Alternative Music
Simon Cowell Tried to Take “…Baby One More Time” from Britney Spears by Offering Max Martin a Mercedes
Simon Cowell has clearly made a name for himself in the world of pop music, but he hasn’t always gotten everything he’s wanted. In a recent interview, the record executive revealed that he tried to score “…Baby One More Time” for a boyband he had signed, but songwriter Max Martin had already promised to give the song to Britney Spears and said no. Cowell was speaking on his America’s Got Talent co-star Howie Mandel’s podcast when he explained his “…Baby One More Time” connection. At the time, he was working with a boyband called 5ive, and they were “just on the verge of breaking them in America.” Someone played Cowell the song — which he said was actually first written for TLC, not Britney — and he said, “My God, I’ve got to have this song.” “So I phoned up Max,” Cowell continued...
Death Cab for Cutie Aren’t Bored Yet
During a recent phone call with Consequence, Ben Gibbard drops the totally unanticipated fact that he loves 100 gecs. “I’m completely obsessed with them,” he gushes about the polarizing hyperpop duo. “At 46 years old, there’s music that I should be scared of. It’s awesome that there’s music being made now that I have absolutely no idea how to make.” Being 46 also means Gibbard has spent over half his life as the frontman of Death Cab for Cutie, whose great 10th studio album Asphalt Meadows is out Friday (September 16th). Maybe it shouldn’t be shocking that he’s so enamored by 100 gecs, who sound a bit like what shotgunning five cans of Red Bull while on Adderall might feel like: Whether it’s collaborating with heavyweights like Chance the Rapper and Noah Cyrus, helming a Yoko Ono tribute a...
Cate Le Bon Shares Slinky New Song “Typical Love”: Stream
Cate Le Bon has released her standalone single “Typical Love,” a leftover from the sessions for her 2022 album, Pompeii. It arrives ahead of her headlining North American tour, which kicks off on September 27th (grab tickets here). Built atop a grooving bassline and the drumming of Stella Mozgawa, “Typical Love” is anything but typical. It comes with flourishes of electric guitar and synths alongside a distorted sax that adds to the disconcerting feel of the song’s production. Le Bon’s vocals cascade up and down the track, as she compares her love to “a shattering of glass and how I imagine Japan” and “an invite to the art of demolition.” “‘Typical Love’ was a product of a rare jam session with dearest genius friend, Stella Mozgawa,” Le Bon explained in a statement. “The outline, written o...
Nas’ 10 Best Songs
This article was originally published in 2014, but we’re dusting it off for Nas’ birthday on September 14th. Once upon a time, Nasir Jones was just a young kid stealing the show on Main Source’s “Live at the Barbeque,” self-aware enough to foresee that he’d be a force to be reckoned with in rap’s packed New York scene. Long before he was a household name, he was comparing himself to Spielberg and going to hell for snuffing Jesus, both proof of the grandiose nature of his vision. Over two decades later, he remains one of the preeminent voices setting the gold standard for the genre. Nas, a product of Queens, has often been hailed as the second coming of the God MC himself, Rakim, but it’s safe to say, given the lifespan of his career and his subsequent impact on the culture, that he tapped ...
My Morning Jacket Announce Live Triple Album MMJ LIVE VOL. 2: CHICAGO 2021
My Morning Jacket have announced the second installment in their ongoing live album vinyl series: MMJ LIVE VOL. 2: CHICAGO 2021 arrives October 21st, following last year’s MMJ Live 2015. Recorded at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago in November 2021, MMJ LIVE VOL. 2: CHICAGO 2021 compiles a 20-song setlist of career highlights across six sides of wax. There’s new tracks like “Love Love Love” and “Complex,” both on their 2021 self-titled album, to MMJ staples like “Dondante,” “Mahgeetah,” and “Phone Went West.” MMJ LIVE VOL. 2: CHICAGO 2021 comes on 3xLP translucent vinyl, and pre-orders are ongoing. See the full tracklist for the new triple album below. Advertisement Related Video There’s also a chance to hear some live My Morning Jacket in the flesh, as the Kentucky band ar...
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Is a Silly, Absurd and Downright Fun Sequel: TIFF Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: Famous Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), whom we first met in the 2019 flick Knives Out, is in a pandemic-induced funk when he receives an invitation from eccentric billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) to his next big case in Greece. There, on a remote island, Bron’s closest friends and “disrupters” congregate for a murder mystery party at his Glass Onion house — a spot so lavish even the Mona Lisa is there, on loan from the Louvre. There’s former model-turned-fashion-designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), controversial social media star Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), brilliant scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), right-wing politician Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), and Bron’s s...
Ranking Every Megadeth Album From Worst to Best
Welcome to Dissected, where we disassemble a band’s catalog, based on the exact science of personal opinion, late night debates, and the love of music. In this installment, we rank Megadeth’s discography thus far. The origin of Megadeth is a tale of redemption for its central figure, Dave Mustaine. After being fired from Metallica for his erratic behavior and substance abuse, Mustaine was left to his own devices. He formed Megadeth as his new songwriting outlet, filling out the lineup with choice musicians who could execute his songs and ideas. Throughout the band’s career, Mustaine has been the central force behind a revolving-door cast of guitarists, drummers, and bassists. He surrounds himself with those who can achieve his vision for the band. As Mustaine goes, Megadeth goes. Advertise...
The London Suede and Manic Street Preachers Announce North American 2022 Co-Headlining Tour
The London Suede and Manic Street Preachers are hitting the road together. The UK ’90s stalwarts have announced a co-headlining tour, making a rare trek across North America in November 2022. The 12-date outing begins on November 3rd in Vancouver. Suede and the Manics will then hit major cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, Boston, New York City, and Toronto throughout the month, concluding in Toronto on the 24th. The bands will take turns closing out each night of the tour. Ticket pre-sale begins this Wednesday, September 14th at 10:00 a.m. local time (use code VENUE), with general on-sale following Friday, September 16th at 10:00 a.m. local. Head over to Ticketmaster for your seats, and check out the full schedule below. Advertisement Related Video “I can’t think...
Bikini Kill Announce Rescheduled 2023 Tour Dates
Bikini Kill have announced a run of rescheduled North American tour dates for Spring 2023. The trek makes up for shows from this June and July that were postponed due to a member testing positive for COVID and kicks off in Nashville on March 30th. It will include stops in Atlanta, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Philadelphia, and more before closing out in Knoxville, Tennessee on April 23rd. See the full schedule below. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 16th at 12:00 p.m. ET via Ticketmaster. Related Video The tour will feature the iconic line-up Kathleen Hanna (vocals), Kathi Wilcox (bass guitar), and Tobi Vail (drums) playing alongside guitarist Sara Landeau. Bikini Kill initially reunited in 2019 for a series of concerts in the US and UK. A more extensive outing was postponed du...
Awards Are Bullshit, But It Would Still Be Nice If Better Call Saul Could Win Some
After last night’s Emmy Awards ceremony, Better Call Saul can lay claim to a remarkable achievement: 46 Emmy nominations and zero wins over the course of its six-season run. Forty. Six. Forty-six chances to recognize one of the best shows on television for its remarkable achievements, and 46 failures to do so. It feels mean to keep harping on that number, but 46 is staggering. This TVLine list showcases 25 great shows that also never won an Emmy, but most of the shows on that list only received a few token nods during their run — they weren’t playing the game as hard as Saul has done over the past six years. And yet 46 losses. It’s a lot! Upon its initial premiere, the genre-defying crime drama may have been an immediate part of the Emmys race as a spinoff of Breaking Bad, which had a much...
Mark David Chapman, John Lennon’s Killer, Denied Parole for 12th Time
Mark David Chapman, the man who murdered John Lennon in 1980, has been denied parole for the 12th time, Rolling Stone reports. Chapman shot Lennon outside the artist’s New York City apartment on December 8th, 1980 and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 20 years to life at New York’s Green Haven Correctional Facility and became eligible for parole in 2000, though he’s been denied at the hearings he’s had every two years since. Chapman’s latest parole hearing took place in August. In a statement, the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision said, “Following an interview with the Board of Parole on August 31, 2022, Mr. Chapman was denied release with a hold of 18 months. His next appearance date is scheduled for February 2024.” Advertisem...
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney Record Their Colonoscopies for Cancer Awareness: Watch
If you’ve ever wanted to watch Ryan Reynolds or Rob McElhenney get a colonoscopy, now’s your chance. Both stars have shared footage of themselves undergoing the procedure as part of the colon cancer awareness initiative Lead From Behind. As the Welcome to Wrexham duo explain, Reynolds joked with McElhenney that he would “publicly broadcast his colonoscopy” if his co-star could learn to speak Welsh. McElhenney succeeded, and as both men are at the screening age of 45, they figured they’d take the opportunity to de-stigmatize the examination, especially since it can save lives. “I would never normally have any medical procedure put on camera and then share it,” Reynolds says in the clip, while we’re actively watching him walk into the hospital for his colonoscopy. “It’s not everyda...
