music
Saint Bodhi Pops Off on New Song “Gold Revolver”: Stream
Dual threat rapper/singer Saint Bodhi pops off on a cheating partner in the new song “Gold Revolver”. A former ghostwriter, the 27-year-old SoCal native earned her stripes collaborating with Beyoncé, Kevin Gates, Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, and more. Now a solo artist signed to Def Jam, she first made waves in August of 2019 with the hard-luck R&B of “FlowerChild”, and then returned in the spring of this year with the balls-to-the-wall banger “Bad Mood”. “Gold Revolver” is her most exciting release yet. Over haunting pipes and head-nodding drums, Saint Bodhi raps a tale of violent madness worthy of early Eminem. “Yo, I have a n—- hogtied to the furnace/ Bitch should’ve watched his words/ I’m slipping in my mental/ I’m whispering to the birds.” The narrator’s unfaithful partner is in for a...
R.E.M., Hayley Williams, Phoebe Bridgers, Angel Olsen, More Contribute to New Voters’ Rights Compilation
Michael Stipe, Phoebe Bridgers and Hayley Williams, photos by Olof Grind and Ben Kaye A who’s who of indie rock royalty are contributing to a new charity compilation benefiting voters’ rights ahead of the 2020 election. Aptly titled Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, the 40-track album collects previously unreleased recordings from the likes of R.E.M., Hayley Williams, Phoebe Bridgers, Angel Olsen, The National’s Matt Berninger, Jamila Woods, Rostam, Flume, Weyes Blood, and more. Notable entries including Williams’ cover of Broadcast’s “Colour Me”; Berninger’s rendition of The Cure’s “In Between Days”; an in-the-works collaboration between Ben Gibbard and Tycho; demos from Bridgers, Sharon Van Etten, King Tuff, and Tegan and Sara; an unearthed Beverly Glenn-Copeland so...
Nina Hagen Teams Up with George Clinton for New Song “Unity”: Stream
George Clinton (photo by Raj Gupta) and Nina Hagen (photo by Christliches Medienmagazin) Nina Hagen, a longtime fixture of Germany’s punk and new wave scenes, has teamed up with funk legend George Clinton for a new song called “Unity”. It’s the first single she’s released in nearly nine years. According to Hagen, “Unity” was written and recorded following the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests that took place worldwide. As such, she intended for the song to serve as an “homage to the Black Lives Matter movement,” reports Pitchfork. Musically, “Unity” is a trippy dub number that sees Hagen and Clinton getting lost in an atmospheric beat. While gentle keys and hi-hat stutters guide the song, Hagen sings about people coming together for the greater good in equal parts rasp and...
Arca Shares Ambient New Song “Mallorca”: Stream
Arca returned this past spring with her acclaimed new album called KiCk I, which touts high-profile collaborations with Björk, Rosalía, and SOPHIE. Now, to coincide with Bandcamp Friday, the electronic music producer has unveiled the latest installment in her Mutants Mixtape compilation series, and it features a new solo offering called “Mallorca”. Clocking in at two-and-a-half minutes, the track finds Alejandra Ghersi conjuring an ambient yet shapeshifting world — one that’s fluid and multi-faceted in nature, much like Arca herself. “I’m asking for recognition that we have multiple selves without denying that there’s a singular unit,” Arca told Paper earlier this year, in a discussion about her identity as a Latinx trans woman. “I want to be seen as an ecosystem of minor self-states ...
Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” Will Play Key Part in Upcoming Disney Film Jungle Cruise
Metallica’s classic ballad “Nothing Else Matters” is being transformed into an orchestral piece for a key scene in the upcoming Disney film Jungle Cruise. The blockbuster adventure stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, and is set for a July 30th, 2021 release after being delayed due to the pandemic. Lars Ulrich told Collider that the idea for the collaboration originated with Disney production president Sean Bailey, whom the drummer described as a “lifelong rock fan” who’s “always been a Metallica fan.” Bailey eventually connected the band and Oscar-nominated composer James Newton Howard. The song is apparently being rearranged for the movie score format, with a sweeping orchestral treatment worthy of Howard’s canon. “Nothing Else Matters” plays during a significant part of the movie, but ...
Spirit Adrift Share New Song “Astral Levitation”, Cover Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut”: Stream
Spirit Adrift have shared the second single, “Astral Levitation”, from their upcoming album, Enlightened in Eternity. Additionally, the band has released a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut” from an upcoming tribute to the latter’s seminal album Vol. 4. “Astral Levitation” is another taut, literary heavy metal song following lead single “Harmony of the Spheres”. One of the band’s penchants is its ability incorporate various tempos in the same song, using mid-tempo sections to create an immensely listenable arrangement. “‘Astral Levitation’ is about searching within for untapped power during times of darkness and despair,” singer-guitarist Nathan Garrett said of the song. “It’s an empowering soundtrack to the challenging times we all currently face.” Likewise, the band pay tribute to thei...
Billy Joel Won’t Return to Madison Square Garden Until Late 2021
As the coronavirus crisis stretches onwards, Billy Joel has announced that he won’t return to his monthly Madison Square Garden concerts until November 5th, 2021. The news affects six concerts cancelled by the coronavirus crisis earlier this year. They were initially supposed to take place between March 19th and August 3rd, and were already pushed back once already, to take place from September 26th through February 3rd, 2021. Well, that plan proved too optimistic. Now Joel is giving health officials plenty of time to roll out a vaccine before he tries again; those same six concerts will run from 2021 to 2022 starting on Friday, November 5th, and continuing through Monday, December 20th, Friday, January 14th, Saturday, February 12th, Thursday, March 24th, and finishing on Friday, April 8th...
Kanye West Has Spent Nearly $6 Million on His Presidential Campaign
Kanye West has spent nearly $6 million since entering the presidential race on July 4th, according to a campaign finance report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday. Kanye has largely self-funded his run thus far, loaning approximately $6.7 million to his campaign between July and August. In fact, to date, he’s received only eight outside donations totaling a little over $3800. As for his expenditures, most have gone to consulting firms who’ve been working to get his name on states’ ballots. In particular, Fortified Consulting, which shares the same address as Lincoln Strategy Group, a Republican consulting firm, has received $1.5 million. So far, Kanye hasn’t seen much of a return on his investment; he’s been kicked off more states’ ballots than he’s actually gotten o...
Bumper, Kat Cunning, Wonho, And More Made The Songs We Love This Week
#WENEE, our time has come! Wonho’s debut album, Love Synonym #1: Right for Me, is finally here and hits us with a one-two sucker punch, beginning with “Open Mind.” Released in both Korean and English, it’s an unabashed, funky, and seductive banger that knows exactly what it wants and isn’t afraid to go and get it. Wonho takes us from “zero to 100” without a second to waste. Let go of all your inhibitions and tell him your desires because, as the song suggests, he’ll “bring ‘em all to life / for just one night” Whew! Well then, Wonho: Let me have a glass of water and compose myself. This is a strong opening track from a powerhouse Korean soloist, and if this is any indication, it’s just the beginning of what is sure to be a prolific, successful career. Expect the unexpected from Wonho and “...
Lil Durk Shares New Song “The Voice”: Stream
Lil Durk has shared a surprise new single called “The Voice”, as well as a corresponding music video. The track finds the Chicago MC ruminating on the rough times he’s going through. “Money ran low right, felons can’t vote, right?/ I can’t even vote for who I believe in, shit ain’t goin’ right,” Lil Durk spits over a wistful yet clacking beat from TurnmeupJosh. “I just dropped a tear inside the funeral, ain’t more right?” Even if it’s hard to connect with some of the finer details, the overall feeling is still something to which we can all likely relate. “The Voice” is accompanied by a simple visual that depicts Lil Durk rapping in front of a fleet of white cars and on a private jet. Take a look below. Editors’ Picks Lil Durk’s latest solo offering comes amidst a summer season filled...
SZA, Ty Dolla $ign, And The Neptunes All ‘Hit Different’ On Vibey New Single
Way back in January, SZA revealed that we’d be hearing new music from her this year — and when her Trolls World Tour collab with Justin Timberlake dropped the following month, fans were hoping there was plenty more where that came from. Today (September 4), despite some previous (deleted) tweets where SZA had characterized the relationship between her and TDE label president Punch as “hostile,” a gorgeous new SZA song has arrived. It features Ty Dolla $ign, was produced by The Neptunes, and is called “Hit Different.” While “The Other Side” stayed firmly in the pop realm, “Hit Different” is patented SZA R&B, undulating and seemingly with its own gravitational pull. Over a bass-heavy beat courtesy of Pharrell and Chad Hugo, SZA unspoo...
Justin Bieber Stars As Drake In DJ Khaled’s Trippy New ‘Popstar’ Video
Drake and Justin Bieber are perhaps the two most famous Canadians in the history of pop music. Right now, though — during a time of unprecedented travel restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there’s one key element that separates them: Drake’s been in Canada (which means he can’t travel to the United States), and Bieber’s already here, in Los Angeles. In the realm of music videos, this means Bieber is free to take Drake’s place at the center of the “Popstar” visual, helmed by Director X (Julien Christian Lutz), which dropped on Friday (September 4). In it, Bieber is the very embodiment of the title, carrying a bottle of champagne around a mansion that’s simultaneously in both party and after-party mode, lip-synching Drake’s...
