music
KISS’ Gene Simmons Still Thinks “Rock Is Dead,” Paul Stanley Disagrees
A few years ago, Gene Simmons caused a stir when he boldly declared that “rock is dead.” In a new interview, the KISS singer-bassist doubled down on that statement, even as his longtime bandmate Paul Stanley strongly disagreed. Back in 2014, in an interview with his son, Nick Simmons, for Esquire magazine, Gene exclaimed, “Rock is finally dead.” He explained at the time, “When I was coming up, it was not an insurmountable mountain. Once you had a record company on your side, they would fund you, and that also meant when you toured they would give you tour support. … There are still record companies, and it does apply to pop, rap, and country to an extent. But for performers who are also songwriters — the creators — for rock music, for soul, for the blues — it’s finally dead.” KISS just pla...
Madlib and Four Tet Unveil New Song “Hopprock”: Stream
Give Madlib his flowers now. The legendary producer broke through in 2004 with Madvillainy, a seminal collaboration with MF DOOM that provided a blueprint for a generation of witty, irreverent rap music. DOOM recently died, but Madlib continues to author some of the most vital hip-hop of the day. He recently announced the album Sound Ancestors, created in collaboration with Four Tet, and today he’s back with the new song “Hopprock”. “Hopprock” was released only under Madlib’s name, though the credits list Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, as both writer and composer. The instrumental track opens with a natural soundscape that includes meditative sounds of water and wooden percussion. But after one of Madlib’s trademark grimy samples stutters through an answering machine message (...
Metallica Tally More Than 1 Billion Spotify Streams in 2020
As they enter their 40th year of existence, Metallica remain a metal powerhouse: the band tallied more than 1 billion streams on Spotify in 2020 alone. Metallica shared a graphic on their Instagram feed, which lists their 2020 Spotify statistics as 1.1 billion streams, 99.3 million hours, 53.3 million unique listeners, and 92 different countries. ‘We thought last year’s numbers were insane,” wrote the band. “You guys have outdone yourselves! 99.3M hours?! That’s like if someone started listening on October 27, 9318 B.C. and never stopped. Can anyone guess what this year’s most-played song was, clocking in at 128.6M streams?? You remain the most dedicated fans in the world – thank you for spending so much of your year with us!” The two most-played songs were likely “Nothing Else Matter...
Three Grammy Nominees For Best Children’s Album Withdraw Due to All-White Category
Three of the five acts contending for the 2021 Best Children’s Album Grammy Award have declined their nominations. As NPR reports, The Okee Dokee Brothers, Dog on Fleas, and Alastair Moock are protesting because the Recording Academy failed to consider any non-white artists. The three groups sent a joint letter to the Recording Academy asking that their names be removed from consideration. They wrote that they “couldn’t in good conscience benefit from a process that has historically overlooked women and artists of color.” “After this year, to have an all-white slate of nominees seemed really tone deaf,” said Moock. He was nominated for Be a Pain, an album about American heroes including Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Harvey Milk, and the Parkland shooting survivors. Moock added t...
Open Mike Eagle Pays Tribute to MF DOOM with New Freestyle: Stream
Open Mike Eagle has shared a new freestyle called “For DOOM”. It’s a tribute to the late MF DOOM, the legendary masked rapper whose death was made public last week. Stream it below. “For DOOM” is a heartfelt mix of nostalgia and earnest praise. Over a beat by Illingsworth, the Anime artist spends two minutes rapping about the impact of DOOM’s music, the moment he heard the news of his passing, and the ways in which he raised the lyrical bar for hip-hop. OME also credits DOOM for the lifelong impact his visual aesthetics will have. “Fool you about to sell more masks than Dr. Fauci,” he raps. “I’m copping one off Etsy to rock it proudly.” At one point in the freestyle, the Chicago-bred MC brings up how he idolized MF DOOM in both childhood and adulthood. That lifelong respect event...
Rockstar Made: Playboi Carti’s Whole Lotta Red Hits No. 1
All the way back in May 2018, Playboi Carti dropped his beloved, star-studded debut album, Die Lit, which eventually hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Nearly three years without an album can be a long time in the streaming economy — especially with peers like Taylor Swift releasing two in the span of five months — and as Carti kept busy popping up on features with Solange, Tyler, the Creator, and Drake (and dealing with persistent leaks), his second LP became extremely anticipated. That likely explains the groundswell that’s caused Whole Lotta Red to hit No. 1 this week, knocking Swift’s Evermore from the top spot, as Billboard reports. It’s Carti’s first No. 1 and features guest appearances from Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Future. The rattling and booming ...
Billy Corgan Compares Lil Peep to Kurt Cobain
Although his career was short-lived, Lil Peep made a lasting impression on a whole generation of young hip-hop fans. His brand of emo rap also apparently profoundly impacted… 53-year-old Billy Corgan. Since Lil Peep’s death in 2017, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman has compared him to some of the most iconic rock stars in music history. In 2018, Corgan likened the rapper’s music to that of early Metallica. Now, in a recent interview with Upset magazine, the Pumpkins leader has dubbed Lil Peep the Kurt Cobain of his generation. The incredible revelation came during a discussion about CYR, the Smashing Pumpkins’ newly released double album, and how they’ve managed to stay relevant more three decades into their career: “This album is the result of us trying to come into the modern world,” ...
Loretta Lynn Announces New Album Still Woman Enough, Shares “Coal Miner’s Daughter (Recitation)”: Stream
Today, January 4th, is the 50th anniversary of Loretta Lynn‘s breakthrough album Coal Miner’s Daughter. To celebrate, she’s announced her new full-length, Still Woman Enough, as well as shared a fresh take on an old favorite, “Coal Miner’s Daughter (Recitation)”. Per USA Today, Still Woman Enough arrives March 19th via Legacy Recordings. The LP comes with 13 songs that span originals, covers of American standards, and updated looks at Lynn’s storied discography. The title track references her 1966 single “You Ain’t Woman Enough (to Take My Man)”. It was written by Lynn and her daughter Patsy Lynn Russell, and features vocals from fellow country heavyweights Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood. As if that weren’t enough, Margo Price hops on a cover of Shel Silverstein’s 1971 s...
Vanilla Ice, Mike Love-Led Beach Boys Headline Trump’s Mar-A-Lago New Year’s Eve Party
Donald Trump Jr. sings along to Vanilla Ice at Mar-A-Lago New Year’s Eve party Donald Trump’s South Florida resort Mar-a-Lago threw a New Year’s Eve bash to celebrate the end of a year which saw the deaths of 346,000 Americans due in large part to the Trump Administration’s sheer incompetence and disinterest in managing the pandemic. Masks were, of course, optional. Some 500 of MAGA’s finest — including Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Judge Jeanine Pirro, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell — attended the black tie event. (Donald Trump himself was not in attendance, as he returned home to Washington, DC early in order to plot out his election coup.) Non-Trump family members paid up to $1,000 for the right to eat from a menu that included “Mr. Trum...
R.I.P. Alexi Laiho, Longtime Children of Bodom Frontman Dead at 41
Founding Children of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho has tragically died at the age of 41. The musician, considered one of metal’s best contemporary guitarists, passed away at his home in Helsinki, Finland, after suffering from “long-term health issues,” according to his label, Napalm Records. Laiho originally formed Children of Bodom as Inearth back in 1993 as a young teenager. He remained with the acclaimed Finnish melodic death metal act until the band decided to split up after playing a final show in December 2019. Laiho formed a new group, Bodom After Midnight, last year after giving up the rights to the Children of Bodom name to three of the band’s other longtime members. “We are crushed by the sudden passing of our dear friend and band member. Words cannot describe this shock and the pro...
Barry Gibb Teams with Dolly Parton for New Version of Bee Gees’ “Words”: Stream
Next week, Barry Gibb will release Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1. The 12-track collection sees the Bee Gees founding member reimagine some of his classic songs with assistance from a wide range of country and Americana stars. As a preview, he’s unveiled a new duet version of Bee Gees’ “Words” recorded with Dolly Parton. Take a listen below. Greenfields is officially out on January 8th via Capitol Records. Gibbs first previewed the release by sharing a reworked version of “Words of a Fool” with Jason Isbell. Speaking of Bee Gees, a new fully-authorized documentary on the band called How Can You Mend a Broken Heart on HBO and HBO Max. [embedded content] Related You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should b...
Jeff Rosenstock Shares New Song “Illegal Fireworks And Hiding Bottles In The Sand”: Stream
With mere hours to go until New Years Eve, Jeff Rosenstock dropped not one, but two (!) brand new songs to bid farewell to 2020. They’re called “Illegal Fireworks And Hiding Bottles In The Sand” and “Caring”, and you can stream them below via Bandcamp. Technically “Caring” hit the web first on December 30th. The acoustic duet sees him teaming up with his old bandmate and longtime friend Laura Stevenson for a sweet ballad about writer’s block, longing, and trying to get your creative muscles going again. “Illegal Fireworks And Hiding Bottles In The Sand” followed suit on New Year’s Eve. Over fuzzy, warm, reverb-drenched shoegaze, Rosenstock sings about the comfort of falling asleep to the thought of a loved one. It’s a completely different sound than the previous song, but it’s sweet noneth...
