Alternative Rock
Smashing Pumpkins Drop New Songs “Wyttch” and “Ramona”: Stream
We’re officially less than a month away from Smashing Pumpkins’ new double album, CYR. Following the release of “Anno Satana” and “Birch Grove” a few weeks ago, the Billy Corgan-led outfit is now sharing another pair of teaser songs in “Wyttch” and “Ramona”. “Wyttch” finds the Pumpkins revisiting some of their more ominous musical territories, filled with crunchy and searing guitars. The track comes just in time for the spooky Halloween weekend. The alt-rockers take a mellower approach on “Ramona”, however. Corgan here drops his snarl in favor of a softer vocal delivery, and a coating of ’80s synths give the song a light, glassy sheen. Stream both new singles below. “Ramona” also comes with a Linda Strawberry-directed music video that stars founding Pumpkins members Corgan, James Iha,...
Concert Review: Puscifer’s Streaming Show Features Eye-Popping Visuals and Crystal-Clear Sound
Setting the Stage: Under normal circumstances, fans would quite possibly be enjoying seeing Puscifer performing tunes off their latest album, Existential Reckoning, at a packed venue. But, of course, 2020 has thrown us countless curveballs — tops being the COVID-19 pandemic canceling all extensive tours and most in-person performances. Fortunately, some bands have become creative and found other ways to perform – whether it be drive-in outdoor concerts (where fans can watch from afar while in or around their car), or via professionally filmed livestreams. On October 30th (the same date that Existential Reckoning was released), Puscifer opted for the latter, offering a show from the middle of the Arizona desert for fans to view on their most convenient electronic device with the purcha...
MAGA Lovers Trapt Invite Proud Boys to Next Dallas Concert
Not unlike our Manchild-in-Chief, MAGA lovers Trapt love to throw a tantrum when they don’t get their way. Following the sudden cancellation of one of their concerts, Trapt spiraled out into a mini Twitter rant on Thursday, during which they not only pledged their support for the Proud Boys, but also personally invited the neo-fascist group to one of their upcoming shows. The drama all started when Dallas music venue Trees announced that Trapt’s show on November 21st was scrapped “due to reasons beyond our knowledge.” Frontman Chris Taylor Brown, who is not at all illogical or a liar, subsequently accused “social justice warriors” for forcing the cancellation of the show. “So @trees in Dallas caved to threats to employees by a few of the under 100 social justice warriors who bitched about ...
Pearl Jam Release Full MTV Unplugged Performance on YouTube: Watch
Honestly, we probably should have seen this coming. Over the last few weeks, Pearl Jam have announced various releases of their legendary MTV Unplugged concert. First came news of a vinyl reissue and the first-ever CD release, followed by the unannounced appearance of the set on streaming services. Today, the final piece of the iconic puzzle has arrived, as the band has premiered the full MTV Unplugged video on their YouTube channel. Fans undoubtedly have watched bootlegs of the 1992 session countless times. Pearl Jam themselves have released bits and pieces of the seven-song set over the years. However, this marks the first time the band has ever uploaded the full 36-minute performance. As you surely know, the MTV Unplugged show saw Pearl Jam putting material from their debut album, Ten, ...
Storefront Church Shares Chilling New Song “The Gift”: Stream
Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Lukas Frank, aka Storefront Church, makes the kind of rock music that blurs the line between dark hymn, brooding folk, and gothic/alt-rock. It’s no surprise, then, that he’s settled in with new label home Sargent House, known for acts like Chelsea Wolfe, Daughters, and Deafheaven. To celebrate the signing, Storefront Church is sharing his debut single for the label, “The Gift”. A chilling yet stunning piece, at times both minimal and flushed with lush strings and piano, it sounds like the ideal haunting piece to play in an abandoned church. It’s certainly starker than his past material, with hints of early Yellow House-era Grizzly Bear and James Blake in the mix, but something tells me this could be the calm before the storm — the melodic, ambient intro ...
Hot Chip Recruit Jarvis Cocker for New Single “Straight to the Morning”: Stream
Friday night bar-hopping may not be a thing these days, but that doesn’t mean ya can’t have a festive evening indoors. Cue: Hot Chip and Jarvis Cocker, who’ve just joined forces on a new disco-inflected song called “Straight to the Morning”. As its name implies, the track is guaranteed to spark an all-night living room dance party. According to a statement, the collaborative single was originally written with disco-pop princess Dua Lipa in mind. However, after crossing paths while DJing at Paris club Les Bains-Douches, Hot Chip and the Pulp frontman decided to make it all their own. “‘Straight To The Morning’ is a disco anthem about going out, for a time when people really can’t, and it features our friend Jarvis Cocker urging us to go ‘straight through until the break of dawn,’” Hot...
Gorillaz Unveil New Guest-Heavy Project Song Machine: Season 1 — Strange Timez: Stream
Gorillaz have unveiled their new star-studded project Song Machine: Season 1 — Strange Timez. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. Not quite an album or mixtape, the effort is more a compilation of tracks their ongoing audiovisual Song Machine series. There’s an 11-track regular version and a 17-song deluxe edition, and between the two, Gorillaz recruited a cumulative total of 24 (!) different collaborators. Elton John, The Cure’s Robert Smith, Beck, St. Vincent, Peter Hook, ScHoolboy Q, JPEGMAFIA, and slowthai are just a few of the most exciting names on the list. EarthGang, Tony Allen, Georgia, Skepta, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra also appear. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett have been previewing the endeavor for most of the year with a handful of singles: “Strange Timez”, “PAC-MAN...
Pearl Jam’s Legendary MTV Unplugged Live Album Finally Available on Streaming Services: Stream
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Pearl Jam’s very first concert, something they are celebrating with a vinyl reissue and the first-ever CD release of their classic MTV Unplugged set. Both formats are out as of today, though unsurprisingly, the LP version is long sold out. But thankfully, there’s yet another way to hear the beloved album. In a surprise move, Pearl Jam’s MTV Unplugged has been released on streaming services for the very first time. You can listen to it right now via Spotify and Apple Music below. Captured on March 16th, 1992, the seven-song Unplugged session saw Pearl Jam playing acoustic versions of material from their Ten debut. Also included is the track “State of Love and Trust”, originally released on the Singles soundtrack. Over the years, these recordings have...
Bring Me the Horizon Unveil New Song “Teardrops”: Stream
Bring Me the Horizon have unleashed another new song from their upcoming EP, Post Human: Survival Horror. The latest single, “Teardrops”, is accompanied by a music video that finds frontman Oli Sykes in an underwater struggle. “Teardrops” follows recent singles “Parasite Eve” and “Obey”, as well as last year’s “Ludens”, which all appear on the nine-song EP, due October 30th. Sykes has high praise fo “Teardrops”, ranking it among the UK band’s top tracks. “It is my favorite song off the record,” he said in a press release. “I’m so excited to get this single out, it feels like a classic Bring Me the Horizon tune but without it feeling like anything we’ve done before. I feel like ‘Teardrops’ is some of the best work we’ve ever done, musically and lyrically as whole.” Editors’ Picks As p...
Jeff Tweedy’s Love Is the King Conquers Anger and Fear with Happiness: Review
The Lowdown: Who in 2020, a year defined almost exclusively by fear, hate and unprecedented political division, has the nerve to release a record called Love Is the King? That might sound a little too optimistic for Jeff Tweedy, but while the Wilco frontman doesn’t always paint a rosy picture in his songs, he knows how to offer calm reassurance in dark times. Few songwriters possess such an acute ability to make sense of the craziness around them, and if Tweedy’s latest solo endeavor proves anything, it’s that sometimes that’s good enough. [embedded content] The Good: There was a time when recording a record amid such social or personal turmoil would have sent Tweedy down the path toward artful rancor. But Love Is the King is the latest in what has been a string of relatively calm releases...
Marika Hackman Covers Elliott Smith’s “Between the Bars”, Beyoncé’s “All Night”: Stream
Next month, English indie rocker Marika Hackman will release a new covers album featuring takes on Radiohead, Grimes, Sharon Van Etten, and more. As a preview of the simply titled Covers, Hackman is now sharing her version of the 1997 Elliott Smith song “Between the Bars” and Beyoncé highlight “All Night”. “When it comes to covers, I like to pick songs which I have been listening to obsessively for a while,” the 28-year-old Londoner noted in a statement. “It gives me a natural understanding of the music, and lets me be more innovative with how I transform it.” Hackman just might be underselling herself with the word “innovative”, as her reworks of Smith and Queen Bey are quite remarkable. And not just for their unique arrangements, but also the fact that such contrasting covers somehow exi...
Bruce Springsteen Interviewed Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl, And Of Course You’re Going to Listen
In the run-up to his new album Letter to You, Bruce Springsteen is hosting a five-episode radio series for Apple Music called Letter to You Radio. Eddie Vedder and Dave Grohl joined The Boss on the most recent episode, and together the rock veterans discussed key moments in their respective careers, what those first few breaks felt like, and the brotherhood of bands. Springsteen spoke to the Pearl Jam frontman first. He wanted to know about the Seattle grunge scene, because “we didn’t come out of a scene with a lot of peers. We were a one-shot out of Asbury Park.” To Springsteen, his own success seemed utterly unexpected, whereas Pearl Jam always felt inevitable. Springsteen said, “You had the kind of band that simply was a big, powerful band with a reach that want...
