Posts by Phoenixx Staff
Surprise! Taylor Swift Drops Her Version Of Song “Wildest Dreams”
While fans are gearing up and hyped for the album Red (Taylor’s Version), the singer surprised the music world with her own rendition of the song “Wildest Dreams”. This track, of course, first existed on the exceptional album, 1989, whose new recording has not yet been announced. The song had been previously previewed in a trailer for the film Spirit Untamed.
Taylor Swift dropped the track Friday, seemingly in response to a TikTok trend where fans were singing along to the song’s bridge. On Twitter she expressed, “”Hi! Saw you guys got Wildest Dreams trending on tiktok, thought you should have my version.” The tweet was accompanied by a link to the song, as well as a gorgeous photo of the singer in some 1989-era shades with a throwback sweater.
Swift first released her own re-recording of the album Fearless (Taylor’s Version) earlier this year. Red (Taylor’s Version) drops this November, and will feature new musical contributions by the likes of Ed Sheeran, Phoebe Birdgers, and Chris Stapleton. Hopefully, a 1989 (Taylor’s Version) announcement isn’t too far away.
Be sure to check out “Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” below!
Article by Tiffany Cuthrell, photo courtesy Taylor Swift
Lorde Announces New “Solar Power” Album, Corresponding World Tour
Lorde has announced a massive Solar Power world tour in support of her upcoming album of the same name. The announcement comes on the heels of her brand new single, “Solar Power”, which dropped earlier this month. Lorde’s much anticipated album is set to be released on August 20th, and will be her first LP release since 2017’s Melodrama
The world tour will kick off in Lorde’s home country of New Zealand next February, and end in Germany next June.
For North America, the UK and Europe, mailing list pre-sale tickets will be available starting Thursday June 24th at 10 AM local time. General sale tickets go on sale Friday June 25th at 10 AM local time.
Check out Solar Power‘s tracklist, and the full list of tour dates below!
Solar Power Tracklist :
1. “The Path”
2. “Solar Power”
3. “California”
4. “Stoned in the Nail Salon”
5. “Fallen Fruit”
6. “Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen It All)”
7. “The Man with An Axe”
8. “Dominoes”
9. “Big Star”
10. “Leader of a New Regime”
11. “Mood Ring”
12. “Oceanic Feeling”
Solar Power 2022 tour dates :
February 26th – Christchurch, NZ : Electric Avenue Festival
February 27th – Upper Moutere, NZ : Neudorf Vineyards
March 1st – Wellington, NZ : Days Bay
March 2nd – Havelock North, NZ : Black Barn Vineyards
March 4th – New Plymouth, NZ : Bowl of Brooklands
March 5th – Auckland, NZ : Outerfields
March 10th – Brisbane, AU : Riverstage
March 12th – Melbourne, AU : SMMB
March 15th – Sydney, AU : Aware Super Theatre
March 19th – Perth, AU : Belvoir Amphitheater
North American Dates
April 3 – Nashville, TN : Opry House
April 5 – Detroit, MI : Masonic Temple Theatre
April 7 – Montreal, QC : Salle Willfrid Pelletier
April 8 – Toronto, ON : Meridian Hall
April 12 – Boston, MA : Boch Center – Wang Theatre
April 15 – Uncasville, CT : Mohegan Sun Arena
April 16 – Washington, DC : The Anthem
April 18 – New York, NY : Radio City Music Hall
April 20 – Philadelphia, PA : The Met
April 22 – Chicago, IL : The Chicago Theatre
April 25 – Minneapolis, MN : The Armory
April 27 – Denver, CO : Mission Ballroom
April 30 – Seattle, WA : WaMu Theatre
May 1 – Portland, OR : Theater of the Clouds
May 3 – San Francisco, CA : Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
May 5 – Los Angeles, CA : Shrine Auditorium
May 7 – Santa Barbara, CA : Santa Barbara Bowl
May 25th – Leeds, UK : O2 Academy
May 26th – Edinburgh, UK : Usher Hall
May 28th – Manchester, UK : O2 Victoria Warehouse
May 30th – Birmingham, UK : O2 Academy
June 1st – London, UK : Roundhouse
June 2nd – London, UK : Roundhouse
June 7th – Paris, FR : Casino de Paris
June 8th – Amsterdam, NL : AFAS Live
June 10th – Barcelona, ES : Primavera Sound
June 13th – Zurich, CH : Halle 622
June 14th – Munich, DE : Zenith
June 16th – Rome, IT : Auditorium Parco della Musica
June 17th – Villafranca di Verona, IT : Castello di Villafranca
June 18th – Sibenik, HR : Saint Mihovil Fortress
June 21st – Cologne, DE : Open Air am Tanzbrunnen
June 23rd – Berlin, DE : Verti Music Hall
Preview by Tiffany Cuthrell, photo courtesy of Lorde
Taylor Swift Announces Red (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift has announced a re-recorded version of her incredible fourth studio album, Red, which originally released in 2012. The new record will include 30 songs, expanding on the previous 16 tracks. Red (Taylor’s Version) will drop on November 19th.
In a post on social media, Taylor expressed, “I’ve always said that the world is a different place for the heartbroken. It moves on a different axis, at a different speed. Time skips backwards and forwards fleetingly. The heartbroken might go through thousands of micro-emotions a day trying to figure out how to get through it without picking up the phone to hear that old familiar voice. In the land of heartbreak, moments of strength, independence, and devil-may-care rebellion are intricately woven together with grief, paralyzing vulnerability and hopelessness. Imagining your future might always take you on a detour back to the past. And this is all to say, that the next album I’ll be releasing is my version of Red.Musically and lyrically, Red resembled a heartbroken person. It was all over the place, a fractured mosaic of feelings that somehow all fit together in the end. Happy, free, confused, lonely, devastated, euphoric, wild, and tortured by memories past. Like trying on pieces of a new life, I went into the studio and experimented with different sounds and collaborators. And I’m not sure if it was pouring my thoughts into this album, hearing thousands of your voices sing the lyrics back to me in passionate solidarity, or if it was simply time, but something was healed along the way.Sometimes you need to talk it over (over and over and over) for it to ever really be… over. Like your friend who calls you in the middle of the night going on and on about their ex, I just couldn’t stop writing. This will be the first time you hear all 30 songs that were meant to go on Red. And hey, one of them is even ten minutes long.Red (Taylor’s Version) will be out November 19.”
Red was a new avenue for Taylor. It explored the world of pop music more deeply with the likes of singles “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble”. It also ushered in the era of Taylor’s signature bold red lips.
In 2019, her former label, Big Machine Label Group sold the rights of her first six albums to music manager, Scooter Braun of Ithaca Holdings LLC. Soon after, Taylor devised a brilliant plan to re-record and release all of those back catalog albums to regain rights to the masters she had created.
This last April, the first of those re-releases (the album Fearless) was greeted warmly to exceptional praise and success.
The digital copies of Red are available for pre-order now, with physical copies and bundles sure to follow.
Article by Tiffany Cuthrell, featured photo by Beth Garrabrant
Lorde Returns With Cheerful Summer Vibes On “Solar Power”
Lorde has returned with a brand new single and perfect summer anthem, “Solar Power”. The song is the first single since her second LP Melodrama, which was released back in 2017.
In her hiatus from music, the New Zealand native has been busy away from the spotlight learning about climate change (she even went to Antarctica with a team of scientists in February 2019!).
Lorde, whose real name is Ella Yelich-O’Connor, hinted that new music was on the horizon in May 2020 via a newsletter to fans. She stated, “I started going back to the studio in December, just for something to do, and to my surprise, good things came out.”
Lorde has taken us on a melodic journey from suburban beginnings to a big city full of discoveries, and now, the shore. If the single is any telling of things to come, we’re witnessing a songwriter in a brighter, yet equally as descriptive creative spot. “Solar Power” is the quintessential summer single for hitting the beach, moving forward, enjoying the sun’s rays, and living in the moment. Lorde colorfully sings, “Acid green, aquamarine, the girls are dancing in the sand. And I throw my cellular device in the water, can you reach me? No, you can’t”.
Lorde’s influence on pop music since her 2013 debut with Pure Heroine has been undeniable. The music world is sure to welcome back her own voice with open arms and headphones at the ready.
Check out the sun-kissed video for “Solar Power” below!
Article by Tiff Cuthrell, photo courtesy of Lorde
Billie Eilish Announces “Happier Than Ever” World Tour
Billie Eilish has announced a world tour in support of her upcoming album, Happier Than Ever.
The short announcement video begins panned out with a view of several empty arena seats. After zooming in, we see in clarity a beautifully blonde Billie Eilish in one of the chairs. At the end of the video flashes a link to billieeilish.com/tour, where dates can be found for the upcoming concert festivities.
Last year, Billie cancelled the remaining dates of her expansive When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
tour due to COVID-19. The tour was set to make a stop in Detroit last March.
The Happier Than Ever Tour dots the globe in 2022, including a stop on March 12th at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena. Tickets go on sale Friday May 28th. The album Happier Than Ever is currently available for pre-order, and will drop on Friday July 30th of this year.
Check out the full list of tour dates below!
Happier Than Ever tour Dates :
February 3 – New Orleans, LA : Smoothie King Center
February 5 – Atlanta, GA : State Farm Arena
February 6 – Charlotte, NC : Spectrum Center
February 8 – Pittsburgh, PA : PPG Paints Arena
February 9 – Washington, DC : Capital One Arena
February 10 – University Park, PA : Bryce Jordan Center
February 12 – Buffalo, NY : KeyBank Center
February 13 – Philadelphia, PA : Wells Fargo Center
February 15 – Montreal, QC : Centre Bell
February 16 – Toronto, ON : Scotiabank Arena
February 18 – New York, NY : Madison Square Garden
February 19 – New York, NY : Madison Square Garden
February 20 – Boston, MA : TD Garden
February 22 – Newark, NJ : Prudential Center
March 8 – Birmingham, AL : Legacy Arena
March 9 – Nashville, TN : Bridgestone Arena
March 11 – Louisville, KY : Yum! Center
March 12 – Detroit, MI : Little Caesars Arena
March 14 – Chicago, IL : United Center
March 15 – St. Paul, MN : Xcel Center
March 16 – Omaha, NE : CHI Health Center
March 19 – Denver, CO : Ball Arena (formerly Pepsi Center)
March 21 – Salt Lake City, UT : Vivint Arena
March 24 – Vancouver, BC : Rogers Arena
March 25 – Seattle, WA : Climate Pledge Arena
March 29 – San Francisco, CA : Chase Center
March 30 – Sacramento, CA : Golden 1 Center
April 1 – Las Vegas, NV : T-Mobile Arena
April 2 – Glendale, AZ : Gila River Arena
April 6 – Los Angeles, CA : The Forum
April 8 – Los Angeles, CA : The Forum
April 9 – Los Angeles, CA : The Forum
Article written by : Tiffany Cuthrell, photo courtesy of Billie Eilish youTube
Billie Eilish Announces New Album, Happier Than Ever
Billie Eilish has confirmed new music is near!
The talented songwriter has announced her second LP entitled Happier Than Ever, set to drop on July 30th of this year.
The 16 track album is available for pre-order now. The beautiful cover features an ivory-clad Billie, looking pensive and radiant. She has shed her signature lime-hued locks for a light blonde style, demonstrating a constant evolution both as a person and an artist.
Billie also announced the arrival of a new song, “Your Power”, hitting the airwaves this Thursday at 9 am Pacific Time. The song was co-written with her brother, Finneas, who has been her long-time songwriting partner.
Happier Than Ever is the follow up to her massively successful debut LP, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? that was released in March of 2019.
Last month, Ms. Eilish added another Grammy to her list of accolades for the track “Everything I Wanted”, winning her second consecutive Record Of The Year award. She previously nabbed the title last year for “Bad Guy”, snagging a total of five Grammys in 2020 for her spectacular debut.
Check out the tracklist below for Happier Than Ever, and pre-order the album (include some awesome bundles!) by following the link here.
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Tracklist
1. Getting Older
2. I Didn’t Change My Number
3. Billie Bossa Nova
4. my future
5. Oxytocin
6. GOLDWING
7. Lost Cause
8. Halley’s Comet
9. Not My Responsibility
10. OverHeated
11. Everybody Dies
12. Your Power
13. NDA
14. Therefore I Am
15. Happier Than Ever
16. Male Fantasy
Preview by Tiffany Cuthrell, photo courtesy of Kelia Anne MacCluskey
Sir Sly Releases Wondrous Track “Citizen”, Featuring Gary Clark Jr.
To celebrate the inauguration of our nation’s 46th President, Joe Biden, Sir Sly has released a brand new song entitled “Citizen”. The track features the exceptionally talented Gary Clark Jr.
After the tremendous shift in power with a divisive lean toward justice and equality, “Citizen” is a wonderful voice to mirror not only where we are coming from, but what we can move on from. From the darkness of the previous years and a debilitating pandemic, now is the perfect time for artists to reflect, look ahead, and lend voice to those that have attempted to be silenced.
“Citizen” is profound, emotional, deliberate, delightful, and most of all, important. With a beat as groovy as the LBC, the track masterfully blends vocals, various instruments, and poignant lyrics to set a stellar tone.
Vocalist frontman Landon Jacobs commented on “Citizen” stating, “‘Stay out of politics’ is something that a lot of people comment on the internet these days. No one wants their beloved musicians, athletes, actors, etc. to say anything political. But how can we not write honestly about the world around us? “Citizen” is a song aimed at shutting down this notion of keeping quiet…. I’m inspired by the people protesting in the streets, the POC leading the charge to dismantle white supremacy, and the other voices speaking out about the myriad of issues we are faced with in 2021. “Citizen” was written shortly after his election and is released to the world as a farewell to perhaps the worst and most divisive president in US history.”
Landon also added that after first crossing paths with Gary years back at the BottleRock festival in California, he came to mind as the needed finishing touch for “Citizen”. Gary’s free-flowing style is a perfect accompaniment, to say the very least.
Lyrically, the song begins building toward a fearlessness to speak up, and to not be a perfect citizen. It bridges toward a verse jabbing directly at the previous chaotic, white supremacist-filled four years.
“Little red hat, signal white pride
What you thinkin’, what you thinkin’?
White lies, sign of the times
What’s the dream that you’ve been dreaming?
You will never make anything great again, and you’re not my friend
Can I get an amen?”
Be sure to check out the full song (with powerful visualizer) via the YouTube link below!
Featured photo courtesy of Sir Sly, preview by Tiffany Cuthrell
ATMIG Is Back On The Scene With Beautiful Single, “Ah Hah”
Detroit’s own After The Money Is Gone (ATMIG) is back with a brand new single, just in time for the new year and a fresh start.
The terrific song, which drops today, is entitled “Ah Hah” and is available on all streaming platforms.
“Ah Hah” was composed during quarantine, and is a wonderfully welcome reflection for our chaotic 2020 year.
With the Coronavirus pandemic touching the entire globe, the gorgeous music emerging from the shadows is a breathtaking rainbow at the end of a very dark tunnel.
The song welcomes the listener with beautiful acoustic guitar, soon joined by percussion and vocals.
Vocalist Tobias Lipski sets the stage, as Julia Hickling sweeps in with accents setting the perfect tone while the story begins. Tobias and Julia’s voices blend and compliment each other in the kind of way that lets you know a band was destined to come together.
The lyrics paint, “Every day at your front door is a smiling face hiding the predator, ah hah… What makes them feel alive is what makes you bleed, beautiful dependency”. Bass, and electric guitar eventually amalgamate, rounding out the song’s incredible sound.
“Ah Hah” exquisitely presents a powerful commentary on companies that capitalize on customer needs and desperation, while still giving voice to so many who have been taken advantage of.
The poignant lyrics make it easy to look back on some of this year’s worst and ugliest moments, brought forth by nothing but sheer greed and selfishness.
With a key change, the band lays down pure poetry…
“Let’s engineer our mother, keep water from our brothers.
Point the finger when it hits the fan.
Let’s make them suffer, blame one another.
Sell the poison, hide the cure.”
Before the final “Ah Hah” chorus, the band delivers one final, impactful line. “…and as you step on me, I’m stepping on the ones deserving of this song – ah hah”.
During a special stream to celebrate “Ah Hah”, ATMIG will be performing a brand new track called “Quiet”. The stream will take place tonight at 10 PM, and gives an insider glance showing the band’s chemistry translating seamlessly from studio to stage. I feel very grateful to have gotten a behind the scenes peak at some of the stream, and it was a true joy to witness the band in action. I can promise you, the forthcoming stream is one you won’t want to miss!
“Quiet” is sure to be another tremendous example that the sky is the limit for ATMIG as they continue to grow, create, and put forth an effortlessly cohesive sound.
As 2020 comes to a close, we can all take comfort in knowing not only are we all in this together, but lovely songs like “Ah Hah” can carry us with some new perspective into the year ahead. ATMIG is hoping to play shows in Chicago and New York over the coming year. Music lovers are joining the band in keeping their fingers crossed that concerts can return in 2021.
Be sure to follow ATMIG on Facebook for updates, and please also visit their official site (which has some awesome merch, too!)
Give “Ah Hah” a listen below.
Preview by Tiffany Cuthrell, photo courtesy of ATMIG
SURPRISE! Taylor Swift Announces folklore Sister Album, evermore
Taylor Swift has announced the surprise release of her 9th studio album, evermore. The album is set to drop tonight at midnight, and will be the sister album to her massively successful previous release, folklore.
In a post on her social media platforms, Taylor reflects, “To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs. To try and put it more poetically, it feels like we were standing on the edge of the folklorian woods and had a choice: to turn and go back or to travel further into the forest of this music. We chose to wander deeper in.”
Notably, as Taylor expresses, her albums have always been pieces that stand alone, and are clearly their own entity. After one era, she plans and moves on to the next. folklore was clearly a very special exception, and I personally cannot wait to wander deeper into those musical woods.
folklore had contributions by the pens of Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff, William Bowery (who is actually Joe Alwyn!), and Justin Vernon. The post previews, “We’ve also welcomed some new (and longtime) friends to our musical kitchen table this time around…”
evermore is available for pre-order now at taylorswift.com.
Preview by Tiffany Cuthrell, photo courtesy of Beth Garrabrant
Run The Jewels Lend Talent & Likeness To Cyberpunk 2077
Run The Jewels debuted a new music video for epic track, “No Save Point” from their contribution to the game Cyberpunk 2077.
The futuristic video, which premiered at the Adult Swim Festival on Friday, nods to characters and themes in the game, including the Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City. Killer Mike and El-P are featured in the game as talented alter-ego duo, Yankee and the Brave. Other cameos include Keanu Reeves, A$AP Rocky, Grimes and more.
The first-person action game is set to drop on December 10th after many COVID setbacks, and will be available on multiple platforms including Microsoft Windows, Playstation 4 and 5, Stadia, Xbox One, as well as Xbox Series X/S.
Check out the hard-hitting track below, as well as RTJ chatting with Adult Swim about the game and new song.
Preview by Tiffany Cuthrell, Illustration by Mad Dog Jones and Tim Saccenti