Los Angeles songwriter Dent May has announced his fifth album, Late Checkout. The project arrives August 21st via Carpark Records, and May is previewing it today with a wonderful new pop-rock song called “I Could Use A Miracle”. Since emerging in the late 2000s as a ukulele-toting psych-pop artist and then pivoting to disco, May has evolved into a much more polished and grandiose songwriter. Fans witnessed flashes of this transformation on 2017’s Across The Multiverse, but this forthcoming follow-up sees May really stepping up to own his new status as a power-pop multi-instrumentalist: not only is the new LP his first to be recorded outside of his home studio, but it’s also his introduction to writing and arranging parts for string players, a horn section, and background vocalist...
In honor of Juneteenth last Friday, Beyoncé released a new solo song called “Black Parade”. Now, just some days later, Queen Bey is back with a special a cappella version of the track. Per Consequence of Sound writer Nina Corcoran, the original iteration of “Black Parade” was a “celebratory blend of pop, trap, hip-hop, and electronica-verging on Detroit techno” and featured horn and flute arrangements. Although most of the flashiness and extra adornments have been stripped, the global R&B star’s message of Black pride and Black beauty still rings true here — and perhaps even truer when delivered through Bey’s singular, captivating voice. “I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to remember our beauty, strength and power,”...
Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, and 9th Wonder are Dinner Party Neo-jazz virtuosos Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, and Terrace Martin have teamed up with hip-hop producer/rapper 9th Wonder to form a new supergroup called Dinner Party. The quartet will release their self-titled debut on July 10th, and you can stream the first single — “Freeze Tag” featuring Chicago singer Phoelix — below. Though Washington, Glasper, Martin, and 9th Wonder only began working on the album in late 2019, the supergroup’s origins date back nearly two decades. Washington and Martin went to high school together in Washington, and met Glasper at a jazz camp. In the ensuing years, they’d collaborate together on a number of projects: Martin and Glasper are both members of R+R=Now, while Washingt...
As one of several acts to play the “All In WA: A Concert for COVID-19 Relief” livestream event on Wednesday night (June 24th), Pearl Jam treated viewers to the first-ever live performance of their recent single “Dance of the Clairvoyants”. The socially distant rendition of the song featured each member of Pearl Jam performing from his own home. The band’s longtime lineup of Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Jeff Ament, and Matt Cameron was bolstered by former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, who provided backing vocals. In the video of the performance, Vedder holds a handheld camera, as his two daughters and wife Jill are seen dancing, bringing to life the song’s line, “I know the girls wanna dance.” Musically, the band mixes things up, with guitarist Gossard pla...
Dark folk singers Myrkur and Anna von Hausswolff have joined forces for a cover of Björk’s 1997 song “All Is Full of Love”. The majestic closing track of Björk’s art pop masterpiece, Homogenic, “All Is Full of Love” is ripe material for a treatment from Myrkur and Von Hausswolff, whose voices intermingle on the minimalistic rendition. Only a spare, distant piano accompanies their melodies. “From our homes in Denmark and Sweden we decided to record a simple, fragile and raw version of Björk’s ‘All Is Full of Love’,” Myrkur (aka Amalie Bruun) said in a press release. “A song we consider to be one of the most beautiful and encouraging songs, that is a reminder to stay open to receive love even in times like these.” The track makes for a proper addendum to Myrkur’s 2020 album, Folkesange. Stee...
Roger Waters has come under fire for recent comments in which he described Jewish-American billionaire Sheldon Adelson as a “puppet master,” blamed Israel for the death of George Floyd, and called Zionism an “ugly stain” that “needs to be gently removed by us.” Waters made the remarks in a new interview with the Middle East Media Research Institute. Discussing the relationship between the US and Israel, Waters singled out Adelson, the American business magnate and GOP political donor whose net worth is approaching $40 billion. Adelson is “the puppet master pulling the strings of Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, and what’s his name… the Ambassador [to Israel]…,” Waters commented, before wrongly identifying Ambassador David Friedman as “Greenberg.” “And Sheldon Adelson is a right-wing fa...
Outside Lands 2020 has been officially canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. On a brighter note, organizers are already prepping next year’s installment and have announced the 2021 lineup. Next summer’s edition of Outside Lands is scheduled to go down August 6th-8th, 2021 at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The lineup touts Tame Impala, Lizzo, The Strokes, Tyler, the Creator, Vampire Weekend, J Balvin, Kehlani, The 1975, ZHU, and Young Thug as its biggest names. Beach House, Brittany Howard, Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen, Khruangbin, EarthGang, 070 Shake, and Rico Nasty are also slated to perform, as are Yves Tumor, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Big Thief, Dr. Dog, Julia Jacklin, The Beths, Madeline Kenney, Post Animal, Nelly, Bonobo, Burna Boy, and JPEGMAFIA. Tickets for Outside L...
Electronic mastermind Kelly Lee Owens is gearing up to release her new album, Inner Song, this summer. To help make the wait a little shorter, she’s released a new song called “On” alongside a mesmerizing music video, and neither disappoints. Fans may recall that Inner Song was originally scheduled to come out this past May. Like other artists wary of the coronavirus pandemic, Owens has decided to push back her record, opting for a new release date of August 28th instead. Thankfully that gives us more time to sit with her new music, like previous singles “Night”, “Melt!”, and a dazzling collaborative track with Jon Hopkins. “On” continues the mood established on earlier album cuts, transitioning from her ethereal, cascading vocals to a harsher, dance-driven beat that blooms in the second h...
Electronic mastermind Kelly Lee Owens is gearing up to release her new album, Inner Song, this summer. To help make the wait a little shorter, she’s released a new song called “On” alongside a mesmerizing music video, and neither disappoints. Fans may recall that Inner Song was originally scheduled to come out this past May. Like other artists wary of the coronavirus pandemic, Owens has decided to push back her record, opting for a new release date of August 28th instead. Thankfully that gives us more time to sit with her new music, like previous singles “Night”, “Melt!”, and a dazzling collaborative track with Jon Hopkins. “On” continues the mood established on earlier album cuts, transitioning from her ethereal, cascading vocals to a harsher, dance-driven beat that blooms in the second h...