If you've landed here without knowing who Suzanne Ciani is, a quick search of the name will unveil a lengthy career in sound design, composition, and even logo creation. She's worked on notable sound design commissions for Coca-Cola, designed logos for over 500 companies, and her innovative compositions have earned her 5 Grammy awards throughout her career.
@ In their short tenure, spanning just a single and an album, with the debut album dropping last year, they've managed to amass a listener base of 126,577 per month on Spotify — an impressive feat in a music landscape where their genre isn't pop (And for a group whose name makes them incredibly hard to search on the web). While certain tracks may evoke the experimental pop vibes of the UK scene, the rest meanders through an eclectic fusion of rock, folk, classical strains, and prog rock.
Just days ago, I found myself at The Town Hall in New York, immersed in an interview with the visual maestro Ai Weiwei, delving into the depths of his latest memoir, 'Zodiac.' In the discourse, he asserted that 'art is about losing control,' dismissing the notion that correctness defines artistic expression. Correctness, he contends, is the domain of machines, particularly formidable AI, which masters the craft by replicating and remixing already perfected works from other artists and writers.
There is no doubt that Bruce is a legend. Not just in the satirical sense that a group of frat bros would throw around the word legend. An actual legend. But let’s separate our emotions from the legend and look at “what used to be” and “what is right now” as two separate points to be discussed. I know it sounds like I am setting up for a complete roast of this project. But this is just the springboard. I haven’t even listened yet, let us dive in.
Bad Omens and Poppy release a new song titled “V.A.N.” I’d say this song is going to be my soundtrack when I run through a cyberpunk city with a katana on a quest to find the “true truth.” The sound is pretty unique and could break some new ground. But if this was the norm, I think I would lose it pretty fast. It is intense and extremely full of little sonic tidbits and changes in dynamics. I appreciate this song just in the same way I would appreciate a one-off encounter with some random lunatic in a big city environment. It can be a whole range of emotions for both parts involved: anger, confusion, sadness, fear, and more. By the end, I’m usually left wondering, “I wonder what that was about,” but many times, finding no answer. This song is very interesting. But as a whole for me, it definitely crosses the line where interest loses focus and turns into either confusion or just white noise.
Benjamin Ingrosso released a single titled “Kite.” This song boasts catchy melodies, a high energy level, and feels like someone put effort into selecting sounds rather than opting for the current template of trap drum/lofi pop. I believe the lyrics pass by very easily, but the song is designed for easy listening, so I'm not really upset with that. The story goes, “I’m a kite and I get high on you, it’s the real thing, I fall in love," etc. Most lyrics are simple like this but have some little themes that set them apart from each other (kite, flying high, hitting the sky), all working together.
We have witnessed how Kali Uchis undergoes a dramatic evolution since her appearance on the timeless Gorillaz album "Humanz." Each subsequent release from Kali has brought forth collaborations with renowned artists such as Lana del Rey and Tyler, the Creator. Now, in her latest album, she collaborates with the current biggest hits in Latin America: Peso Pluma and Karol G.
After a two-year wait that felt eternal, Hiatus Kaiyote has finally released new musical material – a single with two tracks to listen to. Unfortunately, the second track is "Red Room," which is one of the most popular materials from their previous album “Mood Variant”. So, for this article, let's just focus on "Everything is Beautiful."
This January 31, prepare for an auditory adventure as Polygonia unveils its latest masterpiece, "Da Nao Tian Gong" – a musical tale with elements from the timeless Chinese classic, "Journey to the West." Released under the storytelling-focused Midgar Records label.
After a 21-year wait, the legendary artist and ex-Genesis member Peter Gabriel has finally released new musical material. Since the beginning of the previous year, 2023, Peter released one song digitally every Full Moon, with its alternative mix released on the following new moon. This continued until December 1st when the official album "i/o" was released. The album, in total, has 12 original songs, each with two different mixes.
An unexpected collaboration between Mumford & Sons and Pharrell Williams has led to the release of a new song “Good People.” It kind of sounds a bit more soulful, something like Imagine Dragons could brew up. The vocals by Mumford & Sons are bluesy and mostly stay in the same tonality for the whole song. The end has an open bridge which rides the song out. The whole song is driven by the repeating eighth-note claps, which everything else sort of revolves around. Many artists are against using monotonous drum samples and patterns in their songs. But remember, if you have one solid anchor that brings the same rhythm to the whole song, then just play with stuff around that; the monotony can actually fit really well. So it does in this song. You often can’t have a song that is pure structure and order with rhythmics and note choices hitting exactly where people expect them to hit. At the same time, you can’t have a song that is pure chaos, with no cohesiveness that leads the listener to just drop interest.
Jennifer Lopez has just released a new song titled 'Can't Get Enough.' This song is supposed to be from her upcoming studio album 'This Is Me… Now.' It has been about a decade since her last release, 'A.K.A,' in 2014. I guess artists kind of think differently when they release singles before their new projects. Some might pick the songs they want or believe will gain the most traction. Some might choose the song they feel represents the feeling of the album in the most coherent way. But whatever the case, I am curious to find out how J.Lo and her team has figured this one out.
Arianna releases new music for the first time in a long time. Most people believe this song will be a part of her upcoming seventh album, referred to as AG7. This is an upbeat, house-inspired banger with a positive message of self-empowerment. One thing that catches you off guard straight away is the choice of groove for Ari. This house thing is fairly new. I dig it.
KOBeats, the 17-year-old musical newcomer from Lancashire, UK, has just unleashed his debut EP, "Find the Light," featuring the resonant vocals of Kelsie McArdle and the dynamic rap of No_Peace. This marks KOBeats' inaugural release, leaving us intrigued about the enigmatic producer's identity.
