#Joshua Tree Parkway

[emaadsidiki]

Joshua Tree 🥬 (Yucca Palm)

[kenneturner]

Joshua Tree Parkway

Joshua Trees In Arizona — Image by kenne THE JOSHUA TREE HAS AN AVERAGE LIFE SPAN OF 150 TO 200 YEARSAND IS ONLY FOUND IN THE MOJAVE DESERT When Mormon settlers first saw the plant they dubbed the “Joshua tree,” it reminded them of the bushy-bearded biblical leader.When Territorial Governor John C. Frémont saw it during an 1844 trek through the Mohave Desert and they are plentiful alongU.S. Route…

[toservenouel]

yes, shua

Joshua Tree Scenic Parkway, AZ

[mikesroadtrips]

Here is the list of the things that you can do in Arizona to turn your vacation a memorable one. Check out the list!

Follow @mikesroadtrips

[mylefteye]

Arizona's Joshua Tree Scenic Parkway

[kimzplace]

Why are the Blue Ridge Mountains blue? The trees growing along the ridgelines produce high levels of a compound call isoprene. The isoprene hovers around the thickly forested mountains like a haze and scatters the different wavelengths of light and the short, small waves of blue dominate our receptors. Of course, the best place to see the effect is while resting or traveling along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia. With amazing views, hiking trails, waterfalls and wildlife, the mountains might be blue, but you won't feel that way. Photo courtesy of Joshua T. Moore.

[rjzimmerman]

Our group (Joshua Tree National Park Association) is working with the superintendent and his staff at Joshua Tree National Park to reopen the Park. It’s not easy, and loaded with “what if’s” that have to be addressed before the Park can be safely opened. One example: we sell plush toys (stuffed animals) in our visitor centers. Concerns have been raised about the possibility that someone could sneeze or cough close to one of the toys, and deposit the COVID-19 virus on the surface. So, we have to bag all the plush toys in plastic. That’s one of those “little things” that add to the “big things,” such as capacity controls in the visitor centers.

Excerpt from this story from the Washington Post:

President Trump said his administration was preparing to reopen national parks that were closed to help stop the spread of the raging coronavirus pandemic. “We're starting to open our country again,” Trump said.

Yet Trump was not clear about which parks would reopen, or when, sparking fears that a rushed return to normal operations could lead to more infections among park workers, visitors and residents in neighboring communities.

“I don't think we're ready” to reopen, said Phil Francis, the chair of Coalition to Protect America's National Parks, a group of current and former park employees and volunteers. “I don't think we have the adequate staff, adequate training," said Francis, the former superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Theresa Pierno, head of the National Parks Conservation Association, said her organization heard from park staff who feel they do not have the proper personal protective equipment to work while there's still a threat from the coronavirus pandemic — and do not know when they will get it.

"At many of our national parks, social distancing has already proven to be nearly impossible," she said. “It's critical that until it's safe, parks already closed should remain so. And those that have not yet closed should be allowed to do so immediately.”

Trump said now is the time to consider unlocking the gates on some of the country's iconic parks, even with the full closures of Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and many other prominent sites less than a month old.

[juniperandmagpie]

Our National Parks Sites Bucket List by State

It goes without saying that we plan to eventually conquer all 59 US National Parks, but there are quite a few other sites run by the National Parks Services that we want to see in addition to the parks. Below is our bucket list of all the nationally designated areas we'd like to see in the US in alphabetical order. We hope this inspires you to go out and see some of these sites that are near you!

For more bucket list inspiration: Check out our list of America's best thru-hikes, our epic road trip plan to see all of the contingent US National Parks, and our "get started" map to see what wilderness areas are close to you!

Alabama

Little River Canyon National Preserve • Russell Cave National Monument

Alaska

Alagnak Wild River • Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve • Bering Land Bridge National Preserve • Cape Krusenstern National Monument • Denali National Park • Denali National Preserve • Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve • Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve • Katmai National Park and Preserve • Kenai Fjords National Park • Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park • Kobuk Valley National Park • Lake Clark National Park and Preserve • Noatak National Preserve • Sitka National Historical Park • Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve • Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve

Arizona

Canyon De Chelly National Monument • Chiricahua National Monument • Glen Canyon National Recreation Area • Grand Canyon National Park • Montezuma Castle National Monument • Navajo National Monument • Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument • Petrified Forest National Park • Saguaro National Park • Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument • Tonto National Monument • Tuzigoot National Monument • Walnut Canyon National Monument • Wupatki National Monument

Arkansas

Buffalo National River • Hot Springs National Park

California

Cabrillo National Monument • Castle Mountains National Monument • Channel Islands National Park • Death Valley National Park • Devils Postpile National Monument • Golden Gate National Recreational Area • Joshua Tree National Park • Kings Canyon National Park • Lassen Volcanic National Park • Lava Beds National Monument • Mojave National Preserve • Muir Woods National Monument • Pinnacles National Park • Point Reyes National Seashore • Redwood National Park • Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area • Sequoia National Park • Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area • Yosemite National Park

Colorado

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park • Colorado National Monument • Currecanti National Recreation Area • Dinosaur National Monument • Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument • Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve • Hovenweep National Monument • Mesa Verde National Park • Rocky Mountain National Park • Yucca House National Monument

Florida

Big Cypress National Preserve • Biscayne National Park • Canaveral National Seashore • Dry Tortugas National Park • Everglades National Park • Gulf Islands National Seashore • Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve

Georgia

Appalachian National Scenic Trail • Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area • Cumberland Island National Seashore • Ocmulgee National Monument

Hawaii

Haleakala National Park • Hawaii Volcanoes National Park • Kalaupapa National Historical Park • Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park • Pu’uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park • Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site

Idaho

City of Rocks National Reserve • Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve • Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument • Nez Perce National Historical Park

Indiana

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Kansas

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Kentucky

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park • Mammoth Cave National Park

Maine

Acadia National Park

Maryland

Assateague Island National Seashore • Catoctin Mountain Park • Piscataway Park • Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail

Massachusetts

Cape Cod National Seashore

Michigan

Isle Royale National Park • Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore • Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Minnesota

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area • Pipestone National Monument • Voyageurs National Park

Montana

Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area • Glacier National Park

Nebraska

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument • Missouri National Recreational River • Niobrara National Scenic River • Scotts Bluff National Monument

Nevada

Great Basin National Park • Lake Mead National Recreation Area • Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

New Mexico

Aztec Ruins National Monument • Bandelier National Monument • Capulin Volcano National Monument • Carlsbad Caverns National Park • Chaco Culture National Historical Park • El Malpais National Monument • El Morro National Monument • Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument • Petroglyph National Monument • Valles Caldera National Preserve • White Sands National Monument

North Carolina

Blue Ridge Parkway • Cape Hatteras National Seashore • Cape Lookout National Seashore

North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Ohio

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Oregon

Crater Lake National Park • John Day Fossil Beds National Monument • Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve

Pennsylvania

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area • Middle Delaware National Scenic River • Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

South Carolina

Congaree National Park

South Dakota

Badlands National Park • Jewel Cave National Monument • Mount Rushmore National Memorial • Wind Cave National Park

Tennessee

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area • Great Smokey Mountains National Park • Obed Wild and Scenic River

Texas

Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument • Amistad National Recreation Area • Big Bend National Park • Big Thicket National Preserve • Guadalupe Mountains National Park • Lake Meredith National Recreation Area • Padre Island National Seashore • Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River

Utah

Arches National Park • Bryce Canyon National Park • Canyonlands National Park • Capitol Reef National Park • Cedar Breaks National Monument • Natural Bridges National Monument • Rainbow Bridge National Monument • Timpanogos Cave National Monument • Zion National Park

Virginia

Shenandoah National Park

Washington

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area • Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area • Mount Rainier National Park • North Cascades National Park • Olympic National Park • Ross Lake National Recreation Area

Wisconsin

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore • Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway

Wyoming

Devils Tower National Monument • Fossil Butte National Monument • Grand Teton National Park • John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway • Yellowstone National Park

American Samoa

National Park of American Samoa

Puerto Rico

San Juan National Historic Site

Virgin Islands

Buck Island Reef National Monument • Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument • Virgin Islands National Park

See a site you think we missed? We'd love to hear about your favorite nationally designated areas!

[emaadsidiki]

Joshua Forest Parkway 🏞️🛣️🚘 Arizona

[cadvhp]

La vida da segundas oportunidades! Gracias a dios salimos bien! (at Joshua tree Scenic Parkway) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChfNbNsLQKP/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[livinginlandmarketing]

Royce Felten, 15, of Riverside completes his bicycle ride through California’s national parks July 9, 2021, at Drury Scenic Parkway in Redwood National Park. (Courtesy of Royce Felten)

Royce Felten, 15, of Riverside recently completed a bicycle ride for charity across the national parks in California.

He finished the last leg of his ride July 9 at Drury Scenic Parkway in Redwood National Park.

Felten, a cancer survivor and a person with autism, is an endurance road cyclist. His rides through California’s national parks took him across 363 miles over 13 days with 32,370 feet of elevation gain, according to a news release.

“I hope that through this effort, I can raise awareness that unique people can do uniquely strong things,” Felten said in the news release. “I feel seen by my selected charities Team California Juniors and VeloYouth.”

Royce Felten, 15, of Riverside rides through Yosemite National Park on the Tioga Pass, part of his charity ride through California’s national parks, which he completed July 9, 2021. (Courtesy of Royce Felten)

Felten rode for cycling organizations Team California Juniors and VeloYouth because they have empowered him both on and off the bike, according to the news release. His ride raised more than $1,500.

He is no stranger to long-distance riding, having previously competed in the virtual Race Across the West, a 925-mile virtual cycling race in which he was the youngest competitor, raising more than $1,400 for autism and cancer charities.

Royce Felten, 15, of Riverside rides with his stepfather Dylan Nerren in Death Valley National Park, part of his charity ride through California’s national parks, which he completed July 9, 2021. (Courtesy of Royce Felten)

Though Felten covered all nine national parks in California, he didn’t cycle in two of them because of lack of or limited road systems. He kayaked the Channel Islands and completed a through-hike of Pinnacles.

His rides in the other parks were 134 miles in Joshua Tree, with a 12,200-foot elevation gain in four days; 35 miles in Death Valley; 25 miles in Yosemite, with a 1,000-foot elevation gain on the Tioga Pass; 40 miles in Kings Canyon; 23 miles in Sequoia; 50 miles in Lassen; and 31 miles on Drury Parkway in Redwood.

Felten, who hopes to attend Stanford and become a teacher, volunteers as an autism self-advocate in health care, education and policy settings. To follow his cycling activities, go to www.strava.com/athletes/royceroyce.

For information about Team California Juniors, go to teamcabike.com/juniors/ and for information about VeloYouth, go to veloyouth.org.

-on July 26, 2021 at 10:27AM by Staff report

[blairemclaren]

Joshua Perry | Corey Marteau Death - Two Killed After Vehicle Slammed Into A Home

Joshua Perry | Corey Marteau Death - Obituary, Funeral, Cause Of Death 24-year-old Joshua Perry and 21-year-old Corey Des Marteau were both identified as the victims killed after a vehicle barreled into a home in the Kenilworth subdivision overnight....click link to learn more

Joshua Perry | Corey Marteau Death – Obituary, Funeral, Cause Of Death 24-year-old Joshua Perry and 21-year-old Corey Des Marteau were both identified as the victims killed after a vehicle barreled into a home in the Kenilworth subdivision overnight. The vehicle accident occurred in the 1600 block of Kenilworth Parkway around 11 p.m. Saturday. A 2010 Subaru Outback slammed into a tree before…

[lesoscillations]

25 IX 2019

Le réveil a sonné tôt ce matin, à 5 h 45 pour être précis. J’avais un rendez-vous téléphonique avec Paris à 12 h 30 là-bas, 6 h 30 ici. Si tôt le matin, le cerveau était plus embrumé que de nature. Le brouillard de la nuit n’avait pas encore quitté mes neurones, et la salle à manger était encore plongée dans le noir. Je me servis un café et m’échauffa la voix. Il est contre-nature de projeter sa voix à 6 heures du matin, et encore moins acceptable de le faire quand le reste de la maisonnée est endormie. Mais c’était l’exercice : faire un entretien à 6h30 du matin, et être dynamique et précis comme s’il fût un appel à la mi-journée. Une fois l’entretien terminé on pouvait prendre un petit-déjeuner ensemble, avec du temps. Sur le chemin du travail, Magnificent et No Line On The Horizon jouaient fort sur le système audio de la voiture. U2 était mon groupe préféré. J’avais des mémoires de leur récente tournée anniversaire de l’album Joshua Tree qui remontaient. J’avais pris l’habitude de conduire le matin avec le toit ouvrant grand ouvert, l’illusion de mieux connecter avec la nature sur le Parkway. Je montais le volume encore un cran tout en regardant la lumière du matin raser le Potomac. Les tons chauds détaillaient les rochers qui brisaient le flot du fleuve, ci et là. La lumière était douce et jaune, très chaude. Elle enveloppait et elle ciselait les détails, créant des ombres. Seul un bateau à l’ancre. Pas d’avirons à l’eau ce matin. Bam, bam, bam. Je taillais à la serpe dans la boite d’arrivée de mes courriels. Les projets fusaient et je les mettais sur le pas de tir et les lançais avec célérité. Je pris la route de la maison tôt, et j’appelai Christine. Elle me disait que la campagne américaine la déprimait. Pas la nature, mais les villages. Elle y préférait la campagne française et les villes et villages de maisons anciennes. Etait-ce pour la même raison que je voulais rentrer en France, me demandait-elle ? A trop chercher rationaliser le pourquoi du retour, je me disais justement qu’il devenait rationnel de ne plus trop penser. La réflexion se mettait en travers de la route vers l’évidence : l’idée de la France me faisait vibrer.

[hhmoto]

7/18/15

Asheville to Fancy Gap VA 

The morning started off normal with our camp routines. I packed up the tent while Jesse packed the boxes, we stopped for breakfast at the closest cafe, and kept moving north on the parkway. But then it got heavier. 

We reached Craggy Gardens in a fog, it looked like a storm was brewing and the day turned dark and cold. Jesse put on his rain jacket. And after a few miles, speeding by looking over his shoulders at the side scenery, I saw a tire in the air, a silver bumper, weeds in tangles and then we were past. "Hey! There's a car down there!" But we didn't stop, there was nowhere to pull over. We decided not to turn around, so we were bystanders continuing on. Jesse thought that some bicyclists riding behind us would see the car. But I can't get it out of my head and we decide to report it to a ranger the next time we stop. 

Half hour later we pull up to the mineral museum, still not sure of what to do or how to handle this. Jesse used the bathroom and I look at exhibits, then I use the bathroom, and on our way out, we stop at the counter and tell the lady on duty. She gets serious, takes notes, asks everything we know and then calls Dispatch. They're sending law enforcement to check it out. The other woman in the store, very concerned, asks "Were there people around??" We don't know. We couldn't see anybody. And as we left, the woman at the desk said "Thank you VERy much for reporting this." And we left, not knowing anything, but still wondering, were there people in the car? Had they survived the roll? Were they trapped? Or had they escaped and scrambled up the hill? I wish we had reported it earlier, but I'm glad we did. 

Soon after this stop we got to the Linn Cove Viaduct where we stopped at the visitor center. We looked around and I went to get a stamp, and then old woman working turned my day around. That friendly face, her soft white hair. She asked if all my stamps were from the east coast, I said oh no, and flipped through a few. Grand Canyon, Joshua tree, crater lake... "Oh, Crater Lake! Incredible" We talked about the blue of the water there. She asked where I'm from. "Oh! We don't get a lot of people from Idaho through here. Have you signed our guest book?" So I did. And I had Jesse sign it too. 

And with her smile still ringing in my ears we climbed back on the bike heading for Blowing Rock and lunch at the brewery. The cutest town! Flowers, shingles, more flowers. But crowded. Art in the park was happening and apparently a lot of people from out of town come. We found the brewery and put our names  on the list for the 30 minute wait and then went into the bar for a drink. We ended up eating there and the bar tender brought over a second beer and I drank too much of it! 

The next hour on the motorcycle was so sleepy, and it started getting HOT. The afternoon baked us, and around 4:30 we made it to Fancy Gap. We went to the KOA to get a tent site but they were full, so we sat on their shaded deck and looked at other options. Jesse booked a cheap hotel on his phone, but when we drove there it was terrible. The loby smelled like urine, and had garbage antiques and dolls and a fountain and dog biscuits on the taped counter. The clerk didn't have teeth. The room had more dolls in it and the parking lot had beater cars and I felt like I was going to be sick from the smells and the bad feeling about this place. I wanted to cry. 

We left the key on the bed and kissed $55.09 goodbye as we fled from the creepy place to the cabins we passed earlier on the parkway. It felt like heaven. Friendly people with teeth, some other bikers camping, and we got a cabin that faced a lawn and trees with a little weathered deck. We unpacked, ate our gas station snack dinner, showered, sat on the deck and I worked and Jesse read. 

It rained on us a little, but dusk was beautiful and from our deck we could see lightning bugs all around, and hear frogs through the trees singing in the pond nearby. After dark the thunderstorm started. Crazy loud rain on our little roof and we were glad to be inside. 

[talhaghafoor2019-blog]

Drake, Ariana Grande, Cardi B and the other songs to create the best Summer music playlist

On Spotify last weekend, it seemed as if the streaming service had given itself over entirely to presenting the music of a single artist.

That would be Drake, whose double album Scorpion was released on June 30.

Everywhere you looked, there was his handsome mug, the cover image of every single playlist on the world’s most popular streaming service.

That went for even the ones his songs weren’t featured on, such as “Best of British,” or \”Happy Pop Hits.” The promotion was a silly goof that online rageaholics are comparing to U2’s Songs of Innocence being inserted into all the world’s iTunes music folders in 2014 because, well, because people love to complain.

But the all-Drake all-the-time stunt underscores a truism: Scorpion is the unavoidable event release of the summer. The Toronto rapper’s album is uneven but still packed with hits. Scorpion has smashed streaming records left and right, garnering more that 435 million plays on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services in its first three days of release. That is more than the previous record holder, Post-Malone’s Beerbongs & Bentleys, accumulated in a week.

Drake is included on the 24-song summer playlist assembled here, which you can play on Spotify by scrolling down to the bottom of the page.

But there’s more than Drizzy happening this summer: The tunes assembled include big pop hits in contention in that winner-take-all Song of the Summer competition that media outlets obsess over, but also breezy and brooding songs with a multiplicity of moods, because while hot and sticky seasonal pop songs are often joyful, they’re not always enough to chase away the summertime blues.

“I Like It,” Cardi B feat. Bad Bunny and J Balvin. If a single song of the summer had to be named, I’d go with this one, the second Billboard chart topper for the Bronx born rapper who dominated 2017 with “Bodak Yellow.” This collaboration with two reggaeton emcees effortlessly blends trap music beats with salsa. It’s further evidence of the indomitable spirit of the rapper born Belcalis Almanzar.

“Make Me Feel,” Janelle Monáe. The current single from the Atlanta R&B-pop-funk synthesist’s terrific new Dirty Computer is “I Like That.” “Make Me Feel,” however, is the superior summertime jam, a celebration of sexuality that takes pointers from Prince’s “Kiss.” She will play the Made in America festival on the Ben Franklin Parkway on Labor Day Weekend.

>> READ MORE: ‘I’m not America’s nightmare, I’m the American dream’: Janelle Monáe’s new kind of protest song

“Apes-,” The Carters. Beyoncé says the bad word on multiple occasions in this hard-banging celebration of high-powered entertainment couple bliss on Everything Is Love, which features art history lessons aplenty in its video filmed at Paris’ Louvre museum. Jay and Bey will be at Lincoln Financial Field on July 30.

>> READ MORE: Beyoncé and Jay-Z are a happy couple on ‘Everything Is Love.’ Is that good for their music?

“Short Court Style,” Natalie Prass. A delectable slice of bubble gum flavored throwback 1970s pop-funk  is Richmond, Va., indie singer Prass’ impressive second album, The Future and the Past. Prass plays the Xponential festival in Camden on July 28.

“Boo’d Up,” Ella Mai. Summertime is the love song time. British singer Ella Mai first put out this celebration of going steady early last year, but it’s a success story that gathered stream and pop radio exposure into 2018.

“Slow Burn,” Kacey Musgraves. While still IDing herself as country singer, Kacey Musgraves has redirected her music in a ‘70s soft-rock direction, a smart strategy since country radio is too conservative to play her anyway. This superbly crafted tune stays on permanent simmer.

“Babe,” Sugarland feat. Taylor Swift. Wyomissing, Pa.’s own megastar Swift now rules a pure pop universe. She plays back-to-back nights at Lincoln Financial Field starting Friday. but she’s smartly kept her finger in the country pie by continuing to write hit songs for country pop acts such as reunited duo Sugarland.

“Let’s Take a Vacation,” Joshua Hedley. The Nashville crooner  puts a warm-weather spin on Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Though December,” on this cut from Mr. Jukebox, as he tries to convince his significant other that a summer time getaway will put some zip back in their failing relationship.

“Pretty Horses,” Dwight Yoakam. This is the best of two new lonesome and blue songs that the uncommonly dependable veteran songwriter recently debuted on his excellent new Sirius XM channel Dwight Yoakam & the Bakersfield Beat.

“Pet Cemetery,” Tierra Whack. A love song to her lost dog, this is one of the standout cuts on the North Philly rapper’s wondrous 15-songs-in-15-minutes album Whack World.

>> READ MORE: Welcome to Tierra Whack’s ‘Whack World’: The North Philly rapper only needs 15 minutes of your time

“Summer Games,” Drake. “Summer just started and we’re already done,” the Canadian rhymer, in sad and sensitive mode, raps on the 1980s synth driven summer bummer, sounding disappointed. It’s one of many Scorpion cuts, along with “After Dark” and “Nice For What” that would have made worthy addition to this list.

“No Tears Left to Cry,” Ariana Grande. The octave leaping singer has a new album called Sweetener due next month, and a frisky new single called “Bed” with Nicki Minaj. This, though, is the sad song with a sweet melody whose mournful tone feels like a response to the terror attack that killed 22 at a Grande show in England last year.

“Lucid Dreams,” Juice Wrld. Drake isn’t the only rapper who’s pouring his feelings out this summer. Juice  Wrld is the suburban Chicago teen born Jared Higgins who specializes in feeling sorry for himself in song, thankfully with a modicum of self-awareness. “I take prescriptions to make me feel a-OK,” he rap-sings. “I know it’s all in my head.”

“Heat Wave,” Snail Mail. Baltimore teenager Lindsey Jordan explores her feelings with scalpel-sharp acuity and songwriting smarts on her debut, Lush, and this will mentally cool you down if you watch its ice hockey video. Jordan plays Union Transfer on Saturday.

“Nameless, Faceless,” Courtney Barnett. The Australian rock songwriter who is so good at precisely — and drolly — detailing thoughts of alienation and detachment on her new Tell Me How You Really Feel. Put down of the summer: “I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and spit out better words than you.”

“If You Know You Know,” Pusha-T. There’s no self-pity on this hard-hitting highlight from Daytona, the Kanye West-produced return to form by the rapper who made his name with the street-wise Virginia hip-hop duo Clipse.

“Stay Woke,” Meek Mill feat Miguel. The appropriately serious-in-tone first song by the Philadelphia rapper since his release from prison in April. He spits with authority, and takes Grandmaster Flash’s classic “The Message” as a starting point. Look for Miguel to join him when they both play Made in America on Labor Day weekend.

“This Is America,” Childish Gambino. The song of the summer that speaks the most intensely to a bitterly divided nation in 2018 from Renaissance man Donald Glover.

“The Middle,” Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey. A collaboration between Russian-German deejay-producer, a Nashville country pop singer, and an L.A. EDM act is just the sort of Frankensteinian creation that contemporary pop mega-hits are made of. And this one is hard to resist.

“One Kiss,” Calvin Harris feat. Dua Lipa. This summer’s soaring firework celebration-ready dance track from Scottish deejay and Taylor Swift-ex Harris. This time with English songwriter and vocalist handling the vocal duties in a testimony about how a single peck on the lips can spell transcendence.

“A Song for Those You Miss All the Time,” Thin Lips. Speaking of Lips, this song by the Philly band fronted by Chrissy Tashjianis is by no means a happy one, but its gnarly guitar riff and catchy hook does deliver plenty of catharsis. Chosen Family is out July 27.

“Hey! Little Child,” Low Cut Connie. A ribald stomp from the raucous throwback Philly rocker’s Dirty Pictures (part 2), covering Big Star star Alex Chilton, who included it on his 1979 solo album Like Flies On Sherbert.

“I’m Your Man,” Spritualized. One man band Jason Pierce — a.k.a. J. Spaceman — is returning with And Nothing Hurt, his first album of new music since 2012 on Sept. 7. This and a second song, “A Perfect Miracle,” are marked by swelling orchestration and divine summertime sadness sentiment.

“Summer’s End,” John Prine. Before you know it, it’ll be gone. This highlight from the 71-year-old Prine’s superb better-than-it-has-any-right-to-be The Tree of Forgiveness is as beautiful and bittersweet as a late August sunset.

July 5, 2018 — 6:54 PM EDT

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[mappingmegan]

Joshua Tree Forest Parkway, Scenic Route 93 Arizona https://t.co/BVrc8byIty via @CorkForkPassprt https://t.co/yVpuqkSF3e

Joshua Tree Forest Parkway, Scenic Route 93 Arizona https://t.co/BVrc8byIty via @CorkForkPassprt pic.twitter.com/yVpuqkSF3e

— Megan Claire (@mappingmegan) January 27, 2019

from Twitter https://twitter.com/mappingmegan January 27, 2019 at 11:57AM via IFTTT