Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Love Ghost Shares Bruising and Anthemic “Revolution Evolution”

Tim Skold is a singer/songwriter, musician and producer, best known for his work producing and playing with Marilyn Manson. Skold is also the creative mastermind behind the industrial/electro rock recording project Love Ghost.

Skold has one proper Love Ghost studio album under his belt, last year’s Gas Mask Wedding. And adding to a busy year, he collaborated with The Skinner Brothers on last year’s Soul Boy V. His sophomore album, Anarchy and Ashes is slated for a March 27, 2026 release and will include the previously released “Rock Me Amadeus,” an industrial cover of Falco‘s 1985 smash hit, “Vengeance,” and the album’s third and latest single “Revolution Evolution.”

“Revolution Evolution” is an urgent, industrial rock ripper that showcases Skold’s ability to pair arena rock bombastic riffs and thunderous beats with rousingly anthemic and enormous hooks and choruses. But under the arena rock bombast is a rebellious spirit that channels rage and frustration into a much needed roar with a community of like-minded folks. It may seem overwhelming to the individual but man, together, we can start to bring about a brand new world.

The accompanying video by King Zabb sees Skold in military fatigues creating violent war-like cartoons. But eventually, the cartoons realize, who their real enemy is.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Tinariwen Shares Urgent “Erghad Afewo”

Pioneering Grammy Award-winning, Tuareg musical pioneers and JOVM mainstays Tinariwen released their tenth studio album Hoggar last week through their own label, Wedge. The album derives its name from the Hoggar mountains, a defiant marker of presence visible for miles and a symbol of a homeland for their displaced people. 

Long known for being fierce advocates for their people’s nomadic culture that exists in the desert borderlands between Mail and Algeria, the acclaimed JOVM mainstays bluesy, guitar-driven music has found global acclaim for its blend of dexterous, Western rock-styled guitar work, Tamasheq language-driven political bent, syncopated rhythms and soaring melodies. 

More than 45 years into their lengthy and storied career, Hoggar reportedly sees the acclaimed masters of the desert blues returning to the foundations of their sound with the band returning to their early years of songwriting with acoustic guitars and communal singing around the desert campfire. The album also sees the band staking their claim as elders of the Tuareg musical tradition while also proudly passing the torch onto a younger generation of featured musicians, who can continue to keep their culture’s flame of rebellion and defiance alive. 

Legendarily known for recording amid the windswept expanse of the Central Saharan desert, the acclaimed JOVM mainstays have long drawn inspiration from the rhythms of nature. With political unrest in Mali prompting the band to seek new spaces, the founding members, who are now based in Algeria recorded the album in studio set up by young Tuareg band and mentees Imarhan in Tamanrasset, which continues their legacy of innovation and collaboration. 

While previously released albums like 2023’s Amatssou saw Tinariwen collaborating with acclaimed producer Daniel Lanois, on Hoggar the band looked closer to home. Gathering with the local Tuareg musical community for a month, founding members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni and Touhami Ag Alhassane began writing songs fueled by political unrest alongside young artists like Imarhan’s Iyad Moussa Ben Abderrahmane, Hicham Bouhasse  and Haiballah Akhamouk. The band also collaborated with Terekaft‘s Sanou Ag Hamed and Tinariwen co-founder Liya ag Abill, a.k.a. Diarra for the first time in 25 years. 

The album also marks some other firsts: The band’s lead vocalist Ibrahim and Abdallah sing together for the first time in over 30 years, breaking their long-held tradition of each songwriting performing only their own compositions. And there’s a guest spot from acclaimed longtime fan José González. 

Lyrically, Hoggar explores urgent and timely themes, addressing the social and political challenges facing the Tuareg people and northern Mali. The band continues their long tradition of bearing witness through their work, balancing the joy of their celebrated lie shows with reflections on community struggles, resilience and the need for cultural preservation. 

The album will include the previously released “Sagherat Assan,” “Imidiwan Takyadam” featuring acclaimed singer/songwriter and longtime fan Jose Gonzalez, “Amidinim Ehaf Solan,” and the album’s fourth and latest single, “Erghad Afewo.”

Anchored around the collective’s gorgeous, effortlessly bluesy guitar work and call and response-driven melodicism, “Erghad Afewo” is an urgent song calling out those who have sold out their people to fill their empty bellies and a little bit of cash and/or provisions while accurately describing an increasingly impending hellscape.

Continuing an ongoing collaboration with director and animator Axel Digoix, the accompanying video is a gorgeously animated visual that captures the pride, defiance and joy of the Tamashek that includes a fearsome night-time chase through the desert.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Minneapolis’ Solid Gold Shares Shimmering, Politically Charged “Government Grade”

Minneapolis-based electro rock trio Solid Gold — Zachary Coulter, Adam Hurlbut and Matthew Locher — have released two critically applauded albums to date, 2008’s Ryan Olcott-produced Bodies of Water and 2012’s BJ Burton-produced Eat Your Young, as well as a handful of singles. The trio have supported all of their recorded output with a busy international touring schedule.

The trio are currently working on their long-awaited third album. Recorded at Cannon Falls, MN-based Pachyderm Studios, their new album reportedly showcases a dramatic shift in sound and approach: According to the band, the new songs are “maximalist psychedelic dreamscapes filled with shimmering synthesizers and pop vocal hooks.” They add that the album’s “sound is a reflection of the modern world, beautiful, but with an underlying essence of tragedy.”

Solid Gold’s latest single “Government Grade” is a a remarkably crafted and meditative song anchored around a shimmering psych pop arrangement, some incredibly catchy, well-placed hooks and a gorgeous melody. The song as the band explains is a direct response to the ongoing, violent occupation of Minnesota by ICE. And as a result, the song is a forcefully urgent documentation of our moment — one of many, of course — that also feels timeless and absolutely fucking necessary.

The band will be donating all proceeds from the sale of the song on Bandcamp to Minnesota Mutual Aid groups to support the good, resilient. diverse and deeply proud folks of the Twin Cities.

The Bandcamp link to purchase is here: https://solidgold.bandcamp.com/track/government-grade

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 67th Birthday, Flavor Flav!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Flavor Flav’s 67th birthday.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Saltmother Shares Dreamy, Hopeful “Masske”

Amanda Appel is a Danish singer/songwriter, best known for being a member of the Danish Music Award-nominated vocal outfit ilinx. Since their formation back in 2020, iinx has been at the forefront of the Danish experimental scene, playing sets at Roskilde Festival, midsummer bonfire ceremonies, fashion shows during Copenhagen Fashion Week and niche classical music festivals across the country.

Appel is also the creative mastermind behind the solo recording project Saltmother. Appel’s Saltmother debut, 2022’s Heavy in Baby Blue EP was an adventurous batch of electronic music with songs that thematically touched on being young and in love, living in rental apartments and taking hormonal contraception.

The Danish artist’s forthcoming Saltmother debut album reportedly marks a shift towards a much darker, more organic sound, anchored around intimacy and filled with captivating and deeply human imperfections.

The album’s first single “Maaske” is a weird yet gorgeous song that features a seamless blend of doom metal, stoner rock, folk and choral music, complete with some stunning harmonies. The song is anchored around a universal sentiment: that the darkness of our moment — or of any moment, really — isn’t forever; that we can overcome darkness by the comfort of being and singing together; and that brighter days are just ahead.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Indy Fontaine Teams Up With Charlie Cruz on Swooning “Tú Tienes Algo”

Indy Fontaine is a Cuban-born, Miami-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, who can trace the origins of her career to her early childhood: Singing alongside her uncle and his old guitar, she fell in love with music when she was three. By the time she turned six, she was enrolled full-time at a music school in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, where she trained to be professional vocalist and musician. 

Fontaine went on to graduate at the top of her class from Havana‘s prestigious National School of Art. When she graduated, she already had over a decade of experience playing gigs all across her native Cuba, including music festivals, live radio and TV sessions, and more.

Fontaine then joined Sol y Sun, an act that has played sets across the international music festival circuit between the States and Cuba, as well as some of the most popular venues in Havana. The band was also frequently performed on national TV and radio shows.

The Cuban-born artist relocated to Miami, where she stepped out into the spotlight as solo artist. Her debut, 2024’s Moments of My Life ranged across a number of genres and styles, including Adult Contemporary, Easy Listening, Soft Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock and R&B — with songs written and sung in both English and Spanish.

The album featured “El Amor No Alcanza,” Fontaine’s subtly modern take on bolero, a Cuban genre that frequently focuses on affairs of the heart. Since then, Fontaine spent last year releasing a collection of highly successful singles including “Esta Navidad,” “Vacaciones,” “Mariposas En La Lluvia,” “Mejor Sin Ti,” “Que Te Vaya Bien,” and “Después De La Caída.”

Her latest single, the Andrés Castro and Guianko Gómez co-written and co-produced “Tú Tienes Algo,” sees her collaborating with salsa star Charlie Cruz. The new single is a swooning and euphoric declaration of passionate and complete surrender to love — even if it strikes you as being wildly inexplicable.

The song invites lovers to surrender with the same intensity they bring to the dance floor, to declare their love not just with words, but also with movement.

“‘Tú Tienes Algo’ is about that irresistible, mysterious attraction—and I say mysterious because you can’t explain what that other person has, but you know that when you’re with them, they shake your world,” Fontaine explains. “In the song, this person is asking the other to let themselves be loved because there’s resistance to fully surrendering, perhaps out of fear—that’s why they’re asking to surrender completely to love,” she says.

“This collaboration with Charlie is a dream come true,” said Fontaine. “It was a tremendous honor to share the studio and create music with an artist I deeply admire. To me, Charlie is a salsa icon who has kept the tradition alive in such an authentic way,” she adds.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 83rd Birthday, Sly Stone!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 83rd anniversary of Sly Stone’s birth.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 114th Birthday, Lightnin’ Hopkins!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 114th anniversary of the birth of Lightnin’ Hopkins.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Yves von Wartburg Shares Swaggering “Feel My Bass”

Yves von Wartburg is Swiss producer and DJ, who spent the early part of his career contributing to multiple gold- and platinum-certified productions, which have achieved international chart success. That experience continues to shape his own approach to electronic music production.

Recording and performing under his own name, von Wartburg specializes on high-impact techno for club and festival settings. His first release on ISMUS, an imprint of Brussels-based label KNTXT, “Feel My Bass” is a swaggering, high-energy club and festival banger, featuring twitter and woofer rattling thump, glistening synth arpeggios, an in-your-face hip-hop-styled vocal sample and big hooks.

Perfect for clubs in Berlin and Ibiza, as well as festival stages, “Feel My Bass” reminds me of JOVM mainstays Boys Noize and LutchamaK, while showcasing a producer with a big, crowd-pleasing sound.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Cardiff’s FORT Shares Expansive and Stormy “From Sullen Earth”

Over the course of their nine year history, Cardiff-based post rock quartet FORT — Ben Hooper, Matthew Moore, Gavin O’Driscoll and Craig Prosser — have developed an instrumental post rock sound inspired by Caspian, And So I Will Watch You From Afar, Mogwai, 65daysofstatic, sleepmakeswaves, This Will Destroy You and Russian Circles.

The band employs driving bass lines and soaring guitars to convey emotion, while taking the listener on a journey.

The Welsh quartet’s recently released full-length debut, A Token of Our Depreciation is also sadly, their last. The band’s members decided it was time for the band to call it a day and to move on from it separately. But as they explain, “we poured everything into this release and truly proud of what we have created.”

A Token of Our Depreciation single “From Sullen Earth” is an atmospheric and expansive song featuring a swirling shoegazer guitar-driven melody, thunderous . .. And Justice For All and Black Album-like drumming and some big, heavy metal-like riffage. Sonically bearing a resemblance to Mogwai and Collapse Under The Empire among others, “From Sullen Earth” is a bruising yet cinematic composition that conveys a deep sensitivity and beauty, much like watching a storm brewing on the horizon.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Crá Croí Shares Breakneck “Lost In The Electric Blood”

Deriving their name from the Gaelic phrase for “heartache,” or “vexation of spirit,” County Cork-based duo Crá Croí — RG (songwriting, production, mixing and mastering) and CD (vocals and visuals) — have employed a fiercely DIY ethos while establishing a sound that meshes elements of 1980s New Wave, post-punk and goth, featuring melancholic synths, dark melodies, angular guitars and sharp, hook-driven vocals. 

The Irish duo’s work explores themes of nihilism, love and destruction, dystopian collapsed and nuclear annihilation, often wrapped in irony and paired with post-apocalyptic metaphors. 

The Cork-based duo’s self-produced, 12-song, full-length debut, Tá brón orm is slated for an October 30, 2026. Deriving its title from the Irish phrase for “sadness” or “sorrow is on me,” the duo’s debut will feature the previously released “Radiation Romance,” “Fires At Dawn,” and “Feeding The Fear,” as well as the album’s latest single, “Lost In The Electric Blood.”

“Lost In The Electric Blood” continues run of post-punk that seemingly draws from Interpol and post-punk atmospherics. Arguably one of the album’s most breakneck songs to date, the new single evokes a restless, uneasy energy.

Thematically, “Lost In The Electric Blood” explores identity and defiance in an overstimulated and fractured, dystopian world that feels much like our own. Capturing a sense of tension between chaos and calm awakening, the song at its core, is a defiant refusal to surrender to numbness. It’s a a bold declaration that even in a world that’s gone mad, there’s something still worth giving a shit about, and something worth fighting for.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Gnaw Shares Bruising and Anthemic “Star”

Emerging Singaporean indie rock outfit Gnaw have quickly developed a sound that meshes elements of 90s alt rock, shoegaze and power pop mangled through digital processing and noise paired with lyrics that touch upon lingering memory and motion.

The Singaporean outfit’s debut single “Gnaw” is a bruising, hook-driven song that brings back memories of 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rock, complete with the classic grunge song structure — alternating quiet verses and loud choruses — but with an incredibly modern sensibility.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 101st Birthday, Roy Haynes!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Roy Haynes’ 101st birthday.