NEWS
Jason Aldean attends the 55th annual Country Music Association awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 10, 2021 in Nashville.
John Shearer/Getty Images for CMAFirst Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.
Jason Aldean, Macon
This week, Aldean releases Macon, the 15-song first-half of his massive 30-track project Macon, Georgia (he'll roll out the second portion of the release next year). His Carrie Underwood collab "If I Didn't Love You" is already a Billboard Country Airplay chart topper, and on the rest of the project, Aldean retraces familiar ground with his trademark brand of country-rock songs threaded with soulful grooves. His lyrics center on small-town roots, as well as love and loss and the aftermath. Five of the tracks on Macon are live cuts of previous Aldean hits, highlighting Aldean's ace road band.
Dolly Parton, "Jolene" (Destructo Remix)
Parton's classic plea to "the other woman" gets set to a propulsive, swirling dance beat on this remix from electronic music producer and DJ Destructo (Gary Richards). The remix retains the song's iconic original finger-picking guitar work, adding rolling, precise beats and slicing up Parton's aching vocal on the word "Jolene" to accent the enduring, piercing lyrics. Heartbreak has rarely sounded so dance-worthy. It's worth noting that Parton previously earned a No. 1 hit on Billboard's Dance/Electronic chart in 2019, courtesy of her collaboration with Galantis and Mr. Probz on the collaboration "Faith."
Luke Combs “Doin’ This”
The newly-crowned CMA entertainer of the year debuted a new song, “Doin’ This,” on the CMA Awards stage Wednesday night (Nov. 10). Just six years have elapsed since Combs released his debut single “Hurricane,” and in that time, the North Carolina native with the full-throttle voice and arsenal of hits has become an unstoppable force. But in this new song, which he wrote with Drew Parker and Rob Williford, Combs maintains his passion for music would still be fueling late nights singing his songs for anyone that might listen -- whether it’s “the Grand Ole Opry or a show in some no-name town.” The intensely personal lyrics charge an especially intense vocal from Combs.
Carrie Underwood, “Stretchy Pants”
It’s Thanksgiving Day, the turkey, potatoes and casserole dishes are lined up and Underwood’s more than ready to partake -- and give skinny jeans a rest. Underwood penned the holiday track alongside longtime collaborators Hillary Lindsey and Chris DeStefano. A portion of the proceeds from streaming/downloads for the digital-only release benefits The Store, an organization co-founded by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley which gives those suffering from food shortages a place to shop for groceries for free.
Brantley Gilbert, “Gone But Not Forgotten”
Gilbert is known for hits like “One Hell of an Amen,” but he’s also been steadfast in his support for military service personnel. Gilbert penned this track with Brock Berryhill, Jason Blaine and Jay Brunswick back in 2018, and released it earlier this year to pay tribute to the 13 American service members who were killed in an attack at the Kabul airport in August. In honor of Veterans Day comes a new music video for the track, featuring scenes of Gilbert in a graveyard, singing about missing loved ones lost to various military conflicts -- interspersed with images and photos of flags, tombstones and military members.
Taylor Swift feat. Chris Stapleton, "I Bet You Think About Me"
Swift welcomes Stapleton's burnished, bluesy vocal on this "From the Vault" bonus cut from her just-released Red (Taylor's Version). The harmonica-drenched track with a waltzy groove finds Swift offering a well-crafted takedown of an upper crust ex-lover. She muses about what her ex is doing following their breakup, betting that while he's still chasing status and money, he likely can't shake her memory.
"I'm harder to forget than I was to leave/ and I bet you think about me," Swift sings, with Stapleton's harmony providing a warm foil for her own intimate vocal.
Love and Theft, “Accidentally on Purpose”
Duo Love and Theft returns with a new harmony-driven track, having just inked a label deal with ONErpm. In this new track, he’s fallen hard for a new love interest, but can’t be sure the feeling is mutual. Stephen Barker Liles’s airy tenor rides atop an appealing, laid-back groove.
Joe Nichols, "Screened In"
Nichols introduces fans to a taste of his upcoming album, Good Day For Living, which releases Feb. 11 and marks his first new music in four years (and first for new album home Quartz Hill Records). On "Screened In," Nichols proves his throwback country sound is still intact with production that would have fit well on '90s country radio. This uptempo romp celebrates lazy days hanging out on a porch with good music and plenty of time.
Cody Jinks, "Like a Hurricane"
Jinks shows off his breadth of musical talents, simultaneously releasing both a metal album (None The Wiser) and a country album (Mercy) today (Nov. 12). One of the songs off Mercy, "Like A Hurricane," is a particularly stunning track about perseverance and resilience. In the song, which Jinks penned alongside Josh Morningstar, Jinks offers a message of hope for those struggling through hard times and pushing ahead for needed changes.
"Even though their moving slow/ the winds of change are gonna blow like a hurricane," he sings, backed by a soulful group of background singers and biting guitar work, lending an extra intensity to his swampy soulful track.
Warren Zeiders, "Ride the Lightning" (Full Band version)
Zeiders gives his breakthrough track "Ride the Lightning" the full band treatment with this release, upping the ante on a song that has been rising up the Hot Country Songs chart. Zeiders's gravelly voice, backed by greasy guitar work and jagged percussion, weaves a tale of a man on the precipice of either heaven or hell, paying the ultimate price for a life spent on the wilder side.
NEWS
Massive Attack have been using their latest live show to challenge American data analytics and software company Palantir, with the band describing the firm's ambitions as "terrifying".
The pioneering trip hop group have woven criticism of the controversial surveillance technology company into their new stage production. During their upcoming performance at Primavera Sound, they plan to deploy "custom-made facial recognition software" capable of "scanning a 75,000-person crowd" and projecting audience members onto giant screens with tongue in cheek labels such as "11 weeks no time off, burnout" and "unfinished books", according to Novara Media.
Speaking with the publication, the visual concept takes direct aim at Palantir, the company established two decades ago by billionaire Peter Thiel. Backed financially by the CIA, the firm counts the US and Israeli militaries, ICE, the FBI and the NHS among its clients.
After unveiling the production in Helsinki, Robert Del Naja told Novara Media that he wanted audiences to better understand how Palantir's reach has expanded from supplying "kill chain tech" reportedly used in Gaza to now having access to the medical records of people across Britain.
"We really need a much wider debate on the suitability of a company like this having such capture of our societal infrastructure," he said. He explained that the criticism is embedded throughout Massive Attack's two hour performance and was developed alongside long time collaborator Adam Curtis and London art collective United Visual Artists.
"One visual element represents how a Palantir Gotham monitoring and ‘decision chain’ interface might look," Del Naja explained. "Using facial recognition technology, it lands on groups and individuals – implying a consequential outcome for a given target."
Novara Media also detailed how Palantir's software can connect information from multiple databases. The outlet reported that ICE allegedly combines the platform with body camera footage, social media data and information gathered through Israeli developed hacking software Paragon to identify protesters involved in resistance to immigration raids.
The publication further claimed that Palantir contributes to Maven, a software platform used by the US military, which has recently faced criticism after being linked to the bombing of a girls' school in Iran.
"I find their declarations, objectives and moral framing pretty terrifying," Del Naja said. "To enable AI systems to map police records, satellite tracked locations, health records and personal financial transactions and place all of that information – for the first time – into the hands of a company with an overt political agenda and social objectives of its own is a huge, potentially irreversible and dangerous overreach."
Another moment in Massive Attack's current live production appears during the closing section of "Girl I Love You", when a quote from Peter Thiel is projected on screen reading: "I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible".
Last year, Massive Attack introduced the satirical "facial recognition" sequence during their concerts and quickly rejected suggestions that genuine data recognition systems were being used on audiences.
"No Massive Attack live show has ever recorded or stored personal data," the group stated. "Only government departments, relevant authorities & approved contractors can access public databases in the UK, & doing so in multiple cities/countries would be impossible."
The band also pointed to the growing use of facial recognition technology across Britain, arguing that authorities are "overreaching almost all other western democracies with their use of public facial recognition … while there is no specific legislation regulating police use of these systems."
The statement arrived shortly after Massive Attack welcomed Kneecap onto the stage during their major show at the OVO Wembley Arena, introducing them as a group "who refused to be silenced for their solidarity with the Palestinian people."
Massive Attack have consistently spoken out in support of Palestine and a range of other progressive causes. More recently, they pledged to boycott Spotify following reports that CEO Daniel Ek had invested heavily "in a company producing military munition drones and AI technology integrated into fighter aircraft."
During their headline appearance at London's LIDO Festival last summer, the band were joined by actor and activist Khalid Abdalla along with Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def. Earlier this year, Del Naja also criticised what he described as a "draconian government" after being arrested while protesting the ban on Palestine Action.
The musician was one of hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in Trafalgar Square on April 11 to oppose the Palestine Action ban. He carried a placard stating "I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action".
Police removed him from the protest and arrested him on suspicion of expressing support for a proscribed organisation. He later responded with an extensive statement posted to Instagram.
Back in February, the band revealed a small run of European dates for the summer. The tour began on May 27 at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki before continuing to Dalhalla in Rättvik on May 30.
The Bristol trip hop pioneers have not released new material since the 2020 EP "Eutopia". Their most recent studio album remains 2010's "Heligoland".
Speaking with NME in 2024, Robert Del Naja revealed that the band had "some new music which we've been sitting on for four years". He later shared in November that he hoped to finally release some of that material in 2026.
