Toots & The Maytals: Funky Kingston

Singer-songwriter for Toots & The Maytals, multi-instrumentalist and reggae pioneer Frederick “Toots” Hibbert has passed away in Kingston, Jamaica—the birthplace of the music he helped create. His 1968 song “Do The Reggay” remains widely believed to be the first to namecheck reggae (at the time a fledgling genre influenced by mento—Jamaican folk music that combines elements from Africa and Europe—as well as jazz and R&B, …

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From French psych-pop and Danish hip-hop to enchanting covers and collaborations

Ana Roxanne: Suite pour l’invisible From LA-based ambient musician Ana Roxanne’s upcoming Because of a Flower (out 13 November) comes the lush and languid “Suite pour l’invisible.” With sparse and delicate vocals, the tranquil tune is the first from the album, which centers on “gender identity, beauty and cruelty.” Themes and sounds informed by “the experience of identifying as intersex” (which Roxanne publicly imparted last …

Eartheater: Volcano

Avant-pop artist Eartheater (aka Alexandra Drewchin) recently announced her upcoming album Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin, and from it releases the gorgeous, powerful “Volcano.” Beginning with acoustic guitar and piano, soon skittish percussion and stunning harmonies lead the song into an indefinable realm. The album (out 2 October) is composed, produced and arranged solely by Eartheater who drew inspiration from “geological imagery, whose …