Mike Shinoda Album Collaborates With Fans

“Dropped Frames, Vol. 1”

Mike Shinoda

Kenji Kobayashi Productions

At the onset of quarantine, Mike Shinoda began creating music and art live on Twitch in front of and in collaboration with thousands of fans each day. The audience directly participates in the process, turning what might’ve been a creative low point into a communal creative revitalization. He curated twelve of those tracks into a new release that connects music, technology and community: “Dropped Frames, Vol. 1,” out July 10.

On “Vol. 1,” Shinoda selected eleven instrumental tracks born on the channel, in addition to the opening track “Open Door,” the only song to feature vocals. Viewers participated in the creation of these tracks by tuning in and communicating via the live chat. With suggestions ranging from “Mariachi,” to “Bollywood Hip

Hop” to “90’s Boy Band Pop,” Shinoda then mashed them together, live, in one track. The stream essentially became a new instrument.

“’Dropped Frames’ is just as much about the live channel as it is about the ‘album,’” he explains. “The collection of songs is a highlight reel of the tracks I make on the channel, but a big part of the experience is the stream itself. When I start, I usually have very little idea of where it will go. What comes out is a product of the viewers’ suggestions, my spur-of-the-moment ideas, and whatever inexplicable magic is floating in between.”

“Coastin’”

Iration

Three Prong Records

Reggae-influenced alternative rock band Iration released their seventh full-length studio album “Coastin’” on July 10. The new 13-track collection, a record about being thankful for the moments we have, features guest appearances from Eric Rachmany of Rebelution and Stick Figure, Common Kings, and Eli-Mac.

Iration takes listeners on a timeless musical journey on “Coastin’,” showcasing the band’s distinct hybrid style of music blending rock and reggae with elements of pop and newly incorporated R&B, funk and jazz sounds, set against meaningful and personal lyrics that push positivity, good vibes and good feelings into the world. Lyrically, the album is inspired by real life experiences, including the loss of friends, being in a life or job where you’re apart from your loved ones, and even an ode to singer/ guitarist Micah Pueschel’s newborn daughter.

“IV — Revelation” GOD

Enigmatic multi-layered progressive metal act GOD released its latest epic, “IV – Revelation,” July 14. As with GOD’s three previous releases, musical inspiration is drawn from the Holy Bible, with complex stories expressed through multi-layered instrumental metal.

“GOD ‘IV – Revelation’ represents the 22 chapters of the Book of Revelation in the Holy Bible,” the arcane band explains. “The album takes you on a cinematic, thematic, progressive metal journey in many styles of metal.”

The GOD moniker is not intended to express delusions of grandeur, but rather to use the concept of “inception,” where a small idea propagates into a powerful concept in one’s mind. Using this concept, GOD is simply used as a word, and its interpretations lay in the mind of the listener. Similarly, GOD’s music is a spiritual journey left to listener’s own mind and experience.

Clocking in at a hefty two hours with 22 tracks, GOD “IV – Revelation” musical interpretation of Revelation soars with the same intensity as its literary inspiration.

“FREE I.H.” Illuminati Hotties

Coming off their critically acclaimed 2018 debut “Kiss Yr Frenemies,” tour-tight and ready to funnel those skills into festival dates and their second record, L.A.’s Illuminati Hotties instead found themselves in an immovable contract with a publicly collapsing record label. Songwriter and producer

Sarah Tudzin began to write her way through contract purgatory, channeling personal and global anxieties into a vibrant mixtape filled with themes of aggression, claustrophobia and loss. As the mugshot-centric album art cheekily informs, this is NOT the record you’ve been waiting for (though you’ll hear that one soon). This is “FREE I.H,” out July 17.

“Assuming this is, in fact, a new Illuminati Hotties album, it’s a big step up from their 2018 debut ‘Kiss Yr Frenemies,’” says Paste. “It’s bolder, punkier and has some of the best rock hooks in recent memory.”

While BuzzFeed adds: “It’s an incredibly catchy, energetic pop and punk album with a great sense of humor.”

With no live music to list, this spot will be filled by news and reviews of new albums, both local and national. Send information about your new releases to Jocelyn Murphy at jmurphy@nwadg.com.