Alternative Rock
Eddie Vedder Joins Instagram to Teach People How to Vote By Mail
Eddie Vedder has joined Instagram, and he’s already putting his new account to good use. Earlier this week, the Pearl Jam frontman made his first-ever post on the social media platform by branding it with his initials. Without wasting anytime, he then got to work posting an instructional series of photos to Instagram showing fans how to vote by mail in the upcoming US election. “GOOD MORNING. Hope you’re all well and hanging tough in these extraordinary times. Me, myself? I’m about to go POSTAL!” he said in his first selfie. “Lest there by any confusion, here is how simple, secure, and verifiable it is to Vote By Mail… In regards to something so huge as taking part in our democracy and putting your voices to great use, nothing could be easier. And at this intense time of a global pand...
Gone Is Gone (Mastodon, QOTSA, At the Drive-In) Unveil New Song “Sometimes I Feel”: Stream
Gone Is Gone — featuring members of Mastodon, Queens of the Stone Age, and At the Drive-In — have released another new stand-alone single, “Sometimes I Feel”. The track marks the third new song the supergroup has unveiled in the past year. “Sometimes I Feel” follows “No One Ever Walked on Water”, which arrived in December 2019 as the group’s first new music in three years, and “Everything Is Wonderfall”, which came out this past July. The band features Mastodon singer-bassist Troy Sanders, Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, At the Drive-In drummer Tony Hajjar, and multi-instrumentalist Mike Zarin. “Sometimes I Feel” has a trippy psychedelic vibe and is not as heavy as the band’s previous singles. Sanders’ lead vocals are more ethereal than metal, as the song takes some twi...
Thom Yorke Again Postpones US Solo Tour Due to the Pandemic
Due to the ongoing pandemic, Thom Yorke has once again been forced to halt plans for his “Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes” solo tour. The Radiohead frontman’s fall shows in New York City, Sacramento, and Phoenix have been postponed indefinitely. Meanwhile, his dates in Washington, DC, Denver, and Chicago have been canceled outright. Tickets for original dates will be later honored, per a statement from Yorke, while refunds for the canceled shows will be available from the point of purchase. Frustrated Yorke fans know this isn’t the first time the “Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes” itinerary has been pushed back. These dates were originally scheduled to take place in the spring around Coachella, but were delayed until the fall once quarantining began. Editors’ Picks It’s hard to know when Yorke, ...
Bring Me the Horizon Unveil New Song “Obey” Featuring Yungblud: Stream
Bring Me the Horizon have unleashed a new song, “Obey”, featuring frontman Oli Sykes trading verses with UK singer Yungblud. The track is the latest single from BMTH’s forthcoming series of Posthuman EPs. The new song once again demonstrates Bring Me the Horizon’s recent propensity for melding various genres, although there is a return to the heaviness of the band’s earlier work. Sykes offers up some metal screams over thick riffs, with electronic and industrial elements throughout. A music video for the track depicts Sykes facing off with Yungblood as they each control a throwback giant robot in their own likenesses. The clip ends with an unexpected twist that we won’t give away. According to a press release, “‘Obey’ is a soaring ode about how, as a society, oppression has been so normali...
Eels Share New Song “Who You Say You Are”: Stream
Last month, Eels returned with their surprise single “Baby Let’s Make It Real”. It turns out the project’s first track since 2018’s The Deconstruction is actually the A-side to a new 7-inch single. Today, the Mark Oliver Everett-led outfit has unveiled the B-side, “Who You Say You Are”. Like “Baby Let’s Make It Real”, “Who You Say You Are” is a mellow love song. Where the A-side finds E ready to make the jump, however, the B-side finds him a mite bit unsure about his paramour. Over a few wallowing guitar notes, he sings, “Are you who I think you are/ Someone I’ll know for long/ Or someone who doesn’t deserve/ A song.” “Here’s a way to forget your troubles for two minutes and 55 seconds,” E said of “Who You Say You Are”. “Listen to this song and think about my problems instead. You’re welco...
Pure X Announce New Album Rare Ecstasy 2009-2019, Share Willie Nelson Cover: Stream
This past May saw Pure X return with their first album in six years. It turns out fans won’t have to wait nearly as long for a follow-up release, as the Austin natives have just announced a new rarities compilation: Rare Ecstasy 2009-2019 is due out October 16th through Fire Talk. The forthcoming project collects 12 “recordings and rarities” from throughout the indie rock group’s decade-long career. Per a press release, these songs “embody the Pure X sound” and offer up “a raw emotive portrait” of the band’s evolution over the years. As a teaser of this Pure X collector’s item, their cover of Willie Nelson’s 1965 song “One Day at a Time” has been revealed. Mirroring the outfit’s past efforts, this rendition conjures up a wall-of-sound atmosphere, as though it were recorded in some smoky ca...
Bill & Ted Face the Music Soundtrack Released with New Mastodon and Lamb of God Songs: Stream
Mastodon (photo by Carlo Cavaluzzi), Bill & Ted (Orion Pictures), Lamb of God (Amy Harris) Not only has the highly anticipated movie Bill & Ted Face the Music arrived in theaters and on VOD, but its jam-packed soundtrack is out, as well. Among the highlights are brand-new songs from metal heavyweights Mastodon and Lamb of God, along with new cuts from Weezer, Cold War Kids, FIDLAR, Big Black Delta, and more. Mastodon’s song “Rufus Lives” is a particular highlight, with the title an ode to the late George Carlin’s character from the first two Bill & Ted movies. It’s a fast-paced track powered by some hard-hitting drumming by Brann Dailor. After releasing a stellar new album earlier in the year, Lamb of God add another new song to their 2020 canon with “The Death of Us”, a relent...
Dave Grohl and 10-Year-Old Nandi Bushell Face Off in Drum Battle: Watch
Dave Grohl doesn’t back down from a drum-off, even when he’s challenged by a 10-year-old prodigy. The Foo Fighters frontman answered the call when talented youngster Nandi Bushell threw down the gauntlet to the onetime Nirvana drummer. Nandi has been getting the attention of prominent rockers with her recent YouTube performances. Her rendition of Rage Against the Machine’s “Guerrilla Radio”, on which she played drums, guitar, and bass, received the seal of approval from Tom Morello. In fact, Morello even shipped her one of his new signature Soul Power Stratocasters, which she then used to rock Audioslave’s “Cochise”. More recently, Kirk Hammett offered her praise for her performance of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”. Now, Grohl is going head-to-head with Nandi, who two weeks ago tweeted her d...
The Smashing Pumpkins Share Two New Songs “Cyr” and “The Colour of Love”: Stream
The Smashing Pumpkins have returned. The first of their five mysterious countdowns has reached its end, and the Chicago rockers have unveiled two new singles: “Cyr” and “The Colour of Love”. The tracks are presumably off their forthcoming double album. “Cyr” is a dance anthem that sounds like Adore meets ABBA, while “The Colour of Love” brings to mind all the midnight anthems within 2000’s Machina. Both hearken back to Billy Corgan’s salad days, back when he worshipped The Cure on FM radio. The two tracks bode well for the highly anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1. It also speaks to the more focused and conceptual nature that Corgan had described to the Tennessean earlier this year: “It’s probably a wider swath of music,” Corgan explained at the time. “The last ...
Pylon Announce Box Set Featuring First Vinyl Pressings of Gyrate, Chomp in 35 Years
Art-rock heroes Pylon have announced a new 4xLP box set called simply Pylon Box. Due out November 6th via New West Records, the collection comes as the Athens, Georgia band celebrates the 40th anniversary of their debut album, Gyrate, which is included alongside their sophomore full-length, Chomp. Both remastered records are being pressed to vinyl for the first time in nearly 35 years, and are also available to stream now. Also tucked inside Pylon Box are a total of 18 previously unreleased tracks. That includes Pylon’s first-ever recording, Razz Tape, laid down at a session that predates their 1979 debut single, “Cool” b/w “Dub”. Prior to this, the only Razz Tape track to see release was “Functionality”. In addition, there’s Extra, an 11-song collection that features six previously unhear...
Alanis Morissette Reimagines “You Oughta Know”, “Reasons I Drink” for Spotify Singles: Stream
Anyone else’s year been so crazy they forgot Alanis Morissette dropped a really excellent new album, Such Pretty Forks in the Road? Well, as a much needed reminder that there has been some good in 2020, the Canadian-American icon has celebrated the LP with a new contribution to the Spotify Singles series. Although the standard practice for the series is for artists to reinterpret one song from their catalog and cover someone else’s, Morissette decided to tackle two of her own tracks. First is “Reasons I Drink”, the lead single from Such Pretty Forks, which is given a very faithful yet stripped back reworking. It’s somewhat bolder and grittier here, even as it’s driven by an acoustic guitar. Morissette’s new imagining of the classic “You Oughta Know”, as might be expected, is the real highl...
Eddie Vedder Guests on Lily Cornell’s Mental Health Web Series: Watch
Eddie Vedder was the latest guest on Mind Wide Open, the the weekly mental-health series hosted by Chris Cornell’s daughter Lily Cornell Silver. In the newly premiered episode, the Pearl Jam singer opened up about grief, empathy, and activism, while also reflecting on his fallen peers. “I am thrilled that Ed offered to do Mind Wide Open,” Lily said in a statement announcing the episode. “His and his family’s support around my series means so much to me. He has always been like an uncle to me and is one of the pillars of support in my life. I know how impactful his voice is to people around the world and I deeply appreciate everything he stands for, so I am really excited for others to watch and hear his insights.” One of the more emotional aspects of the interview came when Vedder ope...
