New Music
A.K. Paul Shares New Song “Be Honest”: Stream
A.K. Paul by A.K. Paul Back in May, A.K. Paul quietly dropped his first song in four years, a groovy bop called “HUNGRY BEAT” made during quarantine. Today, he’s back with another new one called “Be Honest”. The track is a mechanical alt-R&B tune that sets the English artist’s warm-blooded croon over watery, refracting synths that almost recall the busyness of vaporwave. It’s exactly the sort of left-of-center pop that we’ve come to expect from Paul and his equally elusive brother, Jai — and apparently we can expect more new material from the siblings soon. In a statement paired with “Be Honest”, A.K. Paul announced that he and Jai are relaunching their enigmatic label, the Paul Institute, and have a whole slew of new releases slated for the coming months. “I’m really happy we’re relea...
Raffi Shares Ode to “Portland Moms” in New Black Lives Matter Protest Song: Stream
Who woulda thought the musician behind “Bananaphone” would be the one giving the Wall of Moms their own theme? Beloved children’s singer Raffi has shared a new song called “Portland Moms” in support of the ongoing Portland protests against police violence and racial injustice. Set to the tune of the folk standard “Buffalo Gals”, Raffi calls for Portland Moms, Black Lives Matter, and the Wall of Vets to “come out tonight by the light of the silvery moon” and be “strong and peaceful.” He’s joined on the jaunty protest song by Lindsay Munroe and Ivan Rosenberg. Together, they “stand in solidarity” with the Portland, Oregon protesters currently dealing with unmarked federal troops Trump has sent in against the wishes of local government. “In solidarity with #BlackLivesMattter, a tribute to the...
Manuel Gagneux (Zeal & Ardor) Returns as Birdmask, Premieres Music Video for New Song “Set Me on Fire”: Stream
Zeal & Ardor frontman Manuel Gagneux has revived his long-running solo project, Birdmask, and is premiering the music video for new song “Set Me on Fire” exclusively via Heavy Consequence. Birdmask is Gagneux in his own creative element. Although some of the atmosphere and experimental ideas of his metal outfit Zeal & Ardor are present here, Gagneux embraces a varied spectrum of sounds — “pop-rocked-bliss” as he calls it. Most notably, his soaring vocals remain right up front. “I’ve had this song ready for a couple of years now but being preoccupied with other projects kind of forced me to leave it on the back burner,” Gagneux says. “I feel like it’s about time to let it out. In the time between then and now I was lucky enough to tour the world with a different project, score ...
Mastodon, Tool, Primus, Coheed and Cambria Members Cover Rush’s ‘Anthem’
Jordan Olds took his Two Minutes To Late Night series to a new level on Monday, releasing a star-studded cover of Rush’s “Anthem.” Check out the video below. The line-up features Mastodon’s Bill Kelliher and Mutoid Man/Cave In’s Steve Brodsky on guitar, Tool’s Danny Carey behind the drums, Primus’ Les Claypool on bass and Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez handling vocals. The home-recorded, quarantine-style video features some pretty impressive green-screen action, cool duplicating effects and, of course, killer instrumentation. “Uhhh… Holy Moley. It’s Claudio Sanchez, Bill Kelliher, Les Claypool, Danny Carey, and Steve Brodsky covering a Rush song,” the video’s caption reads. “We’re just as surprised as you are. This is our 15th bedroom cover made with the support of Pat...
Rodrigo y Gabriela Share 20-Minute Live Rendition of Pink Floyd’s ‘Echoes’
If you’ve been missing live shows and need an ambitious 20-minute roller-coaster of a cover to ease your spirits, Rodrigo y Gabriela got you covered. On Monday, the pair announced their latest live record, Mettavolution Live, including their latest Flamenco-inspired rendition of Pink Floyd’s 1971 “Echoes.” The cut shows the skillful duo going back-and-forth in front of a live audience that follows along with every move. Through some wild plucking and impressive use of timing, the dueling guitarists bring everything to the stage in the 2019 recording. “We are big Pink Floyd fans,” the duo says. “That track, especially the live in Pompeii version means a lot to us. Besides that, the lyrics are even more relevant now than they were 45 years ago: the search for knowledge about ourselves, ...
Bruce Hornsby Teams with Jamila Woods for “Bright Star Cast”: Stream
Bruce Hornsby is celebrating recent protests against racial inequality with “Bright Star Cast”, his new song featuring Jamila Woods. While this cross-generational collaboration may seem unexpected, both artists have long histories of addressing racism. The 65-year-old Hornsby has touched on prejudice several times throughout his career, including on his biggest radio hit, 1986’s “The Way It Is”. Then, too, there’s his decades-long relationship with Spike Lee, where he’s provided the musical backdrop to some of the most vital cinematic moments of the last 25 years. And as for the 30-year-old Woods, the fight against injustice is one of many plots that run through her two titanic albums, 2017’s HEAVN and the 2019 masterpiece, LEGACY! LEGACY!. “Bright Star Cast” is a rollicking funk-rock...
Raffi Wrote a Song About the Wall of Moms in Portland
Step aside Tom Morello, Raffi Cavoukian, better known to kids around the world simply as “Raffi,” has written 2020’s next protest anthem. Over the weekend, the beloved children’s singer shared a new song called “Portland Moms” that shows support for Black Lives Matter and calls out the civil unrest currently happening in Portland, Oregon. “in solidarity with #BlackLivesMattter, a tribute to the heroic protests vs injustice in Portland and elsewhere,” the “Baby Beluga” singer tweeted, “an idea that woke me up 3 am, now recorded.” The simple lyrics ask “Portland Moms won’t you come out tonight, come out tonight, come out tonight / Portland Moms won’t you come out tonight, by the light of the silvery moon,” and repeats the request for Black Lives Matter, Wall of Vets, and Strong and Peaceful....
Thundercat Contributes New Song to ThunderCats TV Series: Stream
Who better to write a new song for the ThunderCats reboot than the musician named Thundercat. The funk and jazz maestro born Stephen Burner has contributed a new song called “Grune’s Tune” to Cartoon Network’s ThunderCats Roar. As Pitchfork points out, Burner’s song is about a villainous anthropomorphic saber-toothed tiger named Grune the Destroyer, of which he also voices in the series. During a Comic-Con@Home panel on Thursday, Burner spoke about his life-long fascination with ThunderCats and revealed his musical moniker came about because he frequently wore a ThunderCats T-Shirt in the studio, leading Erykah Badu to refer to him as “Thundercat”. Watch the animated video for “Grune’s Tune” and the Comic-Con@Home panel below. Back in April, Thundercat released his fourth st...
PJ Harvey Unearths Dry Demos Album: Stream
As part of an extensive archival campaign, PJ Harvey is reissuing her entire discography on vinyl. Notably, these re-releases are also being paired with demos culled from the original album sessions. First to be spotlighted in this series is, of course, her 1992 breakthrough debut album, Dry. Its corresponding collection of demos is simply titled Dry-Demos and consists of 11 early recordings, each raw and captivating in their own way. Whether you’ve been a longtime fan or have just recently discovered her magic, it’s a piece of Harvey history worth savoring (or at the very least, adding to your streaming queue). This release marks the first time Dry-Demos has ever received a standalone release. In addition to digital formats, it’s available in CD and vinyl form and comes packaged...
The Flaming Lips Imagine “You n Me Sellin’ Weed” on New Song: Stream
The Flaming Lips are back with a new song called “You n Me Sellin’ Weed” from American Head, their upcoming 21st album. Better yet, it comes with a sun-soaked music video to brighten up your quarantine. This is the fourth single we’ve heard from American Head so far, following “Dinosaurs On The Mountain”, “Flowers Of Neptune 6”, and “My Religion Is You”. While this new track reads like it will be a giddy uptempo number about the magic of selling drugs with your partner, it begins like the opposite. Over some hazy guitar strums and mellow percussion, Wayne Coyne sings with a tinge of nostalgia about a relationship — that is, until the tempo picks up, sound effect pop in the background, and the psychedelia starts to trickle in. As with the previously released songs from the album, “You n Me ...
Napalm Death Share New Song “Backlash Just Because” Ahead of Upcoming Album: Stream
Napalm Death have shared the new song “Backlash Just Because”. It’s the lead single and first music we’ve heard from the band’s upcoming album, Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism, out September 18th. The ferocious track finds the UK extreme metal pioneers in their thrashing element. The song’s chaotic noise and grindcore absurdity is anchored by frontman Barney Greenway’s subversive lyrics. “Backlash Just Because” set the blueprint for the rest of the album’s lyrical content and the skeptical optimism of its evocative title: Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism. “This song in particular really spurred me on when I was writing lyrics for the album overall,” Greenway said during an interview on Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal. “It’s raucous and traditional, but also quirky and discordant and ...
Curren$y and Harry Fraud Reconnect On New Collaborative Project The OutRunners: Stream
Curren$y has already dropped two joint projects in 2020, but his latest one might be the most noteworthy. The Outrunners sees the New Orleans-bred rapper reuniting with trusty producer and longtime collaborator Harry Fraud. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. The new effort consists of nine tracks and features special guests in Rick Ross (“Mugello Red”) and Wiz Khalifa (“90′ IROC-Z”). Jim Jones also appears on a song called “In the Coupe”, while Conway the Machine provides extra bars on “Riviera Beach”. In a statement, Curren$y said that despite his already-prolific catalog — which includes over 30 (!) albums, mixtapes, and EPs — there’s plenty of new and exciting things to be found on The Outrunners. “Even those who have known me forever will find out things they didn’t ...
