Soul
Song of the Week: James Blake Comforts Listeners with Frank Ocean’s “Godspeed”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify New Sounds playlist. Cover songs often get a lot of shade thrown at them. That’s nothing new. Don’t we all get at least a little skeptical (and disappointed) when one of our favorite artists announces a covers album or drops a cover instead of an original single? While we may dig the song, it tends to feel like we’re being re-gifted something, and part of us might even suspect that the artist is holding out on us or, worse yet, has nothing else on creative tap. Of course, how quickly we forget that some of the best songs in our collective canon are cover versions and that all musicians (from The Beatles to those assholes who “practice” in your neighbor...
Nina Hagen Teams Up with George Clinton for New Song “Unity”: Stream
George Clinton (photo by Raj Gupta) and Nina Hagen (photo by Christliches Medienmagazin) Nina Hagen, a longtime fixture of Germany’s punk and new wave scenes, has teamed up with funk legend George Clinton for a new song called “Unity”. It’s the first single she’s released in nearly nine years. According to Hagen, “Unity” was written and recorded following the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests that took place worldwide. As such, she intended for the song to serve as an “homage to the Black Lives Matter movement,” reports Pitchfork. Musically, “Unity” is a trippy dub number that sees Hagen and Clinton getting lost in an atmospheric beat. While gentle keys and hi-hat stutters guide the song, Hagen sings about people coming together for the greater good in equal parts rasp and...
Chicano Batman on Challenging Heritage: “American Culture is Very Ahistorical”
Kyle Meredith With… Chicano Batman Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Chicano Batman vocalist Bardo Martinez catches up with Kyle Meredith to discuss their new album, Invisible People. Martinez also digresses on larger topics such as being Latino during the Black Lives Matter era, challenging racial identifiers, immigration, and geographical privilege. Martinez also discusses the importance and impact that Daniel Quinn’s book Ishmael has had not only on his outlook, but also the lyrics for the new record and his love of Black music. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,...
The 25 Most Anticipated Movies of Fall 2020
“New year, new decade, new films, right?” That was January, back when we were still looking ahead at 2020 with blind optimism and ill-fated excitement. Sigh, hindsight is 20/20 they say, right? Who knew. At the time, we had 50 exciting new titles we were anticipating, most of which have since been either postponed, dumped to VOD, or relegated to a limbo state. It’s been an unnerving year for the film industry, to say the least. A year fraught with shutdowns, furloughs, layoffs, bankruptcies, and re-evaluations. All of that change has prompted a seismic shift in how everything’s run across the media landscape, and no one truly has a grip on things just yet. Odds are they won’t for quite some time. Because of this, anticipating anything right now — let alone anything in pop culture — seems l...
Ms. Lauryn Hill Performs Six Songs for Louis Vuitton’s Menswear Show: Watch
Ms. Lauryn Hill Ms. Lauryn Hill has given limited performances during the pandemic, but her latest is a big one. Louis Vuitton called on the hip-hop icon to provide the musical accompaniment for their spring-summer 2021 menswear show in Shanghai, which took place earlier this month. The whole six-song performance was captured on video for an accompanying video presentation, which has now come online for all to behold. The black-and-white video finds Hill delivering half-a-dozen tracks, including her contribution to the Queen & Slim soundtrack, “Guarding the Gates”. With her band in full force around her, she also sings “Everything Is Everything”, “Lost Ones”, “Ex-Factor”, “Black Rage”, and the classic “Doo Wop (That Thing)”. Most of the July 31st shoot took place at New Jersey’s MLH St...
Billy Porter & Steven Stills, Maggie Rogers, Leon Bridges Perform at 2020 Democratic National Convention: Watch
Maggie Rogers, Billy Porter, and Leon Bridges at the 2020 Democratic National Convention Michelle Obama’s powerful speech during the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention undoubtedly stole the show. However, there were also some bright spots from other supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, namely musical performances from Maggie Rogers, Leon Bridges, and Billy Porter with Steven Stills. Bridges came first, delivering a soulful rendition of his summer single “Sweeter”. Joined on a sun-set city rooftop by Terrace Martin, Joshua Crumbly, Paul Cornish, and Trevor Lawrence, the soul artist sang out for racial justice with lines like, “My sisters and my brothers sing, sing over me/ And I wish I had another day.” Next up was Rogers, performing on the Main...
Bootsy Collins on Togetherness, Tragedies, and How We’re Missing the “Hippie Side of Things”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Bootsy Collins calls Kyle Meredith to talk about “Stars”. The new single finds the legend collaborating with EmiSunshine, Cornel West, Bela Fleck, and a “collage of cultures” from around the world. Together, they discuss how the collaboration was created during quarantine, donating to MusiCares,… Please click the link below to read the full article. Bootsy Collins on Togetherness, Tragedies, and How We’re Missing the “Hippie Side of Things” CoS Staff You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards b...
Lianne La Havas on Why She Covered Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Lianne La Havas speaks with Kyle Meredith about her self-titled LP. The concept album tells the story of a relationship from beginning to end, and the songwriter discusses how the meaning of those songs changed as they were written over a long period of… Please click the link below to read the full article. Lianne La Havas on Why She Covered Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes” CoS Staff You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share o...
Previously Unheard Version of Aretha Franklin’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith” Released for Juneteenth: Stream
If ever there was a time for new Aretha Franklin music, it would be today: Juneteenth, in the midst of an unprecedented national uprising against racism and police brutality. Miraculously, we’re being gifted just that. A never-before-heard solo version of the Franklin song “Never Gonna Break My Faith” has been released thanks to a collaboration between RCA Recordings, RCA Inspiration, and Legacy Recordings. The original version of the track was a duet with Mary J. Blige that was recorded for the 2006 film Bobby, but this alternate take leaves all the belting to the Queen of Soul, who is backed by The Boys Choir of Harlem. Beyond the excitement of this being a new recording from the legendary singer, its lyrical content is particularly relevant in the current socio-political climate. “You c...
The Legacy of Whitney Houston in 10 Duets
Subscribe now to our ongoing Whitney Houston season of The Opus. You can also prep for the experience by listening to Whitney Houston via all major streaming services or enter to win a copy of Vinyl Me, Please’s 35th anniversary Whitney Houston box set. Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Follow on Facebook | Podchaser The term “diva” was not coined or derived for Whitney Houston. That being said, nobody’s ever been more worthy than her to don that honorific. Our best memories of Houston recall a performer with grace, humor, and a voice that could leave a crowd speechless with both its power and range. However, the images of Houston burned in our mind — in true diva fashion — don’t see her often sharing a stage. The hits that’ll go on long af...
Win the 35th Anniversary Reissue of Whitney Houston’s Self-Titled Debut
It’s fitting that this is the year Whitney Houston will finally be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It is, after all, the 35th anniversary of her self-titled debut, and the whole industry seems to be celebrating. A Whitney hologram tour launched back in February, the same month Vinyl Me, Please released a special vinyl reissue of Whitney Houston. Now, Consequence of Sound is getting in waxing nostalgic by making the album the focus of our new season of The Opus podcast. The Opus: Whitney Houston launches later this month, but rather than saving all our love for the iconic record until then, we’re starting the party early. We’re giving away one (1) copy of Vinyl Me, Please’s 35th anniversary Whitney Houston box set. Coming in conjunction with Legacy Recordings,...
Jamie xx and The Avalanches Perform B2B DJ Set for NTS Radio: Stream
Jamie xx (photo by David Brendan Hall) and The Avalanches (photo by photo by Grant Spanier) Jamie xx and The Avalanches were supposed to perform on the same stage back in March at Sydney’s No Coal Zone climate change benefit. That event got called off due to coronavirus, but two months later, the musicians have found a way to get together anyway. Jamie xx invited The Avalanches to join him for a back to back DJ set on his monthly NTS radio show. Broadcast live on Friday morning, the hour-long set is now available to stream below. Announcing the collaborative performance on Instagram, Jamie xx described the “special” set as an “actual dream come true.” While no tracklist has yet been provided, the b2b set is tagged as “funk,” “soul,” and “classic disco,” with the participants trading off re...
