Quick News

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Grateful Dead, longtime fans, The National are spearheading a tribute album for the iconic jam band. The have been planning a tribute record for a while, and now, thanks to the magic of social media we know it will arrive this year. It will feature members of Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, Kurt Vile, The Walkmen, Lee Ranaldo, Bonnie "Prince' Billy, The Tallest Man on Earth, and others. It is being recorded now.

Frank Turner will release The Third Three Years, his compilation of non-album rarities, in April. This is, obviously, the third in the series. Turner is also set to release a new album later this year.

Following her blockbuster return at this year's Super Bowl, Missy Elliott has confirmed that she is working with Pharrell on her new album. No word yet as to when the record will arrive.

Speaking to NME, Damon Albarn has revealed the meaning behind one of Blur's new songs that will be on their upcoming album, The Magic Whip. The song, "There Are Too Many of Us," he says, was inspired by last year's unfortunate hostage situation inside a Lindt Chocolate story in Australia. Albarn said, "but I actually finished the lyric after having come back from Australia. I was there the day they had the hostage situation in the chocolate shop, which was an extraordinary thing to witness. I was staying in a hotel where I could literally see what was going on outside and watch it on television. I’ve never been in that position before, and as a songwriter that was a very interesting standpoint to have. To be seeing something on TV, and then out the window it’s happening. Seeing the reality of what was happening and how it was being distorted through the prism of [the camera] was kind of fascinating." The Magic Whip arrives in April.

Liv Warfield on Kimmel

The fantastic Liv Warfield performed "Catch Me If You Can" and "The Unexpected" on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week, take a look! 

Sleater-Kinney on Meyers

Watch Sleater-Kinney perform "Price Tag" on Late Night with Seth Meyers!

Quick News

Speaking to The Guardian, Johnny Greenwood gave an update on the progress of the new Radiohead record. The guitarist and musical mastermind said, "We’ve done a couple of months of recording, and it has gone really well. We haven’t listened to anything back yet, so at the moment we’re all very happy. Now, I guess we’re going to go and listen to what we’ve done and see if we were right to be so happy. But we left it at a good place when we last stopped. We’ve certainly changed our method again. It’s too involved [to explain how]. We’re kind of limiting ourselves; working in limits. So we’ll see what happens. It’s like we’re trying to use very old and very new technology together to see what happens."

Lady Gaga is set to star in the fifth season of American Horror Story called American Horror Story: Hotel. It will air next fall on FX, while we don't know what character she will play, she has acted before in the critically overlooked Machete Kills.

To mark the sweet 16 of their debut album, Sigur Ros will release an expanded deluxe edition of ágætis byrjun in the early summer. The deluxe set will feature previously unheard studio recordings and rare live versions from this pivotal period in the band's development, as well as a welter of photographic and documentary material from their personal archives and plenty more besides. The band also are planning reissues of Von and ().

Now, instead of having albums arrive on a Monday in some countries and a Tuesday in others, like here in the U.S., beginning this summer, everything will arrive on a Friday for all countries. IFPI head Francis Moore said in a statement: "Music fans live in the digital world of today. Their love for new music doesn't recognize national borders. They want music when it's available on the internet -- not when it's ready to be released in their country. An aligned global release day puts an end to the frustration of not being able to access releases in their country when the music is available in another country." The proposal wasn't met with hosannas from every corner of the industry, however. While most agreed that a globally agreed-upon day for new music was best, there was some consternation over the choice of Friday. "The only justification for a Friday release date would be if it resulted in a net increase in sales," Entertainment Retailers Association Kim Bayley said in early October. (Sales weren't central to the IFPI's justifications for the move, though combating piracy could be considered the same thing.) Just this week, Beggars Group chairman Martin Mills said: "I fear this move will also lead to a market in which the mainstream dominates, and the niche, which can be tomorrow's mainstream, is further marginalized. I fear it will further cement the dominance of the few -- and that is exactly what it is intended to do."

Stream Cannibal Ox's New Album!

Stream Cannibal Ox's first album in 14 years, Blade of the Ronin, via Soundcloud a week before it's release date!

Lupe Fiasco on Fallon

Watch Lupe Fiasco backed by The Roots on The Tonight Show.

QUICK SPINS

 

Ghostface Killah & BADBADNOTGOOD – Sour Soul

Ghostface has been on a creative tare since 2013’s 12 Reasons to Die. Last year he contributed tracks to Wu-Tang’s latest installment and released 36 Seasons, and plans on other releases this year – 12 Reasons to Die II, his collaboration with DOOM, and Supreme Clientele Presents... Blue & Cream: The Wally Era. Before he has those albums to close out the year that just began, his collaboration with jazz / improv fusion BADBADNOTGOOD has already raised the bar. Sour Soul is the new class and the old school coming together for a fusion that works perfectly.  

FINAL GRADE: A

Catfish & The Bottlemen – The Balcony

The debut from the Welsh Britrock revivalists arrived in the UK last year to massive acclaim, but we finally got it here in the U.S. and it does not dissapoint. One of the most cleaver, slick, and fun debuts to arrive thus far, this band has set the stage for their career.

FINAL GRADE: A-

Gang of Four – What Happens Next

The legendary post-punks arrive with a new look but same sharp attitude. Andy Gill, the sole remaining original member of Gang of Four leads a new pack of sharp and inspired musicians that continue on the band’s philosophy, style, and unique sound. What Happens Next is what is going to happen next in the latest chapter of this influential band.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Screaming Females – Rose Mountain

For their sixth album, New Jersey DIY punks Screaming Females do not alter the sound that has gained them attention too much, but show their pragmatic ideas in their lyrics and maturity.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Carl Barat & The Jackals – Let it Reign

While we wait for a new Libertines record, Carl Barat teases us with another garage-rock record from a band he solicited the old fashioned way, by putting an ad out and auditioning for parts. Let it Reign is a fun rock and roll record that shows Barat warming up for his big return.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Kate Pierson – Guitars and Microphones

The solo debut from the B-52’s diva is a glamrock and glitter throwback that incorporates the spirit she has always had while carving out her own identity.

FINAL GRADE: B+

Mourn

With inspiration from The Ramones and shoe-gaze bands, Barcelona’s young buzz band Mourn are showing the world why they can break out of the Catalan capitol and sing the sorrow around the globe.

FINAL GRADE: B

Murder By Death – Big Dark Love

The seventh album from the Indiana indie rockers hears the brooding and dark undertones they are known for, but adds a level to experimentation that longtime fans of the band will pick up on and embrace.

FINAL GRADE: B

Jack U

Skrillex and Diplo combine for the EDM version of Watch the Throne. Jack U is full of wub, sub bass, and instant party starters that will leave you bumping it in the car, club, or at the gym for a sure fire way to give aggression without lyrics.

FINAL GRADE: B

Dan Deacon – Gliss Riffer

Dan Deacon fires back with another creative approach to electronic and dance music that only he can do.

FINAL GRADE: B

Big Nobel

The side project of Interpol’s Daniel Kessler is a quiet and fundamentally different band than what we are known to hearing of him. Yet, it still sticks with the dark motifs and musical ideology that doesn’t make it that much of a grand departure for him.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Big Sean – Dark Sky Paradise

On his third album, Big Sean calls his usual suspects of contacts for another sure-fire hip-pop record that is a combo of radio friendly jams and street wise concepts.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear

The second album from former Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman aka Father John Misty is a love letter to his wife and hears him bring his psychedelic folk and deals with his own personal demons in a presentation to the masses.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Bob Dylan – Shadows in the Night

Nothing will stop Bob Dylan from making music and on his latest he proves that by doing a record of Sinatra covers done ala Dylan. Take a listen and take it for what it its.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Peace – Happy People

The English quartet return with another shoe-gaze, psychedelic Stone Roses influenced album that gives a mixture of the past and the present of what this genre can and will do.

FINAL GRADE: B-

Drake – If You Are Reading This It’s Too Late

Surprise! The world got a Drake album / mixtape whatever you want to call it. Drake shows fans a different side on this LP by acting tougher lyrically than he probably really is, but in doing so, knows how to make a pop song for his fans.

FINAL GRADE: C+ 

Thom Yorke & Robert Del Naja Release Collab Soundtrack

Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja have been working on the soundtrack to the documentary The UK Gold since 2013. Now, the duo have posted the entire soundtrack to the film that showcases the history of tax avoidance in Britain. The film will arrive later this year, take a listen to the soundtrack now.

Action Bronson 'Mr. Wonderful' Trailer

Action Bronson has shared the album trailer to his upcoming LP, Mr. Wonderful. It parodies scenes from Boogie Nights and stars The Adventures of Pete & Pete actor Danny Tamberelli. Take a look!

See & Hear our Essential Action Bronson Playlist on Spotifty! 

Built To Spill Detail New Album

Built to Spill will release their first album in six years, Untethered Moon, on April 21. Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and hear the first single, "Living Zoo."

01 All Our Songs
02 Living Zoo
03 On the Way
04 Some Other Song
05 Never Be the Same
06 C.R.E.B.
07 Another Day
08 Horizon to Cliff
09 So
10 When I'm Blind

Quick News

Killers frontman Brandon Flowers will release his sophomore solo album, The Desired Effect, in May via Island Records.

On his recent press tour to promo his new album, Chasing Yesterday, Noel Gallagher keeps getting Oasis reunion questions and in an interview with Stereogum, he seems to put all reunion hopes in doubt, again. He said, "I don't think he [Liam]'s the kind of person that would ask. Somebody said to me, 'Would you consider writing songs for Liam?' What am I supposed to say? 'No, fuck off.' OK. So it’s just like, 'Yeah, I guess.' Is it likely to happen? No, me and Damon making a double album is probably more likely to happen."

Speaking to South China Morning Post, Blur's Graham Coxon revealed why and how the band are releasing a new record. He said, "We just couldn't have done any more shows without some new material. It was getting tedious, and some of the fans were getting peeved about it." He then discussed how the intensity of Hong Kong influenced the upcoming record, The Magic Whip, saying, "Obviously the city is going to make its way into the music. A lot of the stuff guitar-wise reflected my anxiety at the intense environment of Hong Kong. And you have this kind of dislocation when you're not recording in your own city."

In May, Hot Chip will release their new album, Why Make Sense? So, the band will celebrate the release by crafting unique covers for every physical copy of the record. For more info on the process and idea, click HERE. See the variations of covers below:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor Announce New Album!

Next month, Canada's always evolving and experimental Godspeed You! Black Emperor will release their new album, Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress. It will be out March 31. 

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below:

01 Peasantry or ‘Light! Inside of Light!’
02 Lambs' Breath
03 Asunder, Sweet
04 Piss Crowns Are Trebled

Steve Earle on Letterman

Watch iconic Americana / country artist and former Wire actor, Steve Earle perform on Letterman.

Warren G & Kenny G on Kimmel

As part of Jimmy Kimmel's #MashUpMondays he got two G's together -- Warren and Kenny to perform Warren's timeless hip-hop classic, "Regulators."

Quick News

Sad news to report, documentary director Bruce Sinofsky, whose work included the Paradise Lost trilogy, Good Rockin': The Legacy of Sun Records, and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, passed away over the weekend. He was 58. Sinofsky died in his sleep after a complication with diabetes. His work in Paradise Lost helped get the West Memphis Three out of jail and bring truth to a matter that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. To Sinofsky's family, friends, colleagues, and the West Memphis Three, our thoughts are with you.

Common and John Legend can add Oscar winner to their prefix now as the duo took home Academy Awards for their song "Glory" from Selma.

According to Oasis fan site, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Noel Gallagher recently spoke to a German magazine and reportedly said that Oasis will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their iconic Knebworth concerts with a special DVD and album release. According the site, Gallagher said, "Just because it'll be the 20th anniversary of our Knebworth concerts in 2016. And because we're a bunch of nutters, we've completely forgotten that we had actually filmed the whole thing. With like 20 cameras and a lot of what happened on the festival ground as well. Like fans arriving, backstage sequences, interviews and flights over the area. Which we've never released. I've no idea why."

Speaking to NME at the NME Awards, Jarvis Cocker spoke about the possibility of another Pulp reunion. He said, "We're very cloak and dagger about that, well, it isn't cloak and dagger, we just don't know! We're not being mysterious, we're just not very together. Very little activity... It's like a volcano, you can think 'wow, that's dormant' and then the next day your house has gone, because it's erupted... Everything to do with Pulp or to do with me happens at such a glacial pace, that's it hard to tell whether anything's happening or not, but when it does, the whole geography of the planet is changed."

Also speaking to NME at the NME Awards was Jake Bugg. The singer / songwriter gave an update on his new music and said, "It's different, there are some darker songs, I haven't got a lot of fast ones this time but they might come later. The lyrical content's not going to be the same because I haven't experienced those things, I'd say it's a little bit darker."

Producer Joel Little has confirmed that Lorde will begin work on her sophomore album next month.

The Darkness will release their new album, Last of Our Kind in June. Take a look at the cover, below:

The Dreams of Northern Ireland’s Latest Musical Export – Janet Devlin

On an absolute frigid February Monday night in New York, a young singer / songwriter began her international music career in the neighborhood that gave birth to the singer / songwriter genre. Inside a packed Red Lion in the West Village, Northern Ireland’s Janet Devlin made her New York City debut and her first concert ever in the United States. If you are reading this from the U.K., you know who she is, but here she is an unknown, yet, that is about to change. 

Devlin began her music career on the British version of X-Factor. While she didn’t win when she was on, she became one of the breakout stars of the series and even went to perform at Wembley Stadium. Yet, for her Big Apple debut, she played the tiny Red Lion to a packed house listening songs off her just released album, Running with Scissors, and with her covers of Lorde’s “Royals,” Elton John’s “Your Song,” and her show-stopping rendition of The Cure’s “Friday, I’m in Love,” it was enough to make Robert Smith himself crack a smile. She had the eyes and ears of everyone around her hanging on every word and this was just the beginning.

After Devlin performed, her and I went to a restaurant to chat and it was there that I found out there is more to this young soul than meets the eye. “There have been a couple places in my life where I have always wanted to go and have never been, but no where has ever been such excitement as much as New York,” she said, “I got here and was like, ‘I hope it has good as I hope it is.’ I got here and did all of the touristy stuff and I actually don’t think I have ever been so happy in my entire life. I can’t explain the absolute joy that was going through me.” On her maiden voyage to the city that never sleeps, Devlin didn’t show any nerves but strict joy and wonderment, which is what she took with her on stage.

Devlin, who turned 20 in November, is planting the seeds to a career that could have her become one of the best songwriters and brightest stars in the music world. Running with Scissors is proof of that. The record is an album of heartbreak and self-motivation, and with just two decades under her belt, she writes and sings as if she has gone and lived several lifetimes. In an era when most songwriters and pop stars want more sound, Devlin has stripped all of that away and when hearing her album and seeing her in concert, it is as if she is whispering right in your ear and that these songs are just for you. The level of intimacy and rawness while still being pop is what makes her so unique. “I write my songs the good old fashioned way, if it sounds good on one instrument, then you know you have got a good song because then you can build whatever you want around it. It is the songs that you can’t take the production away that aren’t as good of songs,” she said.

“Money isn’t a goal of mine, it is just a consequence of what I do,” in many ways, Devlin is the anti X-Factor contestant. “It seems like something you wouldn’t do in my positions. I wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I am going to go on X-Factor,’” she admitted. Before she auditioned, a friend got her a camera as a Christmas gift to encourage Devlin to record her songs and covers and put them on YouTube, it was then she was encouraged to do the show that started it all for her. “I never thought I would get further in it than I did,” she admitted, “The further I got, I had to reevaluate my goals because if I didn’t reevaluate my goals, I would be open to be what people wanted me to be.” Her goals were to make a record, learn the industry and get her feelers out, which she did and continues to do. “I found out what I wanted and started believing in it,” she declared.  She picked up fans like X-Factor judge Kelly Rowland, Newton Faulkner, who worked on Running with Scissors, and even Courtney Love, who alleges that Devlin might be related to Kurt Cobain. Devlin, who is a massive fan of 90’s grunge and rock and even had a Nirvana poster hanging in her room on the show. She confesses that she hasn’t researched too much into Love’s claims, “Because I am too scared of it not being true. Kurt Cobain is my idol.”

With all of these experiences, it gave birth to her “musical baby,” Running with Scissors. “There are certain songs that people have come up to me and burst into tears,” she said. The songs are her introduction and touches people through her words and their connections with them. Songs like “Lifeboat,” “Delicate,” “Whisky Lullabies,” are all themes everyone on this planet has faced, but she sums it up in a way that makes it inimitable. “There are a couple lessons you can learn from the songs,” she said. When making this record, Devlin also learned about herself, “I am more emotionally vulnerable than I ever thought I was.”

While her whirlwind, dream trip to New York came to a close, Devlin already wrote music about her experience, and hopes to return to the U.S. and explore more of what we have to offer and show America what she has to offer. “I don’t like staying still, so, I think that is why I like New York,” she said. While she is excited to make more music, she has her heart set on being here to do it, “I really hope to build a fan base in the U.S. I would love to move here. I would love to live her. I would love work here.” When I asked her if she believed in the American Dream, she replied, “I just believe in dreams. If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough. There is no bigger place to crack than the States. It is a scary dream, but if I didn’t have it then I got no bigger goals. So I have to make them that big.”

The Skints Cover Black Flag!

Can ska and hardcore come together? Well, according to British ska band The Skints, it can. The band, who did a cover of Black Flag's classic "My War," will hit the U.S. in the spring in support of their new album, FM, which arrives on March 10 in the U.S. 

Take a listen to the band's cover, below, and check out their upcoming U.S. tour dates. 

April 30 – Huntington, NY – Paramount (Easy-Star All-Stars w/ English Beat)
May 2 – Brooklyn Bowl (Easy-Star All-Stars w/ Fishbone)

May 3 – Boston, MA – The Royale (Easy-Star All-Stars w/ Fishbone)

May 4 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live (Easy-Star All-Stars)
May 6 – Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theatre (Easy-Star All-Stars)
May 7 – Leesburg, VA – Tally Ho Theater (Easy-Star All-Stars)
May 8 – Baltimore, MD – 8 x 10 (Easy-Star All-Stars)
May 9 – Washington DC – Gypsy Sally’s (Easy-Star All-Stars)

...and of course, hear the original:

Squarepusher Announces New Album

Digital mastermind Squarepusher will release his new album, Damogen Furies on April 21. Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, as well as the album trailer. 

1. Stor Eiglass
2. Baltang Ort
3. Rayc Fire 2
4. Kontenjaz
5. Exjag Nives
6. Baltang Arg
7. Kwang Bass
8. D Frozent Aac

LISTEN! Ghostface & BADBADNOTGOOD's Joint LP

This week, Ghostface Killah and BADBADNOTGOOD's collaboration Sour Soul will arrive, but before it does, you can take a listen to it via Soundcloud.

Quick News

In an interview with The Breakfast Club, Kanye West declared that his latest album is 80% done and will be a surprise release.

Raekwon will finally release his long-awaited new album, F.I.L.A. in April.

Dave Grohl's documentary series, Sonic Highways, which chronicled the making of Foo Fighters latest album of the same name will get a DVD / Blu-Ray release in April. The release will feature extended interviews, bonus material, and never-before-scene clips.

Taking to social media, Run the Jewels confirmed they are in the studio working with Massive Attack. No word as to what will come of the sessions, but El-P tweeted: "in the studio with massive attack right now. so... no big deal or anything. not bragging a lot. just talking here."

Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson has been diagnosed with tongue cancer. The singer of the iconic British metal band is expected to make a full recovery after being told the news around the holidays, while news of his illness has just surfaced. We wish him all the best and for a speedy recovery.

Talib Kweli has announced he will release two albums this year. One of the records, Radio Silence, will be a solo project, while the other B.A.D. (Build And Destroy) will be a collaboration with 9th Wonder. No word on the releases on each.

In an interview with Vulture, Noel Gallagher said he would reform Oasis for "half a billion," saying, "If somebody puts that on the table, I'll pack my bags in the morning and say, "How many gigs do you want?"He then continued, "The thing that slightly annoys me is — and I know I'm the only one doing interviews — people assume it's up to me. Let's say I get up tomorrow morning, have a stretch, and say to my wife, "How about this Oasis thing?" It's not up to me. Who knows if Liam wants to do it? He probably does, but I don't know. It's not on my radar at all. I'm very happy with what I'm doing."

It is official! For the first time in 20 years, the newly reformed British shoegazers Ride returned to the stage and played their first gig since the mid-90's at London's 100 Club for a War Child benefit show.

While Blur surprised the music world this week with the announcement of their first album in 12 years, The Magic Whip, which is due out in April, frontman Damon Albarn spoke to BBC 6 to reveal how it all came together. He said, "We finished mixing last Friday and we literally mastered it yesterday [February 18]. The reason that we've kept it secret is because we didn't have a record until yesterday [February 18]!"

 Scarlett Johansson is starting a girl group called The Singles. The actress and singer recruited Este Haim of HAIM, Holly Miranda, Kendra Morris, and Julia Haltigan. The band has recorded a song called "Candy," which was produced by TV on the Radio's David Sitek.

Crocodiles Announce New Album

New York shoegaze titans Crocodiles will release their latest LP, their fifth, Boys, in May.

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below:

01. Crybaby Demon
02. Foolin Around
03. Do The Void
04. The Boy Is A Tramp
05. Hard
06. Blue
07. Kool TV
08. Peroxide Hearts
09. Transylvania
10. Dont Look Up

Read Our 2011 Interview with the Band 

Chvrches Cover Justin Timberlake

Watch Chvrches perform in the BBC 1 Radio lounge covers series and do their take on Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me A River."

BLUR ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM!

For the first time in 12 years, Blur will release a new album! The band announced the LP in a press conference on BBC1 with Zane Lowe inside a Chinese restaurant in London. The album, The Magic Whip, will arrive in April. 

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below. 

UPDATE: Hear the first single "Go Out"

Royal Blood Cover The Police for BBC

The fantastic BBC1 Radio Lounge covers series continued as Royal Blood performed their cover of The Police's "Roxanne." Take a look!

Quick News

Thursday will reissue their debut, Waiting, to celebrate the record's 15th anniversary. In a press release, the reissue will have, "the full treatment on this reissue which includes the original album remastered and repackaged with all-new original artwork, as well as liner notes penned by [Geoff] Rickly, a deluxe die-cut CD and LP sleeve featuring the iconic Thursday dove logo, and three bonus tracks from the Waiting era (which come in the form of a bonus 7" single with the vinyl edition). Waiting has been unavailable in physical or digital form since 2012." It will arrive next month via Rickley's Collect Records imprint.

Best Coast will release their new album, California Nights, in May.

Rolo Tomassi will release their new album, Grievences, in June. Take a look at the cover below:

s

Twin Shadow on Letterman

Watch Twin Shadow perform his electrifying new single, "Turn Me Up" on Letterman.

Playlist

See February's 29-song playlist of our musical musings and hear / get it on Spotify!

Palma Violets Announce Sophomore Record

The wild Palma Violets will release their new album, Danger in the Club, in May. 

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and watch the video for the album's title track.

'Sweet Violets'
'Hollywood (I Got It)'
'Girl, You Couldn’t Do Much Better On The Beach'
'Danger in the Club'
'Coming Over to My Place'
'Secrets of America'
'The Jacket Song'
'Matador'
'Gout! Gang! Go!'
'Walking Home'
'Peter and the Gun'
'No Money Honey'
'English Tongue'

Surfer Blood Detail Third Album

Florida's Surfer Blood will release their third album, 1000 Palms in May.

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and hear the first single, "Grand Inquisitor."

1. Grand Inquisitor
2. Island
3. I Can’t Explain
4. Feast/Famine
5. Point of No Return
6. Sabre-Tooth and Bone
7. Covered Wagons
8. Dorian
9. Into Catacombs
10. Other Desert Cities
11. NW Passage

Quick News

Influential BBC DJ Zane Lowe will be leaving his seat at BBC1 Radio to join Apple in a new venture. He spent 12 years as a DJ and influential radio personality. No word exactly what he will be doing at Apple.

Speaking of Zane Lowe, Florence Welch talked to him about her new album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, and revealed that she suffered a "nervous breakdown" following the success of Lungs and Ceremonials. She said, "'Cermonials' and 'Lungs' all blurred together, we didn't take any time off. It was a decision to have a year off. A bit of a nervous breakdown... It was a bit of a crash landing in a sense... In the year off, I was still going out and going to events but something wasn't quite right, I was spiralling a bit. I wasn't making myself happy. I wasn't stable. Up and down... chaotic" vibe of the year.

 Passion Pit have released the tracklisting to their upcoming album, Kindred, which will arrive in April. Take a look:

'Lifted Up (1985)'
'Whole Life Story'
'Where the Sky Hangs'
'All I Want'
'Five Foot Ten (I)'
'Dancing on the Grave'
'Until We Can't (Let's Go)'
'Looks Like Rain'
'My Brother Taught Me How to Swim'
'Ten Feet Tall (II)'


Everything Everything will release their new album, Go to Heaven, in June.

Metz Announce New Album

Canada's Metz have announced details of their sophomore album. The band will release Metz II in on May 4 internationally and the following day in the U.S via Sub Pop. 

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and hear the first single, "Acetate."

01 Acetate
02 The Swimmer
03 Spit You Out
04 Zzyzx
05 IOU
06 Landfill
07 Nervous System
08 Wait in Line
09 Eyes Peeled
10 Kicking a Can of Worms

Django Django Detail New Album

Scotland's Django Django will release their new album, Born Under Saturn, in May. Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and hear the first single, "First Light."

01 Giant
02 Shake and Tremble
03 Found You
04 First Light
05 Pause Repeat
06 Reflections
07 Vibrations
08 Shot Down
09 High Moon
10 Beginning to Fade
11 4000 Years
12 Breaking the Glass
13 Life We Know

Recommended Reading: Born to Use Mics

 

2014 marked the 20th anniversary of what is arguably the greatest hip-hop record of all time, Nas' landmark debut, Illmatic. While we wait for a new Nas record in 2015, Illmatic is still a heavy topic of conversation thanks to it's subject matter of life in the projects and a verbal documentary of violence, drugs, and gang life around you. Like an episode of The Wire, Illmatic's subject lines still have not changed. As we saw last year with the grand jury decisions in the cases of Eric Garner and Michael Brown to not indict the police officers who took the lives of African-American men in broad daylight, the words Nas released on his debut echoed just as powerful 20 plus years later. 

In 2009, the non-fiction book Born to Use Mics, edited by Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai featured contributions from sociologists, historians, and professors like Adilifu Nama, Guthrie P. Ramsey Jr., James Peterson, Marc Lamont Hill, Mark Anthony Neal, Imani Perry, Kyra Gaunt, Eddie S. Glaude, and even Common, to explain the cultural significance of Illmatic and who it reflects the black community to this day. The book explores race, gender, class division, by dissecting Nas' lyrics and themes and explaining them in full force and shows how and why the rapper is discussing what he is. Born to Use Mics is an eye opening book to a subject matter that is still being discussed and will give insight to anyone who needs education.

Great Soundtracks: The Royal Tenenbaums

The Oscars are next week and while everyone tries to hand in their ballots and figure out who will win Best whatever, many people are drawing attention to Wes Anderson's latest creation, The Grand Budapest Hotel, which arrived in theaters last Spring. Anderson, who is a master of quirky and off-beat cinema, seems to finally get the award attention he fully deserves. Yet, for the man who created Rushmore and Bottlerocket, in 2001, he reached universal acclaim with his film, The Royal Tenenbaums. The film, which chronicles a gifted New York family through their trials and tribulations was one of the most talked about films of that year and still continues to be a benchmark picture in Anderson's growing arsenal of movies. Yet, like the memorable characters, costumes, and jokes, the soundtrack of Tenenbaums was another star of the picture.

Using Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh as the film's composer and soundtrack curator, the music chronicles four decades of scenes, styles, and trends as well as a unique score. Featuring Nico, Elliot Smith, Nick Drake, The Clash, The Ramones, Bob Dylan, and others, The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack is a time capsule of what made the 1960's through 1990's musically great. Just like the film itself, the music speaks to the audience on a different level that 14 years later, it still holds up.

Bjork MoMA Trailer

Next month, the Museum of Modern Art will begin a retrospective of Bjork throughout the New York institution. Now, a trailer for one of the film's that will be screened during the retrospect, Black Lake, has been released. Take a look!

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It might be thanks to Dave Grohl's series Sonic Highways which chronicled Foo Fighters making a new song in a different American city each week while giving the musical history of the city they were in that might be the reason 13th Floor Elevators are reuniting. The band, which were featured in the Austin, Texas, episode of Sonic Highways were influential to the early art rock and DIY scene in Austin and haven't played together live since 1968. Now, the surviving members of the band are reuniting and will play Austin's Psych Fest in May.

Riff Raff released the cover to his upcoming album, Purple Icon, which has a tentative June release date. Take a look:

Musicians Common and Arcade Fire's Win Butler went head-to-head last night at the Sprite NBA All-Star Celebrity game at Madison Square Garden, Butler's team, The West, beat Common's squad, The East, yet, Butler's moves seem to be the talk of the music world. Take a look at one of his shots below:

Incubus on Kimmel

Watch Incubus perform their new single, "Absolution Calling" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The Weeknd on Fallon

As Fifty Shades of Grey is set to take over the Valentine's weekend box office, The Weeknd hit up The Tonight Show to perform "Earned It" off the movie's acclaimed soundtrack. Take a look!

Wire Detail New Album

On April 21, Australian punk icons Wire will release their 13th album. The band's self-titled record will be released via the bands Pink Flag label. 

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and hear the first single, "Joust & Jostle."

1. Blogging
2. Shifting
3. Burning Bridges
4. In Manchester
5. High
6. Sleep-Walking
7. Joust & Jostle
8. Swallow
9. Split Your Ends
10. Octopus
11. Harpooned

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Chromatics have announced that their new album, Dear Tommy, will arrive next month.

Florence & The Machine will release their third album, How Big How Blue How Beautiful in June via Republic Records. Take a look at the tracklisting below:
Ship To Wreck
What Kind Of Man
How Big How Blue How Beautiful
Queen Of Peace
Various Storms & Saints
Delilah
Long & Lost
Caught
Third Eye
St Jude
Mother

Speaking to The Independent, Johnny Quinn of Snow Patrol confirmed that the band will have a new album out this year. Quinn said, "We are about to start work on our album in March and we should have it out in October - that is the plan. This is definitely going happen, we will have an album out for this year for sure, but it will be towards October, November latest."

Action Bronson will release his new album, Mr. Wonderful next month. Now, Bronsolino has released the album cover, take a look:

VINTAGE CLIP! Afghan Whigs on Jon Stewart Show

Before he was hosting The Daily Show, Jon Stewart had his own program, perfectly titled The Jon Stewart Show. Take a look at this VINTAGE CLIP of The Afghan Whigs performing "Gentlemen" on the program in 1994.

Paul Weller Details 'Saturns Pattern'

For months the Modfather Paul Weller has been teasing us with details on his upcoming solo record, Saturns Pattern. Now, he has released that info. The record will arrive on May 12 and was recorded in Weller's Black Barn Studio.

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and watch the video for the first single "White Sky."

White Sky
Saturns Pattern
Going My Way
Long Time
Pick It Up
I'm Where I Should Be
Phoenix
In The Car...
These City Streets

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Carl Barat of The Libertines came out and said he wanted Noel Gallagher to produce the band's new album. Now, Gallagher has come out to say thanks, but no thanks. Speaking to NME, Gallagher said, "We've exchanged a few emails but unfortunately they want to do it in Thailand. With the best will in the world, I'm on tour and I can't do it. I would genuinely love to be involved but they're going to do it in Thailand and I can't be in Thailand." Gallagher then gave advice to the band and said, "As long as they don't overthink it, they'll be alright."

British buzz band Slaves will release their debut album, Are You Satisfied? on June 1.

Diplo has confirmed that the new Major Lazer album will arrive in April and will feature guests like Gwen Stefani, Pusha-T, Ariana Grande, and Ellie Goulding. Later this month, Diplo's Jack U project will Skrillex will arrive. The producer and DJ also worked on Madonna's Rebel Heart.  

It is being reported that Wu-Tang Clan member GZA's long awaited new album, Dark Matter, will arrive in the fall.

While we wait for Giorgio Moroder's first album of new material in decades, 2015 is shaping up to be a busy year for the dance music icon. Speaking to Clash magazine, Moroder revealed he is teaming up with Skrillex to work on the soundtrack to the upcoming Tron video game. He said, "We have about five themes, electronic stuff and let’s see if he’s interested in remixing or re-working one of the songs."

 It has been confirmed that Dave Grohl will serve as this year's Record Store Day Ambassador. In a press statement, Grohl wrote, "I believe that the power of the record store to inspire is still alive and well, and that their importance to our next generation of musicians is crucial. Take an afternoon (and some hard earned lawn mowing money) and please support them. You never know, it might change your life forever, too."

Mark Ronson & Mystikal on Fallon

Mark Ronson may revitalize Mystikal's career after their performance of "Feel Good" on The Tonight Show. Take a look!

Hot Chip Announce New LP!

Dance-rock icons Hot Chip will release their sixth album, Why Makes Sense? on May 18. The album was produced by the band and Mark Ralph, who also co-produced the band's last record, 2012's In Our Heads. 

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and watch the video for the first single "Haurache Lights."

01 Huarache Lights
02 Love is the Future
03 Cry For You
04 Started Right
05 White Wine and Fried Chicken
06 Dark Night
07 Easy to Get
08 Need You Now
09 So Much Further to Go
10 Why Make Sense?

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For the first time in 18 years, Faith No More will release a new record. The album, Sol Invictus will arrive in May.

At the end of the year, Jon Stewart will step down from the chair as host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central. Stewart has hosted the political satire since 1999. 

RCA Executive Mark Pitts recently spoke will Billboard and said that Miguel's upcoming album is "90% done." The record is reportedly tentatively titled Wild Heart and could arrive this spring.

RZA, who is no stranger to the cinema world having starred in American Gangster and even directing his own film, The Man with the Iron Fist, will now star in a biopic about porn star Vanessa Del Rio. The untitled film takes place in the 70's and 80's and in a press release, RZA is said to play, "a character who works the doors at the burlesque club Vanessa dances at. After hours, he secretly uses the club's audio gear to pursue his true passion of music, laying down tracks and rhymes in the new hip hop and rap genres being explored at the time."

L.A. folk band Lord Huron will release their new album, Strange Trails in April. Take a look at the tracklisting below:
01. Love Like Ghosts (3:44)
02. Until The Night Turns (3:47)
03. Dead Man's Hand (4:21)
04. Hurricane (Johnnie's Theme) (2:46)
05. La Belle Fleur Sauvage (5:41)
06. Fool For Love (4:34)
07. The World Ender (4:30)
08. Meet Me In The Woods (4:22)
09. The Yawning Grave (3:12)
10. Frozen Pines (3:57)
11. Cursed (3:58)
12. Way Out There (4:10)
13. Louisa (3:09)
14. The Night We Met (3:28)

Alabama Shakes Detail Sophomore LP

On April 21, Alabama Shakes will release their much anticipated sophomore album, Sound & Color. Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and hear the first single "Don't Wanna Fight."

01 Sound and Color
02 Don't Wanna Fight
03 Dunes
04 Future People
05 Gimme All Your Love
06 This Feeling
07 Guess Who
08 The Greatest
09 Shoegaze
10 Miss You
11 Gemini
12 Over My Head

Tallest Man on Earth Announces New Album

The Tallest Man on Earth has announced his new album, Dark Bird Is Home, will arrive on May 12. Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and watch the album's trailer. 

01 Fields of Our Home
02 Darkness of the Dream
03 Singers
04 Slow Dance
05 Little Nowhere Towns
06 Sagres
07 Timothy
08 Beginners
09 Seventeen
10 Dark Bird Is Home

The Bots on Meyers

L.A. duo The Bots made their national TV debut last night on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Watch the buzz band perform "Blinded," on the show.

Hundred Waters on Letterman

Watch Hundred Waters perform "Cavity" on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Morris Day & Haim on Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel continued his "Mash-Up Mondays" this week with Morris Day & The Time and Haim but mashing up both bands as Morris Day & The Haim to perform "Jungle Love." Take a look!

VINTAGE CLIP: ODB Raids Grammy Stage in '98

So, Kayne tried to steal Beck's thunder and raid the Grammy stage to say that Beyonce should have won, yadda, yadda, yadda. We have heard it all day. However, many fail to remember what could be the greatest and most memorable stage raid at the Grammys when Ol' Dirty Bastard took the mic from winner Shawn Colvin to announce how "Wu-Tang is for the children," and vent his frustration that his group lost to Puff Daddy for Best Rap Album. Take a look.

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Aside from trying to bum-rush the stage at Grammys on Sunday when Beck won Album of the Year, Kanye West did announce that he is serving as Executive Producer on Rihanna's upcoming album.

Are Jay Z and Beyonce finally making a joint album? According to "Drunk in Love" producer, Detail, he dropped a hint when speaking to Billboard at the Grammys that musics favorite couple might have something in the works. He said, "I’m working with a couple of new projects that I don’t want to unveil, and then me and Beyonce and Jay Z are actually doing something together this year. When you think of Jay and Bey together, you think ‘album.’ You should already know. In my imaginary mind, I will work to say it’s true.”

Also speaking to Billboard, Haim gave an update on the work to their second record.  Danielle Haim said, "We try to write every day, it's shaping up." Sister Este Haim then mentioned, "We gotta flex that songwriting muscle as much as possible, we're keeping it creative. This [The Grammys] might inspire a song, who knows?"

To celebrate her 82nd birthday, Yoko Ono will release two 10." The records will be called Antony & Yoko and Yoko Ono & John Zorn and will arrive on February 18. 

Suede have been named NME's Godlike Geniuses of 2015. We couldn't agree more, now, a new album please? Singer Brett Anderson gave an update about the progress to the follow-up of 2013's brilliant, Bloodsports, saying, ""We’re working on a new album, but it’s not finished yet and we’re still not quite sure what it is. All I can say is that I don’t want it to be like that last album: I’m very proud of ‘Bloodsports’ but you’ve got to keep changing your goals. We’re deliberately not making an album that’s just song, song, song, song - we’re trying to make an album that’s more of a journey with songs that link into each other. ‘Bloodsports’ was almost like a debut, again, and so this is going to be all about what you do on the second album…"

Bob Mould on Letterman

Watch Bob Mould perform "Tomorrow Morning" & "Kid with a Crooked Face" on Letterman.

Jack White on Fallon

Watch Jack White perform "That Black Bat Licorice" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Slash on Conan

Watch Slash with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators perform "Bent to Fly" on Conan!

Catfish & The Bottlemen on BBC Radio 1

The UK's latest rock sensations Catfish & The Bottlemen appeared on the BBC1 Lounge and did their fantastic covers series and performed Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" and mashed it with Black Keys "Howlin' For You," Kasabian's "Shoot The Runner." Take a look!

Death Detail N.E.W. Album!

Proto-Punks Death will release their first album in over 40 years. The band, who lost their leader, David Hackney, recorded new songs and songs that were never recorded that David had contributed to before his passing. 

The record, N.E.W. will arrive in April. Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below, and hear the first single "Look at Your Life."

01 At the Station
02 Change
03 Look at Your Life
04 Playtime
05 Relief
06 Resurrection
07 Story of the World
08 The Times
09 Who Am I
10 You Are What You

Quick News

The Brian Jonestown Massacre will release their new album, Musique De Film Imaginé, in April. The album is said to be inspired by French New Wave cinema. Singer Antone Newcombe told NME, "The album that you are about to hear is a soundtrack, my own creation, a tribute to great directors and filmmakers to an era that now seems to be behind us. Leaving the smart person to care to imagine that this art could now be in the shadow of its former glory. The interesting thing about this project is that the film does not exist either. Even so, I imagined and I realized its soundtrack... Now it's your turn..."

In May, Ronnie Wood will release, How Can It Be? A Rock and Roll Diary, which is the guitarists handwritten diary from the years he had as a musician leading up to become a member of The Rolling Stones. In a press statement, Wood said, "This diary shows what an amazing schedule I had. We’d be travelling the length and breadth of the country every day. With youth on our side, it was a continuing adventure. Our overspilling energy was enough to take care of work every night of the week. It was enough to chase the girls, enough to write songs, enough to rehearse and enough to travel. It was all go, all the time.”

AllHipHop.com is reporting that a letter from Tupac to his friend Big Lock revealed that the late legendary rapper was planning a collaboration called "ONE NATION" with Outkast, E-40, Scarface, and Smif-N-Wesun. Of course the project never happened, but one can only image.

Built To Spill will release their new album, Untethered Moon in April. While details of the record are sparse, the band did release the tracklisting:
01 All Our Songs
02 Living Zoo
03 On the Way
04 Some Other Song
05 Never Be the Same
06 C.R.E.B.
07 Another Day
08 Horizon to Cliff
09 So
10 When I’m Blind

J. Mascis on Meyers

J. Mascis made a rare solo TV appearance and had 8-Bit Band leader Fred Armisen join him as he cover Mazzy Star's classic "Fade Into You" and his own song, "Every Morning," on Late Night with Seth Meyers.