On March 2, 2018, folk music icon and activist Joan Baez released her first album in ten years, Whistle Down The Wind. She also announced that it will be her last album and the tour in connection with the album would be her farewell tour. Baez skillfully interprets tunes penned by such artists as Tom Waits, Josh Ritter, Anohni, Mary […]
Learn more →“Cycles of My Being” is a new song cycle performed by world renown tenor Lawrence Brownlee. Lyrics were written by acclaimed poet Terrance Hayes and the music was composed by Tyshawn Sorey. Both Hayes and Sorley are MacArthur “genius” grant winners. The song cycle which examines the experience of being a black man in America is touring across the US, including a performance at […]
Learn more →“Circle The Block” is a new single and video from McKinley Dixon’s upcoming mixtape, The Importance of Self Belief. The indie rapper addresses issues of police brutality over a funky jazz beat. Lyrics such as “every cop light is for me until it pass” and “I’m trying to make sure this black life lasts” articulates the realistic fears that many black […]
Learn more →“Bad Bad News” is from Leon Bridges upcoming sophomore album Good Thing, which is scheduled to be released on May 4, 2018. Bridges 2015 debut album Coming Home had a Sam Cooke inspired old school soul sound. “Bad Bad News” still has a retro feel, but it’s funky and jazzy vibe does represent a musical departure. The lyrics are an empowering […]
Learn more →Escape-ism is the solo project of veteran punk artist Ian Svenonius (Nation Of Ulysses, the Make-Up, Weird War, XYZ, Chain And The Gang, among others). “Iron Curtain” is off of the 2017 full-length debut, the appropriately titled Introduction to Escape-ism. The Iron Curtain may have ended in 1991 and the Berlin Wall may have been torn down in 1989, but the lyrical references […]
Learn more →“Gold Purple Orange” is off of Jean Grae & Quelle Chris new album, Everything’s Fine which will be released on March 30th, 2018. The inventive and satirical hip-hop duo examines cultural stereotypes (“Everybody alt-right gotta be white” “Everybody disagree gotta be wrong” “Everybody from the hood gotta be G” “Every Jew, golden rule, gotta save bills”) in “Gold Purple Orange”. It […]
Learn more →Afrobeat singer and activist Angélique Kidjo just announced she will be releasing a full length cover album of the Talking Heads’ 1980 classic Remain In Light, which is set for a June 8th release date. On March 22, 2018 she posted the video of her re-imagination of “Born Under Punches” from the album. The lyrics make reference to the oppressive hands of […]
Learn more →“Plastic Hamburgers” is off of Fantastic Negrito upcoming album Please Don’t Be Dead, which is set to be released on June 15th, 2018. With its admonition to “break down these chains” this hard rocking contemporary blues tune is the empowering anthem that we need in these tumultuous times. Concerning the intent of the song, Negrito made the following statement: “Addiction, guns, […]
Learn more →“Nowhere Fast” originally appeared on his late 2017 album Revival. On March 16th, 2018 he released an extended version which opens with an additional verse concerning school shootings and gun violence. It takes aim at the NRA and how the government representatives are mere puppets to the gun lobby. Another line in the song, which was also in the original […]
Learn more →The Russian activists / music collective continue to rally against political corruption on their collaboration with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek. The song lyrics start off critiquing superficial music with the lyric “you thought that I just made this for the club – No way!” It goes on to denounce those that are “drunk on power” and it provides […]
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