Like much of the music that’s being released this year, Synth-Pop duo “Xeno & Oaklander’s” upcoming album Vi/deo was conceived during the pandemic in the duo’s home studio. Though 2020 and still much of 2021 are the years of isolation and desolation, it’s interesting hearing all of the music that encapsulates these trying times. Simply put it, pandemic music hits different, and “Xeno & Oaklander” have returned to grace us with their signature retro, but futuristic style heavy on analog synthesizers and pulsating grooves that sound both robotic, but human enough to prompt one to move their feet. Vi/deo is the duo’s seventh studio album, and will be released on October 22nd via “Dais Records.” You can listen to the album’s first single “Infinite Sadness” below:
Music that delves into the endless abyss of thought provoking themes and topics our multifaceted brains are capable of conjuring up is music that isn’t too keen on escapism. As compelling as this music may be, there’s a time and place for it, and sometimes we need an escape from reality. After all, I’m pretty sure your local bar isn’t the ideal place to play songs about existentialism on the jukebox. “Who wants shots?! Now what’s the meaning of life?” Sometimes music about the spirit of music and it’s healing abilities will suffice. “Flying Rabbit” are a band whose music contains immense substance and creativity, but they can also be a band that likes to have fun, and their song “The Clap” indicates that. This is the band’s version of a dance anthem. A dance anthem that resides in their own universe. This isn’t exactly club music, it’s definitely a “Flying Rabbit” song, but it is a celebration of the primal urge to dance when we hear an infectious rhythm. When we hear music that moves us, we dance, we sing, we clap. The sounds emitted from music possesses one person and goes to another, and another, and another. It’s contagious, it spreads. I can think of another thing under the name “the clap” that spreads, but I’m not going to get into that. Sorry, I just had to say it. Is this a comical analogy? The song title did prompt me to chuckle like a kid in class whose teacher just dropped the F-bomb, but in all seriousness, this track shows the immense versatility “Flying Rabbit” have in their song writing abilities and musicianship. They can make music for all moods. Now throw on this song and clap along.
Following the incredibly catchy single “Beats,” which was a trip down memory lane through the Post-Punk/ Goth era of the 80s, U.K. artist Benjamin Mace-Crossley has released a follow-up single titled “Dirty Hot” under his “The Reality TV” moniker, and it pulls no punches when it comes to danceable synth-driven swagger cool and dark enough to make you want to bust out your black eye shadow and combat boots, but also genuine enough to not come off as mimicry. You can listen to “Dirty Hot” below:
Kristin Hayter is one of those rare artists who creates music strictly on their own terms. She uncompromisingly puts her heart and soul into everything she creates under her “Lingua Ignota” project, never wasting a second on insincerity. The way she explores the many facets of the human condition and human mind, the darker and more disturbing parts of humanity make themselves visible naturally, but in a way that feels therapeutic and rewarding as she exorcises her demons, so when she releases a new track, you can bet the song will either be a tearjerker that will render you an emotional mess, or a Hellish and disturbing experience that will scare the living shit out of even the toughest of metalheads. Today she has unveiled the details of her upcoming album SINNER GET READY, which will be released on August 6th via “Sargent House,” and the album’s first single “PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE” is of the tearjerker variety featuring Hayter’s hauntingly beautiful operatic vocals. You can watch the music video for “PENNSYLVANIA FURNACE” below:
Following his “Side Street” teaser video which was released earlier this week and left many to believe new music was on the horizon, Tyler, The Creator has released a brand new single titled “Lumberjack.” Still no word on whether or not there’s a new album coming, but it is nice to hear new music from Tyler to help us cope with these trying times. You can watch the music video for “Lumberjack” below:
The wait is finally over. Alexis Marshall of the band “Daughters” has unveiled the release date of his highly anticipated solo debut album. The album is titled House of Lull . House of When, and will be released on July 23rd via “Sargent House.” A new single titled “Hounds in the Abyss” was also released today, which follows last year’s “Nature in Three Movements,” a relentlessly intense, but enticing tune. “Hounds in the Abyss” carries that same anxiety-inducing energy, and I’m here for it. You can watch the music video for “Hounds in the Abyss” below:
After being delayed by almost a year, Chrystia Cabral will release her new “SPELLLING” album The Turning Wheel on June 25th via “Sacred Bones Records.” This follows up her critically acclaimed 2018 album Mazy Fly, an album rich in dreamy synths and instrumentation that felt both futuristic and nostalgic, offering a Sci-Fi-heavy cinematic experience like no other. For her follow-up, Cabral produced the album herself, while collaborating with a total of 31 musicians, and you can definitely hear the contributions from said musicians on her new single “Turning Wheel.” This is a short, but grand ballad that lets its ensemble of musicians be heard. You can watch the music video for “Turning Wheel” below:
At this point it’s no stretch to say Annie Clark A.K.A. St. Vincent is music’s greatest shapeshifter right now. Five albums in and this imaginative visionary continues to reinvent herself with each album both musically and aesthetically, very much in the same vein as legends David Bowie and Prince. Clark is set to release her sixth St. Vincent album Daddy’s Home this Friday via “Loma Vista Recordings,” and today she has released a new track off the album titled “Down,” and much like her single “Pay Your Way in Pain,” this track features 70s-inspired grooves drawing from Young Americans-era Bowie and synth-driven Funk. You can watch the music video for “Down” below:
There’s no denying the fact that Oslo, Norway-based band “Flying Rabbit” stand on their own musically, lyrically, and aesthetically as they plunge themselves into a musical realm they’ve created on their own, not succumbing to any contemporary musical trends. Seriously, what other bands out there right now can you say “Flying Rabbit” sound like? I bet you can’t name any, and on top of that how do you categorize their music? Is their a name for Psychedelic-tinged Swing music with theatrical vocals that soar high and topical content that has no interest in sugar-coating the issues brought on by the current state of our species? It’s refreshing hearing a band this unique in this day and age of recycled ideas. The band have dropped another refreshing new track titled “In the Middle.” Unsurprisingly, much thought is provoked after hearing the line “Stand in the middle with me” from said track. What is the middle? Does it represent centrism in politics? Is this a cry from a class that appears to be fading due to the cost of living rising while most citizens can’t rely solely on the low wages they receive to live comfortably? Or does this represent unique personal identity, art, and ideas that separate themselves from the zeitgeist of the modern world? These are all loaded questions that arise when hearing “In the Middle,” and yet, the band have no interest in bombarding us with lectures or sloganeering. Instead, they offer skillfully upbeat instrumentation with a slightly sinister melody filled with the band’s signature Jazz soaked rhythm section combined with guitars that range from groovy to Southern Gothic to back the lyrical themes of corporate greed and the evils of cutthroat competition. This is music to dance to while the world falls apart, and in the midst of it all lead vocalist Emily C. Brannigan urges us to stand in the middle with her where our mind, body, and soul are intact, devoid of greedy corruption. It’s hard to make a song like this and not fall into cheap anthem territory, but “Flying Rabbit” do it so seamlessly, which makes their music that much more genuine.
Dancing Soviet soldiers in space. Need I say more? “Flying Rabbit” have released a new music video for their track “Don’t Oppress Me,” which appears on their new E.P. Eclectic Playground, and being one of the EP’s most standout tracks, it’s only fitting that the video reflects its zany nature. The video consists of captions for you to sing along to, repurposed footage of dancing Soviet soldiers from God knows where, and spacey visuals that are quite hypnotizing. This is more proof that “Flying Rabbit” are an incredibly unique band that demands your attention. You can watch the music video for “Don’t Oppress Me” below:
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