About Earl Sweatshirt's new album 'Some Rap Songs': "With his latest record, the onetime teen prodigy reemerges as the face of a new sound and scene that blurs the line between avant-garde jazz and hip-hop". The 1975's 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships': "The British band’s outrageous and eclectic third album attests to the worth […]
Plenty are going to be released, and Spin is especially excited about these: Sky Ferreira, The Weeknd, Grimes, Weezer, Chance the Rapper, Vampire Weekend, My Bloody Valentine, 2 Chainz, Avril Lavigne, Beirut, Carly Rae Jepsen, Cass McCombs, Cherry Glazerr, Chromatics, Deerhunter, Die Antwoord, Fidlar, Girlpool, Janet Jackson, Kanye West, Lana Del Rey, Mandy Rogers, Panda Bear, […]
Kifano "Shotti" Jordan, former 6ix9ine's manager is accused of stealing $2.2 million, which were proceeds that were supposed to be from shows booked for Brooklyn rapper. To add insult to injury, 6ix9ine was arrested last weekend, charged with racketeering, drug dealing, and firearm violations. All Hip Hop...
Bristol punk-rock band Idles have topped a list of 2018's best albums, compiled by BBC 6 Music presenters. The group's second album 'Joy as an Act of Resistance' is "a really powerful record but it's still quite sly," said DJ Steve Lamacq. US trio Khruangbin came second on the list with jazz artist Kamasi Washington in […]
It didn't - Guardian argues, but admits that Britpop’s nostalgia did make flag-waving nationalism more acceptable. London newspaper adds a few interesting thoughts, here's one: Britpop went from something arch and wry and awkward to beery singalongs with arms around shoulders.
Karen O has released a new collaborative single with Danger Mouse titled 'Lux Prima'. The track comes from the duo’s upcoming album together, which will be available on limited edition white vinyl at select independent record stores on December 14. Stream the single on Spin.
The Chris Cornell estate has released 'Chris Cornell: An Artist’s Legacy', a new career-spanning box set collecting the late songwriter’s work as well as a 17-track self-titled retrospective album. It includes music from Cornell’s bands Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, his solo work, as well as the previously unreleased original song 'When Bad Does Good, Cornell’s cover of […]
One of the greatest art rock pranks of all time – or a hugely expensive exercise in vanity? That's Guardian's question after a US-based ‘band’ Threatin embarked on a tour of empty venues in the UK – having been booked on the basis of a fake online fanbase. With all the attention since the story broke, […]
Jill Scott was trending on Twitter after a video of one of her concerts surfaced online. The clip shows the neo soul songstress simulating oral sex on a microphone. Questlove responded to those who were shocked at the video, poking fun at "newbies" who don't know that many of her songs are sexually explicit: "Y’all thought she was incense […]
Asian rap collective 88rising has pushed Joji, Rich Brian and other Asian hip-hop artists to the top of U.S. music charts, and it’s just getting started. "There’s so much more room to do things. We’re a first-of-its-kind type of thing, and we’re here for the marathon”, 88rising's Sean Miyashiro told Rolling Stone.
As we live longer than ever and want to enjoy good health, rather than just avoiding ill-health, we desperately need a new model of healthcare. The focus of social prescribing on prevention, wellbeing and community has got to be worth a try, Guardian writes in a very interesting article. “We’ve got to stop over-medicalising people. Popping pills […]
Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell have joined Mike WiLL Made-It on the new song 'The Mantra' (listen to it on YouTube), slated to appear on the soundtrack for 'Creed II', the sequel to 2015’s 'Rocky' reboot 'Creed' starring Michael B. Jordan. The film’s soundtrack is produced by Mike WiLL Made-It and will include music from Bon Iver, Vince Staples, […]
Lil Jon partnered with the Pencils of Promise nonprofit organization to open a second school in Ghana. The Mafi Atitekpo DA Primary School, located in the village of Mafi Atitekpo, was officially inaugurated in July 2018 and currently serves 313 children. Last year he opened the first one. All Hip Hop...
Neil Young has criticised Donald Trump for his reluctance to act on climate change after California wildfires destroyed the songwriter’s home. In a post on his website, Young said: “California is vulnerable – not because of poor forest management as DT (our so-called president) would have us think. We are vulnerable because of climate change; the extreme weather events […]
A very nice interview with Florence Welch in the Rolling Stone: "The closest relationship I’ve had for my whole life is with my music. Also, I guess, I thought it was funny" (about her new tattoo 'Always Lonely') "I did sit down and talk it through with my mom. But it’s funny: With English people, […]
Ice Cube is calling for action with his 'Arrest The President' single. On the record, the emcee says Trump is "septic," "full of sh*t," and other unfavorable descriptions, All Hip Hop reports. Snoop Dogg went to Washington and set on a bend in front of the White House. "Let me get a picture. Snoop Dogg, […]
There have been only a few all-female supergroup - 60s R&B trio Honey Cone, country band Pistol Annies, folk band I'm With Her, indie-rock Boygenius, who released their debut EP this week. Groups of famous men joining forces often feels like fantasy football – all-star names with no cohesion – whereas for women it’s often […]
Anti-military rap song 'Prathet Ku Mee' ('What My Country’s Got') has become an unprecedented phenomenon in Thailand, racking up over 21 million views in just seven days and directly challenging the military government (YouTube video). The song, performed by a group called Rap Against Dictatorship, has emerged as an unlikely opponent to the military government’s […]
Hardy Fox, co-founder and chief composer of the influential art collective The Residents, has died. The Residents have operated under anonymity since their formation in 1969. Fox retired from the band in 2015 and subsequently revealed himself to be the band’s co-founder and chief composer. Under his leadership, The Residents released over 60 records, ranging from […]
Kanye West is "distancing" himself from politics saying on Twitter he's being "used to spread messages I don't believe in." He has been a vocal supporter of President Trump but this decision appears to centre around a campaign he was linked to known as Blexit, which encourages black Americans to quit the Democratic party. "I am... […]
Guardian has an interesting article about how artists are unable to stop politicians to stop playing their songs at political rallies. It just so happens that's it's mostly conservative politicians who played songs that they weren't allowed to: Donald Trump played Pharrell Williams' 'Happy', John McCain played Abba's 'Take a Chance on Me', and so […]
Consequence of Sound has a nice text about Pearl Jam's 'Vs', on album's 25th birthday. "A band that has seen the horror that is the rock and roll fantasy, how it just eats you up and spits you out with no regard for anything but the money... The visible damage that success, fame, and the […]
End of january 2019 Kiss will start their farewell tour End of the Road. “The tour may go three years, but once we play your city, it is done. That is our big thank you" - guitarist Paul Stanley tells Billboard.
After a long debate, Vermont Republican Zac Mayo and Democrat Lucy Rogers performed a duet of Eddie Vedder's 'Society', famous from the movie 'Into the Wild'. Rogers, a 23-year-old waitress, and Mayo, a 29-year-old construction worker, finished their two-hour debate by pushing away their tables and grabbing their respective instruments — a cello and acoustic guitar. “That […]
A young Twitter user caused consternation when she revealed she didn’t know how to burn songs on to a CD. It’s another moment where technology announces one’s mortality. Guardian points to new milestone in music consumption, sans nostalgia.
It’s its own coming-of-age album and the rare project from an über-hyped rap prospect that actually delivers on its promise... The toil produces a man and a man clears a path for the next. Pitchfork...
Massive Attack are releasing their classic album 'Mezzanine' as spray paint, because “it's a creative way to store your back catalogue, although DNA-encoded spray paint is unlikely to be adopted by street artists seeking anonymity", band's 3D joked. The album’s digital audio files were converted into 920,000 short DNA strands which were then stored in 5,000 […]
Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence make music composition easier than ever – because a machine is doing half the work. Could computers soon do it alone? Artificial intelligence is an industry, and the utopian synergy of the experimenters’ projects will undoubtedly give way to manipulation – even outright exploitation – by commerce. You can imagine a […]
The surviving members of Nirvana - Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear - reunited last weekend (Oct. 6) at Cal Jam 18 in San Bernardino, Calif. They were joined by special guests Joan Jett and Deer Tick's John McCauley, with McCauley leading the band through "Serve the Servants," "Scentless Apprentice" and "In Bloom," before […]
38 percent of consumers are obtaining music through illegal means, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The most popular form of copyright infringement is stream-ripping (practiced by 32 percent of all consumers), followed by downloads through cyberlockers or P2P (23 percent) and obtainment via search engines (17 percent). Rolling Stone...
John Myrtle is so sweetly nostalgic in 'Get Her Off My Mind'; Manchester Orchestra share a new song, dancey 'Bed Head', what remains the same is that great Hull's vocal; Gojira share proggy, melodic and mat0hy 'Born For One Thing'; Arab Strap, who obviously miss nightly activities, share clubby 'Here Comes Comus!', accompanied by a slightly shocking video.
Guardian made a nice little survey among artists and its writers about descriptions of night-clubs in art. Róisín Murphy chose the party scene in Paolo Sorrentino’s 'The Great Beauty', as well as Elaine Constantine's 'Northern Soul' which turned out well because the director taught the teenagers in the movie how to dance. The G's film critic Peter Bradshaw chose the sex/nightclub scene from 'Mektoub, My Love' by Abdellatif Kechiche. Music critic Alexis Petridis thinks that the one is the description of "the feeling of chemically enhanced, musically driven transcendence" from 'The Sparsholt Affair' novel by Alan Hollinghurst.
Named after a variety of bee-attracting orchid, Apifera create free, improvisatory, and live sound, combining jazz, psychedelia, and electronics. They recently released their debut album 'Overstand' for Stones Throw, with influences ranging from folk music, classical music and transcendental jazz. Their recent live tape shows them more in electronic mode.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have announced a charity prize draw with the goal of raising £200,000 to support their tour crew. They've collected over 100 prizes, including The Bad Seeds' own signed instruments, a limited edition art print of Nick Cave, deluxe album copies, show tickets, gift vouchers, and much more. To participate in the draw, fans can purchase tickets until March 12. Winning tickets will be drawn at random, and each winning ticket will grant the winner a random lot out of the 100+ prizes. There's also an option to donate without entering the prize draw. They have already collected over £78,000.
Pioneering Jamaican reggae vocalist and dancehall innovator, credited for pioneering the vocal style known as "toasting", U-Roy, has died at the age of 78. U-Roy is credited for pioneering “toasting,” the vocal style in which a performer talks or chants, usually in a monotone melody, over a reggae or dancehall beat, Loop Jamaica reports.
"Paid memberships - the decades-old model in which fans contribute a regular fee directly to their favourite creator or brand in exchange for exclusive content and experiences - are back in vogue in the music industry" - Cherie Hu writes in DJ Mag about the lifesaver of electronic musicians in lockdown - Patreon. In the seven years since it launched, "Patreon has facilitated total membership transactions of over $1 billion between 6 million fans and 200,000 creators, half of which launched their respective pages in the last six months. The music category has grown by 200% over the past half-year (by the number of creator pages), making music one of the top two categories on Patreon for the first time in the company’s history".
"I think that it's a good thing that you can be destructive in music without fucking things up too much. Whereas if you're destructive in the kitchen, you're just going to make yourself sad, because it'll taste terrible" - Sam Pillay of Virginia Wing told the Quietus about their chaotic new album. TheQ says that tracks on 'private LIFE' often feel like "performers stumbling groggily on stage, elegantly shooting themselves in the foot, then somehow pirouetting off, perfectly choreographed, in unison... It's paradoxically both chaotic and comforting, mirroring the way everyday life carries on during crises, wrestling just a little bit of order away from entropy".
Rick Ross performed a part gangsta-rap, part gospel, part funk concert for NPR's Tiny Desk. It took place in the gallery space of Miami artist Rich B Caliente, and it was just the second time Ross has performed with a live band.
"With haunting serenity, there is a flitting consciousness to the these brief, nightmarish lullabies that leaves you transfixed within a realm of broken intimacy" - Secret Meeting writes in a review of debut EP by New York singer-songwriter Maria BC. They are classical training as a mezzo-soprano, but their voice, hushed in pop melodies, seems to reach only a portion of what might next from them. Promising...
American singer-songwriter Todd Rundgren has embarked on a virtual tour of 25 American cities which is broadcast from the same Chicago stage, but geo-targeted to different regional markets, Variety reports. Shows come with visual cues saluting the would-be host towns and multiple shout-outs to the virtually targeted city. The focus is on making each show a unique event, with a virtual perimeter that will restrict viewing of a particular show to audience members who live there. Prior to shows, there’s the sound of murmuring people looking for their seats, and for every city on the video wall behind the band there'll be a picture of the actual proscenium stage. This virtual tour runs February through March. Tickets go for $35.
