Unknown Mortal Orchestra: SB-09

Each year, Unknown Mortal Orchestra releases an instrumental song over the holiday period and the latest, “SB-09,” provides listeners with 19 minutes of laidback, meandering, genre-blending bliss. With Ruban Nielson on guitar and his brother Kody on percussion, the song comprises elements of post-punk, surf-rock, reggae and more with tropical guitar, barking dogs, voices and other effects. On Twitter, Nielson said the shapeshifting track is …

Röyksopp: (Nothing But) Ashes…

Despite stating that their 2014 album, The Inevitable End, would be their final LP, icons of contemporary electronic music Röyksopp (aka Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge) have released rarities and B-sides since then. Now they return with a new track called “(Nothing But) Ashes…” which could possibly tease a new project dubbed Profound Mysteries. The moody two-minute track opens with soft keys before introducing dark strings and …

Best of CH 2021: Listen Up

From house-inflected nu disco to experimental indie, 20 tracks that moved us this year

Whether buying records, sharing songs, making collaborative playlists or seeing live performances, our voracity for music seems to be never-ending. Our favorite releases from this year vary and, like the year itself (unsteady, unpredictable, at times joyous and others disquieting), follow no clear theme. While genres continue to be less important and harder to define, we found ourselves grounded by elements of neo-soul, loosened up …