Sleepy music, the new Scream film and the next book by Margaret Atwood will be coming out next week. 

Margaret Atwood’s “Old Babes in the Wood: Stories”

Margaret Atwood, known for her books “The Testament” and The Handmaid’s Tale,” is releasing her 11th book of short stories on March 7.   

In her first collection of stories since 2014, Atwood’s new collection includes 15 stories. Though some of the stories were previously published, over half of them are new. 

The collection takes and expands on Atwood’s history of writing about fairy tales and fables. Instead of writing lessons for youth like most fairy tales, Atwood instead shifts this collection to focus on stories about being elderly and aging. 

After the passing of Atwood’s life partner in 2019, Atwood’s collection is sure to have themes of loss, love and desperation.

You can preorder the collection at Bookshop or at any other major bookseller. 

Scream VI

The newest piece of the Scream franchise, “Scream VI,” is coming to theaters March 10. Starring Melissa Barrera and Jasmin Savoy Brown, the new film focuses on a new cast of characters possibly refreshing the classic series. 

This seems even more so the case when looking at the fifth film in the franchise which came out last year. If it followed the naming trends of the other films, the 2022 release would be titled “Scream V,” but instead it is named “Scream,” seeming like the series may be restarting for a new generation of horror fans.

While Neve Campbell, the star of the first five “Scream” movies, will not return to the film, the studio replaced her with new cast members that seem tailor-made for younger eyes. Courtney Cox is reviving her role as Gale Weathers and Hollywood’s new darling Jenna Ortega is playing the main character’s sister, giving her a good amount of screen time too. 

Manchester Orchestra – “The Valley of Vision”

Following up on the success of their 2021 album “The Million Masks of God,” Manchester Orchestra is releasing its seventh album “The Valley of Vision” on March 10. 

The Atlanta-based group turned away from their typical indie-rock sound for something quieter on the lead, and only, single for the album, “Capital Karma.”

While Manchester Orchestra is typically upbeat and full of rock-inspired guitar lines, “Capital Karma” just features vocals, pads and piano. Though this mixture of instruments can often create emotionally gratifying songs, full of depth and character, Manchester Orchestra does not pull that off.

The meek and mild instrumentation aren’t conduits for emotion, they are conduits for sleep. While the band may have been going for a peaceful atmosphere, it simply didn’t work. 

The album release is tied in with a VR film that will be released March 9 on the band’s YouTube channel which may be an interesting way to release an album. 

Truthfully though, if the single is any teller for how the rest of the album will be, don’t be terribly excited for the album.