Entertainment News
Jim James Says My Morning Jacket Have a “Completely New Record” Ready For Release
Today marks the return of My Morning Jacket, who have just released their new album, The Waterfall II. The album isn’t entirely “new,” though, as it was recorded at the same time as 2015’s The Waterfall. As it turns out, fans hoping for the rockers’ true return from hiatus are in luck, as frontman Jim James has revealed MMJ do in fact have a fresh full-length all ready to go. After touring behind The Waterfall, MMJ took a break, only playing a handful of shows in 2018 and 2019. It was during those “reunion” gigs last year that the band found themselves “re-energized,” as James told Kyle Meredith with… on the latest episode. “So we went in the studio, and we have a whole new record that we’re finishing,” James revealed. “A completely new record.” My Morning Jacket h...
My Morning Jacket’s Jim James on The Waterfall II, Another New Album, and Justice for Breonna Taylor
Kyle Meredith With… My Morning Jacket Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public After a brief hiatus, My Morning Jacket have returned with their first record in five years, The Waterfall II. Frontman Jim James calls up Kyle Meredith to discuss why they sat on this other half of songs for so long and how the world has changed in the interim. One of the songs, “Magic Bullet”, was originally released in response to a 2016 gun-related killing, and James discusses what the song means today with his hometown of Louisville at the center of a similar story involving the murder of Breonna Taylor. James also talks about the water concept that flows throughout the set, producing S.G. Goodman’s record, and — get ...
Massive Attack Unveil Eutopia EP: Stream
Massive Attack have unveiled a new EP called Eutopia, which features the group’s first new music in four years. Listen below. The audiovisual release consists of three songs pairing original music created by Massive Attack, Young Fathers, Algiers, and Saul Williams alongside commentary from Christiana Figueres, author of the UN Paris Climate Agreement; universal basic income theorist Guy Standing; and Gabriel Zucman, the professor behind the “wealth tax” policy in America (via Pitchfork). Each song comes paired with visuals created by Mario Klingemann. “Lockdown exposed the best aspects and worst flaws of humanity,” Massive Attack said in a statement. “That period of uncertainty and anxiety forced us to meditate on the obvious need to change the damaging systems we live by. By working with...
Liza Anne Shares the Origins of New Song “Change My Mind”: Stream
Our new music feature Origins gives listeners a chance to get the inside scoop on an artist’s latest single. Today, Liza Anne explains what made her “Change My Mind”. Digging your heels in can be a sign of conviction, but also intractability. We all throw up walls when we’re challenged, which leaves very little room for growth (seriously, have you ever been in a Twitter debate?). On her new single “Change My Mind”, Nashville musician Liza Anne tries to keep a level head as she comes to grip with that sort of irked stubbornness. “This song holds hope of wanting the person on the other side to be there while you soften up, someone to challenge you to a place of connection, someone who is safe to grow in front of and with,” she explains in a press statement. “I am so sad that I ever learned c...
Elvis Costello Shares New Song “Hetty O’Hara Confidential”: Stream
Elvis Costello is back with another new song, “Hetty O’Hara Confidential”. The track comes one month after he returned with “No Flag”, his first new music since releasing his 2018 album Look Now. Sounding like early ’90s Costello with some Tom Waits thrown in, “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” tells “the tale of a tattler who outlives her time.” In particular, it’s the story of an exploitive gossip columnist who gets her comeuppance when she “named the wrong man in the story she broke.” Her audience turns on her, but in ways that perhaps make them no better than she is. There’s something very modern in this story about people with “an unfortunate character trait/ The irresistible impulse to assassinate” and what happens when “now everyone has a megaphone.” Take a listen to “Hetty O’Hara Confiden...
The Flaming Lips Share Dreamy Ode to the “Dinosaurs on the Mountain”: Stream
The Flaming Lips continue to inch closer to the release of American Head, their 21st (!) studio album. To preview the effort, Wayne Coyne & co. have already shared a pair of singles in “Flowers of Neptune 6” featuring Kacey Musgraves and “My Religion Is You”. A third teaser comes today in the form of “Dinosaurs on the Mountain”. Soft psychedelia coats this ode to the giant reptiles that once ruled the earth. “I wish the dinosaurs were still here now/ It’d be fun to see them playing on the mountains,” ponders Coyne. The single also has a tinge of sorrow about the plight of the T. Rex and others and their tragic helplessness — one that sadly seems relevant to us humans during this very moment in time. “Up on the mountain they’d all be alone/ You can’t just leave them on the side of the r...
Netflix to Adapt Stephen King Short Story “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” as Feature Film
Mere weeks after Stephen King released his new novellas collection, If It Bleeds, prolific producers Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum have already called dibs on “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”, a short story from the book. According to The Hollywood Reporter, their feature film adaptation is being created in partnership with Netflix. Things are coming together quickly it seems. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks) has already been tapped to write and direct. In addition to Murphy and Blum, Carla Hacken will serve as a producer. Plus, Blumhouse Television’s Marci Wiseman and Jeremy Gold have joined as executive producers, too. For those who have yet to read the story, “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” follows a young boy who befriends an aging billionaire who lives in his small-town neighborhood afte...
Great White Plays Coronavirus Concert With No Social Distancing
Great White, the band that famously killed 100 people after setting off pyrotechnics inside of a small club, is at it again. The veteran rockers played a concert in Dickinson, North Dakota this past Thursday with no social distancing or any other safety protocols. The concert was part of a concert series called “First on First”, which flaunts the fact that it has no safety restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic. “We do not have restrictions, believe it or not, we don’t have any,” April Getz, an event coordinator for the concert series, told The Dickinson Press. “It’s one of those things where if people feel comfortable coming down and mixing and mingling, that’s their personal choice. We’re leaving it up to everybody that chooses to attend.” As you can see from the footage embedded bel...
Disney World Reopens Parks Amid Spike in Coronavirus Cases
Amid a record number of coronavirus cases in Florida, Walt Disney World in Orlando reopened its gates on Saturday for the first time in four months. Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom them parks reopened on Saturday, while Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will reopen on July 15th. In guidelines announced prior to reopening, Disney said that all visitors to Disney World would be required to practice social distancing and wear face masks at all times (get yours here). Disney is also employing touch-free temperature checks and having its cast members remind guests to follow its guidelines within the theme park. There will be also be no parades, firework shows, character meet and greets, or any other events that could draw a large gathering. USA Today, which has...
Lady A Issues New Statement: “I Will Not Allow Lady Antebellum to… Look ‘Woke’ to Their Fans”
Lady A, the country band formerly known as Lady Antebellum, is suing Anita “Lady A” White, a Black blues singer who has been performing under the name for over 20 years, over the rights to her moniker. Now, Anita White has issued a new statement to Pitchfork in response to that lawsuit. In the band’s most recent statement, Lady A said the decision to file a lawsuit stemmed from White “demanding a $10 million payment.” That money, as White later clarified, would be split in half to rebrand herself and to donate to organizations supporting Black independent artists — a tradeoff so that Lady Antebellum could keep the Lady A moniker. White is now doubling down in that request, saying, “I will not allow Lady Antebellum to obliterate me and my career so they can look ‘woke’ to their fans.” ...
Outdoor Concerts Are Allowed to Return in the UK
The UK has a nationalized health care system, and the US has a president who makes fun of face masks, and so it’s no surprise that England was faster at getting its coronavirus crisis under control. With new cases decreasing since mid-May, and total cases now under 30,000, the UK government is allowing outdoor concerts to resume starting this weekend — as long as venues maintain “a limited and socially distanced audience.” As Kerrang reports, the announcement was made by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden. He called this “an important milestone for our performing artists, who have been waiting patiently in the wings since March”. Dowden added, “Of course we won’t see crowds flooding into their venues, but from July 11 our theatres, operas, dance and music shows can start puttin...
Brie Larson Covers Ariana Grande’s “Be Alright” in Stripped-Down Performance: Watch
Captain Marvel just might be the biggest Ariana Grande stan in Hollywood. Last year, Brie Larson covered “My Everything” and “God Is a Woman”. Now, she’s back with a new spin on another Grande classic: “Be Alright”. The breakout single from Grande’s 2016 album Dangerous Woman is light and catchy, and Larson upholds those qualities while giving it a stripped-down sheen. Armed with her own guitar and the quiet background of her peaceful home, the actress nails each note and vocal scale, proving once again that she’s just as good at singing as she is at acting. Watch her cover below. It’s not just a coincidence that Larson semi-regularly shares cover songs on social media and totally nails them. Back in 2005, before she was an A-list movie star, she dropped an album called Finally Out of...
