New Music
Black Country, New Road Unveil New Song “Track X”: Stream
The buzzy Brits of Black Country, New Road have returned with the new song called “Track X”. It’s the latest preview of their debut album For the first time, out February 5th. Like previous releases, “Track X” is understated and eccentric. Frontman Isaac Wood sings in a tone just above spoken word while brass instruments sketch butterflies around his voice. Even as the music looks forward with a heady mix of post-punk and jazz, the lyrics turn fondly backwards, remembering the place “where we fucked as kids,” and the time “I told you I love you in front of black midi.” In a statement, Wood explained how the song came together, saying, “Track X is a song we first worked on in 2018 but one that never made it out into our live performances. We decided to resurrect it during the reco...
Danny Elfman Shares Creepy New Solo Song “Sorry”: Stream
Halloween may be long past, but Danny Elfman has creepy treat for us. The beloved composer has returned with a new solo song called “Sorry” and an accompanying video. The expectedly eerie offering is only the second solo song Elfman has shared in the last 36 years (!), following last fall’s “Happy”. Like that tune, “Sorry” is being released via the indie labels ANTI-/ Epitaph Records, which feels like an interesting home for the guy who made the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. In a statement, Elfman said “Sorry” is “the first song I’ve written for myself in a long time,” and detailed its “alien” beginnings, “It began as an obsessive choral-chant instrumental work, which at the time I called ‘alien orchestral chamber punk’ and evolved slowly into a song. I was surprised by the a...
Blanck Mass Announces New Album In Ferneaux, Shares “Starstuff”: Stream
Blanck Mass is the solo electronic music project of Benjamin John Power, co-founder of drone outfit Fuck Buttons. Today, the British artist has announced a new album dubbed In Ferneaux, due for release next month via Sacred Bones. The follow-up to 2019’s Animated Violence Mild was written and recorded during quarantine, and is very much a product of its time. Blanck Mass created the album using a decade’s worth of field recordings from his various travels — purposely bringing memories and relationships back to life during a period of great separation and isolation. These recordings inform both halves of In Ferneaux, with each section representing a so-called “long-form journey” in the UK musician’s life. “The journeys are haunted with the vestiges of voices, places, and sensations,” descri...
Danny Elfman Releases Prog Rock-Influenced Single ‘Sorry’
Just before Halloween, Danny Elfman released his first solo single in 36 years, an “absurd anti-pop song” called “Happy.” Today, the famed composer/musician is giving us another taste of new material with “Sorry.” The anger-fueled track pulls from industrial and prog-rock influences to create an uneasy atmosphere that’s made even more unnerving with a jarring video animated by Jesse Kanda (Arca, FKA Twigs, Bjork). The intricate visuals were originally created for Elfman’s Coachella 2020 performance, which was postponed. “‘Sorry’ was the first song I’ve written for myself in a long time,” Elfman explained in a statement.“It began as an obsessive choral-chant instrumental work, which at the time I called ‘alien orchestral chamber punk’ and evolved slowly into a song. I was surprise...
Madlib and Four Tet Detail New Collaborative Album Sound Ancestors
Madlib and Four Tet have shared details of their new collaborative album Sound Ancestors. It arrives Friday, January 29th via Madlib Invazion. The tracklist and artwork are out now. Sound Ancestors is credited to Madlib, with Four Tet handling the editing, arranging, and mastering of the 16-song effort. In a social media statement, Four Tet explained the unusual work arrangement, writing, “He is always making loads of music in all sorts of styles and I was listening to some of his new beats and studio sessions when I had the idea that it would be great to hear some of these ideas made into a Madlib album. Not made into beats for vocalists to use but instead arranged into tracks that could all flow together in an album designed to be listened to start to finish. I put this co...
Sky Ferreira Shares Unreleased Cover of David Bowie’s “All The Madmen”: Stream
She still hasn’t offered any updates on her new album, but Sky Ferreira has given us something. On Friday, the 28-year-old pop artist took to Instagram to share a previously unreleased cover of David Bowie‘s “All The Madmen”. As Ferreira indicated in the caption with an all-caps “HBD”, her rendition of the tune from his 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World was in honor of Bowie’s 74th birthday. Ferreira also wrote informed fans that the cover is not new. She labeled it a “lost tape recording/demo” version of the song, and included a parenthetical, “(I just found this btw)”, to underscore that it’s a rarity she recently dug out of the archives. Nevertheless, a new song of any kind from Ferreira doesn’t happen often. After breaking out with her 2013 debut Night Time, My Time, we’v...
Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer” Gets New Remix by 100 gecs: Stream
Linkin Park’s mega-selling debut album Hybrid Theory continues to be celebrated after marking its 20th anniversary in October. A new officially sanctioned remix of “One Step Closer” by the innovative hyper-pop duo 100 gecs is the latest musical tribute to Linkin Park and their landmark LP. 100 gecs were personally recruited by Linkin Park to remix “One Step Closer” in any way they saw fit. The duo of Dylan Brady and Laura Les not only offer a new spin on Linkin Park’s breakout hit, but also add their own vocals to the mix, dubbed “One Step Closer (100 gecs Reanimation)”. Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda referenced his band’s 2002 remix album, Reanimation, when praising the 100 gecs version of “One Step Closer” in a press release. “Part of the spirit of Reanimation was to take the&...
The Hold Steady Reveal New Single “Heavy Covenant”: Stream
Next month marks the arrival of a new album from veteran indie rockers The Hold Steady. Their eighth overall, Open Door Policy is being previewed today with a song called “Heavy Covenant”. The follow-up to lead single “Family Farm”, this new cut carefully folds in layers of bright synths, rich horns, and driving percussion in such a way that holds your anticipation. And then there’s frontman Craig Finn’s fascinating tale of travel — one that’s simultaneously dark and funny. In a statement, Finn said the track is about “travel, technology, and human connection. The song came out of two different music pieces that THS piano/keyboardist Franz Nicolay brought in, and with the help of producer Josh Kaufman, we combined them.” “It came together quickly, and when our friends Stuart and Jorda...
The Pretty Reckless Unveil New Song “And So It Went” Featuring Tom Morello: Stream
The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen (via Fearless Records), Tom Morello (photo by Philip Cosores) The Pretty Reckless have unleashed the latest single from their upcoming album, Death by Rock and Roll. The new track, “And So It Went”, features guest guitar playing from Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. Death by Rock and Roll arrives on February 12th, and has already been preceded by the title track and the recent single “25”. The new song, “And So It Went”, finds Taylor Momsen ascending to a raspy scream over a heavy guitar riff in the verses. Morello’s trademark playing really comes to the forefront at the 2:35 mark with a blistering solo. The track ends with a children’s choir singing along with Momsen on the chorus. “The world has been in such a state of civil unrest,” said M...
The Hold Steady Share ‘Heavy Covenant’ From Upcoming Open Door Policy LP
The Hold Steady shared a new song, “Heavy Covenant,” which singer/guitarist Craig Finn says is about “travel, technology, and human connection.” It’s the second cut released from Open Door Policy, which is out on the band’s Positive Jams label via Thirty Tigers on Feb. 19. “The song came out of two different music pieces that the Hold Steady piano/keyboardist Franz Nicolay brought in, and with the help of producer Josh Kaufman, we combined them,” Finn explained of the song. “It came together quickly, and when our friends Stuart and Jordan came in and added the horns to the chorus it really seemed to bring it together. To us, this song is a great indication of where the band’s sound is at in 2021.” On Dec. 1, 2020, the Hold Steady put out “Family Farm,” the first single from the g...
David Bowie’s Birthday Celebrated With His Covers of John Lennon and Bob Dylan Songs
David Bowie’s birthday today would have been the Starman’s 74th, and to celebrate, two previously unreleased covers are being shared — Bowie’s version of John Lennon’s 1970 classic “Mother” along with Bob Dylan’s “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven.” The tunes come as limited-edition singles and are on streaming platforms now. The Lennon song was done in 1998 with longtime producer Tony Visconti for a Lennon tribute collection that never came out. Bowie recorded the Dylan tune in 1998 as well. It was originally on Dylan’s 1997’s Time Out of Mind album. Listen to “Mother” below. [embedded content] Listen to ‘Trying to Get to Heaven’ below. [embedded content] Many musical peers are paying homage to Bowie on his birthday today via “A Bowie Celebration,” and Duran Duran issued their cover of “...
Zayn Announces New Album Nobody Is Listening, Shares Single “Vibez”: Stream
The Zayn train has been pretty quiet since the release of single “Better” back in September — but that changes today. The pop-R&B artist has announced the release of a new album Nobody is Listening, set for release in just one week’s time on January 15th. He’s also loose a new song titled “Vibez”. It feels like forever since anybody sincerely, coolly used the letter “z” in place of “s” in words, but you can probably get away with it if you’re Zayn. Which he does. Over pulsing, sensual production the former One Direction star aches about wanting to do the deed with a special someone. “Don’t keep me waiting/ I’ve been waiting all night to get closer/ And you already know I got it for ya,” Zayn sings on the chorus. “You know the vibes/ Know the vibes, put it on ya/ If it movin’ too f...
