A.A. Williams Solstice

 

A student of mine recently asked me, "How do you know about so many bands?!" Besides the fact that I have 3 decades of listening to music on him, I explained that one of the best ways to discover new bands is to pay attention to any smaller, locally and independently run, music venue near you. These locations are where the best new musicians and bands often make their tour debuts. For me, that local venue is The Radio Room. I've discovered many bands that I've taken a serious liking to by either checking them out live there or looking up their music on various streaming platforms. A.A. Williams is one of those artists that I discovered this way. Although I couldn't make the show The Radio Room sponsored due to scheduling conflicts, I looked up her music and listened to her debut album, Forever Blue (2020). Her follow up album, As the Moon Rests (2022) solidified me as a fan of her music, and made me deeply regretful I missed seeing her live. With her 2026 release, Solstice, Williams continues to deepen and expand her sound. A sound that amalgamates alt-rock, goth rock, doom metal, and post-classical and transcends many of her fellow musicians' compositions working with similar post-modern modes and genres. 

A Perfect Circle Return With New Song "Starless"

 

A Perfect Circle returns with their first new music in 8 years, and while it's only a single song, it's like hearing an old comrade pick up the good fight again. 

Maynard James Keenan has never shied away from grand statements as the front man for TOOL, and especially as the leader of Puscifer and the voice of A Perfect Circle. TOOL is often inward looking with its music and philosophy, focusing on the sacred geometry of the body and soul. Puscifer started as a comedy routine basically, but has grown into an outward looking satirical and mind bending trip into what ails society at large. A Perfect Circle started out as a descent into occult imagery and psychological themes. About the time of eMOTVEe though, A Perfect Circle became starkly political in much of their music. While maintaining much of the occult imagery and intricate orchestration, covers of songs like "What's Going On," "Peace Love and Understanding," and "Imagine" bespoke of a certain concern for the politics of the time. Eat The Elephant (2018) continued the socio-political commentary with its lyrics. "Starless," their first new song in 8 years further continues this trend, but a little less directly than many of the songs on Eat The Elephant did.