Formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2011 by vocalist Laureen Mayberry and multi-instrumentalists Iain Cook and Martin Doherty, Chvrches has become one of the most celebrated electronic/synthpop groups in modern music. However, the origins of the band began eight years earlier when Cook and Doherty met while they both attended the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. While they weren’t initially bandmates – Cook was brought in to produce Doherty’s band – they discovered that they had similar musical interests and a desire to create something new and unique. The duo worked on various projects – together and apart – but were never fully satisfied with the music and bands that they were involved with. Jaded with the direction that alternative music was headed, the duo decided to start their own group. Cook was producing the band Blue Sky Archives and asked vocalist and drummer Laureen Mayberry if she’d like to sing on some tracks by his new electronic/synth band. She agreed and Chvrches was born.

In early 2013, the trio released their debut EP, RECOVER. The band became the talk of the town and appealed to both the music press and the general public alike. Four months later, they released another EP – titled EP – which was followed later that year by their debut album THE BONES OF WHAT YOU BELIEVE. Chvrches became press darlings, and the album was a commercial success. The group, who had only begun performing live a year before, began a world tour that also included television appearances. It took two years before the band issued their second album EVERY OPEN EYE (2015). Again, the album was greeted with critical acclaim and commercial success. The band continued to build their audience, releasing their third album, LOVE IS DEAD, in 2018. Things continued to move forward with the band as the prepared material for their fourth album. The trio worked on their fourth album in two different countries – Doherty and Mayberry in Los Angeles and Cook in Glasgow – during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. After releasing the album’s first single “He Said She Said”, the band officially unveiled their fourth album…

SCREEN VIOLENCE continues where LOVE IS DEAD left off without following in its footsteps. It is a continuation of the bands evolution without copying its every move. With a sound that is both slick and scary, Chvrches mix their synthpop-influenced sound with modern electronica, all wrapped up in the latest production techniques. And their ‘80s roots are showing thanks to a guest vocal from The Cure’s Robert Smith on the album’s second single “How Not to Drown”. The album’s third single, “Good Girls”, is the most immediate and radio friendly track off the album, although the other tracks are not far behind. “Lullabies”, “Nightmares”, “California” and “Final Girl” offer up different musical vibes than the previously mentioned singles, but they are all joined together by that classic Chvrches sound. With heavy beats, hook-filled melodies and synthesizers that reveal different atmospheres as the songs progress, SCREEN VIOLENCE will appeal to longtime fans and new listeners alike. It is modern without lacking emotion and it is retro without sounding like a retread of the ‘80s. SCREEN VIOLENCE is exactly what you want it to be… and more. Explore it over and over again and experience something new each time.

Animated projects aimed at adult audiences have been around since the 1930s when LOONEY TUNES cartoons played in movie theaters all over the country. While children have embraced all the characters in the decades since they were first appeared on screen, many of original ‘messages’ in the cartoons were aimed at an older audience. And while they are now aimed at a much younger audience, when THE FLINTSTONES first aired in 1960, it was in Prime Time and aimed at an older audience. There are many other examples over the years, but not many made as much of an impact as THE FLINTSTONES. The 1989 premiere of THE SIMPSONS changed the animation game forever. Things really started heating up in the early 1990s when REN & STIMPY debuted on Nickelodeon in 1991. And let’s not forget BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD, which debuted in 1993 on MTV. Ever since then, adult-oriented animated series have become enormously popular: THE KING OF THE HILL, SOUTH PARK, FAMILY GUY, AMERICAN DAD, RICK AND MORTY, FUTURAMA, the updated SPACE GHOST, and many others.

One of the most popular animated series over the last 10 years is BOB’S BURGERS. Created by Loren Bouchard, the show premiered in January 2011 and was an immediate hit. While the show’s overall focus is on family, it revolves around a burger joint run by the family. In just 10 years, the Emmy-winning show has spawned a merchandising franchise which includes action figures, comic books, board games, puzzles, stickers, books, apparel, and so many other collectable items. In essence, the show has become a phenomenon. BOB’S BURGERS has been named one of the 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time by TV Guide. In 2017, Sub Pop Records released THE BOB’S BURGERS MUSIC ALBUM, which featured music from the first six seasons of the TV series. The album was remarkably successful, proving that the show has not lost any steam… and that they’ve got a team of writers creating original songs that have remained ear worms for years.

The long-awaited follow-up album, THE BOB’S BURGERS MUSIC ALBUM VOL. 2, has now arrived and it does not disappoint. Available on two CDs or three vinyl LPs, this release contains 90 tracks pulled from seasons 7, 8, and 9 of BOB’S BURGERS and is remarkably varied. From Broadway musical-influenced songs to Disco, Melodic Rock, Pop and other genres, the songs are perfect musical parodies. The songs will remind fans of some of their favorite moments from the TV series yet many of the songs do stand up on their own if you’ve never seen the show. It is always recommended to catch an episode or 50 to become familiar to the characters on the album, voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal.  On THE BOB’S BURGERS MUSIC ALBUM VOL. 2, you’ll also be able to catch performances by Adam Driver, Tiffany Haddish, Jenny Slate, Daveed Diggs, Max Greenfield, Toddrick Hall, Aparna Nancherla, and Matt Berninger (of the National). A perfect release for fans of the show and of quality music, comedy or otherwise.

Born in Hexham, England in 1997, Jade Bird is a British singer, songwriter, and musician. While her music isn’t defined by a specific genre, she has been labeled by several critics as Americana and indie Folk. With many different influences infiltrating her sound, she has also been embraced by fans of Alternative, Country, and Pop music. In the tradition of classic Folk music, Jade Bird is not just a songwriter, she is also a storyteller. The child of a broken home, she began writing songs at a young age. During her last year attending BRIT School (a performing arts and technology school located in Croydon), she recorded a demo, which led to a management deal and then, in 2017, a label deal with Glassnote Records. At just 20 years old, Jade Bird was on her way to becoming one of the UK’s most celebrated singer/songwriters.

Her first EP, SOMETHING AMERICAN, was released in 2017 and garnered her critical praise and, most importantly, introduced her to a larger audience. By the time of her 2018 single, “Lottery”, her popularity had traveled outside of the UK. The single became a big hit in the U.S., reaching the #1 spot on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart and #34 on the Adult Top 40 Airplay chart. Jade Bird’s self-titled debut album was released in April 2019. The album hit #10 on the album charts in the UK and Scotland while sailing to #1 on the UK’s Americana chart. In the U.S., the JADE BIRD album rose to #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and #14 on the Folk Albums chart. The album also included the hit singles “Uh Huh” and “I Get No Joy”.  In 2020, while the world came to a crawl under the COVID-19 pandemic, Jade Bird offered so many people hope with the release of post-debut album singles “Headstart” and “Houdini”.

Now, with the release of her second album, DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIGHT, Jade Bird has added more layers to her sound, making it much harder to pigeonhole her talents. And that, readers, is a good thing. On this sophomore album, she embraces the edgier Britpop influences of her youth while also maintaining control over all the musical elements that brought her international recognition. With songs that still speak to the head and heart, DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIGHT like the precocious younger sibling to the JADE BIRD album. Tracks like “Open Up the Heavens”, “Honeymoon”, “Houdini”, “Candidate”, “Headstart” (not on the vinyl edition) and “1994” are muscular and tough but not necessarily worlds away from her debut album – they still retain the charm of her debut album without sounding as innocent. Her gentle side is reflected in songs such as “Prototype” and “Red, White and Blue”, while other tracks fall somewhere between the old and the new.  DIFFERENT KINDS OF LIGHT is an album of growth, and album of strength, and, in many ways, a beacon of hope.

Founded in 2001 by Scott Robinson and Dan Herrington, Dualtone Records is a Nashville, Tennessee-based label that has released over 200 albums and earned more than 12 million sales in the process. With 16 Grammy Award nominations (and a total of four wins… so far), the label has proven that it is not your average independent record company. Dualtone has continued to be one of the most respected and successful labels in the folk and Americana music universe. In fact, their popularity extends into other genres as well, attracting lovers of indie rock, country music, and alternative. Like a trademark of quality, the name Dualtone means that no matter which release you purchase from them, you’re sure to encounter something special. And while the pandemic has wreaked havoc across the U.S. (and the world), people are turning to music for comfort and hope… and Dualtone’s catalog features many releases that

Since their inception 20 years ago, Dualtone Records has issued releases by classic folk, country, indie, and American artists that are as diverse as they are exciting. And the variety of artists that they’ve released is pretty impressive: Thad Cockrell, Langhorne Slim, Guy Clark, Brett Dennen, Shovels and Rope, Hayseed Dixie, Radney Foster, Roy Acuff, Darden Smith, David Ball, the Silos, the Reivers, McBride & the Ride, Townes Van Zandt, Victoria Williams, June Carter Cash, Mark Olson, Mt. Joy, Jim Lauderdale, Warren Zanes, Norman & Nancy Blake, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Cowboy Jack Clement, Chely Wright, Bobby Bare, BR549, the Greencards, and many others. One of their most recent high-profile acts is Grammy-nominated folk rock group, The Lumineers. Dualtone Records is a label with their finger on the pulse of what people need in their lives. It doesn’t hurt that their releases are critically acclaimed and commercially successful!

To celebrate their 20^th Anniversary, Dualtone has released AMERIKINDA: 20 YEARS OF DUALTONE, a collection that features current and former artists from the label’s roster covering each other’s songs. From Wild Child’s cover of Guy Clark’s “My Favorite Picture of You” to David Ball’s “Riding with Private Malone” by Radney Foster (formerly of Foster & Lloyd), AMERIKINDA is a warm, intimate stroll through the dusty roads of Americana, complete with emotion, honesty, and compassion. Artists like the Lumineers, Gregory Alan Isakov, Drew & Ellie Holcomb, the Lone Bellow, Shakey Graves, Ivan & Alyosha, and Shovels & Rope tackle songs by Oh Pep!, June Carter Cash. Langhorne Slim, and others. The songs – old and new – sound familiar even if you’ve never heard them before. In order to prove that there is still a lot of camaraderie on the label, the Lumineers and Gregory Alan Isakov cover each other’s songs. AMERIKINDA is most certainly something to help guide the listener through today’s trying times.

Soul, retro-soul, contemporary R&B… It really doesn’t matter how you prefer to classify Durand Jones & The Indications. What matters is that Durand and Co. are one of the hottest bands in contemporary music. From critical acclaim to commercial sales, the group goes from strength to strength, gaining new fans with every studio release and live performance. Through hard work, perseverance, and an abundance of talent, they’ve become the new sound of soul music. With a love of the soul music they grew up listening to, Durand Jones & The Indications have embraced the vast possibilities that modern music and technology have given them and they’ve turned these inspirations into something uniquely their own. Add huge dollops of passion and emotion and you’ve got a group that keeps moving forward without sacrificing the true soul that inspired them in the first place.

Formed in 2012 in Bloomington, Indiana, Durand and the band spent the next two years writing and recording their self-titled debut album, which was finally issued in 2016. The band’s members briefly set the band aside in order to pursue other interests. However, thanks to support from a growing legion of fans (including a large portion of the Chicano lowrider community), the band reconvened and toured in 2017. The following year, they headed to Brooklyn, New York to record their second album. Embracing influences from vocal groups, the band’s second album, AMERICAN LOVE CALL (2019), was a bold move forward. Another critical success, the band’s popularity continued to grow. During this time, band members worked on various projects including drummer and founding member Aaron Frazer’s excellent solo album INTRODUCING… (2021). Durand Jones and the Indication’s momentum was slowed down for a short time by the COVID-19 pandemic, but once lockdowns began to ease up in many parts of the U.S., the band’s pent-up energy was put to good use as they went into the studio to record their highly anticipated third album, PRIVATE SPACE.

PRIVATE SPACE is yet another bold move forward for Durand Jones & The Indications, adding 1970s disco and 1980s electro soul influences to their oeuvre. The album’s energy is one of exuberant hope laced with just a bit of cautious confusion. It is an optimistic release born from a year-long period of uncertainty. However, regardless of the dark times that the world went through in 2020 and the beginning of 2021, the album’s overall vibe is sweet and soulful. PRIVATE SPACE’s unique sound is due to the band’s musical confidence and their understanding of what makes soul music soulful – it comes from the heart AND soul. It is a more intimate album, filled with warm grooves, beautiful chord changes and thoughtful lyrics. While not sounding like Philly soul, many of the songs are most certainly influenced by that early-to-mid 1970s era. Tracks like “Love Will Work It Out”, “More Than Ever”, “I Can See”, “Reach Out” and the title track have a mid-tempo groove that is both emotional and powerful. Uptempo tracks like “The Way That I Do”, “Sea Of Love”, and the single “Witchoo” will set your heart ablaze while turning you into a sweaty dancin’ machine. From their souls to yours, Durand Jones & The Indications’ PRIVATE SPACE is a triumph.