ETHEL + Robert Mirabal: Tuvan Ride

Genre-crossing string quartet ETHEL’s latest endeavor is a new studio album with their regular collaborator, native American musician Robert Mirabal. Merging classical with the sacred and spiritual, The River releases 24 June via Innova Recordings—get a sampling with this recording session of “Tuvan Ride” at Mirabal’s home on the Taos Pueblo, in New Mexico. Strings bounce along with Mirabal’s piercing, birdlike flute as well as …

The Strokes: Drag Queen

In a surprise move last week, NYC indie-rockers The Strokes dropped not one but all three songs off their brand new Future Present Past EP—at roughly the same time via three different radio shows. Each track pushes the band’s signature sound in new directions but “Drag Queen” jostles and jangles along with such force it warrants further attention. There’s definitely an essence of Joy Division …

Unknown Mortal Orchestra: First World Problem

After the wild success of their third album Multi-Love, New Zealand/American Unknown Mortal Orchestra has released a new track: “First World Problem.” The song (whose cover art is by Henrietta Harris) is everything we’ve come to expect from UMO—boppy, upbeat and with just a little modern-day anxiety in the lyrics.