music
Grammys Eliminate Secret Nomination Review Committees
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-01T16:20:21+00:00“>May 1, 2021 | 12:20pm ET The Recording Academy has announced a series of reforms designed to make the Grammy Awards more transparent while reducing future controversies. Via Billboard and Variety, the biggest change is the almost total elimination of the secret nominating committees which determine who is eligible to receive the awards. The Academy has also reduced the number of categories in which members may vote, added two new categories, and rolled out a reorganization of the “craft” categories (packaging, producer, and liner notes). The secretive nomination committees has long been a point of contention, in part because, since nobody knows who they ar...
Kings Of Convenience Announce New Album Peace or Love, Share “Rocky Trail”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-30T17:15:43+00:00“>April 30, 2021 | 1:15pm ET After 12 long years of occasional shows but mostly relative silence, Kings of Convenience are finally back. The Norwegian folk duo, comprised of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, has returned today to announce a new album. It’s called Peace or Love and it’s due out June 18th via EMI. Celebrate the news by streaming the lead single “Rocky Trail”, which they’ve shared alongside a video, below. Peace or Love is the band’s fourth studio album overall, following 2009’s great Declaration of Dependence. The new record spans 11 tracks in total, including “Rocky Trail” and two other songs — “Love Is a Lonely Thing” and “Catholic Cou...
At the Gates Unleash New Song “Spectre of Extinction” Featuring King Diamond Guitarist Andy La Rocque: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-01T15:02:14+00:00“>May 1, 2021 | 11:02am ET After announcing their seventh studio album, The Nightmare of Being, a month ago, Swedish melodic death metal pioneers At the Gates have unleashed “Spectre of Extinction” as the LP’s first single. The song comes ahead of the album’s July 2nd release, and boasts a guest appearance by King Diamond guitarist Andy La Rocque. “Spectre of Extinction” starts off with a cinematic instrumental intro before the heaviness kicks in around the 90-second mark. All told, it’s nearly two minutes before singer Tomas Lindberg Redant comes in with the first growl on the track, which features a blistering guitar solo by La Rocque. “It is always very hard t...
Jónsi Shares Original Score for Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-30T17:56:03+00:00“>April 30, 2021 | 1:56pm ET Jónsi has surprise released his new score for the Amazon Original movie Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse is an adaptation of the titular writer‘s best-selling novel. The film version follows a lost Navy SEAL (Michael B. Jordan) who cracks under pressure and decides to take on both drug lords and the Vietnamese after the death of his pregnant wife. It’s dramatic, thrilling, and full of plenty gripping fight scenes — as the film’s trailer showed — but ultimately it isn’t a fulfilling watch. However, for his original score, Jónsi translates all of that drama and tensi...
Dropkick Murphys Turn Up That Dial with a New Collection of Sing-Along Punk Anthems: Review
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-30T18:05:08+00:00“>April 30, 2021 | 2:05pm ET The Lowdown: Dropkick Murphys have been going strong for 25 years, churning out infectious Celtic punk anthems and playing to raucous fans at sold-out shows all over the world. The Massachusetts band is back with its 10th album, Turn Up That Dial, marking the veteran outfit’s first new LP in more than four years. Founding co-vocalist Ken Casey stopped playing bass after a 2018 motorcycle accident left him with nerve damage in his fingers, leaving him to roam the front of the stage with co-vocalist Al Barr. After a couple hundred shows performed like this supporting 2017’s 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, this new dynamic has spar...
Travis Scott Announces Dates for Astroworld Festival 2021
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-01T02:36:51+00:00“>April 30, 2021 | 10:36pm ET Travis Scott knows how to throw a celebration, and in honor of his 29th birthday today the rapper has announced the return of his Astroworld Festival. The event will take place November 5th and 6th at Houston’s NRG Arena. After selling out both the inaugural 2018 event and 2019 edition before even releasing a lineup, Scott has expanded the fest to two days this year to keep up with overwhelming demand. With a creative theme of “Open Your Eyes To a Whole New Universe”, Astroworld 2021 promises a “larger-than-life multi-stage music festival experience,” according to a press release. Though the rapper is the only confirmed act...
Burna Boy Drops New Song “Kilometre”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-30T19:34:07+00:00“>April 30, 2021 | 3:34pm ET Nigerian superstar Burna Boy is back with his first solo song of 2021, “Kilometre”. Via Okay Africa, BB unveiled the single during an appearance on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music 1, at which time he also teased a new album in 2021. “I’m definitely planning to drop my next album this year,” he said. “Especially at the same time I dropped the last one. I’m trying to do that as long as I can.” He was referring to 2020’s Twice as Tall, which came out in August and was one of our favorite albums of the year. If we’re only three or four months away from another Burna Boy meal, then “Kilometre” is a perfect aperitif. Over a sun-baked beat...
Megadeth Frontman Dave Mustaine’s Daughter Electra Unveils Electro-Pop Song “Evergreen”: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-30T21:21:12+00:00“>April 30, 2021 | 5:21pm ET Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine’s daughter Electra Mustaine has released a new electro-pop single, “Evergreen”, as the first official song off her upcoming debut album. The track’s pulsing beats and auto-tuned vocals might come as a surprise to those who expected Electra to follow in her father’s footsteps as a thrasher. In fact, “Evergreen” is about as far away from heavy metal as it comes. “‘Evergreen’ shares my experiences in music and in life; constantly seeming to fail outside expectations but consciously choosing to ignore them,” Electra said in a press release. “We all have that little rebellious streak about us. Early on, I wa...
New Documentary Punk the Capital Traces History of Iconic Washington D.C. Hardcore Scene
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-30T21:47:56+00:00“>April 30, 2021 | 5:47pm ET A new documentary tracing the history of the iconic Washington D.C. hardcore-punk scene is set for release. Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement will open in select theaters and via virtual cinema on May 14th, and then arrive on BluRay/DVD on Record Store Day (June 8th). The 88-minute documentary features some of the biggest names from the D.C. scene circa 1976-1983 such as Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Void, Rites of Spring, and more. Among the punk luminaries interviewed are H.R. (Bad Brains), Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi), Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), and others. Punk the Capital is billed as th...
Bop Shop: Songs From Billie Eilish, Ella Jay Basco And Ruby Ibarra, And More
Morgin DuPont makes a declaration at the start of her new non-binary anthem: “I’m not a man / I’m not a woman / I’m a force, liberty pass that torch.” It’s a powerful phrase that kicks off the Puerto Rican trans artist’s braggadocious bop, laying the groundwork for the confident demands she makes throughout the track, spitting out diamonds like, “You’re boring / Explore me, bitch.” She’s got the attitude to back up her boldness and bars, and the song’s themes of self-love, confidence, and unapologetic queerness run throughout her debut EP Pearls out today. It’s about damn time queer music gave the gender non-conforming community a shout, and Morgin is blessing everyone with not just a bop, but an exciting new voice to look out for, too. —Carson Mlnarik You Deserve to Make Money Even When y...
Flotsam and Jetsam Unleash Title Track from Upcoming Album Blood in the Water: Stream
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-30T15:57:48+00:00“>April 30, 2021 | 11:57am ET Thrash legends Flotsam and Jetsam have shared the title track from their upcoming album, Blood in the Water, arriving June 4th. The track “Blood in the Water” once again proves that Flotsam and Jetsam are still delivering high-quality thrash worthy of their illustrious status as genre pioneers. Propulsive riffs and the epic vocals of Eric “AK” Knutson guide the new song, which combines elements of thrash and power metal for an intense crusher. “Mash up speed metal, thrash metal, power metal, and throw yourself around the pit metal,” Knutson said. “But beware, if you swim in the Flotsam pool, Flotzilla can smell the ‘Blood in the Wate...
Esme Bianco Sues Marilyn Manson for Sexual Assault
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-04-30T16:17:24+00:00“>April 30, 2021 | 12:17pm ET Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco has filed a lawsuit against Marilyn Manson, accusing the disgraced rocker of sexual assault, physical abuse, and human trafficking. The British actress first went public with her claims against Manson in February 2021, shortly after Manson’s former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood and four other women alleged that they were abused by the rocker. In a tell-all interview with New York magazine’s The Cut, Bianco detailed a similarly tumultuous relationship with Manson, who she became romantically involved with in 2009 during the filming of his video “I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies”. Bianco...
