The 1975 frontman Matty Healy took to Twitter this week to call out labels and artists who charge fans for meet-and-greets, accusing them of trying to “monetize... human connection”. “Who came up with payed meet and greets?” he wrote. “Did they think ‘Surely there must be something else we can monetise….OH! Human connection!! They’ll eat […]
"The greatest zombie cast ever disassembled" will star in Jim Jarmusch's zombie movie 'The Dead Don't Die'. So, in musicians-first order, it's: Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, RZA, Selena Gomez, Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez, Sara Driver and Carol Kane. The plot is not […]
Rap star 50 Cent famously invested in Vitaminwater before Coca-Cola bought it for a billion dollars, also has a sizable investment in mattress firm company, Casper and that company is approaching a billion dollar valuation thanks to its innovative mattresses. In October of 2018, it was announced 50's G-Unit Films struck a deal with Starz […]
'Grey Matter', third album by British rapper Little Simz is highest-rated album by a female artist this year, according to aggregation site Metacritic (only 'Psychodrama', the debut album by fellow London rapper Dave, has a higher score). BBC talked to her about how that new album came to be and where does she see Jay-Z […]
Each week NME picks out stand-out songs from various genres, and this week their menu for hungry ears offers the following: indie-pop band Pronoun, rapper Little Simz, r'n'b singer Poppy Ajudha, noise-poppers The Ninth Wave, rapper Tierra Whack, indie rockers Amyl and the Sniffers, soul singer Asiatica, pop-rockers Body Type, tropical electronics artist Durante, and […]
American rapper Cardi B has defended herself after a video resurfaced of her saying she drugged and robbed men who wanted to have sex with her while she worked as a stripper before finding fame. "Whether or not they were poor choices at the time, I did what I had to do to survive," she […]
"Don’t you care about the bands that will struggle to tour Europe?” - that's the question journalists should have asked The Who's Roger Daltrey who said "as if we didn’t tour Europe before the fucking EU!”, after being asked about Brexit. "Because clearly Roger hasn’t given a second thought to the bands, roadies, tour managers […]
Pitchfork talked to singer-actor-model Sky Ferreira, confident she will publish a new album this year - it will be called 'Masochism' (title is there since 2015, and she played them two songs ('Downhill Lullaby' and 'Don't Forget'). Why did it take her six years to make an album - "Sky doesn’t just want her new […]
Ten years ago, electronic music in Iran was suppressed by the government. But now, Iran is becoming recognised as a hub for some of the world’s most vital, forward-thinking experimental music. Its affable prime mover is Ata Ebtekar, a long-celebrated figure in electronic music under his alias Sote, meaning “sound” in Farsi (he has an […]
"'Nest' is a remarkable adventure, an exploration of territories never before traversed, very much in the spirit of fellow power-trio travelers like Rush and Sleep. Even if it were nothing more than the sum of its parts, 'Nest' would be an astonishing album; the performances alone would be enough to guarantee that. But it is […]
Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly will tour together, as holograms later this year. The performances will see the reincarnated singer-songwriters backed by a full (live) band and (live) backing vocalists. The Roy Orbison & Buddy Holly: The Rock ’N’ Roll Dream Tour is planned for october in Europe and USA. “These two men were forward-thinkers […]
European parliament has passed copyright laws which critics say could change the internet with many musicians and creators saying the legislation will compensate artists fairly, but others argue that they will destroy user-generated content. The new rules, including the controversial Article 13, will hold tech firms responsible for material posted without copyright permission. Tech companies […]
Ranking Roger, longtime frontman of British ska punk band the Beat has died aged 56, after health complications. In 1978, at the age of 15, Charlery co-founded The Beat as the lead vocalist and main toaster (the Jamaican dancehall style of talk-singing over a rhythm). The band recorded three albums before their breakup in 1983, […]
YouTube singing star Anthony Vincent has a cameo role in Mötley Crüe biopic 'The Dirt', so in honor of that release he sang their song 'Kickstart My Heart' in 17 different styles - Led Zeppelin, Deftones, Dean Martin, RHCP etc (here's the video). The video is funny, movie, it seems so, isn't: "'The Dirt' is […]
"I know a lot of people, especially in the United States, are not motivated to do that [dance]. They don't really put dancing in the same sentence as rock music. But, when you go back to the birth of rock music, that's what people did. They danced to it. I hope that spirit can come […]
The nordic country will temporarily shut down the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon this June due to damage caused by foot traffic that they attribute to Bieber’s fans. “This canyon was somewhat unknown,” Daníel Freyr Jónsson, head of the country’s environment agency said. “The great increase in foot traffic began after Bieber came. There has been an increase […]
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will not revoke Michael Jackson's inductions or remove his memorabilia from display at its Cleveland museum. Hall of Fame explains: "As with all of our inductees, Jackson was recognized for musical excellence and talent as well as having a significant impact on rock’n’roll, and was elected by a diverse […]
Acclaimed British musician, artist, producer and writer Matthew Herbert is releasing his new album, 'The State Between Us' on the 29th of March, Brexit day (which is being postponed). The album is being released under the name of the Matthew Herbert Great Britain and Gibraltar European Union Membership Referendum Big Band, and it features over […]
"I’ve toured my whole teenage life, and early 20s, I realized and as you guys probably saw I was unhappy last tour and I don’t deserve that and you don’t deserve that, you pay money to come and have a lively energetic fun light concert and I was unable emotionally to give you that near […]
"They’re incredible film scores to his imagination, which was clearly slightly mad, but only in the sense of that’s where you get the most striking visions, in that area close to madness. He’s filled the world with some sublime music" - Damon Albarn. "That is how he lived – with his eyes on the immensity, […]
Dr Dre posted a photo of his daughter, Truly Young, posing with her USC acceptance letter with captions “My daughter got accepted into USC all on her own. No jail time!!!”. "Jail time" was a reference to the recent college admissions scandal in which a number of wealthy parents paid thousands of dollars so their […]
"Ranks among Avey Tare’s strongest work of the ’10s, whether alone or with Animal Collective, and should be required listening for any old Millennial scared of turning 40 but even more scared of the alternative" - Consequence of Sound. Listen to song 'Saturdays (Again)' here.
Psychic TV and Coil were vanguard bands that blended ritual magick and creative method. But even their esoteric beliefs bore scant resemblance. This is a split that runs deep - PopMatters analyses the aesthetics and attitudes towards the audience of these two experimental bands.
"You don’t think you can play? Check this out. Let me show you how much I can’t play” - that's how Karen O describes a conversation with Danger Mouse before they started - recording together! “That’s our best kept secret. Neither of us can play at all, but somehow we made this record" - Karen […]
The first single from .Paak’s upcoming fourth album, 'Ventura', features the same kind of smooth, soul-inspired hip-hop that we’ve gotten to know so well from the young multi-instrumentalist - Consequence of Sound says in their Song of the Week segment. Listen to 'King James' here.
Berlin-based app Engdel last week had signed a deal with Warner Music Group, becoming the first algorithm to sign with a major label. Endel uses various inputs — weather, heart rate, time of day, and person's circadian rhythms — to craft soundscapes out of stems with the intention of boosting the listener's mood, enhance focus, […]
Textured riffs, earthen hooks, and gorgeous harmonies in what some might compare to contemporary heartland rock make up Illinois singer-songwriter Dan Hubbard's new single 'Run Towards the River'. "I wanted this song to start out like a really earnest conversation about getting out... (It) represents a joyful rebirth, and new beginnings" - Hubbard explains to […]
The upcoming Elton John biopic 'Rocketman' is expected to receive an “R” rating, it will include an “intimate love scene” between Taron Egerton, who play John, and Richard Madden, who plays John’s former manager and lover, John Reid. John’s past drug use will also be depicted. It is not yet finished, but it is expected […]
Scott Walker, one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in rock history, has died at the age of 76. The star, whose songs included The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore and Joanna, influenced many - Radiohead, David Bowie, Jarvis Cocker, Arctic Monkeys, The Divine Comedy, to name just a few. He found fame as […]
Leicester band Easy Life is the latest choice in NME's segment What’s Your Band Called, Mate?. The band describes their sound as "your favourite old jazz record mixed with the dirty wonders of modern production techniques. Shit bangs”. Apparently they like weed alot. Listen to their song 'Nightmares' here.
New York will allow performances venues to reopen starting April 2, with capacity capped at 33%, with social distancing and face coverings required by all attendees. AEG CEO Jay Marciano has said previously to Rolling Stone that this can't work: “We built an industry based upon selling out. It’s important for the experience. The first 50 percent of the tickets pay for expenses like the stagehands and the marketing, the ushers, and the rest and the venue, and the other 50 percent is shared between the artists and the promoter - so, if all you’re going to sell is 50 percent of tickets, nobody’s making any money. Selling 85 percent of tickets is roughly the break-even”. So, what's left is multiplying the ticket price by 3, right?!?
Jack Dorsey's digital-payments processor Square is buying a majority stake in Tidal, Jay-Z's music streaming platform, for $297 million, through a mix of cash and stock, The New York Times reports. The move is set to bring Jay-Z to Square's board of directors. Jay-Z bought Tidal in 2015 for $56 million.
Morgan Carey is suing his younger sister Mariah Carey star for defamation and emotional distress caused by her recent memoir 'The Meaning Of Mariah Carey', USA Today reports. Singer's older brother says the book falsely suggests he was violent, saying that as a result, he has suffered "extreme mental anguish" and "serious damage to his reputation". Last month Mariah Carey's sister Alison Carey sued her for $1.25m over the memoir - there are passages claiming that Alison Carey gave Valium to 12-year-old Mariah, tried to pimp her out and threw boiling tea on her were "outrageous" and meant to "humiliate and embarrass" her.
Kings of Leon will release their new album 'When You See Yourself' on Friday, in the form of a non-fungible token (NFT) - becoming the first band to ever do so, Variety reports. Their NFT will be released through YellowHeart, a streaming platform based on blockchain. Along with the album, Kings of Leon are auctioning off six “golden tickets” that will include perks like four front row tickets to any Kings of Leon show for life, and another package includes six individual art pieces celebrating the album’s release and Kings of Leon’s legacy. Recently, artists like Grimes and Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda sold their digital art as NFTs, to the tune of $5.8 million and $30,000, respectively. Music producer 3LAU has sold a collection of 33 different non-fungible tokens for a total of $11.7m.
David Crosby has sold all of his music - his solo work, his work with the Byrds, Crosby & Nash, CSN, and CSNY - to famed music executive Irving Azoff’s new venture Iconic Artists Group, Pollstar reports. It includes the recorded music and publishing rights to his entire music catalog. “Given our current inability to work live, this deal is a blessing for me and my family and I do believe these are the best people to do it with” - Crosby said.
Alfa Mist announces his new album with jazzy-hip-hop single 'Organic Rust'; "rocky pop" band Wolf Alice share their grand new ballad 'The Last Man On Earth'; Damon Locks - Black Monument Ensemble share a jazzy afrobeat song 'NOW (Forever Momentary Space)'; Mattie shares an electro r'n'b song 'Human Thing'; Bomba Estéreo goes tribal pop on 'Aqua'.
Three classically trained musicians tell the Guardian about the delivery jobs they turned to during the pandemic. Classically trained trombonist Rachel Allen had to take shifts with the delivery firm Yodel to make ends meet. Violinist Catherine Martin, who delivers groceries, says that "without concerts in my diary, I totally lost my motivation. I got quite depressed and I really realised I needed to do something”. French horn player Jake Bagby found pleasure in talking to people he delivers groceries to because everybody is alone (and lonely).
Electronic duo The Avalanches have won the 2020 Australian Music Prize for their album ‘We Will Always Love You’, uDiscover Music reports. The Avalanches were nominated next to Tame Impala’s ‘The Slow Rush’, Ziggy Ramo’s ‘Black Thoughts’, ‘Nyaaringu’ by Miiesha, Alice Ivy’s ‘Don’t Sleep’, Blake Scott’s ‘Niscitam’, Emma Donovan and the Putbacks’ ‘Crossover’, Fanny Lumsden’s ‘Fallow’ and Gordon Koang’s ‘Unity’. Previous winners of the Australian Music Prize include Sampa The Great, Gurrumul, A.B. Original, Courtney Barnett, and The Drones.
'The United States vs. Billie Holiday' comes down to what one single song does to the life of the singer, to the society, and the system. LA Times recalls what really happened when federal officers prosecuted Billie Holiday because of the song about a lynching in the American South - the powerful 'Strange Fruit', with the excuse of fighting against the drugs. Critics don't really like the movie.
An amazing story told in Jonathan Sutak's new documentary 'Dons of Disco' about the 1980s Italian pop star Den Harrow. There was however no Den Harrow (the name itself is a joke on Italian word “denaro”, money) - the face of the singer was Stefano Zandri, charismatic young Italian, who didn't speak any English so the producers Roberto Turatti and Miki Chieregato hired a Swiss-American singer Tom Hooker to do the singing parts (without the public knowing it). When Hooker quit the act and music, the Den Harrow character continued, with other singers recording the voice. New Yorker writes in a review that "Sutak tells this amazing story with an admirable directness and simplicity; he avoids the sense of documentary convention and seems to be following the urgency of his own sense of wonder".
