Elvis Costello has announced his 31st (!) studio album, Hey Clockface. The follow-up to 2018’s Look Now arrives October 30th, and Costello is heralding the news with his latest single, “We Are All Cowards Now”. Hey Clockface is a trans-Atlantic undertaking, with recording taking place in Helsinki, Paris, and New York, three cities which became integral plot points in the album’s story. At Helsinki’s Suomenlinnan Studios, Costello wrote and recorded the first three singles, “We Are All Cowards Now” and early previews “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” and “No Flag”. Immediately afterward, the veteran songwriter visited France for a weekend session at Les Studios Saint Germain. He played with a new ensemble dubbed Le Quintette Saint Germain, led by his old pal and longtime Attraction member St...
“Levitating” remix featuring Missy Elliott, Dua Lipa, The Blessed Madonna, and Madonna Already one of our favorite albums of the year, Future Nostalgia had us up off the quarantine couch and bopping around in our pjs. But Dua Lipa isn’t quite done partying to that record — she’s actually just getting started. Later this month, the pop star will release a new remix album, Club Future Nostalgia, that will bring the original LP further into nightlife rotation. To tease this forthcoming project, Lipa is sharing a rework of “Levitating”, and it features some folks who pretty much grew up on the dance floor: Madonna, Missy Elliott, and The Blessed Madonna, the house/techno producer formerly known as The Black Madonna. Given this star-studded assemblage, it’s no wonder the new ve...
Prolific rockers Oh Sees will continue to stay prolific this summer — just under yet another different name. As revealed last month, the group has recorded a new album credited to the moniker Osees. This forthcoming effort, titled Protean Threat, is due out next month and is being previewed now with “If I Had My Way”. While previous lead single “Dreary Nonsense” was an aggressive and punchy punk listen, today’s offering leans more into the laid-back, hazy energy of the season. There are bold, punctuating guitars here and there, but overall the track rolls along at a steady, garage rock pace as frontman John Dwyer barks out a list of existential questions: “Everybody look up!Are you in love?Are you free?Are you alive?Are you evil?Are you all alone?Are you testing it out?Are you flying solo?...
Orville Peck has finally dropped his new Show Pony EP. The effort was originally due out earlier this year, but Peck postponed the release so as not to distract from the Black Lives Matter protests. The six-track project is highlighted by a so-called “dream come true” duet with country legend Shania Twain, aptly titled “Legends Never Die”. There’s also a cover of the Bobbie Gentry classic “Fancy”, as well as early original singles “Summertime” and “No Glory in the West”. Show Pony is Peck’s second-ever project following last year’s Pony debut album, which earned the masked alt-country star widespread critical acclaim. It also comes a month after his cover of Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy”, released in honor of Pride month. Editors’ Picks Stream Show Pony below via Apple Music an...
When a movie’s called Bill & Ted Face the Music, you have to imagine its soundtrack is going to have some most excellent tunes. Today brings the official announcement of the Bill & Ted 3 OST, heralded by Weezer’s contribution, “Beginning of the End (Wyld Stallyns Edit)”. With the film now due in theaters and on video-on-demand on August 28th, the companion album is set to land the same day. In addition to Weezer, the collection features new music from Mastodon (who contribute a song called “Rufus Lives”), FIDLAR, Cold War Kids, Lamb of God, Big Black Delta, and Culture Wars. There are also two tracks from Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted’s (Keanu Reeves) very non-heinous band Wyld Stallyns. They perform the title track with Animals as Leaders and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, ...
This October marks the arrival of Shiver, the new solo album from Jónsi. His first such effort in 10 years, the album been teased thus far with the songs “Exhale” and “Swill”. Now, a third single, “Cannibal”, is being shared by the Sigur Rós frontman. A collaboration with Liz Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, the track unfurls like an airy, almost dreamlike spell. The Icelandic artist’s otherworldly vocals move in tandem with Fraser’s like swirling smoke, before eventually floating off into the ether. While the ambient moments here recall Jónsi’s work with Sigur Rós, there are also plenty of new sounds welcomed into the fold — namely bright and striking synths courtesy of futurist pop producer and PC Music founder A. G. Cook. “When Sigur Rós was starting, we were always compared ...
Legendary UK gothic punk act The Damned have announced a new EP, The Rockfield Files. In advance of the release, the band has unveiled a video for the single “Keep ‘Em Alive”. For the new effort, The Damned returned to Rockfield studios, where they recorded their early 1980s LPs The Black Album and Strawberries, as well as the Friday 13th EP. The Rockfield Files will arrive on October 16th, containing four new songs, including “Keep ‘Em Alive.” The lineup on the EP, which was recorded in 2019, includes classic members David Vanian, Captain Sensible, and Paul Gray, as well as Monty Oxymoron on keyboards and Andrew “Pinch” Pinching on drums. Pinch has since left the band, having played his final gig with The Damned on Halloween of last year. The songs were produced by Tom Dalgety, who w...
Billie Eilish, The Chicks, Maggie Rogers, Stephen Stills, and John Legend are among the artists set to perform at next week’s Democratic National Convention. The mostly virtual event takes place August 17th-20th, airing nightly between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. ET. Other confirmed musical acts include Leon Bridges, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Porter, and Prince Royce. “In just three days, we will kick off a Democratic National Convention that will look and feel very different than past conventions. It will truly be a convention across America, and these incredible artists will help us tell the story of where we are as a country today under Donald Trump’s failed leadership, and the promise of what we can and should be with Joe Biden as president,” said Stephanie Cutter, 2020 Democrat...
Although Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” may already be the song of the summer, it’s caused some predictable controversy amongst those with more conservative tastes. Everyone from congressional candidates to Tiger King stars have taken issue with the track, which begs the question: Is this yet another example of women — particularly Black women — facing a different level of public scrutiny? Exploring that thesis on The Daily Show on Thursday night, Margo Price recontextualized “WAP” as a beautiful country song. Would it be any less “offensive”? Price’s cover came as host Trevor Noah and remote correspondent Dulce Sloan examined the media’s sexist reaction to Kamala Harris being selected as presumptive democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate. While arguing that...
One of the greatest horror films of all time is returning from the grave. As Bloody Disgusting reports, Grindhouse Releasing and Janus Films are bringing George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead back to drive-ins across America. Better yet, it’s a beautiful new restoration by Janus Films, which this writer has seen and can attest to its majesty. What’s more, each screening will feature an introduction on the legacy of the film by best-selling author Daniel Kraus, who recently co-wrote Romero’s final statement on the zombie genre with the epic novel, The Living Dead. So far, only three screenings have been announced: — August 22nd – Prides Corner Drive-In, Westbrook, Maine — August 28-29th – Riverside Drive-In, Vandergrift, PA — September 19th – Midway Drive-In, Sterling, IL Sadly, the o...