Good morning it's FRIDAY and there's a new album from SAULT. It's the second album in three months and fourth in less than a year and a half from the mysterious British neo-soul/funk/plus band whose nonexistent public profile is the byproduct of "no interviews, no photos, no videos, no live appearances, no WIKIPEDIA entry." The music just kind of arrives, sort of like if BANKSY were BEYONCÉ (or, say, MASSIVE ATTACK). The previous album was UNTITLED (BLACK IS), a resistance masterpiece that may well have soundtracked your summer; this one is UNTITLED (RISE), of which the GUARDIAN's ALEXIS PETRIDIS writes at the above link, "You’d call it the album of the year if its predecessor wasn’t just as good." On "(Rise)," Sault is still resisting but also wants to dance, which of course is its own kind of resistance. Over a rubbery bassline that slinks through a land of missing and kidnapped children, Sault vows to "remuster our strength" and "proclaim our joy" even if it means going to war. The missiles, for now, are indelible R&B choruses that rise like waves out of insistent, minimal grooves. And this is your periodic reminder that while the world may be falling apart all around us, music is not. We're living in a musical moment. More New Music Friday goodies below... This is not about politics, this is about my health and yours and my science and yours: You're an idiot, VAN MORRISON. You're welcome to join me for dinner anytime, DEE SNIDER (masked and socially distanced, obviously)... This is about politics, nonpartisanly: MTV, which has rocked the vote in various ways over the past 30 years, will cover the cost of printing and mailing ballot applications for anyone who requests a ballot through its VOTE FOR YOUR LIFE and VOTE EARLY DAY websites. The campaign, in partnership with the AD COUNCIL and MTV's parent VIACOMCBS, is aimed at young, Black and Latinx voters... LIVE NATION is seeking to convert more than 100 music venues around the US into polling places, and has already confirmed that the BUCKHEAD THEATRE in Atlanta, EMO'S in Austin and the WILTERN and the HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM in Los Angeles will allow voting in November... ASCAP is sending get-out-the-vote message through artists including JERMAINE DUPRI, the GO-GO'S, the BROTHERS OSBORNE and members of the NATIONAL and TAKING BACK SUNDAY. The performance rights org's ASCAP CITIZEN initiative launches Monday and will include, via HEADCOUNT, links to register... Perspectives on someone's now-public recording contracts: Does he already own some of his master? How does his situation compare with TAYLOR SWIFT's?... TRENT REZNOR and ATTICUS ROSS put the EGO in EGOT... It's Friday, as previously noted, and that also means new music from ALICIA KEYS, ARMANI CAESAR, LIL TECCA, KEITH URBAN, A.G. COOK, THELONIOUS MONK, KAMAIYAH & CAPOLOW, SLY5THAVE, ANJIMILE, NEIL YOUNG (re-recordings of his own protest songs), YUSUF/CAT STEVENS (his classic TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN album, re-recorded), SARAH DAVACHI, THEO PARRISH, STEVE ARRINGTON, DIZZY WRIGHT, SHY GLIZZY, MONEYBAGG YO & BLAC YOUNGSTA, KINGDOM, SUZANNE CIANI, DERADOORIAN, NAPALM DEATH, SUMAC, SPENCER ZAHN, BRAD MEHLDAU (prev. released on limited edition vinyl), JOE FARNSWORTH, MATTHEW SHIPP TRIO, BUTCHER BROWN, CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA, ZIGGY MARLEY, FENNE LILY, AVA MAX, YELLOW DAYS, MAX, CURREN$Y & HARRY FRAUD, MC EIHT, KRIZZ KALIKO, GILLIAN WELCH (rarities), INTO IT. OVER IT., SHABASON, KRGOVICH & HARRIS, TVII SON, BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT, NICK CORDERO (RIP), JOAN OSBORNE, the DIRTY KNOBS (featuring ex-HEARTBREAKER MIKE CAMPBELL), ED HARCOURT, CULTS, VATICAN SHADOW and OSEES... RIP "ROY C" HAMMOND, the Southern soul singer/songwriter perhaps best known for writing and producing this much-sampled and currently relevant funk classic, as well as Dallas rapper FXXXXY and country-rock songwriter DOAK SNEAD.