Singer-songwriter Julie Byrne was born and raised in Buffalo, New York but has called Pittsburgh, Chicago, Seattle, New Orleans, Northampton and New York City “home” in recent years. Her constant wandering is evidenced in her newest album, Not Even Happiness. In “Melting Grid”, we travel the magic of the Pacific Northwest, and we see the morning sky in Boulder in “Natural Blue.” Close your eyes and you are sitting in a cabin or stopping to stretch your legs on a long road trip. The joy of nature and travel inspired her album title: “I walked alongside the Atlantic as the Earth came alive from the sun. There was a palpable sense of emergence to everything. I felt it in myself too… I would trade that feeling for nothing… not even happiness.” (Bada Bing Records)

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Portuguese singer Lula Pena’s first album, Phados, was released in 1998 earning the world singer a global and devoted fan base. Since then, and despite the gap in album releases and rare appearances, she has met with great success from the release of her second album Troubadour in 2010. To the delight of her longsuffering fans, Pena’s third album, Archivo Pittoresco, is finally here. Pena’s voice is hauntingly deep with a mellow vibrato, and she easily flows between six languages: Portuguese, French, Spanish, Greek, Italian and English. While the undertone of phados (her own spelling of the Portuguese music genre) is present throughout Archivo Pittoresco, the music weaves a variety of world styles, including flamenco, folk blues and Bossa nova. Pena pays homage to her favorite poets and composers, such as Manos Hadjidakis and Violeta Parra, weaving their lyrics and poems into her own music. (Crammed Discs)

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Cannes Film Festival winner for Best Screenplay and Best Actor, and 2017 Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, The Salesman, by Iranian writer/director Asghar Farhadi, is a thriller that follows a young couple while performing in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. After their old flat becomes damaged, Emad (Shahab Hosseini) and Rana (Taraneh Alidoosti), are forced to move into a new apartment. Eventually, an incident linked to the previous tenant of their new home dramatically changes the couple’s life. Farhadi has previously received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for his movie A Separation (2011). (Cohen Media Group / Amazon Studios)

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In a time of heated social discussion following a historical inauguration – Washington D.C. punk band Priests is releasing their debut album Nothing Feels Natural. Appropriately named, the album acknowledges the uncertainty in our society, exploring it as a state of mind. Whether Priests starts a dialogue about being stuck as a band, as individuals or as a society–they are here to engage. (Sister Polygon)

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One Hundred Songs that inspire progress and benefit cause for change.

Artists and labels we will be releasing one rare, unreleased or exclusive song per day to you via Bandcamp for the next 100 days — taking action to be the change they would like to see. All profits raised from “Our First 100 Days” will go directly to organizations working on the front lines of climate, women’s rights, immigration and fairness.

For a minimum contribution of $30, supporters will be able to access all 100 songs in the project, including new music from Angel Olsen, How To Dress Well, Toro Y Moi, The Range and many more.

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Oscar winner and Golden Globe nominee Annette Bening gives a stunning performance opposite rising star Lucas Jade Zumann in 20th Century Women, a groundbreaking coming-of-age comedy-drama. Set in 1979 Santa Barbara, a teenage boy learns about life and love from the women surrounding his home life—his single mother (Bening), best friend (Elle Fanning) and a free-spirited boarder living in his home (Greta Gerwig). 20th Century Women is writer/director Mike Mills’ first feature since his film Beginners (2010) and is partly based on the director’s own adolescence. The film was nominated for multiple awards including Best Motion Picture, Comedy at this year’s Golden Globes. (A24)

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In I, Daniel Blake, Daniel Blake (Dave Johns) is an out of work carpenter with a heart condition who, due to various bureaucratic obstacles, struggles to collect welfare. While at the welfare office, Blake bonds with single mother Katie (Hayley Squires) over their similar financial straits, sparking a friendship with her and her children. I, Daniel Blake is yet another stirring social critique from director Ken Loach, exposing the sincere difficulties that millions have when jumping through the hoops of a system that seems designed not to work. The film has received three Cannes Film Festival Awards, including the Palme D’or and nominations for four BAFTAs. (Sundance Selects)

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Writer/Director Jim Jarmusch, known for Stranger Than Paradise (1984) & Broken Flowers (2005), among many others, brings us Paterson. Adam Driver is a New Jersey bus driver who adheres to the same simple routine: he drives his daily route, observing the city as it drifts across his windshield and overhearing fragments of conversation swirling around him; he writes poetry into a notebook; he walks his dog; he stops in a bar and drinks exactly one beer. He goes home to his wife, Laura (Golshifteh Farahani). By contrast, Laura’s world is ever changing. New dreams come to her almost daily, each a different and inspired project. Paterson loves Laura and she loves him. He supports her newfound ambitions; she champions his secret gift for poetry. Paterson was an official selection at various film festivals, including Cannes & TIFF, and was also nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Actor, & Best Director at the Gotham Awards in September. (Amazon Studios/Bleecker Street Films)

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