What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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"Below the Salt" Haley Blais Tiny Kingdom Music Vancouver breakout artist and singer/songwriter Haley Blais expertly puts into song so much of what humans are feeling. For years now, Blais has turned out song after song of unforgettable and defiant scream-into-your-pillow bedroom anthems. She's organically grown an online community and reputa- tion for her witty commentary and self-deprecating, self-loving balladry sung out in operatic crescendos. With production help of indie favourites Tennis and Louise Burns, Blais' powerful voice and astounding knack for melodic detail flourish on her debut, "Below the Salt," which dropped Aug. 25. Blais' signature sound has matured into a distinct new voice. The record bursts out of the gate in a flurry of drums and keys, soaring synths have replaced ukulele noodling, and confidence has replaced doubt as Blais belts out rock and roll confessionals by way of Stevie Nicks, Karen Carpenter, and Hayley Williams. Her lyrics riff on the joys and banalities of the every day, on the need to break apart and away from an uninspiring life, on radical acceptance, and manifest- ing a world where you feel proud of yourself and who you're surrounded by. "Shame" Uniform Sacred Bones NYC industrial trail blazers Uniform reveal the meaning behind the title track from their new album "Shame," out Sept. 11: "'Shame' is the song that sets the thematic tone for the rest of the record, which seems appropriate for a title track. It is a portrait of someone riddled with regret in the process of drinking themselves to death. Night after night they sit in dark reflection, pouring alcohol down their throat in order to become numb enough to fall asleep," vocalist Michael Berdan explains. Over the past decade, Uniform's Michael Berdan and Ben Greenberg have bulldozed a path to the forefront of the underground. Through their various projects and Greenberg's production work (Bing & Ruth, Pharma- kon, Johann Johannson and many more), the two have served as major forces and key members of NYC's experimental, electronic, punk and metal scenes. "Shame" marks the debut of Mike Sharp on drums, adding a natural fire to the engine. "Host" Cults Sinderlyn Cults, aka multi-instrumentalist/singer Madeline Follin and multi-instrumentalist Brian Oblivion, reveal that their forth single "Monolithic" off their fourth studio album "Host," out Sept. 18, is a larger-than-life album closer that surrenders to the overwhelming power of a true and lasting connection. While the album at large is about parasitic relationships, "Mono- lithic" wraps up this tale with a strong magnetic force pulling you back to the light. A kind of happy ending, the song is about giving in, and getting outside your- self even if you aren't sure what the outcome will be in the end, the band explains. After a record of pain and self doubt, it's a jump into the abyss. Written more collaboratively than ever before and recorded primarily with live instruments for the first time, the collection marks the start of a bold new chapter for the band, one fueled by an ever-deepening trust and a boundless appetite for growth and experimentation. The songs here are deceptively charming, with lush, airy arrangements that belie their dark, weighty lyrics. The production is rich and multifaceted to match, blending retro and futuristic palettes into a spellbinding swirl of high-def indie rock and lo-fi bedroom pop. "Carla Bruni" Carla Bruni Verve Records / Universal Music Group Internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter and fashion icon, Carla Bruni, has released a new track from her forthcoming self-titled sixth studio album, which will be released Oct. 9. The stunning in-studio video for "Un grand amour" is a charming ode to the magic and power of love. This new collection of French songs (plus one in English, one in Italian and two covers — one of which is in Spanish) will be Bruni's first set of original music to be released in seven years. The album finds the artist wholeheartedly embracing her true self. Always sensitive, with emotions on the surface at times, the music on this album bears witness to a unique temper- ament and avoids ostentation. Listeners can sense a desire for a calm simplicity and serenity. The album is warm and familiar and inimitably Bruni. With not enough live music to fill a weekly list, this spot will be filled by news and reviews of new albums, both local and national. Send information about your new releases to Jocelyn Murphy at jmurphy@nwadg.com. 12 WHAT'S UP! SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3, 2020 LISTEN HERE! Cults' Album Marks Bold New Chapter