@skopemag news – tuesday – november 16, 2021 @ 1 pm est
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KING HANNAH ANNOUNCE DEBUT LP VIA CITY SLANG
Liverpool duo King Hannah has announced their debut LP I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me for February 25 via City Slang (Lambchop, Pom Pom Squad, Calexico, Caribou, etc.) Full of darkness, wit, and wry humor, Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle make music that lives somewhere between Smog, Courtney Barnett, Yo La Tengo, and Sharon Van Etten, the ladder of which gave them a cosign for their 2020 EP. The foundation of I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me lives in Merrick’s, Raymond Carver-Esque realism-inspired lyrics. There is no better example than the new track “All Being Fine,” in which Merrick recalls the banality of attempts to resolve her persistent bedwetting with a quintessential lack of self-censorship. “We saw a nurse multiple times / She said, ‘You’ll grow out of it in no time / All being fine, all being fine.'” The video follows suit in the band’s realistic, no fluff tendencies with close-up shots of a riding lawn mower cutting grass as the band performs the song.
The Psychedelic Film and Music Festival has announced the full program for its fourth annual event, with a lineup of music videos and science fiction, horror, and fantasy films. The festival will explore the altered states of consciousness and truth behind the vibrant and enduring psychedelic culture. Featuring 88 official selections, virtual screenings will be held from December 9-10, with in-person events at the Producers Club Theaters in Midtown Manhattan from December 11-12.
Papercuts shares cover of “The Partisan,” popularized by Leonard Cohen, from new EP
FRENCH PROGRESSIVE METAL ACT LALU ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM “PAINT THE SKY”
Frontiers Music Srl is excited to announce the release of progressive metal act LALU’s new album, “Paint The Sky” on January 21, 2022. LALU is a musical project originally founded in 2004 by the French composer and producer Vivien Lalu, son of Noelle and Michel Lalu (members of the ‘70s French progressive act Polène). ‘Paint The Sky’ will be the first album, and third album overall from the band, released under the new partnership between Vivien and Frontiers. Fans can get their first taste of music from the new album with the release of the single and video, ‘The Chosen Ones’ featuring Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Simone Mularoni (DGM). Watch the video HERE:
Basia Bulat Announces New LP ‘The Garden,’ Ft. Owen Pallett, Paul Frith, & Zou Zou Robidoux String-Quartet Arrangements, Due Out 2/25 (Secret City Records)
“This past year, I let myself slow down, dig in the dirt, take root, and look at what memories and melodies came springing back to me in the garden after many years on the road. When I wrote ‘The Garden’ [in 2016], I was in a distorted state of mind, and it took my hand and calmed me. ‘We won’t look back, and if we don’t, we won’t be lost.’ It told me to breathe into the present moment and look toward the future, and during this past year of stillness and reflection, it reminded me to do that again, like a meditation,” explains Bulat. “Gardens evolve and change and are always growing. In my garden, the plants return, some pruned back, some overgrown, but they are never exactly the same as the year before. Owen’s arrangement for this song details all the blossoms and thorns blowing about together in the wind – new shoots and old shapes making themselves known to each other in magical ways. I feel so very fortunate to bring this song to another season in bloom.”
Pandora Reveals Artists to Watch 2022: The Pandora Ten
Today, Pandora revealed its Artists To Watch picks for 2022: The Pandora Ten, featuring 10 music artists identified as most likely to breakthrough, establish enduring careers, and possibly join the ranks of superstars in music.
By leveraging a combination of human insights and sophisticated data analytics based on listener behavior, Pandora and its Artist To Watch program have recognized a diverse range of artists years before they broke through and became stars. Past picks have included Post Malone and Alessia Cara for 2016; Lizzo and Dua Lipa for 2017; H.E.R. and Ashley McBryde for 2018; Summer Walker for 2019; Doja Cat, Roddy Ricch and Tones & I for 2020; and The Kid LAROI and Giveon for 2021.
LA Indie Outfit GYPSUM Gives A Salute to Math Rock With Angular Single “Kaleidoscope”
“I probably spent a year on a million variations of this main guitar riff before landing on the version that I liked,” says Gypsum’s guitarist and vocalist Sapphire Jewell about the indie rock outfit’s new track “Kaleidoscope” off their critically-acclaimed self-titled debut album (released on October 12, 2021 via Sonic Ritual). “I have a voice memo that’s 11 minutes long of me just vibing on that weird mathy riff because I loved playing it so much. It’s definitely one of those riffs that physically feels good to play.” Rounded out by drummer Jessy Reed and guitarist and vocalist Anna Arboles, Gypsum is a synergistic exercise in collectivist arrangement, dissolving artistic ego into cooperativity. Rock NYC lauds that the live version of “‘Kaleidoscope’ is a powerhouse, “with an all-voices chorus synergizing with guitars and drums so perfectly the music could have been able to move the ceiling of the venue.”
High Street Gives Fans a “Light of Hope”
As the band continues along the Pacific West coast for their Revival tour, they’re gifting audiences with another glimpse of the forthcoming EP. With “Light of Hope,” High Street is redefining the culture and expanding the limits to which rock music can be a tool for healing. It’s no secret that the genre has been its own mode of therapy for generations. Listeners who long to release unwanted energy will simply do so through the sonic aggressions of rock that feel synonymous with their own emotions. In the age of mental health awareness, this phenomenon of catharsis is even more relevant, and High Street knows it. The context of “Light of Hope” is very poignantly described by High Street as a song “written from the perspective of someone who has eventually built the resolve to overcome their trauma and is working day by day toward finding ‘home’ in their quest, whatever form that may be.” It is a message rock fans can relate to, especially those finding a home in the culture of rock that accepts them for who they are. High Street invites their fans and listeners to continue to find their inner peace through the hopeful guitar riffs and introspective lyrics of “Light of Hope.”
Looms releases new EP “A Different Variety of Same”
The EP release includes two brand new tracks, “A Different Kind of Light” and “Nothin’ Didn’t Change,” closing and coalescing with a sound that FLOOD Magazine noted it lands, “somewhere between the alt-country flavors of Wilco and the heartland rock inclinations of The War on Drugs.”
WEAKENED FRIENDS share new single / video for ‘Everything Is Better’
Portland, Maine trio Weakened Friends today share the final single from their forthcoming album Quitter, out this Friday November 19th via Big Scary Monsters and Don Giovanni Records. ‘Everything is Better’ is out now with an accompanying video.
Anyone who’s experienced a particularly rough breakup knows the feeling of being made to be the villain. On ‘Everything is Better’ Weakened Friends accept and lean into that role, singing “you say I don’t care, so I won’t care”. The falling out described on this track is platonic, not romantic, but the repeated assurance that “everything is better when you’re not around,” is a brutal takedown of a hook that shows friend breakups can be just as harsh, if not worse.
Stage/Screen Legend ANN-MARGRET Shares Brand New Holiday Recording!
It has been awhile since one of Hollywood’s brightest lights and star of the film classics such as Bye Bye Birdie and Viva Las Vegas, Ann-Margret, has gifted the world with new musical recordings. So what better time than Christmas for the woman once dubbed the “female Elvis Presley” to return to the medium that launched her epic career? Ann-Margret is happy to announce the release of her brilliant and vivacious new version of “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” today on all digital platforms. With special guest, southern blues icon Sonny Landreth, joining in the fun, these two artists have crafted a vibrant rendition of a holiday favorite that seems tailor-made for Ann-Margret’s sultry voice.
Artist: Franz Black – Track: Anything
Franz Black is an accomplished songwriter, singer and keyboard player whose concept of songwriting has evolved into a new product that combines the timeless sound of sweet music and electronic sounds of the modern day. Franz who has written and produced three complete albums, has attained wide recognition from a mixture of audiences with one of his albums album titled ‘Sunshine girl’ being featured on several radio stations including the BBC. His last album titled ‘ On Angels Wings ‘ consists of ten songs, written specifically for relaxation and is available to purchase on Amazon and Itunes, and all good online music stores. It features the piano as the principle instrument, with the soothing sounds of nature, incorporated into the music for pure relaxation.
zzzahara signs to Lex Records; shares new single/video, “they don’t know”
Los Angeles artist, zzzahara, has officially announced their signing with Lex Records and today they are sharing their label debut, “they don’t know.” Watch the music video directed by Ross Harris here. Atwood Magazine described the single as “A feverish indie rock song drowning in intimate emotion and frenetic energy … an evocative and memorable moment of truth for a solo artist quickly coming into their own.”
NICOLE ATKINS SHARES NEW SONG, “MIND ERASER” – LISTEN
Fresh off the road with The Hives and Spoon, Nicole Atkins shares a new version of her song, “Mind Eraser,” today. The shadowy noir song Rolling Stone called a “hazy dream,” was co-written by My Morning Jacket’s guitarist Carl Broemel. It comes from a milestone new album and full-length performance film called MEMPHIS ICE. The album arrives via Single Lock Records Friday, December 10 on limited-edition vinyl and at all DSPs and streaming services; pre-orders are available now. A reimagined companion project to last year’s acclaimed ITALIAN ICE, MEMPHIS ICE was recorded live and an official music video taken from the performance film is streaming now at YouTube.
Scott Thompson & Paul Bellini from Kids in The Hall’s queer-punk band Mouth Congress shares new single / video “Be My Hole”
Toronto’s Mouth Congress — friends Paul Bellini and Scott Thompson of Kids In The Hall fame — wrote and recorded hundreds of songs between 1984 and 1988 without ever putting out a proper release. Alongside various cohorts and conspirators, the band drew on their experiences as gay men in the ‘80s to craft hilariously crude punk songs that run the gamut of strange characters and taboo subject matter. Their rag tag approach to songwriting blended various styles from noisy punk to lo-fi new wave and DIY disco, all with a very gay bent.
Today Ubisoft Music is releasing Vaas: Insanity, the first piece of downloadable content (DLC) in support of Far Cry® 6. It features a playable version of the iconic villain Vaas from Far Cry® 3, originally played by Better Call Saul’s Michael Mando, who resumes his role here once again.
American Idol Alum Alex Miller’s Inaugural Video, Don’t Let The Barn Door Hit Ya, Debuts Today
American Idol alum Alex Miller’s first official music video, “Don’t Let The Barn Door Hit Ya,” debuts today on Taste of Country and The Boot. Shot in Alex’s hometown of Lancaster, Kentucky and at his grandfather GB Miller’s farm, the clip features several members of the Miller family, friendly locals and super-model/KY basketball TV and radio host Maria Montgomery. Cinematographer Steve Kinney made the most of the “country boy vs. city girl” concept, capturing the differences in the characters while also portraying the dichotomy between the beauty of the farm and the realities of rural life.
Maxwell Announces ‘blacksummers’NIGHT’ & Unveils New Single “Off”
Preparing to deliver one of the most-anticipated R&B events of next year, three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning multiplatinum artist Maxwell announces his new full-length album, blacksummers’NIGHT, out Spring 2022. It notably marks his first release under a newly minted deal with BMG and closes out the trilogy he began with the #1 GRAMMY® Award-winning epic, BLACKsummers’night, in 2009.
Extreme Progressive Metal Unit PERSEFONE to Release Napalm Records Debut, metanoia, out February 4, 2022
Andorra’s own extreme progressive metal unit PERSEFONE is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of their long-awaited Napalm Records debut, entitled metanoia. Scheduled for release on February 4, 2022, metanoia crosses genre boundaries with ease, mesmerizing the listener with dynamic songwriting and technical precision and proving PERSEFONE’s worthy position as longstanding favorites of progressive metal!
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers Share New Single Co-written w/ Alex Lahey
Co-written with Alex Lahey and produced by Violent Soho’s James Tidswell, “Miss Your Birthday” is a slice of instantly-memorable alt-rock and proof yet again that Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers are an absolute must-watch rising act.
Jesse Colin Young and Jazzie Young Release Music Video for “Trouble”
Legendary singer songwriter Jesse Colin Young has released a new music video to accompany his most recent single which features his daughter Jazzie Young, a rising star in her own right. The father / daughter duo is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Harold and Maude with the release of their rendition of the Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) soundtrack hit, “Trouble.”
Revolver Magazine is hosting an exclusive stream of The Return Of The California Takeover, the new live LP from EARTH CRISIS, SNAPCASE, and STRIFE, in advance of the LP’s release this Friday via WAR Records.
In February of 2020, EARTH CRISIS, SNAPCASE, and STRIFE joined forces in Los Angeles for The Return Of The California Takeover; two shows paying homage to The California Takeover… Live, the classic live album featuring all three bands. Released on Victory Records in 1996, The California Takeover… Live is considered by many fans of the genre as one of the all-time best live hardcore records.
Silverbacks (Full Time Hobby) Share “Rolodex City”
Dublin art-rock quintet Silverbacks are today sharing “Rolodex City”, the latest track to be taken from their upcoming new album Archive Material which is set for release on January 21st 2022 via Full Time Hobby. The band have also announced a string of dates shortly after the album’s release, taking place in Ireland and UK from March.
Michelle Rasky Debuts Genre-Bending Breakout in Groovy “Dancing on My Own”
With expertly tracked instrumentals fusing with precisely programmed synthesizers to meet in the dark, award-winning Canadian artist Michelle Rasky’s new single creates a substantial electro dance-pop single in “Dancing on My Own” — available now!
