Country trio Dixie Chicks is dropping the "Dixie" part from their name, so they will go forward as The Chicks (their website has already adjusted to the new reality). Dixie is a nickname for the Southern United States, especially those states that composed the Confederate States of America.
A great alter-dance song 'I Was Gonna Fight Fascism' by Soccer96, a band by The Comet Is Coming members; Interpol frontman Paul Banks has formed a new band Muzz with Matt Barrick (of the Walkmen ) and Josh Kaufman (of Bonny Light Horseman) - shared a song 'Bad Feeling'; the other Walkmen member, Hamilton Leithauser has shared a song 'Isabella'; Berlin singer Sophie Hunger has a lovely new song 'Security Check'; Chromatics have shared a dark disco song 'Famous Monsters'; Courtney Marie Andrews shared a nice and pleasant song 'If I Told'; electronic producer Ital Tek got a child, moved to a barn and made a song ‘Deadhead’ about sleep deprivation; Bonnie “Prince” Billy got bouncy remixed on 'New Memory Box'; Dixie Chicks are back with 'Gaslighter', their first new song in 14 years; Jason Isbell released a great country rock single 'What've I Done to Help'; RMFTM have switched from electronics to post-punk on 'Eden In Reverse'; The Whitest Boy Alive by Kings of Convenience’s Erlend Øye released new single 'Serious', their first new music since 2009; Austra is back with an electro-pop smasher 'Anywayz'; Willie Nile vas visiting the family home when a line "a little bit of love goes a long, long way" hit him - 'A Little Bit of Love' was born; Gogo Penguin find the middle ground between post-rock, jazz and electronics on 'Atomised'; a great on-the-road song 'Late Jim's Lament' about being late by James Elkington; Osheyack has contributed original music to a new video installation by artist Shuang Li about mass-produced products as erotic objects; NY jazz group Onyx Collective got a hand (weel, actually voice) of art pop great Kelsey Lu for 'Where or When'; the title 'Come Back And Love Me<3' by the Hinds says it all; Butcher Brown's 'Tidal Wave' is about how jazz and rap came from the same soul.
In the country music industry, there is a saying “You don't want to be 'Dixie Chicks-ed", meaning you don't want to say one thing that's going to blow up your whole career. Dixie Chicks went from global stars, to being "canceled" (no albums, sporadic concerts, low radio-airplay), to heroes. The crucial moment was their political comment, which they didn't apologize for, didn't regret it, and, in the end - "it paid off, for them, and for everyone else who refuses to shut up and sing".
