Folk
Phoebe Bridgers Releases Proper Studio Recording of John Prine’s “Summer’s End”: Stream
Back in April, legendary songwriter John Prine passed away after a battle with COVID-19. Dozens of artists covered his songs to pay tribute to his life and long-lasting influence. One of those musicians was Phoebe Bridgers, who performed his late single “Summer’s End” on Instagram earlier this spring. Now, months later, she’s unveiled a more polished up version for SiriusXM. Listen below (via Stereogum). In her original cover of “Summer’s End”, Bridgers could be seen in her house playing the song live to a computer camera while dressed in pajamas. The setting may have been extremely casual, but her vocals — however poorly mic’d they were, if at all — sounded gorgeous and empathetic. It seems like she was quite moved by Prine’s track, because this new touched-up take sounds much fuller and ...
Marcus King on El Dorado, Dan Auerbach, and Why He’ll Never Sing About White Claws
Kyle Meredith With… Marcus King Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public Marcus King calls into Kyle Meredith to speak about his new album, El Dorado. The South Carolina-born singer-songwriter discusses the album’s production by The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, leaving home for a life on the road, the loss of style and character, and finding a strong metaphor in old Cadillacs. He also talks about taking inspiration from Willie Nelson, his Grand Ole Opry debut, what Beatles song he listened to every morning before school, and singing about whiskey. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Fri...
Marcus King on El Dorado, Dan Auerbach, and Why He’ll Never Sing About White Claws
Kyle Meredith With… Marcus King Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public Marcus King calls into Kyle Meredith to speak about his new album, El Dorado. The South Carolina-born singer-songwriter discusses the album’s production by The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, leaving home for a life on the road, the loss of style and character, and finding a strong metaphor in old Cadillacs. He also talks about taking inspiration from Willie Nelson, his Grand Ole Opry debut, what Beatles song he listened to every morning before school, and singing about whiskey. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Fri...
Paris Jackson’s The Soundflowers Release Debut EP: Stream
The Soundflowers, the new musical project of Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson and her partner Gabriel Glenn, have today released their self-titled debut EP. Stream the five-track effort below via Apple Music and Spotify. Jackson and Glenn first connected on the Sunset Strip after the former caught a performance of the latter’s band, TrashDögs. The pair began sharing music and writing together, finding themselves a natural artistic fit. With Jackson encouraged to share her own music for the first time, they entered the studio with producer Mike Malchicoff (King Princess) and GRAMMY-winning mixer Rob Kinelski (Billie Eilish). The results are something far away from Jackson’s pop lineage, with The Soundflowers focusing instead on acoustic and indie folk sounds with hints of “bluegrass...
Bob Dylan Releases New Album Rough and Rowdy Ways: Stream
Bob Dylan returns today with Rough and Rowdy Ways, the legendary bard’s first collection of new music in eight years. Stream the record in full below via Apple Music and Spotify. The 10-track effort is Dylan’s first album of original material since 2012’s Tempest. In the interim, he’s released three collections of classic Americana songs: the Frank Sinatra covers albums Shadows in the Night (2015) and Fallen Angels (2016), along with the triple-album Triplicate (2017). The new effort was previewed with a handful of singles: “False Prophet”, “I Contain Multitudes”, and “Murder Most Foul”. Clocking in at 17 minutes, the latter song has the distinction of being Dylan’s first-ever No. 1 single on the Billboard charts. In addition to his frequent members of his backing band, Dyla...
Introducing Kyle Meredith Live: A New Instagram Series
Kyle Meredith Live… You’ve heard him on the radio, you’ve downloaded his podcasts, you’ve even seen him on television. Now, it’s time to watch him from your phone: Introducing Kyle Meredith Live, a new bi-weekly series exclusively on Consequence of Sound‘s Instagram. Every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:00 p.m. EST, the WFPK host will speak with artists and talent about the hottest topics in music going down at the moment. Today, Kyle will speak with Billy Hardison, Kentucky’s precinct captain for the recently formed National Independent Venue Association, about his work to save independent music venues across the country amid the COVD-19 pandemic. On Thursday, Kyle will connect with Tyler Williams of The Head & The Heart for a discussion on how musicians are currently surviving the p...
Steve Earle on Using Ghosts as a Writing Tool
Kyle Meredith With… Steve Earle Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public Steve Earle speaks with Kyle Meredith about Ghosts of West Virginia, his new album inspired by the 2010 West Virginia mining explosion that killed 29 miners. The songwriter/activist shares how the album has its roots in a theatre production called Coal Country, why he wanted to make a record for people who don’t vote the same way he does, and his thoughts on unions being the common ground between county factions. Earle goes on to discuss the task of taking all of this information and making it a musical, why he enjoys using ghosts as a writing tool, and the stories on ghost-based movies that he enjoyed in his youth. Kyle Meredith Wit...
Song of the Week: John Prine’s “I Remember Everything” Offers One Last Goodbye
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify New Sounds playlist. Artists and fans have been searching for the right way to say goodbye to John Prine and gain closure ever since the beloved songwriter passed away in April due to COVID-19. There has since been an outpouring of heartfelt messages, wishes, and tributes from around the world. Here at Consequence of Sound, we put on our own Instagram festival for Prine, which featured artists like John Darnielle, Colin Meloy, and Norah Jones and benefitted several charities handpicked by Prine’s family. As recently as Thursday night, celebrities like Bill Murray and Stephen Colbert joined artists such as Kacey Musgraves and Sturgill Simpson in a lives...
John Prine’s Final Song “I Remember Everything” Released: Stream
The final recorded song by the late American songwriter John Prine has been released. Titled “I Remember Everything”, the meditative, acoustic track arrives in the form of intimate, home video footage capturing the great bard himself. Produced by Dave Cobb, “I Remember Everything” was written by Prine and his longtime collaborator Pat McLaughlin. Given Prine’s untimely passing this past April, the track feels all too poetic, particularly when he sings: “I’ve been down this road before/ Alone as I can be/ Careful not to let my past Go sneaking up on me.” Stream “I Remember Everything” below. [embedded content] On Thursday night, Prine’s legacy was celebrated with a star-studded virtual event titled “Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine” that featured everyone from Sturgill Simpson...
Meskerem Mees Is Not Your Average “Joe” on Her Debut Single: Stream
You may not know Belgium-based singer-songwriter Meskerem Mees just yet, but she’s ready to charm you with a formal first impression. At least that’s the plan for her debut single, “Joe”, which she’s released today along with an accompanying music video. Mees is a 20-year-old indie folk artist with Ethiopian roots. Armed with an acoustic guitar and a gentle, scratchy voice, she whisks up music akin to Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling, and Jade Bird in a modest but nurturing style. After stealing the spotlight at local live shows in Europe, she’s finally begun making moves to formally record and release her music. That’s where “Joe” comes in. With a soothing, strolling guitar melody, Mees tells the story of a wandering man who won the protagonist over when she was just a teenager. The narrative...
Neil Young’s Fifth Fireside Session Takes a Trip to the Barnyard: Watch
It took four Fireside Sessions, but Neil Young has apparently grown tired of every fire pit and fireplace in his Colorado home. For the latest entry in his quarantine performance series, Old Shakey took the show down the road — or at least, to the other side of the estate — for a special Barnyard Edition. Once again directed by his wife, actress Daryl Hannah, the performance is largely delivered to a bunch of chickens and — if you keep an eye out — at least one mallard. The set opens with Young playing “Tumbleweed” from 2014’s Storytone on ukulele while a lama named Lazlo and a horse mosey around their pen. He then moves over to the coop to strum out “Homegrown”, the title track from his long-unreleased 1975 album Homegrown, finally due for release on June 19th. Intercut wit...
Song of the Week: Neil Young’s “Try” Hints at a Painful Portrait of a Broken Heart
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This quarantine has definitely thrown the music industry for a crazy loop. Several major album releases have been pushed back to oblivion, and an even larger handful of tours (and fests) we were dying to see have been either cancelled or postponed to God knows when (probably not this calendar year). Still, as an industry has struggled, artists have fought back with living-room concerts, charitable efforts, and, yes, year-affirming new albums and songs. Just this week Perfume Genius and Moses Sumney graced us with must-hear new listens, and Charli XCX and Bad Bunny treated us to surprises created in direct response to these strange ...
