Philadelphia’s 2nd Grade have announced their sophomore album, Easy Listening. The follow-up to 2020’s Hit to Hit arrives on September 30 via Double Double Whammy. Its lead single is called ‘Strung Out on You’, and you can check it out below, along with the album cover and tracklist.
“‘Strung Out On You’ is a classic rock song about knowing something is bad for you but doing it anyway,” the band’s Peter Gill explained in a statement. “If Big Star had broken through commercially with Radio City and kept pursuing that accessible strain of power pop, I like to imagine they would’ve eventually written ‘Strung Out On You’ and scored a minor nationwide hit in 1979 or so. Radio DJs would spin it between ‘Caught Up In You’ and ‘Hurts So Good’, and it would soundtrack countless coming-of-age moments for misfit teens in the 80’s all over the Midwest.”
Easy Listening Cover Artwork:
Easy Listening Tracklist:
1. Cover of Rolling Stone
2. Strung Out on You
3. Hung Up
4. Me And My Blue Angels
5. Wouldn’t It Be Nice To Let It Be
6. Beat Of The Drum
7. Poet In Residence
8. Kramer In LA
9. Teenage Overpopulation
10. Hand Of The Brand
11. Which Itch Are You Scratching Today
12. Keith And Telecaster
13. Planetarium
14. Controlled Burn
15. Hands Down
16. Easy Listening
John Cale has shared a new song, ‘Night Crawling’, alongside an accompanying video. The track arrives ahead of a run of shows set to take place this fall. Check out the Mickey Miles-animated visual below.
“It’s been a helluva past 2 years and I’m glad to finally share a glimpse of what’s coming ahead,” Cale said in a statement. “There was this period around mid-late 70s when David and I would run into each other in NY. There was plenty of talk about getting some work done but of course we’d end up running the streets, sometimes until we couldn’t keep a thought in our heads, let alone actually get a song together! One night we managed to meet up for a benefit concert where I taught him a viola part so we could perform together.”
He continued: “When I wrote ‘Night Crawling,’ it was a reflective moment of particular times. That kind of NYC that held art in its grip, strong enough to keep it safe and dangerous enough to keep it interesting. I always figured we’d have another go at the two of us recording together, this time without the interference of being perpetually off our heads! The thing about creating music is the ability to divine a thought or feeling even when reality says it’s a logical impossibility.”
Back in 2020, Cale shared the solo track ‘Lazy Day’ as well as the Kelly Lee Owens collaboration ‘Corner of My Sky’.
John Cale 2022 Tour Dates:
Oct 23 Edinburgh, UK – The Queen’s Hall
Oct 24 York, UK – Barbican
Oct 28 Cardiff, WLS – Llais Festival
Oct 31 Whitley Bay, UK – Playhouse Whitley Bay
Nov 3 Birmingham, UK – Birmingham Town Hall
Nov 7 Bexhill on Sea, UK – De La Warr Pavilion
Nov 9 London, UK – The London Palladium
Nov 10 Cambridge, UK – Cambridge Corn Exchange
Nov 11 Liverpool, UK – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
* John Cale plus special guests, 80th Birthday Celebration
Beyoncé’s music, especially over the past decade, has thrived on narrative. Reclamation was the big selling point of her 2016 masterpiece Lemonade, a visceral portrait of infidelity that was as cinematic of a statement as its visual accompaniment. Though an ambitious storyteller, Beyoncé’s gift perhaps isn’t for telling stories so much as framing them, a skill she’s been cultivating from the beginning of her career but which has been at the heart of her work post-Lemonade. Her Disney+ film Black Is King served as a visual companion to The Lion King: The Gift, but was also an attempt to spotlight Black history and African tradition through a modern lens. Even without its accompanying Netflix special, her live album Homecoming revealed the true scope of an artist who, after setting a precedent with the surprise roll-out of her 2013 self-titled album, was clearly capable of harnessing and reimagining the universal appeal and lasting impact of her music beyond a single album cycle.
The pop luminary’s widening perspective is evident on RENNAISANCE, her first solo album of new material in six years, which sounds expansive even when you consider it’s only part of a teased trilogy. It’s a Beyoncé project through and through – who else (except maybe a couple of those listed in the credits) could afford to make it? – but the way she moves beyond the conventions of her prior output can have a dizzying effect. Though she remains committed to the themes of liberation and self-empowerment as well as her role as an archivist, it’s the first time it so boldly extends beyond her own legacy-building. The 16-track album is a celebration of and a journey through various dance genres made mostly by and for Black and queer people, from New Orleans bounce to disco and house music, one that pays tribute to both the unique characteristics of each style with flawless track-by-track production and, through its seamless sequencing, their radical entanglement. There is both sharpness and breadth to its approach, rendering it an exhilarating listen despite its hour-long runtime: a marvel of synthesis that successfully interpolates a single, unified vision.
In theory, what Beyoncé is offering aligns with what most pop artists have promised in the wake of the pandemic. Last year, teasing the title and throughline of the new project, she told Harper’s Bazaar: “With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love and laugh again. I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible.” She reiterates this sentiment in the liner notes for RENAISSANCE, adding that it’s intended as a “safe place, a place without judgment,” and “a place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking.” Even those who might cringe a little reading the phrase “love and laugh again” in this context surely had little doubt that Beyoncé would follow through, but the nuanced history woven into these tracks is still surprising and slyly subversive. Even the word “nurturing” sounds humorously misleading for an album that’s more often carnal than tender in its intimacy (“He thought he was loving me good/ I told him go harder,” goes one line on ‘Thique’).
For such an immaculate pop album, RENAISSANCE is rough in more ways than one. There really is no narrative thread, which is perhaps the most refreshing thing about it. It’s as adventurous as anything Beyoncé has done before, but she allows herself to be more playful, loose, and even frivolous, riffing over fluid, rhythmic production and unconventional song structures that might throw some people off. It’s a different interpretation of freedom than the one she’s offered in the past, when it was delivered with fiery urgency. There’s plenty of refrains here, but hardly any sing-along choruses; as expensive as it may have been to produce, it seems to have little concern for marketability. Although Beyoncé’s dynamic performances are always at the center of the album, the interplay between her vocal melodies and the sounds (and many, many samples) that underpin them are more symbiotic, giving it an immediacy that balances its retro-futuristic aesthetic. The album’s thumpy, propulsive energy never dips, but even on the relatively laid-back ‘Plastic Off the Sofa’, her range as a vocalist is remarkable.
She is, of course, in great company. The album features a host of musical collaborators whose status ranges from mainstream to more underground, iconic and up-and-coming, often combining their talents in surprising ways. There’s legend Grace Jones crossing paths with Tems on ‘Move’; PC Music mastermind AG Cook and Lady Gaga producer BloodPop helming the maximalist ‘All Up In Your Mind’, leading the way for this kind of experimentation beyond just remix projects. She enlists Nile Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder, Skrillex and Honey Dijon; samples ‘I’m Too Sexy’ and Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’, Atlanta rapper Kilo Ali and drag artist Moi Renee. It’s less messy than it sounds, but more messy than you’d ever expect a Beyoncé album to be – as relentlessly fun as it is experimental.
Even as Beyoncé seems fully aware of RENASSAINCE‘s place not just as part of this new trilogy but in her greater catalog, it never distracts her from homing in on either of these qualities. It will be interesting to see which direction future installments lean more on, but the way this first preview bounces between hedonism and curiosity makes it hard to think of it as just that. The road to RENASSAINCE reminds us that, naturally, Beyoncé is always one step ahead. ‘Break My Soul’ was the obvious lead single, questionable for its anti-capitalist sentiment but an undeniably infectious summer jam; then she gave us a tracklist that included a song titled ‘America Has a Problem’, which ended up offering no explicit social commentary. (The problem is knowing “that booty gon’ do what it want too.”) This is Beyoncé playing with expectations of what she’s supposed to represent without undermining her power and influence, acknowledging that the fight for freedom can be expressed in more ways than one – indeed, it has to. Besides, there’s nothing apolitical about an album centering on and reveling in Black joy, desire, and self-love in the way that RENAISSANCE does. What’s most thrilling is how brightly, and meticulously, the story shines beyond herself.
Tropical Fuck Storm have announced Moonburn, a maxi-single cassette that will be out on August 26 via Joyful Noise Recordings. Along with the announcement, they’ve shared a cover of The Stooges’ ‘Ann’ as a single. It arrives with an accompanying video directed by Sam Mapplebeck, which the band’s Gareth Liddiard describes as “a cheap shit DIY, high explosive puppeteering miniature concert shrinkage film clip.” Check it out below.
In addition to ‘Ann’, the cassette will also feature a new track, ‘Moonburn’, an acoustic rendition of ‘Aspirin (Slight Return)’, and a cover of Talking Heads’ ‘Heaven’. Tropical Fuck Storm’s most recent LP, Deep States, arrived last year. They’ll be touring across North America and Europe in support of the album this autumn; find their upcoming tour dates below.
Tropical Fuck Storm 2022 Tour Dates:
Sep 3 – Vlieland, NL – Into the Great Wide Open
Sep 4 – Groningen, NL – Vera
Sep 5 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso
Sep 7 – Berlin, DE – Frannz Club
Sep 8 – Hamburg, DE – Molotow
Sep 10 – Brussels, DE – Botanique
Sep 12 – Tourcoing, FR – Le Grand Mix
Sep 13 – Paris, FR – Trabendo
Sep 14 – Rennes, FR – Antipode
Sep 15 – Lorient, FR – Hydrophone
Sep 16 – Nantes, FR – Le Lieu Unique (free entry)
Sep 17 – Orleans, FR – Hop Pop Hop festival
Sep 19 – Bordeaux, FR – Rock School Barbey
Sep 20 – Biarritz, FR – Atabal
Sep 22 – Bilbao, ES – Kafe Antzokia
Sep 24 – Madrid, ES – Shoko
Sep 25 – Valencia, ES – Loco Club
Sep 27 – Toulouse, FR – L’ecluse
Sep 28 – Lyon, FR – Marche Gare
Sep 30 – London, UK – Studio 9294
Oct 19 – Montreal, QC – Fairmount
Oct 20 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe
Oct 21 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Oct 22 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
Oct 24 – Detroit, MI – El Club
Oct 25 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups
Oct 27 – Nashville, TN – DRKMTTR
Oct 28 – Denton, TX – NO COAST – Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios
Oct 29 – Austin, TX – Levitation – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Nov 1 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Nov 2 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Nov 3 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Nov 4 – Washington, DC – DC9
Nov 5 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this best new music segment.
On this week’s list, we have ‘ILYSM’, the dreamy, hauntingly beautiful lead single and title track from Wild Pink’s new album; ‘Virgo’s Groove’, an effortlessly euphoric highlight from Beyoncé’s new album; the debut single from Katie Crutchfield and Jess Williamson’s new project, Plains, the naturally warm and infectious ‘Problem With It’; Tove Love’s bright, hooky Eurodance track ‘2 Die 4’, which makes the bold decision of sampling Hot Butter’s ‘Popcorn’; U.S. Girls’ disco-inspired ‘So Typically Now’, which manages to be both danceable and socially pertinent; the charming, intimate jangle-pop of Mo Troper’s ‘I Fall Into Her Arms’; Palm’s off-kilter yet entrancing ‘Feathers’, the first single from their upcoming album; and Charli XCX’s official theme for the A24 film Bodies Bodies Bodies, the throbbing, anthemic club track ’Hot Girl’.
The recent premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic marks another addition to the recent onslaught of films and series based on true stories, especially about musicians. Pistol, the FX miniseries about English punk rock band the Sex Pistols, is another new release in this genre, joining the likes of Netflix’s Selena, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and recent films Judy, Rocketman, Respect, and Bohemian Rhapsody. Most of these biopics follow a very similar, almost formulaic structure, which can get tedious when so many similar projects are premiering in quick succession. Based on the careers of real musicians, these stories can only take so many liberties before straying too far from the truth.
The coveted lifestyles that musicians appear to lead have long been a point of interest in the film and TV industry. Their struggles before they rise to fame form the perfect framework around which to build a hero’s journey and inspire an audience, and the plethora of musical numbers these stories allow makes for an entertaining viewing experience. However, sometimes, true stories don’t quite work in a dramatic format, and some viewers prefer original, untold stories. Here are eight great films that feel like biopics, but follow fictional performers.
Wild Rose
Jessie Buckley stars as Rose-Lynn Harlan, a single mother of two young children who has just served a year in prison for attempted drug smuggling. She dreams of making it big as a country singer and escaping Glasgow, which would mean leaving her children in the care of her mother (Julie Walters). Encouraged by her mother, Rose-Lynn accepts a job as a cleaner for the wealthy Susannah (Sophie Okonedo). Rose-Lynn sees an opportunity to take advantage of Susannah’s connections and influence. Many people, including Rose-Lynn’s family, are usually surprised by her lack of manners, boundaries, and filters – but not Susannah. Though she’s quick to set the boundaries between them, she extends her support when her children overhear Rose-Lynn’s singing. At home, Rose-Lynn is torn between forming a stable relationship with her children and leaving her mother to raise them while she pursues her music career.
Though grounded by real-world issues, particularly those of the lower class, the film and the journey of its protagonist follows a similar structure to a biopic, tracking the highs and lows of Rose-Lynn’s musical experiences and how they shape her as a person. Wild Rose is a little more complex than many true story films because of the obstacles in Rose-Lynn’s way. The musical numbers and Rose-Lynn’s rough-around-the-edges personality make this a memorable and exciting watch.
Almost Famous
Almost Famous follows aspiring music journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit) as he joins the fictional band Stillwater (not to be confused with the real rock band also active in the 70s) on their Almost Famous tour. Based on the experiences of the film’s writer-director Cameron Crowe, the story tracks William’s attempts to write a piece about Stillwater for Rolling Stone. However, Russell (Billy Crudup), the band’s lead guitarist, always brushes off William’s interview-y questions. Both William and Russell are interested in Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), the alias of Stillwater’s most dedicated “Band Aid”. Penny and her friends refuse to be called groupies, insisting that they’re interested in rock rather than in the musicians themselves. Neither Penny nor the band members take William very seriously at first; he’s only fifteen and is usually shy and reserved.
Over the course of the film, he becomes more entrenched in the world of rock music and drifts away from his protective mother (Frances McDormand), following in the footsteps of his older sister Anita (Zooey Deschanel). William’s adventures on tour make for an exciting, dynamic film, with a plethora of interesting characters and an engaging soundtrack to match the story.
Inside Llewyn Davis
From Ethan and Joel Cohen comes this quiet, soulful film about an aspiring folk singer in 1960s New York City. Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) struggles to make ends meet after leaving his job as a merchant marine. He plays small gigs and even has an album, but his music doesn’t meet the commercial needs of the industry. The film’s visual palette reflects Llewyn’s state of mind – much of the scenes are dark, cold, and dominated by tones of brown or white. It seems like everything for him is an uphill struggle, from surviving to finding his place in the world of music. Yet whenever an opportunity does come his way, he doesn’t always use it to his advantage. The title is aptly chosen; by the end of the film, it really does feel like the viewer has seen inside Llewyn Davis’s mind, but not necessarily in a manner that offers a clean resolution.
A Star is Born
The story of an artist’s rise to prominence has captivated audiences for decades; A Star is Born has withstood the test of time, prompting three remakes since the original film premiered in 1937. In 1954, the original screenplay was adapted as a musical drama, and since then, all iterations of the story have focused on the musical career of its main character, who is discovered by an established star on his decline. In all three versions, the protagonist is romantically involved with the fading celebrity, who drinks heavily, and feels weighed down by him. Media attention is a key part of the story, and the 2018 adaptation helps viewers understand how this affects the stars’ mental health.
Each adaptation offers a unique viewing experience and brings something new to the table, though the hero’s journey remains largely the same. The story feels very much like a biopic, and with the timely updates each new remake adopts, audiences will feel like it’s telling a true story about an artist of their generation.
Sound of Metal
Sound of Metal is an Oscar-nominated film directed and co-written by Darius Marder and starring Riz Ahmed. He portrays Ruben, a heavy metal drummer who unexpectedly loses his hearing. This event changes his life and derails his career as a musician. As he prepares to face a life without sound, his partner and fellow band member Lou (Olivia Cooke) tries to support him by sending him to a shelter for Deaf recovering addicts. Ruben’s history of alcohol and substance abuse worries her greatly, especially when he resists the changes being thrust upon him.
If the characters feel like they’re based on real people, that’s because they were inspired by a musical duo named Jucifer. Much of the plot is fictionalized, but many viewers connected with the film’s themes when the movie premiered in 2019. Though Sound of Metal is based around something of a high concept, the story never strays from the experiences of its main character as he learns to navigate a new world.
Sing Street
Sing Street is a 2016 musical comedy set in 80s Dublin, Ireland. The film follows a ragtag group of “uncool” high schoolers who come together to form a wannabe punk rock band. The group is led by Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), who invented the band on a whim to impress a young model named Raphina (Lucy Boynton). She agrees to star in their music videos and ends up contributing a lot to the band’s vision, strategy, and local success. Meanwhile, at home, Conor’s family is dealing with serious financial hardships, and his parents are going through a rough patch in their marriage.
Though Sing Street is a grounded, small-scale story, the themes and ideas reach far beyond its contained plot. The characters are thoroughly fleshed-out, and their relationships make for some memorable and comedic entertainment. The overarching storyline following Conor’s band resembles the structure of a musical biopic, which makes Sing Street a must-watch for fans of the genre.
La La Land
Damien Chazelle’s La La Land is an LA-set musical romance. Unlike most of the other films on this list, it feels more like fiction than something inspired by true events. This is largely because of its whimsical setting, the characters’ wild dreams, and the romanticized presentation of showbiz. The film begins when Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) meet by chance, not realizing that they’ve already crossed paths before. It isn’t love at first sight, but once they decide to pursue their feelings, their romance is the focus of many sweeping musical numbers. However, their relationship isn’t without its challenges.
Mia is an aspiring actress while Sebastian is a jazz musician who dreams of being able to perform freely. The pair struggle to find a middle ground between their careers, which often take them away from one another. There rarely seems to be a moment when they’re both succeeding in harmony, or when they are able to support each other altruistically. The LA setting is a key factor in their romance. For Mia, it’s a land of opportunity, but Sebastian feels increasingly constrained by and unwanted in Hollywood.
Once
Another Dublin-set movie, Once follows a pair of nameless characters who meet by chance on the street. The man, “Guy”, is busking for an unappreciative crowd when “Girl” comes along and watches his passionate performance. She reveals that she’s also a musician, and the pair decide to team up to record a demo. As they write and produce the music, slivers of their pasts are revealed; Guy is still hung up about a former girlfriend, and Girl has a young daughter whose father is in the Czech Republic.
Once is as much a film about relationships and their ambiguities as it is about music. The characters often use music as a tool to explore their past trauma, but it’s the vulnerability of this experience that brings the two of them closer together. Their original songs are available to listen to in real life.
Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a low-budget film similar in style to the writer-director’s previous projects; it’s quiet, intimate, coldly realistic, and focuses on female characters. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Neo-Realism. Over the next few months, the story of two dogged teenage girls garnered a lot of critical attention and scored a spate of accolades and nominations.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always follows the journey of seventeen-year-old Autumn (newcomer Sidney Flanigan) who learns that she is pregnant but can’t get an abortion in her state without her parents’ consent. After a few failed attempts at terminating the pregnancy herself, Autumn tells her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder), who instantly jumps to her support. Skylar organises their clandestine trip to New York City, where the girls face obstacle after obstacle. Nevertheless, the two stay close in their solidarity despite the seeming impossibility of the task before them. The film is not interested in the typical tropes and melodramatic plot twists that often find their way into teen movies and instead tells a mature and distressingly authentic coming-of-age story.
Here are some of the most powerful stills from this deeply affecting film (cinematographer: Hélène Louvart).
The Place Beyond the Pines is a 2012 thriller movie with an intertwined set of narratives. Co-written by Ben Coccio and director Derek Cianfrance, the story begins with Luke (Ryan Gosling), a motorcycle stunt driver who learns that his ex-partner Romina (Eva Mendes) has given birth to their son. Romina is now seeing someone else, but Luke wants to be part of their son’s life and he still has feelings for Romina, even though she kept their child a secret from him. Luke tries to turn his life around and show Romina that he’s a responsible adult, but he soon finds himself in trouble with the law. A rookie police officer named Avery (Bradley Cooper) is part of the team on Luke’s trail. He, too, has a young son. Led by the older, more experienced cops, Avery finds himself exposed to corruption within the police force. When Avery crosses paths with Luke, the fates of their families are forever changed.
The film contrasts the gritty, urban surroundings that Luke calls home with the woods he finds comfort in when he pursues a business opportunity that could bring Romina back to him. Meanwhile, Avery’s home is clean and well-lighted, a seemingly ideal environment for raising a child. The film’s cinematographer Sean Bobbitt captures the nuances of each setting, making the most of these contrasting backdrops. Bobbitt has worked on a diverse range of films including Shame, Hunger, 12 Years a Slave, and Judas and the Black Messiah. These are some of the best stills from The Place Beyond the Pines.
Love, Simon is the 2018 film adaptation of Becky Albertalli’s YA novel Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, published in 2015. The film follows Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a closeted gay high school student. He spends most of his time with his loving family and three best friends, but he fears that coming out would disrupt the peace and change the way they see him. When an anonymous student comes out online, Simon reaches out to him, keeping his own identity a secret as well. The two begin corresponding about what it’s like to be closeted in high school, but another student discovers Simon’s secret and threatens to reveal his identity to the whole school. While Simon tries to figure out who he’s talking to online, he’s forced to figure out how he’s going to come out to his friends and family before he’s outed against his will.
The film is mostly upbeat and leans into the cinematic quality of coming-of-age. Many of the songs on the soundtrack are produced and performed by Jack Antonoff of Bleachers. Like the story itself, the soundtrack is light and lends the film an optimistic quality. Here are some of the best songs featured in Love, Simon.
Rollercoaster by Bleachers
Strawberries & Cigarettes by Troye Sivan
Love Me by The 1975
The Oogum Boogum Song by Brenton Wood
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston
First Aid Kit have shared a cover of Don Henley’s 1984 hit ‘The Boys of Summer’. “We wanted to give this 80s classic a softer folkier touch,” the duo wrote on social media. “It’s been so much fun performing this live at our shows with everyone singing along. Hopefully it can be a sweet soundtrack to the rest of your summer.” Give it a listen below.
Earlier this year, Klara and Johanna Söderberg returned with ‘Angel’, their first new single since 2019. Last year, they put out the Leonard Cohen covers album Who by Fire.
