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JPEGMAFIA Shares New Song “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot”

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It’s looking like JPEGMAFIA is teasing a new upcoming album. This morning the experimental rapper shared a brand new song titled “Jesus forgive me, I Am a Thot,” and it’s as uncompromising, loud, off-kilter as you’d expect it to be, but this track does offer an element of “Pop” and an “R&B” inspired auto-tuned hook that somehow fits amidst the chaos. Peggy has also said “The disappointment cums soon. Just a taste before I waste you.” Hopefully that means we’ll be getting a follow-up to last year’s Veteran. You can watch the music video for “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot” below:

Tool Release New Song “Fear Inoculum”

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It’s finally happening! No really, it’s happening. “Tool” have returned with their first piece of new music since their last album 10,000 Days, which came out 13 years ago. The track is titled “Fear Inoculum,” and it’s the title track of their upcoming album set to be released on August 30th. The 10 minute song sounds very much like a Tool song. It’s heavy, drony, tribal, and epic. Would you expect any less from Tool? It’s been a big year for Tool fans. The band’s whole back catalogue is now available on all streaming services AND we’re getting a new album? The memes have officially ended. Tool’s back. You can listen to “Fear Inoculum” below:

BROCKHAMPTON Release New Song “I Been Born Again”

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BROCKHAMPTON are back after what feels like ages since their last album Iridescence. Well, it hasn’t been that long, but in BROCKHAMPTON years that’s a long time to wait considering the prolific boy band are constantly active. Their new album Ginger is set to be released sometime this month, and the group have released the album’s first single “I Been Born Again,” which also has a music video to accompany it. You can watch the video below:

Sleater-Kinney Share New Song “Can I Go On”

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It’s been a rough year for Sleater-Kinney and their fans following the departure of drummer Janet Weiss, but Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker are without a doubt moving on and will continue to tour and release their new album The Center Won’t Hold despite this setback. We all know the band will persevere, but it’s still heartbreaking to see Janet Weiss go. Good news is we’ll be able to hear Janet Weiss on one more Sleater-Kinney album. The Center Won’t Hold produced by St. Vincent is set to be released on August 16th, and with what we’ve heard so far, it’s clear that the band have gone in a completely different direction on this new album, parting ways with the raucous raw energy of their early work, the Rock & Roll-tinged style of their later work, and the danceable grooves of their previous album No Cities To Love in favor of Art Rock balladry that sees Carrie Brownstein take up the majority of lead vocals. Their new track “Can I Go On” is quite possibly their most poppy sounding track by far, but the lyrical content deals with existentialism and depression which can truly resonate with someone who’s going through it. You can listen to the track below:

Angel Olsen Shares New Music Video for “All Mirrors”

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Angel Olsen is set to release her upcoming fourth album All Mirrors on October 4th on “Jagjaguwar” records. Today she released the album’s title track as well as a Gothic-styled music video. “All Mirrors” is a hauntingly gorgeous synth-driven track with beautiful string arrangements that convey a dramatically cinematic tone, which is a noticeable departure from her previous album My Woman. You can watch the music video below:

Track Review: Ganser Premiere New Single “Bad Form”

“When you’re in the middle of writing and recording, it’s very easy to fall into extreme feelings of guilt over procrastination, when you’re already stretched thin,” says Alicia Gaines, bassist and vocalist of Chicago “Post-Punk” band “Ganser,” and that feeling is immensely conveyed on their new single “Bad Form.” It’s a sentiment we can all relate to. The feeling that we’re just going through the motions, the feeling that we should be doing more, the feeling that nothing we do is ever enough, it’s an unfair pressure we put on ourselves, and that can lead to unbearable anxiety. “Ganser” are no strangers to the evocation of anxiety. The band have been creating noisey “Post-Punk” with a sprinkle of “Goth” for awhile now, and following last year’s debut album Odd Talk, it was clear that the band are without a doubt one of the most ambitious bands in Rock right now. Much of their music is loud, anxiety-inducing but not too abrasive to the point of being unlistenable, and their attention to crafting chaotic and unconventional instrumentation topped with poetic lyrical content that looks both outward and inward is vastly enthralling. Each member is pivotal to the band’s sound, they’re all pieces to a puzzle that just wouldn’t be complete if a member were absent. It’s easy to list what genres the band might draw influence from, but categorizing them wouldn’t suffice when describing the myriad of emotions and styles in their music.

So what does their new single “Bad Form” sound like? Well, it sounds like a “Ganser” song, but it’s most definitely next level and completely stands on it’s own. Charlie Landsman’s guitar evokes a frantic feeling that ear-splittingly gives you a sense of urgency, Alicia Gaines’ pummeling bass hits you with a sinister groove, Brian Cundiff’s drums are sharp and piercing, and Nadia Garofalo’s vocals passionately echo the nervous nature of the instrumentation with a sense of catharsis that beautifully expresses the importance of self-therapy when confronting inner demons. “Too many people want too much attention,” sings Garofalo, as if she’s realizing the feeling of getting lost in other people’s needs or trying to balance friendships and relationships with work is taking it’s toll, and the refrain of “I know how it works” can be interpreted as the feeling of unsatisfying repetition or predictability. Sure this song deals with the darker side of the human psyche, but it features positive undertones as the band exorcises their demons together.

“Bad Form” also has a beautifully shot music video directed by Kirsten Miccoli to accompany it. It stars Ganser, Monica Bahr, Liz Harvey, and Benji Morino, and it’s visually stunning with a dark nature that perfectly reflects the track’s sense of agitation and anxiety. The band make it known that visual art is just as important to them as music. Just look at how mindfully crafted their past music videos are with much attention to artistry and cinematography as opposed to just making a video of the band playing their instruments in an empty warehouse (we saw plenty of those videos in the 90’s.) The band want to utilize different aspects of art to express themselves, and that ambition is inspiring. It’s exciting to see where they’ll go next.

Written By: Steven Sandoval

Slipknot Release New Song “Solway Firth”

Slipknot are set to release their new album We Are Not Your Kind on August 9th, and lead singer Corey Taylor was not kidding when he said it’s some of the darkest material the band have created in years, because their new single “Solway Firth” is sheer brutality. The band have also shared a music video to accompany it featuring footage from the upcoming “Amazon” original series The Boys. You can watch the music video below:

Watch the Final Full Trailer for “IT: Chapter 2”

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The Losers are all grown up in the new full-length trailer for IT: Chapter 2, and they will face the maniacal Pennywise one last time on September 6th. Following the success of the first film, it’ll be interesting to see if the sequel will live up to IT (see what I did there.) It’s got a talented cast and team behind it, and the trailer looks like this might even be more terrifying than the first. On September 6th, it’ll be time to float again. Watch the trailer below:

Album Review: Thom Yorke – ANIMA

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Artist: Thom Yorke

Album: ANIMA

Genre: Electronic/Experimental

Label: XL Recordings

Rating: 8/10

Thom Yorke needs no introduction at this point, and saying he needs no introduction goes without saying, so why am I saying it? I don’t know, I just needed an introduction in this review. We all know how influential his band “Radiohead” is. A band that have garnered much acclaim from critics and music fans alike with their eclectic music that strives to innovate and push boundaries. In fact, they’re so acclaimed that they just recently were inducted into the “Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame,” and if you’re aware of the “Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame,” you know they tend to ignore artists that are truly innovative, but here we are pleasantly surprised. Aside from “Radiohead,” Yorke has embarked on numerous music endeavors, including a decent solo career. Now, I’m not going to lie and say I’ve been the biggest fan of his solo material, (please don’t crucify me) because much of his music tends to be predictable or sound like “Radiohead” b-sides. That isn’t to say his music has been devoid of creativity and meaningful content, but the replay value is hardly there, but upon hearing that he was set to score Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria remake I was immediately intrigued. My expectations were exceeded with that soundtrack. Yorke beautifully crafted a dark and melancholy contrast to the film’s disturbing visuals. Following that up, Yorke has released his third solo album ANIMA, and this is the Thom Yorke solo album I’ve been waiting for. This album sounds like what I expected it to sound like, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This album has everything we’ve come to expect with Yorke’s solo material. The layers upon layers of synths, off-kilter drum patterns, and reverb-drenched vocal loops and harmonies layered to fall in disarray, but this time around this sound is perfected and truly hypnotic. Inspired by the subject of dreams, Yorke and longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich fully immerse the listener in a world of “Ambient Techno” that’s hypnotic and creates humanity out of the machines at work. The album’s opener “Traffic” hits you with buzzing synth bass and skittering synth arpeggios that build to a subtle climax that doesn’t bombard you with self-indulgence. This sets the tone for the rest of the album quite well, because the rest of the album follows a very similar note, and that’s the point, to hypnotize you and put you in a state that feels like a dream, and sometimes even a nightmare. Much of the album’s content deals heavily with claustrophobia and anxiety, and Yorke uses themes of dystopia to evoke feelings of anxiety, but there’s never a feeling of discomfort. A sense of urgency yes, and even a feeling of discombobulation, but it’s controlled and there is a frequent hopeful tone. The track “Dawn Chorus” is most definitely a standout track where Yorke’s almost spoken word vocals lay out a paranoid string of consciousness, but there is a sense of comfort beneath the madness. This isn’t an album that pummels you with abrasion or tumult, and it’s not trying to unsettle you, but with the darker subject matter, instead of delving further into the rabbit hole, Yorke and Godrich find a way to guide you through a meditative experience amidst the anxiety, as if they know most of their listeners find comfort and beauty in the sadder art, and pulling that off is no easy feat. If you find Thom Yorke to be pretentious or self-indulgent then this album isn’t for you, and the mere idea of Yorke using his own dreams as inspiration might make you cringe, but it’s definitely worth a listen. That’s right, i’m talking to you ya Thom Yorke detractors.

Written By: Steven Sandoval

Date: 06/30/19

Tame Impala Shares New Song “Patience”

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Tame Impala has returned with a new track titled “Patience,” and patience is what we’ve been forced to have while waiting for new music from Mr. Kevin Parker. This is his first piece of new music since his 2016 album Currents, and it’s looking like a new album is on the horizon considering the project will be active this year with an “SNL” appearance and a tour which will begin with a headlining spot at “Coachella.” With “Patience,” Parker gets his Disco on, and he unsurprisingly does it well. You can listen to the track below: