Dan Deacon: Become a Mountain

Dan Deacon’s “Become a Mountain” combines classical and airy indie, and references Deacon’s time spent creating music of both genres. (Deacon’s upcoming album Mystic Familiar will mark his return from four years of film scoring.) The sprawling song—beginning with keys and whispered vocals—builds over its four minutes, eventually turning into an ethereal piece that’s laden with strings. Deacon explains in an accompanying announcement that meditation …

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A posthumous single from Mac Miller, a live performance by Mykki Blanco, magnetic folk-pop melodies and more new music this week

Albon: Big Sur Theme The warm, folk-pop melody of LA-based singer-songwriter Albon’s “Big Sur Theme” evokes sun rays on the mountainous strip of Californian coast. Albon (aka Alexander B Lappin) wrote the song on a trip through the area and took inspiration from the orcas in the water beside. Woodwind instruments join strings and light percussion to build the beautiful soundscape, ribboned together by Lappin’s …

Mac Miller: Good News

The first single from Mac Miller’s posthumous record, “Good News” moves slowly, emphasizing the artist’s somber but clear-minded lyrics. He had finished a significant portion this new album, Circles (out 17 January via his estate), and together with Swimming (his fifth and last album), it would complete a concept—Swimming in Circles—producer Jon Brion and Miller (born Malcolm McCormick) planned to release. After Miller’s passing, Brion was …