New Song Releases
RZA Shares New Bruce Lee-Inspired Song “Be Like Water”: Stream
RZA has released “Be Like Water”, a new song dedicated to Bruce Lee soundtracking ESPN’s forthcoming “30 for 30” documentary on the iconic martial arts expert and actor. “Bruce Lee’s teachings extended beyond physical martial arts. He was full of philosophy and mindfulness,” RZA said of Lee’s legacy in a statement. “His quote ‘Be Water my friend’ is profound and multi-tiered in definition,” the founding member of Wu-Tang Clan continued. “It inspires the idea that in adapting to life situations, sometimes we have to flow smoothly as a stream, while other times we have to crash like a Tsunami.” On his new track, RZA can be heard instructing, “Be like water/ Water crosses over every border/ From the mud of the Yangtze River to the sand beaches of Florida.” He later praises Lee’s films, s...
Meek Mill Breaks Down the “Otherside of America” on New Single: Stream
Meek Mill has shared a new single called “Otherside of America” about his childhood growing up black in the US. The political track opens with a sample of a negative Donald Trump speech over romantic orchestral strings, setting the rapper up for an emotional journey. Don’t mistake “Otherside of America” for your usual protest song. While there’s a high intensity to the track, courtesy of producers Butter Beats and Shroom, the Grammy-nominated rapper spends his time talking about the effects of poverty, violence, and racism on black kids-turned-teenagers with nuance and vivid imagery. “Reporting live from the other side/ Same corner where my brothers died,” he raps. “Living like we ain’t got care/ Told my mama I ain’t dying here.” Stream it below. Earlier this week, Mill — who was released ...
New Music Friday: 4 Albums to Stream
Sonic Boom (photo by Ian Witchell), Hinds (photo by Andrea Savall), and Muzz’s Paul Banks (photo by Ben Kaye) Every Friday, Consequence of Sound rounds up some of the week’s noteworthy new album releases into one nifty streaming post. Today, June 5th, brings fresh records from folks like Sonic Boom, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Paul Banks’ indie supergroup Muzz, and Hinds. Sonic Boom – All Things Being Equal <img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1023694" data-attachment-id="1023694" data-permalink="https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/04/stream-sonic-boom-the-way-that-you-live-song-video/sonic-boom-the-way-you-live-new-song-stream/" data-orig-file="https://consequenceofsound.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/sonic-boom-the-way-you-live-new-so...
Oh Sees’ John Dwyer, TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone Form Bent Arcana, Share “The Gate”: Stream
Because spearheading the ever-prolific Oh Sees and releasing solo music as Damaged Bug isn’t enough, John Dwyer has gone and put together a new supergroup. Dubbed Bent Arcana, the improvisational jazz fusion band’s self-titled debut is out August 21st via Castle Face. Today, they’ve shard the lead single “The Gate”. In addition to Dwyer, Oh Sees affiliates Tom Dolas (keys) and Brad Caulkins (saxophone) also perform with the group. Other members include TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone (modular synthesizer), Thurston Moore and Charles Gayle associate Ryan Sawyer (drums and vocals), Prettiest Eyes’ Marcos Rodriguez (guitar), Feels’ Laena “Geronimo” Myers-Ionita (violin), Joce Soubiran (tenor sax), and Flying Lotus and Nick Waterhouse associate Andres Renteria (percussion). Speaking of the band i...
Pussy Riot Share New Song “1312” Railing Against Police Brutality: Stream
This past week has been rife in police protests, rampant looting, burning buildings, and a blatant lack of equality following the death of George Floyd. During all of this, President Donald Trump has been, to quote Taylor Swift, “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism.” So it was only a matter of time until politically driven punk group Pussy Riot stepped in to write “1312”, a new song about ending police brutality. “1312” sees the Russian group collaborating with Argentinean artists Parcas, Dillom, and Muerejoven as a form of solidarity — similarly to their Vic Mensa track “Hangerz” — to honor “the bravery and strength shown in front of abusive police forces” at Chilean protests. Musically, “1312” is a hybrid of blown-out grunge beats, throat-scratching screams, punk rock br...
Run the Jewels Reject Racists on New Song “A Few Words for the Firing Squad (Radiation)”: Stream
Run the Jewels have just dropped the perfect song to coincide with the Black Lives Matter protests raging across the country. Titled “A Few Words for the Firing Squad (Rotation)”, the poignant track sees Killer Mike and El-P condemning racism, while also being the voice of the marginalized. “This is for the never heard, never even get a motherfucking word,” El-P raps during one of his verses, his words punching just as hard as the track’s driving production. But it’s Killer Mike’s turn at the mic that provides the most graphic visual, as he references both lynching and slavery, “This is for the do-gooders that the no-gooders used and then abused/ For the truth tellers tied to the whipping post, left beaten, battered, bruised/ For the ones whose body hung from a tree like a piece of strange...
Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, and Denzel Curry Throw It Down on New Protest Song “PIG FEET”: Stream
Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington (Debi Del Grande), and Denzel Curry (Cat Miller) Protests are sweeping the nation from coast to coast following the murder of George Floyd, who died while in Minneapolis police custody last week. To express their own rage over police brutality, and the systemic racism in America that allows it, Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, and Denzel Curry have joined forces on a new single called “PIG FEET”. Producer Martin and saxophonist Washington deliver arrangements of frenetic, and sometimes clashing, jazz to mirror the present-day chaos of this country. Curry, meanwhile, recounts a tale too often told by young blacks. “Helicopters over my balcony/ If the police can’t harass, they wanna smoke every ounce of me,” the Florida-bred MC says. “You tell me life’s a ...
Switchfoot Cover Frank Ocean, Vampire Weekend, Harry Styles, and More on New EP
In addition to writing new music, artists have been spending plenty of their quarantine time covering songs they hold dear. We’ve seen James Blake take on Joni Mitchell, Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo put his spin on Nirvana, and Incubus’ Brandon Boyd take a crack at Beach House. Switchfoot, the alt-rock outfit best known for that one 2004 Christian chart-topper, are also following suit with a new covers EP, though it features some very unexpected selections. Simply titled Covers, the upcoming effort sees Switchfoot branching out beyond their religious rock to reimagine originals by Frank Ocean (“Swim Good”), Vampire Weekend (“Harmony Hall”), and Harry Styles (“Lights Up”). There are also renditions of “Lucky Man” by The Verve and “Sick Boy” by The Chainsmokers. In a statement about the EP’s v...
beabadoobee and Jay Som Join No Rome on New Single “Hurry Home”: Stream
Two years ago, No Rome scored a hit with “Narcissist”, a single featuring The 1975. The London-based songwriter and producer is now releasing another guest-heavy track in “Hurry Home”, which boasts assists from fellow Filipino artists beabadoobee and Jay Som. On the new collaboration, the three young talents take turns airing out their frustrations over a relationship that’s barely hanging on by a thread. “You’ve been running around my mind for a couple of weeks/ Guess that’s why it’s hard for me to fall asleep,” beabadoobee opens, while Jay Som’s later verse sees her finding “it hard to know that/ I can’t replace you yet.” An aching No Rome handles the chorus, determinedly singing, “I want to see you but it’s gonna hurt/ We got some problems but we’ll make it work.” Musically, “Hurry Home...
Four Tet Surprise Releases New EP Under Indecipherable Wingdings Moniker: Stream
Kieran Hebden, the electronic artist best known as Four Tet, has surprise released a new EP. However, there’s a twist. The four-track record was released under the secret name ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ, notes Stereogum, which he rarely uses. The title of the new EP is impossible to read or even spell for that matter — that is, unless you speak wingdings like an alien. All four songs on the release have similarly indecipherable names. Unsurprisingly, fans have already leaned into the absurdity of these titles, with one listener writing, “Ah yeah, another four tracks that neither your computer nor you can read, brilliant, mate.” Hebden has always been pretty flippant when naming his songs, though, which is precisely the point — they don’t matter much, if at all, in comparison to the music it...
Fiona Apple, Cyndi Lauper, Aimee Mann Wrote Songs for Apple TV’s Central Park
Today brings the debut of Apple TV’s Central Park, the new animated series from Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith’s (Bob’s Burgers). With the first two episodes now streaming, their accompanying soundtracks have also been released. In fact, the songwriting credits for the entire first season has been revealed, and there are some big names attached. Fiona Apple, Cyndi Lauper, Aimee Mann, Sara Bareilles, and Meghan Trainor have all contributed music to the series. Other songwriters include Anthony Hamilton, Darren Criss, activist Rafael Casal, and actor-rapper Utkarsh Ambudkar. That’s in addition to songs from the show’s core writing team (Kate Anderson, Elyssa Samsel, and Brent Knopf), as well as composers for TV, film, and theater such as Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. Unfortunately, ...
Fleetwood Mac’s Neil Finn, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie Team Up on New Single “Find Your Way Back Home”: Stream
New Zealand native Neil Finn has invited his fellow Fleetwood Mac members Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie to join him on a new charity single. Titled “Find Your Way Back Home”, the release benefits Auckland City Mission, a nonprofit that provides support to the local homeless population. Speaking to the New Zealand Herald (via Pitchfork), Finn said the track was partially inspired by an encounter he’d had at Auckland City Mission as a child. “There are all these people in all of our lives, I think, that we drift away from,” he recalled, adding, “I didn’t know them but there was a story there, that was a connection that I made. It just puts it in your backyard.” “I live in a pretty fortunate situation and I move in circles that are not in daily contact with homeless people. So it’s good to...
