Alternative Rock
Incubus Frontman Brandon Boyd Shares New Single “Dime in My Dryer”: Stream
Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd has released “Dime in My Dryer,” another arena-ready dose of his upcoming album ECHOES AND COCOONS. Stream it below. Combining foreboding synths with clanging percussion, “Dime in My Dryer” takes a journey into the mind of Boyd. “I miss you, come back soon to fill this void,” he sings on the chorus. “Clear eyes, crystal/ Be my signal in this noise.” In a statement, Boyd shared the inspiration for the single. “‘Dime in My Dryer’ is a tale of discovery of what is important in life when forced to slow down,” he explained. “It was in the relative silence of a world mostly shut down that I noticed how loud things had been in the before-times. Not the obvious part of my life that is governed by big sounds and traveling, no, but that chatter or noise that emits ...
Cat Power Releases New Album Covers: Stream
Cat Power released her new album Covers at the stroke of midnight on Friday. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. As its rather succinct title makes clear, the LP finds the indie rock stalwart covering the songbooks of other musicians, from Frank Ocean (lead single “Bad Religion”) and the Pogues (“A Pair of Brown Eyes”) to Kitty Wells (“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”), Lana Del Rey (“White Mustang”), and even Billie Holiday (tender album closer “I’ll Be Seeing You,” which serves as a tribute to the late French producer Philippe Zdar). “Performing covers is a very enjoyable way to do something that feels natural to me when it comes to making music,” Powers explained in a statement back in October when she first released her take on Ocean’s Channel Orange-era 2012 track. A...
Eddie Vedder Shares New Single “Brother the Cloud”: Stream
Eddie Vedder has released “Brother the Cloud,” the latest preview of his upcoming solo album, Earthling. Take a listen below. “If I could wish, wish it away/ I would bleed on my knees and pray/ If I could give all that I have/ To bring him back today/ These are the dreams, sad as it seems/ I’m always wide awake,” he wails over boisterous electric guitar on the mournful tune. “Brother the Cloud” follows previously released singles “Long Way” and “The Haves.” Earlier this week, the Pearl Jam frontman shared the full 13-song tracklist for Earthling, which also includes cuts like “Fallout Today,” “Rose of Jericho” and “Mrs. Mills.” Advertisement Related Video Vedder also recently divulged some of the big name guests who appear on the album, including Sir Elton John, Sir Ringo Starr, Stevie Won...
Tears for Fears Unveil New Song “Break the Man”: Stream
Next month, Tears for Fears will release The Tipping Point, their first new album in 17 years. Today, they’re shared the latest single, “Break the Man,” which you can stream below. With light piano and explosive guitar, “Break the Man” is a shimmering ode to women who rage against the patriarchy. “I feel that a lot of the problems we’ve been having as a country and even worldwide to a certain degree has come from male dominance,” Tears for Fears singer Curt Smith said of the single. “It’s a song about a woman who is strong enough to break the man. For me, that would be an answer to a lot of the problems in the world — a better male-female balance.” “Break the Man” is the third single from The Tipping Point, which arrives February 25th via Concord Records. Preorders are avail...
Parquet Courts Howl Through “Watching Strangers Smile” on Ellen: Watch
Parquet Courts stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday. As the episode’s musical guest, the Brooklyn post-punk band debuted “Watching Strangers Smile,” a B-side recorded during the sessions for their recent album, Sympathy for Life, that was previously only available in Japan. While Parquet Courts have always been known for their ferocious live performances, it’s something else to see it from the perspective of a camera — especially on daytime TV. Their Ellen performance especially spotlights vocalist Andrew Savage, who looks like he’s about to burst a blood vessel as he howls each word; we immensely respect his choice to not go easy on the casual daytime TV watchers. Watch Parquet Courts perform “Watching Strangers Smile” below. As Savage revealed in a statement, the...
Foo Fighters Tussle with Rock and Roll Demons in Trailer for Studio 666: Watch
Next month, Foo Fighters will lure you into their recording sessions from hell with Studio 666, a forthcoming feature-length horror-comedy starring the legendary rockers. Before its premiere on February 25th, Foo Fighters have shared the film’s official trailer. Watch it below. Studio 666 finds Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, and Rami Jaffee suffering paranormal torment during the making of their most recent studio album, Medicine at Midnight. The trailer opens with the band moving into a gothic, vine-covered house. Frontman Grohl claps his hands, and a spooky face appears as a thunderous noise rings out. Most (smart) people would be cowed, but these Foo caricatures are genuinely excited. “The sound of this house is the sound of album 10,”...
Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional Announce Co-Headlining Tour
Alternative emo titans Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional are teaming up for what many will see as one of the most exciting co-headlining tours of the year. The “Surviving the Truth Tour” will find the bands playing 17 dates together from late February through March. The trek launches February 27th in Albuquerque, New Mexico before taking JEW and DC to Oklahoma City, Wichita, Little Rock, Louisville, Knoxville, Raleigh, New Orleans, and Charleston. In the middle of the tour, they’ll spend two nights at Pelham, Tennessee’s The Caverns, a unique underground venue with “prehistoric natural acoustics.” The tour will wrap on March 22nd at Houston, Texas’ 713 Music Hall. The “Surviving the Truth Tour” takes its name from both Jimmy Eat World’s and Dashboard’s latest albums. Jimmy’s Survi...
Courtney Barnett: “When You Decide That There’re Rules, That’s When it Becomes Hard”
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Courtney Barnett catches up with Kyle Meredith to talk about her latest LP, Things Take Time, Take Time (one of the best albums of 2021). Related Video The Australian singer-songwriter discusses how the pandemic limited her musical resources, noticing the way people communicated during the lockdown, and doing a bulk of her writing from bed (her favorite place). Barnett also gets into some of the guitar moments on the record, having a theme of writing letters to other people, and covering The Velvet Underground’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror.” Advertisement Listen to Courtney Barnett unpack her new album and more by listening to the ep...
Nell Smith and The Flaming Lips Cover Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” on Colbert: Watch
14-year-old musician Nell Smith and psych rock veterans The Flaming Lips took their unlikely friendship to television last night, covering Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The track comes from Where the Viaduct Looms, an album of Nick Cave covers that Smith and the band released in November. Smith took center stage with the veteran rockers arrayed behind her, as a projection screen brought the eye into a whirlpool of psychedelia. Lips frontman Wayne Coyne displayed his trademark humility, fading into the background and only stirring to sing the occasional supporting vocal or bang on a single drum. At the end, drummer Matthew Kirksey pulled his blazer aside to reveal a T-shirt that read “Bad Seed,” in tribute to Cave’s longtime band the Bad Seeds...
The War on Drugs Play “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” on Ellen: Watch
In the latest stop on The War on Drugs’ whirlwind press tour in support of their recent album I Don’t Live Here Anymore, the band stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show today (January 4th) to perform its title track — one of Barack Obama’s favorite songs of 2021. Joined by folk duo Lucius on backing vocals, The War on Drugs brought the Springsteen-esque sheen of “I Don’t Live Here Anymore” to daytime TV, making for arguably one of the most captivating performances on the show in recent months. Watch it below. The band will also be one of Ellen’s last musical guests. The show is coming to a close this year after 19 seasons, following an investigation into the reportedly “toxic” work environment behind the scenes. Advertisement Related Video Prior to their Ellen appearance, The War on Drug...
Father John Misty Details New Album Chloë and the Next 20th Century, Shares “Funny Girl”: Stream
Father John Misty tipped us off to his next record last month, but now he’s finally announced all of the details. Today, the artist otherwise known as Josh Tillman shared the artwork and tracklist for Chloë and the Next 20th Century, and shared “Funny Girl,” the album’s first single. Tillman recorded Chloë and the Next 20th Century in 2020 with longtime collaborator Jonathan Wilson. The album features strings, brass, and woodwinds performed by the likes of Dan Higgins and Wayne Bergeron, with arrangements by Drew Erickson. Not surprisingly, then, first single “Funny Girl” hints at the album’s cinematic feel, with lush strings building to a warm piano ballad. With slow bass grooves and Tillman’s delicate croon, the song sounds straight out of an oldies record, but the artist’s classic ...
Jeopardy Contestant Confuses Nickelback with Arcade Fire
At least she got the Canadian part right! Jeopardy contestant Kate Woomer-Deters was quick to pose the question “Who is Arcade Fire?” when given a clue that required the response “Who is Nickelback?” — thus confusing one of the 21st century’s most critically acclaimed bands with one of its most critically maligned acts. The musical faux pas happened within the “Billboard Top 200 Albums in 2021” category on Monday night’s episode of the popular quiz show. Reigning champion Amy Schneider had gotten the first four items correct in the category before the contestants were posed the $1,000 clue, “‘The Best Of’ this Canadian band, ‘Volume 1’ included ‘Rockstar,’ ‘How You Remind Me’ & 17 other songs.” After Woomer-Dieters gave her “Who is Arcade Fire?” response, contestant Harsh Daga rang in ...
