Well, it’s been a quick, busy, and stressful week since our last New Music Monday, so let’s get right to the picks this week from our contributors. Today’s lineup includes work by:
- Blake Rainey & His Demons
- This Becomes Us
- The xx
- Leonard Cohen
Blake Rainey & His Demons
Atlanta, Georgia
“Losing My Way”
One of my favorite discoveries this year has been Blake Rainey in all of his various musical outfits. This longtime Atlanta performer crosses a variety of genres from harder edged rock to alt-country tinged soulfulness. This track is from his latest effort, and the band will be having an album release for ‘Helicopter Rose’ on December 8th at the Earl in East Atlanta. – Jon
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This Becomes Us
London, UK
This Becomes US
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The xx
Wandsworth, London
“On Hold”
The xx exploded onto the indie-pop scene in 2005 and while they’ve been relatively quite since the release of their sophomore album, they’ve still remained as a prominent band on the scene. Their latest track, On Hold, from their upcoming release, I See You, shows that their hiatus from recording was well worth the wait. – Petee
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Leonard Cohen
Westmount, Quebec/Los Angeles/This World and the Next
“You Want It Darker” off the new album of the same name, released less than a month before his death
This dark and beautiful new song was released in September. I just listened to it for the first time today. From the lyrics:
“Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name
Vilified, crucified, in the human frame
A million candles burning for the love that never came
You want it darker
We kill the flame
If you are the dealer, let me out of the game
If you are the healer, I’m broken and lame
If thine is the glory, mine must be the shame
You want it darker”
-bill