Solo Song
Danny Elfman Shares Creepy New Solo Song “Sorry”: Stream
Halloween may be long past, but Danny Elfman has creepy treat for us. The beloved composer has returned with a new solo song called “Sorry” and an accompanying video. The expectedly eerie offering is only the second solo song Elfman has shared in the last 36 years (!), following last fall’s “Happy”. Like that tune, “Sorry” is being released via the indie labels ANTI-/ Epitaph Records, which feels like an interesting home for the guy who made the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. In a statement, Elfman said “Sorry” is “the first song I’ve written for myself in a long time,” and detailed its “alien” beginnings, “It began as an obsessive choral-chant instrumental work, which at the time I called ‘alien orchestral chamber punk’ and evolved slowly into a song. I was surprised by the a...
The National’s Matt Berninger Reveals New Solo Song “One More Second”: Stream
We’re less than a month out from hearing Matt Berninger’s debut solo album, Serpentine Prison. In anticipation, The National frontman is giving fans another preview of the record with a new song called “One More Second”. Unlike recent single “Distant Axis”, which featured a momentous swell, today’s offering has more in common with the album’s mellow title track from back in May. “One More Second” is a mostly acoustic cut with the pacing of a country shuffle. Berninger’s fibrous guitar strums are elevated by crisp percussive taps, and eventually the song does take off into a pretty anthemic swing that orbits around a tickling keyboard solo. Lyrically, the tune is an entry in the timeless canon of “give me one more chance” love songs. In fact, according to a statement in the track’s YouTube ...
TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe Dances at the Guillotine on “ReelFeel”: Stream
Tunde Adebimpe has shared a new song called “ReelFeel” — perhaps because the more appropriate title of Dance Dance Revolution was already taken. “ReelFeel” is a toe-tapping ode to regime change, as well as a charity single benefiting the Audre Lord Project. Earlier in his career, the TV on the Radio frontman was more concerned with interior struggles and the emotional distance between individuals. But the dumpster fire of 2020 has pulled his attention to public spaces, and the results are as magnificent and incisive as fans could have hoped. Last month on Juneteenth, Adebimpe shared the protest song “People”, and “ReelFeel” is a spiritual successor — a kind of “after” shot accompanying the pained “before” of “People”. “ReelFeel” was produced by Chrome Sparks, who called the cut a “sco...
TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe Rallies the “People” on New Protest Song: Stream
In honor of Juneteenth, aka Freedom Day, Tunde Adebimpe has released a new protest song. Simply dubbed “People”, this offering sees the TV on the Radio frontman instructing his listeners to confront and condemn white supremacy wherever it rears its ugly head. “If you see it’s a Nazi, say it’s a Nazi, and get that Nazi out,” declares Adebimpe on the track. “People” was self-produced by the indie rocker with assistance from friend and TV on the Radio drummer Roofeo. It’s available to stream and/or purchase below via Bandcamp, and all proceeds will benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center, Movement for Black Lives, and the ACLU. For the rest of Juneteenth, Bandcamp, too, will be donating its share of profits to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Earlier this month, Adebimpe performed TV on the Radi...
Previously Unheard Version of Aretha Franklin’s “Never Gonna Break My Faith” Released for Juneteenth: Stream
If ever there was a time for new Aretha Franklin music, it would be today: Juneteenth, in the midst of an unprecedented national uprising against racism and police brutality. Miraculously, we’re being gifted just that. A never-before-heard solo version of the Franklin song “Never Gonna Break My Faith” has been released thanks to a collaboration between RCA Recordings, RCA Inspiration, and Legacy Recordings. The original version of the track was a duet with Mary J. Blige that was recorded for the 2006 film Bobby, but this alternate take leaves all the belting to the Queen of Soul, who is backed by The Boys Choir of Harlem. Beyond the excitement of this being a new recording from the legendary singer, its lyrical content is particularly relevant in the current socio-political climate. “You c...
R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe Officially Releases “No Time for Love Like Now”: Stream
Back in March, former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe shared a demo of a new song titled “No Time For Love Like Now”. Made in collaboration with Big Red Machine — aka The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon — the studio version of the song has now been released, complete with a stylish music video. This time around, Stipe is fully immersed in Dessner and Vernon’s soundscapes, giving his vocals a more ethereal quality. There’s depth to the sound now, which isn’t too surprising given that Stipe was literally singing over their recording in the OG demo. While Aaron produced the track, his brother and National bandmate, Bryce Dessner, actually orchestrated it. As for Vernon’s part, he supplied electric guitar, clearly channeling his inner Peter Buck. In an interview w...
Ben Gibbard Shares New Single “Proxima B”, Covers Minor Threats” Filler”: Stream
Ben Gibbard may be having one of the busiest lockdowns in music. In addition to covering everyone from Radiohead to Phoebe Bridgers to The Beatles during his weekly livestreams, the Death Cab for Cutie frontman has released the charity single “Life in Quarantine”, performed the song on Colbert, and taken part in a number of charity concerts. Today, he’s back with another new track, “Proxima B”. The mid-tempo strummer was originally debuted live when Gibbard performed at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum’s virtual concert Space Songs: Through the Distance. He later played it during his from-home livestream. While both those renditions were acoustic, the studio version of “Proxima B” features complete instrumentation, contemplative synth sounds blowing gently beneath opt...
Muse’s Matt Bellamy Releases New Solo Song “Tomorrow’s World”: Stream
Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has shared his second-ever solo song, and its release couldn’t be more timely. The one-off single is titled “Tomorrow’s World” and finds the veteran rocker holding onto optimism despite these incredibly trying times. “Your body is stronger/ Your mind is a wonder/ Your heart is so full of love,” Bellamy sings over a layer of piano and strings, steadfastly focusing on the positive in his life. “Don’t you waste it… Look to tomorrow.” In a statement, the UK musician said that today’s offering “captures my mood and feelings whilst in lockdown.” He continued, “I have been reminded of what really matters in life and have discovered growing optimism, appreciation and hope for the future. The song title comes from an old BBC TV show called ’Tomorrow’s World,” which I watc...
Jehnny Beth Shares New Song “Heroine”: Stream
Jehnny Beth’s debut solo album, To Love Is to Live, sounds like it will be a heavy affair. Early singles have all been various levels of intense, from the sensual pulse of “Flower”, to the ominous stalk of “Innocence”, to the thunderous spasms of “I’m the Man”. However, the album’s latest preview, “Heroine”, brings a more melodic air to the affair. To be fair, the Savages singer hasn’t taken her foot off the post-punk pedal for this one — not at all. But with warped jazz horns and undulating baking vocals swirling together over propellant drums, there’s a more hypnotic thrust here. It’s coupled with lyrics that, as Beth explained in a press release, owe a lot to the galvanizing of her collaborators: “When I think of this song, I think of Romy from the xx strangling my neck with her hands i...
