Music News
Laura Marling Performs Quarantine Version of “Held Down” on Colbert: Watch
Updated for the pandemic era, The A Late Show with Stephen Colbert now sees musical guests perform from their respective self-isolation spaces. Such remote, stripped-down settings may require some acts to make major adjustments to their arrangements, but for Laura Marling, whose intimate folk translates seamlessly. Broadcasting from her cozy London living room Friday night, Marling delicately offered up “Held Down”, a quiet yet still powerful single from her recently released Song for Our Daughter. The new album came out last month during the peak of the coronavirus, so its tracks feel especially tied to this time; watching the UK songwriter sing, “‘Cause we all want to be here now/ And we all want to be held down” in front of her fireplace certainly has a different meaning in co...
Suicide Silence Announce Plans for Virtual World Tour
With the concert industry shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bands are coming up with new and creative ways to present live music to their fans. Suicide Silence have just announced plans for a “Virtual World Tour”, in which they will play streaming concerts for select geographic areas. Each performance will feature the band playing a full set professionally filmed by multiple cameras, followed by a Q&A session. The shows will be geo-gated, meaning only people within a certain radius of the city on the virtual tour stop will be able to purchase tickets to view that concert. The band has not unveiled an itinerary yet, but expects to launch the tour with virtual shows in New York and Los Angeles in June. Fans in each market will be able to purchase merchandise unique to that particul...
Supreme Launches New Daniel Johnston Clothing Line
Premier streetwear company Supreme is launching a new clothing line dedicated to the late, great Daniel Johnston, who passed away last year. The Spring 2020 collection will feature Johnston’s own original and distinct artwork emblazoned on plaid shirts, sweatshirts, and t-shirts. The legendary lo-fi musician’s illustrations will also appear on outerwear pieces and beanies. This new line, seen below, will be available for purchase online beginning Thursday, May 14th. It marks the third time Supreme has released Johnston-focused clothes; as Complex points out, similar lines were launched back in 2012 and 2015. Editors’ Picks Supreme recently partnered with My Bloody Valentine for a new line of products. Other previous collaborations include Neil Young, Lou Reed, and David Lynch. Morris...
David Gilmour Covers Syd Barrett Songs in Quarantine: Watch
During quarantine, David Gilmour, his wife Polly Samson, and their family have gathered for a weekly “Von Trapped Family” livestream. Originally set up to promote Samson’s new book Theater for Dreamers, the livestreams have evolved to become a sort-of virtual hangout during which the family sings songs, reads poetry, answers fan-submitted questions, and drinks wine. During the latest episode, Gilmour covered two songs composed by former Pink Floyd bandmate Syd Barrett: “Octopus” and “Dominoes”. Gilmour also shared some personal andecdotes about Barrett and their time working together, in addition to revealing that he was asked to proofread a forthcoming book of Barrett’s lyrics. Watch video of the livestream below. Gilmour’s covers of “Octopus” and “Dominoes” can be heard at the times...
Paul McCartney: Little Richard Taught Me Everything I Know
There’s no hyperbole in stating that Little Richard changed rock & roll as we knew it when he broke into the music scene. Look no further than the countless artists who’ve paid tribute to Richard after learning of his passing on Saturday, including Bob Dylan himself. Now, arguably the biggest pioneer of pop-rock music, Paul McCartney, has gone on the record to claim Little Richard taught him “everything he knows” and more. McCartney memorialized Richard with a lengthy tribute on Twitter, essentially crediting Richard for paving the way for The Beatles. When the Fab Four were busy playing residencies at small, McCartney looked to him for inspiration and guidance. “I owe a lot of what I do to Little Richard and his style,” he wrote. “From ‘Tutti Frutti’ to ‘Long Tall Sally’ to ‘Good...
Slowthai Turns His NME Awards Drama Into New Song “ENEMY”: Stream
Slowthai loves to get up to no good, and now he’s ready to immortalize one of his most egregious actions in a new song. Presenting “ENEMY”, a single the UK rapper released this weekend that digs deep into his controversial speech from this year’s NME Awards. To understand what he’s getting at on this new track, you must first revisit what went down at the awards show. Back in February, Slowthai was primed to have a big night at the NME Awards. He opened the evening by performing his excellent Mura Masa collaboration “Deal Wiv It”, which went swimmingly until he decided to get cheeky by mooning the crowd. Things somehow got worse. When Slowthai accepted his fan-voted award for Hero of the Year, he harassed host and comedian Katherine Ryan by propositioning her. One audience member was so re...
Bad Bunny Drops Surprise Album Las Que No Iban a Salir: Stream
The Latin trap and reggaeton star Bad Bunny returns today with a surprise new album called Las Que No Iban a Salir. The 10-track LP features appearances from Nicky Jam, Don Omar, Zion & Lennox, Yandel, Gabriela, and Jhay Cortez. Listen below via Spotify. Las Que No Iban a Salir arrives just two months after Bad Bunny’s record-setting sophomore album, YHLQMDLG, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest-charting all-Spanish album in history. It remains in the Billboard Top 10 as of this week. Editors’ Picks
Denzel Curry Unleashes “I’m Just Sayin Tho” Freestyle Featuring Tommy Swisher: Stream
Denzel Curry has unleashed a new freestyle, “I’m Just Sayin Tho”, featuring Atlanta MC Tommy Swisher. In a statement on YouTube, he wrote he was releasing the track now, “because we need music and happiness at a time like this.” Here, Curry borrows a track produced by The Olympicks, which had previously appeared on the Rick Ross rarity “Bust Back”. But while Ross used the epic strings as an excuse to stunt, Curry’s verse is more relatable. He starts with the words “2020 vision”, and then uses it to look backwards: to That’s So Raven, Mr. Miyagi, and the Rugrats. But while he plans to skip a visit to Dr. Lipschitz, his childhood comes loaded with trauma. “Try to keep the balance, be honorable and sadistic/ Lost a lot of homies, but in my dreams they revisit.” Check out “I’m Just S...
Dave Grohl Says Foo Fighters’ New Album Is Their Version of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance
Whenever this pandemic finally comes to an end, Foo Fighters’ fans have a lot to look forward to. Not only is the band planning to hit the road in celebration of their 25th anniversary, but a new album is in the can and ready to be released. This week, Dave joined his mother, Virgina Grohl, for a Mother’s Day-themed interview with Los Angeles’ ALT 98.7 FM. They primarily spoke about Virginia’s recent book, From Cradle to Stage, in which she interviews fellow mothers of famous rock stars. Virginia also revealed that she and her son are working on a docu-series inspired by the book. Toward the end of the interview, however, mom and son discussed how they were spending their time in quarantine. Dave noted that he was supposed to be out on tour right now, and was bummed to have postponed ...
R.I.P. Betty Wright, Veteran R&B Singer Dies at 66
Betty Wright, the veteran R&B singer known for hits such as “Clean Up Woman” and “Where Is the Love?”, has died at the age of 66, according to TMZ. A native of Miami, Florida, Wright achieved her first Top 40 single at the age of 14 with “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”. Arriving three years later, Wright’s signature song, “Clean Up Woman”, spent eight weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard R&B charts in addition to peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Top 100. “Clean Up Woman” was later sampled by a number of prominent R&B and hip-hop artists, including Mary J. Blige (“Real Woman”) and Chance the Rapper (“Favorite Song”). Even Sumblime sampled the song on their 40oz. To Freedom track “Get Out!”. In 1974, Wright earned her first and only Grammy Award for “Where Is the Love”, which ...
Bob Dylan Memorializes Little Richard: “I’m So Grieved”
The influence of Little Richard can be felt across the entire spectrum of modern music: just look at the countless number of artists, many of whom are legends in their own right, who took time to memorialize Richard following news of his passing on Saturday. Even the notoriously private Bob Dylan issued a rare statement to honor the rock music pioneer. “I just heard the news about Little Richard and I’m so grieved,” Dylan wrote in a message posted to his social media channels. “He was my shining star and guiding light back when I was only a little boy. His was the original spirit that moved me to do everything I would do.” “I played some shows with him in Europe in the early nineties and got to hang out in his dressing room a lot. He was always generous, kind and humble,” Dylan went on to ...
BROCKHAMPTON Share New Tracks “Things Can’t Stay the Same” and “N.S.T.”: Stream
Exuberant hip-hop group BROCKHAMPTON have shared two new songs, “Things Can’t Stay the Same” and “N.S.T.”. According to reports on Reddit, both tracks were initially premiered during a password-protected livestream late Friday night, and were later uploaded to the group’s YouTube channel. Both cuts are said to be unfinished and unmastered. While hearkening back to the SATURATION days of banger after banger, both “Things Can’t Stay the Same” and “N.S.T.” offer a little taste of the unusual. The former is built around a chipmunk soul sample of “Trouble Will Find Me” by Amnesty, while the latter features a rare, welcome verse from producer Jabari Manwa. But the tracks have at least one thing in common: a scene-stealing, face-melting performance by Matt Champion. Check out “Things Ca...
