The socio-political events of the past five years have been a too-fitting backdrop for Rage Against The Machine’s music. The legendary rock group weren’t able to tour the country last year as planned, but today they’re giving their artistic response to the reignited racial justice movement with a new documentary called Killing in Thy Name. The project is a collaboration with a collective of international artists called The Ummah Chroma (which translates to “communities of color”), and it seeks to be “a fire escape from the fiction known as whiteness and a spring for discovery.” The bulk of the 15-minute endeavor features footage of a teacher and some schoolchildren learning about the west’s dark history of slavery, manifest destiny, and the very concept of “whiteness” within the conte...
Moon Knight (Marvel), Ethan Hawke (photo by Heather Kaplan), and Oscar Isaac (Warner Bros.) It’s Tesla vs. Poe: Ethan Hawke has been tapped to play the villain opposite Oscar Isaac in Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series Moon Knight. The Hollywood Reporter has it that the deal has been closed and Hawke will officially be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as its latest antagonist. Exactly who that will be is not yet know. Moon Knight’s archenemy is a deranged mercenary called Bushman, though the character is typically depicted as a person of color; it would be shocking if Marvel decided to whitewash a character — even a villain — in 2021 (and probably equally shocking if they called a Black character “Bushman”). Other possibilities include Crossfire, the cousin of Ant-Man villain Darren “Ye...
Dr. Dre Dr. Dre has been released from the hospital today following a brain aneurysm earlier this month. The happy update comes from friend and fellow hip-hop veteran Ice-T, who tweeted Friday afternoon that Dr. Dre “just made it home. Safe and looking good.” The Chronic rap icon was initially rushed to the ICU of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on January 5th. By later that evening, his condition seemed to be under control, and he was described as “stable and lucid.” Dr. Dre himself even posted on Instagram that he was “doing great and getting excellent care,” and assured fans that he would be “out of the hospital and back home soon.” Update: Just FaceTimed with @drdre He just made it home. Safe and looking good. 🙏👊🏽 — ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) Janua...
What’s a choir to do when the pandemic makes it impossible to rehearse in person? If you ask Canadian chamber ensemble Luminous Voices, they’ll tell you the answer can be found in your car. As NPR reports, Luminous Voices have been gathering together and singing from inside their own cars. And no, they aren’t shouting out of their rolled-down windows — only irresponsible dummies like Kirk Cameron would do that. Instead, their voices are actually broadcast through each individual car’s radio system. Think of it like Fast & Furious: The Hymn Edition. College music professor David Newman first came up with the innovative “car choir” approach after seeing his Facebook friends “either bemoaning the fact that we couldn’t sing together at all, or saying ‘Singing together is too important and ...
Willie Nelson has had a great week. On Wednesday, the 87-year-old received his first round of the COVID-19 vaccine, and today he’s sharing the title-track from his upcoming Frank Sinatra tribute album, That’s Life. The song was originally recorded by by Marion Montgomery in 1963, but it became a standard in Sinatra’s catalog after he performed it in 1966. For Nelson’s rendition, the country icon adds wailing harmonica and sleek slide guitar over the sparse lounge arrangement, creating this unique meld between Rat Pack pop classicism and twangy Americana. The accompanying lyric video sees the lines of the song appear over footage of illustrator Paul Mann painting the album’s cover art, which depicts Nelson standing in the glow of a streetlight with his signature guitar, Trigger. Check out t...
English pop/R&B singer Zayn has released his new album, just one week after its announcement. Stream Nobody is Listening down below via Apple Music or Spotify. Nobody is the follow-up to 2018’s Icarus Falls. It also serves as Zayn’s third solo LP to date since leaving One Direction in 2015. The 11-track collection features velvety lead single “Better” and the sensual “Vibez”. Additionally, there are collaborations with Syd of The Internet and London rapper Devlin. Editors’ Picks According to a statement, Nobody is Zayn’s “most personal project to date.” The album comes just a few months after the birth of the 28-year-old first child with model Gigi Hadid. Nobody is Listening Artwork: Nobody is Listening Tracklist:01. Calamity02. Better03. Outside05. Vibez06. When Love’s Arou...
Shame have unveiled their new album Drunk Tank Pink. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. The record marks the sophomore release from the UK post-punk band, following the 2018 album Songs of Praise. The 11-track effort was initially announced back in November of last year, and it was preceded by three very strong singles — “Snow Day”, “Alphabet”, and “Water in the Well”. Unlike other loud-mouthed British contemporaries like Sleaford Mods and IDLES, Shame’s take on The Fall-inspired rock is a little less scraggly and a bit more polished. However, these shout-along melodies and taut grooves are balanced by cerebral lyrical concepts and grandiose music videos, so they’re by no means making music that’s devoid of challenging material. Editors’ Picks Drunk Tank Pink was produ...
AFI have unleashed two new songs — “Twisted Tongues” and “Escape From Los Angeles” — ahead of a new album planned for 2021. Both tracks can be heard in the visualizers below. The two new songs mark the veteran California rock act’s first new music since they dropped the five song EP The Missing Man in December 2018. When a new LP arrives, it will be the band’s first since 2017’s AFI (The Blood Album). “Twisted Tongues” explores AFI’s goth-rock side, while “Escape From Los Angeles” gives off more of a punk vibe — both highlighted by singer Davey Havok’s signature haunting vocals. “As I recall, ‘Twisted Tongues’ came of the Blood era and was the first piece of music we explored on the new album,” Havok explained of “Twisted Tongues” in a press release. “The dreaminess of the music lyrically ...
Foo Fighters (photo by Philip Cosores), Joe Biden, and Bruce Springsteen (photo by Rob DeMartin) Due to the global pandemic and threat of extremist violence, much of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ inauguration will be virtual. That includes a celebratory concert, which will come in the form of a 90-minute TV special broadcast on most of the major networks (Fox News not included). As previously reported, Tom Hanks is set the host the concert, which is officially called Celebrating America. The initial lineup of performers included Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, and Bon Jovi. Now, Biden and Harris have expanded the lineup by adding Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters, and John Legend to the fold. The concert will also include remarks from Biden and Harris, as well as appearances from actresses Ev...