Contrary to the title of their new single, “I’m Not Getting Better”, Canadian pop-rock band Marianas Trench seems to be getting better with each new LP. The track is a tease for an upcoming sixth album to be released later this summer, following 2019’s Phantoms album. It also follows two other lead singles released this year, “A Normal Life” and “Lightning and Thunder” respectively. Marianas Trench has always been an eclectic group with shifting interests, from the emo and punk-inspired sounds of their earlier albums to more accessible electropop styling in their newer work. Despite these changes, they still maintain a consistent identity without categorizing themselves.
These new singles represent the band’s diverse sound, with “A Normal Life” being an ambitious and epic six-minute orchestral pop song, and “Lightning and Thunder” being a new wavey throwback song with lots of glittery synths. “I’m Not Getting Better” continues this trajectory of what will shape up to be a wide-ranged sounding album, with a unique sound with influences from stadium rock, synthpop, and R&B. It’s a vulnerable, emotionally driven song about deeply rooted insecurities, all set to a robotic, stuttering synth beat and a wonderful sing-along chorus. It works because of the sincerity provided by the vocal harmonies provided by the band during the chorus, as well as the confident theater kid energy that lead singer Josh Ramsay gives off in his falsettos. The heavy guitars from Matt Webb add to the sentiments in the lyrics, and the programming on the drum machines keeps the song danceable throughout.
It’s an empowering and inspirational song that’s bound to be a live staple for the band, especially when they embark on their “Force of Nature” tour starting this September. “I’m Not Getting Better”, along with the other two singles, makes Mariana Trench’s next LP one to look out for as it drops later this summer.
Hold onto your headphones, music lovers! Alt-pop sensation Jagwar Twin has just unleashed a sonic rollercoaster ride with his latest single “tomorrow [ANGLE OF ETERNITY],” featuring longtime pals lovelytheband. Released July 12, 2024 via Big Loud Rock, this arena-ready banger will have you living for today and loving every second of it!
Fresh off his viral hit “Bad Feeling (Oompa Loompa)” (which racked up a mind-blowing 9 BILLION YouTube views!) and a European arena tour with Jared Leto and Thirty Seconds To Mars, Jagwar Twin is proving he’s the artist to watch in 2024.
This collaboration is pure pop magic! “tomorrow [ANGLE OF ETERNITY]” is a perfect blend of driving guitars, pulsing drums, and soaring melodies that’ll have you reaching for the stars. Jagwar Twin’s signature genre-bending sound collides with lovelytheband’s indie charm, creating an irresistible bop that’s impossible not to groove to.
But don’t let the catchy beats fool you – this track packs a lyrical punch! With lines like “We might not get tomorrow / Just close your eyes / Let it go,” Jagwar Twin delivers a feel-good message wrapped in an infectious melody. It’s the perfect soundtrack for embracing life’s wild ride and finding your own shine in the chaos.
“I’ve been friends with Mitchy for many years,” Jagwar Twin shares about collaborating with lovelytheband. “We grew up around the same music scene… It was such a pleasure to be able to do something together.”
The music video for “tomorrow [ANGLE OF ETERNITY]” is a mind-bending journey through AI-generated wonderlands. Created with next-gen studio Secret Level, it’s a technicolor trip that blurs the line between reality and digital dream. “Using AI to make art is fascinating to me,” Jagwar Twin says. “The imagination will be the only limit to what we can create.”
“tomorrow [ANGLE OF ETERNITY]” is more than a song – it’s a party, a pep talk, and a glimpse into the future of pop – all rolled into one addictive, upbeat little package. Ready to have your ears blessed and your mind blown? “tomorrow [ANGLE OF ETERNITY]” is now streaming everywhere, the trippy video is waiting to wow your visual senses on YouTube, and you can catch Jagwar Twin lighting up stages live with 30 Seconds To Mars on their upcoming U.S. tour dates – this is one rising star you’re not going to want to miss! Don’t miss this rising star as he continues to redefine pop and push the boundaries of music and visual art!
Last week, Young The Giant – expertly made up of Sameer Gadhia (vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Francois Comtois (drums), and Payam Doostzadeh (bass) – surprised their fans with the official release of a song that has been a long time coming. The track, “Metropolis”, was written and recorded by Gadhia during Mind Over Matter‘s massive success. With 2024 marking the hit album’s first decade of existence, they brought this incredible, vulnerable song out of the vault.
The stripped-down track is beautifully and simply comprised of an acoustic guitar and Sameer’s voice. The video – by Guadalupe Bustos – shows frames of the recording process and the band in the studio together in a moody black and white mostly, with other B roll footage from the tour adding moments of pure joy to the visual. The song is paced like the lyrics, as it brings a sense of calm to the listener. Check out “Metropolis” below.
Mind Over Matter is being released as a 10th-anniversary edition. The exclusive deluxe version comes in clear smoke vinyl and includes a 12-page booklet, fold-out poster, and an exclusive slipcover — Pre-order / Pre-save. See all tour info here
Mind Over Matter (10th Anniversary Edition) Tracklist: “Slow Dive” “Anagram” “It’s About Time” “Crystallized” “Mind Over Matter” “Daydreamer” “Firelight” “Camera” “In My Home” “Eros” “Teachers” “Waves” “Paralysis” “Mind Over Matter (Demo)”* “Camera (Demo)”* “What You Get (Demo)”* “Metropolis (Acoustic)”*
The leadup to alt-pop trio Valley’s new album Water The Flowers, Pray For a Garden has been thrilling, culminating in an international tour at the end of September that runs through mid-November. Their new track “Bass Player’s Brother” – to be included in the August 30th full-length release – is about a toxic relationship that can’t seem to find its end. The sound is everything you would hope for from a summer anthem, with words that cut a little deeper.
Valley approached the song in a vulnerable moment after being stranded in North Carolina. They built up the composition to sound as upbeat and fun as possible. This is reflected in the optimistic nature of the track, despite the song really being rooted in heartbreak. They returned to their roots and a carefree attitude in this song, which makes it come alive as a standalone from the upcoming album.
Explains the band:
‘Bass Player’s Brother’ is a song about cyclical love and obsession. In life we often find ourselves in realities that don’t suit our truth, yet we continue to drag ourselves back to the feeling of staying for love’s sake. It’s cyclical in nature yet rooted in heartache and hurt. It’s the back-and-forth outcome of these habits that cause us to stay when we know we should leave. This is the only song on the album where we didn’t reference real names. Sometimes we like to play characters in songs even though we’re always thinking about someone in our lives. We wanted to paint a picture of a classic Americana heartbreak love story.
Don’t forget to pre-save and pre-orderWater The Flowers, Pray For a Garden, out August 30th.
Detroit’s rock scene is getting set ablaze! We Are Scorpio, the fierce duo of Jessica Care moore and Steffanie Christi’an, have dropped their latest single “Scorpio” like a meteor crashing into the music world. This song is a battle cry for diversity in rock and a poetic punch to the gut of the status quo.
“We are the storm, the fury in your eyes,” howls the chorus, and believe us, this is no empty threat. We Are Scorpio comes armed with searing guitars, thunderous rhythms, and lyrics sharp enough to cut through the noise of a thousand pretenders. The track pulsates with the duality of its namesake sign – at once fierce and magnetic, confrontational and alluring.
Forget your typical rock fare. We Are Scorpio serves up a potent cocktail of spoken word and hard-hitting riffs that’ll leave you dizzy. “This is no place for ordinary,” they declare, daring listeners to step out of their comfort zones. From family dinner rebellions to cosmic contemplations, “Scorpio” weaves the personal and universal into a tapestry of empowerment.
Make no mistake – this is more than music. It’s a revolution. Jessica Care moore, Steffanie Christi’an, and featured artist Militia Vox are here to remind us that Black women aren’t just part of rock’s history – they are its future. Their collaboration isn’t just fresh; it’s necessary, proving that rock thrives when it embraces diverse voices and experiences.
Mark your calendars, rock fans. Their self-titled album, co-produced by none other than Talib Kweli, crashes onto the scene on August 16 via Javotti Media. Want a taste of the venom live? Catch We Are Scorpio at the Black Bottom Live Music Series (August 7) and the 20 Years of Black Women Rock! celebration at The Fillmore (August 31).
Don’t just stand there – dive into the storm! Stream “Scorpio” now on all major platforms and pre-order the album that’s set to redefine rock. We Are Scorpio isn’t just making music; they’re crafting an experience. Miss this, and you’re missing history in the making. Are you ready to embrace the sting?
Chamber-rock indie band Cloud Cult from St. Cloud, Minnesota has just released their newest song “The Universe Woke Up As You” and it is a philosophical masterpiece. The song consists of Craig Minowa as the band’s lead vocalist and songwriter, Jeremy Harvey on the drums, Shannon Frid-Rubin on the violin, Sarah Perbix and Aurora Minowa as backup vocals, and Daniel Zamzow on the cello. Minowa recorded the song in the midst of a divorce, in the Wisconsin woods. Minowa was able to process his grief through music and regain control over his perspective on life with this song.
“The Universe Woke Up As You” came out as part of their Alchemy Creek album, due to come out on August 8th. This full-length studio album is made possible by Earthology Records, the band’s own record label created by Minowa himself. A really interesting fact is that Cloud Cult’s efforts to create music, advertise their band, and tour in the most sustainable ways possible have earned them a spot in “Top 10 Green Bands” by Rolling Stone in 2009.
Both the melody and lyrics of the song are melancholic and very reminiscent of the past. The feminine background vocals provide wonderful harmony to Minowa’s soft-spoken singing. In the end, a beautiful violin solo pulls the song to a close. In my opinion, the musicality of this song reminds me of Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks”, mirroring its soothing vocals which convey a surprisingly depressing message. This 5-minute song is a great way to wind down after a long, hard day.
At the beginning of the song, Minowa can be heard whispering the intro, which makes the intended audience and all who listen feel small. The lyrics tell a story of hopeless nostalgia. Minowa reminisces about simpler times when he was a kid, and implies that things are much more difficult now as an adult having to deal with this “skull-sized hell.” Personally, my favorite verse of the song is:
Gonna draw myself a picture of the way things were What is real and what is fantasy? Well, I really can’t be sure There’s so much here to feel, well, it’s all just a blur Gonna draw myself a picture of the way things were
By the end, Minowa explodes into something bigger as he yells the title of the song “Today the universe woke up as you!” This piece depicts an interesting message of how one can control one’s own perception of time, space, and reality.
The accompanying music video starts with Minowa in front of a camcorder. It is apparent that the set takes place in some type of storage unit, giving the video a quickly-made unplanned feel. Behind him is the back of a garage door; on the camcorder screen, however, it is clear that the video editors have added a green screen to the background. The family-friendly vibe of the song is enforced by children acting as a film crew. For what seems low-budget, this video is a perfect visual for the song. “The Universe Woke Up As You” can be watched on YouTube here.
You can follow Cloud Cult on their own well-cultivated website. You can also subscribe to their Patreon, where they rank as one of the top content creators on the platform. Cloud Cult will be touring later this summer, headlining at the People Fest in Yuba, WI on August 9th. Be sure to catch them live before their last performance on September 28th at the Palace Theater in St. Paul, MN.
One of the most prominent and influential sounds in American music has been soul. It’s been a mainstay in the hearts of listeners for decades now. Soul has a place in most people’s daily listening, whether it’s classic ballads from the Motown era, 80s R&B from Prince or Michael Jackson, or more contemporary soul with modern hip-hop/R&B styling from Frank Ocean or Silk Sonic. Even if you don’t consider yourself someone who listens to very much soul, it’s a style that’s influenced everything in terms of how musicians lay out rhythms and melodies or how vocalists approach more (ahem) soulful singing styles.
This playlist from Imperfect Fifth is a well-curated collection of modern soul from about the past 15 years. It includes soothing soft ballads with light orchestrations, mid-tempo funk with some swinging rap-inspired grooves, or more emotional songs dripping with passion and sentimentality. A lot of it contains modern songs that try to capture the atmosphere and production that classic soul music has, while some of it tries to update it with more contemporary sounds.
Either way, they’re all quality tracks with something unique to offer, featuring songs from artists like Childish Gambino, Steve Lacy, and Leon Bridges. You can check out the playlist in the early morning as the sun is rising, a lazy Sunday while snuggled in bed, or just any moment you want to feel calm and carefree. It’s an easygoing listen of 30 songs that demand nothing but your purest content.
Bernie Worrell is one of many unsung heroes in music history. If you’re unfamiliar with him, he was the keyboardist for the legendary Parliament-Funkadelic collective and played with other artists such as Les Claypool of Primus, rapper Mos Def, and even Talking Heads, appearing in their seminal concert film Stop Making Sense. Not only is he a legend in funk music, but his work as a synth pioneer makes him a godfather of contemporary R&B and hip-hop. Worrell’s funky keyboard playing has been sampled thousands of times and was highly critical in creating the early 90s rap subgenre “G-funk” popularized by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Recently, Bernie Worrell’s estate announced the release of a posthumous album titled Wave From The WOOniverse, a double album of previously unfinished tracks. A murderer’s row of great talent helped to complete and produce the album, all of which had previously worked with Bernie Worrell. This includes Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, Fred Schneider of The B-52’s, Will Calhoun of Living Colour, Sean Ono Lennon, and funk legends in their own right like Bootsy Collins and Fred Wesley.
Obviously, you can imagine that the album is filled to the brim with great grooves and danceable funk, and you’d be entirely right. Wave From The WOOniverse functions not only as a loving tribute to one of R&B’s most influential and overlooked personnel but also to a generation of classic funk originators. The love for Worrell’s work and the funk he helped create is always visibly present in each collaborator on the album. Every song is layered with bass, synth, horns, and heavy guitars, yet it’s never sloppily done and always well-calculated. Every instrument is tightly constructed into a well-orchestrated rhythm that flows in perfect harmony with the others. The backing band here is great, and each song has a distinct identity from one another while still focusing on never-ending grooves. WOOniverse’s tracklist has a decent amount of variety, ranging from upbeat party songs (“Distant Star”, “What Have They Done to My Funk”), vintage psychedelic funk (“Soldiers of the Stars”), world music excursions (“Re-Enter Black Light”, “When the Rain Subsides”), and lengthy band jams (“Greenpoint”, “Pedro WOO”).
My favorites included “Soldiers of the Stars”, a wonderful piece of Jimi Hendrix-type acid funk rock that could easily fit as an early Funkadelic song, “The Big WOO”, which is so enjoyably campy with Fred Schneider and a swinging rhythm section, and “When the Rain Subsides”, which features a sunny Afropop-inspired sound with soukous/highlife guitars and warm and lively percussion throughout. I also enjoyed “Heapin’ Bowl of Gumbo”, which has a slower and more controlled funk rhythm but comes out super slinky. Many of the songs appear built out of lengthy band jams with lots of improvisations, which would make sense considering the musical virtuosos involved. However, this leads to most of the songs being at least five minutes, which may not work for more impatient listeners. I like longer funk songs in this mold because it gives the musicians more of a chance to build off rhythms and complement one another, leading to a more satisfying listen. Admittedly, the length can hurt a few songs such as the jazzy noir track “Greenpoint”, which is eight minutes long and doesn’t have enough juice to justify its length. The biggest turnoff for some will definitely be the 18-minute-long penultimate track, titled “Transcendence”. I’m always down for musicians making something willfully self-indulgent, and while this psychedelic multi-part suite has rich production and a full orchestra backing, it never quite comes together. At least, it didn’t for me–perhaps having psychedelics of my own would’ve helped.
Even as overstuffed as it is, Wave From The WOOniverse is a respectfully made posthumous release that carries on the legacy of Bernie Worrell. It’s worth a listen for longtime fans of Parliament-Funkadelic and other classic R&B or even for newcomers in search of some killer funk.
With it still being peak summer music season, it’s a perfect time for pop-sensation Kesha to put out a song like “Joyride”, her comeback single released this July 4th. Despite Independence Day being known as a quintessential day for pool parties, barbecues, and American patriotism, Kesha’s choice to release the single then has a deeper meaning to it. “Joyride” is a representation of her own freedom and independence, as she begins a fresh start in her career as an independent artist with her own label and a new management team. This also marks the first release since last year’s settlement of a well-publicized defamation lawsuit with former producer Dr. Luke, a legal battle that took her away from popular music for many years.
The new single is a throwback to her earlier hits, like “Tik Tok” and “Die Young”, with a more anthemic and loose party vibe. It comes as a surprise considering the more introspective direction she has been taking her music recently, as seen in 2017’s “Praying” and last year’s Gag Order album. Still, it’s a welcome return to that sound and recalls 2000s EDM songs by Lady Gaga and Britney Spears, the latter of which also has received support in recent years following legal issues. The track’s production helps this semi-throwback vibe through producer Zhone who also worked on Troye Sivan’s smash dance single “Rush” last year.
Okay, enough background details. Is the song any good? The answer to that is, if you’re a Kesha fan or someone who only knows a few hits, “Joyride” perfectly brings back her original sound while still seeming fresh and exciting in its own right. Describing the song makes it sound like it shouldn’t work—Kesha going back to the intentionally sleazy, attitude-filled style of her early work, but musically with heavy use of polka accordions throughout and dramatic choir singing on the chorus. Really. Yet the campiness and bold sincerity of the track is what’s so appealing about it, even if it might be initially off-putting to some listeners. The house-inspired sound is danceable throughout, with thumping beats and bouncy synths to keep things light and groovy. It has its roots in campy Europop, and it gives off an “ABBA on acid” vibe.
Kesha has described this release as the first time she’s felt free with her career in 20 years, and if this is the unabashedly weird and eclectic direction she wants to go in, I’m all for it. “Joyride” will, hopefully, represent a new era of a pop star who’s ready to reinvent herself in whatever way she pleases.
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