Typhoon - “Welcome to the Endgame”
Portland outfit Typhoon takes a brutally honest look at where we are in our country with their hauntingly irresistible track “Welcome to the Endgame.” “This song belongs in the present moment and it felt important to get it out in the world now,” said Kyle Morton, vocalist and bandleader of the sprawling rock collective that sometimes has as many as a dozen members. The song is accented by a pulsating beat throughout creating an ominous tension which Morton affirms with his gentle vocal style. Morton also deftly reveals his own introspections with the line “America I’m inside you kicking, screaming at your sinews it’s so easy to blame you but the guilt’s as good as mine.”
Gal Costa & Rodrigo Amarante - “Avarandado”
The Brazilian artist Gal Costa first recorded the song “Avarandado” for her debut album “Domingo” back in 1967. Today we get an updated version from her with the assistance of fellow Brasileiro Rodrigo Amarante, whose work many people may recognize from the theme songs for the Netflix series “Narcos.” While the original version of “Avarandado” was accompanied by a classical string arrangement, this version is uplifted by a spirited bossa nova rhythm and a more mature vocal tenor adding both cultural and emotional depth to the song.
The Staves - “Good Woman”
English sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, known as The Staves, are back after a six-year hiatus which saw them take on several personal challenges, both good and bad. The girls lost their mother in 2018, Camilla went through a painful breakup with a long-term boyfriend, and Emily started a family. “Good Women”, the title song on the upcoming album, exquisitely expresses the inner strength needed to get through such times. The song concludes with a collective affirmation from the sisters of “I am a good woman” belted out with passionate confidence and in dazzling harmony.