Alternative Music
Big Thief: Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
“What should we do now?” someone asks off-mic at the end of Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. “Blue Lightning,” the last song, has just ended, its homey folk-rock atmosphere made briefly uncanny by the entrance of cheap synthetic brass in the final minute, punching out a two-note fanfare that an ordinary band would have assigned to an actual horn section. The speaker—presumably one of the three men in Big Thief who orbit singer-guitarist Adrianne Lenker—sounds dazed but satisfied. Clearly, they have nailed the take. So what next? As punctuation for Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You, an album as gleefully overstuffed as its title, this moment of studio chatter feels deliberate despite its offhandedness. In 20 songs, Big Thief have rambled far beyond the bounds of their prev...
The Best Way to Enjoy The Book of Boba Fett Is to Embrace the Mess
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers through the season finale of The Book of Boba Fett, “Chapter 7: In The Name of Honor.”] The funny thing about The Book of Boba Fett is that a whole lot of people would have been a lot happier if they’d just done something different with the title. While the series started off as a stand-alone tale of the famed bounty hunter’s (Temuera Morrison) transformation into a new kind of crime boss, as seen with Episode 5 the show took an abrupt turn by bringing back famed Space Daddy Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), with the second half of the season serving as a clear sequel to the end of The Mandalorian Season 2. Now that we’ve reached the end of the season, all that’s left to do is try to sort out what, exactly, happened here. Because nothing feels in ba...
Bob Saget Died From Brain Trauma
Bob Saget died from brain trauma, which he reportedly sustained after accidentally hitting the back of his head on an object. The injury caused internal brain bleeding, and while Saget was apparently unaware of its severity, it caused him to pass away in his sleep. Saget’s cause of death was shared by his family in a statement released on Wednesday (February 9th). “Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities’ investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us,” the family said. “The authorities have determined that Bob passed from head trauma. They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved.” Advertisement Related Video “As we c...
Russell Crowe Joins Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Sony/Marvel Movie Kraven the Hunter
Russell Crowe has scored another Marvel movie. The New Zealand-born actor is set to join Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kraven the Hunter, Sony’s upcoming film about the Spider-Man villain. While we know Taylor-Johnson will play Kraven, it’s unclear what role Crowe has in Kraven the Hunter, slated to arrive January 13th, 2023. According to The Hollywood Reporter, however, Kraven’s family members are said to take up much of the cast. J.C. Chandor is directing the film from a screenplay by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, and Richard Wenk, while Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing. Kraven the Hunter arrives as part of the Sony Universe of Marvel Characters, which makes sense given Sony controls the film rights to Spider-Man and other related characters. After taking on Eddie ...
R.I.P. Snacks the Cat, Best Coast’s Honorary Third Member
Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino has announced the passing of her beloved cat, Snacks. Indie rock’s favorite feline was 14 years young. “I always knew this day would come, but I hoped it never would,” Cosentino wrote in an Instagram post. “I said goodbye to my angel baby Snacks this afternoon. He was not just my cat. He belonged to all of you. He was the third member of this band. Our mascot. Our cover star. Our merch king. He meant everything to me and I’m going to miss him so much, but I know he will live on forever by way of the legacy he created simply by being himself. He loved you all so much and he knew you loved him. 14 wonderful years. I’m so honored that I got to be his mom. I love you forever Snacks. Long live the king.” Beyond starring in many-a-cute Instagram photos, Snacks famo...
ZAKK WYLDE Is Open To Producing Next Line Of DIMEBAG Guitars Through His WYLDE AUDIO Company
Zakk Wylde says that he is open to producing the next line of guitars from late PANTERA guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott. Last August, Dimebag‘s longtime girlfriend and trustee of his estate, Rita Haney, announced that she was cutting ties with Dean Guitars after 17 years with the company. She also revealed that she had filed a lawsuit against Dean, alleging fraud, breach of written agreement and false endorsement, among other claims. Asked in a new interview with Australia’s Wall Of Sound if he would be interested in working with Haney on a new line of Dimebag guitars through his Wylde Audio company, Wylde said: “I remember when [the news of Rita‘s lawsuit against Dean] first came out, whenever I saw that, but I didn’t know the whole skinny on t...
KISS: ‘Dynasty’ Collectible Figures From KnuckleBonz Coming This Spring/Summer
KnuckleBonz, creator of the Rock Iconz music collectible series, has announced the production of a new bundle of KISS figures (set of four or separately), available for pre-order now at this location. The statues are based on the costumes the four members of KISS wore during the band’s “Dynasty” period in 1979. This is a limited edition, hand-cast statue. Only 3000 will be cast for KISS superfans worldwide. These exclusive KISS statues are hand-painted and numbered and come with a certificate of authenticity printed on the base of each collectible statue. Shipping is estimated for late spring/summer 2022. All KnuckleBonz statues are officially licensed with KISS. Each statue sells for $159 and ships worldwide. KnuckleBonz has been creating high-end statues since 2003 and ...
TED NUGENT On Transgender Women Competing On Female Sports Teams: ‘It Is The Work Of Satan’
Ted Nugent has spoken out against the participation of transgender women in female sports, calling it “the work of Satan” and “absolutely unacceptable.” Last summer’s Tokyo Olympics were the first to see publicly out transgender athletes compete. According to ESPN, Laurel Hubbard, a weightlifter from New Zealand, and Chelsea Wolfe, an alternate on the United States BMX team, became the first transgender women to qualify for the Olympics. Canadian soccer player Quinn and American skateboarder Alana Smith became the first out non-binary athletes to compete at the Olympics. Hubbard‘s participation as a trans woman in the Summer Olympics was met with controversy, with critics saying her eligibility was a threat to fairness in sport. Nugent addressed the hot-...
Krüller – AUTHOR & PUNISHER
RATING: 8/10 While gleefully hurling spanners into the works, at some unholy midpoint between industrial, drone, doom and alternative metal, AUTHOR & PUNISHER (Tristan Shone to his friends) has already made eight full-length albums of spine-wrenching, soul-flaying heaviness and avant-garde sound subversion. It would be no exaggeration to say that “Krüller”, album number nine, is easily the most accessible so far, and yet such are the layered depths and all-encompassing weight of these songs, that Shone‘s second album for RELAPSE RECORDS is also utterly uncompromising and, at times, overwhelming. If Shone does have a formula, it hinges on the fervent souping up of machines, and the endless, dread-filled bottom end and waves of excoriating distortion and feedback that e...
Disney+ Sets Release Date for Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Starring Ewan McGregor
Disney+ has set a release date for its highly-anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series. Starring Ewan McGregor as the titular Jedi Master, the series will premiere on May 25th. The story begins ten years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, according to a logline provided by Disney. Alongside McGregor, Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Darth Vader. The cast also includes Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse as Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, as well as Moses Ingram, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie. Advertisement Related Video Disney initially previewed Obi-Wan Kenobi by sharing a sizzle reel with production art during its Disney+ Day virtual presentation in November. A full-length tra...
Kevin Hart Gifted Nick Cannon a Condom Vending Machine After News of Eighth Child
Upon hearing that Nick Cannon was expecting his eighth child, Kevin Hart sent him a large gift box with dozens of individually-wrapped presents: a condom vending machine. Cannon announced on his talk show last week that model Bre Tiesi is pregnant with his child. A few days later, he shared with his Instagram followers a picture of a condom vending machine, though he wasn’t sure where it had come from. Yesterday, Hart took credit. “I see u got my gift @nickcannon ….GOTCHA BITCH!!!!!!” he wrote. “Now u don’t have an excuse because the condoms are free.” He added the hashtag, “#PrankWars.” Advertisement Related Video Cannon seemed less than amused. He responded in the post’s comments, “This is not a laughing matter Kevin,” along with emojis of hands with one particular finger raised. Via Peo...
Kanye West’s Live Album Late Orchestration Hits US Streaming Services for First Time
Good news for the “Make Kanye 2006 Again” camp: If Donda wasn’t really your thing, Late Orchestration, Kanye West’s classic 2006 live album, has quietly been uploaded to Apple Music and TIDAL. West recorded Late Orchestration — which is comprised of songs from his first two albums, The College Dropout and Late Registration — at the famous Abbey Road Studios before an audience of 300. In addition to guest appearances from John Legend, Lupe Fiasco, GLC, and Consequence (no relation), West was backed by a 17-piece, all-woman orchestra in a trailblazing blend of hip-hop and classical music. While the album has been available to stream in international markets for quite a while, it’s only now hit American streaming platforms. No word on if Ye will add the record to Spotify, though. Listen to La...
