music
Eric Clapton Teams with Van Morrison for Anti-Lockdown Protest Song “Stand and Deliver”
Van Morrison (photo by Philip Cosores) and Eric Clapton (photo by Majvdl via Wikimedia Commons) Looks like Van Morrison has pulled Eric Clapton into his suckhole of pseudo-science bull. The legendary musicians have teamed up for a new anti-lockdown protest single called “Stand and Deliver”. Morrison has been speaking out against the United Kingdom’s COVID-19 restrictions since the summer, particularly as they relate to live music. In September, he launched an anti-lockdown song series that included the tracks “Born to Be Free” and “No More Lockdown”. In spite of the fact that such measures have helped the country start to see a flattening of its infection curve even as one in every 185 people in Morrison’s native Northern Ireland test positive, the Astral Weeks singer apparently hasn’t evo...
Bad Bunny Releases New Album El Último Tour del Mundo: Stream
Latin trap and reggaeton king Bad Bunny has returned with El Último Tour del Mundo, his third album of 2020. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. El Último Tour del Mundo follows YHLQMDLG, which came out in February, and Las Que No Iban a Salir, which dropped in May. It spans 16 tracks in total, including collaborations with Rosalía, Jhay Cortez, and ABRA, and takes a rock-forward approach that suits the reggaeton star rather well. It appears Bad Bunny is giving “O VISTO ASÍ” the single treatment, too. The album cut is accompanied by a flashy music video filled with graffiti-filled skateparks and celebrity photoshoots. You know you’ve made it when you can casually call up people like Ricky Martin, Sofia Vergara, and Karol G to star in your song’s visuals. Check it out below. Th...
Taylor Swift Announces folklore: the long pond studio sessions Film
Unable to tour due to the ongoing pandemic, Taylor Swift opted instead to write and record her new album folklore. The album’s intimate, lo-fi sonics are largely a reflection of its recording process, as the normally bombastic pop singer was forced to record the 16-track LP in isolation, with collaborators Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff contributing remotely. Now, months after the album’s release, the trio is finally meeting in-person for a live performance of folklore. Premiering tomorrow (!), November 25th on Disney+, folklore: the long pond studio sessions finds Swift, Dessner, and Antonoff holed up at The National’s Long Pond Studio in Hudson, New York, performing tracks from the album live for the first time. What’s more, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon even stops by to sing his duet with S...
BTS Bring “Life Goes On”, Holiday Cheer to Corden: Watch
On Monday, BTS fans were gifted the best holiday present of them all: the Bangtan Boys under their Christmas tree. Following appearances on Good Morning America and the 2020 American Music Awards, the K-pop megastars visited The Late Late Show with James Corden, where they performed their latest single “Life Goes On” in extraordinary festive fashion. The group’s virtual setup was made to look like a series of cozy living rooms decked out in seasonal decor, complete with Christmas trees, wreaths, candles, and even indoor snow. All seven members of BTS — J-Hope, Jimin, Jin, Jungkook, V, RM, and Suga — were of course dressed for the occasion, outfitted in toasty sweaters, cardigans, and hoodies. We now clearly need an entire merch line dedicated to BTS Christmas. Replay the video down be...
Miley Cyrus Releases New Album Plastic Hearts: Stream
Miley Cyrus has released Plastic Hearts, her new album and the seventh studio full-length of her career. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. This ia Cyrus’ first release since the 2019 EP She Is Coming, and her first full-length since 2017’s Younger Now. Plastic Hearts spans 15 tracks in total, including her rock-infused pop single “Midnight Sky” and her phenomenal covers of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” and The Cranberries’ “Zombie”. She also tacked on “Edge of Midnight”, her remix of “Midnight Sky” featuring the one and only Stevie Nicks. Across Plastic Hearts, there’s plenty of room for Cyrus to spread her wings and soar to new pop heights. There’s also a handful of collaborations where she showcases other skills: “Bad Karma” features perennial rock icon Joan Jett, “Night Crawling”...
The Smashing Pumpkins Unveil New Double Album CYR: Stream
The Smashing Pumpkins have released their new double album CYR. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. CYR marks the second double album in the Pumpkins’ catalog, following their iconic 1995 album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (which they recently announced a sequel to). However, the 20-song CYR is also a sequel in its own right, as it’s the second installment of the Shiny and Oh So Bright series, which began with their 2018 album Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. That release was notably the first Smashing Pumpkins album since 2000 to feature Billy Corgan’s fellow founding members, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin. CYR consists of the same trio alongside guitarist Jeff Schroeder. In a conversation with Apple...
The Killers’ Christmas Album Don’t Waste Your Wishes Finally Available on Streaming Services
The Killers have finally made their limited-edition Christmas album Don’t Waste Your Wishes available to stream online. Take a listen below through Apple Music or Spotify. From 2006 to 2016, the Las Vegas rockers released a new Christmas single every year, with proceeds benefiting Bono’s (RED) charity. Then in 2016, the band collected those loosies into Don’t Waste Your Wishes, which had a brief run as an iTunes exclusive followed by a limited printing of CDs. This is the first time it’s been widely available. The compilation includes nine original songs, a track based on an 1890 poem by William Lawrence Chittenden called “The Cowboy’s Christmas Ball”, and a cover of the yuletide standard “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” featuring Brandon Flowers’ fourth grade teacher Mr. Hansen. The...
The National to Reissue Early Releases to Mark 20th Anniversary
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut, The National are reissuing that album along with two other early releases. Fresh pressings of 2001’s The National, 2003’s Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, and 2004’s Cherry Tree EP are set for release on February 26th, 2021 via 4AD. The remastering for all three was handled at Abbey Road Studios. While it’s rare to hear any of these recordings performed live these days, they laid the groundwork for The National’s eventual sound. The self-titled debut was loaded with smoldering indie Americana, which the band pushed further towards their alternative style on Sad Songs. It was the Cherry Tree EP that became the clear gateway to their eventual breakthrough (2005’s Alligator), and it’s fondly looked at by fans as the effort that saw...
Santana’s Abraxas Still Casts a Mystical Spell Half a Century Later: Review
Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus is back for Season 11 with a new host and a new classic album to explore. Click here to listen as host Jill Hopkins (The Moth Chicago, Making Beyoncé podcast) conjures the enduring legacy of Santana’s landmark Abraxas. Also, after you read this article, scroll below to enter our exclusive Santana giveaway or score some original Opus swag. — The story of Carlos Santana and the band that bears his name has been one of near-constant evolution. Critics and fans have attempted to tame Santana’s catalog over the years by sorting the group’s 25 studio albums by era, style, or lineup. That’s not a totally fruitless exercise. Nobody, for instance, will mistake the frenetic jam session that is Santana’s seminal 1969 debut for, say, the earthy jazz-fusi...
Sammy Hagar: Van Halen “Kitchen Sink” Tour Would’ve Rocked Despite a “Not User Friendly” David Lee Roth
Sammy Hagar would have gladly participated in Eddie Van Halen’s planned “kitchen sink” farewell tour featuring all three Van Halen singers. However, he admits it would’ve been tough to share the stage with David Lee Roth. In a new interview with SiriuxXM’s Eddie Trunk, Hagar said that the proposed tour would have been a “dream come true”, but expressed some misgivings about sharing the spotlight with founding Van Halen frontman Roth, whom Hagar replaced in 1985. The band’s third singer was Gary Cherone, who replaced Hagar and sang on 1998’s Van Halen III. The Hagar versus Roth eras of the band have always created contention among fans, but Hagar himself finds Roth “not user friendly.” Despite some choice words, Hagar was otherwise positive about the idea of featuring all three singers. “It...
Brittany Howard Covers Nina Simone’s “Revolution” on Colbert: Watch
Brittany Howard received five Grammy Award nominations across four genre categories (Rock, Alternative Music, R&B, and American Roots) on Tuesday. Hours later, she appeared on Colbert, but instead of performing any of her recognized work, she chose to dig into yet another genre and perform someone else’s song. Howard delivered an impassioned blues rock rendition of Nina Simone’s “Revolution”. Matching her band’s red attire, Howard strutted about the stage like she was playing for a real live audience. It’s got to be hard to muster that sort of energy these days, but the Alabama Shakes singer barely looked like she had to dig very deep at all as she busted out the powerful performance. Of course, she’s been covering the song (itself a response to The Beatles’ “Revolution”) live for awhi...
Taylor Swift Releases folklore Live Album and Film: Stream
As promised, Taylor Swift has released her new folklore-focused film, the long pond studio sessions. The pop singer has also revealed a corresponding live album version of those sessions. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the original folklore LP was recorded remotely while in quarantine. Today’s two projects see Swift finally meeting up with her collaborators (IRL!) to perform the album live from start to finish for the first time. She, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner convened at The National’s Long Pond Studio in Hudson, New York. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, who duets with Swift on “exile”, beamed in remotely. “It’s an album that allows you to feel your feelings, and it’s a product of isolation,” Swift said in the film’s trailer. At another point, she remarked to Dessner, “This could’...
