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The Album Leaf Announces First New Record in 7 Years, Shares New Song ‘Near’ With Bat for Lashes

Konstantinos Pappis
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The Album Leaf Announces First New Record in 7 Years, Shares New Song ‘Near’ With Bat for Lashes

Jimmy LaValle, aka the Album Leaf, has announced his first new LP in seven years. Future Falling, the follow-up to 2016’s Between Waves, lands on May 5 via Nettwerk. Today’s announcement comes with the release of the new single ‘Near’, a collaboration with Bat for Lashes’ Natasha Khan. Check it out and find the album artwork and tracklist below.

“I had sent Natasha a song I was working on to see if she’d be up collaborating,” LaValle said of ‘Near’ in a statement. “We spent an afternoon in my studio while she sang a handful of ideas over the piece. I took those ideas and created something new inspired by her vocal. I really wanted to create something to support the dreamlike narrative she was painting. It was all very natural.”

Khan added: “We worked organically, I was building vocals over Jimmy’s music; playing with melodies and words… he then took it away and sculpted it into what became ‘Near.’ The imagery was of going deep into a dark forest with a small glimmer of safety, something precious and secret. Sort of an ambient fairytale. It was very spontaneous and fun to improvise.”

Talking about the process behind Future Falling, LaValle explained:

During the pandemic, I created new music almost daily. I had amassed a daunting amount of new material that I felt connected with, that it almost acted more like a road block. I experimented with a lot of audio manipulating, learning new tricks and staying true to my love of analogue synthesizers. I finally settled on a collection of songs, and after second-guessing all of them, I reached out to multiple friends and collaborators to contribute. With those contributions, I was able to craft a record that represents both the time I spend alone discovering and creating while keeping the collaborative spirit that I have always been inspired by.

Future Falling Cover Artwork:

Future Falling Tracklist:

1. Prologue
2. Dust Collects
3. Afterglow [feat. Kimbra]
4. Breathe
5. Future Falling
6. Cycles
7. Give in
8. Stride
9. Near [feat. Bat for Lashes]
10. Epilogue

A Quick Guide To Getting More Out Of Your Employees In Modern Business

Our Culture Mag & Partners
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A Quick Guide To Getting More Out Of Your Employees In Modern Business

As a business owner, you should be aware that a strong workforce is the greatest asset at your disposal. Therefore, finding ways to squeeze more out of them on a daily basis could be one of the greatest breakthroughs you ever make.

So, what steps can be taken to improve your team’s output consistently? Here’s all you need to know.

Recruit Well

While several steps can be taken to help your employees perform better, most will be rendered redundant if you fail to find the right people. The best candidates should have the personality traits to match their skills and experience. Meanwhile, you should remember that remote workers and outsourced services may be the better choice for some tasks.

Assembling the right team will instantly give you a stronger platform to build upon. It is the least that you deserve.

Train Them

Even if you hire the perfect candidates, you must remember that they need a chance to grow. If they fail to regularly update their skills, it’s likely that they will be left behind. Conversely, successful staff training can give them a real advantage. It will enable them to embrace new techniques and technologies to stay relevant in their chosen fields.

Moreover, it is a chance for your company to sculpt a team that reflects the brand image and its company goals. 

Encourage Engagement

A strong company culture is a key ingredient in the recipe for success. A greater focus on the employee experience can work wonders for the team. It creates a sense of individual value while also promoting fairness across the team. Increased morale will translate to improved productivity daily. Staff turnover rates subsequently will fall too.

Better still, it will give you the chance to monitor the progress of your team. Both individually and as a collective. 

Promote Innovation

As a business owner, you want to provide guidance to your team. However, you’ve hired them for their skills. So, it would be foolish to restrict this. Supporting innovation means allowing them to use their experiences and creativity. They are the express in their areas while they can also view the entire company with a different approach.

Besides, giving workers a sense of extra responsibility can give them the determination to provide great results.

Establish Balance

Finally, you should remember that a good job is only one aspect of a great life. Moreover, employees will be less invested in the company than you. If you want them to be happy at work, you must acknowledge that it’s not the only thing in their lives. Showing flexibility through hybrid working and flexible holiday time can work wonders. Balance is essential.

If the job feeds into a better quality of life, employees will be happier in the workplace. And you will reap the rewards.

Be Consistent

Finally, whatever steps you take to improve your team’s output, you must show a good level of consistency. When employees have psychological comfort and know what to expect, the results will be far greater.

Nia Archives Announces New EP, Shares New Single ‘Conveniency’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Nia Archives Announces New EP, Shares New Single ‘Conveniency’

Nia Archives has announced a new EP, Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against Tha Wall, with the new single ‘Conveniency’. Out March 10 via HIJINXX/Island Records, the EP will include the previously unveiled songs ‘So Tell Me…’ and ‘Baianá’. Check out a self-directed video for ‘Conveniency’ below.

Talking about the new EP, Nia Archives said in a press release:

Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against The Wall is that feeling when you’ve been at an afters and you’re in someone’s kitchen… there’s all these thoughts running through your head, the sun comes up and it’s the most disgusting feeling ever with an element of bliss at the same time. All you wanna do is bang your head against the wall and teleport home. Across the EP I’m broadly talking about growing up as a person, reaching new levels of maturity, love and loss, rejection, estrangement, the come up and the come down. It’s the most exciting project I’ve made yet and it’s a window into the future and the kind of artist I wanna become. It’s six tracks with six different moods soundtracking the recent chapter in my life.

Nia Archives’ breakout EP, Forbidden Feelingz, arrived last year.

Albums Out Today: Young Fathers, The WAEVE, Shania Twain, The Men, and More

Konstantinos Pappis
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Albums Out Today: Young Fathers, The WAEVE, Shania Twain, The Men, and More

In this segment, we showcase the most notable albums out each week. Here are the albums out on February 3, 2023:

Young Fathers, Heavy Heavy 

Young Fathers are back with their first album since 2018’s Cocoa Sugar. Out now via Ninja Tune, Heavy Heavy spans 10 tracks, including the previously released singles ‘Geronimo’, ‘I Saw’, ‘Tell Somebody’, and ‘Rice’. “Heavy Heavy could be a mood, or it could describe the smoothed granite of bass that supports the sound,” the Scottish trio remarked in press materials. “Or, it could be a nod to the natural progression of boys to grown men and the inevitable toll of living, a joyous burden, relationships, family, the natural momentum of a group that has been around long enough to witness massive changes.”

The WAEVE, The WAEVE

The WAEVE, the self-titled debut album by the new project of Blur guitarist Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall, has arrived via Transgressive. The duo, who met backstage at a London benefit in late 2020, drew inspiration from “a shared love of English folk music, storytelling and the associated landscapes of their beleaguered island,” according to a press release. The LP was co-produced alongside James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence & The Machine, Foals, HAIM) and includes the advance singles ‘Kill Me Again’, ‘Can I Call You’, ‘Drowning’, and ‘Over and Over’. Read our review of The WAEVE.

Shania Twain, Queen of Me

Shania Twain has released a new album, Queen of Me, via Republic Nashville. It marks the singer’s sixth studio LP, following 2017’s Now. “These days, I’m feeling very comfortable in my own skin – and I think this album reflects that musically,” Twain wrote in an Instagram post announcing the record. “Life is short and I want to be uplifted, colorful, unapologetic and empowered. I want to carry a clear message, particularly as a woman, to always remember my power and I hope the songs are a reminder to you, of that same power inside you!”

The Men, New York City

The Men have returned with their ninth album, New York City, out now via Fuzz Club. Band members Nick Chiericozzi and Mark Perro started tracking the LP by themselves before enlisting Guided By Voices producer Travis Harrison to record the album live to 2″ tape. “When everyone left NYC, the sewer opened and we crawled out,” the group shared in a statement. “These songs became the blood of the band as the band could only exist for and of these songs. There was no place else to hang their hats. Without making this record, the group would not exist, so there really wasn’t another option. NYC is fluid. It means a lot of different things to all kinds of people. We present the record in that spirit.”

The Go! Team, Get Up Sequences Part Two

The Go! Team have come out with the follow-up to their 2021 record Get Up Sequences Part One. Out now via Memphis Industries, the album was preceded by a string of singles, including the IndigoYaj-assisted ‘Divebomb’ and ‘Look Away, Look Away’ featuring the Star Feminine Band. Get Up Sequences Part Two also includes guest appearances by Apples In Stereo’s Hilarie Bratset, Lucie Too’s Kokubo Chisato, Neha Hatwar, Nitty Scott, and more. In press materials, the group’s Ian Parton described it as “an international patchwork. A global fruit salad. A United Nations of Sound.”

Sunny War, Anarchist Gospel

Country-punk artist Sunny War has released her latest LP, Anarchist Gospel, via New West Records. Produced by Andrija Tokic, the LP features contributions by Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Allison Russell, David Rawlings, Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs, Micah Nelson, The Deslondes’ John James Tourville, Kyshona Armstrong, Dennis Crouch, The School Zone Children’s Choir, and more. “This album represents such a crazy period in my life, between the breakup and the move to Nashville and my dad dying,” War explained in a statement. “But now I feel like the worst parts are over. What I learned, I think, is that the best thing to do is just to feel everything and deal with it. Just feel everything.”

M(h)aol, Attachment Styles

Released via TULLE Collective, Attachment Styles is the debut full-length by M(h)aol, the UK five-piece made up of Róisín Nic Ghearailt, Constance Keane, Jamie Hyland, Zoë Greenway, and Sean Nolan. Hyland produced, mixed, and mastered the album, which utilizes the theory of attachment styles as an overarching theme. “With Attachment Styles as an album overall I tried to incorporate more joy and humour into it,” Ghearailt said of the album in press materials. “With any kind of political music, you’re attempting to do your bit to create a better future and that’s exciting. It shows that you believe a better future is possible.”

Loscil & Lawrence English, Colours of Air

Lawrence English and loscil (aka Scott Morgan) have issued a new collaborative album titled Colours of Air. Born out of a conversation around the idea of “rich sources” in electronic music, the LP features recordings taken from a century-old pipe organ at the historic Old Museum in Brisbane, Australia. In a press release, the pair described the resulting album as “an iterative project, a reduction and eventual expansion.”

Other albums out today:

Hamish Hawk, Angel Numbers; Robert Forster, The Candle and the Flame;  Ibex Clone, All Channels Clear; All Out War, Celestial Rot; The Psychotic Monks, Pink Colour Surgery; Fantastic Negrito, Grandfather Courage; Ava Vegas, Desert Songs; Say Hi, Elocution Prattle; Pavel Milyakov, project mirrors.

JID and Lute Join Forces on New Song ‘Ma Boy’ for ‘Creed III’ Soundtrack

Konstantinos Pappis
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JID and Lute Join Forces on New Song ‘Ma Boy’ for ‘Creed III’ Soundtrack

J. Cole’s Dreamville Records is set to executive produce the soundtrack for Creed III, which was directed by Michael B. Jordan and will feature music from the Dreamville roster. J.I.D and Lute have teamed up for the first single, ‘Ma Boy’, which you can hear below.

The Creed III soundtrack will arrive on March 3 on Dreamville/Interscope Records, the same day as the film’s theatrical release. According to press materials, the label worked closely with the franchise’s producers MGM, Proximity, and Outlier to “create a musical experience that fit not just the film’s needs but one that will be celebrated as its own piece of art.”

GloRilla Shares New Single ‘Internet Trolls’

Konstantinos Pappis
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GloRilla Shares New Single ‘Internet Trolls’

GloRilla has released a new song called ‘Internet Trolls’. Check out a video for it below.

Speaking about the track in an interview with Eddie Francis on Apple Music 1, GloRilla said:

You know me as a person, I make songs off, of course, what I go through or the stuff I see going on, and it’s just a lot of internet trolls. People, they don’t leave their house. They don’t get off their phone. They don’t go outside and see what the real world got to offer. This the song, you know what I’m saying, to let people really know it’s a world outside of the internet. You know what I’m saying? Go explore it. So much fun. A lot of people, they can’t take the internet. You know what I’m saying? They let it get to them. And sometimes it will get to you, but at the end of the day, you got to know that these are a lot of times, it be fake pages just trying to tear you down. It’s just a lot of people trying to tear you down. Some of them may hate they self, but they want you to hate yourself and you just got to know that it ain’t real. You know what I’m saying?

The Memphis rapper was just announced as one of the performers at the 2023 Grammys, where she’ll join Missy Elliott, the Roots, Future, and Lil Wayne in a segment celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Earlier this year, she teamed up with Moneybagg Yo for the track ‘On Wat U On’. Her debut EP, Anyways, Life’s Great…, came out last year.

Skrillex Teams Up With Nai Barghouti for New Song ‘Xena’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Skrillex Teams Up With Nai Barghouti for New Song ‘Xena’

Skrillex has teamed up with Palestinian vocalist, composer, and flute player Nai Barghouti for a new single called ‘Xena’. It’s the latest in a series of collaborative singles from Skrillex, following ‘Rumble’ with Fred again.. and Flowdan, ‘Way Back’ featuring PinkPantheress and Trippie Redd, ‘Leave Me Like This’ with Bobby Raps, and ‘Real Spring’ featuring Bladee. Check it out below.

Album Review: King Tuff, ‘Smalltown Stardust’

Gerda Krivaite
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Album Review: King Tuff, ‘Smalltown Stardust’

In Smalltown Stardust, Vermont native Kyle Thomas – known to the world by the moniker King Tuff – steers away from the blaring, dirty power-pop that marked 2014’s Black Moon Spell. While The Other, released just four years later, introduced a calmer, more cosmic version of his artistic self, Thomas leans into psych-folk with full force in his newest album, which serves as an expression of sincere gratitude for the simple things: wildflowers, pebbles and rivers, comforting romance, mindful meditation. Wrapped in rapture, the project comes as an especially welcome surprise in the middle of winter, with the sunny, hypnotising waves of Smalltown Stardust rendering it a portable summer. 

The love for greenery that lies at the heart of the album creates an especially charming listening experience, calling forth the intoxicating effect of Mort Garson’s Mother Earth’s Plantasia. The opening track ‘Love Letters to Plants’ does exactly what it says on the tin, weaving a laudatory tune as it stays afloat with Sasami Ashworth’s angelic ascending harmonies. With a neat blend of minimoog, orchestral strings and bursts of drums complementing Thomas’ smooth vocals, the track symbolises Smalltown Stardust at its best, mixing intriguing instrumental compositions with fun, true-to-self lyricism: “Microtones make my gardens grow/ I only feel at home/ In wildflowers,” Thomas croons.

Unfortunately, much of the record’s lyrical space forgoes adventurousness altogether, too often veering to kitsch. “I’m ready to wake up/ Try to break up these fears” is one of several underwhelming songwriting moments on ‘How I Love’, soporific in its slow pace, something even the funky electric guitar strums can’t remedy. In fact, the tunes honing in on romantic love are precisely the ones that see Thomas fall into the traps of cliché. “We found each other/ Was it chance, or was it destiny?” he asks on ‘Pebbles In a Stream’ amidst Kinga Bacik’s soothing cello, leaving the listener aching for more specificity. 

Smalltown Stardust is far more encouraging when it offers introspection and explorations of spirituality. The third track, a voice recording of 8-year-old Thomas attempting to deliver a guided meditation, is amusing and endearing in its innocence. “I would like to take the time to do a little mind stretching,” little Thomas says, and he seems to do just that in the succeeding ‘Portrait of God’. Serving as the high point of the album, the ebullient song asks us to “imagine the shape of God” while portraying King Tuff’s own experimentation with painting in his garage. Bringing us along to “walk in the woods, wade in the river, breathe in the mountain air,” the track is a not-so-subtle appreciation of the sublime, celebrating the grandeur of nature and the release granted by artistic expression.

‘Bandits of Blue Sky’ is harder to decipher, with dragged-out syllables and buoyant energy reminiscent of David Bowie. “Have you heard the news?/ There’s bandits on the loose/ They’re sneaking through your psyche/ And drinking all your juice,” chants Thomas on his break from personal storytelling, while drums, piano and cello melt together in the background to create an air of mystery. The most touching track, though, arrives at the very end with ‘The Wheel’. The noises accompanying the end of the track evoke images of a train arriving at its final destination; the wheels stop moving, but right when you expect utter silence to set in, the gentle chime of bells delightfully fulfills Thomas’ expressed hope that “when it stops, it isn’t really the end.”

King Tuff’s Smalltown Stardust does more than reshape his musical identity and demonstrate the significant transformation that has taken place since his debut in 2006. Thomas succeeds at doing what few can: capturing fleeting moments in all their glory. Whether extending love to a greenhouse, oil paint or crystal clear water, the songs feel like a tight embrace you didn’t know you needed, reminding you to pay more attention to little joys and – if at least for 38 minutes and 24 seconds – convincing you that everything is going to be alright.

Slipknot Release New Song ‘Bone Church’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Slipknot Release New Song ‘Bone Church’

Slipknot have dropped a new standalone single called ‘Bone Church’. The track comes paired with a video directed by M. Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan that repurposes footage from the band’s ‘Yen’ visual. Check it out below.

“On the road, we have a ‘jam room’ set up backstage at every show, where we play, practice, warm up and sometimes try out new ideas,” Crahan said in a press release. “‘Bone Church’ started life in a jam room on the .5: The Gray Chapter tour. We’ve been bringing it closer and closer to life ever since, and finally, here it is. This one is for the fans – a further vision deeper into Slipknot’s history, which is still being written. Enjoy.”

Slipknot released their latest album, The End, So Far, last year.

Black Belt Eagle Scout Unveils Video for New Song ‘Spaces’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Black Belt Eagle Scout Unveils Video for New Song ‘Spaces’

Black Belt Eagle Scout has shared a new song, ‘Spaces’, in the lead-up to her new album The Land, The Water, The Sky. Following earlier cuts ‘My Blood Runs Through This Land’, ‘Don’t Give Up’, and ‘Nobody’, the track arrives with an accompanying video directed by Evan Benally Atwood and Morningstar Angeline, with an original concept by Quinn Christopherson. Check it out below, along with the artist’s upcoming tour dates.

“I wrote ‘Spaces’ for an audience as a way to sing melodies of healing and care for them,” Katherine Paul explained in a statement. “Since starting Black Belt Eagle Scout, I have moved through many spaces, playing shows for crowds of people. I can’t always connect one on one with everyone and so this song is an attempt to bring my feelings of appreciation I have for everyone who supports my music to life. My parents lend their voices in the chorus melody, my dad with his strong pow wow voice and my mom with her wholesome tone that sounds so similar to mine you can barely notice the distinction between me and her. I want this song to be an offering for those who need to grasp onto something and feel because through feeling and being together, there is healing.”

Paul added: “It was incredible to incorporate my family trade of carving within the music video. My dad has been carving Coast Salish style art for over 50 years. I grew up around it and learned how to carve and paint when I was a teenager. This video shows a creation process and the kind of intimacy we give to our art. In the video, we carve an eagle out of yellow cedar. The eagle is representative of strength and guidance.”

The Land, The Water, The Sky will be released on February 10 via Saddle Creek.

Black Belt Eagle Scout Tour Dates:

Fri Feb 3 – Los Angeles, CA – Natural History Museum
Fri Feb 10 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
Wed Feb 15 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
Fri Feb 24 – Manchester, UK – Night & Day
Sat Feb 25 – London, UK – Moth Club
Mon Feb 27 – Paris, FR – Le Pop Up
Tue Feb 28 – Brussels, BE – Botanique – Witloof Bar
Wed Mar 1 – Amsterdam, NL – Paradiso Upstairs
Thu Mar 2 – Copenhagen, DK – Stengade
Sat Mar 4 – Rotterdam, NL – Rotown
Sun Mar 5 – Berlin, DE – Badehaus
Fri Mar 31 – Eugene, OR – Soreng Theater
Sat Apr 1 – Spokane, WA – Lucky You Lounge*
Sun Apr 2 – Boise, ID – Neurolux*
Mon Apr 3 – Salt Lake City, UT – The DLC at Quarters*
Tue Apr 4 – Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge*
Thu Apr 6 – Iowa City, IA – Mission Creek Festival
Fri Apr 7 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center*
Sat Apr 8 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean*
Apr 11 – Toronto, ON – The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern*
Wed Apr 12 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le “Ritz” P.D.B.*
Fri Apr 14 – Cambridge, MA – Elk’s Club*
Sat Apr 15 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right*
Mon Apr 17 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s*
Tue Apr 18 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd*
Wed Apr 19 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook*
Thu Apr. 20 – Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor*
Fri Apr 21 – Atlanta, GA – 529 Club*
Sat Apr 22 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa*
Mon Apr 24 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger*
Tue Apr 25 – Austin, TX – The Parish*
Thu Apr 27 – Norman, OK – Norman Music Festival
Fri Apr 28 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister*
Mon May 1 – Mesa, AZ – The Underground at The Nile Theater
Tue May 2 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah*
Thu May 4 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo*
Fri May 5 – Fresno, CA – Strummer’s*
Sat May 6 – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop*
Mon May 8 – Tacoma, WA – ALMA*

*with Claire Glass and Adobo

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