@skopemag news – tuesday – september 28, 2021 @ 3 pm est
@skopemag HQ – http://smarturl.it/skope
Ready for broadcast… I Found Love from South African rock / pop artist Lenski Alfred
Born on the 8th January 1981, coming from a family of musicians and singers in Durban, South Africa, Lenski was taught to play the guitar at the age of five by his older brothers, Levine and Leon Alfred. After introduced to his first guitar, it wasn’t long after, Lenski started playing at his dad’s (Pastor Abel Alfred) church. This really groomed him, helped develop his playing and calling upon his life.
Out Now // LA – ‘Wrong or Right’
Breaking out with a melodic, emotive – and extremely well executed single, London based LA releases ‘Wrong Or Right’. Inspired by his relationship with his mother, the track focuses on themes of decision making, and the choices of bad and good, wrong or right. Whilst standing tall as a street anthem, the topics are highly relatable in a much broader scope too, making his work stand out in a crowded space. His cleverly selective lyricism is both genuine as it is engaging, opening his sound up to a world far beyond the confines of the trap.
same as me Captures Sugar-Sweet Simplicity with “Just Right”
Just like candy or cake, that feeling of everything being ‘just right’ when you’re with that special someone is simple and sweet, and Toronto-based rapper and singer-songwriter same as me celebrates that pure and uncomplicated joy with her aptly-titled new single “Just Right” — available now.
Goya Gumbani & Subculture partner on soulful, vibey “Valley of Def (feat. Pearl de Luna)”
Suffused with trumpet runs, wandering keys and Subculture’s languid backbeat, “Valley of Def feat. Pearl De Luna” is a smokey journey into London’s jazz scene backed by a lo-fi hip hop beat. Goya Gumbani’s mellow flow is complimented by the soulful vocals of Pearl de Luna with Subculture’s evocative production narrating stories of loss and learning. The overall effect is introspective and meditative; hip hop but free-form, taking you out of the club and into a low-lit corner deep in the subconscious.
Tanya Tagaq Announces New Album, Tongues
Tongues, Tagaq’s new album, enters deep chasms and dangerous spaces. Produced by Saul Williams and mixed by Gonjasufi, Tagaq’s Tongues speaks not to horrors and crisis, as previous Tagaq albums wordlessly, powerfully encircled, but directly of these things. Tongues is Tagaq at her most explicit and specific. Delicate, poetic passages from Split Tooth, Tagaq’s bestselling, award winning mythobiography, crash against an industrial, electronic exoskeleton.
LA-based Viennese dream pop project Sugarplum Fairies have announced their new collection Altar Songs 1998-2021 and share the second single, “Sandy Says 2021 (ft. Sid Simons)” accompanied by a music video via Brooklyn Vegan. “Sandy Says” is a dreamy, tape-saturated track highlighting a stunning collaboration between Sugarplum Fairies’ frontwoman Silvia Ryder and Sid Simons of Girl Skin. Ethereal and nostalgic, the 2021 version of the Sugarplum Fairies’ hit feels evocative of another time. Read more about it in the Indie88 feature.
Here’s what Alyssa had to say about the meaning behind the song –
“Mechanical Sweetness” is a song about my immense frustration with the way we form human (and more specifically, romantic) connections nowadays. Social media and dating apps have turned human interaction into a painful game. These digital ways of communication have caused me so much stress, and my attempts at forging relationships through them have been short-lived and veiled with thin layers of politeness. When the charade between two people who don’t really know each other finally ends, these relationships can be exposed for what they frequently are: unbalanced, unhealthy, and lacking compassion. Sonically, this song mirrors my experiences with largely digital relationships. In the beginning, there are quiet moments of sparse communication where anxiety runs high, eventually leading to an outburst of emotion followed by a period of insecurity and self-questioning.
WEIRD TALES unleash Brand New Single “ZZ” With Video!
Weird Tales unleash their brand new track “ZZ” along with a video. The video recently premiered with the help of multiple sites around the world consisting of Doomed & Stoned, Outlaws of the Sun, Metal Shock Finland, The Ripple Effect, Doomed Nation, Moshpit Nation, Ahasverus.fr, Metal Devastation Radio, Dutch Metal Manic, The Razors Edge and Crannk.com!
Montreal’s IZZO BLUES COALITION Say “Take It or Leave It” in Searing New Single
Ripping guitar riffs, hot-as-hell horns, plus a torqued, musclebound rhythm section with firestarter vocals and the swagger of rhythm and blues masters delivering the goods with confidence and precision… These key ingredients combine and react for the Izzo Blues Coalition’s explosive new single, “Take It or Leave It” — available now!
Death Valley Girls return with “It’s All Really Kind of Amazing”
“We are streams of eternal consciousness experiencing reality through our personal lens,” Bloomgarden says of the song’s intention. “And we have been programmed and have forgotten we are gods because of trauma, capitalism, and religion. So this song is a call to wake up! To remember you are magic! Abundance is the normal state… look for the signs from your guides and your higher self.” Death Valley Girls’ melding of classic, old-school AOR FM radio sound, modern sonics, and heady life-affirmations have never been as fully realized as they are on their latest cosmic hymn. Suicide Squeeze is proud to release the digital single “It’s All Really Kind of Amazing” on September 28, 2021.
Brand new single from Aussie indie-rock band PLANET
Produced and mixed by the band and Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters), “Ship Won’t Change” is laced with shimmering acoustic strums, buzzing lead lines and a swinging beat for a summer rock indie ballad – a shining example of the band’s signature alt-pop sound, while also striving to be something much larger than the sum of its parts.
London based hip-hop icon Milli Jean is erasing the violent stigma around hip-hop and grime in exceptional new single ‘Different’
Receiving over 100,000 views on YouTube alone in one week, ‘Different’ is certainly turning heads within the drill, grime and hip-hop industry. Released via Babygrande Records on August 20th, the impressive debut hears Milli Jean use adventurous rhyme patterns and drill inspired instrumentation to put his name on the map. Currently working on his next release with worldwide known producer M1, Milli Jean is certainly on the path to becoming a star.
Demand for “happy” music spiked 111% last year – Pandora is here to help
One of the more interesting insights in the music industry’s leading data analytics company’s MRC Data’s recent mid-year report, was the finding that “consumers are relying on musical optimism to get them through the aftermath of a stressful year.” The study concluded that “55% of music listeners said one of the most important things that the music industry can provide this year is offering ‘uplifting’ and ‘happy’ music.”
Pandora has seen similar results from their listeners with the search term “happy” rising 111% in ranking on Pandora last year, and is seeing further interest in the search term from listeners so far throughout 2021.
Singer/songwriter/pianist Sarah Perrotta unveils her fourth studio album of original art-rock/dream-pop entitled “Blue to Gold” on 7D Media/Third Star Records this October 2021. Produced by world renowned drummer Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Sarah McLachlan). The songs and sonics of “Blue to Gold” were cultivated over the last several years at Dreamland Recording Studio in Hurley, NY by Perrotta and Marotta.
In addition to her lush vocals and melodic piano, Sarah utilizes a variety of keyboards and synths including the Mellotron, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Moog, and even a toy piano. The steady masterful drumming of Jerry Marotta sets the foundation for Sarah Perrotta’s captivating voice and songwriting.
La Luz share a new lyric video for “Oh, Blue” off their self-titled album available October 22nd worldwide from Hardly Art
Early this summer LA’s La Luz announced a much-anticipated fourth album, with the self-titled La Luz set for October 22nd on long-term label Hardly Art. Recorded at Linear Labs Studio in Los Angeles with the help of the eclectic producer Adrian Younge, La Luz fearlessly launch themselves into a new realm of emotional intimacy with a collection of songs steeped in the mysteries of the natural world and the magic of human chemistry that has found manifestation in the musical ESP between guitarist and songwriter Shana Cleveland, bassist Lena Simon, and keyboardist Alice Sandal.
Progressive Death Metal Masters BE’LAKOR Unveil Massive New Single “Foothold” + Video
After flooring fans new and old with the release of “Hidden Window”, the legends of progressive death metal BE’LAKOR are back with their staggering second single “Foothold”, taken from their long-awaited new album Coherence, out October 29 via Napalm Records!
The deep, powerful vocals of George Kosmas unite with a keen sense for captivating, atmospheric and multi-faced compositions. “Foothold” appears as another gem of progressive death metal, proving BE’LAKOR’s great ambitions to push their boundaries further once more.
La Luz share new track and video for “Oh, Blue” | Self-titled album (“career best LP” – Uncut) out October 22nd on Hardly Art | Announce UK & European dates for 2022
Early this summer LA’s La Luz announced a much-anticipated fourth album, with the self-titled La Luz set for October 22nd on long-term label Hardly Art. Recorded at Linear Labs Studio in Los Angeles with the help of the eclectic producer Adrian Younge, La Luz fearlessly launch themselves into a new realm of emotional intimacy with a collection of songs steeped in the mysteries of the natural world and the magic of human chemistry that has found manifestation in the musical ESP between guitarist and songwriter Shana Cleveland, bassist Lena Simon, and keyboardist Alice Sandal.
