Alternative Rock
My Morning Jacket Perform “Climbing the Ladder” on Meyers: Watch
My Morning Jacket appeared on Seth Meyers on Thursday to perform their song “Climbing the Ladder”. It was the band’s third late-night performance behind The Waterfall II, and a pattern has definitely emerged. When MMJ previously appeared on Fallon and Kimmel, each member performed their part alone in front of a single backdrop and then the shots were layered on top of each other. For Meyers, the concept was much the same, though the execution was unique. Instead of overlaying the various shots, the band cut it all together in ever alternating panels, a playful yet effective editing that matched the track’s carnival atmosphere. Watch the replay of My Morning Jacket’s “Climbing the Latter” performance below. Editors’ Picks In addition to The Waterfall II, MMJ released a trio of live al...
Chris Cornell’s Estate Releases New Covers Album No One Sings Like You Anymore: Stream
On behalf of Chris Cornell’s estate, the late rocker’s wife Vicky Cornell and her children, Toni and Christopher, have released a new album of cover songs recorded by Cornell. It’s called No One Sings Like You Anymore and it’s available to stream right now via Apple Music and Spotify below. No One Sings Like You Anymore is a collection of 10 cover songs handpicked by Cornell himself. The Soundgarden singer recorded and sequenced the tracks back in 2016 as a way to honor the artists who inspired him, such as John Lennon, Janis Joplin, Harry Nilsson, and Electric Light Orchestra. A physical release is expected to drop on March 19th, with pre-orders currently ongoing. The album includes several staples from Cornell’s solo career, like his take on Lorraine Ellison’s “Stay With Me Baby” for the...
Dave Grohl Kicks Off Hanukkah Sessions with Cover of Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage”: Watch
Hanukkah officially begins today, and with it brings the launch of The Hanukkah Sessions, a new song series from Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and Grammy-winning producer Greg Kurstin. The project sees the pair covering one Jewish musician every night of the eight-day holiday. For the first installment, Grohl and Kurstin take on Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage”. While the two don’t celebrate Hanukkah the same way — Kurstin is Jewish, Grohl is not — you wouldn’t know it from the intensity of their performance. The duo’s chemistry is also readily apparent, no doubt a result of the time they spent together recording Foos’ 2017 album, Concrete and Gold. Watch their collaborative cover below. As the Festival of Lights doesn’t conclude until Friday, December 18th, there’s plenty more Hanukk...
Haley Williams Shares Stripped-Down Version of “Simmer” from New Acoustic EP: Stream
Hayley Williams is following up one of our favorite albums of 2020, her debut solo record Petals for Armor, with a new three-song EP called Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades. Today the Paramore singer is previewing the effort with an acoustic rendition of one of the year’s best songs, “Simmer”. The original take on the track features all sorts of cool percussion and layered vocal harmonies, but this stripped-back version is pretty much the complete opposite. The extremely stark performance contains just light guitar plucks and Williams’ whispery croon, which builds nicely toward the end but never raises to a genuine belt. In fact, it’s so quiet that Williams’ dog Alf even made an accidental guest appearance on the recording. “If you listen closely you can hear Alf sigh dramatically in the o...
PJ Harvey Announces Is This Desire? Vinyl Reissue, Shares Unearthed Video for “Angelene”: Watch
PJ Harvey has announced a vinyl reissue for her 1998 album Is This Desire?, the latest release as part of her year-long archival campaign. To accompany today’s news, she’s unearthed a previously unreleased music video for the album’s opening track, “Angelene”, as well as a demo version of the same song. So far this year, Harvey has reissued 1992 Dry, 1993’s Rid of Me, 1995’s To Bring You My Love, and 1996’s Dance Hall at Louise Point. As with these other release, Is This Desire? will come paired with a companion demo album. In a statement, director Maria Mochnacz said the video for “Angelene” was originally made 21 years ago, but was ultimately shelved. “We used a combination of video/16ml film and medium format Polaroids, curtains as backdrops to look like a ...
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin Announce Hanukkah-Themed Song Series
Dave Grohl may have recently lost an epic drum battle to 10-year-old rock prodigy Nandi Bushell, but the Foo Fighters frontman’s cheery holiday spirit is still going strong. So much so, in fact, that he is planning to release a new song each night of Hanukkah in collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Greg Kurstin. The pair’s new music series is simply titled The Hanukkah Sessions and will see Grohl and Kurstin covering various renowned Jewish musicians. Running throughout the entirety of the Jewish holiday, the project officially begins tomorrow, December 10th and extends until next Friday, December 18th. “With all the mishegas of 2020, @GregKurstin & I were kibbitzing about how we could make Hannukah extra-special this year. Festival of Lights?! How about a festival of tasty LICKS...
Kyle Meredith’s Best of 2020 Pt. 1: Stephen Malkmus, Ed O’Brien, Paul Banks, and More
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS For all of December, Kyle Meredith is looking back on his favorite moments in 2020. This week, we revisit talking with Stephen Malkmus as he geeks out about Led Zeppelin, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien balancing the darkness of the world with an optimistic light that he carries, Interpol’s Paul Banks finding his own new light within the band Muzz, King Krule discovering The Beatles, Sparks being masters at cussing, and Buzz Osborne who gets playful about the importance of music. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Meredith digs deep into the artis...
Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo is Selling Over 2,000 Unreleased Demos
We didn’t get a new Weezer album this year, but frontman Rivers Cuomo has arguably given diehard fans a better gift. The 50-year-old rocker recently created an online marketplace where he’s selling over 2,000 unreleased demos, spanning the pre-Weezer years all the way up to the band’s 2015 era. Located in the “Market” section of his Mister Rivers’ Neighborhood website, Cuomo has ten different compilations for sale that are organized based on different periods of his creative history. Each demo pack costs just $9, but the track counts range from 26 in the concise “Best of the Demos” comp to a whopping 1,113 (that’s over 38 hours of music!) for “The EWBAITE Years”, which encompasses the 2011-2014 era. Fans of Weezer’s early work will surely be tantalized by the 72 demos in the coveted “Blue-...
10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell Covers Muse’s “Hysteria”, Earns Praise From Band: Watch
10-year-old Nandi Bushell has already defeated Dave Grohl in a drum-off, received Kirk Hammett stamp of approval for her “Enter Sandman” cover, and was even gifted a Tom Morello signature guitar for her viral rendition of Rage Against The Machine’s “Guerilla Radio”. But that hasn’t stopped the musical prodigy from continuing her quest to conquer all corners of the rock world. On Sunday, Bushell posted a video of herself nailing the complex drum and bass parts for Muse’s proggy 2003 song “Hysteria”. “Ever since I jammed ‘Hysteria’ by Muse on drums I wanted to learn the bass line too as it’s so so #awesome!”, the whiz kid wrote on Twitter. “It is the HARDEST bass line I have ever learned. I had to concentrate A LOT!” Like all of her previous covers, Bushell played the parts flawlessly ...
Sinéad O’Connor Announces New Memoir Rememberings
Sinéad O’Connor will recount her life story in a new memoir titled Rememberings. The book is due to hit shelves on June 1st through publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media. According to a statement, the 256-page release will see O’Connor examining the pivotal, defining moments — both professionally- and personally-speaking — of her life. And for the the outspoken and oftentimes controversial Irish songwriter, there are many. O’Connor will look back on her early years in Dublin, where as a child she grew up in an abusive household and sought comfort in her Bob Dylan record collection. There will also be sections dedicated to the first local Irish bands she played with, as well as debut album The Lion and the Cobra, which she recorded while eight months pregnant. Editors&#...
Liam Gallagher Performs “All You’re Dreaming Of” from Atop a Floating Barge on Fallon: Watch
On Saturday night, Liam Gallagher will present a special concert livestream called “Down by the River Thames”. Set to take place atop a barge floating on the River Thames outside of London, the outdoor event will see the British rocker and his band roll out solo cuts as well as a number of Oasis classics, “some of which you haven’t heard me sing for a long, long time,” he promises. As a preview of this unique setup, Gallagher performed his new holiday single “All You’re Dreaming Of” from atop the barge for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday night. Oasis have no doubt played in various venues and arenas all over the world, but I doubt Gallagher ever saw himself rocking out on such a contraption, socially distanced, and amidst a pandemic. All weird circumstances aside, the...
Greta Van Fleet Announce New Album The Battle at Garden’s Gate, Unveil “Age of Machine”: Stream
Greta Van Fleet have announced a new album, The Battle at Garden’s Gate. In advance of its April 16th release, the young rockers have unleashed the LP’s latest single, “Age of Machine”. The Battle at Garden’s Gate marks Greta Van Fleet’s sophomore album, following their 2018 debut, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, and a whirlwind of success since exploding onto the scene with the single “Highway Tune” in 2017. The Michigan band’s experiences over the past three years have helped inform the new album, with bassist Sam Kiszka stating, “I suppose that everything has changed except what got us here in the first place. Everything — our perception of the world, perception of life itself, what it means to be an artist, what it means to be part of a beautiful, gorgeous society. We’ve gained a larger u...
