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Charlie and Margot – “Sleeping” (Song Premiere)

Charlie & Margot
Adam Grundy

Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the new single from indie rock solo project, Charlie & Margot, called “Sleeping.” The artist recently announced their debut LP, entitled Joyride, that will be out everywhere music is sold on April 7th. With a style that strays somewhere between Dr. Dog and Jason Isbell, Charlie & Margot are right on the cusp of greatness. Matteo DeBenedetti shared, “‘Sleeping’ is written about facing up to the idea that sometimes putting your trust in other people can ultimately end up being a bad thing for you, and sometimes it’s best to take matters into your own hands. In this instance, it’s very specifically regarding being a musician, being involved with other people as a touring musician (as a grown adult) at a DIY level, and navigating all the nuances that come with that.” Charlie & Margot may just be the next great musical discovery.

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Saosin Down Under

Saosin
Jason Tate

Mary Varvaris interviewed Saosin:

Oh, man, at the very beginning, it was like the wild, wild west. For bands like us, it was huge. You mentioned AbsolutePunk – that was one of the things where it was like being on a billboard in Times Square. People would go to AbsolutePunk to find out about cool music, at least at that point in time, right? 

It was like, you either had to have an older sibling in high school, who was super cool and knew about all the cool bands. Or you had to know somebody that worked at an independent record shop, and they could get the cool music for you. Or you had to scour the internet and find someone who had really good taste in music, or a website, like AbsolutePunk where people could recommend things that were kind of cool, and you can trust the reviews.

Spotify Redesigns Home Screen

Jason Tate

The Verge:

Spotify is redesigning the core homescreen of its app, trying to make it easier for users to find new stuff to listen to — and watch. The new design goes heavy on imagery and vertical scrolling, turning your homescreen from a set of album covers into a feed that much more closely resembles TikTok and Instagram. As you scroll, Spotify is also hoping to make it easier to discover new things across the Spotify ecosystem.

The new look, which Spotify just announced at its Stream On event, is clear evidence of the kind of company (and product) Spotify wants to be. Over the last few years, it has invested heavily into podcasts, audiobooks, live audio, and more, all in an attempt to be more than just a music app. The company also wants to be a home for creators: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek told The Verge in 2021 that he hoped to have more than 50 million “audio creators” on the platform. Spotify has also pushed for years to make video podcasts happen and is now largely watching as YouTube pulls it off.

Uh, pass.

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Kid Francescoli – “You Are Everywhere” (Video Premiere)

Video
Adam Grundy

Today is a great day to share the latest single and music video from Kid Francescoli called “You Are Everywhere.” The song comes from the artist’s new LP Sunset Blue, that will be coming out this September, and he fits well with the modern electronic music being put out today, but with a style unique to himself. I was also able to catch up with this artist for a brief interview about his music below.

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VOLK – “I Fed Animals” (Video Premiere)

VOLK
Adam Grundy

Today I’m thrilled to share with everyone the premiere of the latest single and music video from VOLK, called “I Fed Animals.” VOLK is Nashville indie-rock duo Eleot Reich (drums, vocals) and Christopher Lowe (guitar, vocals). For those unfamiliar with the artist, VOLK fits somewhere within the same style of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The White Stripes. The song comes from VOLK’s new EP Stand The Test, out everywhere music is sold on April 28th. Reich shared this about the single, “I originally wrote ‘I Fed Animals’ in the makeshift living room of a traditional East Berlin apartment, coal heater and all. It was located in a ‘hinterhof’ so damaged by water, the only tenants were me and my raging alcoholic neighbor who loved to blast techno at four in the morning. I was an inspired twenty-four year old falling in love with the blues as my gateway to songwriting, celebrating my own independence and sexual freedom.” The director of the video, Patrick Pierson, also shared, “’I Fed Animals’ is a mix of every beloved genre that you accidentally rented and loved at a video store. It’s punk, it’s country, it’s cyberpunk, Kung-Fu and anime. It’s a Willy Wonka concoction that can’t be defined, yet it doesn’t want to be anything else. Just like the band, VOLK.” Welcome to the world of VOLK.

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Review: Gorillaz – Cracker Island

Adam Grundy

The eighth studio album from the animated band known as Gorillaz is a pretty thrilling return to form. While their previous effort known as Song Machine: Season One was bit of a bloated collection that hit as often as it missed, Cracker Island wears its influences proudly across multiple genres, and might be their most cohesive album to date. At ten tracks and a running time of under 38 minutes, you can put Cracker Island on when you need a reprieve from the noise of the outside world. The set was produced by Greg Kurstin (Beck, Foo Fighters) at his own studio in Los Angeles, California, and he does a great job in honing in on this band’s strengths. Mainly from the mind of permanent collaborator/lead singer, Damon Albarn, Gorillaz find a nice groove within these Latin-infused beats and crisp production to engulf the listener into a world of pure imagination.

Kicking things off with the title track, a trippy, synth-driven song clouded in mystery about the world you’re about to embark unto, Gorillaz capture the spirit of their early, bulletproof work into a solid re-introduction. The opening lyrics of, “On Cracker Island, it was born / To the collective of the dawn / They were planting seeds at night / To grow a made-up paradise / Where the truth was auto-tuned (Forever cult) / And its sadness I consumed (Forever cult) / Into my formats every day (Forever cult),” are paired with complex beats in the background to keep things interesting from the get-go. “Oil” features a nice cameo by Stevie Nicks, and has a great, pulsating bass line to set the stage for Albarn’s vocal croon. It’s a very 80’s, new wave type of song that takes me back to the days of the Walkman and bright clothing choices. Nicks’ contribution is small, but necessary, as she adds just the right type of mystique to the song.

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