jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 03/18/2022 - Flirting With Pop, Un-Streaming, Songs 4 Sale, Courtney Barnett, Jimmie Allen, MGMT...

The day before yesterday, I received a note from musicians in Kyiv asking me to send them sheet music so they could continue practicing. You go crazy from all of the explosions otherwise. They don't want to evacuate, but they told me: 'We have to keep practicing and making music so that we can remain human.' Open in browser Friday March 18, 2022 Ethiopian-Ukrainian hip-hop trio Fo Sho in Kyiv, Feb. 15, 2020. (Pavlo Bagmut/Future Publishing/Getty Images) quote of the day "The day before yesterday, I received a note from musicians in Kyiv asking me to send them sheet music so they could continue practicing. You go crazy from all of the explosions otherwise. They don't want to evacuate, but they told me: 'We have to keep practicing and making music so that we can remain human.'" - Vitali Alekseenok, Belarusian conductor who has spoken out against his own country's involvement in the war in Ukraine rantnrave:// It's Friday Maybe the poppiest Friday of 2022, with a sprinkle of irony here, a dash of subversion there and hooks here, there and everywhere (and possibly one 97-year-old piano-playing superhero for which pop means Claude Debussy; we'll see)... ROSALÍA, the globalist Spanish pop star who's somehow managed to never have a US top 40 hit, is here to remind us that "I contradict myself, I transform, I'm everything." That's the New York Times' English translation of a chant from "Saoko," the brash, minimalist lead track on Rosalía's third album, MOTOMAMI, which the Times says she set out to make with "no guitars (dominant as they were in her earlier music), 'super aggressive' drums, and lots of keys but minimal vocal harmonies." Reviewing the album for the New Yorker, Carrie Battan notes, "So much of pop's globalism is about smoothing the stylistic edges of genres and eras to make them more palatable, but Rosalía is invested in exposing the seams." Also: "Chicken Teriyaki"... GAYLE captures the edge of being seventeen on her debut EP, A STUDY OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE VOLUME ONE, which features her F-bomb-dropping single "abcdefu" and, why not, its F-bomb-dropping followup. "Life is f***ing weird," the 17-year-old pop-punk sensation told Rolling Stone. It's "so hard, but it's so lovely at the same time. And that's really confusing. Especially when you're growing up." And that's not to mention the awful boyfriends with their Craigslist couches. Fun fact: The Texas-via-Nashville teen had been working through her confusion as a fledgling songwriter for several years before she said "f*** it" and hit pop gold with "abcdefu." There may be a lesson in there for future fledgling songwriters... CHARLI XCX's fifth album, CRASH, is already the matter of some debate as to whether her attempt at making a proper dance-pop album after years of sideways glances at the genre is her sidewaysiest glance of all or a commercial car crash. "Unabashed pop glitter—with a wink," Rolling Stone's Julyssa Lopez writes. "Feels less like a smart concept than a shrug," counters the Guardian's Alexis Petridis. This RINA SAWAYAMA collaboration is basically a three-minute-long hook that skates gloriously over the difference... Ninety-seven-year-old RUTH SLENCZYNSKA is the last living piano student of Sergei Rachmaninoff—he taught her that piano playing is meaningless unless it has color—and her MY LIFE IN MUSIC features pieces by him, her old friend Samuel Barber and others. It reunites her with Decca Records, for which she last recorded during the Kennedy presidency. He's one of the five presidents she's played for. Plus new music from CHEVY WOODS, SEPTEMBERSRICH, LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON (out Saturday), STRAY KIDS, SONIC YOUTH (mostly instrumental rarities), SON HOUSE (unreleased 1964 recordings), DELIA MESHLIR, WEEZER ("SZNZ: Spring" EP due Sunday, the spring equinox), PLURALONE (aka Josh Klinghoffer), JOEL ROSS, MARQUIS HILL, BRAD MEHLDAU, EUBANKS EVANS EXPERIENCE (guitarist Kevin Eubanks & pianist Orrin Evans), DANILO PÉREZ FEAT. THE GLOBAL MESSENGERS, MIDLAKE, RAY WYLIE HUBBARD, HAILEY WHITTERS, CYPRESS HILL, ARRDEE, MARMAR OSO, AEVITERNE, DARK FUNERAL, SLAEGT, HINAKO OMORI, ROBERT HAIGH, BOGDAN RACZYNSKI, DANIELIA COTTON, MATTIEL, YUMI ZOUMA, PLOSIVS (members of Pinback, Drive Like Jehu, Against Me!), HOT WATER MUSIC, FEEDER, PUNKO, OSO OSO, MICKY DOLENZ (sings more Michael Nesmith songs), the DUKE ROBILLARD BAND, COLIN HAY, STABBING WESTWARD, BLUE STATES, PINCH POINTS, the GREAT KAT, GARETH DUNLOP, CODY BELEW, RANDALL KING, and the AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY MUSIC ENSEMBLE's premiere recording of the late composer JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON's 2015 DRONE MASS. Hall of Many Colors The ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME is keeping DOLLY PARTON on its 2022 ballot, which had already been mailed to the Hall's 1,200 voters when Parton announced Monday she'd rather not be considered. In a statement released Thursday, the Hall noted rock's "deep roots in Rhythm & Blues and Country music" and said it sees itself as "not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture." "I still didn't feel right about it," Parton said on FOX & FRIENDS. "It kind of would be like putting AC/DC in the Country Music Hall of Fame." "Her humility," said the Hall, whose first class of inductees in 1986 included Country Hall of Famers JIMMIE RODGERS, RAY CHARLES and the EVERLY BROTHERS, "is another reason Dolly is a beloved icon by millions of fans around the world." It seems likely her humility has also killed any chance of the 1,200 voters actually electing her to the Hall, but we'll see soon enough. In other hall of fame news, JOHNNIE TAYLOR, LUCILLE BOGAN, LITTLE WILLIE JOHN, OTIS BLACKWELL and MARY KATHERINE ALDIN will be inducted into the BLUES HALL OF FAME in May. Two of the five inductees, connected to each other by this R&B classic (consider that link a spoiler for this sentence) are also in the Rock Hall. Rest in Peace Rapper KEVIN "THE LAST SOULMAN" JONES, of Detroit hip-hop pioneers A.W.O.L. - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator el mal querer Complex Are Artists Removing Music From Streaming For the Best Reasons? By Andre Gee Artists like Kanye West and Snoop Dogg are taking a stand against DSPs and removing music from streaming platforms. But who is it really benefiting? The New York Times Rosalía Reserves the Right to Transform By Joe Coscarelli The Spanish pop singer, known for her reinvention of flamenco, has smashed together new sounds from the Latin world and beyond on her latest album, "Motomami," out on Friday. Billboard Songs 4 Sale: To Pay the Bills, Some Artists Are Writing Music Directly for Fans By Chris Eggertsen Members of Stars, Everclear and other acts are turning to the ages-old commissioning model for additional revenue. Jezebel The Muddiness of Marilyn Manson's Attempt to Discredit Evan Rachel Wood's 'Phoenix Rising' Doc By Rich Juzwiak A lawsuit filed earlier this month claims the doc, which just dropped on HBO, is "a one-sided 'documentary.'" Wood begs to differ. Vulture Understanding Courtney Barnett By Brady Gerber "Empathy seems like such a no-brainer for me." Variety Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Responds to Dolly Parton, Says She's Still on Ballot By Chris Willman With voting already well underway, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's position is that, while her "thoughtful" statement is worth consideration, the Hall of Fame is a big tent that includes far more than core rock acts — and it will be left up to the voters. KEXP Creating Music and Community at a Liquor Store Day Job By Emily Fox and James Bookert James Bookert used to tour with a well-known bluegrass punk band, Whiskey Shivers. After burnout and a battle with seizures, Bookert is making new music and community at his day job at a local liquor store. VICE Once DJs, They're Now Driving Dogs and Selling Food Until Nightlife Comes Back By Koh Ewe Since clubs and bars in Singapore shuttered at the start of the pandemic, silence has taken over a once-vibrant subculture. NPR Jimmie Allen put his own spin on country music -- and is now reaping the rewards By Ailsa Chang, Cyrena Touros, Jonaki Mehta... For Jimmie Allen, what makes a country artist isn't how many fiddles and mandolins they have in a song. It's something more natural than that. Dazed Digital What do you actually learn on a Kanye West college course? By Thom Waite Rapper and lecturer Narcy tells Dazed what to expect from his new class at Montreal's Concordia University. los ángeles The Independent David Frost admits his Brexit deal failed touring musicians hit by red tape By Rob Merrick 'We have been too purist on this', concedes minister who rejected EU offer -- breaking promise to rescue visa free tours. SPIN How MGMT's 'Little Dark Age' Became an Unstoppable TikTok Meme By Jonathan Cohen Title track of band's fourth album has spawned more than 5 million videos about social justice, trans rights, anime and the war in Ukraine. NPR Music Records That Changed Our Lives, Grown Woman Edition: Santigold and 'Muthaland' : All Songs Considered By Ann Powers, Christina Lee and Dawnie Walton Writer, editor and novelist Dawnie Walton first heard Santigold's self-titled album in her 30s, and it remained a companion of hers through pivotal moments in her career and personal life. For writer and podcaster Christina Lee, bbymutha's "Muthaland" has served as a crucial reminder that growth takes time, and self-assurance is more important than status. Billboard In Streaming-Centric Industry, All Stakeholders Must Come to Table for Lasting Change By Garrett Levin Streaming is neither the cause of nor the solution to all the music industry's challenges, says DiMA chief Garrett Levin. The New York Times Where Jazz Lives Now By Giovanni Russonello The jazz club, with its dim lighting and closely packed tables, looms large in our collective imagination. But today, the music is thriving in a host of different spaces. Do the M@th New Cecil and the Old Crew in '70s NYC: A Remembrance By Richard Scheinin Go ahead. Jump in. The Cecil Taylor Unit of the early 1970s was a weather system - blizzards of notes, torrential, flooding your senses with its accumulating velocity. To see Taylor at that moment, was to be overwhelmed, lifted, stunned — this was stunning music, literally.  Bandcamp Daily The Ballad of Cherokee Rose By Brad Sanders Don Giovanni gives two albums by the Indigenous singer/songwriter the audience they always deserved. Tidal Rita Marley: Nana, Queen, Empress By Reshma B Both during her historic marriage to Bob and after his 1981 passing, the reggae matriarch has preached the one-love philosophy while nurturing and protecting the Marley legacy. Now 75, she deserves her flowers more than ever. Talkhouse Steve Albini Talks with Max Collins (Eve 6) on the Talkhouse Podcast By Steve Albini and Max Collins A Twitter beef moves into the real world (sort of). what we're into Music of the day "Black Sqr" Fo Sho Sisters Betty, Miriyam and Siona Endale grew up in Kharkiv and discovered pop music from Michael Jackson, Spice Girls and Eminem records. Their parents immigrated from Ethiopia in the 1980s. Video of the day "URGNT Ukrainian Music Showcase - June 3, 2020" Fo Sho Music | Media SUBSCRIBE Suggest a link "REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'" Jason Hirschhorn CEO & Chief Curator HOME | ABOUT | SETS | PRESS Redef Group Inc. LA - NY - Everywhere Copyright ©2021 UNSUBSCRIBE or MANAGE MY SUBSCRIPTION