Alternative Music
Death Cab for Cutie Announce New Album Asphalt Meadows, Share “Roman Candles”: Stream
A new Death Cab for Cutie album is on the way. The indie rock veterans’ tenth studio album Asphalt Meadows is arriving on September 16th via Atlantic, and today, they’ve offered a preview of what’s to come with the lead single “Roman Candles.” Additionally, Death Cab have unveiled a run of US tour dates for 2022. Asphalt Meadows is Death Cab’s proper follow-up to 2018’s Thank You For Today, and was produced by Grammy Award-winner John Congleton, whose recent credits include St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, and Wallows. If “Roman Candles” is any indication, Death Cab are still finding ways to push the envelope within the alt-rock sphere, now that they’re ringing in their 25th year as a band. Pre-orders for the record are ongoing. Lyrically, “Roman Candles” seems...
The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins on Jon Bon Jovi’s Recent Vocal Issues: “It’s Not Fun to Watch This”
The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins has weighed in on Jon Bon Jovi’s vocal issues, which were apparent on the veteran rocker’s recent US tour with his legendary band Bon Jovi. Jon Bon Jovi’s performances were notably shaky and off-key — a criticism that was consistent across numerous concert reviews. To Hawkins’ ear, Bon Jovi sounded “tired” rather than hindered by a vocal cord problem such as a polyp. Hawkins suggested that it’s psychological, and called for the band’s camp to step in. “It sounds like he needs some kind of therapy,” Hawkins said on his YouTube series “Justin Hawkins Rides Again” [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “It doesn’t sound like it’s a polyp or some sort of lump on his vocal cords ’cause that would be more unpredictable — he would be hitting the notes and then it w...
Sean “Diddy” Combs Forms R&B Label, Announces New Album
Sean “Love” Combs (aka Diddy) has announced a new R&B label, the eponymous Love Records. The first project under the imprint will be his next solo album, slated for release this summer as part of a one-off deal with Motown Records. The “Bad Boy for Life” mogul is also sticking to his word by confirming that he will maintain his oversight role in Bad Boy Entertainment, which he founded in 1993, while developing the more genre-specific Love Records. In terms of operational duties, he will reportedly act as executive producer, curator, and A&R for his upcoming project. In a statement, Combs shared: “Music has always been my first love. Love Records is the next chapter, is about getting back to the love and making the best music of my life. For the label, I’m focused on creating t...
Wilco Announce 2022 Tour in Support of New Album Cruel Country
Wilco are set to return on May 27th with their new double album, Cruel Country. Today, the Chicago folk-rock greats shared a new single called, “Tired of Talking It Out on You,” plus announced a lengthy North American tour in support of the upcoming release. The 27-date cross-country outing kicks off on August 14th in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and also includes stops in cities like Indianapolis, Montreal, Fargo, Sioux Falls, San Diego, Vancouver, and New Orleans. A ticket pre-sale begins Thursday, May 12th via Ticketmaster (use code FINALE), with a public on-sale following on Friday, May 13th. Get tickets here. Advertisement Related Video Later this month, Wilco will stage their annual Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, MA. If you can’t be there in person, both of Wilco’s sets, as well as Jeff...
Everything We Know About BTS’ Anthology Album PROOF (So Far)
All right, ARMY, buckle up, because we have plenty of details to unpack together. After initially confirming new music on June 10th at the closing night of their Las Vegas shows, BTS have been slowly rolling out details for the upcoming album, PROOF. This now includes the fact that PROOF will be an anthology album, chronicling BTS’ nine (!) years of music, and will include a mix of existing favorites and brand new music. The anthology record will be broken into three parts, arriving as three disks in physical form. Pre-orders are now open on BTS and management company HYBE’s proprietary communication platform, Weverse. Advertisement The announcement of an anthology album led fans to speculate that the collection, which required the difficult task of working through BTS’ enor...
Apple iPod Officially Discontinued After 20 Years
For the better part of the last decade, the Apple iPod has been more of a nostalgia item or the first smart device for children than a must-have item. Today, it has finally been discontinued and will only be available “while supplies last.” While the move hardly comes out of nowhere — the iPod Classic was discontinued back in 2014, and Apple last updated the iPod Touch in 2019 — it will strike a chord with older millennials who have rose-colored memories of loading their MP3 collections into iTunes. Sure, the click wheels on the early models would sometimes stick, and the spinning hard drives would die without warning, but being able to carry thousands of songs in one’s pocket was a groundbreaking moment in technology. Of course, the iPod wasn’t the first portable MP3 player, but it c...
Elon Musk Says Donald Trump Will Be Allowed Back on Twitter
Elon Musk says Donald Trump will be welcomed back to Twitter once he takes ownership of the social media platform later this year. Speaking at a Financial Times conference on Tuesday, Musk described Twitter’s decision to permanently ban Trump as “morally bad” and “foolish in the extreme.” “I do think it was not correct to ban Donald Trump. I think that was a mistake,” Musk said. “It alienated a large part of the country, and did not ultimately result in Donald Trump not having a voice.” Advertisement Related Video Instead, Musk argued, by banning Trump, Twitter risked creating a “frankly worse” forum, where disagreeing voices never have an opportunity to engage. In fact, Musk said he will likely lift all permanent bans on Twitter, and instead issue temporary suspensions or hide individual ...
CHVRCHES Announce New North American Tour Dates
If you haven’t caught CHVRCHES on their current tour, you’re in luck. The Scottish band has announced a new run of North American shows in support of their latest record, Screen Violence, extending their travels through the end of the summer. The next leg of the tour kicks off on July 24th at Austin’s Float Fest. From there, Lauren Mayberry and co. will spend some time in the South, hitting the likes of New Orleans, Birmingham, Alabama, Atlanta, and Asheville, North Carolina. A couple of dates in Virginia take the band up the East Coast, and by the time September hits, they’ll head west to play Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle. The tour wraps up on October 3rd in Boise, Idaho. See the full list of tour dates below, and grab tickets via Ticketmaster when pre-sale begins on Wednesday, May ...
How to Get Tickets to Austin City Limits 2022
The lineup for Austin City Limits 2022 has been revealed, and with its reliably extensive offering that appeals to just about every music fan, tickets for the two-weekend event are bound to be snatched up quickly. Get tickets here, and read on for the full lineup. What Is Austin City Limits? The long-running Austin, Texas-based music festival launches for another year in Zilker Park on October 7th and runs over two weekends for three days each across nine stages. Weekend 1 spans October 7th-9th and weekend 2 follows on October 14th-16th. Who Is Headlining Austin City Limits in 2022? Related Video The festival’s top-line is filled out by an astounding collection of music’s biggest names: Red Hot Chili Peppers, P!nk, The Chicks, SZA, Kacey Musgraves, Flume, Paramore, and Lil Nas X. Who ...
Mario Batali Found Not Guilty of Sexual Misconduct
Mario Batali has been found not guilty of indecent assault and battery charges dating back to May 2019. The verdict was delivered on Tuesday, May 10th, in Boston Municipal Court by Judge James Stanton after the celebrity chef waived his right to a jury decision. Judge Stanton made the ruling after a day and a half of testimony, primarily from the woman who accused the former Food Network personality of groping and kissing her without consent at a Boston bar in April 2017. “It’s an understatement to say that Mr. Batali did not cover himself in glory on the night in question,” the judge said (via The New York Times), while acknowledging the accuser “has significant credibility issues.” Batali did not testify. He was facing up to two and a half years in jail and would have been required to re...
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine and Gibson Unveil Signature Songwriter Acoustic Guitar
Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine and Gibson have teamed up for another signature model: the Gibson Songwriter acoustic guitar in ebony. The latest model in the Dave Mustaine Collection is the first Gibson acoustic guitar to be fitted with a 24-fret neck, which features mother of pearl teeth inlays. Touting a slightly thinner walnut body, the Songwriter also has a cutaway for easy access to the upper frets — essential for Megadeth-style shredding. Additional appointments include Grover Rotomatic tuners, a TUSQ nut, saddle, bridge pins, and a higher output LR Baggs VTC under-saddle pickup with soundhole mounted volume and tone controls. Vic Rattlehead artwork adorns the pickguard. Advertisement Related Video The guitar comes in a standard model and a limited-edition signed model, both with a c...
Here’s the Story Behind the White House’s Secret Vinyl Collection
Sure, the Library of Congress has a National Film Registry, and sure, President Obama stays up to date on popular music, but can you imagine the White House housing its own private record collection? For a time, it did, and John Chuldenko — grandson of President Jimmy Carter — unearthed it. Chuldenko, a writer, director, and producer, learned of the vinyl collection from his uncle Jeff, who, as Carter’s youngest son, spun the music himself when he was living at the White House. The selection came to be in the 1970s, when the Recording Industry Association of America approached the White House about creating a library for music the same way the American Booksellers Association had done for books. Songwriter Johnny Mercer curated the library’s initial installation, and over 1,800 LPs were pr...
