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Ezra Collective’s ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’ Wins 2023 Mercury Prize

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Ezra Collective’s ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’ Wins 2023 Mercury Prize

London group Ezra Collective’s Where I’m Meant to Be have won this year’s Mercury Prize, making them the first jazz act to receive the award. Hosted by Lauren Laverne, the ceremony was held at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith in London on Thursday evening (September 7).

Other acts to be shortlisted for the award included Arctic Monkeys, Fred Again, J Hus, Jessie Ware, Jockstrap, Lankum, Loyle Carner, Olivia Dean, Raye, Shygirl, and Young Fathers.

Accepting the award, drummer Femi Koleoso said, “This is not just a result for Ezra Collective, or for UK jazz, but this is a special moment for every single organization across the country, ploughing efforts and time into young people playing music.”

Last year’s Mercury Prize winner was Little Simz for her fourth album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Share Video for New Song ‘Bongos’

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Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion Share Video for New Song ‘Bongos’

Cardi B has teamed up with Megan Thee Stallion for a new song, ‘Bongos’. Their first collaborative single since 2020’s ‘WAP’, the track arrives with a video directed by Tanu Muino. Check it out below.

Cardi B discussed ‘Bongos’ in an interview with DJ Whoo Kid on his Whoo’s House SiriusXM show, saying, “I wonder how people are gonna react to this vibe because they’re really like expecting ‘WAP,’ like, ‘oh, here they go again talking this and that… We are talking a little, you know, about some pussy, but not like ‘WAP’-type of stuff.”

“The part where Megan is kind of at in the song, because we chopped the song a lot, like the part where like she’s at, it be like ‘Bong, bong, bong’, and I was planning for that to be the hook, but it just sounded so incomplete,” she explained. “Then, we just like, ‘This song needs a feature,’ so it’s like a lot of people wanted it to go the Spanish route with it and I’m like, ‘I could see that.’ I could see that, definitely. Of course, like you could feel it, but I was like, ‘I feel like I hear Megan on this.’ It’s like, ‘Really? You don’t think that It’s more like of the Latin part,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I hear her on this. Like, I know it. I know I could hear her on this.'”

Of working with Megan Thee Stallion, she added: “It feels good [to get back into the game]… it makes me feel good that she trusts me. I’mma give my all. Not only am I doing this for myself, [but] ‘I want you to trust me.’ We trust each other.”

‘Bongos’ follows Cardi B’s 2022 single ‘Hot Shit’. Her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, was released in 2018.

thanks for coming Unveils New Song ‘Unlimited Love’

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thanks for coming Unveils New Song ‘Unlimited Love’

Water From Your Eyes’ Rachel Brown has released a new song under their solo moniker thanks for coming. Named after the Red Hot Chili Peppers album, ‘Unlimited Love’, will appear on the upcoming EP What Is My Capacity to Love? alongside the previously shared single ‘Loop’. Check it out below.

In a statement about the new song, Brown explained:

I wrote ‘Unlimited Love’ when I got home from my first tour to Europe,” Brown explains to NYLON. “I’m in another band called Water From Your Eyes and we had just done a full US tour right into a Europe tour, and I had sort of completely lost my mind and my footing on our first tour from the pressure and from a situation I had put myself in with another person. It was my first time touring extensively and there were so many growing pains, things really hurt for a bit there. But I had gone to Europe and I had never left the country before and I had never played so many shows in a row before or been so uncomfortable and uncertain and it started to feel really freeing to be so untethered to the places I was finding myself in. It was really nice to be able to be in a moment and really be in it and not have any memories of it or understanding of what people were even saying around me. It was so easy to be grateful at every moment because I had never had the chance to see the world like that. Everything is so awe inspiring and typical at the same time, it’s nice to know that life is life everywhere you go. It was nice to be meeting people and connecting and just experiencing the world so far outside of where my life had taken me so far. I felt a really universal sense of love, while at the same time feeling really heartbroken about such a small relationship in my life. I don’t write a lot of music that feels positive, but writing this song made me feel like I was actually learning something about how I wanted to move about the world and that I was growing into someone I wanted to be. I felt hopeful about love, not that relationship, but love as a concept, as a way to live, as a way to connect myself to everything and everyone everywhere. The song is also named after the album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers which was a very prominent topic between myself and my friends at the time.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers happened to come up in our interview with Water from Your Eyes, whose latest album, Everyone’s Crushed, dropped earlier this year.

Album Review: Speedy Ortiz, ‘Rabbit Rabbit’

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Album Review: Speedy Ortiz, ‘Rabbit Rabbit’

“I’m tired of anger,” Sadie Dupuis declares on ‘Ghostwriter’, the closing track on Speedy Ortiz’s new album Rabbit Rabbit. “How to move on?” And then, “How do I let go?” Throughout the LP – the band’s first in five years – the frontwoman rarely lays her feelings bare in such a direct manner, but these are questions folded at the core of its songs, which are captivating as ever but hardly a departure sonically. Featuring returning guitarist Andy Molholt and two touring members who are now full-time contributors, bassist Audrey Zee Whitesides and drummer Joey Doubek, they wander down winding paths, reconciling poetic lyrics and indie rock hooks while showing no cloying reliance on either. Dupuis pierces through and gnaws at familiar subjects – old trauma, climate catastrophe, workaholism, hypocrisy of all sorts – in ways that make the exhaustion she expresses at the end sound, if not contradictory, then worth it: she hasn’t figured it out, for herself or anyone, but she has been moving on and letting go. Sometimes, you need to ask for change to realize you’re already facilitating it.

On the surface, Speedy Ortiz songs can seem emotionally and musically tangled, even detached. The titles of some of these tracks, often applied retroactively, find Dupuis referencing pop culture and media (TV shows, actors, the Dismemberment Plan) in ways that might only seem tangentially related to their content, which could muddy their impact; others are sharp reflections on an industry that avoid actively exploring the singer’s role or experiences within it. But Dupuis works with an ability to write through, not always about, and her personal voice shines through even the most unpredictable arrangements. Against tumbling guitars and remarkably fluid drumming, her confidence breezes through the noisy ‘Kim Cattral’, which stands in direct opposition to the burnout-fuelled uncertainty of the closer but begins to tackle the same questions around devoting yourself to art – or any cause. On ‘Ballad of Y & S’, which alludes to Yoko Ono and Sylvia Plath, she reconnects with the power of confessional art by considering and including herself in its lineage: “I am an artist and I am for hire, taking materials out of the pyre/ Working for lovers hunting for meaning/ You can take it from me.”

Even if Dupuis left herself entirely out of the narrative, her commentary would still be compelling. The LA type she targets on ‘You S02’ is just one of many manipulative, self-righteous characters, but she sneers at them with the sort of attention that almost resembles sympathy – “It’s no small claim to say your acolyte is a voice in your head you drown out when your work’s not sitting right/ Head to your weekend home, pass out for the strike” – but only drives the sting deeper. ‘Scabs’ was inspired by overhearing customers at the post office berating a USPS employee at a time of significant budget cuts, in line with the general theme of personal convenience ultimately trumping (performative) ethics. Though seething with a hunger for revenge that’s never satisfied, the song offers a little piece of wisdom: “If we’re adults then why macromanage every conviction?” Even when Dupuis’ perspective is murky, the instrumentation illuminates it; on ‘Who’s Afraid of the Bath’, which explores the complicated relationship between projecting violent fantasies for the sake of art and real instances of violence, it’s dissonant, almost damaged in its evocation of that same music.

More than staring down her demons, Dupuis tends to swim alongside them. But it’s the songs that display an open-hearted, bracing vulnerability, especially towards the end, that take Rabbit Rabbit to another level. ‘Cry Cry Cry’ brings to mind another song Sarah Tudzin of illuminati hotties co-produced, Pom Pom Squad’s ‘Crying’, though this one unpacks an inability to tap into such overt expression of feeling: “Make my way down the path of pain but I never stop to see it.” From an early age, though, she’s strived to make good use of other outlets. “I want the power and my beat is dangerous, puncturing the sky,” she sings on ‘The Sunday’, remembering when she first started playing drums as a teenager. To capture the memory – to really remember and trace it down the present – she quiets the music and makes it glisten. “Sunday’s becoming Monday,” yesterday becomes today, you’re becoming an adult. You grow – there’s no point asking how. But there’s magic in it, and Sadie Dupuis is a witness.

How casinos have adapted to remain so popular

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How casinos have adapted to remain so popular

In the ever-changing landscape of the entertainment industry, casinos have stood the test of time, continuously adapting and evolving to remain a popular choice for millions of patrons worldwide. Over the decades, casinos have leveraged technological advancements, changing consumer preferences, and emerging trends to not just sustain but thrive. Let us delve into how casinos have metamorphosed to stay at the pinnacle of popularity.

  • Technological Innovations

Digital Transition

The biggest change in recent years has been the transition from brick-and-mortar establishments to online platforms. The digital era ushered in online casinos, bringing the casino experience to the fingertips of players globally.

Mobile Gaming

With the advent of smartphones, casinos swiftly moved to mobile platforms, offering apps and mobile-friendly websites to cater to the on-the-go lifestyle of modern players.

Live Dealer Games

Live dealer games have bridged the gap between traditional and online casinos, providing a real-time gaming experience from the comfort of one’s home.

  • Diversified Game Libraries

Innovative Slot Machines

Slot machines have undergone a remarkable transformation, with modern slots offering exciting themes, interactive bonus rounds, and progressive jackpots.

Expanded Table Game Varieties

Casinos have introduced various versions of classic table games, including different roulette and blackjack variants, to keep the gaming experience fresh and exciting.

  • Emphasis on Experience

Themed Resorts

Many land-based casinos have morphed into themed resorts, offering a comprehensive entertainment package, including restaurants, shopping malls, and theatrical shows, to enhance the customer experience.

Loyalty Programs

Casinos introduced loyalty programs to reward regular customers, enhancing customer retention through perks such as free plays, complimentary meals, and VIP services. Goldenbet is a key example of this, with one of the best VIP programs and some incredible exlcusive bonuses available.

  • Responsible Gaming Initiatives

To counter the adverse effects of gambling and foster a sustainable gaming environment, casinos have adopted various responsible gaming measures, including setting betting limits and offering self-exclusion options.

  • Engaging Marketing Strategies

Bonuses and Promotions

Casinos have devised attractive bonus schemes and promotional offers to entice players, providing added value and enhancing the gaming experience.

Collaborations with Celebrities

Collaborations with celebrities for endorsements and themed games have become a popular marketing strategy, helping to attract a wider audience.

Incorporating Emerging Trends

Esports Betting

To cater to a younger demographic, casinos have embraced esports betting, offering wagering options on popular video game tournaments.

Cryptocurrency Transactions

Many online casinos like Mystake have started accepting cryptocurrencies, leveraging the benefits of secure, anonymous, and low-fee transactions.

Conclusion

Casinos have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt and reinvent themselves to remain a popular choice for entertainment seekers. By leveraging technological advancements and aligning with changing consumer preferences, casinos have created a dynamic and ever-evolving space that caters to a diverse audience.

As we forge ahead, it will be interesting to observe how casinos continue to morph to maintain their allure, embracing new technologies and trends to offer an entertainment experience that is both thrilling and inclusive. The casino industry stands as a testament to the fact that with innovation and adaptation, it is possible to remain at the helm, riding waves of changes with grace and agility.

How Gambling has evolved over the last decade

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How Gambling has evolved over the last decade

As we take a step back to assess the trajectory of the gambling industry over the last decade, it is evident that a sea change has occurred, altering not only how games are played but also how they are perceived. From unprecedented technological advancements to shifts in regulatory landscapes, the past decade has been revolutionary for gambling globally. Let’s delve deeper into the multifaceted evolution that the gambling sphere has undergone.

  • Technological Advancements

Mobile Gaming

Mobile gaming emerged as a powerhouse, with smartphones becoming the primary tool for accessing gambling platforms. Operators adapted to this trend by optimizing their sites for mobile use, creating apps, and introducing features that enhance the mobile gaming experience.

Live Dealer Games

Live casinos brought the brick-and-mortar casino experience to players’ living rooms, offering real-time gaming experiences with live dealers, thus merging the best of both worlds.

VR and AR Technologies

Towards the latter part of the decade, VR and AR technologies started to gain ground, promising to revolutionize the gaming experience by creating immersive 3D casino environments.

  • Regulatory Shifts

Stricter Regulations in Established Markets

Markets like the UK saw the introduction of more stringent regulations aimed at promoting responsible gambling, including measures like stake limits and advertising restrictions. However, this has brough about issues across the UK market, with non Gamstop casinos at bestnongamstopcasinos.net now opening up, which are allowing players to still keep to non-restricted betting and less verification requirements.

Legalization in Emerging Markets

Conversely, many regions started to open up to gambling, with countries legalizing various forms of gambling, thereby fostering new markets and opportunities.

  • Diversification of Payment Methods

Cryptocurrency

The introduction of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin brought about a fundamental change in the transaction methods, offering anonymity, lower fees, and enhanced security.

Digital Wallets

Digital wallets and other modern payment solutions became popular, providing quick and hassle-free transaction processes.

Industry Consolidation

Mergers and acquisitions became a common phenomenon, leading to the formation of gambling giants and a more consolidated market landscape.

  • The Rise of Social Gambling

Social gambling, which encompasses free-to-play games on social media platforms, grew exponentially, bringing the joy of gaming to a broader audience without the risks associated with real money gambling.

Esports and Sports Betting

In-Play Betting

Sports betting evolved with features like in-play betting, which allows players to bet on events as they unfold in real-time.

Esports Betting

Esports betting surged, riding on the popularity of competitive video gaming and attracting a younger, digital-savvy audience.

Enhanced Focus on Responsible Gambling

Responsible gambling became a focal point, with operators introducing tools to help players control their gambling behaviour and prevent addiction.

Conclusion

The last decade has been a period of dynamic change for the gambling industry, marked by technological innovations, regulatory shifts, and the emergence of new gaming avenues. As the industry stands on the threshold of a new era, it carries forward a legacy of innovation, a commitment to responsible gambling, and the promise of an exciting, inclusive future for both new and seasoned players alike.

Drawing lessons from a decade rich with developments, it sets a fertile ground for a future replete with innovations that aim to make gambling safer, more entertaining, and more accessible to a global audience. It will be fascinating to witness the trajectories that the next decade will carve in the ever-evolving landscape of gambling.

Indigo Sparke Shares Video for New Single ‘In the Garden’

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Indigo Sparke Shares Video for New Single ‘In the Garden’

Indigo Sparke has put out a new single, ‘In the Garden’, alongside an accompanying video. The track was co-written by Charlift’s Patrick Wimberly and produced by Jake Portait of Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Check it out below.

“This song was born out of a mystical connection to Mary Magdalene,” Sparke explained in a statement. “To her grace and myth in a time when there were only unanswered questions and chaos. To all the different faces of her through time. The mother, the whore, the healer, the maiden, the crone, the priestess. I was astounded by how she manifests through women now in the 21st century and how more and more women are rebelling to be trapped by the limiting boxes of just playing one role. What is the myth of sinning? How did we separate from nature after the story of Eve and the apple? What knowledge did the seed contain? It seems that women were often the bringers of consciousness and that the patriarchy monopolized off this connection to the void and all creation. I wanted to explore this in the song and create a sphere and portal for all archetypes to be explored without prescriptive commentary. Something to move to and feel free in.”

Sparke released her latest LP, Hysteria, last year. Read her track-by-track breakdown of the album, and revisit our Artist Spotlight interview with Indigo Sparke.

Hotline TNT Announce New Album ‘Cartwheel’, Share Video for New Song

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Hotline TNT Announce New Album ‘Cartwheel’, Share Video for New Song

Hotline TNT, the project led by Brooklyn-based musician Will Anderson, has announced their new album and Third Man Records debut, Cartwheel. It arrives on November 3, and it includes the previously released track ‘Protocol’, which made our Best New Songs roundup. New single ‘I Thought You’d Change’ is out today alongside an Eric Rahill-directed video. Check it out find the album cover and tracklist below.

“This song is about wanting a friendship to turn into something more, seeing it happen against all odds, wondering if it was the right thing to do, then wanting it to change back to a friendship or even a secret third style of attachment that I can’t identify or hold onto,” Anderson explained in a statement. “This is the first time I’ve written a song that switches back and forth between two narrators, and I’m not sure which words are supposed to be mine and which are from my lover.”

Cartwheel Cover Artwork:

Cartwheel Tracklist:

1. Protocol
2. I Thought You’d Change
3. Beauty Filter
4. History Channel
5. I Know You
6. Son In Law
7. Out of Town
8. Maxine
9. That Was My Life
10. Spot Me
11. BMX
12. Stump

Naima Bock Shares Cover Leonard Cohen’s ‘So Long, Marianne’

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Naima Bock Shares Cover Leonard Cohen’s ‘So Long, Marianne’

Naima Bock has offered her take on Leonard Cohen’s ‘So Long, Marianne’. The cover was engineered and produced by Ali Chant at Bristol’s The Playpen Studio. Listen to it below.

“I first found out about Leonard Cohen’s ‘So Long Marianne’ when I was walking in Fordham Park in New Cross, London as a young teenager,” Bock explained in a press release. “I saw ‘To laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again’ inscribed on a bench plate in memory of a woman called Marianne (this bench has now sadly gone). The lyrics touched me in a profound way, and I remember crying a little when I saw them. These words in the context of someone’s passing were so profound and (for me) encompassed all of life and its constant tides. Of course, I later went home and listened the hell out of Mr. Cohen, which I would continue to do for many years after, always finding safety in his voice and words.”

Bock continued:

We (myself and the band) had been playing this song as a cover during our tours in 2022 and when we went in with Ali Chant we decided to record a live version of it. I always felt nervous about recording a cover of Leonard Cohen, it obviously never stands up to the original but I wanted to do it justice and if nothing else, try not to diminish it in any way. My feelings around this recording were somewhat complicated and although I could recognise how good the band (Meitar Wegman on Saxophone, Cassidy Hansen on drums, Clem Appleby on bass/ electric guitar and Oliver Hamilton on violin, everyone on backing vocals) sounded, I didn’t like my vocal delivery. That is until I heard the backing vocals come in on a later chorus and something inside me clicked and I fell in love with what we had done.

I have always felt hugely supported by the musicians I play with and when I heard their voices in this recording it reminded me to be accepting and LOVING of imperfections, imperfections in my voice which I have always (like many singers) been painfully aware of, imperfections in art, in myself. I thought if I didn’t want to present something imperfect to the world then where do I stand morally in regards to what people consume, perfection only? This is the reality for many people, not just in artistic expression but in appearance, career trajectory etc. perfection only pleases. This is not only unrealistic but also detrimental to our minds and souls, we never will be perfect and if all we consume feels like it is, then we must be less. This is not a game that I will support, so here it is, my lovingly given imperfect version of ‘So long, Marianne’. I also altered the lyrics from ‘Violet park’ to ‘Fordham park’ to honour the Marianne who introduced me (from the other side) to Leonard Cohen.

Bock’s debut album, Giant Palm, arrived in July of last year. Earlier this year, she shared the song ‘Lies’. Check out our Artist Spotlight interview with Naima Bock.

Katie von Schleicher Announces New Album, Shares New Song

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Katie von Schleicher Announces New Album, Shares New Song

Katie von Schleicher has announced a new LP, A Little Touch of Schleicher in the Night, arriving October 20 via Sipsman. The follow-up to 2020’s Consummation was co-produced with Sam Owens (Sam Evian). Listen to the new single ‘Every Step Is an Ocean’ below.

“When we got to Sam’s and set up on the first day, we played ‘400 Pillows’ first, just after dark. It felt immediately like a warm blanket,” von Schleicher recalled, adding that the group would work daily until 5pm before making dinner and playing poker. “Poker! This record was punctuated by a lot of hanging out. I put my trust in the people making it. I wanted to listen back and hear their voices, so to speak, and less the echo chamber of my own interior obsessions.”

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