“What am I to build, if my hands are broken, if I’m not the chosen one?” sings Steven McKellar of Civil Twilight on “Story of An Immigrant”, over a lush, dynamic beat that evokes the sounds of his native South Africa while steeped in the band’s everevolving present. The foursome (Steven, his brother and guitarist Andrew, drummer Richard Wouters and Kevin Dailey on keys and guitar) are living proof of what happens when you stop worrying about being the chosen one and make music built on both the roots that grew you and the love that keeps you thriving every day. Civil Twilight’s songs embrace every corner of human emotion, balancing delicate, poetic lyrics with sweeping arrangements that touch all the senses: a phrase to make you think; a rolling drumbeat you can feel in your bones; a guitar vamp as illustrative as a picture; a shimmer of keys whose light can nearly be seen and heard. Produced by Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Bombay Bicycle Club, Cut Copy), their third record on Wind-Up is built on this vibrancy, on the permanent dust of a Cape Town youth; on the connection that unites them all as brothers beyond blood and on their new home in America where they pull from the innate, thriving musicianship of Nashville, where they live. When you listen to Civil Twilight, from their self-titled debut, to 2012’s widely lauded Holy Weather to now, it’s easy to understand why the band has topped five million YouTube views and reached historic success with film and television syncs – because it’s music you can’t shake, that translates experience into moments and creates melodies that become imbedded deep under the skin. We’re all immigrants, in some way, and Civil Twilight’s singing our national anthem.

For the past decade, Mad Decent has been invading your ears with fresh sounds. With humble beginnings in Diplo’s Philadelphia studio, Mad Decent’s unwavering mission is to highlight underground, genre-blurring sounds. Mad Decent tops iTunes, Beatport and Shazam charts worldwide with #1 Dance tracks and albums with releases from artists like Major Lazer, Dillon Francis, Grandtheft, Party Favor, NGHTMRE and Yellow Claw. Mad Decent is also home to Good Enuff, a launchpad for artists breaking the norm; notable releases include Bauuer’s “Harlem Shake” and DJ Snake’s “Bird Machine.” As an extension of the Mad Decent sound, Mad Decent Block Party was established in 2006 and now spans across North America and India.

V pleased to announce BACK IN LOVE CITY, our fifth child is OUT NOW 💊💊 https://thevaccines.ffm.to/bilc-album

Two maids working for one of Manhattan's most high-end cleaning services tell all. Dirt, grime, trash and gossip. The show is an ever-evolving variety of interviews, storytelling, audio diaries, live cleaning sessions and much more.

“Understanding the order of time is important to anyone hoping to manifest a dream,” says Valerie June. “There is a time to push, and a time to gently tend the garden.”

Since the release of her 2013 breakout Pushin’ Against A Stone, June has been patiently at work in the garden of song, nurturing seedlings with love and care into the lush bloom that is her stunning new album, The Order Of Time. Some songs grew from seeds planted more than a decade ago, others blossomed overnight when she least expected them to, but every track bears the influence of time. See, time has been on June’s mind a lot lately. It’s the only constant in life, even though it’s constantly changing. It’s the healer of all wounds, the killer of all men. It’s at once infinite and finite, ever flowing with twists and turns and brutal, churning rapids that give way to serene stretches of placid tranquility. Fight against the current and it will knock you flat on your ass. Learn to read it, to speak its language, and it will carry you exactly where you’re meant to be.

Tuesdays with Stories-  a fun weekly pod hosted by NYC comedians Joe List and Mark Normand. Luckily, Joe and Mark are funny (thank God) and have an endless amount of funny stories. They meet every week to spin a few hilarious yarns, sometimes with comedian friends. Give it a listen and be their friend too.

Where to Start is out now.
wale.lnk.to/WheretoStart

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