Composer Harold Arlen's estate filed a 148-page lawsuit against Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, alleging they have committed widespread piracy, accusing them of running a "massive piracy operation for the purpose of generating profits from their sales and streams of pirated recordings". The lawsuit claims that technology allowed increased bootlegging by musical pirates, and because of this […]
The Brits call him "a 16-year-old music prodigy with a recording contract and a bright future", Alfie Templeman got a guitar from his father when he was just a kid, and wrote his first song - about sirens in World War One - when he was just seven or eight. Templeman is signed to Chess […]
Travis Scott told the crowd at the Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores, Alabama on Friday night that profits from his merch sales at the festival will go to Planned Parenthood, Pitchfork reports. The 1975 played Hangout Fest as well, where frontman Matty Healy made a speech out abortion ban: “I don’t believe it’s about the […]
Arizona experimental rap trio Injury Reserve have an album out that will "definitely appeal to the types of rap fans who listen to stuff like Death Grips and Run The Jewels", Brooklyn Vegan writes about the threesome's debut. Production "ranges from heady electronic music to abrasive industrial, and rappers Ritchie With a T and Stepa […]
“I hope jazz doesn’t become synonymous with pop again. Part of the fun of jazz is discovering this isolated, secret scene that is radically reflective of its time. That means it now encompasses the hip-hop work Kendrick Lamar is doing in LA with Kamasi Washington, and club culture here in London with people like Nubya Garcia […]
"At some point while reading 'Sleevenotes' it becomes clear that it was much more than just a wise-cracking, experimentally punctuated, string of anecdotes about squat gigs in Belgium with improbably named noise rock bands and blocked studio toilets in Camberwell. This book should in fact be regarded as core curriculum reading for those just embarking on the […]
"In just 35 minutes of music. 'Living Theatre' is a spectacular album, remarkable for how much it crams into such a short space of time, and for what worlds it manages to conjure within the confines of ten songs, two of which are instrumental... Perfect intersection of nature and artifice, the very definition of what organic music […]
A sweater worn by Kurt Cobain during the last photoshoot before his death went for $75,000 at an auction. The cardigan was worn by Nirvana frontman in a photoshoot for band's last album, 1993’s 'In Utero', which was released just months before Cobain’s death in April 1994. Promotional photos of Cobain in the sweater were taken […]
California rapper Logic debuted on top of Billboard 200 chart with his fifth album 'Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind'. It sold 80,000 equivalent units in the USA in it's first-week, mostly by streaming activity - 'COADM' has 54,000 SEA units, which equates to 73.93 million on-demand audio streams for its tracks, which also made it […]
"In the midst of a golden age of female indie rockers whose lyrics cut you to the quick as you’re cutting a rug, Lahey stands out for her versatility. With buoyant wit, she rolls with the changes and delivers a lucid, omnivorous perspective that’s all her own" - Consequence of Sound reviews second album by […]
"We are always trying to blend things, and so we listen to funk, disco, electronics, prog, and ambient styles and we keep in mind when writing songs. But we mix it up all together" - Elie Ghersinu, the bass player of the Swiss band L'Eclair says in an interview with the PopMatters. They have a […]
"Rude grooves and pretty songwriting. Kaboom, shhh. You love yourself, you want to love life. There’s only one YOU. Be unique. Fight for what you don’t like. Make the world a better place. Do your thing. Love. Sex. Kindness. Family" - Husky Loops describe themselves in NME's segment 'What’s Your Band Called Mate?' where they […]
Mike Patton of Faith No More, Tomahawk, Fantomas and Dead Cross has announced a new album with Jean-Claude Vannier, the French composer and producer best known for his work on Serge Gainsbourg’s 'Histoire de Melody Nelson', the Quietus. The duo will release its debut collaboration 'Corpse Flower' on September 13 via Ipecac. “I would send […]
BBC has nicely rounded-up Eurovision 2019 contest held in Tel Aviv last week. The Netherlands' Duncan Laurence, bookmakers' favourite, has won the contest with the grandiose piano-ballad 'Arcade'. Madonna performed at the show, sending a message of peace - two of her dancers, wearing Israeli and Palestinian flags - walked arm in arm (video here). […]
"A seven-piece band from Soweto, they have shaken up the South African music scene by mixing the ancient and modern with a real sense of danger, matching bass and percussion against furious, chanting Zulu vocals" - the Guardian reviews new album by BCUC, 'The Healing'. There are only three tracks on the album, listen to […]
The National have their eight studio album out, 'I Am Easy to Find', and critics like it: "It’s rarely sounded as vulnerable as it does here--song after song" - the A.V. Club; "It might challenge some fans and may not ever grow on others, but more than anything, it proves that the National are not […]
"We on this rooftop. Man, the energy was so beautiful. It's been hard for me to watch the video, and listen to the song, but also, it's very beautiful" - DJ Khaled says of his new video 'Higher', from his new album 'Father of Asahd', out today. DJ Khaled says to Billboard how he told Nipsey […]
“I talk to every person like they’re my friend. If you stand on every stage and talk like you’d talk to your best friend, you might step on toes. That way of interfacing is not always appropriate or successful" American singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco says in an interview with the Guardian about her new autobiography 'No […]
Paramount's Elton John biopic 'Rocketman' made its long-awaited debut at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night, as first major studio to depict gay male sex onscreen, Hollywood Reporter reminds us. The Dexter Fletcher-helmed film features scenes with men kissing, simulated oral sex and a steamy bedroom scene with both Taron Egerton, who plays John, […]
"On 'Adore' Numenorean managed to step outside of the mold of their main influence and craft an intricate and emotional album" - Metal Storm reviews second album by Canadian post-black metal band (or blackgaze, which is essentially the same) Numenorean. Everything is Noise has words of praise as well - Numenorean delivered "a beautifully conceived progressive […]
Guardian has a nice story, happy-afternoon-movie type, about an English folk singer Sam Lee who is trying - and succeeding - to save birds. He goes into the night with shruti box – the instrument used by Indian musicians to create drone effects – and sings to nightingales: “They love the harmonics. They love cellos […]
"I decided to stop making music for a while. For a year or so, I just messed around in my little home studio and tried different things, reconnecting with what I really wanted to do, digging into my obsessions and trying to find a more personal approach of production and mixing genres. I enjoyed being […]
However bizarre it may seem now, in 1994, the British government attempted to outlaw dance music and rave culture, defining troublesome music as that which “includes sounds wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”, Guardian reports. New indie movie, 'Beats', produced by Steven Soderbergh, is a Scottish coming-of-age story describing […]
In newest edition of the Quietus' segment Columnfortably Numb they pick out stand-out psych and noise rock tracks for the month of May. With Big Business, Orchestra Of Constant Distress, Raketkanon, Centrum, Hibushibire, Terminal Cheesecake, and Hey Colossus compiled in 44 minutes at tQ, it's actually a good compilation.
“One of the biggest stars in the world is using it [Instagram aesthetic] in their video – that might mean it’s reached its peak” - Lev Manovich, author of 'Instagram and Contemporary Image', says about Taylor Swift new video 'ME!'. Maddie Raedts, founder of the Influencer Marketing Agency (IMA), believes that perfection is no longer […]
"The band’s blend of technical death metal feels as ruthless as it is calculated, making for a fascinating record. As we are entering the halfway point of 2019, 'Sociopathic Constructs' can surely be considered one of the heaviest records of the year thus far. One way to think of the album is as a work of well-crafted […]
"The past 50 years or so have seen such an explosion in musical development that anything starts to sound retrogressive after a couple of years. What I try to do to avoid re-treading old ground is to create music that does something interesting with the form: to push and pull the verse structure, the time […]
"All tracks on 'Thina', serve the same purpose: creating and sustaining a musical mood that is serene and reflective, while still being adventurous enough to allow for flights of both instrumental and vocal fancy" - PopMatters reviews second album by South African modern soul band. Listen to album at BandCamp.
Selena Gomez has declared that social media is "dangerous" for her generation and encouraged youngsters to impose time limits on themselves. Gomez spoke out about the dangers of social media during a press conference for her new movie 'The Dead Don't Die' at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, saying "social media has really been terrible […]
Jarvis Cocker has released a first official studio recording with his new project JARV IS..., a seven minutes hypnotic rock song 'Must I Evolve?' (yes, he must, back-up singers answer), Brooklyn Vegan reports. Former Pulp frontman plays now with Serafina Steer, Emma Smith, Andrew McKinney, Jason Buckle and Adam Betts, and this single will only be available […]
A funny and intelligent interview by Music Journalism Insider with music critic and editor Kevin Williams from several Chicago newspapers; here's a snippet: "I reviewed everything from Kid Rock to Diana Krall, Cafe Tacuba to Wu-Tang, and was a constant annoyance for the copy desk. One review of Incubus was simply, 'Incubus? No, succubus'. Rewrite. I described Wu-Tang as like being at the 95th Street Red Line stop, just a bunch of smart brothas taking turns yelling at you. Rewrite. I had so much fun".
"Is it ever a good idea to put on performances that depict police brutality, jail, and other facets of Black oppression, especially on the stages of white institutions? There’s the chance that these displays enlighten some viewers to the gravity of American oppression, but there is also the reality that they come off as pandering and upset people directly impacted by state violence" - Complex discusses the value, or harm, of these performances.
It wasn't really clear who exactly are the members of Detroit hardcore collective The Armed, who their apparent leader Dan Greene really is, and what the role of Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou entails. With their new album 'Ultrapop' they're losing the anonymity, and for the first time they've released a video showing eight musicians, who the band claims is them. The Quietus talked to their (probable) member Adam Vallely trying to clear things up. He says that band consists of "in terms of audio contributions, 25 to 30 people at any one time. Then that often boils down to the songs that we play being about six to nine people". On their new album they move away from their previous hard-core sound, adding pop and hip-hop elements - "we’re trying to truly be experimental and try to craft some sort of new experience for people... I’d rather be the band that doesn’t get all the way there but pushes the next person to be super great with something you were able to put forward". In general, Vallely says, "we’re setting these hilariously larger than life goals for ourselves, to create a new genre of Ultrapop, and eventually create something that is more Ultrapop than hardcore".
A fan described Nick Cave on his Red Hand Files blog how he gave his father an Elvis-themed funeral, and wondered what Cave had in mind for his final hour. Cave answered he would "be very happy with one too - to be ushered into the next world by the voice of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll singer of them all. 'Kentucky Rain', that’s what I’d like, 'Kentucky Rain' and 'How Great Thou Art' - Elvis singing gospel, with heaven and all its angels listening".
Verzuz announced a battle between soul and funk legends the Isley Brothers and Earth, Wind & Fire, on April 4. Two weeks later, on April 20, Verzuz battle will host a “How High 4/20 Special” featuring Redman and Method Man. Both events will be available to watch on Verzuz’s Instagram account or via the Triller app.
A lovely text by Guardian's Annie Zalecki about how Tori Amos changed/formed her as a person: "I had Tori teaching me how to be a woman on my own terms. She was secure yet vulnerable, so connected to her feelings in ways I couldn’t yet articulate, and comfortable in her skin... And Tori spoke frankly about religion and desire, and even discussed the impact of her own rape... To an introvert like me, her willingness to be open about these heavy topics was revolutionary... I marvel at how lucky I was to have had this aspirational role model: a woman fearless enough to speak all of her truths, so her fans could find their own".
Morgan Wallen spends his tenth consecutive week on top of Billboard 200 chart with his latest release 'Dangerous: The Double Album', Billboard reports. It is the first album to spend its first 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since 1987 and Whitney Houston’s 'Whitney' album. 'Dangerous' earned 69,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending March 11, a slight deep of 11% from the previous week.
Nathan Evans completes his journey from postman to viral sensation to chart-topping smash as his hit ’Wellerman' takes the Number 1 spot on this week’s UK Official Singles Chart. The remix of the sea shanty with 220 Kid and Billen Ted climbs to 1 this week, after Evans' first TV performance of the track on last week’s episode of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
An interesting statistic in the MBW about the potential to earn an average wage as a musician, as opposed to a footballer. Spotify announced this week that 13,400 artists generated over $50,000 each in royalty payouts (records plus publishing) from their platform in 2020. There are now somewhere around 7 million artists with their music on Spotify, which means just 0.2% of artists on Spotify are generating $50k per year (median annual US wage). On the other side, there are around 320 million footballers today, and, by FIFA numbers, 128,983 of them actually get paid (something) to play, which is 0.04% of them.
A music festival took place in the Netherlands, with 1,500 mostly young people participating in an experiment about the spread of Covid-19, BBC reports. The rest of the country is in lockdown, yet the Dutch government has financed this electro-music festival and a scientific experiment that aims to see if there's a safe way to allow large-scale social gatherings to restart, without increasing the spread of the virus. The participants all had to be negative on Covid-test to take part at the fest and will be tested again next week.
