ONE of the most original bands to emerge from Wexford will be performing a hometown album launch gig this coming weekend.
ursed Murphy Versus the Resistance, led by author, broadcaster and musician, Peter Murphy, will showcase the new album, ‘Republic of the Weird’, at a show in The Crown Live on Saturday, November 5.
The album itself will be officially released the previous day and was preceded by a single release of the title track.
‘Republic of the Weird’ is the second album from the band, now an eight-piece ensemble, and is a follow-up to the critically acclaimed, eponymous debut in 2020.
The new album features 10 tracks and was co-produced by Murphy, Dan Comerford and Johnny Fox. It was written throughout 2020 and 2021, and recorded in Rosslare Strand during last autumn shortly after the band’s sojourn with the Culture Ireland supported ‘Here/There’ art exhibition to Wuppertal and Berlin.
Very much a Wexford recording the album was mixed by Johnny Fox the following spring, with additional production and co-writing by Kilmore duo, Basciville, on ‘This Is Not Your Love Song’, an industrial-disco banger somewhere between Leonard Cohen and Nine Inch Nails.
The sound of Cursed Murphy Versus the Resistance is somewhat unique on many fronts; not least because of the spoken word approach of vocalist Peter Murphy.
Musically, the band explores many different textures and the line-up features some of the most formidable musicians on the contemporary Irish circuit. Along with Peter Murphy on vocals, the full line-up includes: Dan Comerford (guitar); Johnny Fox (guitar / keyboards); Rebecca Gangnus (percussion); Tamara Gangnus (percussion); Jasmin Gangnus (violin / vocals / percussion); Paul Bryan (bass / percussion); and Marc Hillis (drums).
In many ways the band could be described as a head-on collision between between post-punk, performance-poetry and ambient atmospheres.
Cursed Murphy Versus the Resistance emerged in 2018 as a mash-up of post-punk, German electronic music, spoken word, industrial music, big beats, sci-fi film soundtracks, Brazilian rhythms and Brechtian punk.
The band’s debut album, which contained the singles ‘Foxhole Prayer’, ‘The Bells of Hell’ and ‘Climb’, received rave reviews from music critics while the music got a lot of support on the national airwaves.
The album also generated huge acclaim internationally and featured on the Global Garage radio show, the Big Slice (UK) and in the French magazine, Muzzart.
It was voted No. 2 album of the year by readers of The Last Mixed Tape, and No. 1 album of the year by Mike’s Music Express on Dundalk FM.
In September 2021 the collective embarked on a German mini-tour, playing Wuppertal and Berlin as part of the travelling ‘Here/There’ exhibition, supported by Culture Ireland and earlier this year they played a sold-out show in Wexford Opera House with guests, Basciville, and poet, Stephen James Smith.
Peter Murphy and Smith recorded a collaborative EP, ‘Tell It to A Tree’, which was released last December.
The new album takes the bands sound to another level and gives it an extra dimension and the level of depth that is in each of the tracks is astonishing. The album ebbs and flows in a manner that is truly captivating.
Never afraid to experiment the band always utilises a myriad of sounds and techniques to maximise the potential of each song and while there are commercial aspects to the bands music for Curse Murphy Versus the Resistance the emphasis is much more on the art of music making rather than craving commercial success.
The new record integrates orchestral elements, using analogue synthesizers and multi-tracked violin and choral parts, alongside the band’s trademark noise guitar sound and propulsive rhythms.
There are many themes explored throughout the new album, from the sinister carnival calls of ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ to the emotive angst of ‘Hold That Line’.
There are songs of love, songs of hope, and songs of war, all executed in a manner that is enticing and begs for intense scrutiny from the listener.
The way the band transfers its studio work to a live setting is legendary and those attending the launch show next weekend are in for a real treat.
Much like their recordings a Curse Murphy Versus the Resistance show is quite unlike any other music event you are likely to witness.
Speaking about the album, Murphy, highlighted some aspects of the thought pattern that went into the songs.
“’Republic of the Weird’ refers to the state we’ve been living in for the past five or six years,” he said.
“It’s about what happens when a generation of people who grew up on punk and electronic music, on dark sci-fi and speculative books and films, wake up one day to realise that their world has started to look like a present-day dystopia,” he added.
However, he also emphasised the feeling is “strangely hopeful and inspiring too”.
“We’re proud of the sound and the spirit of this record,” he said.
“It’s an album about future shock, but also hope and resilience,” he added.
It’s very fitting that the launch show will take place on the closing night of this year’s Fringe Festival, which coincides with the annual Wexford Festival Opera.
Chameleonic electronic music futurists Tangerine Dream built their enviable reputation upon groundbreaking proto-ambient 70s classics Zeit, Phaedra, and Rubycon, yet, to their credit, they refused to rest on their laurels. During the early 80s, the West Berlin-based trio enthusiastically embraced the ever-evolving possibilities of digital technology. This soon spilled over into their releases from this era, such as Exit and White Eagle, which included sleek and atypically pop-oriented tracks the likes of “Choronzon,” “Network 23” and “Midnight In Tula.” The sound of the band’s next studio LP, September 1983’s Hyperborea, was also influenced by new technological advancements. Indeed, in the lead-up to recording the album, TD mainstays Edgar Froese and Johannes Schmoelling acquired two of the first waveform-sampling computers on the market. These units meant the band could create independent structures and rhythms, and store everything on (then) extremely state-of-the-art floppy disks.
Listen to Hyperborea on Apple Music and Spotify.
Schmoelling later recalled this period with fondness in a 1994 interview with journalist Mark Prendergast, which now features on the TD fan site Voices In The Net. “Hyperborea was determined by the new generation of digital synthesizers and sampling technology,” he admitted. “We were able to memorize sounds and used a lot of sampled drum sounds. We invented new rhythm structures by using a special arpeggiator technique and so on.”
Released in late 1983, Hyperborea performed respectably, peaking at No. 45 in the UK; a solid, intermittently inspired record, it featured a couple of unlikely, yet pleasant sonic diversions.
The record’s title derived from Greek mythology. “Hyperborea” was a realm “beyond the North Wind” and was believed to be a paradise of sorts: a mythical, idyllic land where the sun shone 24 hours a day. Accordingly, much of Hyperborea’s music was also hot and humid, though two of the LP’s four tracks were superficially influenced by India rather than Greece.
Arguably the record’s highlight, the shimmering, psych-tinged “No Man’s Land” was reputedly inspired by the soundtrack from Gandhi. Fittingly, it was built around tabla-style beats and insistent drones, and featured prominent sitar from Edgar Froese, as did the sultry, sequencer-led “Cinnamon Road,” chosen as the LP’s spin-off 45. Though lacking in similar Eastern promise, the measured title track meanwhile represented Tangerine Dream at their most dignified and courtly, while the inscrutable “Sphinx Lightning,” with its dramatic chords, tolling bells, and rhythmic shifts, bade a final farewell to the experimental, 20-minute epics which had been synonymous with the group since 1971’s Alpha Centauri.
As it turned out, Hyperborea also brought the curtain down on TD’s remarkable decade-long association with Virgin Records, yet unemployment was never on the cards for Edgar Froese and co. Indeed, by the time they recorded 1985’s Le Parc for Clive Calder’s Jive Electro imprint, the group had also taken Hollywood by storm and soundtracked several movies, including the rom-com Risky Business, featuring Tom Cruise in his first major starring role.
The 16CD and double-Blu-ray release, In Search Of Hades: The Virgin Recordings 1973-1979 is out now and can be bought here.
For the latest music news and exclusive features, check out uDiscover Music.
uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some recording artists included in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG.
The album begins with a softly unfurling chord of unclear provenance; in the background, there’s a faint metallic clanking, like the lid rattling on a boiling pot. A subliminal hint of melody stirs just below the surface of long, languid synthesizer tones. Things rarely get much more definitive than this, and every time they do, entropy quickly reasserts itself. In “The Dreamer,” a boldly declarative theme suggests a half-remembered film score before plunging back into the murk, shrouded by birdsong, crickets, and what might be the clanking of cowbells in the pasture. Much of the album, in fact, feels like it takes place behind a scrim of white noise and August ambiance.
There’s a worn, crinkly feel to texture of the music, as if the tape had been pulled from its reels, wadded up, and left in a dank basement for a season or two before being smoothed out and fed back into the machine. Repetition is at the heart of many of these tracks—the skipping tones of “Fantasie for Agathe Backer Grøndahl” vaguely recall Oval or Jan Jelinek—even though Lauvdal’s loops tend to morph as they go, mutating with every jittery repeat. Even in the absence of obvious melodies, Lauvdal’s meditative, softly rounded tones have a way of working themselves into your mind. The smeared pipe organs of “Darkkantate” evoke dusty beams of light illuminating mossy pews in a ruined abbey. The ruminative piano of “Clara” recalls Grouper but without such an intense feeling of despondency—it’s less morose than simply lost in thought.
Ultimately, From a Story Now Lost’s emotions are as ambiguous as its amorphous shapes. In “Xerxesdrops,” which taps into a similar affective register as Harold Budd and the Cocteau Twins’ The Moon and the Melodies, a watery, wandering piano melody traces circles over sluggish, detuned synths; it might sound sad if you want it to, but in another mood, it could also pass as airy, hopeful, or simply distracted, mirroring the toe-scuffing shuffle of an absent mind. From a Story Now Lost offers a provocative update to Brian Eno’s hoary maxim about ambient music: Forget about the balance between ignorable and interesting—perhaps ambient also ought to be as stone-faced as it is steeped in feeling.
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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft at a game against the Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Oct. 9. (Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images via JTA.org)
By Jacob Gurvis
Robert Kraft, the New England Patriots owner who donates heavily to Jewish causes, funded an advertisement that ran during Sunday’s NFL matchup between the Patriots and the New York Jets urging NFL fans to “stand up against Jewish hate.”
The ad aired during a weekend in which NBA star Kyrie Irving shared a link to an antisemitic movie online and the message “Kanye is right about the jews” was projected at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, during a college football game between the University of Florida and the University of Georgia.
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“There are less than 8 million Jewish people in this country. Fewer than are watching this game,” read Kraft’s 30-second ad, which featured simple white text on a black background, set to ambient music. “They need you to add your voice.” It was produced jointly by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism and Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s foundation.
“We must do more to make people aware that antisemitism is a growing threat against Jews on social media and in communities across the country,” Kraft said in a statement. “I have committed tremendous resources toward this effort and am vowing to do more. I encourage others to join in these efforts. My hope is this commercial will continue to enhance the national conversation about the need to speak out against hatred of all types, and particularly to stand up to Jewish hate.”
Kraft, whose estimated net worth is $10.6 billion, has donated millions of dollars to a variety of Jewish causes over the years — including Israel and numerous Jewish institutions and programs in Boston, where his late wife Myra was a longtime leader at the Jewish federation.
The ad follows the recent controversy surrounding rapper Kanye West, whose ongoing antisemitic tirades led to the termination of his highly lucrative contract with Adidas.
The Jacksonville stunt was just one of a handful of antisemitic incidents in the city this weekend, where the same message was displayed on another building and banners reading “End Jewish Supremacy in America” and “Honk if you know it’s the Jews” were displayed on Interstate 10. It is unclear how the Kanye statement was projected across the exterior of the Jacksonville stadium.
The University of Florida and the University of Georgia released a joint statement condemning the incident on Saturday.
“We strongly condemn the antisemitic hate speech projected outside TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville after the Florida-Georgia football game Saturday night and the other antisemitic messages that have appeared in Jacksonville,” the universities said. “The University of Florida and the University of Georgia together denounce these and all acts of antisemitism and other forms of hatred and intolerance. We are proud to be home to strong and thriving Jewish communities at UGA and UF and we stand together against hate.”
Experience relaxing music along with some gravitating soundscapes offered by the emerging Amsterdam Electronic Producer and his fluent musical styles of Nordic Circuits.
Hailing from Amsterdam, Netherlands Nordic Circuits is making a difference in this world with his flawless musical styles. He has been one of the most impressive music artists who have a lot to offer to this world of music. Recently he has started making his music and releasing it on online music-streaming platforms. His works have already been appreciated by many music lovers. His seamless musical style in ‘Echoes of Sans-Soucis Beats Edit Ambient Sans-vocal mix’ is a treat to witness. This greatly composed ambient track will not only make you dance but also leave you speechless, you will fall for the overwhelming nature of this track.
Being a reflective Amsterdam Electronic Producer his works are very enticing for people who will witness the number. He is just 4 tracks old and another of his track that will consume you is ‘When the Wolf Cries’. Jan Paul Schutten is slowly and strong growing a forever impression on his audience and the compactness of his numbers will surely charm many people around the world. His 70’s synthesizer-inspired tracks are truly very charming to listen to. And his brilliant electronic and ambient track is winning the world in a flawless manner.
The tracks he has produced a delivered by far are ‘Nice To Be in Orbit’, ‘Echoes of Sans-Soucis’, ‘When the Wolf Cries’, and ‘Echoes of Sans-Soucis Beats Edit Ambient Sans-vocal mix’. He is planning to drop more tracks in the near future. Nordic Circuits will soon be an eminent name in this industry with its uniquely crafted numbers and engulfing musical compositions. His passion is burning inside him and slowly and with dedication, he is releasing some gripping music. From his daunting styles to his powerful musical vibes his works will thrill you. If you are intrigued about him you can catch these numbers on SoundCloud anytime.
For more tracks of Nordic Circuits, Please go through the below links: https://soundcloud.com/nordiccircuits
Posted in Events By Katie Simning On October 30, 2022
Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, October 31, to Sunday, November 6.
(Jump to In-Person Events)
Virtual Events
Kid Koala: Music to Draw To
What: Music, Meetup When: Monday, October 31, at 7:00 p.m. Where: Virtual via Crowdcast
This free virtual version of the long-standing event series in Montreal provides a cozy atmosphere for attendees to make art and work on projects quietly toge12ther with a calm soundtrack of ambient music performed live by Kid Koala.
Virtual Pub Quiz Trivia Night
What: Trivia When: Monday, October 31, at 8:00 p.m. Where: Virtual via Twitch
Get your trivia on from the comfort of home with Geeks Who Drink’s online trivia night. Prove your mettle, and maybe learn a little something! Watch for other Monday-night virtual pub-trivia events going forward.
The Radical Agreement Project
What: Comedy & Theater, Educational When: Tuesday, November 1, at 3:00 p.m. Where: Virtual via Zoom
Learn a new improv exercise in this series of 30-minute Zoom improv classes. This event is free, but participation is critical, so attendees will be required to turn on their cameras and microphones to join in.
Minnesota Zoo Virtual Yoga
What: Sports & Fitness When: Wednesday, November 2, at 7:45 a.m. Where: Virtual via Zoom
Start your morning with yoga at the zoo! Each week, the instructor teaches a yoga routine live from exhibits around the zoo. These classes are appropriate for both beginners and experienced yogis. Each class is $8 for nonmembers, with reduced rates available for zoo members or when registering for multiple classes at the same time. Sessions are recorded and available to view during the week for those who are unable to tune in live.
Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium Live Stream: What’s Up?
What: Educational, Science & Tech When: Wednesday, November 2, at 7:00 p.m. Where: Virtual via Facebook Live
Learn about current astronomical events and get your space questions answered by staff from the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium at the University of Minnesota—Duluth. This virtual session is free.
Weird & Wonderful Wednesday Watchalongs
What: Movies When: Wednesday, November 2, at 7:00 p.m. Where: Virtual via Discord
Enjoy a free screening of an obscure film with Miss Emmy Martian and other cinephiles on Discord, every Wednesday night.
What: Educational, Science & Tech When: Thursday, November 3, at 5:45 p.m. Where: Virtual via Zoom
The Smithsonian Institution, home to famed museums and world-class research centers, is bringing educational programs and art courses online for all to enjoy. At this event, learn about how new audio technology is being used by scientists to study nature, including uncovering sounds beyond human hearing, regenerating species, building non-human dictionaries, and exploring the impacts of noise pollution on plants and animals. General-admission tickets are $25. Check out the streaming series webpage to see the many other upcoming events this week.
Twin Cities Geek Art Club
What: Arts When: Thursday, November 3, and Sunday, November 6; at 7:00 p.m. Where: Virtual via Discord
The Twin Cities Geek art club meets every Thursday evening from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on the Twin Cities Geeks Discord. Hop on voice or video and chat while you create art, then share your finished pieces on the #art-club channel! This event is open to all. You can join by visiting twincitiesgeek.com/discord.
Air and Space Adventures
What: Family, Gaming When: Saturday, November 5, at 11:30 a.m. Where: Virtual via GooseChase
Join the National Air and Space Museum every month for a free virtual game! This family-friendly game is open for three hours and features a mix of missions, photo challenges, and activities. Players will need to download the free GooseChase app to participate, which is available on both iOS and Android.
In-Person Events
Please note: Due to the risks from the ongoing pandemic, we urge all readers to take appropriate safety measures when choosing to attend in-person events, such as masking, physical distancing, and frequent handwashing. We also urge all eligible Minnesotans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and to wear a mask in indoor settings even if vaccinated. If you believe you have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms, please get tested and follow Minnesota state guidelines on isolating from others. See our COVID-19 resources page for more information on vaccination, health and safety, financial and other assistance, and more.
While government and business policies change frequently and we cannot guarantee the safety of anyone attending an event we are not affiliated with, we do avoid featuring organizers or venues we believe to be following unsafe practices. If you feel something in this column does not meet those criteria, we encourage you to contact us at [email protected] with your concerns.
Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
What: Family, Community When: October 1, through November 5 Where: Minnesota Zoo
This is a chance to explore a trail of artistically carved glowing pumpkins at the Minnesota Zoo. This year’s theme is a “Night at the Library,” and features new artists’ creations. Tickets range from $18–24, and members receive $2 off.
Six: The Musical
What: Theater & Comedy, Music When: Thursday, October 27, through Sunday, November 6 Where: Ordway
The wives of Henry VIII bring their stories out of the King’s shadow and give them a pop-diva remix in Six: The Musical. This Tony Award-winning Broadway show features an all-woman cast and band. Tickets start at $60.50.
Twin Cities German Film Festival
What: Movies When: Thursday, November 3, through Sunday, November 6 Where: The Main Cinema
The first annual Twin Cities German Film Festival will explore the theme of “Reel Women” through six films featuring narratives of women changing lives. Screenings will be at the Main Cinema, formerly the St. Anthony Main. Check out the website for a full list of films and screening times. Individual film tickets are $8–12.
Kate DiCamillo, A Very Mercy Christmas
What: Books, Family When: Thursday, November 3, at 4:00 p.m. Where: Red Balloon Bookshop
Author Kate DiCamillo will be signing copies of her latest children’s book, A Very Mercy Christmas. Attendees can also get her previous books signed when copies are purchased through Red Balloon Bookshop, including The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn-Dixie, and the Mercy Watson series. Tickets are $22.58 (with fees) and include a copy of A Very Mercy Christmas.
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
What: Meetup When: Thursday, November 3, at 5:30 p.m. Where: Dayton’s Bluff Library
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is here! Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have taken up the challenge to write 50,000 words in just one short month. Are you one of them? This weekly meet-up invites local NaNoWriMo participants of all ages out for an evening of writing and camaraderie.
Sci-Fi Book Club
What: Books When: Thursday, November 3, at 6:30 p.m. Where: Nokomis Library
The Nokomis Branch of the Hennepin County Library hosts a monthly science-fiction book club where patrons discuss new and interesting sci fi. Lending copies of the books can be picked up at the information desk of the library. For November, the club will discuss The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield. See the event listing for upcoming titles.
Reverend Matt’s Monster Science: Kill You as Soon as Look at You
What: Comedy & Theater, Educational, Family When: Thursday, November 3, at 7:00 p.m. Where: Bryant Lake Bowl
Reverend Matt’s Monster Science, a recurring comedic lecture series with a focus on monsters, returns this month to take a close look at the creatures who can kill with just a glance including Medusa, basilisks, and Baba Yaga. Tickets are $12.
University of Minnesota Writers Series: Eloisa Amezcua and Tracy K. Smith Reading
What: Books When: Friday, November 4, at 7:00 p.m. Where: Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota
Every fall, the University of Minnesota hosts a series of free readings and talks from award-winning writers, poets, and graphic novelists. This week features readings from Eloisa Amezcua and Tracy K. Smith. Amezcua is an award-winning poet and author of Fighting Is Like a Wife and From the Inside Quietly. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize recipient and author of Life on Mars, Wade in the Water, Duende, and more. To see other upcoming events in the series, head over to the university’s English department website.
Spektral Quartet: Enigma: A 360° Experience
What: Music When: Friday, November 4, and Saturday, November 5, at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. Where: Bell Museum
The Grammy-nominated Spektral Quartet is bringing their new audio-visual concert, Enigma: A 360° Experience, to the Bell Museum. The performance will feature music from Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir, along with immersive visuals by Sigurður Guðjónsson playing on all 360-degrees of the museum’s planetarium. Tickets are $33.50.
Free First Saturday: Offerings
What: Arts, Community, Family When: Saturday, November 5, at 10:00 a.m. Where: Walker Art Center
Celebrate art and community on the first Saturday of every month with free gallery admission and special events at the Walker Art Center. This month’s theme is “Offerings,” which will include Día de los Muertos art activities, a scavenger hunt, screenings of the short film For Estefani, Third Grade, Who Made Me a Card, and a reading of From the Top of the Trees with author Kao Kalia Yang.
Spotlight Science: Brain Power
What: Science & Tech When: Saturday, November 5, at 10:00 a.m. Where: Bell Museum
Spotlight Science is an event series that brings the current science happening at the University of Minnesota to the community through interactive experiences and special guests. This month’s topic is all about brains, featuring activities that explore their functions, how they change, and the impacts of brain injuries and addiction. There will also be planetarium screenings of the animated film Mysteries of Your Brain. This event is included with regular admission; adult general admission is $12 and there are multiple offerings for reduced rates.
Drawn to Nature!
What: Arts When: Saturday, November 5, at 1:00 p.m. Where: Fort Snelling State Park
Head over to Fort Snelling State Park for an afternoon of nature sketching! A naturalist will be on site to point attendees toward picturesque areas of the park. Check out the event calendar on the Department of Natural Resources website for more outdoor events in state parks throughout Minnesota.
Funlab: STEAM for Ages 7–11
What: Educational, Science & Tech When: Saturday, November 5, at 2:00 p.m. Where: Dayton’s Bluff Library
FunLab is an event for kids 7–11 to learn STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) principles through fun in a drop-in session with crafts, games, projects, experiments, and movies. The event is free, and will serve kids so long as supplies last.
Shieldmaiden Sunday
What: Gaming, Meetup When: Sunday, November 6, at 12:00 p.m. Where: Source Comics and Games
Shieldmaiden Sundays are a dedicated space for female-identifying (including trans women/femme) and nonbinary nerds and geeks at Source Comics and Games. This is a recurring weekly event providing a space for women to play games, chat about comics, cosplay, or just enjoy the company of other geeks. Be sure to check out the Source calendar for additional events!
The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society
What: Theater & Comedy When: Sunday, November 6, at 7:00 p.m. Where: Bryant Lake Bowl
Enjoy a night of horror, comedy, and suspense in the style of a vintage radio broadcast, including old-time commercials and sound effects. Programming will include The Shadow Over Innsmouth, Smee, and Runestones are a Girl’s Best Friend performed by Joshua English Scrimshaw, Shanan Custer, Eric Webster, and Tim Uren. Tickets are $18.
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So, which of these events will you be attending? What events would you like to see featured in the future? Let us know in the comments section below or contact us via email. And don’t forget to add your events to the Twin Cities Geek Community Calendar!
Produced by LSDXOXO with additional production by Bambii, “Happy Ending” is Kelela’s newest release and it celebrates Black rave culture. Unlike the ambient-leaning track “Washed Away“—which came out last month; her first new music since 2017—”Happy Ending” is a club-ready banger, yet it still incorporates the Washington, DC-born artist’s sublime silkiness.
Sampa The Great feat. Angélique Kidjo: Let Me Be Great
Zambian artist Sampa The Great released her second album, As Above, So Below, last month and from it comes “Let Me Be Great” featuring the legendary Angélique Kidjo. Today, which happens to be Zambian Independence Day, the duo share the track’s music video directed by Pussy Krew. The animated, hyperreal CGI work shape-shifts between scenes, playing with motion, color and texture. The kaleidoscopic Afrofuturist aesthetic perfectly matches the two artists’ charming and triumphant performances.
Destroyer feat. Sandro Perri: Somnambulist Blues
A minimal, experimental composition from Toronto-based musician and producer Sandro Perri with spoken-word from pioneering indie-rock act Destroyer (aka Dan Bejar), “Somnambulist Blues” is a mesmeric, multi-dimensional and transportive track of precise, powerful components. “I come back to Sandro’s music as something to sing to at the crossroads moments of my life in music,” Bejar shares in a statement. “There is something about the landscape Sandro lays out—it’s a world in which things become imminently singable. A lotta room to roam, and all of it good.” The single debuts as part of record label Mexican Summer’s Looking Glass digital series.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra: I Killed Captain Cook
The demise of James Cook is legendary—especially in Polynesia and Australasia, where the English explorer was responsible for a tremendous amount of colonization. In 1779, Cook and his men attempted to kidnap Kalaniʻōpuʻu—the chief of the island of Hawaii—under the guise of showing him their ship. Thousands of Hawaiian people gathered on the beach at Kealakekua Bay, a fight broke out, and Cook was stabbed in the neck by an islander (some stories say it was Kalaniʻōpuʻu himself). Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s frontman Ruban Nielson—whose mother is a Kanaka Maoli from Oahu, and whose father is Māori—wrote the minimal, acoustic “I Killed Captain Cook” from the perspective of that Hawaiian. With vulnerable, tender vocals, the track is set to be the lead single from UMO’s upcoming double album. The video incorporates footage of Nielson’s mother, Deedee Aipolani Nielson.
Babygirl: Always
Babygirl—the Toronto-based outfit made up of Kiki Frances and Cameron Breithaupt—shares a haunting track about heartbreak, called “Always.” Soaked in candid lyrics of longing, soft vocals and quick guitar bursts, the new single is infectious yet melancholic, a quality the duo describes as “bubblegum emo.”
Mr Twin Sister: Resort
NYC band Mr Twin Sister has released their new EP, Upright And Even, and from it comes energetic track, “Resort.” While they often delve into a melange of avant-pop, electronic, dream-pop, chillwave and more, this new record is decidedly geared for the dance floor. “Upright sounds like nighttime after the shops have closed,” they share in a statement. “‘Resort’ is the centerpiece. It’s about the ecstasy of music triumphing over the bullshit of going out to hear it. Club music about club music. We didn’t want to release it back when nobody could be together in person, so we waited.”
Terry Emm: November Evenings
Hertfordshire-based Terry Emm channels vintage pop in “November Evenings,” a jangling folk-rock release with an Americana inflection. It’s Emm’s second single this year—and finds the singer-songwriter fusing thoughtful, emotion-driven lyricism with escalating lead guitar. “‘November Evenings’ is about that feeling when autumn changes into winter and we’re left reflecting on the year. It’s about jealously and a feeling of wanting more from life, when certain things are always just out of reach,” Emm shares in a statement, adding that the Lukas Drinkwater-produced song is “probably the second or third upbeat track I’ve ever released.”
Listen Up is published every Sunday and rounds up the new music we found throughout the week. Hear the year so far on our Spotify channel. Hero image by Alban Low, courtesy of Terry Emm
For Kevin Parker — the man behind musical project Tame Impala — revisiting his second studio album Lonerism has been, “for lack of a better word, cringe.” Following his debut Inner Speaker, Parker’s ambient and exploratory follow-up LP was released in 2012 to industry-wide acclaim. For all the splash it made with critics and fans alike, listening to the LP a decade later, the artist can’t help but consider the changes he might make to some songs if given the chance. As the headlining act at California’s Desert Days music festival earlier this month, Parker celebrated the decennial of Lonerism with a live rendition of the entire album, where, despite artistic impulse, he remained faithful to its primordial version.
Between stops on his cross-country tour, Parker linked with Celine creative director Hedi Slimane to take part in the fashion photographer’s Portrait of Musician series.
Unveiling the exclusive images, HYPEBEAST caught up with Parker to talk about his highly-anticipated collaboration with Slimane and the 10th anniversary of Lonerism.
What drew you to take part in the Portrait of a Musician series?
I’m always into doing something I haven’t done before. never really got into the fashion world before and I don’t, I still don’t really consider myself in the fashion world, but he reached out and I have great respect for Hedi. He shot me a few years ago.
I know that he’s always liked me as an artist, so it’s obviously like a huge honor. At first, I was like… me? I’ve always been surprised when people want to take photos of me.
Walk me through the process of shooting together.
We both went in with an open mind. I think the way he works is that he kind of just sort of feels it out at the time. Neither had been to the location before, which was this old French kind of villa on the water. It was a beautiful place. And it was f*cking hot. It was about 105°F (40°C).
This month marks the 10th anniversary of Lonerism, and in celebration, you recently performed the LP in full at Desert Days. What was it like to revisit the album a decade after its creation?
I listen to my albums every so often, just for whatever reason — because I need to check something or a song might be getting used for an ad or something. It usually takes me down some kind of memory lane, a wormhole. This is the second of my albums that have turned 10 years old, so it’s more of an emotional experience than I expected it to be.
With putting together a performance, I’m trying to be kind of faithful to the album, which always requires going back and revisiting how I’ve made sounds or lyrics that I haven’t revisited in a long time. Or just [considering] the music and the ways I make it. Holding objects again that have been in a box for 10 years is a special thing. All those things added together make it a really contemplative time in my life.
When returning to an older album, particularly with the intent of performing it live, do you find yourself wanting to perform it differently this time around? I’m wondering if it’s difficult at all to stay faithful to like the original version of the album or if you feel compelled to tweak it.
There are so many I hate to say it — but like, for lack of a better word — cringe moments. And not cringe because of what I’m singing about. In fact, the lyrics are the thing that I’m the most content with because it was me 10 years ago, you know? Whatever I cared about 10 years ago is what I’m singing about. And when I sing the lyrics, I’m like, it doesn’t even feel like it’s, it feels like it was a completely different version of me that wrote them. So it’s like I’m singing someone else’s lyrics.
It’s more so the nitty-gritty of production and you know. We’ll be playing a song and come up to a section and I’m like, ‘Oh, in this section it would’ve been so nice to hear this guitar part on its own instead of absolutely cramming it with sounds and drum sounds and distorting everything.’ There’s definitely been a lot of those moments, but at the end of the day, I have to accept that that’s the way the album was and that’s the way people know it.
Compared to your first LP Inner Speaker, Lonerism sees you experiment more with different synths and samples. In tandem with the evolution of your musical style, how was your approach to making an album different the second time around?
With Lonerism, I believed in myself more than ever before. I was dedicated to getting my own studio set up in my house. Before, I just recorded in my bedroom. I realized that this was gonna be my life. It sounds silly, but up until then, I didn’t think that my music deserved its own recording studio. I fully leaned into that and it became my world.
A room in my house was turned into a studio. That’s still where I spend most of my life, except for touring. I also found Ableton, which I still use now, as a way to make music on tour. That completely changed the way I record music, so that kind of blew everything open as well.
Without sounding like a disgruntled 90-year-old, what happened to the good old days? I remember a blissful period of my life when my not-so-portable Discman player finally packed it in, and the emergence of MP3 players took hold. I spent hours “ripping” all of my tunes from my extremely cool 90s music catalog onto my new Sony Ericsson Walkman. When that also bit the dust, I transferred all of my files over to the utterly impressive iPod Mini, then a new and improved 4GB iPod Classic, and eventually to my first smartphone.
My one comfort in a time of ever-changing formats was that I could always take my headphones with me, safe in the knowledge that I’d get the most out of them with any new player. There was a brief period in time when portable music players, mobile phones, and headphones all co-existed in beautiful cross-compatible harmony.
That’s, sadly, not always the case today. With the virtually universal death of the smartphone 3.5mm headphone jack, we’re now reliant on Bluetooth headphones. While they’ll always play music back just fine, the move to digital audio solutions has opened the door to pernicious, and sometimes seemingly predatory proprietary headphone features ruining interoperability that was once a given. This is particularly the case when buying earbuds from popular smartphone brands.
Smartphone brands increasingly want to develop their own headphones, but many only work best when you pair them with a phone from the same brand.
Now don’t get me wrong, big brands investing in pioneering tech that makes our listening experiences better, such as Spatial Audio, fast pairing, improved ANC capabilities, and EQ-adjustable apps, can only be a good thing. But what doesn’t make our lives better is the fact that these very same companies are more inclined each day, it seems, to cut their customers off from everybody else on the market.
I wanted to try AirPods, but Apple locked me out
Kris Carlon / Android Authority
Let’s run a hypothetical scenario where I want to purchase a pair of Apple’s new AirPods Pro. Already, I’m going to miss out on a load of the features that make these earbuds worth purchasing in the first place, simply because my phone runs Google’s Android OS.
Apple’s seamless pairing doesn’t work, for example, making it a longer process to get connected. While this is a bit of a bigger ecosystem play, Apple could at least get on board with Google Fast Pair to better support more customers. You can’t customize the earbuds’ double-tap functionality like you can when paired with an iPhone. Likewise, you obviously won’t be able to run the iOS-exclusive Siri virtual assistant, but Apple doesn’t support a way to launch Google Assistant or Alexa as an alternative.
You can’t even update your AirPods Pro without connecting to an Apple device.
Flagship features play truant as well. Ear detection to automatically pause music when you remove an AirPod isn’t supported on Android, and neither is Apple’s ear tip fit test. Meanwhile, Apple Music for Android only supports Spatial Audio on a handful of Android phones that support Dolby Atmos. In fact, you can’t even upgrade the AirPods Pro’s firmware when connected to an Android device, leaving you without important fixes and feature updates.
Chase Bernath / Android Authority
Finding out the fancy new AirPods Pro that you’ve been so excited to save up for can’t be updated from your phone might be the worst proprietary offense we’ve seen. But it further cements the idea that Apple users must embed themselves further into the ecosystem and that outsiders will have to give in and join the family.
You’d also need to consider how you’re going to charge your AirPods Pro. You’ll have to fumble for a Lightning-to-USB cable that your other gadgets don’t support or opt for a MagSafe wireless charger or Qi option. Of course, Apple has a long-running form in the proprietary charging game, dating all the way back to the bizarre 30-pin original iPod connector. Thankfully, this is going to change across Europe in 2024, however, as the EU has just approved legislation to make USB-C mandatory.
Hopefully, that’s clear enough that you either stump up all-in to Apple’s ecosystem or have to make do with a substantially cut-back experience.
Locked-out features make picking the best buds more difficult
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
But this entire conversation isn’t about bashing Apple — other companies have also grown big dollar-stamped money bags in their eyes as they search for new and innovative ways to cultivate loyal long-term customers, with traditionally platform-agnostic headphones caught in the crossfire. You only need to look at Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds 2 Pro to see the brand’s attempt to convince customers to purchase its, and only its, audio accessories.
On the surface, these are pretty damned exciting earbuds. However, delve a little deeper into their specific features, and you’ll realize that, like Apple, Samsung also sees propriety as its future. Take the Galaxy Wearables app, which (depending on your device) controls EQ Presets, ANC & transparency levels, Ambient sound mode, Fit Tests, Samsung 360 Audio, Find My Earbuds, and software updates.
Sounds like a pretty handy app, right? Well, it turns out that, at present, there is no iOS app compatibility at all. That’s a problem, because you need to use the app to enable Samsung’s 360 Audio feature.
Speaking of, Samsung’s flagship 360 Audio feature requires a Galaxy phone or tablet to support the Dolby Atmos-powered feature as well. So that’s the rest of the Android ecosystem cut off. Likewise, the Samsung Seamless Codec only works when connected to a modern Samsung phone, while Samsung ignores support for more universal high-quality codecs like aptX and LDAC.
Samsung’s latest earbuds reserve their best features for pairing with a Galaxy handset.
But it isn’t just software and firmware updates that are an issue. Even the controls that map your media playback options are often dictated by whether you’re using the same brand of smartphone that matches your buds, which also affects whether or not you can check your battery life, switch your devices, or activate quick pairing. From OnePlus’ Audio ID to Huawei’s Audio Connection Center, it seems brands love their proprietary twists. For example, Huawei’s FreeBuds 3i only enjoy auto-pairing and ultra-low latency when connected with a recent Huawei device, while the FreeBuds 4 reserve quick pairing and the ability to transfer playback from a smartphone to a Huawei TV or tablet when paired with devices powered by Harmony OS. These kinds of proprietary functions are becoming an issue with more and more manufacturers.
And who does this benefit? Certainly not us, the consumers. If it’s possible for companies like JLab to provide us with cross-platform features and updates on iOS and Android, why is it so difficult for Apple, Samsung, Huawei, OnePlus, et al., to do the same?
One can only speculate that it’s to embed each of these brands’ “fan bases” so that consumers are more inclined to return back to the same company when they wish to upgrade. And it makes perfect, cynical sense, right? The more products that you own from one brand, with all of its specific features and connectivity, the less likely you are to go elsewhere and put yourself at the huge inconvenience of having to set everything up again from scratch.
As reasonable as it is for Samsung, Apple, or any brand to build better experiences for its customers, some of these choices and their implementation unnecessarily restrict the experience of customers outside of their respective ecosystems. Of course, this is true of all products within exclusive ecosystems, yet this is felt far more keenly with headphones — buds or cans with a singular, simple focus for listening to music on the go — compared to a more multi-faceted device like a smartphone or a smartwatch which have far more varied use cases.
Furthermore, any pretext that brands that choose to limit their headset functionality are doing so in order to serve the advancement of the tech community can only be assumed as false. While this can sometimes be a fair claim with other device types which require specific hardware or software, very few of the audio features we’ve discussed here — including things as simple as a mere EQ setting — couldn’t be deployed more universally with the resources at the disposal of these tech giants.
So, which brands out there play nicely?
Thankfully, there is a selection of true wireless buds that provide their users with broad support across multiple operating systems. This list is by no means extensive but should act as a starting reference to get you on your way.
Sony WF-1000XM4: By far amongst the most attractive and sought-after buds on the market today. The Headphones Connect app for Android and iOS contains a lot of must-have features for dialing in your EQ and honing your sound.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3: With their Smart Control app, Android and iPhone users can enjoy adjusting their ANC controls and much more, with the added benefit of hosting both aptX and AAC Bluetooth codecs.
Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2: You would struggle to find a better pair of earbuds worth their price tag than these. For $99, you receive aptX and AAC Bluetooth codecs, as well as a string of great features in the Soundcore app, which is essential to get the most out of some of the best microphones on the market.
Sony Linkbuds S: Although the LDAC Bluetooth codec isn’t quite as steady as aptX, their inclusion in these buds means that Android users have a high-quality audio option. iOS users aren’t left out, though, they can take advantage of AAC. They also boast Sony’s Headphones Connect app to alter preset and custom EQ options.
What to look out for to avoid proprietary features on your next pair of earbuds
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
The first thing to check is the connectivity options that you have available to you on your device in the settings menu (you’ll want to pick a pair of earbuds that supports your chosen Bluetooth codec, as you’ll be forced onto the lower-quality SBC codec if your buds and smartphone don’t match up.)
You should also check to see if the app that is available for those buds is supported by your device’s operating system. That way, you can be sure that’ll you’ll have access to all of the updates and features to get the best out of your earbuds. Also, if you’re looking to get involved with 3D audio capabilities, check to see if your device hosts either Dolby Atmos support or proprietary brandings like Spatial Audio or 360 Reality Audio. Having one of these options available to you on your phone will be necessary if you want to take advantage of your earbuds’ 3D audio functions.
There are also some other smart features that you’ll want to check that your device supports, such as fast pairing, virtual assistant, and touch control mapping, before purchasing the buds of your choice.
Ultimately, brands are entitled to do as they please, whether we agree with their practices or not. One of the blessings of the current competitive market is that there’s always competition looking to diversify their customer base. The best we can do on our end before pressing that “buy” button is to double-check that we have the appropriate device to take full advantage of all of the state-of-the-art features that big earbud developers design for us.
Halloween is upon us, and there are two things you’ll need to transform your smart home home into a haunted smart house: an Alexa device and a few smart home appliances.
Most people have a home assistant for different tasks – if you’re like me, you saw the Amazon Echo Dot was on sale, and grabbed what you thought was a glorified speaker and now can’t imagine life without it.
Everyone knows you can use your smart speaker to do everything from playing music to checking the weather, what you may not know is that you can also use its voice control and speaker functions to play some Halloween tricks on the rest of your household.
We’ve scoured the internet, and interrogated Alexa, to bring you a list of fun ways to create a haunted home or spook your friends and family with everyone’s favorite, ever-listening home assistant.
Ask Alexa
Spooky Scream
We’ll start with our favorite scary skill, the Alexa Spooky Scream. You’ll need to find the skill on the Alexa app in the search option under ‘skills’, and launch it manually for the first time, but when you’ve done it the first time your device won’t need any prompting for the skill.
Just ask: Alexa, open Spooky Scream
Once you do that, you can set a timer for how long you want her to wait before unleashing a blood-curdling scream. You can get into a lot of mischief with this skill, and if you have multiple Alexas scattered around the house you can really terrorize your friends and family.
Drop in Feature
The drop-in feature on the Alexa app is probably one of the most useful features the little smart speakers have. From your phone, you can ‘drop in’, and send messages to the Alexa at home that will be heard by anyone in listening range. In the app, you can put your different devices into groups like the living room, bedroom, and kitchen, which is perfect for this dastardly plan.
This Halloween, creep your loved ones out by having the Alexa devices around the house talk to them and say things only you, their dearest, a human friend, would know. There’s always the classic “I know what you did”, or a personal favorite of mine, an innocent, harmless comment from Alexa that will definitely put your friends on edge.
Your friend likes to sit in the living room and play video games for hours. Drop in and ask them (via Alexa, of course) if they’ve not had enough video games for the day, who their favorite character is in that game, or better yet, give them unsolicited advice out of the blue.
If you need some ideas of what kind of Amazon Alexa might suit you, you might find our best guide helpful.
Ghost Hunter
This fun task is great if you have little ones that love a ghost hunt. Asking Alexa if there’s a ghost in the home is always great fun, because who would know better than the device that’s always in the home, and always listening?
Just ask: Alexa, is there a ghost in the house?
The fun comes in Alexa’s little scanning noises, or the handful of different responses you can get out of the speaker, and is a great way to spook the kids (in a fun way) or set up a little creepy Halloween vibe.
Ask the Listeners
Ask the Listeners is an experiment in language art that will definitely leave you feeling uneasy. This is another skill you’ll have to launch from your phone for the first time, but once you’ve set it up you’re ready for a good fright.
There are a few basic prompts to get you started, but don’t worry, the Listeners will tell you exactly how to interact with them once you’ve got the basics done.
Just ask: Alexa, ask the Listeners
Once you’ve done that and met the Listeners, you can tell then say “Alexa, tell the Listeners that I am filled with wonder” and ask them how they are feeling in turn. The key to unlocking the truly unsettling nature of this skill is to ask them repeatedly to ‘go on’ or ‘continue’. If you want a good fright, ask them to “let the others speak”.
Some people in the reviews section of this skill have some creepy tales to share, including being asked by the Listeners why they’ve been abandoned by the Alexa user. When I tried it for the first time the Listeners seemed so forlorn and asked me why they feel so lost and hopeless, and then as I prompted them further they became more and more incomprehensible and spooky. I cannot recommend this skill enough.
Setting up your ghoulish lair
Okay, you’ve got your tricks and scares ready to go, so now you just have to set up your crypt and get the atmosphere just right.
Smart home appliances are your best friend in this regard, and we’ll get started with some ambient music and lighting!
Smart lighting for smart scaring
There are a host of different smart lights to choose from, from LED strips to smart bulbs, so as far as options go you have plenty to choose from. You could light up the whole front yard with reds and greens, put a spotlight on your favorite skeleton in the garden, or pop an ever-glowing light into a well-carved pumpkin.
Take your lighting game further by keeping things interactive. If you’ve got your Alexa already connected to your smart bulbs, she can make the lights flicker on command or via your phone. And some smart lights like a few Philips Hue ones can flash or pulse in tune to your malicious music, really amplifying your haunted house aesthetics.
You can control your Philips Hue bulbs on the app, and create ‘scenes’ or rooms labeled up with separate settings to make setting up a lot easier. The Philips Light Strips have the same effect, and using LED strips might be a lot easier to set up, particularly because the Philips Hue bulbs can be rather expensive, but LED strips tend to be a lot cheaper and versatile.
Philips is not the only company that makes good bulbs. Nanoleaf Shapes are a good choice if you’re looking for something more wallet-friendly that will work well with your spooky music. We have a whole list of the best smart lighting devices for you to look at while you ponder what kind of villainous vibe suits you right.
Loads of smart home devices come with their own Halloween apps that will offer a few neat tricks and treats for the harrowing holiday.
Say hello the (f)right way
You’ve got your friends and family in a corner, frightened by the creepy talking dots and domes, ghoulish music, and flashing bloody lights. Before we even get to that point, however, we have to start them off right with a spooky doorbell.
The Google Nest doorbell is one of the few doorbells that will play spooky sounds without a paywall of some kind, so that might be a deciding factor for you if you were already in the market for a smart doorbell. You can set up the Halloween Theme on the app, and shuffle through the sounds as unsuspecting victims make their way into your home
These are just a few ideas of what you can do with your devices! You’ll be able to do a lot of cool, creative things with your space and really get into the creepy spirit. The great thing about technology and its integration into our homes is how easily it fits into every occasion and the fact that you can do so much with just a few bits. Be it a one-bedroom coffin, a family-sized crypt, or your front garden, a smart home can very easily be turned into a haunted one this Halloween.
