The best part of music history is discovering what you thought you knew. RĆømainās compilation reveals the hidden backstories of famous tunes, reminding us every melody has a journey worth hearing.
Yogetsu Akasaka Transforms Ancient Heart Sūtra With Beatboxing And Live Looping
When centuries-old wisdom meets modern rhythm, magic happens. Yogetsu Akasakaās take on the Heart SÅ«tra layers tradition with loops, turning meditation into music that feels eternal and brand new all at once.
DJ Earworm Blends āMr. Brightsideā āForever Youngā And āStayā Into Timeless Mashup
Only DJ Earworm could make three decades dance together. By stitching The Killers’ āMr. Brightside,ā Alphaville’s āForever Young,ā and The Kid Laroi’s āStayā into one mashup, he proves that the best songs donāt just lastāthey keep finding new ways to live.
Nicolas Macia And Mc Bess Create Dreamy Visuals For Alt Funk Track āAliceā
Some songs paint pictures, and some pictures sing. In āAlice,ā Nicolas Macia and mc bess blur the lines between the two, crafting a dreamy ride where sound and vision melt into something magical.
Makary Brauner Reimagines Massive Attack Classic āTeardropā In 1 Bit On Atari 130 XE
Remember when music sounded like the future through the crackle of a computer chip? Makary Braunerās 1-bit take on Massive Attackās āTeardropā proves that even stripped to its rawest form, a great song can still give you chills.
25 Surprising Facts You Didnāt Know About The Simpsons’ Emmy-Winning Composer Alf Clausen
Alf Clausen might not be a household name, but his music has been in your head for decades. The sly string runs under Sideshow Bob, the Broadway-sized numbers about monorails and burlesque houses, the emotional underscoring that made Springfieldās chaos feel cinematic ā that was Alf. From Jamestown, North Dakota, to the worldās biggest animated family, Clausenās career is a map of televisionās golden sound. Here are 25 things you didnāt know about him, each one another note in a life scored to perfection.
- Alf was born in Minneapolis on March 28, 1941, but grew up in Jamestown, North Dakota.
- Henry Manciniās Sounds and Scores was the book that inspired him to pursue composing.
- He started on French horn in seventh grade, sang in choir, and later picked up bass guitar.
- He originally studied mechanical engineering before switching to music theory at North Dakota State.
- He took a Berklee correspondence course in jazz and big band writing while still in Fargo.
- He was the first French horn player to attend Berklee when he enrolled in the ā60s.
- His playing appears on Berkleeās Jazz in the Classroom albums.
- After graduating in 1966, he taught at Berklee for a year before heading west.
- In Los Angeles, he ghostwrote jingles, arranged charts, and even copied the music for The Partridge Family theme.
- Donny & Marie hired him as a score writer after an emergency chart; he soon became their full music director.
- For years, he flew weekly from LA to Utah to record the showās score.
- He scored 63 of the 65 episodes of Moonlighting ā including the black-and-white dream episode and Atomic Shakespeare.
- He composed for ALF, weaving quirky music around the showās puppet star.
- His orchestration work included films like The Beastmaster, Splash, Weird Science, Ferris Buellerās Day Off, and The Naked Gun.
- He joined The Simpsons in 1990, after Matt Groening told him the show should be scored like a drama, not a cartoon.
- He once wrote 57 musical cues in a single week for the series.
- His motto: āI can make you feel five ways in thirteen seconds.ā
- Clausen avoided strict character themes, instead giving each episode its own āmini-movieā score.
- The one exception: Mr. Burns and Sideshow Bob got their own recurring motifs.
- He always used a full 35-piece orchestra ā a rarity for TV.
- He won back-to-back Emmys for The Simpsons songs āWe Put the Spring in Springfieldā and āYouāre Checkinā In.ā
- He was nominated for more Emmy Awards than any other musician ā 30 in total.
- He won five Annie Awards for The Simpsons episodes across a decade.
- His work lives on in three soundtrack albums: Songs in the Key of Springfield (1997), Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons (1999), and The Simpsons: Testify (2007).
- In 2011, ASCAP gave him the Golden Note Award, with Paul Williams praising his āwonderfully happy music.ā
Alf Clausenās career is a reminder that music on television can be as inventive, powerful, and lasting as anything in concert halls or cinemas. His scores didnāt just accompany jokes ā they elevated them, turned satire into spectacle, and made cartoon emotions feel deeply real. In Springfield and beyond, his sound is timeless, proof that even in a world of quick gags, the right melody lingers forever.
Bono Releases āStories Of Surrender EPā With Live Recordings Of U2 Classics
Ā Island Records has releasedĀ āStories Of Surrender EPā, a new Limited EditionĀ 3-track Live EPĀ fromĀ Bono to accompany the acclaimed Apple Original Film titled āBono: Stories of Surrenderā on Apple TV+. ListenĀ HERE.
The āStories Of Surrender EPā features live recordings of three U2 tracks ā Desire, The Showman and Sunday Bloody Sunday ā taken from Bonoās one-man stage show of the same name, itself inspired by his bestselling memoir āSurrender: 40 Songs, One Storyā.
The āStories Of Surrender EPā sees Bono joined once again by musicians Gemma Doherty (Harp, Keyboard, Vocals) and Kate Ellis (Cello, Keyboard, Vocals), as well as Musical Director Jacknife Lee.
The film āBono: Stories of Surrenderā received its worldwide premiere at this yearās Cannes Film Festival. An abridged paperback version of the autobiography, also titled āBono: Stories of Surrenderā and featuring a new introduction by Bono, has been published by Penguin Random House as a companion to the film and EP. Details here.
āStories Of Surrender EPā will be available digitally on May 30th. A 7ā black vinyl will be released on May 30th (Ireland, UK and Germany) and June 13th (Rest of World).
The tracklisting for āStories Of Surrender EPā is:
- Desire (Stories Of Surrender Version)
- The Showman (Stories Of Surrender Version)
- Sunday Bloody Sunday (Stories Of Surrender Version)
Lukas Nelson Releases New Song āBorn Runninā Outta Timeā From Album āAmerican Romanceā
Acclaimed singer, songwriter, and musician Lukas Nelsonās new song, āBorn Runninā Outta Time,ā is out today. Written by Nelson, Jon Decious, and Nate Ferraro, the track finds Nelson searching for balance between his own ambitions and the present moment. Listen/share HERE.
Of the song, Nelson shares, āIāve always wrestled with that impulseāthe ambition versus the ability to appreciate what I have. Nothing you ever get will be good enough, and nothing you ever achieve will fill that hole, so you must be able to find peace now. Whatever comes is just icing on the cake.ā
āBorn Runninā Outta Timeā is the latest single from Nelsonās highly anticipated new album, American Romance, out June 20āhis first solo project and his first in partnership with Sony Music Nashville (pre-order/pre-save here). Produced by Grammy Award-winner Shooter Jennings (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker), American Romance cements Nelson as a singular artist, showcasing his songwriting dexterity and country-blended sound in a way that feels both familiar and new. Across these twelve tracksāincluding collaborations with Sierra Ferrell and Stephen Wilson Jr.āNelson tells stories of life on the road, detailing the joys, complexities, beauty, and heartbreak he has encountered while traveling the country.
In advance of the release, Nelson has shared two additional album tracks: āPretty Muchā and āAināt Done.ā Billboard praises the latter, noting that āit brims with the insightful songwriting and grizzled voice heās known for,ā while Relix declares, āthe Grammy-winning singer-songwriterās new project brings more masterfully crafted Americana, but with a newly intimate focus on the soloistās words and voice,ā and Whiskey Riff proclaims that it is āa beautiful song full of hope⦠showcas[ing] his incredible, very honest talent for songwriting that is unlike anyone else in countryāor music in general.ā
Reflecting on the project, Nelson adds, āThis album is the first chapter in a whole new era of my life as an artist. Itās a love story to the country that raised meādiners and highways that carried me through the joy and pain that led to the music you hear now.ā
In addition to Nelson and Jennings, the record features special contributions from Anderson East (āDisappearing Light,ā producer) and SistaStrings (āMontana,ā cello and viola), as well as Matt Chamberlain (drums), Corey McCormick (bass), Marty Muse (dobro), Russ Pahl (pedal steel), Chris Powell (drums), Brian Whelan (acoustic guitar), and Eleanor Whitmore (fiddle).
Known for his captivating live performances, Nelson will play select headline shows this summer and appear at several major festivals, including CMA Fest, Newport Folk Festival, and Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion. See below for the current tour itinerary.
Since his debut over a decade ago, Nelson has become one of the most respected voices in music, releasing eight studio albums, including 2023ās Sticks and Stones, which spent 18 weeks in the top 10 of the Americana Albums chart and reached #1 on the Alt Country chart. A highly sought-after collaborator both in the studio and on stage, Nelson recently teamed with The Travelinā McCourys and Sierra Ferrell for a bluegrass-inspired rendition of Adeleās āSomeone Like You,ā and has also worked with artists such as Lainey Wilson, ERNEST, Miranda Lambert, The Pistol Annies, and more. Most recently, he performed at the MusiCares 2025 Person of the Year Gala, honoring the Grateful Dead with āIt Must Have Been the Roses,ā again alongside Ferrell.
Nelson has sold out countless headline shows, appeared at renowned festivals such as Stagecoach, Ohana Festival, Bourbon & Beyond, and Farm Aid, and made multiple appearances on late-night television, including Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Additionally, he co-produced and co-wrote much of the music for the acclaimed 2018 film A Star is Born, in which he also appeared. The soundtrack won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media and a BAFTA Award for Best Original Music.
American RomanceĀ ā Track List
Aināt Done
Pretty Much
Make You Happy
Outsmarted
Disappearing Light (feat. Stephen Wilson Jr.)
Born Runninā Outta Time
All God Did
Montana
Friend in the End (feat. Sierra Ferrell)
The Lie
American Romance
You Were It
Lukas Nelson ā Confirmed Tour Dates
September 13āTelluride, COāTelluride Blues and Brews 2025
September 19-21āBristol, TNāBristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
September 26āDana Point, CAāOhana Festival
October 3-4āMemphis, TNāMempho Music Festival
October 10āNorth Charleston, NCāRiverfront Revival Music Festival
Dean Lewis Shares Soul Baring Ballad āTruthā From āThe Epilogue Deluxeā
Global superstar Dean Lewis has shared his fan track “Truth”. This new track comes from the deluxe edition of his third studio album, The Epilogue, out now. The Epilogue (Deluxe) will be available on DSPs and as a limited edition 2LP vinyl.
Serving as a sequel to Dean’s smash hit “Waves,” “Truth” is a soul-baring ballad that dives deep into the emotional wreckage of heartbreak, exploring the raw aftermath of betrayal and unspoken truths. With hauntingly intimate vocals and rousing production, the track captures the ache of unanswered questions and the lingering hope for closure. This is heartbreak laid bare – honest, aching, and unforgettable. The accompanying visual picks up where “Waves” left off, continuing the story with powerful visual callbacks and emotional depth. While “Waves” charted the rise and fall of a relationship in real time, “Truth” is the quiet storm that follows – a raw reflection on love lost, where time has passed but the pain still lingers. This seamless follow-up delivers a hit of emotion and closure that longtime fans will feel instantly.
Originally released in October, The Epilogue delivered standout singles including “Trust Me Mate,” “Memories,” “All I Ever Wanted,” and “Empire.” To date, tracks from The Epilogue have accumulated over 500 million global streams and have been supported extensively across DSPs worldwide, including features on the covers of Apple Music’s Global NMD, Spotify’s NMF ANZ, and Amazon’s Acoustic Chill, as well as out-of-home (OOH) campaigns on YouTube LA and New York and Spotify Germany. Internationally, The Epilogue made a significant impact, debuting at #10 on the Spotify Global Chart, #17 in the Netherlands, and #18 in Switzerland.
Dean has released two tracks to date from his forthcoming The Epilogue (Deluxe). His hit, “With You,” has had over 95M streams, hit Top 50 Global Shazam + Top 10 AU Shazam, Top 15 AU Radio and spent 16 weeks in Hot Hits Australia. Dean’s current single, “I Hate That It’s Truth,” has also had over 25M streams and currently featured in Spotify’s Hot Hits Australia and Belgium.

