Entertainment News
Anarchist Punk Outfit Crass Reissuing Entire Catalog with Bonus Material
Christmas has come early for fans of anarchist punk group Crass. On October 2nd, One Little Independent Records will reissue all of the English band’s albums as part of a campaign called The Crassical Collection. These reissues will come packaged with previously unreleased bonus tracks, as well as new artwork from longtime associate Gee Vaucher. Each of the band’s first six albums — that’s Stations of the Crass (1979), Feeding of the Five Thousand (The Second Sitting) (1981), Penis Envy (1981), Christ – The Album (1982), Yes Sir, I Will (1983), and Ten Notes on a Summer’s Day (1986) — will be reissued across two CDs. The first disc will contain the original album remastered by Alex Gordon and Crass founder Penny Rimbaud at Abbey Road Studios, while the second will feature “a mixture of rar...
AG Club Tap A$AP Ferg and NLE Choppa for “Memphis (Pt. 2)”: Stream
Ever since Baby Boy, Loui, Mick Antony, and Jody Fontaine formed AG Club and released their debut album Halfway Off the Porch earlier this year, the alternative hip-hop group has been quietly drumming up some underground buzz. Now, they’re gearing up for a proper breakthrough with “Memphis (Pt. 2)”, their new song featuring NLE Choppa and A$AP Ferg. “Memphis (Pt. 2)” is from AG Club’s forthcoming sophomore album, FYE, which is due out later this year. Apparently the group decided to reach out to a few of their favorite rappers to see if they were interested in collaborating on new music, but weren’t totally sure if anyone would be down. Needless to say, the group was over the moon when they found out both NLE Choppa and A$AP Ferb were game to jump on this single. “We had to get Choppa on t...
Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler Eulogizes Chadwick Boseman: “He Was An Epic Firework Display”
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler has shared a lengthy and extremely heartfelt eulogy for Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther star passed away Friday following a four-year battle with colon cancer. Coogler begins his tribute by recounting his first encounter with Boseman and how he was immediately compelled to accept Marvel’s offer to direct Black Panther. He later reminisces about Coogler’s dedication to his craft, including his steadfast desire to have his Black Panther character T’Challa speak with an African accent and to have Xhosa as the official language of Wakanda. He also credits Boseman for championing his Black Panther co-stars (“He would come to auditions for supporting roles, which is not common for lead actors in big budget movies”), and for being an inspiring presence...
St. Vincent Teams with Yoshiki for New Version of “New York”: Stream
Yoshiki and St. Vincent, photo via Twitter/@YoshikiOfficial St. Vincent has teamed with X Japan’s Yoshiki for a reimagining of her modern classic “New York”. This version of the MASSEDUCTION cut essentially takes what was already there and puts a more archetypal classical spin on things. (The lyric “only motherf*cker” is also changed to “only other sucker.”) Yoshiki expands on the song’s original string arrangements, while adding some of his own gorgeous piano to replace Thomas Bartlett’s original work. St. Vincent compared the new “New York” to “the way time or distance transform longtime friends or relationships: the original is still recognizable, but subtly and significantly altered.” In his own statement, Yoshiki explained how the collaboration came about: “As an artist, I admire...
FKA twigs Wields a Mighty Sword in New Video for “Sad Day”: Watch
Last year we saw FKA twigs master the art of pole dancing in her “Cellophane” video. In today’s newly unveiled clip for MAGDALENE single “Sad Day”, she shows off a newly acquired skill: sword fighting. Clocking in at over seven minutes, the visual follows twigs as she powerfully yet nimbly engages in sword combat with a dancer named Teake. Their duel begins in a restaurant before eventually spilling out into the dark and empty streets of London. At one point, the R&B singer is caught off guard and wounded, but then things take a dramatic sci-fi turn that we wouldn’t dare spoil. Watch below. The “Sad Day” video comes from director Hiro Murai, marking his first such project since Childish Gambino’s acclaimed “This is America”. He also worked with Donald Glover on the FX hit series A...
ABC to Air Black Panther Commercial Free on Sunday Night
ABC will celebrate the legacy of Chadwick Boseman with a free, uninterrupted airing of Black Panther on Sunday evening (Aug. 30th) beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. The Marvel movie will be followed at 10:20 p.m. ET by a 40-minute ABC News special called Chadwick Boseman – A Tribute for a King. Boseman passed away Friday at the age of 43 following a four-year battle with colon cancer. Despite his tragically short life, he made a career out of playing strong Black men, the whole time quietly building a legacy worthy of standing alongside them. Tonight, ABC will celebrate the legacy of Chadwick Boseman with a special presentation of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther followed by the ABC News Special: Chadwick Boseman – A Tribute for a King. It all starts tonight at 8/7c on ABC. pic.twitter.com/doWIWAX67...
Grandaddy Announce The Sophtware Slump 20th Anniversary Box Set
California’s beloved indie rock group Grandaddy have announced a special box set reissue of their sophomore album, The Sophtware Slump, to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The 4xLP collection will be released on November 20th via Dangerbird Records. With four LPs’ worth of space, there’s a lot of special treats and songs tucked into the box set. There’s a remastered version of the original record, of course, but arguably the most exciting part of the reissue is a brand-new solo recording of the album that sees principal songwriter Jason Lytle playing the full tracklist on piano. That collection is aptly titled The Sophtware Slump….. on a wooden piano. Lytle apparently recorded the solo piano version of The Sophtware Slump in a similar environment to his initial setup over two decades ago. I...
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...
RNC Closes with Covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” as Fireworks Spell “Trump 2020”
Last night, Donald Trump accepted the Republican party’s nomination to be President of the United States. As the RNC came to a close, and as fireworks lit up the Washington Monument with the words “Trump 2020”, the norm-shattering display was soundtracked by two different covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” . The Canadian Cohen’s most famous song — a moving exploration of spirituality, humility, and orgasms — was first heard in a cover by Tori Kelly, in between “She’s a Grand Old Flag” and “God Bless the USA”. Minutes later, “Hallelujah” received a much-louder on-camera encore from opera singer Christopher Macchio. As Variety reports, Kelly tweeted out that she had been, “Seeing messages about my version of ‘Hallelujah,’”and added, “All i know is neither myself nor my team rec...
Neil Young Details The Times EP, Shares “The Times They Are A-Changin’” Cover: Stream
Earlier in the month, Neil Young quietly announced a new EP called The Times. Today, he’s further detailed the release, which will come exclusively to Amazon Music HD on September 18th. As predicated, The Times EP captures July’s “Porch Episode” of Young’s Fireside Sessions series. The performance featured his updated “Lookin’ for a Leader 2020”, which contains revised lyrics to match the current state of political affairs in 2020. Also included are renditions of “Ohio”, “Alabama”, “Southern Man”, “Campaigner”, and the Homegrown cut “Little Wing”. Rounding out the collection — and giving it its name — is a cover of Bob Dylan’s enduring “The Times They Are A-Changin’”. Young has released the recording via his Neil Young Archives, and you can also stream it on Amazon Music or via ...
John Carpenter’s The Fog and Escape from New York Scores Receive Vinyl Reissues
There’s always room for more John Carpenter in your vinyl collection. Today, Waxwork Records has announced 40th anniversary reissues for two of his most iconic scores: 1980’s The Fog and 1981’s Escape from New York. Both soundtracks have been expanded and remastered from their original master tapes, pressed to 180-gram colored vinyl, given new artwork, and packaged with 12″x12″ booklets featuring unreleased behind-the-scenes set photography. More specifically, The Fog will be placed on “Ghost Eyes” colored vinyl (clear with red circles) or “The Fog” colored vinyl (white and sea-blue Swirl). Meanwhile, Escape from New York will be come on “Descent into New York” colored vinyl (fire-orange with blue and white splatter) or “Statue of Liberty” colored vinyl (blue/green/black marbled). Editors&...
The National’s Bryan Devendorf Drops Surprise Debut Solo Album Royal Green: Stream
It’s been over a year since we last received a proper album from indie rockers The National. But it’s not as though the band’s members haven’t kept busy. Both brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner recently worked on Taylor Swift’s new folklore LP, while frontman Matt Berninger is gearing up to drop his first-ever solo record this fall. Now, drummer Bryan Devendorf is joining in on the fun, as he’s just surprise-released his debut solo album, Royal Green. Per a statement from the percussionist, this new effort was co-produced in Brooklyn with Nate Martinez. National bandmate Aaron Dessner contributed to the record, as did frequent National producer and arranger Josh Kaufman. Royal Green also looks to be Devendorf’s official solo moniker, as that’s the artist name credited across all streaming pl...
