Alternative Rock
R.I.P. Billy Conway, Morphine Drummer Dead at 65
Billy Conway, the drummer best known for his work in the jazz rock band Morphine and Boston group Treat Her Right, has died at the age of 65 from cancer. Vapors of Morphine, with whom Conway often played as a guest, shared the news on social media. “We are devastated to learn that our brother, Morphine drummer Billy Conway, has passed, finally succumbing to cancer after a long fight,” the group wrote. “Our deepest condolences go to his family and friends.” Conway’s friend and bandmate Jeffrey Foucault confirmed his death to Rolling Stone. “Billy Conway was one of the best drummers America produced in the second half of the twentieth century,” Foucault said in a statement. “With his uncanny empathy and sensitivity, his dedication to simplicity and restraint, and his impossible spiritual pow...
LCD Soundsystem to Continue Brooklyn Residency Amid Omicron Surge
In just a few short days, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has threatened to thwart any indoor plans for the winter months — especially in New York, where cases just cracked a new single-day record. But for LCD Soundsystem, who are in the midst of their 20-night residency at Brooklyn Steel, the show must go on: The band released a statement on social media this week explaining their decision to not cancel their upcoming shows. “For starters, we’ve all known that there are risks playing these shows,” James Murphy and company wrote. “When we planned them, we thought we’d be in better shape, COVID wise, by now, but it didn’t pan out… We know that we and our team (and the team at Brooklyn Steel), in many ways, face the most risk of getting rick, just by virtue of being at every one of our 20 sh...
Song of the Week: Best Coast and The Linda Lindas Collaborate on the Vibrant “Leading”
We’re taking a break from our Annual Report to highlight the Song of the Week. In this feature, we talk about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Best Coast is back with a little help from rising stars The Linda Lindas. Pop culture right now seems dominated by a certain amount of sentimentality. Rebooting and revamping have become the norm, and people are starting to push back on the oversaturation. Best Coast probably weren’t intending to jump into that exact discourse with their latest, “Leading,” but the opening line is a relatable statement nonetheless: “Nostalgia’s overrated, or maybe it’s just complicate...
Corey Taylor Calls Alice in Chains “One of the Greatest Rock Bands” Ever, Heaps High Praise on Layne Staley
Corey Taylor sung the praises of Alice in Chains during a recent in-person Q&A session with fans, calling the grunge goliaths “one of the greatest rock bands” of all time. The Slipknot frontman was asked to name his favorite of the “Big Four” Seattle grunge bands — Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam — and was quick to choose AIC, heaping praise on the band and its late singer Layne Staley. “Alice in Chains, to me, is one of the greatest rock bands that ever was,” Taylor said during the question-and-answer portion of a theater appearance in Columbus, Ohio, this past Monday (December 13th). “And I don’t just mean that from a grunge standpoint or metal or anything like that. They revolutionized so much musically and they inspired me to change the way I write music.” Adve...
M83 to Reissue Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, Share Video for “My Tears Are Becoming A Sea”: Watch
M83’s classic double album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming just passed its 10th anniversary, and the band is feeling celebratory. Today the French electronic group announced a vinyl reissue of the record, and shared a new music video for the track “My Tears Are Becoming A Sea.” “My Tears Are Becoming A Sea” serves as prequel to the music video trilogy of “Midnight City,” “Reunion,” and “Wait” that M83 released back in the day. In those videos, a group of supernatural children run from a group of authorities attempting to study their powers. The new clip, directed by Sacha Barbin and Ryan Doubiago, provides an origin story for one of the children. Barbin and Doubiago explained of the video: “This story takes place 10 years earlier in order to highlight the first moment one of these children u...
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis Share “Les Cerfs” from Documentary Soundtrack: Stream
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis composed the soundtrack to Marie Amiguet and Vincent Munier’s upcoming documentary La Panthère des Neiges, and today they’ve shared “Les Cerfs,” the second preview of the project. Listen to the song below. La Panthère des Neiges sees wildlife photographer Munier and novelist Sylvain Tesson traversing the Tibetan plateau, one of the most undisturbed wildlife sanctuaries in the world, in search of a snow leopard. With that in mind, “Las Cerfs” offers a similarly quiet vibe. Ethereal keys ring out as Cave, in his famous baritone, repeats the line, “I traveled a lot, unaware I was observed.” Perhaps he’s channeling the snow leopard in question. Ellis discussed the inspiration behind the soundtrack in the following statement: “There is something about the he...
Modest Mouse Perform The Lonesome Crowded West at Seattle Benefit: Video + Setlist
Modest Mouse appeared at the annual Seattle Musicians for Children’s Hospital (or SMooCH) benefit on Friday (December 11th), giving attendees at Showbox a special treat by throwing it back all the way to their 1997 album, The Lonesome Crowded West. As BrooklynVegan points out, the setlist included the live debut of “Long Distance Drunk” as well as songs Modest Mouse haven’t played live in more than a decade:”Polar Opposites” and “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine,” performed live for the first time since 2001 and 2008, respectively. The band stopped short of playing The Lonesome Crowded West in its entirety, however. “We’re not playing ‘Lounge,’ I’ll tell you why. I was tired and I had to drive here,” singer Isaac Brock told the crowd. “That’s why. It’s a fucking hard song. We almost go...
Best Coast Recruit The Linda Lindas for New Single “Leading”: Stream
Best Coast are gearing up for the deluxe edition of their latest studio album, Always Tomorrow. In anticipation of its release on January 7th, the band has shared one of the bonus tracks, “Leading,” featuring backing vocals from the teenaged riot grrrl group The Linda Lindas. “Leading” is a dose of bratty, guitar-driven power pop, which vocalist Bethany Cosentino describes in a statement as a song about “trying to find hope during the apocalypse.” The Linda Lindas — who, if you’ll recall, nabbed a coveted signing to Epitaph Records earlier this year thanks to their viral LA Public Library performance — flesh out the track with soaring harmonies. Corresponding with its punky sonics, the lyrics of “Leading” find Cosentino grappling with reality: “I’m a believer in a healthy dose of pes...
Fleet Foxes Share New Live Album A Very Lonely Solstice: Stream
The official troubadours of winter, Fleet Foxes, have shared a new live album today. Appropriately titled A Very Lonely Solstice, Robin Pecknold and company recorded the 13-track project in December 2020 at the St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn, New York. Originally broadcast as a livestream, the songs on A Very Lonely Solstice spans Fleet Foxes’ entire career across all four of their studio albums, from their early highlights like 2008’s “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” to modern favorites like “Can I Believe You.” The album also includes Pecknold’s renditions of Nina Simone’s “In the Morning” and a rearrangement of the traditional American folk ballad “Silver Dagger.” Now with its proper release, Pecknold says A Very Lonely Solstice “[honors] the loneliness of...
The Darkness Announce Extensive 2022 North American Tour
The Darkness are coming to North America, and they’re doing it up big. The UK rockers have announced a lengthy North American tour in support of their just-released album, Motorheart. Frontman Justin Hawkins, guitarist Dan Hawkins, bassist Frankie Poullain and drummer Rufus Taylor will hit the road next spring for 34 shows, setting off March 9th in San Diego, and running through an April 24th date in Boston. Fans should expect to hear new songs off Motorheart, as well as all the hits. The Dead Deads will open on all dates, with tickets available via Ticketmaster. “You there, in the Americas — hear me, and hear me well: The Darkness know your pain, know that you have cried yourselves to sleep every night, bereft of quality English rock music,” Justin Hawkins said in a statement. “Well, desi...
Kim Gordon and J Mascis Share “Abstract Blues” and “Slow Boy” for Sub Pop Singles Club: Stream
Kim Gordon and J Mascis are a dream team from ’90s indie rock heaven. The Sonic Youth powerhouse and Dinosaur Jr. frontman are officially sharing their collaborations “Abstract Blues” and “Slow Boy” today as part of the Sub Pop Singles Club, the seminal indie label’s subscription-only 7-inch singles series. Considering they’re both icons from a similar scene, Gordon and Mascis’ friendship goes way back. This marks the first time they’ve officially put out music together, though these songs were recorded a while ago. The duo originally shared “Slow Boy” way back in 2015 as part of Converse’s CONS EP series, and they recorded “Abstract Blues” last year for the SMooCH benefit livestream for the Seattle Children’s Hospital (Fred Armisen joined in on bass, too). With the songs’ new home at...
Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan Launches Cameo Fundraiser for PAWS Chicago
Billy Corgan is doing something extra special this holiday season. On Friday, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman announced that he’s kicking off a fundraiser on Cameo to raise money for PAWS Chicago. Only 100 lucky fans will be able to book Cameos from the rocker and his partner Chloe Mendel, with every dollar of the proceeds going to the largest no-kill animal shelter in his hometown. “For every Cameo purchased, you will also get a mystery prize! One of the gifts may be something special courtesy of Reverend Guitars,” reads the fundraiser description. Cameos from the pair start at $250 for personalized video messages — business content is a whopping $4,500 — and can be booked now for a limited time on the platform’s website. Click here to book your Cameo to benefit PAWS Chicago. Advertisement...
