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Merge Records Cuts Ties with Ian Svenonius After Admitting to Inappropriate Behavior with Women
Merge Records has cut ties with Ian Svenonius, frontman of bands including The Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up, Chain and the Gang, and Escape-ism, after he admitted to predatory behavior. In a since-deleted Twitter post published on Friday, July 24th, Svenonius admitted to a history of being “completely inappropriate to women” (via Pitchfork). “I want to use this forum to say that I support people speaking out for the eradication of abusive predatory modes and also that I am absolutely one of the guilty parties,” Svenonius wrote. “That, through my narcissism, egotism, and thoughtlessness, I have acted the creep. That I have made people I cared about and respected feel terrible, have been completely inappropriate to women.” “To anyone I have made feel bad or uncomfortable, I sincerely apolo...
Disclosure Share New Song “Douha (Mali Mali)” Featuring Fatoumata Diawara: Stream
The electronic duo Disclosure have shared a new song called “Douha (Mali Mali)” that features vocals from the Mali musician Fatoumata Diawara. It’s the latest offering from their forthcoming album, ENERGY, following last month’s “My High” — a collaboration with rappers slowthai and Aminé — and the title track they shared in May. The Lawrence brothers previously worked with Diawara on their Grammy-nominated 2018 single “Ultimatum”, and their chemistry continues here. The track is a plush house banger with a distinctly African flair thanks to Diawara’s beautiful vocal melodies and uplifting lyrics about Malian pride. The accompanying video features cinematic shots of Diawara and others dancing alone in stunningly picturesque locations all over the world, including Italy, South Africa, a...
Pixar Announces New Film Luca
Pixar has announced its next film: Luca, set to hit theaters on June 18th, 2021. While plot details are being kept vague for now, Pixar describes the film as “a coming-of-age story about a young boy in Italy, who shares in adventures on the Italian Riviera with his newfound best friend. But a dark secret about his true identity seeks to threaten that bond.” Luca is being directed by Enrico Casarosa, who is drawing inspiration from his own upbringing. “This is a deeply personal story for me, not only because it’s set on the Italian Riviera where I grew up, but because at the core of this film is a celebration of friendship,” Casarosa explains in a statement. “Childhood friendships often set the course of who we want to become and it is those bonds that are at the heart of our story in ...
Charley Crockett Shares the Origins of New Single “Fool Somebody Else”: Stream
Our new music feature Origins finds bands giving listeners a bit of an inside scoop on their latest single. Today, Charley Crockett wants you to “Fool Somebody Else”. When a songwriter sings of woe and heartbreak, we want to believe them. We want, in some part, to believe that this person has really gone through the wringer of life, and what we’re hearing is all that adversity spilling out. It’s not that we’d ever wish such hardships on a person, only that if they’ve experienced it, we can feel it in their songs. Well, there’s no doubt that you can feel it in the songs on Charley Crockett’s new album, Welcome to Hard Times. The country musician has been through homelessness, felony stints, family addiction, and the struggle of being an independent artist. Even with all that behin...
‘Little Steven’ Van Zandt on Activism and How to Save Rock ‘N’ Roll
He’s best known as Bruce Springsteen’s legendary E Street Band guitarist (and consigliere) but in 1982, Steven Van Zandt, a.k.a. Little Steven, was in heavy rotation on MTV with “Forever,” Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul’s debut single. A few years later, Van Zandt recruited a collective of famous musicians including Miles Davis, Bono and Bob Dylan for Artists United Against Apartheid to protest South Africa’s institutionalized racial segregation with “Sun City” which garnered two Grammy nominations (Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, Best Music Video, Long Form). By 1999, when Van Zandt set aside his solo career to rejoin Springsteen after a 15-year absence, he’d released six records that eventually went out of print. [embedded content] Tomorrow (July 31), V...
Taylor Swift is a Woman of the Woods in Rustic ‘Cabin in the Candlelight’ Version of ‘Cardigan’: Watch
For the record, Blake Shelton can’t stop listening to this record. Taylor Swift surprised fans with a revamped version of her Folklore single “Cardigan” on Wednesday (July 29) night via the rustic video for the stripped-down “Cabin in the Candlelight” version of the song. The visual uses behind-the-scenes footage from the album cover photoshoot comprised of Swift walking in tall grass, across stone walls and in fog-enshrouded woods over gently plucked guitar and warm piano. The acclaimed album and song from the surprise album have dominated the conversation since Folklore was released on Friday and even fellow country stars like Blake Shelton can’t stop spinning it. When a fan tweeted at Shelton that they would agree to stream his new duet with Gwen Stef...
Publishing Briefs: Rodney Jerkins Puts Hipgnosis Under His Spell, Primary Wave Acquires Stake in Devo
Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited has acquired the 982-song music catalog of four-time Grammy winner Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, who under the terms of the deal will also join Hipgnosis’ Investment Adviser’s Advisory Board. The agreement includes 100% of Jerkins’ writer’s share of income for his early works and 100% of his publishing interest and writer’s share of income for his later works. Jerkins’ long list of hits includes tracks for Mary J. Blige (“I Can’t Love You”), Brandy (“The Boy Is Mine”), Whiney Houston (“It’s Not Right But It’s Okay”), Destiny’s Child (“Say My Name”), Beyoncé (“Déjà Vu”), Spice Girls (“Holler”/”Let Love Lead the Way”), Michael Jackson (“You Rock My World”), Sam Smith (“Stay With Me”), Lady Gaga (“Telephone” feat. Beyoncé), Jennifer Lopez (“If You Had My Love”), Jus...
Are You Ready For Season 4 of ‘The Masked Singer?’
Check out the first trailer for the next go-round. Are you ready for season four of The Masked Singer? Because the trailer for the next go-round of TV’s wildest singing competition show just dropped and it’s full of clues that are as cryptic as ever. Seriously. While we don’t get a glimpse of any of the elaborate costumes on tap, there are a series of confounding images that scrawl across the screen like a red-string theory in a conspiracy film, including a queen bee, firecrackers, the tragedy and comedy masks, an alien spaceship, two hotel keys, a yin-yang, a picture of mushrooms, a baseball mitt with a giant diamond in it and two pairs of mirrored sunglasses. And while Nick Cannon’s voice is heard intoning “This is The Masked Singer!” in voiceover, the...
SiriusXM, Pandora Add Self-Pay Subscribers, Advertising Falls Amid Pandemic
Audio entertainment giant SiriusXM, the home of Howard Stern, on Thursday said it added self-pay subscribers in its satellite radio and Pandora businesses for the second quarter, the first one that was fully affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The company, controlled by John Malone‘s Liberty Media, said its satellite radio subscribers fell when including promotional subs, just like had been the case in the first quarter. In the year-ago period, it had added a total of 174,000 net users. In the latest period, SiriusXM added 264,000 self-pay customers, but lost 768,000 promotional subs to end June with 30.3 million self-pay and 34.3 million total users, down 516,000. “Paid promotional subscribers decreased due to declines in shipments from automakers offering paid trial su...
Watch Madeon’s New “Miracle” Video Directed by Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey, Starring Maisie Williams
After teasing the project on social media, electronic music wunderkind Madeon has released the official music video for his single “Miracle,” a concept he produced in tandem with “Game of Thrones” stars Lena Headey and Maisie Williams. Directed by the former and starring the latter, the video is a stunning visual accompaniment to the song, which appeared on Madeon’s sophomore studio album Good Faith. Madeon took to Twitter to rhapsodize about the project. “A few months ago, while I was on tour, Lena Headey reached out about making a video for Miracle,” he wrote. “Maisie Williams quickly joined (they had both met on the set of Game of Thrones).” “Her vision was so clear, it was very different from the way I’ve illus...
Carl Cox to Showcase Luxury Motorsport Vehicles in 2021 London Motor Show Comeback
Fans of Carl Cox know that dance music isn’t his only passion—the legendary DJ and producer is also a car fanatic. What started as just a hobby soon became a major part of his life, eventually leading him to start his Carl Cox Motor Sport brand. Both he and his motorsport team are now key figures in the return of the London Motor Show next year. Organizers of the auto event recently announced its new 2021 dates, July 16th to 18th, at the Evolution London in Battersea Park. Cox has been named the new ambassador for the show, which will focus on “technology, innovation, electric and hybrid vehicles, luxury brands, classics, and city cars,” according to ClassicCars.com. “Having an association with Carl and the team is amazing,” said show chairman A...
MARILYN MANSON To Release New Album ‘We Are Chaos’ In September; Video For Title Track Available
Marilyn Manson will release his eleventh studio album, “We Are Chaos”, on September 11 Via Loma Vista Recordings. Produced by Grammy Award winner Shooter Jennings (Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker) and Manson, the ten-track opus was written, recorded, and finished before a pandemic blanketed us all. Manson heralds the record’s arrival with the title track and lead single, “We Are Chaos”, released today. The accompanying video is directed, photographed and edited by Matt Mahurin. Manson‘s painting Infinite Darkness, which can be seen on the album cover, was specifically created to accompany the music. His fine art paintings continue to be shown all over the world, including gallery and museum exhibitions from Miami to Vienna to Moscow. Manson says of the albu...
