Watch Black Belt Eagle Scout cover Grouper’s “Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping”

For Sounds of Saving’s ongoing series “Song that Found Me at the Right Time,” Black Belt Eagle Scout appeared to cover Grouper’s “Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping” The series has also featured Sharon Van Etten and Madison McFerrin. Black Belt Eagle Scout’s performance is in collaboration with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 

Black Belt Eagle Scout talks about her experience going to therapy during the video, saying “[i]t’s something that’s helped me tremendously in my life.” Black Belt Eagle Scout also added:

Sharing a message of mental health support and suicide prevention saves lives. The suicide rate within Native / Indigenous communities is high and so it is very important to be able to speak out specifically for my community. There have been many times in my life where I needed that ray of sun coming out over the mountains on a stormy day. Luckily I have been blessed with support systems that have kept me alive and I have seen firsthand just how important these are. I want to be able to spread this awareness so that more people can see that ray of sun like I did.

The cover starts around the 5:51 minute mark, watch below.

Skepta and slowthai release new song “CANCELLED”

slowthai and Skepta have recently released a new song entitled “CANCELLED” as well as a video directed by THE REST with references to Scary Movie, American Psycho, The Silence of The Lambs, Candyman, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Watch it below.

The track will be featured on slowthai’s forthcoming record TYRON, which is set to be released on February 12. slowthai and Skepta also performed “CANCELLED” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Watch the performance below.

Watch Foo Fighters perform “Shame Shame” and Dave Grohl talk on Colbert

Rock band Foo Fighters appeared on last night’s episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform their new single “Shame Shame.” Lead singer Dave Grohl appeared as a guest as well to speak with Stephen Colbert about the band’s anniversary. They also talked about his drum battle with 10-year-old viral sensation Nandi Bushell. Watch it below.

“Shame Shame” is the first single the band is releasing from their album Medicine at Midnight, which comes out on February 5th, 2021 via Roswell Records/RCA. The band debuted the song on Saturday Night Live on November 7th.

Our 6th Anniversary

Today is Melodic Tree’s 6th anniversary. Although times are currently immensely challenging and it’s hard to go out and celebrate with a concert, the next best thing is the return of our weekly playlist. They will return to Sundays after today’s special 60 song playlist. Songs that are included are primarily ones that were on our playlists previously and ones that mean a lot to me, the creator of Melodic Tree over the years. Enjoy it below!

Secondly and more importantly: Black lives matter and justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many many many many more. Links to places to donate and learn more on how you can help will be provided below the playlist, as well as the phone number to the National Lawyers Guild.

National Lawyers Guild phone number: 612-444-2654

Places to donate:

Minnesota Freedom Fund

Brooklyn Bail Fund

Black Visions

National Bail Out

Resources:

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter in Schools

Watch Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron perform on NPR’s Tiny Desk

Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron became the most recent guests to appear at NPR’s Tiny Desk. Mount Eerie, aka Phil Elverum, and Doiron played three songs from their recent album Lost Wisdom pt. 2: “Belief,” “Enduring the Waves,” and “Love Without Possession.” Watch it below.

Caleb Landry Jones announces debut album, shares video for single

best known for his roles in Get Out, Twin Peaks: The Return, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and The Dead Don’t Die, Caleb Landry Jones has ventured into the music world and has announced his debut album, The Mother Stone, is set to be out May 1st through Sacred Bones. Watch the hallucinatory video for Jones’ lead single “Flag Day / The Mother Stone” below as well as the tracklist. Find he album cover again.

In a press release, it was stated that Jones wrote The Mother Stone in the wake of a breakup. “I started writing record after record after record after record, because I didn’t know what to do with myself, it was a good way of healing. And it felt like as soon as I started doing it, it felt like it needed to happen all the time.”

 

The Mother Stone:

01 Flag Day / The Mother Stone
02 You’re So Wonderfull
03 I Dig Your Dog
04 Katya
05 All I Am in You / The Big Worm
06 No Where’s Where Nothing’s Died
07 Licking The Days
08 For The Longest Time
09 The Hodge-Podge Porridge Poke
10 I Want to Love You
11 The Great I Am
12 Lullabbey
13 No Where’s Where Nothing’s Died (A Marvelous Pain)
14 Thanks for Staying
15 Little Planet Pig

Rage Against the Machine announces tour

Rage Against the Machine have released official tour dates after announcing a number of reunion shows like a headlining set at Coachella. Run the Jewels will join the band on tour and they will start next month in El Paso, Texas and the tour is currently set to end in Krakow, Poland in September. The proceeds from the shows in El Paso, Phoenix, and La Cruces will go to immigrant rights efforts, the band announced.

Run the Jewels will accopany their new album, Run the Jewels 4 while on tour. The album is set to be released in the spring.

Check out RATM’s schedule below.

Read Pitchfork’s Sunday Review of Rage Against the Machine.

Rage Against the Machine:

03-26 El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center
03-28 Las Cruces, NM – Pan American Center
03-30 Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
04-10 Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
04-17 Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
04-21 Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
04-25 Portland, OR – Moda Center
04-28 Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
05-01 Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum at the PNE
05-03 Edmonton, Alberta – Rogers Place
05-05 Calgary, Alberta – Scotiabank Saddledome
05-07 Winnipeg, Manitoba – Bell MTS Place
05-09 Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
05-11 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
05-14 Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
05-16 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
05-19 Chicago, IL – United Center
05-23 Boston, MA – Boston Calling
06-19 Dover, DE – Firefly
07-10 East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre
07-13 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
07-17 Ottawa, Ontario – Ottawa Bluesfest
07-18 Québec City, Québec – Festival d’Été de Québec
07-21 Hamilton, Ontario – FirstOntario Centre
07-23 Toronto, Ontario – Scotiabank Arena
07-27 Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
07-29 Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
07-31 Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
08-02 Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
08-04 Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
08-07 Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
08-10 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08-11 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08-28 Leeds, England – Leeds Festival
08-30 Reading, England – Reading Festival
09-01 Paris, France – Rock En Seine Festival
09-04 Stradbally Laois, Ireland – Electric Picnic Festival
09-06 Berlin, Germany – Lollapalooza Berlin Festival
09-08 Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena
09-10 Krakow, Poland – Tauron Arena

M.I.A. receives MBE from Prince William at Buckingham Palace

On January 14th, M.I.A. was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire, according to The Associated Press. She received the honor from Prince William at Buckingham Palace as part of the annual Queen’s Birthday Honours.

M.I.A. said in a statement on Instagram that she accepted the medal in tribute to her mother. “Today I’m accepting this in honour for my mother who worked for minimum wage to give us a better life,” she wrote. “As a working class first generation immigrant it’s great to be recognised for my contribution. Having freedom to speak my truth and to do it through music has helped me speak for those who do not have those privileges. I will continue [to] fight for those who are silenced or persecuted by others.” Find the post below.

Don’t Mind the Absence

Hi, it’s Isabella, the editor, here. The postings on here have been sporadic and I feel like I should clarify why now, I have been meaning to give an update for a long time but I can never bring myself to it.

I started this website when I was 16 years old, I had just gotten my driver’s license and I wanted an excuse to write abut the music I was listening to at the time, and hopefully one day, meet the musicians I loved. Over the next few years I started taking pictures, collaborated with other writers and photofraphers, and even went to a few festivals through this. Little did I expect it to grow the way it did, on a local scale.

However, this past year changed the way I approach this website and I regret it deeply. I started to prioritze school (by the way, I graduated college and made my first short film, I will upload it on here soon, hopefully), and got a new job slinging coffee in order to survive as I have yet to make much money on this website and got progressively more exhausted and less motivated because of it. I think about what I hoped for this past year, so much could have happened if this or that had not happened, however, The Melodic Tree is not going anywhere, think of this sort of absence as a hibernation. Now that I am (mostly) done with the schooling aspect of my life, I can prioritize this website like I did when I was 16, five years ago, with only a few album reviews (heavily influenced by the Needle Drop, for some reason) and an interview with my favorite mambo musician at the time under my belt.

Take these sporadic postings as a form of hibernation, not truly gone but rather in a much needed rest and break in order to accomplish other priorities in my life. As there is only one of me. Expect more posts, expect more stuff to come out of this website.

Thanks,

Isabella King

Slowdive begin charity auction, release new version of “Golden Hair”

Slowdive have released a new nine-minute version of “Golden Hair” for the Sonic Cathedral Singles Club. The band recorded the version in 2014 and was mixed by Neil Halstead and mastered by Heba Kadry this year. The song will be be released as a gold 7″ vinyl single, listen to it below.

As of November 14th, Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell has also organized an auction in support of the Deaf Academy. The auction features signed memorabilia from bands like Slowdive, the Cure, American Football, Mogwai, CHVRCHES. The auction will remain open on  eBay until Sunday, November 24th, Check out some items via the Instagram posts below and learn more about th auction at the Deaf Academy’s website.