New Music
Flatbush Zombies Announce now, more than ever EP, Share “iamlegend”: Stream
Flatbush Zombies have announced the new EP now, more than ever. With the June 5th release date fast approaching, the hip-hop trio have shared the lead single “iamlegend”. now, more than ever is their first official release since 2018’s Vacation in Hell. Compared to that 80-minute epic, releasing an EP is a change of pace. The six-track effort features guest vocals from UK singer Sophie Faith, and song titles that hearken back to some of their favorite themes, such as “herb” and “blessings”. As for the single, “iamlegend” is a ferocious first volley. This stunt track comes with slick flows and wildly varied deliveries. Meechy Darko attacks the lyrics like they murdered his parents, while Zombie Juice takes the hook at a whisper. Erik the Architect finds middle ground to bring up t...
Yusuf / Cat Stevens Re-Records Tea for the Tillerman in Celebration of Its 50th Anniversary
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ classic album Tea for the Tillerman. To celebrate, he’s re-recorded the album in full. Fittingly titled Tea for the Tillerman², this new version is due out September 18th. All 11 original Tea for the Tillerman songs appear on this forthcoming update, including fan favorites like “Where Do the Children Play?”, “Hard Headed Woman”, and “Father and Son”. While Yusuf sought to retain the spirit of these 1970-era tracks, many of them — such as “Wild World” and “Longer Boats” — were given surprising makeovers; the latter cut, for instance, features rapper Brother Ali. In an interview with Apple Music, Yusuf said he wanted to re-work the album to better reflect how he feels in 2020. He explained, “The truth is I sat down with ...
Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist Announce New Collaborative Project Alfredo, Featuring Tyler, the Creator, Rick Ross, and More
Collaborative albums from Freddie Gibbs are often pure fire (hello Bandana), and it looks like we’re about to get some heat very soon. Gibbs and veteran producer The Alchemist are releasing a new project called Alfredo this Friday, May 29th. The delectable collaborative effort spans 10 songs and features guest contributions from Tyler, the Creator (“Something to Rap), Rick Ross (“Scottie Beam”), Conway the Machine (“Babies & Fools)”, and Benny the Butcher (“Frank Lucas”). It serves as the second joint release from Gibbs and The Alchemist following the 2018 mixtape Fetti. As a first taste of Alfredo, Gibbs and The Alchemist are serving up “1985”, a soulful tune peppered with curling guitars. The Indiana rapper name-drops both Michael Jordan and Joe Pesci on the track, while its cor...
Japandroids Announce First-Ever Live Album Massey Fucking Hall
Canadian rockers Japandroids will usher in the summer season with their first-ever live album. Titled Massey Fucking Hall, it’s due out June 19th digitally and on vinyl October 2nd. The forthcoming album is named after Massey Hall, the renowned Toronto venue where it was recorded. There are 12 songs altogether, culled from the duo’s three different albums. Included are “No Known Drink or Drug” and “Arc of Bar”, off the most recent Japandroids LP, 2017’s Near to the Wild Heart of Life. There’s also “Younger Us” and “The House That Heaven Built”, a favorite off 2012’s Celebration Rock and one of the best songs of the last decade. Additionally, the band’s now-classic 2009 debut, Post-Nothing, is well-represented with singles like “Heart Sweats” and “Young Hearts Spark Fire”. “We never thought...
Grace Sings Sludge Shares New Song “Friend to All”: Stream
Grace Sings Sludge, the solo project from Grace Cooper of The Sandwitches, has shared the new song “Friend to All”. It’s the latest single off her forthcoming album Christ Mocked and the End of a Relationship, which just received the new release date of July 17th. Christ Mocked… is her fifth album under the Grace Sings Sludge banner, but the first recorded at a proper studio. If “Friend to All” is any indication, she’s definitely benefiting from crisper production. The new single is a lovely journey into gothic folk. Over gentle, minor-key guitars, Cooper spins an anxious tale of a downtrodden woman who’s “been friends to all,” in her own way. Cooper’s singing is expansive and expressive; she loves to whittle down a vowel until it’s little more than a hum, and then flip her voice upwa...
Mark Duplass’ Band Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! Announce Deluxe Reissue of Carbon Copy EP
Back at the turn of the century, director Mark Duplass was busy playing gigs across the US in his popular indie rock band Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! Polyvinyl still considers them to be one of their “most beloved signings,” and as such they’ve decided to celebrate the band by reissuing their debut EP, Carbon Copy, on vinyl for the first time ever. Featuring singer-keyboardist Duplass, guitarist Byron Westbrook, and drummer John Thomas Robinette III, Volcano, I’m Still Excited!! released Carbon Copy on a small run of CDs back in 2002. Since then, the long out-of-print disc has been tough to track down, especially compared to the availability of the band’s sole full-length, 2004’s self-titled LP. That’s because the group only signed with Polyvinyl after meeting the team in Illinois wh...
Sevdaliza Shares Haunting New Song “Joanna”: Stream
The Iranian-Dutch artist Sevdaliza has shared her new song, “Joanna”. The haunting single comes from an unnamed album, due out later this summer. For fans of Sevdaliza’s 2017 debut album, ISON, “Joanna” will sound stripped-down, even bare. ISON weaved together R&B drums and genre-bending synthesizers into rich sonic tapestries. In contrast, the backing track of “Joanna” relies on simplicity. An acoustic guitar picks out three notes at a time, so that the beginning of each measure is full of silence, while brief electronic flourishes accent the end of phrases. “Evil personified/ She preys on the dead/ Desert woman/ Veiled in silence,” Sevdaliza sings, pitching her husky voice somewhere between a whisper and a moan. “Joanna” utilizes this stark imagery to paint a bleak picture of u...
Death’s 1990-1991 Recordings Unearthed for Latest Live Album: Stream
Recordings from Death’s 1990 and 1991 tours have been unearthed for the fourth entry in the legendary metal act’s archival Non:Analog live album series. The latest installment features tracks recorded at various shows while the band was touring in support of 1990’s Spiritual Healing and 1991’s Human. LIVE 1990, 1991 UNKNOWN features staple Death songs such as “Flattening of Emotions”, “Zombie Ritual”, “Living Monstrosity”, and “Denial of Life”, among others. The release revisits a seminal turning point in the career of the iconic death metal band. After the pioneering sonic filth of 1987’s Scream Bloody Gore, the late Chuck Shuldiner and company adopted a leaner, more technical approach. Spiritual Healing is that transitional pivot, touting precise thrashing and a more discernible vocal mi...
The Lemon Twigs Share the Origins of New Song “Moon”: Stream
In our new music feature Origins, artists are given the chance to offer listeners insight into what brought about their latest track. Today, The Lemon Twigs map out how they got to the “Moon”. Despite being on lockdown like the rest of us, The Lemon Twigs are making 2020 a busy year. Last month, they released their surprise benefit album LIVE, and after a slight delay, they’ll drop their new proper full-length, Songs for the General Public, on August 21st via 4AD. They teased the LP with the kaleidoscopic lead single “The One” in March, and today they’re delivering a second shot with “Moon”. The Lemon Twigs’ Michael D’Addario may describe the tune as a perfecting of the band’s “dumpster sound” (more on the later), but trust he means that with all positivity. Ringing from the back...
Lana Del Rey Reveals New Album Title, Name-Checks Marianne Williamson in Latest Attempt to Clarify Controversial IG Post
Lana Del Rey took to Instagram on Friday to announce a new album and poetry collection — but the message was largely lost in the context of the rest of the post. The singer drew the Internet’s ire for framing a rebuff against critics by comparing herself to other female singers, mostly naming women of color like Doja Cat and Beyoncé, “who have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, fucking, cheating, etc.” Meanwhile, Del Rey argued, she is met with allegations of glamorizing abuse “when in reality I’m just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent abusive relationships all over the world,” The pop star insisted that modern feminism should allow for her point of view, too: “There has to be a place...
Bright Eyes Share New Song “One and Done” Featuring Flea on Bass: Stream
A release date for Bright Eyes’ new comeback album still hasn’t been set, but that has stopped Conor Oberst and co. from teasing their fans with new music. Following “Persona Non Grata” and “Forced Convalescence”, the reunited outfit is now sharing “One and Done”, and single that once again features cameos from members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Queens of the Stone Age. Similar to last month’s “Forced Convalescence”, today’s offering sees RHCP’s Flea on bass and additional percussion courtesy of QOTSA drummer Jon Theodore. Also like the preceding single, Oberst can be heard ruminating on the current state of the world — specifically the bleakness of its collapse and final days. “This whole town looks empty but we knew it wouldn’t last/ Behind b...
Genevieve Artadi Announces New Album Dizzy Strange Summer, Shares “Living Like I Know I’m Gonna Die”: Stream
One half of the jazz-funk project Knower, Genevieve Artadi dropped her solo debut, genevieve lalala, back in 2015. Five years later, she’s announced her sophomore album under her own name, the serendipitously named Dizzy Strange Summer. Due out July 17th via Brainfeeder, the 16-track LP is being previewed today with the lead single, “Living Like I Know I’m Gonna Die”. Though not what’s become known as a “quarantine album,” Dizzy Strange Summer does reflect the world’s current state in both its title and themes. The collection’s 16 songs were written while Artadi was experiencing a personal upheaval, not unlike many of us are going through now. “I was pretty lost,” she said in a press release. “But enjoying feeling lost.” Helping the psychedelic jazz artist find her way on the LP were ...
