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Track Review: Carly Rae Jepsen – “Me And The Boys In The Band”

Carly Rae Jepsen has been very busy during quarantine. In May, she released a b-sides album from her acclaimed 2019 Dedicated LP, a piece that felt like a return to the upbeat, summery jams of Emotion. Now, she’s now gone on to release another absolute bop with “Me And The Boys In The Band.” It’s as if Jepsen knows exactly how to lift our spirits during these times, and she has a seemingly endless pool of optimism to tap into.

“Me And The Boys In The Band” is a funky, rhythmic ode to her bandmates and was created with the help of pop producer extraordinaire Jack Antonoff. The accompanying video features clips of each musician in their respective quarantines. Jepsen essentially sings about the good old days of live shows – driving to venues, exploring new cities, and partying afterwards. The longing nostalgia of the lyrics belie its upbeat, cheerful aura, especially when Carly sings, “So just take me to the stage / It’s been lit from the start / I need the summer fun.”

At least in the absence of actual summer fun, Jepsen has sent us all of the warm vibes that she possibly can. The ease with which she churns out these infectious, breezy, and carefree bangers is beginning to almost turn scary. Chalk another one up for the queen of pop music.

Track Score: 4.1

 


Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 21, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: August 21, 2020

Ars Magna Umbrae: Apotheosis
Genre: Black Metal
Label: 1154692 Records DK

Stygian

Atramentus: Stygian
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Label: 20 Buck Spin

everything means nothing [Explicit]

Blackbear: everything means nothing
Genre: Indie-Pop/Rock
Label: Beartrap/Alamo/Interscope Records

Holy Moly!

Blues Pills: Holy Moly!
Genre: Rock/Psychedelic/Blues
Label: Nuclear Blast

Desire

Bob Moses: Desire
Genre: Electronic/House
Label: Domino Recording Co

Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was

Bright Eyes: Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was
Genre: Folk/Indie-Rock
Label: Dead Oceans

The Woes Of A Mortal Earth [Explicit]

Brimstone Coven: Woes Of A Mortal Earth
Genre: Stoner Rock/Hard Rock
Label: Ripple Music

SUGAREGG

Bully: SUGAREGG
Genre: Alt-Rock/Grunge/Indie-Rock
Label: Sub Pop Records

New Age Norms 2

Cold War Kids: New Age Norms 2
Genre: Indie-Rock//Pop/Folk
Label: CWKTWO Corp.

Freeze, Melt

Cut Copy: Freeze, Melt
Genre: Electronic/Pop/Post-Punk
Label: Cutters Record

Nuklearth

Cytotoxin: Nuklearth
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Unique Leaders Records

Grand Plan

Dan Croll: Grand Plan
Genre: Indie-Pop/Electronic
Label: Caroline International (P&D)

Zeros [Explicit]

Declan McKenna: Zeros
Genre:…


Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 14, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: August 14, 2020

A Celebration Of Endings [Explicit]

Biffy Clyro: A Celebration Of Endings
Genre: Alternative Rock/Post-Hardcore
Label: Warner Records

I Must Be Living Twice

Black Marble: I Must Be Living Twice
Genre: Post-Punk/Electronic
Label: Sacred Bones Records

Unitarity

Decoherence: Unitarity
Genre: Black Metal/Industrial
Label: Sentient Ruin Laboratories

Where Only Gods May Tread [Explicit]

Ingested: Where Only Gods May Tread
Genre: Death Metal/Metalcore
Label: Unique Leader Records

Jordin Sparks: Sounds Like Me
Genre: Pop
Label: Disrupt Group

Total Freedom

Kathleen Edwards: Total Freedom
Genre: Folk/Country/Alt-Rock
Label: Dualtone Music

Crave

Kiesza: Crave
Genre: Pop/Garage/Electronic
Label: Zebra Spirit Tribe LTD

Gift Of Sacrifice

King Buzzo: Gift of Sacrifice
Genre: Folk/Experimental
Label: Ipecac Recordings

Peace

Levellers: Peace
Genre: Punk/Folk/Rock
Label: On The Fiddle Recordings

Immersion [Explicit]

Primitive Man: Immersion
Genre: Sludge/Death/Doom Metal
Label: Relapse Records

The Ritual Begins At Sundown

Robby Krieger: The Ritual Begins At Sundown
Genre: Jazz
Label: The Players CLub

Open Up Your Head [Explicit]

Sea Girls: Open Up Your Head
Genre: Indie/Alternative Rock
Label: Polydor Records

Candid

Whitney: Candid
Genre: Indie-Rock/Pop-Rock/Folk
Label: Secretly Canadian

Welcome to Conceptual Beach

Young Jesus: Welcome to Conceptual Beach
Genre: Indie-Rock/Emo/Alternative Rock
Label: Saddle Creek


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Stereolab: A Sputnik Guide

This feature is part of a hopefully ongoing series aimed at exploring the discographies of interesting and/or important bands whose wider body of work is often overlooked on this site. There will be lots of words and a few pictures, but the main deal is that if a band features here, they are good and you should listen to them! And if you already jam them, hit up the comments and explain where and why this is wrong! Get going!


“I saw Stereolab in Bellingham and they played one chord for fifteen minutes / Something in me shifted / I brought back home belief I could create eternity.”

This is unfortunately not my anecdote, but rather a disconcertingly well-timed snippet from Phil Elevrum’s reminiscences on the new Microphones album. It stands out as the only moment on that record that I paused and rewound on first listen last night to confirm that I had heard it correctly, and it solved the problem I had been grappling with as I came to the end of marathoning the Stereolab discography: how on earth do you go about writing a fresh introduction to such an iconic, influential and well-chronicled band?

Fortunately, Phil was so kind as to answer this question by (probably) confirming my loose theory: pick out any forward thinking artist active in the indieverse over the last two and a half decades or so, and…


Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of August 7, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: August 7, 2020

Hunter Gatherer (Ltd. CD Digipak)

Avatar: Hunter Gatherer
Genre: Melodic Death Metal/Heavy Metal
Label: Century Media Int’L

BRONSON

BRONSON: BRONSON
Genre: Electronic
Label: Ninja Tune

Whoosh!

Deep Purple: Whoosh!
Genre: Hard Rock/Blues/Progressive
Label: earMUSIC

Rise and Shine

Cassadee Pope: Rise and Shine
Genre: Pop/Country
Label: Awake Music, LLC

Maleficae Artes

Entartung: Maleficae Artes
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Dunkelheit Produktionen

Dreamland [Explicit]

Glass Animals: Dreamland
Genre: Indie-Pop/Psychedelic/R&B
Label: Polydor

Good Tiger: Raised in a Doomsday Cult
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Progressive Metal
Label: Sheet Happens Publishing

Pyramind

Jaga Jazzist: Pyramid
Genre: Jazz/Post-Rock/Electronic
Label: Brainfeeder

Eight Gates

Jason Molina: Eight Gates
Genre: Country/Folk/Americana
Label: Secretly Canadian

Prisyn

Jaye Jayle: Prisyn
Genre: Psychedelic/Country/Rock
Label: Sargent House

New Truth [Explicit]

Jenny O.: New Truth
Genre: Pop/Country
Label: Mama Bird Recording Co.

Born Here Live Here Die Here

Luke Bryan: Born Here Live Here Die Here
Genre: Pop/Country
Label: Capitol Records Nashville

Fatal Grotesque Symbols - Darken Universe

Messiah.: Fatal Grotesque Symbols – Dark Universe
Genre: Thrash/Death Metal
Label: High Roller

Microphones in 2020

The Microphones: Microphones in 2020
Genre: Lo-Fi/Indie-Folk
Label: P.W. Elverum & Sun

Misery Signals: Ultraviolet
Genre: Hardcore/Progressive/Metalcore
Label: Carpark

Nija

Orbit Culture: Nija
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Seek & Strike

Pink Elephant

Stand Atlantic: Pink Elephant
Genre: Pop-Punk/Alternative Rock/Emo
Label: Hopeless Records

Purple Noon

Washed Out: Purple Noon
Genre: Lo-Fi/Dream Pop/Electronic
Label: Sub Pop Records

Yōkai [Explicit]

Within Destruction: Yōkai
Genre: Death Metal/Metalcore
Label: Ultra Heavy Records

A Day in a Yellow Beat

Yellow Days: A Day In A Yellow Beat
Genre: Pop/Soul/R&B
Label: Columbia


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 31, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: July 31, 2020 –

Such Pretty Forks in the Road

Alanis Morissette: Such Pretty Forks In The Road
Genre: Pop-Rock
Label: Epiphany Music

Born Innocent

Alcatrazz: Born Innocent
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
Label: Silver Lining Music

B7

Brandy: B7
Genre: Hip-Hop/Pop/R&B
Label: Entertainment One

Sex, Death & The Infinite Void

Creeper: Sex, Death & The Infinite Void
Genre: Gothic/Pop-Punk/Emo
Label: Roadrunner

Disavowed: Revocation of the Fallen
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Brutal Mind

A Hero's Death

Fontaines D.C.: A Hero’s Death
Genre: Punk/Post-Punk
Label: PTKF

Hard To Stop

High Spirits: Hard to Stop
Genre: Rock/Heavy Metal
Label: High Roller

Brain Candy

Hockey Dad: Brain Candy
Genre: Alternative/Indie Rock
Label: BMG

Alphaville

Imperial Triumphant: Alphaville
Genre: Black/Death Metal
Label: Century Media

Terra Mortuus Est

Katalepsy: Terra Mortuus Est
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Unique Leader

Indistinct Conversations

Land of Talk: Indistinct Conversations
Genre: Alt/Indie Rock
Label: Saddle Creek

Sucker's Lunch [Explicit]

Madeline Kenney: Sucker’s Lunch
Genre: Indie-Pop
Label: Carpark

Voices

Max Richter: Voices
Genre: Classical/Ambient
Label: Decca

Made of Rain

The Psychedelic Furs: Made Of Rain
Genre: Post Punk/Pop Rock
Label: Cooking Vinyl

Articulation

Rival Consoles: Articulation
Genre: Techno/IDM
Label: Erased Tapes

Only Ashes Remain

Sepulchral Curse: Only Ashes Remain
Genre: Black/Death Metal
Label: Transcending Obscurity

Primal Forms

Shackleton & Zimpel: Primal Forms
Genre: Electronic
Label: Cosmo Rhythmatic

Love Is

Steve Howe: Love Is
Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: BMG


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Here’s a small list of some new releases for the week of July 24th, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors, and by all means, feel free to leave a comment as to what’s missing. How Sowing does this every week is beyond me.


– List of Releases: July 24th, 2020 –

7241
The Acacia Strain – Slow Decay
Genre: Deathcore
Label: Rise Records

7242
Bombay Bicycle Club – Two Lives (EP)
Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Mmm… Records

7243
Courtney Marie Andrews – Old Flowers
Genre: Singer/Songwriter, Americana
Label: Fat Possum

7244
Defeated Sanity – The Sanguinary Impetus
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Willowtip

72415
Gaerea – Limbo
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Season of Mist

7245
Haken – Virus
Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: InsideOutMusic

72418
The Irrepressibles – Superheroes
Genre: Art Pop
Label: OND Recordings

7246
Jessy Lanza – All the Time
Genre: UK Bass, Synthpop
Label: Hyperdub

72414
Kamaal Williams – Wu Hen
Genre: Jazz/Funk
Label: Black Focus

72412
Katie Dey – mydata
Genre: Art Pop
Label: Run for Cover

7247
Logic – No Pressure
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: Def Jam/Visionary Music

7248
MisterWives – Superbloom
Genre: Indie Pop/Alternative Dance
Label: Fueled by Ramen

72410
The Naked and Famous


Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 17, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: July 17, 2020 –

Under My Influence [Explicit]

The Aces: Under My Influence
Genre: Indie-Pop/Rock
Label: Red Bull

Species

Bing & Ruth: Species
Genre: Ambient/Classical
Label: 4AD

Miles [Explicit]

Blu & Exile: Miles
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: Fat Beat

Grim

Dark Sarah: Grim
Genre: Metal/Gothic
Label: Napalm

Gaslighter [Explicit]

The Chicks: Gaslighter
Genre: Country/Pop/Bluegrass
Label: Columbia

Brightest Blue [Explicit]

Ellie Goulding: Brightest Blue
Genre: Indie-Pop/Electronic
Label: Polydor

Eremit: Desert of Ghouls
Genre: Doom Metal/Drone
Label: Transcending Obscurity

The Absence of Presence

Kansas: The Absence Of Presence
Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: InsideOutMusic

Khthoniik Cerviiks: Æequiizoiikum
Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: Iron Bonehead

Maybe We Could

Kllo: Maybe We Could
Genre: Soul/Electronic/IDM
Label: Ghostly International

Skeleton Coast [Explicit]

The Lawrence Arms: Skeleton Coast
Genre: Pop Punk
Label: Epitaph

Lianne La Havas

Lianne La Havas: Lianne La Havas
Genre: Pop/Soul
Label: Warner

Feelings Are Good (Bonus Tracks Edition)

Lonely Robot: Feelings Are Good
Genre: Rock/Pop/Progressive
Label: InsideOutMusic

Mystras: Castles Conquered And Reclaimed
Genre: Black Metal/Folk
Label: Divine Element

Ugly is Beautiful [Explicit]

Oliver Tree: UGLY IS BEAUTIFUL
Genre: Hip-Hop/Pop
Label: Atlantic

Hate for Sale

Pretenders: Hate for Sale
Genre: Punk/Rock
Label: BMG

Ultimate Success Today

Protomartyr: Ultimate Success Today
Genre: Indie-Rock/Post-Punk
Label: Domino

2020

Zombi: 2020
Genre: Progressive Rock/Electronic/Psychedelic
Label: Relapse


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First and foremost, it’s very unlikely that you’ll have heard of Eric Solomon. The Canadian artist briefly surfaced sometime between the late 2000s and early 2010s, most notably with the release of electro-pop single “A.L.L.” in 2010; I remember hearing that on constant rotation, here in Vancouver. At one point it even reached top 20 in the Billboard chart, in no small part thanks to an MTV appearance by Eric on defunct docu-drama The Youth Electric. Perhaps it would be a disservice to Eric Solomon’s musical abilities to focus on the trajectory of his (no longer) public image, but when you have a copy of his EP that no longer seems to exist on the Internet, you can’t help but wonder how someone who achieved a decent amount of radio play and publicity has, quite simply, disappeared from the Internet.

(In fact, “A.L.L.” wasn’t even the only song of Eric to have received radio play; I recall that “I Found Love” and “Lottery”, which both fall into the same stylistic vein, were both on air at some point. Strangely enough, the latter can now only be found in remixed versions.)


Search results reveal no social media presence, as well as few download or streaming links to his material — YouTube comes up with autofill results for song titles that lead to no actual video, and anything that does pop up on video sites…


Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 10, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: July 10, 2020 –

Battle Dagorath: Abyss Horizons
Genre: Ambient/Black Metal
Label: Avantgarde Music

Jump Rope Gazers

The Beths: Jump Rope Gazers
Genre: Indie/Alternative Rock
Label: Carpark Records

Dawn Of Ashes: The Antinomian
Genre: Industrial/Black Metal
Label: Artoffact Records

THE GLOW

DMA’s: The Glow
Genre: Alt/Indie Rock
Label: Infectious Music

Thalassic

Ensiferum: Thalassic
Genre: Folk/Melodic Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade Records

Garbers Days Revisited

Inter Arma: Garbers Days Revisited
Genre: Sludge/Black Metal
Label: Relapse Records

Xoxo

The Jayhawks: XOXO
Genre: Country/Americana/Alternative Rock
Label: SHAM

Healing Is A Miracle

Julianna Barwick: Healing Is a Miracle
Genre: Ambient/Indie-Pop/Dream Pop
Label: Ninja Tune

Pray For It [Explicit]

July Talk: Pray For It
Genre: Rock/Blues
Label: BMG Rights Management

Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again

Kacy Hill: Is It Selfish If We Talk About Me Again
Genre: Dream Pop
Label: Kacy Hill

That's How Rumors Get Started

Margo Price: That’s How Rumors Get Started
Genre: Country/Americana
Label: Loma Vista

Monsters

The Midnight: Monsters
Genre: Indie-Pop/Electronic
Label: Counter Records

Dropped Frames, Vol. 1

2020:  Q1   |   Q2   |   Q3   |   Q4

Sputnikmusic Staff’s 2020 Q2 Playlist

Welcome to the second installment of our 2020 quarterly playlist/mixtape! Below you will find hand picked songs from April to June. Feel free to jam the playlist below while reading what our writers had to say about each selection. Tell us what your favorites are in the comments, as well as any new artists you may have discovered here – or, alternatively, tell us what we missed! Thanks for reading/listening.

.

 

Tracklist:

Ad Infinitum – Marching on Versailles
Do a quick Google search for Melissa Bonny; she’s hot. Not just physically, but vocally. She seems to specialize in power metal, symphonic metal, and is also one of the more convincing female growlers out there. “Marching on Versailles” displays that ability with one of her many bands, Ad Infinitum. “Marching on Versailles” shares a lot in common with the proggy symphonic power metal of a modern Kamelot album execept heavier without nearly as much theatrics and cheese. — Willie

 

Andrew Judah – Hair of the Dog
If you’re into the theatrical, progressive rock of The Dear Hunter, then allow me to introduce you to


OmR8a2TE

Haru Nemuri is a Japanese singer and rapper based in Tokyo. Her style is self-described as hip-hop with the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, and her 2018 debut Haru to Shura became a viral cult classic, leading to a successful Europe and UK tour in 2019. 

She was scheduled to tour America for the first time in March, but all performances (including a SXSW appearance) were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. These have been rescheduled for a September tour. Her new minialbum LOVETHEISM released digitally March 20th and was followed up with a 12” vinyl on June 12th

In between all these developments and rearrangements, Haru found the time to chat with Sputnikmusic about her release and her experience as a Japanese artist on the world stage.

 

****

JohnnyoftheWell/Sputnikmusic: Hello!

Haru Nemuri: Hello!

How’s it going in Tokyo?

While almost all the music industries in Tokyo have not turned back to normal due to the Coronavirus situation, some people get on trains every morning as usual. I think what they think about this situation depends on their standpoints.

Your tour was cancelled, but you managed to reschedule – thank goodness! Can you tell us what it was like for you when things got chaotic and all your plans started changing?

It was so disappointing to postpone my first North American tour and I cursed this terrible situation. Like an insect waiting for the spring in the ground, I could do nothing but sleep and make music in my room.…


It’s easy to dismiss recent works by The Flaming Lips. 2017’s Oczy Mlody is insanely trippy, but not very memorable outside of small handful of sneaky hits. 2019’s King’s Mouth is overbearing in its ridiculous concept, which features a giant baby who grows up to become a king – who then swallows the universe in order to save its inhabitants from an avalanche.  I mean, it’s The Flaming Lips – so these sort of out there stories are accepted as the norm – just as they were back in 2002 for their famed classic Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. They’ve always been easy to enjoy, but difficult to take seriously.

‘Flowers of Neptune 6’ strikes a slightly different tone. While the song still retains the band’s classic penchant for psychedelia and casual drug references (“doing acid and watching the lightbugs glow like tiny spaceships in a row“), the music itself feels much more accessible – rooted in acoustic guitars and soaring verses rather than impenetrable synths or exotic instrumentation. In the video, frontman Wayne Coyne can be seen adorned in an American flag, and also walking through a burning field in a bubble. The imagery isn’t lost on listeners in 2020, where COVID-19 has forced us to live in metaphorical bubbles while the world around us is seemingly in flames. While we do not yet know if there’s a central motif or theme surrounding the band’s upcoming September 11th release American Head, ‘Neptune…


CONTRIBUTORS’ GENRE ROULETTE: ROUND 2

It’s back! By popular demand, some of us contributors (current, former, and new) sat down to introduce ourselves to genres that people in general and we in particular tend to avoid, as recommended by you, the users. Here’s what we thought…

 


 

HARDCORE PUNK

Recommended by cvlts

Assigned to neekafat

Before listening to your two songs, what’s your opinion of hardcore punk?

I mean, all that I really know about the genre is from the classic days of the Misfits and Minor Threat. I’m admittedly not super into those bands (I know, heresy), which is probably why I haven’t looked too deep into the modern equivalents. There’s something so simple about the musicianship to those bands that never quite got me interested (if I want aggression I’d probably just listen to thrash or something), but I’ve always respected the genre and try to keep an open mind.

Nails — “Endless Resistance”

Okay so I won’t lie, I know this band from my decade cram list last year (I jammed Unsilent Death), and I thought these guys were technically grind? This song is definitely not dissuading me from the fact that this is more metal than anything, but I’m kinda into this. The vocals have a weird nu-metal vibe to them and the pace is a bit more sluggish than I’m used to from hardcore. The guitars…


Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of July 3, 2020.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: July 3, 2020 –

Boris: NO
Genre: Drone/Doom Metal
Label: Inoxia

Ashes Coalesce

Convocation: Ashes Coalesce
Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Label: Everlasting Spew Records

So When You Gonna... [Explicit]

Dream Wife: So When You Gonna…
Genre: Punk/Electronic
Label: Lucky Number

Interloper

Holy Wave: Interloper
Genre: Psychedelic/Rock
Label: The Reverberation Appreciation Society

On Sunset

Paul Weller: On Sunset
Genre: Pop/Alt-Rock
Label: Verve Forecast

Q36 [Explicit]

The Rentals: Q36
Genre: Indie-Rock
Label: The Rentals

First Rose of Spring

Willie Nelson: First Rose Of Spring
Genre: Country/Folk
Label: Legacy Recordings


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