OK Go: A Stone Only Rolls Downhill
The difficult-to-characterize band from Chicago (AllMusic.com calls it "retro indie pop") has announced a new album, called And the Adjacent Possible, coming later this year - its first new release since 2014's Hungry Ghosts. Of this first single, frontman Damian Kulash, says: “It’s a tough time to be optimistic. ... What do we tell [our children]? That’s what this song is about: trying to be honest but keeping your head up at the same time.”
My Morning Jacket: Time Waited
Deep Sea Diver: Billboard Heart
This Seattle-based group headed by Jessica Dobson will release its fourth studio album in late February. Dobson says this title track is "a song that felt like a strange transmission, a new emotion, and a spirit-filled dream when it came. ... It is about being present and embracing the future while wholeheartedly letting go of any amount of control that I think I have in this life. ‘Billboard Heart’ is both a longing for something that may not exist and a place where I can be free.”
This band from suburban New York is known for metal-ish, prog-ish rock, and for sci-fi concept albums. But this single from its upcoming The Father of Make Believe reaches beyond its core audience. Lead guitarist Claudio Sanchez says of the song: "When you’re growing up, you’re perpetually trying to understand the world that’s changing around you. Over time, it’s comforting to reach the conclusion that you’ll never truly have things figured out."