Cartel Madras get pumped, Beauty in Chaos get Rolan, Flaural get serious, Bethlehem Steel get cheesed and more in today’s Roundup. Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.
1 I can’t tell if Calgary hip-hop duo Cartel Madras are paying homage to Lil Pump, trying to pick a fight with the American rapper or just poking fun at hip-hop cliches in their new single and video Lil Pump Type Beat. All I know is that Eboshi and Contra’s latest track is ridiculously infectious. See for yourself. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “We wanted to make a fun trap song that captures the explosive energy of our live shows. We also wanted to give a nod to type beats and their ubiquity. Our shows often turn into sweaty mosh pits, so the video had to be an extension of that. It was really fun — especially having a ton of shirtless dudes moshing while we dictate the energy in the video from the middle, with the drip.” Pump it up:
2 Who wants to hear a new version of the T.Rex classic 20th Century Boy — featuring Marc Bolan’s son Rolan on vocals? Yeah you do. And L.A. collective Beauty in Chaos are only too happy to oblige with their latest single and video from the album Beauty Re-Envisioned. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Once Rolan agreed to be part of this, I wanted to recut the track with much more of the sultry swagger from the original. We added a growly sax and some cool Mott the Hoople meets New Orleans honkey-tonk piano to enhance the vibe we wanted. I probably would not be playing electric guitar if it was not for Marc Bolan. This is my big thank you … and I have been blessed to be able to enlist some great company to help me say it,” says Michael Ciravolo.” Get it on:
3 A lot of music is deliberately superficial. Not The Thinker, the latest single and video from Denver experimental indie-rockers Flaural. The track — from their latest album Postponement — was inspired by the sad story of frontman Colin Johnson’s father, who passed away in 2017 after a long struggle with ALS. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “It was originally written following his father’s diagnosis, with Johnson singing, “Nobody likes when you’re not well / Come up, come up, and feel better now.” The song’s lyrics were reworked after he passed, adding the line, “Unanswered questions still haunt me.” It’s a matter of life and death:
4 Brooklyn indie outfit Bethlehem Steel share some Gov’t Cheese — the latest single from their self-titled Sept. 13 album — with the help of a suitably cheesy video. Savour the fromage below. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Gov’t Cheese, which is centered around singer-guitarist Becca Ryskalczk’s repetition of the mantra “I must take care of myself,” confronts a history of complicated friendships with men, with sweet vocal harmonies belying the song’s frank reckoning with the vulnerabilities that are preyed upon in many of these negative relationships.” Chew on that:
5 Can’t say I’m the world’s biggest fan of country singer John Anderson. Raul Malo and The Mavericks clearly have me beat: They just dropped a low-slung, ska-style cover of Anderson’s Swingin’. That reminds me: I tried to interview Raul once. He blew off our chat so many times that it was impossible not to be a little insulted. So I guess I can’t say I’m his biggest fan either. Thankfully, that hasn’t affected my love for their music. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Swingin’ is just the beginning of all-new Mavericks music to be released this fall.” Bring it on, Raul. I promise not to waste your time (and mine) trying to interview you:
6 Kentucky singer-songwriter Daniel Martin Moore is presumably looking ahead to the release of his ninth album Never Look Away on Oct. 4. If you are too, wrap your ears around the title track below. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Co-produced by multi-instrumentalist Seth Kauffman, the recordings are candid, unfussed-over, and full of energy and light. “Seth is a wonder. I’ve admired his work for years, and it was a joy to bring this batch of songs to life with him.” Look and listen:
https://youtu.be/mwiQtYIeue0
7 Sampa the Great returns with her new album The Return on Sept. 13. For those who just can’t wait, here’s the final preview single Heaven — whose inspirations wasn’t nearly as heavenly as you might expect. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Heaven is where I detail my encounter with a “near death experience” or so I thought,” explains Sampa. “With this experience and in most cases for people who experience such, it causes you to change your thinking patterns and evaluate the importance of certain things in your life. ‘Heaven’ is the detailing of that stage and the emotions behind it. Sung by the ever talented and beautiful Whosane, along with the most beautiful vocals by my own lil sister, Mwanje.” Go into the light:
8 Jordon Zadorozny is up to his old tricks again. The Canadian indie-rocker behind Blinker the Star will drop his latest album Careful With Your Magic on Sept. 20. But first, he wants to whisper a Sweet Nothing in your ear with this preview single. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “Sweet Nothing is about that tricky time in a relationship where we either pony up, lay our intentions and emotions bare and make a go of it, or retreat back to the vagaries of single life.” Nothing doing:
9 Bora York get around. The husband-and-wife synth-pop duo hail from Minneapolis — but the latest single from their upcoming album Emotion Vertigo is called Colorado. That’s not exactly in the neighbourhood, but what the hey — you can make the trip from your couch. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “I spent a year in Denver when I was 20 and it still feels like a second home, even though it’s been a while since I lived there. I’m personifying Colorado in this song – it’s a metaphor for letting go of worry, living life to the fullest. “Now I’m breathing in slow motion” – this is about not letting meaningful moments pass you by without cherishing them, soaking them in.” Bon voyage:
10 Dunno know about you, but I sure need to chill out. And prolific Toronto ambient artist Alaskan Tapes (real name: Brady Kendall) has just what I need: The distinctively titled new track And, We Disappear, the third single from his Sept. 19 album Sixteen Stories. SAYS THE PRESS RELEASE: “One of the goals of the album was to have as much french horn on it as possible, I fell in love with the instrument a little while ago after rediscovering Olafur Arnalds’ track Dalur. Initially I was simply going to write a solo piano track with french horn in a similar style, but then fellow Toronto composer Voga collaborated on the track and we made it something of our own. And, We Disappear was conceived relatively quickly after that. I wanted it to be a continuation of Still, sort of like a Part 2. The only way it seemed to make sense was for it to turn into an ambient piece and end it with the french horn, and that was it.” And, it appears:
