Alternative Rock
Damon Albarn Shares New Solo Song “Royal Morning Blue”: Stream
In less than two months, Damon Albarn will release his sophomore solo album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows. Before its arrival on November 12th via Transgressive, the Blur/Gorillaz frontman and mullet sensation has shared yet another single today with “Royal Morning Blue.” Additionally, Albarn has also announced a limited edition CD of the forthcoming album, which will include a “hidden” 20-minute track called “Huldufólk.” Albarn wrote and recorded The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows while holed up in Iceland. From the window above his piano, the musician could see raindrops turn into snowflakes right before his eyes; “Royal Morning Blue” was inspired by this stunning sight. “In all the darkness that we have experienced, that was such a beaut...
alt-J Announce New Album The Dream, Share “U&ME”: Stream
alt-J have announced their new album, The Dream, out February 11th via Canvasback/Infection Music. As a preview, they unveiled “U&ME,” which marks the British outfit’s first new material in four years. They’ve also mapped out an extensive North American tour. The Dream was created in the year following the band’s 2017-2018 world tour in support of their last full-length, RELAXER. According to a press release, the lyrics are partially inspired by “true-crime-inspired stories and tales of Hollywood and the Chateau Marmont.” Pre-orders are ongoing. The album’s lead single, “U&ME,” was written during various soundchecks around the globe, and then recorded with longtime producer Charlie Andrew. The track’s sound and lyrics evoke the best parts of summer as Joe Newman sings, “Summer holi...
illuminati hotties Announce 2022 Headlining Tour
Good news: illuminati hotties spent the past few years making music that’s impossible to stand still to, and soon you will finally be able to dance in person. illuminati hotties has just announced a 2022 co-headlining tour with Fenne Lily that finds the two performing live across North America next spring. Check out the complete list of dates below. Sarah Tudzin, the person behind the indie rock-goes-pop punk project, will hit the road on February 8th for a solo show in Pioneertown, California before taking off for other concerts with Fenne Lily across the US and Canada. Later on, illuminati hotties will wrap up the tour on March 12th in Portland, Oregon. Joining Tudzin and Fenne Lily on tour will be Katy Kirby for the first half of the dates and former Artist of the Month star Pom Pom Squ...
The Wrens’ Kevin Whelan Announces New Album as Aeon Station, Shares “Queens”: Stream
In case you missed it, yesterday The Wrens revealed that, no, they didn’t have an album on the way as many fans had hoped for. However, today we’re getting the details on the next best (?) thing: a solo record by the band’s own bassist/vocalist Kevin Whelan. He just announced he’s taking up the moniker Aeon Station to release his debut full-length. It’s called Observatory and it’s due out December 10th via Sub Pop. Observatory spans 10 tracks in total, and word is it isn’t just Whelan you will hear across the album. As he teased in an interview on Monday, this new LP includes five songs he originally wrote for The Wrens’ follow-up to The Meadowlands and a handful of tracks feature Greg, Whelan’s brother and Wrens bandmate, as well as Jerry MacDonald, the band’s drummer. His wife Mary ...
Tired of Waiting, Kevin Whelan Releasing Solo Album Containing Wrens Songs
This is not what fans of The Wrens had planned, but some of the music written for the group’s long-awaited album is finally seeing light — albeit as part of a new solo record from the band’s bassist/vocalist Kevin Whelan. According to a new profile published in The New York Times, Whelan is taking five song he originally wrote for The Wrens’ follow-up to The Meadowlands, and releasing them alongside five new ones as a solo album called Observatory under the name Aeon Station. The Wrens had promised to release a new album, the follow-up to 2003’s The Meadowlands, as far back as 2006. In 2013, they signed a deal with Sub Pop Records and submitted the album, with plans to release it the following years. But vocalist/guitarist Charles Bissell ultimately decided the songs were not finished and ...
Liam Gallagher Says He Fell Out of a Helicopter
Here’s another story to add to the legend of Liam Gallagher: the former Oasis singer apparently fell out of a helicopter and lived to tell about it. “So check this out I fell out the helicopter last night you couldn’t rite it,” Gallagher tweeted on Saturday alongside a photo of his face heavily bandaged. He added, “all good who said RnR is dead Keith moon eat your drum skin out C’mon you know LG x.” Gallagher also joked that the image would be used for the cover of his next album. The British rocker didn’t provide many other details about his fall. When one fan surmised Gallagher had simply faceplanted after exiting a helicopter upon its landing, Gallagher responded, “100 thousand feet you bumblecart.” He also suggested there’s footage of the incident that will be included in a future vide...
Smashing Pumpkins Perform Siamese Dream’s “Quiet” for First Time in 27 Years: Watch
Smashing Pumpkins took the stage at Chicago’s Riot Fest on Friday night for their first live performance in over two years. Alongside greatest hits, fan favorites, and material from the band’s latest album, CYR, the 20-song setlist also included several rare performances. Billy Corgan and co. dusted off the Gish song “Crush” for the first time since 2008 and the Adore track “Shame” for the first time since 2010. But the evening’s most unexpected moment came when the Pumpkins waxed nostalgic and performed Siamese Dream’s “Quiet” for the first time since 1994. Watch fan-captured footage of “Quiet” below. Siamese Dreams, Gish, and Adore aren’t the only old Pumpkins albums Corgan has been revisiting as of late. He’s also been working on a sequel concept album to both Mellon Coll...
Mental Metal: Tool’s Ænima Turns 25
Dusting ‘Em Off is a rotating, free-form feature that revisits a classic album, film, or moment in pop-culture history. This piece celebrates Tool’s acclaimed sophomore album Ænima. Editor’s Note: This article originally ran in 2016, but has been updated in 2021 to reflect the 25th anniversary of Ænima. Many musicians have been influenced by books, but there seems to be something especially literary about the genres of hard rock and metal. This goes double for horror and fantasy fiction: Led Zeppelin meditated on The Lord of the Rings, Black Sabbath wailed about “The Wizard,” and Metallica thrashed to the monster Cthulu. Others have drawn imagery out of the Bible, Norse mythology, or the bloodier epochs of European history. For their second album, Tool drew on the writings of Carl Jun...
Dave Navarro, Taylor Hawkins, and Chris Chaney Form New Band NHC, Share Two Songs: Stream
Dave Navarro, Taylor Hawkins, and Chris Chaney have formed a new supergroup called NHC, based on the first initial of their last names. The band has now shared its first two songs, “Feed the Cruel” and “Better Move On.” “Feed the Cruel” features a jam-room clip of the trio ripping through the song. There’s immediate chemistry between the three rock veterans. After all, Navarro and Chaney are both members of Jane’s Addiction. Meanwhile, Chaney and Hawkins played together as members of Alanis Morisette’s backing band in the 1990s. Fans of the Foo Fighters and Navarro’s guitar playing will immediately recognize the musical familiarities between NHC and the full-time projects of each member. With Hawkins on drums and lead vocals, both tracks have definite Foo vibes and also recall Hawkins’ rec...
Placebo Return with “Beautiful James,” First New Song in Five Years: Stream
Placebo have returned with their first new single in five years, “Beautiful James.” Buzzing out of the early aughts on a thorny bed of synths, the track evokes a very specific feeling — somewhat nostalgic, lovingly haunted. That’s entirely deliberate, as a press release notes the song originated with just a title and some photographic imagery, with the band working to write music to fit the feelings that combination elicited. “If the song serves to irritate the squares and the uptight, so gleefully be it,” said Placebo’s Brian Molko said in a statement. “But it remains imperative for me that each listener discovers their own personal story within it — I really don’t want to tell you how to feel.” Advertisement Related Video You can listen to Placebo’s “Beautiful James” via the visualizer b...
Snail Mail Announces New Album Valentine, Unveils Title Track: Stream
Nothing signals the beginning of Sad Girl Autumn quite like a a new Snail Mail album. Right on cue, Lindsey Jordan has announced the follow-up to her massive 2018 debut, Lush, with her second LP, Valentine, out November 5th via Matador. Today, the 22-year-old indie rocker is offering a preview of the album with its title track, and she’s also unveiled a lengthy list of worldwide tour dates beginning this fall and heading into 2022. Valentine sees Jordan mature from the wide-eyed teen yearning of Lush, further pushing her limits as a songwriter. Her new album sees her adopt a wider array of sonics while still staying authentic to her scrappy, slacker-rock roots. “Referring to the process as the deepest level of catharsis and therapy I have ever experienced would be ...
Kim Gordon’s Body/Head Announce New Album with Wolf Eyes’ Aaron Dilloway, Share “Goin’ Down”: Stream
After the dissolution of her band Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon teamed up with experimental guitarist Bill Nace to form the duo Body/Head. Now, that project is expanding with the addition of former Wolf Eyes member Aaron Dilloway for the aptly titled Body/Dilloway/Head. Today, the newly-formed trio have announced their self-titled debut, out November 19th via Three Lobed Recordings. As a preview, they’ve shared the song “Goin’ Down.” Body/Dilloway/Head combines Gordon’s pioneering alt-rock spirit with Nace and Dilloway’s knack for boundary-breaking experimentation. The album is three tracks long, with its opener clocking in at 17 minutes and the last track being over 13 minutes. A press release deems Body/Dilloway/Head as being “as disorienting a listening experience as you’re likely to enc...
