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Death Cab for Cutie Aren’t Bored Yet
During a recent phone call with Consequence, Ben Gibbard drops the totally unanticipated fact that he loves 100 gecs. “I’m completely obsessed with them,” he gushes about the polarizing hyperpop duo. “At 46 years old, there’s music that I should be scared of. It’s awesome that there’s music being made now that I have absolutely no idea how to make.” Being 46 also means Gibbard has spent over half his life as the frontman of Death Cab for Cutie, whose great 10th studio album Asphalt Meadows is out Friday (September 16th). Maybe it shouldn’t be shocking that he’s so enamored by 100 gecs, who sound a bit like what shotgunning five cans of Red Bull while on Adderall might feel like: Whether it’s collaborating with heavyweights like Chance the Rapper and Noah Cyrus, helming a Yoko Ono tribute a...
Nas’ 10 Best Songs
This article was originally published in 2014, but we’re dusting it off for Nas’ birthday on September 14th. Once upon a time, Nasir Jones was just a young kid stealing the show on Main Source’s “Live at the Barbeque,” self-aware enough to foresee that he’d be a force to be reckoned with in rap’s packed New York scene. Long before he was a household name, he was comparing himself to Spielberg and going to hell for snuffing Jesus, both proof of the grandiose nature of his vision. Over two decades later, he remains one of the preeminent voices setting the gold standard for the genre. Nas, a product of Queens, has often been hailed as the second coming of the God MC himself, Rakim, but it’s safe to say, given the lifespan of his career and his subsequent impact on the culture, that he tapped ...
A Day in the Life of… Dave King of Flogging Molly
“For me, a great anthem is inclusive and gives people a sense of belonging,” Flogging Molly frontman Dave King says, when asked what makes a great anthem. Some of his personal favorites include Bowie’s “Heroes,” the Clash’s “Clampdown,” and surprisingly, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” Over the years, King has written such legendary Celtic-punk anthems as “Devil’s Dance Floor,” “Float,” and more recently, “These Times Have Got Me Drinking/Tripping Up the Stairs” off their new album, the aptly titled Anthem. The album’s title was a response to a simple sentiment the band wanted to capture in response to the difficult past few years. “After the pandemic we wanted to create something with a sense of camaraderie,” he explains. “We thought the titleAnthembest embodied that sentiment.” With that sense...
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Is a Silly, Absurd and Downright Fun Sequel: TIFF Review
This review is part of our coverage of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The Pitch: Famous Southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), whom we first met in the 2019 flick Knives Out, is in a pandemic-induced funk when he receives an invitation from eccentric billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) to his next big case in Greece. There, on a remote island, Bron’s closest friends and “disrupters” congregate for a murder mystery party at his Glass Onion house — a spot so lavish even the Mona Lisa is there, on loan from the Louvre. There’s former model-turned-fashion-designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), controversial social media star Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), brilliant scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), right-wing politician Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), and Bron’s s...
Ranking Every Megadeth Album From Worst to Best
Welcome to Dissected, where we disassemble a band’s catalog, based on the exact science of personal opinion, late night debates, and the love of music. In this installment, we rank Megadeth’s discography thus far. The origin of Megadeth is a tale of redemption for its central figure, Dave Mustaine. After being fired from Metallica for his erratic behavior and substance abuse, Mustaine was left to his own devices. He formed Megadeth as his new songwriting outlet, filling out the lineup with choice musicians who could execute his songs and ideas. Throughout the band’s career, Mustaine has been the central force behind a revolving-door cast of guitarists, drummers, and bassists. He surrounds himself with those who can achieve his vision for the band. As Mustaine goes, Megadeth goes. Advertise...
Awards Are Bullshit, But It Would Still Be Nice If Better Call Saul Could Win Some
After last night’s Emmy Awards ceremony, Better Call Saul can lay claim to a remarkable achievement: 46 Emmy nominations and zero wins over the course of its six-season run. Forty. Six. Forty-six chances to recognize one of the best shows on television for its remarkable achievements, and 46 failures to do so. It feels mean to keep harping on that number, but 46 is staggering. This TVLine list showcases 25 great shows that also never won an Emmy, but most of the shows on that list only received a few token nods during their run — they weren’t playing the game as hard as Saul has done over the past six years. And yet 46 losses. It’s a lot! Upon its initial premiere, the genre-defying crime drama may have been an immediate part of the Emmys race as a spinoff of Breaking Bad, which had a much...
How Do We Reckon with Great Music by Terrible People?
It’s Consequence’s 15th anniversary, and all September long we’ll be publishing a series of retrospective pieces encompassing our publication’s own history — and the entertainment landscape in general. Today, we’re opening up a discussion about how we decide to cover artists and their music — or not — when it all goes wrong. When it comes to language around acceptable behavior, there’s a tendency towards binary thinking, as if breaking a taboo were the same as flipping a switch — “yes” to “no,” “politically correct,” to “politically incorrect,” “uncanceled” to “canceled.” But that’s not exactly what happens. Let’s say, for example, that a great songwriter — a songwriter we all love — has been accused of something that a lot of people think is terrible. It could be violence or prejudic...
Why Digital Tech Skills Need to Be Included at All Levels of Education
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I Write the Songs…
Listen to “Valentine,” the title cut on the latest album from Matador recording artist Snail Mail, and you feel transported back to the early years of Lollapalooza, if not earlier. The song opens with waves of ‘80s synth and staccato bursts of Police-style guitar, then segues into a crunchy power-pop chorus that Billy Corgan might have scripted. Snail Mail grew up in the D.C. suburbs as Lindsey Jordan. She is 23. Surely, she is not a Billy Corgan fan. You ask anyway. “I have a Smashing Pumpkins tattoo,” she replies. She holds it up to the Zoom camera. Spin the latest albums by Lindsey or Marissa Nadler or Shannon Lay, and you will hear the fruits of a modern singer-songwriter movement, a string of masterful recordings by young, mostly female artists who grew up listening to their parents’ ...
Jacob Banks on Creating a Modern Soul Classic
“Whoever comes back from war is the one who decides how the story is told.” For Jacob Banks, the Nigerian-born, UK-based artist lives to tell his truth on his sophomore album Lies About The War. Since his last debut record four years ago, Banks has worked assiduously to crown himself as the hero of his experiences. His velvety baritone vocals and lyrical prowess make a stronger comeback this time around, but his ability to evoke sounds that tug at heartstrings round out his unforgettable talent. By risking it all and tapping into his soul, the London crooner poured inspirations from gospel music and R&B into a powerful delivery of delicate church organs, groovy blues, and poetic piano melodies. Banks bears a timeless quality and grit in his voice that reverberates with ferocity and con...
SkatePal is the Initiative Making Skateboarding Accessible in Palestine
Founded by skateboarder Charlie Davis, the story of SkatePal began in 2013 with a team of volunteers heading back and forth between London and Palestine. Looking at communities within the West Bank that have limited access to cultural, educational and sporting opportunities, the charity is building skateparks, running classes and providing equipment to build and support the emerging skateboarding scene. SkatePal has built spaces across Palestine including Rosa Park in Asira Al-Shamaliya, Jayyous Skatepark and a current build in Al-Bireh, Ramallah. Rosa Park is currently the largest in the country and the charity’s second concrete skatepark in the West Bank. The 700sqm park was built in 2015 by twenty volunteers using locally sourced materials. Today, the volunteers (both local and internat...
Gorillaz Transform Vancouver Into Cracker Island at North American Tour Kickoff: Review, Photos and Setlist
Gorillaz kicked off their North American tour on Sunday night (September 11th) to a packed Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC. The immersive experience demonstrated why the virtual band is one of the most influential acts of the past two decades — and why they’re not to be missed in person (grab tickets to the tour here). Co-creator, frontman, and primary contributor Damon Albarn was like a conductor, lovingly leading his sprawling live ensemble and exceptional backing singers. Arranged on glittering risers like an orchestra, they played underneath a big screen showing artist Jamie Hewlett’s iconic animated band members — Murdoc, Noodle, Russel, and 2D — while dancing lights bathed the room in color. Gorillaz have been masters of experimental storytelling right from the outset, creating vast, m...
