This weekend sees the release of booty-boppin’ ‘Anaconda’, with an accompanying video that has gathered over 200 million views and global controversy. The track has already reached number two in the US chart, but will its success be matched here in the UK? Ella Henderson also releases the follow-up to her debut number one single, ‘Ghost’, this Sunday. 90s-born band Weezer are back on the shelves this week with their ninth studio album while former The Smiths’ guitarist, Johnny Marr, returns with his follow-up to debut album The Messenger.
Albums
Johnny Marr – Playland
Former member of The Smiths, Johnny Marr returns this week with his second solo album, Playland. In the years following The Smiths’ split, Marr has made quite a high image of himself having been honoured with NME’s Godlike Genius Award, and having the privilege of working alongside Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer for the soundtrack for Inception and more recently, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (also alongside Pharrell Williams). Speaking about his follow-up to 2013’s The Messenger Marr describes how the new record addresses the “tension, boredom and anxiety” prevalent in society. Playland is out Monday 6th.
Weezer – Everything Will Be Alright In The End
Also set for release on Monday is Weezer’s ninth studio album, Everything Will Be Alright In The End. It is the third album to be produced by Ric Ocasek who has previously worked with Gwen Stefani-led No Doubt, and will be producing The Cribs’ next album scheduled for release next Spring. Since March 2014, Weezer have been teasing fans with weekly videos featuring the band in the studio and information about the albums’ tracklist. Everything Will Be Alright In The End hits the shelves Monday 6th via Republic Records.
Singles
Ella Henderson – ‘Glow’
Ella Henderson returns this weekend with her new single, ‘Glow’, taken from her upcoming debut album, Chapter One. The track is a follow-up to her number one hit, ‘Ghost’. Her debut single still holds a place in the UK top 20, 16 weeks after the song was released, thus placing a lot of pressure on the commercial performance of ‘Glow’. The new track sees Henderson tackle a slower melody with the same infectiousness that promised ‘Ghost’ its number one position. Listen to the track below and buy it on Sunday.
Nicki Minaj – ‘Anaconda’
Taken from her upcoming third studio album, The Pinkprint, ‘Anaconda’ is the follow-up to lead single, ‘Pills N’ Potions’. The track has sparked global controversy regarding the explicit nature of its accompanying video, but has simultaneously achieved commercial success worldwide. The single has already reached number two in the US, making it the highest US charting single of Minaj’s, with Minaj’s most successful single previously being 2011’s ‘Super Bass’. Watch the video below, which has already gathered over 200 million views on YouTube.
