Indie Rock
Japanese Breakfast Covers Sufjan Stevens’ “Romulus”: Stream
Japanese Breakfast has shared a lovely cover of Sufjan Stevens’ Michigan track “Romulus.” The rendition was recorded at New York City’s iconic Electric Lady Studios for Japanese Breakfast’s appearance on SiriusXMU tonight (August 18th). Remaining as gentle as the original, Michelle Zauner’s take is even more lush than Stevens’ original, thanks to a deeper emphasis on the piano notes and replacing the banjo with a violin. Take a listen below. Zauner’s appearance on the satellite radio network will surely find her discussing the banner year she’s been having. Her new record, Jubilee, has received much acclaim since it’s June release, with the musician herself saying it marks the start of a “new chapter” in her career. Advertisement Related Video She also became a New York Times bestsell...
Courtney Barnett Takes Us Down “Rae Street” on Fallon: Watch
Courtney Barnett is gearing up to soundtrack your Sad Girl Winter with her forthcoming album, Things Take Time, Take Time. To promote the follow-up to 2018’s Tell Me How You Really Feel, the Aussie singer-songwriter made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she performed her recent single (and previous Song of the Week) “Rae Street.” Sonically, “Rae Street” feels warm and rugged, and Barnett’s remote performance suited the song’s ambiance perfectly; she and her band set up in a dimly-lit lounge area that looks like a mix between your neighborhood speakeasy and your favorite grandparent’s living room. It’s the type of setup that makes you want to curl up in one of the big upholstered chairs in the corner and watch Barnett’s magnetic songwriting unfurl in front of y...
A Conversation with Faye Webster About Isolation and Depression
Listen via: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Stitcher | Google | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Indie folk artist (and former Consequence Artist of the Month) Faye Webster speaks about her struggle with isolation and depression in the latest episode of the Going There podcast with Dr. Mike Friedman. The I Know I’m Funny haha singer-songwriter shares her experience of isolation during the pandemic, something to which many of us can relate. We as human beings often crave connecting with others, and the pandemic has in many cases radically changed and interfered with how we connect with people. Webster describes how she approaches her mental health as an ongoing and experimental process by which she is...
St. Vincent Throws a One-Woman Parade in New Music Video “Daddy’s Home”: Watch
St. Vincent leads a parade and the streets are not impressed in the new official music video for “Daddy’s Home.” Directed by Bill Benz, the visual to the title track from her latest album finds Annie Clark singing from the back of a flatbed. The few people she spies don’t seem all that excited to see her, a fact which is explained by a graphic representation of the “parade route,” which is really just a loop around a single block. That doesn’t stop the singer from strutting back and forth in front of the mic, crowing for anyone who’ll listen (and a few who will not) that “Inmate 502” is now free. The “Daddy’s Home” video is currently available exclusively on Facebook, and you can watch it over at St. Vincent’s page. Advertisement Related Video You can catch St. Vincent on tour this fall, a...
Bon Iver Announce Bon Iver, Bon Iver 10th Anniversary Reissue, Fall Concert Dates
Bon Iver have announced a 10th anniversary reissue of their Grammy-winning self-titled sophomore album, due out January 14th, 2022 via 4AD/Jagjaguwar. Available on CD and LP, Bon Iver, Bon Iver (10th Anniversary Edition) will include all 10 original tracks, as well as a recording from Justin Vernon and co.’s 2011 live session at AIR Studios. During that performance, they played “Hinnom, TX,” “Wash.,” and “Beth/Rest” off Bon Iver, Blood Bank’s “Babys,” and a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” A new embossed version of the cover art by Eric Timothy Carlson and an in-depth essay written by longtime Bon Iver fan Phoebe Bridgers will also be included in the reissue. The 2xLP is pressed on white vinyl and will be enclosed in a matte gatefold with silver ink. Advertisement Relate...
Wednesday Share New Album Twin Plagues: Stream
The new album from Wednesday — no, not that Wednesday — is here. Twin Plagues, the latest release from the Asheville, North Carolina quintet, is indie rock in the truest sense of the phrase, released via the Chicago label Orindal Records. Twin Plagues includes the single — and our Song of the Week Honorable Mention — “Handsome Man.” On this album, Wednesday tap into many tried-and-true ‘90s touchstones. You can hear flashes of Pavement’s unpolished, lo-fi charm, The Breeders’ knack for earworm melodies, Codeine’s hypnotic slowcore, and My Bloody Valentine’s trademark roaring guitars. Altogether, however, Wednesday make these well-worn references feel fresh across the 12 tracks of Twin Plagues. Lyrically, Wednesday aren’t afraid to step into the surreal: “I think the magical realism/absurd ...
The Killers Share New Album Pressure Machine: Stream
The Killers have released their seventh studio album, Pressure Machine, via Island Records. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. Arriving exactly one year after the release of Imploding the Mirage, the project spans 11 tracks and includes a collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers (“Runaway Horses”). Shawn Everett and Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado co-produced the full-length effort, a concept LP based on stories from the residents of his Nephi, Utah hometown. Like countless other musicians, Brandon Flowers and co. recorded the album after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to cancel their touring plans. In an interview with Consequence, Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. explained how putting everything on hold put the band in the mindset to record Pressure Machine. Advertisement Related Vi...
St. Vincent and Carrie Brownstein Share Trailer for Metafictional Rock Doc The Nowhere Inn: Watch
IFC Films has unveiled the first full look at its upcoming feature film The Nowhere Inn, starring St. Vincent, Carrie Brownstein, and Dakota Johnson. Stream the trailer below. Directed by Bill Benz, the metafictional film features the indie rocker and Portlandia star portraying fictional versions of themselves out to make a documentary about the provocateur otherwise known as Annie Clark. But as the movie progresses, “what began as a straightforward glimpse into an artist’s life and career gradually morphed into something altogether different – and strange.” “You’re nerdy and normal in real life, but the disparity between that and who you are on stage as St. Vincent is jarring,” Brownstein complains in the trailer, leading Clark to reply, “I can be St. Vincent all the time, so that I can b...
Lala Lala Drops “Color of the Pool,” Announces North American Tour: Stream
Summer may be dwindling, but Lillie West still has her mind on some poolside reflecting with Lala Lala’s latest single “Color of the Pool.” In the accompanying music video, West — the brains behind the indie rock project — finds herself contemplating the possibilities of merging with the tangibly inhuman, all while pretending to ride on the back of a motorcycle through the streets of Chicago. “What is sick/ What is part of it/ I want to be the color of the pool/ I want to hold/ The fire part of fuel,” she sings over minimalistic production before ceding the floor to Adam Schatz’s frenetic saxophone outro. The song follows the Nnamdi Ogbonnaya-assisted “DIVER” as the most recent single off Lala Lala’s forthcoming third album I Want the Door to Open. It’s set to be released October 8th ...
Whitney Announce 2021 US Tour Dates
Whitney’s last North American tour wrapped up not long before the pandemic began, and they aren’t wasting any time to (safely) get back on the road. The Chicago indie duo have announced a run of tour dates in the US for fall 2021, which will see them play a number of smaller venues and visit some often-overlooked cities that took the hardest hits in 2020. Though Whitney haven’t shared any original new music since their 2019 sophomore record, Forever Turned Around, this tour promises to be a special experience: “This fall we will be touring some of our favorite rooms in the US,” the band wrote on social media. “These intimate shows will mark the beginning of a new chapter in our project. New songs and new sounds will be presented with a focus on being in the moment. We’ll be bringing a new ...
Big Thief Share Two New Singles “Little Things” and “Sparrow”: Stream
You’d think that after releasing two stellar albums in 2019, Big Thief would be keen on taking a much longer break before they began churning out more new music. Thankfully for us, that’s not the case; Today, the Brooklyn indie-folk band returns with two new singles, “Little Things” and “Sparrow.” Both songs were recorded in 2020 and produced by Big Thief drummer James Krivchenia. The slow-burning, hymn-like “Sparrow” sees vocalist Adrianne Lenker recount a Bible-inspired tale that reads like an epic poem of sorts. The track was recorded all in one take, lending to an intimate, natural feel. On the other hand, “Little Things” is an unexpected sound for Big Thief, in which they swap their more typical somber feel with a propulsive rhythm section and noisy guitar riffs. Here, Lenker seems to...
Aimee Mann Announces New Album Queens of the Summer Hotel, Shares Song: Stream
Indie folk-and-piano icon Aimee Mann has just announced a new album. It’s called Queens of the Summer Hotel and it’s due out November 5th via Mann’s own label SuperEgo. Apparently it came about after Mann started developing music for a stage adaptation of Girl, Interrupted in 2018. To preview the record, she’s sharing the album’s lead single, “Suicide Is Murder,” along with a music video below. According to a press release, Queens of the Summer consists of “a song cycle constructed from music that Mann wrote for the show.” It’s sung by Mann and orchestrated with her longtime collaborator Paul Bryan. As a nod to the project’s theatrical origins, the album features strings and woodwinds in addition to Mann’s usual style of piano playing. It spans 15 songs in total and serves as the follow-up...
