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Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine Share New Songs ‘Back to Oz’ and ‘Fictional California’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine Share New Songs ‘Back to Oz’ and ‘Fictional California’

Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine have previewed their upcoming collaborative LP A Beginner’s Guide with new two new songs. ‘Back to Oz’, which arrives with a video directed by Alex Horan of Straight To Tell and animated by Clara Murray, was inspired by the 1985 film Return To Oz, while ‘Fictional California’ was inspired by Bring It On Again. Check them out below.

“This was a song that I had written mostly at home in California,” De Augustine said of ‘Back to Oz’ in a press release. “We finished its lyrics after watching Return to Oz. The words reference an erosion of a central character’s internal reality. A loss of innocence is the impetus for a journey to find inner truth. In the film, Dorothy returns to the world of Oz to find its landscape in ruins and its citizens frozen in stone. Only she can find the ruby slippers and return peace to Oz. Only we can save ourselves, but we first have to remember who we truly are.”

“Angelo is mostly known for his intimate home recordings; his music is quiet and confessional,” Stevens added. “So for ‘Back To Oz’ we decided to go for something flashier. The song has a fun guitar groove, so we gave it some bass and drums, and Angelo even recorded his first electric guitar solo. It’s a sad song—being mostly about disillusionment—but it has a great party vibe too.”

The new tracks follow last month’s ‘Reach Out’ and ‘Olympus’. A Beginner’s Mind is out September 24 via Asthmatic Kitty Records.

Big Thief Release New Songs ‘Little Things’ and ‘Sparrow’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Big Thief Release New Songs ‘Little Things’ and ‘Sparrow’

Big Thief have shared two new tracks, ‘Little Things’ and ‘Sparrow’. The songs mark the band’s first new material since 2019’s Two Hands. Both tracks were produced by Big Thief drummer James Krivchenia; ‘Little Things’ was recorded with Shawn Everrett at Five Star Studios in Topanga, California, in October 2020, while ‘Sparrow’ was recorded in the Catskills last summer. Check them out below.

“It’s in this sort of evolving free time signature where the beat is always changing, so Max [Oleartchik] and I were just flowing with it and guessing where the downbeats were — which gives the groove a really cool light feeling,” Krivchenia said of ‘Little Things’ in a statement.

Of ‘Sparrow’, he added, “We all just scattered about the room without headphones, focused and in the music — you could feel that something special was happening. It was a funny instrumentation that had a really cool natural arrangement chemistry — Max on piano, Buck [Meek] providing this dark ambience, me on floor tom and snare and Adrianne in the middle of it with the acoustic and singing.”

Album Review: Isaiah Rashad, ‘The House Is Burning’

Conor Lochrie
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Album Review: Isaiah Rashad, ‘The House Is Burning’

The vanishing man of rap returns: after impressing with his 2016 debut album The Sun’s Tirade, Southern rapper Isaiah Rashad has finally delivered its follow-up, The House Is Burning, five years later. These intervening years have been a tumultuous time for Rashad, taking in rehab stints, almost going broke, and nearly being dropped by his label Top Dawg Entertainment several times; if this album is a victory lap, the light at the end of a long tunnel, perhaps it’s surprising that it’s not grander or louder.

Instead, The House Is Burning is a lowkey and subtle affair, but this suits the casual style of Rashad better than anything ostentatious. His sound has always valued tone and vibes above all else and this new album is better experienced as a mood piece. Mostly, the songs are like timidly unfurling waves, rolling into one another effortlessly and hazily. After the atmospheric woozy opener ‘Darkseid’, two outliers threaten to overcome the conscientious construction of the whole album though: ‘From The Garden’ feels like it’s reaching for commercial viability, including featuring Lil Uzi Vert for good measure in a grating chorus, while ‘Lay Wit Ya’ is too manic in its presentation to fit. 

Individual songs are not Rashad’s forte, and so it’s a relief that these are the only two real outliers. The smooth and airy ‘Claymore’ follows with a nice guest spot from Smino. Indeed, Rashad is a gracious host, letting the likes of YGTUT in the confident ‘Chad’ and SZA in the cool R&B track ‘Score’ melt into his own spots sweetly. Rashad’s delivery emphasises the languorousness of the record. He mutters his words, sounding distracted by something in his periphery; other times he sounds dazed and withdrawn, his mind elsewhere. It’s why these seem to capture so strongly late nights and early mornings, driving nowhere in particular with friends, waking up slowly the next day. 

Rashad has been unafraid to speak of his problems with addiction to xanax and alcohol in the past, but he has a curious relationship with his crutches within his music. He flirts around the subjects, hinting at them in lines but never confronting them fiercely; that just wouldn’t suit the laid-back vibe. “Who’s that creeping in my window?… Who’s that fucking with my conscience?” he says in ‘THIB’, elusively touching on the state of his mental health. After everything he’s gone through, then, it’s nice to note his confidence in ‘Chad’ when he insists, “If I wasn’t rapping baby, I would still be ridin’ Mercedes.”

Rashad turned 30 in May; The House Is Burning has just earned him his first Billboard 200 Top 10 spot. Older and wiser, the subtle contemplation of this album feels like it encapsulates where he’s been in his life recently. The time for a statement-making record – not that he needs one – will come when Rashad is ready. For the unfazed and relatable Rashad, everything is done at his own pace. 

Sam Evian Announces New Album ‘Time to Melt’, Shares Video for New Single ‘Knock Knock’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Sam Evian Announces New Album ‘Time to Melt’, Shares Video for New Single ‘Knock Knock’

Sam Evian has announced his new album, Time to Melt, which is out October 29 via Fat Possum. The record features contributions from the likes of Spencer Tweedy, Chris Bear, and the War On Drugs’ Jon Natchez. Along with the announcement, Evian has shared a new single, ‘Knock Knock’, alongside an accompanying video directed by Josh Goleman. Check it out and find the album’s cover art and tracklist below.

“’Knock Knock’ is a song of commiseration,” Evian said in a press release. “It’s a conversation with my sibling, and really anyone else with a conscience. We talk a lot about the small town in Eastern North Carolina where we grew up, and why we left. Growing up we saw a lot of racism, violence, poverty, disparity, ignorance…all of it not so hidden under a veil of southern hospitality and dogmatic beliefs. A year later after George Floyd’s murder, I hope we can keep the conversation going. The veil is lifted for all to see. Knock knock – who’s there? A broken America.”

Time to Melt Cover Artwork:

Time to Melt Tracklist:

1. Freezee Pops
2. Dream Free [feat. Hannah Cohen]
3. Time To Melt
4. Knock Knock
5. Arnolds Place
6. Sunshine
7. Never Know
8. Lonely Days
9. Easy To Love
10. 999 Free
11. Around It Goes

How to get started with NFL fantasy football

Our Culture Mag & Partners
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How to get started with NFL fantasy football

Fantasy football is like a culture of its own. You’ve most likely heard it being talked about around the office as colleagues make their bets, or with family and friends who are drafting their own fantasy football teams. Or you may have simply decided that owning your one NFL team is a little unrealistic…

Whatever it is that brought you here to learn about getting started with fantasy football, learning the ins and outs of drafting your own team before you get started is a good way to start on a successful foot.

Ready to get your dose of daily fantasy football? Whether you’re joining your colleagues in hasty bets or plan on shocking your friends with your new fantasy football wins, let’s dive in with everything you need to know about NFL fantasy football.

Creating your NFL fantasy football team

First of all, you need to decide if you’re going to be creating a team with people you know, or whether you’re going to join a public team. Both are good options but if you’re creating a team of your own then you should have around 8-10 teams (one player is one team).

Tip: It’s easier not to have an odd number of teams as this will make scheduling difficult.

If you opt to join a public team then you will join an NFL fantasy football site where random players can join your league. If you’d like to be more in control of your team, it’s better to try to join a team with people you know.

Create your team names

Now for the fun part. Every player must submit the name of their team. While you can be creative here, remember that you’ll be stuck with this name for the entire season so it’s a good idea to think about it. Some top things to consider when naming your NFL fantasy football team include:

Play on words

When choosing your team name, remember that it directly represents your team and hints at your seriousness/ abilities in the fantasy football world. If you choose something ridiculous, every time there’s a victory, your teammates will only be focused on sniggering at your name.

However, if you have a killer team name then your opponent is already going to feel intimidated before you even have a victory. It’s pretty sound logic to us.

Use a nickname… but effectively

The rules for this one are that the nickname cannot be self-imposed. That wouldn’t be fair right? Again, you can use your creativity here and decide on the nickname people use the most.

By doing this, it also makes it easier for everyone in the group to know who you are. Ever had one of those group chats where everyone’s using ridiculous nicknames and you never know who is replying? That’s why a common nickname is a great idea!

 Innuendos

Innuendos can be fun, but make sure to keep them a little PG. Innuendos that come across as overly sexual or offensive could be a problem and won’t help your reputation in the fantasy football team very much.

Drafting your team

Now it’s time to do one of the most important things in the game, drafting your team! The way it works is that each week, you will begin by drafting players to start filling your lineup. Once the drafted NFL player begins a game, they are stuck in your lineup – so it’s important to get the decision right.

It’s up to you to remember if your player has a game or to get them off the bench, but if you forget then again, you’re stuck. You will only get points for starting the game every week, rather than getting paid every time you draft a new player.

The action

Your team will get a point for every stat played in the game. Before you kick-off, you will need to pay an entry fee. This can be split between all the players by taking it out of the pot (the winner’s money in the middle of the table).

Bear in mind that you can also lose points as well as gaining them. This is also something to keep a note of when re-drafting your team so you can make a more calculated decision.

Top tips for drafting your NFL fantasy football team

  • Do your research before you get started. There’s nothing worse than drafting a team of players that don’t perform – only realising you can’t change them yet.
  • Stay on top of the latest news. As well as following the NFL on the news and on social media platforms, it’s worth checking daily fantasy football sites for up to date predictions on games and players.
  • Look for trends. Many sites offer insights and statistics on what is happening, allowing you to make more accurate predictions and decisions on who you should draft to your team. And this means more success.
  • Don’t draft injury-prone players. Remember that whatever happens out there will directly affect your fantasy football team. So no matter how much you like them, just don’t do it.

Now that you know the ins and outs of creating your very own NFL fantasy football team, it’s time to find a team and start drafting your players!

Top 6 Tips to Create the Perfect Dating Profile

Our Culture Mag & Partners
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Top 6 Tips to Create the Perfect Dating Profile

It may be impossible for you to find that special someone to spend the rest of your life with. A full time job, going back to school, or even kids may hold you back. Dating apps are perfect for you to get out there and start meeting people. No matter which app you choose, the first thing you must do is create a profile. There are six tips to create the perfect dating profile. Choose a free or paid app, check out some other profiles, pick some good photos, be honest, leave out some details, and review your profile before submitting it.

Choose a Free or Paid App

There are lots of different apps to choose from. Some are paid and some are free. The paid apps usually have the people that are more serious about finding love since they paid for the hookup apps. The free apps are great too. You just have to weed through the profiles to see who is there for the right reason. The free dating apps will have the same concept as the paid apps. The only difference would be the money. For the paid apps, some may charge yearly others my charge by the month. Once you have found someone, you will be able to cancel your subscription. You can check out the best apps in the article covered by DailyWorld.

Check Out Some Other Profiles

Whether you’re on the paid or free app, check out other profiles. This may be the first time you have ever created a dating profile. It’s important to look at the other profiles to see what they have to say about themselves. For example, look at photos and get an idea of what the different types of categories are so you will know what to expect.

Pick Some Good Photos

After selecting a username and password on hookup apps, select a good photo to put as your profile picture. This photo will be the first thing a man or woman will see as they are scrolling through different names. This photo should say a lot about you and make sure it is a photo of yourself. You don’t want to blind side anyone if you put someone else’s picture up instead of your own. Choose a photo that shows how sexy and confident you are. You could also put a picture of something you like to do. The person that clicks on it will already know something about you before reading your profile.

Honesty

Be honest in your answers when creating your profile. If you just say things that will make people interested in you in the beginning, you will have to tell the truth when it comes to dating the men or women you meet. When they find out you lied, things could end up messy. If one of the questions asks you what you do for a living and you don’t have a job, then put that you are unemployed. Another example would be if you are asked what you like to do for fun, don’t put something that you will never ever do. If you’re a homebody and you like to watch television, then put that on. It shows that you have a lot of respect for potential dates. If the person you really want to go on a date with doesn’t like you for you, then they are not meant to be your partner in life.

Leave Out Details

Don’t put your whole life story on your profile. If you do that, you may not have anything to talk about if they ask you out on a date. Leave out some surprises so you can mention it when you go out on dates. If one of the questions asks you where you grew up, don’t put that you moved five times and you are now living in this state or this country. Put only one state or one country.

Review Your Profile

When you are finished with your dating profile, look it over. Once you hit that submit button, it is published on the app. Make sure you don’t skip any necessary items, such as any blank text boxes. If you need to change your mind about anything, this stage is the time to do it. For example, if you find a better photo that best represents you, change it before your submission.

Hookup apps are great because they leave out the awkwardness of approaching someone in person. You get to skip that step and do it all on the app. Plus you get to know about the person before you decide you want to go out on a date. All you have to do is make sure your profile is perfect. Whatever you put in, will attract the right person. All you have to remember is choose a free or paid app to start your journey, check out some other profiles so you will know what to expect, and pick a great profile picture that says a lot about you. It is also important to be honest, leave out some details about your life, and review your profile after it is completed. The right guy or girl will come along.

Chucky Thompson, Prolific Hip-Hop and R&B Producer, Dies at 53

Konstantinos Pappis
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Chucky Thompson, Prolific Hip-Hop and R&B Producer, Dies at 53

Chucky Thompson, the hip-hop, R&B, and pop producer best known for his work as a part of Bad Boy Records’ “Hitmen” production team, has died. Thompson’s publicist Tamar Juda confirmed the news to Billboard: “It is with a very heavy heart that I can confirm the passing of Chucky Thompson… To anyone in his orbit, you know how generous he was with his energy, creativity and love. Both the music industry, and the world has lost a titan.” Thompson was 53 years old.

Born in Washington, D.C. on July 12, 1968, Thompson got his start playing for Chuck Brown’s go-go band, The Soul Searchers. After submitting his music to Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, who had just been fired from Uptown Records and was looking to found his own label, he was invited to join the group of in-house producers at Bad Boy Entertainment known as The Hitmen. Combs asked him to produce a song for My Life, the follow-up to Mary J. Blige’s debut album What’s the 411?, and Blige was so impressed that he ended up co-writing and co-producing the majority of the LP, which ultimately earned him his first Grammy nomination.

Throughout his prolific career, Thompson would go on to produce hits for the Notorious B.I.G. (‘Big Poppa’), Faith Evans (‘You Used To Love Me’), Total (‘No One Else’), and Usher (‘Think Of You’). He also with artists including New Edition, TLC, Jennifer Lopez, SWV, Color Me Badd, Mya, Ice Cube, Biz Markie, Eminem, and produced Nas’ ‘One Mic’, from the rapper’s 2001 comeback album Stillmatic.

Thompson’s friend and mentee Young Guru also confirmed the news on Instagram, writing, “There is nothing I can write that will take away this pain. I have to say RIP to my mentor, my big brother, the man who changed my life forever. You were the kindest person the world has ever seen. You were the most gifted musician I have ever been around. You treated me like family from day one. You made a point to the labels that I had to fly to New York with you on every session. You put me in rooms with Biggie. I will forever be in your debt and I will forever be your little brother. This one hurts so bad I can’t even explain it. RIP @chucklife365 there will never be another you!!!!”

 

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Watch Billie Eilish Perform ‘Happier Than Ever’ on ‘Fallon’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Watch Billie Eilish Perform ‘Happier Than Ever’ on ‘Fallon’

Billie Eilish was the guest on last night’s episode of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. She delivered a performance of the title track from her sophomore LP, Happier Than Ever, and sat down for an interview about the album, directing the music video for ‘NDA’, and going on tour. Watch it all below.

Happier Than Ever, which arrived in late July, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It sold 238,000 equivalent units, including 153,000 in traditional sales, marking the second-highest vinyl sales week since at least 1991.

Fantasia 2021 Review: Coming Home in the Dark (2021)

Craig Ian Mann
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Fantasia 2021 Review: Coming Home in the Dark (2021)

New Zealand’s Coming Home in the Dark is the first feature film directed by James Ashcroft, perhaps better known as an actor and most recognisable to international audiences for his minor role in the hit horror-comedy Black Sheep (2006). But there’s nothing funny about this powerful, nail-bitingly tense and disturbing road thriller, in which an ordinary family is subjected to a truly extraordinary ordeal in the desolate wilds of the Kiwi countryside. Our Culture reviews the film here as part of its selection from the 2021 Fantasia International Film Festival.

Hoaggie (Erik Thomson) and his wife Jill (Miriama McDowell) are enjoying an at least semi-relaxing hiking holiday with their two sons: sweet and sensitive Maika (Billy Paratene) and surly, aloof Jordan (Frankie Paratene). Having driven for miles, they park their car in a remote location and make the most of an overcast day in the middle of nowhere, eventually stopping to enjoy a picnic by the coast. As they enjoy the scenery, the family is approached by two intimidating strangers: Mandrake (Daniel Gillies) and Tubs (Matthias Luafutu). After some decidedly threatening small-talk, Mandrake pulls a rifle from beneath his tattered trench coat and demands the keys to the family’s car, their phones and their wallets. But what begins as a robbery turns into something far worse when Mandrake realises that there is something familiar about Hoaggie, and soon they are taking a fateful road trip together – their final destination a slowly unfolding mystery.

Once the film’s action moves into the unbearably claustrophobic space of a moving car, Coming Home in the Dark is immediately in danger of feeling a little too much like any number of other films in a long lineage of vehicular thrillers, from Detour (1945) and The Hitch-Hiker (1953) to In Fear (2013) and Alone (2020) via Road Games (1981) and The Hitcher (1986). Commonly, these films have concerned innocent people who are targeted by unbridled maniacs on lonely highways for reasons that, in the vast majority of cases, remain ambiguous at best. What is impressive about Ashcroft’s take on this well-worn formula, though, is that it cleverly subverts expectations, forsaking what could have been a derivative and generic road thriller and driving in a different direction.

Adapted from Owen Marshall’s short story of the same name, Coming Home in the Dark – co-written by Ashcroft and Eli Kent – puts its emphasis firmly on slow, methodical character development. While his costuming (by designer Gabrielle Stevenson) subtly recalls The Hitcher‘s John Ryder, we come to learn that Mandrake is far from an unknowable psychopath, while Hoaggie is not as innocent as he might first appear. As the film races towards its destination and we begin to understand why a loving family man is being subjected to protracted physical and psychological suffering, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between heroes and villains in this complex narrative scenario. It is this moral ambiguity that makes the film feel refreshingly original.

Constant shifts in allegiance are aided by three excellent central performances. Daniel Gillies is particularly impressive as Mandrake, who is by turns sardonic, terrifying and surprisingly sympathetic; Matthias Luafutu, working with very little dialogue, manages to imbue Tubs with both a disquieting menace and a terrible sadness; and Erik Thomson’s Hoaggie effortlessly oscillates between righteous anger and self-pitying sorrow. All three characters share something in common that is evident in these nuanced performances: they are deeply haunted by past events that connect them together – and that they have struggled to forget.

All of this is not to say that Coming Home in the Dark doesn’t offer the genre thrills that one might expect from a road thriller of this type. There are plenty of suspenseful set pieces throughout the film, including a particularly anxiety-inducing sequence that takes place in an isolated gas station. But, as its mysteries are revealed, it becomes clear that this is a film to appreciate rather than to enjoy. It is brutally violent from the outset, and from there generates a relentlessly hopeless atmosphere that is aided by minimalist sound design (recalling 2007’s No Country for Old Men) and Matt Henley’s cinematography, which gives the wilds of New Zealand a truly bleak and oppressive quality. More gripping than it is entertaining, Coming Home in the Dark is harrowing, disturbing and not for the faint of heart – but will reward those who can stomach the journey.   

British Sea Power Change Name to Sea Power, Announce New Album With Single ‘Two Fingers’

Konstantinos Pappis
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British Sea Power Change Name to Sea Power, Announce New Album With Single ‘Two Fingers’

British Sea Power – the English alternative group comprised of brothers Yan and Hamilton Wilkinson, Martin Noble, Matthew Wood, Abi Fry, and Phil Sumner – have announced they’re changing their name to Sea Power. They’ve also announced their next album, Everything Was Forever, which is out February 11, 2022. Listen to the new single ‘Two Fingers’ below and scroll down for the LP’s cover artwork and tracklist.

Discussing the name change, the band explained in a press release: “The band have been thinking about changing their name for years now. It’s become clear that it’s possible to misapprehend the name British Sea Power as indicating nationalism of an insular, jingoistic nature. Twenty years on from their inception, Sea Power now sail forth, free of any national flag of convenience. The new band name is a modest gesture of separation from the wave of crass nationalism that has traversed our world recently.”

They added: “After all, this group have always been internationalist in outlook, as made clear in several songs, most notably Waving Flags, a hymn to pan-European congress. The name Sea Power is also a shorthand by which the band’s audience have long known the group.”

Of the new song ‘Two Singers’, co-frontman Yan Wilkinson said:

The song is part inspired by our late dad. He was always giving a two-fingered salute to people on the telly – a kind of old-fashioned drinking term, toasting people or events: ‘I’ll drink two fingers to that’, to some news item or to memories of a childhood friend. In the song it’s a toast to everyone, remembering those in our lives and those sadly no longer here and to making the world a better place. The song is ‘F*** me, f*** you, f*** everything.’ But it’s also ‘Love me, love you, love everything’ – exultation in the darkness. If you say ‘f*** you’ in the right way, it really can be cathartic, a new start.

British Sea Power’s last album was 2017’s Let the Dancers Inherit the Party.

Everything Was Forever Cover Artwork:

Everything Was Forever Tracklist:

1. Scaring At The Sky
2. Transmitter
3. Two Fingers
4. Fire Escape In The Sea
5. Doppelgänger
6. Fear Eats The Soul
7. Folly
8. Green Goddess
9. Lakeland Echo
10. We Only Want To Make You Happy

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