In October of 2019, Metallica and The San Francisco Symphony teamed up once again, 20 years after the two legendary and seemingly dichotomous entities first collaborated on an epic set of concerts billed as Symphony and Metallica (S&M). S&M2 features 20 songs (that’s more than 2.5 hours of music) from the two-night event that blew the doors off of San Francisco’s Chase Center. There are many Metallica fan favorites here and two unique classical pieces chosen by San Francisco Symphony Musical Director Michael Tilson Thomas. S&M2 has been newly re-edited by the band with remixed and remastered audio.
Written by Anjimile Chithambo in collaboration with Justine Bowe (Photocomfort) and New-York based artist/producer Gabe Goodman, Giver Taker , the gorgeous debut album by Anjimile, grapples with sobriety; reconciling trans identity, spirituality, and religious upbringing; and forging new futures that honor complex histories. Giver Taker spans evocative pastoral ballads, warm pop songs, and choral swells in a world where death and life are always entwined, wrapping around each other in a dance of reverence, reciprocity, and rebirth.
Washed Out, the Atlanta-based producer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Ernest Greene, delivers his most accessible creation to date with his fourth album, Purple Noon . With each release, Greene has approached his evolving project with meticulous detail and a steadfast vision. Greene wrote, recorded, and produced Purple Noon following a brief stint of writing for other artists (most notably Sudan Archives). His time writing for others enabled Greene to explore genres like R&B and modern pop. These brighter, more robust sounds made their way into the songs of Purple Noon and mark a new chapter for Greene. The vocals are front and center, tempos are slower, beats bolder…you can hear the luxuriousness of Sade, the sonic bombast of Phil Collins, and the lush atmosphere of the Balearic beat classics. Mediterranean coastlines inspired Purple Noon , and Greene pays tribute to the region’s distinct island culture using it as a backdrop to tell stories of passion, love, and loss. Purple Noon ’s title comes from the 1960 film based on the novel The Talented Mister Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, and much like romantic Hollywood epics, the melodrama throughout this album is strong. Purple Noon adds a layer of emotional intensity to the escapism of Washed Out’s oeuvre, taking the music to dazzling new heights.
Twenty-five years after Elliott Smith's self-titled second album was released to little fanfare by the press, this highly-influential work gets the attention it deserves from the good folks at the Kill Rock Stars label. Smith is a songwriter of great emotional depth whose influence on indie rock cannot be underestimated. This influence continues to expand and shape music years after his death, and this dark and beautiful album is considered his seminal work by many. The anniversary reissue includes many bells and whistles for fans, but the most thrilling detail for many will be the inclusion of the earliest known recording of Smith performing as a live solo act. The Smith family’s official archivist, producer and engineer Larry Crane, sorted through archive of reels, cassettes, DAT tapes, and digital files to locate the best sources for Smith’s first-generation mix downs.
