Alternative Rock
Mitski Blazes Forward on the Enigmatic Laurel Hell
Mitski had made up her mind after finishing her “Be The Cowboy” tour in late 2019: after months of frequent shows, press, and supporting her biggest album to date, she was quitting music for good. “I felt it was shaving away my soul little by little,” said Mitski in a recent profile, describing the anxiety, pressure, and existential dread she was experiencing as simply too much to bear. Of course, endings aren’t always that simple. She began working on Be The Cowboy’s follow-up quickly after, but only because she was contractually obligated to do so; yet, after over two years of writing and recording in the midst of a global pandemic, Mitski arrives this week (February 4th) with her sixth studio album, Laurel Hell. And by all measures, Laurel Hell is yet another phenomenal entry in Mitski’...
Failure Pull Music from Spotify, Citing Business Model and Joe Rogan Controversy
Failure are the latest band to pull their music from Spotify, citing the platform’s business model and the spread of COVID vaccine misinformation. The cult alternative rockers join a growing number of other artists who’ve followed Neil Young’s lead and removed their music from the streaming service. Young and others have objected to Spotify hosting Joe Rogan’s podcast, which has been criticized for proliferating misinformation and falsities about COVID vaccines. Failure released a lengthy statement on Facebook decrying Spotify’s response to the Rogan controversy and the company’s business model in general: “Failure have wrestled with the question of Spotify and whether to have our newest music, which we control, on the platform. Until now, our ambivalence about Spotify has been based on th...
Tash Sultana Announces 2022 North American Tour
Tash Sultana has announced their first North American tour in three years. The “Terra Firma Tour,” which comes in support of Sultana’s latest album of the same name, goes down June and July 2022. Over the course of the 24-date run, Sultana will play shows at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO; Pier 17 in New York City; Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver; and Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Additionally, Sultana will appear at this summer’s Bonnaroo Music Festival. Check out the tour’s full schedule below. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 4th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. Related Video Last year, Sultana spoke to Kyle Meredith about Terra Firma, a record that finds them collaborating with other writers and musicians for the first time on an album. You can listen to the conversation her...
Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, Mac DeMarco, More to Play Kilby Block Party
Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, Mac DeMarco, and Animal Collective are among the indie royalty heading to Salt Lake City this May for the Kilby Block Party. The third annual festival goes down May 13th and 14th, 2022, at Library Square in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Other notable acts include Steve Lacy, Car Seat Headrest, Alvvays, Soccer Mommy, Bartees Strange, The Walters, Jawny, Lomelda, Sam Evian, Kevin Devine, and more. Advertisement Single-day and two-day GA passes, as well as VIP tickets go on sale Tuesday, February 1st at 10:00 a.m. MT. You can find more information about the festival and purchase tickets here. Keep up on the latest music festival news and rumors via our Live page. <img data-attachment-id="1184827" data-permalink="https://consequence.net/2022/01/kilby...
Black Country, New Road Announce Departure of Frontman Isaac Wood, Cancel Tour
Black Country, New Road announced today that frontman Isaac Wood has decided to leave the band. As a result, the UK rockers have canceled their upcoming tour in support of their new album, Ants From Up There, which is out this Friday (February 4th). “Hello everyone, I have bad news which is that I have been feeling sad and afraid too,” Wood wrote in a statement posted to Black Country, New Road’s social media. “I have tried to make this not true but it is the kind of sad and afraid feeling that makes it hard to play guitar and sing at the same time… From now on I won’t be a member of the group anymore. To be clear: this is completely in spite of six of the greatest people I know, who were and are wonderful in a sparkling way.” The remaining Black Country, New Road members added: “We’r...
Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood Take The Smile for a Round in 24-Hour, Three-Show Concert Series: Recap
The Smile, the English trio formed by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner, officially became audience-tested as they completed their first run of in-person performances over the weekend (January 29th-30th) with three shows in just over 12 hours. The trio convened at the Greenwich venue Magazine London for three consecutive concerts at 8:00 p.m., 1:00 a.m., and 11:00 a.m. GMT, which were simultaneously broadcast with time zone considerations for virtual audiences watching in Europe and Africa, the Americas, and Asia and Australia, respectively. The venue’s rounded central stage was packed to the edges with an array of gear and sound equipment that promised a more elaborate set than the relatively spare setup for their surprise debut at the Glastonbury Fes...
La Luz’s Shana Cleveland Diagnosed With Breast Cancer
Shana Cleveland, guitarist of the Los Angeles psych-rock band La Luz, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. As a result, the band has canceled its upcoming tour. “Normally a month before a tour we’d be blasting you with show announcements but we’ve been forced to shift our focus upon finding out that Shana has breast cancer,” the members of La Luz wrote in a message posted to social media. “While we’re still waiting to get info on what treatment will look like, it seems clear we won’t be able to make this East Coast Tour happen in March.” La Luz’s upcoming East Coast/Midwest run was scheduled to begin in Philadelphia on March 3rd, wrapping up in Washington D.C. later that month. The 14-date trek was in support of the group’s self-titled fifth album, which arrived last October. Advertiseme...
Jawbreaker Expand ‘Dear You’ Anniversary Tour with More Dates, The Lemonheads
Jawbreaker have expanded their upcoming tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their fourth and final album, Dear You. The emo punk luminaries have scheduled additional shows in Portland, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City, while announcing new dates in Minneapolis, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, the Washington, DC metro area, and Nashville. Along with the expanding the tour’s itinerary, Jawbreaker have also recruited a few more acts to join them on the road. Notably, The Lemonheads will open several dates, playing their beloved album It’s A Shame About Ray in full. Lucero and Dillinger Four will take turns providing support. Advertisement Related Video As previously reported, Built to Spill, Descendents, Best Coast, Jawbox, Smoking Popes, and The Linda Lindas will also open for Jaw...
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Damon Albarn Incorrectly Claims Taylor Swift “Doesn’t Write Her Own Songs,” Swift Responds [UPDATED]
Damon Albarn is not exempt from having opinions about Taylor Swift, and he’s certainly not shy about sharing them on the record — even if they’re unfounded. In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, the Gorillaz/Blur frontman aired his grievances about the “All Too Well” singer, incorrectly griping that she “doesn’t write her own songs.” Update: Swift has responded in a scathing tweet, prompting Albarn to issue an apology on his personal Twitter. See their responses below. The topic came up when Albarn was asked about his show at Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall, where he’ll be playing songs from his new solo album The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows on just piano and strings. “It’s actually quite hard, doing a whole concert on piano,” Albarn explai...
Melody’s Echo Chamber Announces New Album Emotional Eternal, Shares “Looking Backward”: Stream
Melody’s Echo Chamber, the psych-pop project of Melody Prochet, is returning with her first album in nearly four years. Marking her third LP under the moniker, Emotional Eternal will arrive on April 29th via Domino. As a preview, Prochet has shared its lead single “Looking Backward.” Prochet recorded Emotional Eternal in the outskirts of Stockholm, and the album represents her newfound clarity after having spent a chunk of time away from music and a regular pace of life. “I hope the record has that uplifting quality,” Prochet said in a statement. “I wanted to be more grounded and mindful through the process. I guided the sessions with simplicity — a contrast with the maximalism of Bon Voyage and the wilderness of my delusions. I made some big and impactful decisions and chan...
Pedro the Lion Returns with New Album Havasu: Stream
David Bazan has released Havasu, a surprise new album under his Pedro the Lion moniker. Stream it below on Spotify and Apple Music. While creating the 10-track LP — which serves as the follow-up and sequel to 2019’s Phoenix — Bazan found inspiration in the community of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where he lived for a year as a middle schooler. “It’s this very synthetic, gimmicky place set in this soulful, desolate landscape,” he said in a statement about returning to Lake Havasu City. “An intersection I hadn’t remembered for 30 years would trigger a flood of hidden memories. I was there to soak in it as much as possible.” Advertisement Related Video However, the threads that run through Phoenix, Havasu, and the album that will come next are meant to explore something deeper than simple chil...
Nilüfer Yanya Shares Dreamy New Single “midnight sun”: Stream
Nilüfer Yanya’s next album, PAINLESS, is just around the corner. Ahead of its March 4th release, the London musician has shared another new single called “midnight sun,” along with a dreamy accompanying music video. Backed by a downtempo beat and a hypnotic, cyclical guitar riff, “midnight sun” grapples with feeling an influx of heavy emotion and grounding yourself in the love of another person. “So maybe/ I can’t care too much/ I can’t clean this up,” Yanya croons, as the track builds into a gritty, gut-wrenching climax. “Never felt so sure/ You’re my best machine/ You’re my midnight sun.” “It’s a song about recognizing what it feels like to be pushed down but wanting to resist,” Yanya explained in a press statement. “I really like the imagery of ‘midnight sun’ as a lyric as it insinuates...
