Category: good to hear

Remembering Ashla Bhosle
Evergreen Hit Songs | Bollywood Classics
Indian playback singer, businesswoman, actress and television personality Asha Bhosle, who predominantly worked in Indian cinema, passed away on April 12 at age 92. She was one of the greatest and most influential singers in Hindi cinema. A national treasure, she received every possible prize in her home country. as well as 2 Grammys, The Guinness Book of World Records acknowledged her in 2011 as the most recorded artist in music history. Bhosle was the younger sister of playback singer Lata Mangeshkar and belonged to the prominent Mangeshkar family. Renowned for her soprano voice range and versatility, her work included film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian classical music, folk songs, qawwalis, and Rabindra Sangeet. Apart from Hindi, she sang in over 20 Indian and foreign languages. The New York Times honoured her here.
Universal Music India

Remembering Afrika Bambaata
Just Get Up and Dance from The Decade of Darkness
A pioneering rapper and DJ from the Bronx, Afrika Bambaata (April 17, 1957- April 9, 2026) was often called the “Godfather of Hip-Hop”. His reputation was tainted by laler accusation of child sexual abuse. The New York Times writes: “Mr. Bambaataa, who was born Lance Taylor, was hailed as a master of records and drew from a wide range of genres and sources, including European industrial bands like Kraftwerk (‘Trans-Europe Express,’ ‘Numbers’) as well as funk and salsa. He often removed or masked the labels of his records to obscure the music’s origins..” Just like he masked his true self. His music is on another page.
Expanded Music

Dogstar
All in Now
Not everybody is aware of Keanu Reeves’ alternate career in music, but here he is shredding it on bass. Dogstar is an American alternative rock band formed in 1994 in Los Angeles, California. The band consists of drummer Robert Mailhouse, bassist Keanu Reeves and guitarist/lead vocalist Bret Domrose, who joined in to become the vocalist, which he has been since 1991. “it’s impossible not to acknowledge Keanu Reeves here. On bass, he locks in with drummer Robert Mailhouse to create a steady rhythmic backbone that keeps the track moving without ever trying to steal the spotlight. It’s solid, grounded playing that serves the song exactly the way it should.” (Blurred Culture)
Dillon Street Records

Juliane Gamboa
Canto de Osannha  – Best New Artist Showcase 2025 Latin Grammy
Naming Elis Regina, Michael Jackson and hip-hop as some of her influences, Juliane Gamboa is bringing the sound of Brazil back to the big stage. Gamboa was raised in a musical family in Morro da Cocada where she sang in her catholic church choir. She graduated with a degree in Art History  from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and combines her musical career with work as an activist and curator. As a singer-songwriter she leans towards jazz, samba and MPB (Música Popular Brasileira). She says: As a Black woman raised by a hardworking family, assuming myself as an artist was very difficult for a long time. I needed to reconnect with my ancestry through silence, solitude, spirituality, and community in order to start listening to myself.”
Blue Note

Paul McCartney
Days We Left Behind from The Boys from Dungeon Lane
“The boys of Dungeon Lane” was a lyric used by McCartney in the song “In Liverpool”, an early demo for his 1993 album Off the Ground. Dungeon Lane is a road in Speke area of Liverpool, and the album is generally inspired by McCartney’s childhood memories. The lane leads from Speke to Oglet Shore on the Mersey and was popular with birdwatchers. “The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ is not only the first new solo album to be released by Paul in over five years; it is a collection of rare and revealing glimpses into memories never-before shared, along with some newly inspired love songs.” McCartney’s voice has aged remarkably well.
MPL/Capitol Records

Remembering Country Joe McDonald
Feel Like I’m Fixing to Die Rag
I wasn’t at Woodstock (we wanted to go, but the roads were already gridlocked for miles around), but when I hear Country Joe’s voice, I immediately get goosebumps. Not least because millions are taking to the streets again in the US. And demonstrators in cities across the world are joining them to show their solidarity and to emphasise their own desire for peace and democracy. The New York Times has dedicated an obituary to Country Joe. He called a spade a spade cleverly and with a scathing boldness few other lyricists have achieved before or since. Great thanks are due. (SGS)
Vanguards Records

Fuerza Regida
Marlboro Rojo
FUerza Regida was originally a Californian cover band with Mexican roots. It was founded by Jesús Ortíz Paz (lead singer), Samuel Jáimez (backing vocalist and guitarist), Khrystian Ramos (rhythm guitarist) and José “Pelón” García (sousaphonist); In 2022, Moisés López (tololoche, a type of cello) joined the line-up. Originally known as a norteño band, they later incorporated various subgenres into their music, including ‘corridos tumbados’, of which they are considered pioneers. They combine the traditional storytelling and instrumentation of the Mexican corrido (guitars, brass instruments) with trap music, hip-hop and lyrics that deal with city life, luxury, drugs and resilience.
Rancho Humilde

Chinese American Bear
Magic Number
Chinese American Bear is an American pop duo from Seattle, Washington, consisting of husband and wife Lingbo Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten. They play psychedelic C-pop music with lyrics in Mandarin and English. Tong, a classically trained pianist, studied economics at Princeton and the University of Chicago, whilst Barsten studied art. He was a member of several New York indie bands. Whilst he was learning Mandarin, he and Tong began writing music together for the first time. Unlike Barsten’s previous experiences with other bands, the music he wrote with Tong was more ‘fun’. Tong, on the other hand, says: ‘Bryce drew me into it. It was never my dream to be in a rock band and go on tour with a rock band. Now it is.’“
Moshi Moshi Records

Brontës
Asking for a Friend
Brontës are an alernativ, female fronted band out of Yorkshire. “Asking for a Friend” is the fourth digital single from Brontës’ upcoming debut album, set for release in April. Their First single, “Cognitive Dissonance,” was released on 22 August, a sunny indie rock hit full of catchy guitar licks and classic pop lyricism. Brontës are Eva on vocals and guitar, Amelia on drums and vocals, Erin on guitar and vocals, Katie on bass and vocals. With a brand new look, attitude, and sound, Brontës have reinvented themselves as a four-piece rock-pop band influenced by generations of classic pop music, such as Sabrina Carpenter, Blondie, and the Ronettes.
Last Night From Glasgow

Squarepusher
K2 Central (from the upcoming album Kammerkonzert)
Thomas Russell Jenkinson, known professionally as Squarepusher, is an English electronic musician, record producer, bassist, multi-instrumentalist and DJ whose career started in the nineties. His music spans several genres including drum and bass, IDM, acid techno, jazz fusion, and electroacoustic music. Tom Jenkinson was born and grew up in Chelmsford, Essex, England. The first school he attended exposed him to organ music. He later became interested in house, music, hardcore acid house and techno. Kammerkonzert, out April 10, follows 2024’s Dostrotime and last year’s archival release Stereotype.
Warp Music

In Memoriam Ebo Taylor
Come along
Ebo Taylor passed away on 7 February. He was a guitarist, composer, bandleader, record producer and arranger who influenced African  music for over six decades. “Deroy Ebow Taylor was born on Jan. 6, 1936, in Cape Coast, the capital of the British Gold Coast colony, the future Ghana. He was the son of Samuel Taylor, the choirmaster at St. Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, and Sarah Taylor. Ebo, as he was called, started playing the piano at 6 and the organ at 9.” (The New York Times) He learned to play the guitar at St. Augustine, joined ever bigger local groups until, in Ghana, he broke through with the Stargazers. His career included partnerships with Fela Kuti, Ludacris, Black-Eyed Peas and many others. Ebo Taylor’s love of highlight and afrobeats defied set terms.(SGG)
Essiebons

Harry Styles
Aperture
Harry Styles will release his fourth album on March 6, my birthday. Thanks. The advance track presented here is well done and contains some nice surprises. Not bad for someone who entered the music scene via The X Factor and joined the boy band One Direction in 2010. Styles’ career has been meteoric. He has a clear baritone singing voice and has been compared with the young Sinatra or David Bowie. His videos regularly win prizes and charm audiences worldwide. Harry Styles is also an impressive art collector, someone who seems to know what he’s doing. Welcome back! (SGS)
Columbia

Gorillaz
The Mountain
Gorillaz, the virtual British band founded by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewett, has made its long-awaited comeback. Their new record stands out for its immersive music. Gorillaz live in a universe represented in media such as music videos, interviews, comic strips and short cartoons. Gorillaz’s projects have included collaborations with a wide range of musicians and featured artists, with Albarn as the only permanent musical contributor. Gorillaz has presented itself live in a variety of different ways throughout its history and received a number of important awards.
Parlophone

Barbican Quartet
Poem for String Quartet
Amarins Wierdsma, violin, Kate Maloney, violin, Christoph Slenczka (viola), Yoanna Prodanova, Cello – the Barbican Quartet is an original voice on the international chamber music scene. Praised for their unique sound and character, as well as for intensely personal and intelligent performances, the Barbican Quartet celebrates the individual strengths of its members and at the same forges these into a homogenous entity, exploring with fervour both the great string quartet repertoire as well as contemporary music.
Genuin

Immanuel Wilkins
Emanation /Don’t Break – from the album The 7th Hand
“The music of saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins is filled with empathy and conviction, bonding acts of melody and lamentation to gestures of space and breath, Listeners were introduced to this riveting sound with his acclaimed debut album Omega, which was named the number one jazz album of 2020 by the New York Times. The album also introduced his remarkable quartet with Micah Thomas on piano, Daryl Johns on bass, and Kweku Sumry on drums: a tight-knit unit that Wilkins features once again on his stunning sophomore album, The Seventh Hand.”
Blue Note Records

Lucinda Williams
The World’s Gone Wrong (full album)
To support our American friends, we are presenting you with a series of protest songs this issue. The singer-songwriter and solo guistarist Licinda Williams (1953) recorder her first albums in the seventies. Williams’ commercial breakthrough came in 1998 with Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, an album presenting a broader scope of songs that fused rock, blues, country and Americana into a distinctive style that remained consistent and commercial. The success of her career has been marked with many prizes and other recognitions.
Lost Highways

Bruce Springsteen
Streets of Minneapolis
“Bruce Springsteen is dedicating his new song to the people of Minneapolis, criticizing President Donald Trump’s ongoing immigration enforcement operations in the city.The lyrics of ‘Streets of Minneapolis,’ released Wednesday, describe how ‘a city aflame fought fire and ice ‘neath an occupier’s boots,’ which Springsteen calls ‘King Trump’s private army.’ Springsteen in a statement said he wrote and recorded the song over the weekend and released it in response to a second deadly shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.”(Texarkana Gazette)
Columbia

Joe Clark Music
Believe Your Eyes. A Protest Song for 2026
“It’s about history repeating itself, propaganda wearing new faces, and being told not to trust what’s right in front of us. Same playbook. Different war.” Kentucky born Calrk’s first two full-length albums, Storyteller and 10 Years Too Late, showcase an artist leaning into his acoustic roots. Word-of-mouth support quickly built him a devoted local following, and in 2024 he earned the Appy Award for Album of the Year. Both records are filled with relatable songwriting that tackles timeless struggles set against modern, often dark realities.
Sparks and Shadows

Jeremy Messersmith
Fuck This
“Let’s just get this one out of the way. Armed with his ukulele and a string arrangement by Dan Lawen, Messerschmidt unloads the F-bomb on the situation and the parties involved. He is working on turning it into a collaborative effort by offering up a lyric sheet and an uncensored version of the track and inviting vocalists to send in a file to be added to a ‘giant choir version’ of the song.” (The Current) Bandcamp plays the song uncensored; other outlets don’t. Jeremy himself calls it an “F-Bomb Dr. Seuss song.”
Bandcamp

Cloud Cult
Compassion
A lady on the corner waves a cardboard sign with a bible verse / But deep down she just wants the pain to end / And the guy in the car behind you looks totally enraged / But what you don’t know is he just lost a friend / And the demons that we’re all blaming / Are wounded parts of me and you / Yeah, most us just need a frickin’ hug. / And the Beatles are on the radio, so you roll down all  your windows / As you sing along to “All you Need is Love.”
See also this concert clip of Cloud Cult.
Earthology Records

The Kid LAROI
A Cold Play
Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard (born August 17, 2003), known by his stage name Kid Laroi (stylized as Kid LAROI), is an Australian singer, rapper, and songwriter. He was discovered by Triple J Unearthed in 2016 at the age of 13. As he gained a larger fan base, he was signed to Lil Bibby’s Grade A Productions, a joint venture with Columbia Records. He gained mainstream recognition with his 2021 single “Stay” (featuring Justin Bieber), which topped the charts in numerous countries, including his native Australia, as well as the Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Hot 100.
Columbia

Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore
Tragic Magic
“Tragic Magic brings together Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore, two of contemporary ambient, experimental and electronic music’s most celebrated composers, for a unique collaboration at the Philharmonie de Paris, with extraordinary access to the Musée de la Musique’s instrument collection, in partnership with the French label InFiné. The album features seven immersive, evocative compositions guided by the human spirit – intimate, grounded in friendship, both earthly and cosmic – and part of a greater continuum, reflecting the solace and transformative power of artistry across generations.” (Bandcamp)
inFiné

Van Morrison
Remembering Now
Morrison began performing as a teenager in the late 1950s, playing a variety of instruments including guitar, harmonica, keyboards and saxophone for various Irish showbands, covering the popular hits of that time. Known as “Van the Man” to his fans, Morrison rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Belfast R&B band Them, with whom he wrote and recorded “Gloria. His solo career started with the release of the hit single “Brown Eyed Girl” in 1967. He has a new album coming out on 23 January, Someone Tried to Sell Me a Brdige. Good to hear his voice so clear in this slow, spoke-word piece, promising more to come.
Warner Records

Cumbia para la Previa (Mix Fiestero)
Mix Verano 2026
Here we have a whole range of cumbia stars from who make our feet move with their music andhelp us look fordward to spring, though it still seems far away. The cumbia pop genre emerged in the mid-2000s when some musical groups from Uruguay and Argentina made covers of popular songs, mixing them with elements of cumbia and pop, and posted them on YouTube. One of the pioneers was the Uruguayan group VI-EM, followed by the Argentine group Agapornis. However, it did not gain much notoriety, but at that time other sub-genres such as cumbia villera were more popular.
Montevideo Music Group

Yumi Zouma
In Camera
Yumi Zouma are a New Zealand alternative pop band from Christchurch. The band consists of Christie Simpson (vocals, keyboards), Josh Burgess (guitar, bass guitar, vocals, keyboards), Charlie Ryder (guitar, bass guitar, keyboards), and Olivia Campion (drums). The band’s name is an amalgamation of the two friends who encouraged the group to start writing together. The band did not begin writing music together until multiple members moved abroad and began collaborating over email following the events of the Christchurch earthquake. This early material gained attention within the musical blogosphere and encouraged American label Cascine to sign the band before they had played live or held a band practice.
Cascine

 

Lily Seabird
Trash Mountain
Since 2023, Vermont songwriter Lil Seabird’s life has been in perpetual motion, spending nearly half of that time on the road performing her own music and as a tournig bassist with Greg Freeman, Lutalo, and Liz Cooper. While she thrives in transit, back home she in anchored by “Trsah Mountain,” a ink house surrounded by other artists and creators situated on a decommissioned landfill site as the back of Burlington’s Old North End. Here, Seabird has found belonging, friendship, and inspiration.
Macro Sound

Jethro Tull
Aqualung
One of the iconic band of the seventies, Jehtro Tull is back on the road, Ian Anderson showing that the flute is as suited to Rock ‘n Roll as any instrument. “Frontman Ian Anderson has wielded the instrument – a favorite among middle-school-band girls and wandering minstrels for almost a thousand years – like a madman onstage, aggressively blowing solos usually reserved for guitars or saxophones. But paired with the band’s era-spanning brand of prog-folk music – expertly displayed on 1971’s breakthrough ‘Aqualung’ album – the flute has become a weapon of mass destruction in Anderson’s hands.”  More here.
Chrysalis Island

Country Orchestra Christina Brunner
Fahre (Travelling)
Kristina Brunner (1993) studied cello with a focus on folk music and Schwyzerörgeli (swiss arcordeon) with Markus Flückiger at the Lucerne School of Music. Since 2019, she has been teaching Schwyzerörgeli at music schools in the Gürbetal region and the city of Lucerne. She also performs regularly in concerts, primarily in duos with Evelyn Brunner and Albin Brun. Kristina Brunner’s roots lie in traditional Swiss folk music. After eight unique works by male composers, Kristina Brunner is the first woman to be commissioned to write a piece for the traditional “Stuberte am See” (Lake Session). The same piece newly available here.
Global Sounds

Shouse
Collective Ecstacy
Shouse is Ed Service and Jack Madin from deep in the colony of Melbourne/Naarm Australia. They are two best friends who like to hang out tinkering on drum machines and synths making weirdo-house. From time to time they get the local choir together to make a global anthem. Sometimes they lead choirs of thousands in a cathedral into ‘communitas’, rituals of transcendence. Shouse is all about collective effervescence, communal ecstasy, singing, dancing, musiking, together as one. Check out the far out visuals on their website here.
Smooch

Wet Leg
CPR
“Since Wet Leg emerged three years ago, its trajectory into indie-rock stardom has been a series of alm,ost absurd feats. Pals from the Isle of Wight, England — a far reach from a musical hot spot — the group saw its self-titled debut LP explode, a chart-topper in the United Kingdom that also earned two Grammys. “Chaise Longe” perhaps history’s catchiest track about a grandfather’s upholstered chair, had vocal fans in Elton John, Lorde and Dave Grohl; seemingly overnight. Wet Leg ascended from dingy clubs to stadiums, opening for Foo Fighters and Harry Styles.” (The New York Times)
Domino