Music News
Tom Morello Is “Disgusted” That Young People Won’t Practice Guitar Eight Hours a Day
Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello had some choice words for young musicians trying to cut corners to get famous, especially when it comes to practicing. In an interview that previously ran in Metal Hammer’s print edition but was just shared online this week, Morello lamented over the current lack of guitars in popular music. “I’m disgusted by the fact that a lot of young people these days aren’t willing to sit down and practice the electric guitar for eight hours a day,” said Morello. “They are all looking for an easier route to becoming famous. Look at the Top 50 songs on the radio in the U.S. — there are no guitar solos in them.” While it’s tough love from the ever-opinionated guitarist, he went on to suggest that young musicians likely don’t have a chance of topping th...
Kamasi Washington Scored the Michelle Obama Documentary Becoming
Multi-instrumentalist and jazz composer Kamasi Washington has written the score for the new Michelle Obama documentary Becoming. The Netflix film drops today, while the score will be released on May 15th. Based on the former First Lady’s memoir of the same name, Becoming picks up where the 2018 book left off, following Obama on a 34-city promotional tour while revisiting some of the memoir’s most striking moments. It was directed by Nadia Hallgren, who knew she wanted to work with Kamasi Washington before she put the book down. She said in a statement, “Mrs. Obama loves music, and when I read the line in her book ‘And heaven, as I envisioned it, had to be a place full of jazz,’ I knew immediately Kamasi was the artist that could interpret her experience musically.” In a press rel...
Neurosis’ Steve Von Till Announces New Solo Album and Poetry Book, Shares Single “Dreams of Trees”: Stream
Neurosis singer Steve Von Till has announced a new solo album, No Wilderness Deep Enough, as well as book of poetry and lyrics, Harvestman: 23 Untitled Poems and Collected Lyrics. Both arrive August 7th. Von Till also offered up the album track “Dreams of Trees”. Like much of Von Till’s solo work, the track is rooted in softer aesthetics and electronic instrumentation rather than the atmospheric sludge metal of Neurosis. Here, he explores ambient soundscapes, giving emphasis to the words and poeticism of his lyrics. The spiritual tug and introspection of his prior solo outings remains intact. “It’s about personal longings and loss, and the loves and insecurities we all feel combined with meditations on humanity as a whole,” Von Till said in a press release. “I’m exploring the great disconn...
Guns N’ Roses Collaborate with James Patterson on New Children’s Book Sweet Child O’ Mine
Years ago, the idea of one of the world’s most debauched bands, Guns N’ Roses, collaborating with best-selling thriller author James Patterson on an illustrated children’s book would have been an odd thought. But that’s exactly what’s happening in 2020 with the new book Sweet Child O’ Mine. According to People, the book was inspired by two girls named Maya and Natalia, the daughter and niece of one of Guns N’ Roses’ managers, Fernando Lebeis. The book plays off the lyrics of the classic GN’R song “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, turning them into a narrative children’s story. “My sister and I have been lucky to be able to watch our daughters — Maya and Natalia Rose — grow up while touring with the [band],” said Lebeis in a statement. “We ourselves have been part of the ‘Guns family’ for over 30 year...
Grateful Dead Announce 50th Anniversary Reissue of Workingman’s Dead
Mark those calendars, Deadheads. This summer, the Grateful Dead will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Workingman’s Dead with a special reissue featuring a bonus live album. Pre-orders are now ongoing Due out July 10th, the reissue will be available as a CD and on vinyl, with the latter format limited to just 10,000 picture discs. Both come with a newly remastered version of the original album, but the CD edition boasts a little something extra. Fans who purchase the CD reissue will also receive a live album capturing the iconic rock group’s February 21st, 1971 concert at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Altogether there are 24 recordings on this collection, the setlist pulled from Workingman’s Dead as well as its follow-up, American Beauty. One of those tracks is a live...
Fiona Apple’s When the Pawn… to Receive First-Ever Vinyl Release
Fiona Apple’s excellent sophomore album, When the Pawn…, will be released on vinyl for the first time ever. VinylMePlease has partnered with the legendary artist to create an exclusive pressing, a 180-gram LP on black vinyl with a new cover picked by Apple herself. “While Tidal introduced us to Apple, the awkward and sullen girl, When the Pawn… had her shooting back with a fiery vengeance at a time when Tori Amos and Alanis Morissette were making anger feminine and more mainstream than their punk predecessors,” the VinylMePlease description reads. “On the record, Apple sings with a gnarly gruffness. She begins most songs with a deceptive sweetness, building to an angsty climax, wielding her voice as a weapon against ex-boyfriends and bullies.” When the Pawn… was arguably Apple’s best album...
Weezer Dedicate New Song “Hero” to Frontline Workers: Stream
Due to the ongoing pandemic, Weezer have been forced to postpone their new metal-inspired album, Van Weezer. A new release date hasn’t been given yet, but Rivers Cuomo & co. are making it up to their patient fans by sharing a fresh single titled “Hero”. Although Weezer are suckers for a darn good cover, today’s offering is not plucked from Mariah Carey’s catalog. “Hero” instead finds them amplifying their KISS and Metallica fandom for a cut rife with sharp, shredding guitars and a blaring, arena-ready chorus. The new song comes paired with an official music video shot during quarantine. It features footage of the band while on lockdown — Cuomo is sporting an interesting mustache these days — but more importantly pays tribute to the real heroes: frontline workers. “This one is for ...
Lady Gaga Announces New Release Date For Chromatica
Lady Gaga’s fifth studio album, Chromatica, was all set for an April 10th release before the coronavirus pandemic caused led to its postponement. Now, Gaga has announced that her new LP will instead arrive on May 29th. The follow-up to 2016’s Joanne, Chromatica contains 16 tracks, including “Chromatica” parts I, II, and III. As fans learned when the tracklist leaked last month, it alsofeatures collaborations with Ariana Grande, the K-Pop group Blackpink, and Sir Elton John. Pre-orders have begun, and you can check out the artwork and official tracklist below. Editors’ Picks Previously, Lady Gaga shared the lead single “Stupid Love”. In April, she curated the coronavirus relief special “One World: Together at Home”, and this June, she’ll join Barack and ...
Baroness, Old Man Gloom, Candiria Members Cover Danzig’s “Snakes of Christ” in Quarantine: Watch
Another day, another cool quarantine performance. This time, members of Baroness, Old Man Gloom, Candiria, and Potion join forces to rock Danzig’s “Snakes of Christ” as part of Two Minutes to Late Night’s “Bedroom Covers” series. The performance features Two Minutes to Late Night host Gwarsenio Hall (aka Jordan Olds) on vocals; Baroness’ Gina Gleason and Candiria’s John LaMacchia on guitars; Potion’s Stella Leung on bass; and Old Man Gloom’s Santos Montano on drums. What makes the video even more entertaining are the intro and outro, featuring Montano delivering his best Glenn Danzig impression as he mimics an old interview the rock icon did in which he talked about his book collection. As for the performance itself, it’s pretty impressive. Gwarsenio Hall does a nice job capturing Dan...
Ezra Koenig Performs Vampire Weekend Medley on Fallon from Quarantine: Watch
This past weekend marked the one-year anniversary of Father of the Bride, the stellar fourth album from Vampire Weekend. In celebration, frontman Ezra Koenig delivered a quarantine-style medley of the album’s songs on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday. Shot from his own spacious home studio, Koenig performed solo piano renditions of standout tracks “Flower Moon”, “Stranger”, and “Big Blue”. The album versions of these three songs benefited from robust instrumentation, but Koenig proved they sound just as lovely and clever when stripped bare. Watch video of the Fallon medley below. Editors’ Picks Prior to lockdown, Vampire Weekend shared three FOTB bonus tracks, as well as campaigned hard for former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Earlie...
Things Get Hairy on JPEGMAFIA’s “BALD! REMIX” Featuring Denzel Curry: Stream
In February, JPEGMAFIA released a new jam for everyone with a “fucked up hairline,” “BALD!”. While Denzel Curry has a full head of hair, he also takes great pleasure in rapping about anything at all, and the two off-kilter MCs have unleashed a “BALD! REMIX” that takes on the haters and promises there’ll be hell toupee. After Peggy’s initial exuberant verse, the remix shaves down the beat to bare percussion. Curry starts off with a relentless, driving flow, before switching it up to a jazzier delivery. The accompanying music video was filmed on a cellphone outside of a convenience store, as the two artists take turns filming each other. It’s a delightfully lo-fi experience, as simple and full of joy as a couple of kids rapping on the corner. Check out “BALD! REMIX” below. In addition to “BA...
Adele Celebrates Birthday, Thanks Essential Workers in Rare Social Media Post
On Tuesday night, Adele celebrated her 32nd birthday with her very first Instagram post of the year. The rare photo captured the pop icon smiling ear to ear in a lush courtyard, as well as featured a special message of thanks to essential workers and first responders on the frontlines of the pandemic. “Thank you for the birthday love. I hope you’re all staying safe and sane during this crazy time,” the Grammy winner wrote on IG. “I’d like to thank all of our first responders and essential workers who are keeping us safe while risking their lives! You are truly our angels. 2020 okay bye thanks x .” Adele has been on social media only sparingly the last 12 months — yes, even that secret Twitter account has probably gone dark — in an effort to focus more on herself following her split from&nb...
