Page 300 – That Eric Alper

Alice In Chains Announce Deluxe Box Set for 30th Anniversary of Self-Titled Album

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

Alice In Chains Announce Deluxe Box Set for 30th Anniversary of Self-Titled Album

deluxe box set arriving in early 2026. Limited to just 3,000 units and available exclusively through the band’s official store, the release offers an expansive, fan-focused celebration of one of the most defining records of the grunge era. The collection centers on a newly pressed 2 LP vinyl edition housed in special pop-up gatefold packaging, accompanied by three seven-inch singles and a cassette.

Beyond the music, the box set leans heavily into collectible territory, featuring ten custom art prints, 12 tarot cards, two oversized double-sided posters, and a hardcover comic book. Unique novelty items include a double-sided zoetrope slip mat, a 3D ballerina, and a zoetrope coin record topper, rounding out a release designed to honor the album’s dark mystique and lasting cultural impact. The record, produced by the band alongside Toby Wright, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, earned multiple Grammy nominations, and remains a cornerstone of Alice In Chains’ legacy, featuring standout tracks like “Grind,” “Heaven Beside You,” “Again,” and “Over Now.”

Daft Punk Expand Their Universe With New “Contact” Video

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

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Daft Punk Expand Their Universe With New “Contact” Video

Daft Punk have released a new video for “Contact,” created in collaboration with Epic Games and Magnopus. The visual builds on the world introduced in The Daft Punk Experience within Fortnite, reimagining its opening moments with a cinematic lens. The video follows the duo’s iconic robot personas as they drift through space toward a pulsing signal, pulled into a high-intensity journey that echoes themes, imagery, and emotion from across Daft Punk’s career.

Serving as both a beginning and an ending, “Contact” famously closes their final album ‘Random Access Memories’ while also functioning as the gateway into The Daft Punk Experience. The track’s placement reinforces its role as a statement piece, bridging eras and mediums as the duo’s legacy continues to unfold in new forms. With layered references and immersive storytelling, the video stands as a reflective extension of Daft Punk’s enduring relationship with sound, technology, and visual imagination.

Robert DeLong Strips It Back on “Fool Me Once (Folk Edition)”

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

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Robert DeLong Strips It Back on “Fool Me Once (Folk Edition)”

Alt-electro shapeshifter Robert DeLong flips the script with “Fool Me Once (Folk Edition),” a banjo-led reimagining of a track originally featured on his deluxe album ‘PLAYLIST OF DOOM: After DARK’, released via Roundhill Records. Inspired by a live banjo performance, the new version trades synths for strings, blending stomp-and-clap energy with pedal steel from collaborator JD Carrera. What emerges is a warm, intimate take that reconnects the song with its earliest form.

“‘Fool Me Once’ was written on a banjo in my kitchen, recorded on a voice note, and then promptly forgotten,” DeLong explains. “I wanted to do a version of it live, and without thinking one day I picked up my banjo, and then I remembered that’s where it all started.” Lyrically drawn from autobiographical moments, the song reflects on fleeting connection and the quiet optimism that follows. Originally from Seattle and now based in Los Angeles, DeLong continues to blur boundaries between electronic precision and raw, human storytelling, letting the song’s origin guide its evolution this time around.

Bianca Jazmine Turns Restless Nights Into Release on “Losing Sleep”

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

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Bianca Jazmine Turns Restless Nights Into Release on “Losing Sleep”

Miami-born indie rock artist Bianca Jazmine returns with “Losing Sleep,” a dark, cinematic new single recorded at the legendary Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Born from a period of nightly panic attacks, the song channels anxiety and insomnia into something expansive, building from a taut rhythm section and aching vocals before bursting into a cathartic chorus that mirrors the spiral of late-night overthinking.

Balancing raw vulnerability with high-voltage indie rock energy, “Losing Sleep” moves through the blurred space between exhaustion and emotional intensity, where tension slowly gives way to clarity. It’s a release that feels both intimate and widescreen, capturing the moment when truth surfaces in the quiet hours. An award-winning Cuban-American artist, Bianca Jazmine continues to carve out a voice rooted in empathy, self-empowerment, and emotional honesty, turning personal struggle into something shared and resonant.

Firerose Reclaims Her Story on “Shining Armor (Rise Again)”

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

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Firerose Reclaims Her Story on “Shining Armor (Rise Again)”

Americana and pop have always made room for artists who choose clarity over spectacle, and Firerose steps firmly into that tradition with “Shining Armor (Rise Again).” The new single revisits the title track from her album ‘Shining Armor’, reshaped into a more expansive, resolute statement and paired with a self-directed video filmed in New York. There’s no excess here, just direct language, steady momentum, and a sense of purpose that reflects a life rebuilt through faith, sobriety, and hard-earned perspective

Calling this the definitive version matters. It signals an artist fully standing behind her work, both musically and visually, and trusting the song to hold its weight onstage or stripped back to its bare essentials. For listeners who’ve followed Firerose through earlier releases like “New Day” and “Plans,” this track lands closer to the core, with the performance riding tightly alongside the lyric. “Shining Armor (Rise Again)” feels built to travel, whether through a live room or a quiet moment alone, and it sets the tone for the next chapter, including her forthcoming podcast No One Asked Her, which promises the same kind of plainspoken honesty that anchors this release.

Michael Vincent Charges Forward on New Album ‘Sky Blue (C’mon, C’mon!)’

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

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Michael Vincent Charges Forward on New Album ‘Sky Blue (C’mon, C’mon!)’

Bay Area indie rock staple Michael Vincent returns with his eighth full-length release, ‘Sky Blue (C’mon, C’mon!)’, a high-energy album that pulls from across his wide-ranging catalog while hitting with fresh urgency. The record blends edgy indie rock and power pop with flashes of garage and grunge, alongside a few nods to Vincent’s earlier folk-rock leanings. Known for balancing bright originals with time-tested instincts, Vincent comes out swinging, setting the tone immediately with the album’s explosive opener.

A standout moment arrives via a collaboration with Charles Norman, whose raw, forceful arrangement of “C’mon, C’mon!” became the catalyst for the album’s momentum. “The energy of Charles’ arrangement is so ‘in-your-face’ unavoidable, it just makes sense to have the song come right out of the chute! It grabs you by your shirt and hauls you away!” Vincent says. Released via Angel Blossom Records, the album follows the critically praised ‘Electric Fox’ and marks Vincent’s first release available on vinyl, further cementing his long-running presence as one of the Bay Area’s most resilient and creative independent voices.

Kenny Hotopp Shares Warm, Reflective New EP ‘Early Times’

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

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Kenny Hotopp Shares Warm, Reflective New EP ‘Early Times’

Singer-songwriter Kenny Hotopp has released his evocative new EP ‘Early Times’, a five-song collection rooted in lived experience and quiet reflection. Drawing from memory, love, and the moments that shape a life, the EP moves between soul-soothing ballads and lighter, playful rhythms, touching on marriage, fatherhood, and the endurance of connection. “These are stories I’ve lived or witnessed, but I leave space in the lyrics for you to find your own meaning, your own moments,” Hotopp says. “Some are fun, a few are serious. But every song came from a real place, and I think people will feel that.”

Recorded with longtime collaborators at Philville Records, ‘Early Times’ blends folk and Americana foundations with touches of bluegrass, R&B, blues, and subtle psychedelic country flourishes. Across the EP, Hotopp’s warm delivery and lyrical honesty anchor each song, from the hopeful camaraderie of “We’ll Go On” to the nostalgic reflections of the title track and the gentle romance of “Lost Track of Time.” Each track stands confidently on its own, while together they form a cohesive, deeply human snapshot of a life observed with care and humility.

Marmozets Return With Ferocious New Single “A Kiss From A Mother”

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

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Marmozets Return With Ferocious New Single “A Kiss From A Mother”

After seven years away, Marmozets make a long-awaited return with their new track “A Kiss From A Mother,” released via Nettwerk Music Group. A clear statement of intent, the song wastes no time reintroducing the band’s intensity, blending heavyweight riffs with sharp melodic turns and a streak of fearless experimentation. From mariachi-metal chaos inspired by The Cramps to Becca Macintyre’s feral vocal performance, captured in just three takes, the track channels pent-up energy into something both confrontational and creative. “The message of the song is to make sure you listen, rather than just shoot straight back,” Becca explains. “Probably everyone can relate to the idea of not letting some advice go in one ear and out the other, let it actually immerse in you. As for my voice, that’s just my spirit coming out! I’m not playing a character; I’m giving it all that I’ve got.”

Formed in Bingley, Yorkshire, Marmozets first exploded as teenagers, quickly earning a reputation for fearless live shows and a sound that fused sharp musicianship with massive hooks. Following two critically acclaimed albums, the band stepped away from the spotlight as life shifted and priorities changed, before creativity slowly pulled them back together. Reuniting with a renewed lineup and fresh perspective, and working with producers Jonathan Gilmore and Andy Hawkins, Marmozets have emerged operating at a new creative peak. “A Kiss From A Mother” marks not just a return, but a rebirth, fueled by growth, family, and a hunger to push further than ever before.

Swedish Musician Builds Custom Piano to Teach an Octopus to Play

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

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Swedish Musician Builds Custom Piano to Teach an Octopus to Play

Swedish musician Mattias Krantz set out on one of his most unusual experiments yet after rescuing a young octopus from a live fish market and naming him Takoyaki. Fascinated by octopuses’ intelligence and independent arm control, Krantz attempted to teach Tako how to play piano, testing everything from modified keys to visual cues before realizing traditional methods wouldn’t work. The breakthrough came with a custom-built “crab elevator,” a reward system that lowered food incrementally with each correct note, forcing Tako to complete an entire melody before earning his treat. After months of trial, failure, and persistence, the pair eventually began playing simple duets together, marking a strange, funny, and oddly touching fusion of curiosity, engineering, and interspecies collaboration.

Postmodern Jukebox Swing Back With Speakeasy Take on Stevie Wonder’s “Part-Time Lover”

Music

Eric Alper

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Jan 24, 2026

0

Postmodern Jukebox Swing Back With Speakeasy Take on Stevie Wonder’s “Part-Time Lover”

Postmodern Jukebox team up with singer and saxophonist Amber Woodhouse for a spirited reimagining of Stevie Wonder’s “Part-Time Lover,” flipping the pop classic into a swinging 1930s speakeasy jazz romp. The performance leans into vintage hot jazz energy, complete with brassy swagger and playful rhythms, as Postmodern Jukebox once again transforms a familiar hit into something delightfully old-world and full of life.