RökFlöte (Alternative Mixes) (InsideOutMusic) (iTunes / Amazon)

Included in a limited edition physical package when Tull’s latest album was issued this spring, a different mix of the group’s RökFlöte done by Bruce Soord of U.K. neo-prog outfit The Pineapple Thief is now digitally available.