music
Marilyn Manson on WE ARE CHAOS, Pandemic Life, New Wave Influences, and Favorite David Bowie Album
Marilyn Manson is set to unveil his 11th studio album, WE ARE CHAOS, this Friday (September 11th). In advance of its release, the rocker checked in with Heavy Consequence to discuss the new LP, and more. Following up his critically acclaimed 2017 album, Heaven Upside Down, Manson recruited Shooter Jennings to produce WE ARE CHAOS. While the recently released title track is an infectious mid-tempo, glam-rock number, the rest of the album explores the heavy and melodic extremes of Manson’s canon. Manson was set to support Ozzy Osbourne on tour this year, but those dates were canceled in order for the latter to seek medical treatments for various health issues. As it turned out, the tour would have been nixed anyway due to the pandemic. During our conversation with the Manson, he spoke of his...
beabadoobee Stays Present on New Single “Worth It”: Stream
Fake It Flowers is the forthcoming debut album from rising indie rocker beabadoobee, due out next month via Dirty Hit. One of the most anticipated of 2020, it’s been teased thus far with the brooding “Sorry” and Song of the Week “Care”. As a third preview, she’s now sharing a track titled “Worth It”. Additionally, beabadoobee has announced 2021 tour dates in the UK. On this new crunchy, grunge-inspired offering, the Filipino-British artist attempts to shake off the ghosts of a past relationship that have been distracting her from fully living in the present. The single reminds us of both the importance of letting our old traumas heal and the value in the here and now. In a statement, the musician also known as Bea Kristi says the track is “simply about teenage infidelity and the mistakes o...
Anna McClellan Announces New Album I saw first light, Shares Two Singles: Stream
Indie pop songwriter Anna McClellan has announced a new album titled I saw first light, set to arrive November 20th. To accompanying today’s news, the Omaha musician has shared two new singles, “Desperate” and “Pace of the Universe”. The record is McClellan’s third full-length to date and second for Father/Daughter Records following her 2018 album Yes and No. Early on in her career, the Nebraska-born singer-songwriter was cosigned by Frankie Cosmos, which gave her profile a boost and placed her in a league of comparable contemporaries. Like Cosmos and others such as Florist and Dear Nora, McClellan makes soft, relatively lo-fi twee pop with intimate subject matter and clever lyrics. Unlike those other acts, though, McClellan’s songs have a woozy and whimsical swing to them that’s distinctl...
Travis Scott’s McDonald’s-Themed Merch Includes a Chicken McNugget Body Pillow
Travis Scott’s McDonald’s value meal may have left much to be desired, but the same cannot be said for the companion merch capsule. Scott is offering 60 (!) different pieces of McDonald’s themed memorabilia, including custom t-shirts, hoodies, and hats. The real good stuff, however, can be found toward the bottom of the page; there’s two types of McDonald’s throw rugs, a vintage lunch box and lunch tray, a burger tie, and a Happy Meal-inspired clutch. But the true star of the show is the 36″ body pillow made to look like a giant chicken McNugget. The merch retails between $25 and $300 and begins shipping in four to six weeks. As for Scott’s McDonald’s value meal, that’s available at select locations from now through October 8th. The $5.79 menu item includes a quarter pounder with cheese an...
Visa Fees for Foreign Artists Touring the US to Nearly Double
It just got a lot more expensive for independent foreign artists to tour in the United States. According to the Federal Register, the daily journal of the American government, the US Department of Homeland Security has doubled the cost of visa fees for international artists starting this October. The fee increases impact visa types frequently used by musicians to enter the US: the P visa, which can be used for performers entering a competition or any family members of the performer; and the O visa, which is for individuals who possess “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics.” The filing fees for P visas now stands at $695, while the cost of O visas is $705 — a 53% increase from it former cost of $460, notes NME. Additionally, the visa application wai...
Rush’s Geddy Lee Confirms He’s Alive After Trending on Twitter
The year 2020 has been so rough that anytime a celebrity trends on Twitter, people assume the worst. So, when Geddy Lee’s name went viral over the past 24 hours, some fans assumed something tragic had happened to the Rush legend. Thankfully, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer reports that he is alive and well. Rush’s official Twitter account had to assure fans that the beloved prog-rock icon is okay, issuing a statement from Lee that read, “Even I gulped when I saw I was trending on Twitter, but I asked my dogs and apparently I’m a bit boring but otherwise fine.” As for why Geddy Lee was trending in the first place, all signs point to a cardboard cutout of the singer-bassist placed in the stands behind home plate at Toronto Blue Jays games this season. The team has been playing home games i...
BTS and BLACKPINK Make K-Pop History on Billboard Charts
BTS and BLACKPINK have made history on the Billboard charts… again. Thanks to their newest singles, “Dynamite” and “Ice Cream” respectively, both K-pop groups have just scored their their highest chart numbers to date. Last week, BTS landed their first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “Dynamite”. It also marked the first time an all-South Korean act had nabbed that spot. Fast forward to today and “Dynamite” has yet to be dethroned, which essentially doubles the impact of those coveted accolades. Mind you, it held that title over the competitive Labor Day Weekend (!) with 17.5 million US streams (which was down 49% from last week) and 182,000 downloads sold (which dropped 31%). And then there’s BLACKPINK, who scored a career-best rank this week as well. “Ice Cream”, thei...
Janelle Monáe Is Triumphant On New Rallying Cry ‘Turntables’
Janelle Monáe is back, and she’s turning the tables. On Tuesday (September 8), the multi-hyphenate shared an empowering new song called “Turntables,” a rousing call to change that will feature on the soundtrack of new Amazon documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy. The film centers around voter suppression and prominently features Stacey Abrams; as a result, “Turntable,” too, goes all in, with Monáe using the song’s lyrics as a platform. “I’m kicking out the old regime / Liberation, elevation, education,” she says. “America, you a lie / But the whole world ’bout to testify.” Over a soulful, minimal backbeat, Monáe packs a ton of uplifting talk of the winds of change into just under three minutes: “Burning dow...
Judas Priest Announce 50th Anniversary Photo Book
Judas Priest are commemorating their 50th anniversary in style with a 648-page coffee table photo book. Titled Judas Priest – 50 Heavy Metal Years, the title is available in four editions and available for pre-order starting September 11th. The book is a true testament to Judas Priests’ half-century run as one of the most influential and visually captivating metal bands of all-time. The photography was curated by David Silver, Ross Halfin, and Jayne Andrews and features “unseen, unpublished photographs” by Ross Halfin, Neil Zlozower, Mark Weiss, Fin Costello, Oliver Halfin, and more. The photographs will be linked by an accompanying history of the band written by Mark Blake, allowing the book to work as a photo documentary of sorts. “I’ve photographed Judas Priest from 1978 until now and o...
Homeboy Sandman and Quelle Chris Announce New Album Don’t Feed the Monster, Share “Trauma”: Stream
Queens rapper Homeboy Sandman has announced a new album, Don’t Feed the Monster, produced entirely by Detroit’s own Quelle Chris. The collaborative effort is expected to arrive October 16th via Mello Music Group. The upcoming hip-hop project consists of 15 tracks, and features one lone vocal contribution from Quelle Chris himself. According to a statement, the full-length represents a “turning point” for the two artists, who used this new music to help process and better understand their own personal struggles and complex emotions. “I was having a hard time and this record saved me,” Homeboy Sandman remarked in a statement. “Thank Quelle and thank God and shout to Gabor Maté.” Praising his friend and colleague, Quelle Chris said that Homeboy Sandman “finds balance in using his words t...
Celebrate Peanuts’ 70th Anniversary with New Vinyl of A Charlie Brown Christmas
In our house, the period from November 1st to January 2nd is affectionately known as Vince Guaraldi Trio Season. Guaraldi’s iconic jazz score to A Charlie Brown Christmas celebrates its 55th anniversary this year, even as the Peanuts comic strip marks 70 years of existence. Craft Recordings is heralding these nice round numbers with a special one-time vinyl pressing of A Charlie Brown Christmas, available September 25th. This first Charlie Brown soundtrack is already one of the best-selling jazz album in history, trailing only Miles Davis and Kind of Blue. It’s been released in multiple forms over the years, and the big draw of the new edition is the not-quite-3D lenticular album cover. Featuring a classic illustration by Charles Schulz, the artwork shows Charlie, Lucy, and ...
New Order Unveil New Song “Be a Rebel”: Stream
Since dropping their excellent album Music Complete in 2015, New Order have been zoned in on special reissues like their upcoming Power, Corruption, & Lies box set instead of recording new music. But that changes today with the release of “Be a Rebel”, a brand new single and their first original music in five years. “Be a Rebel” was originally planned to be released during New Order’s autumn tour, but the band had to postpone those dates due to the ongoing coronavirus. They’ve decided to share the track digitally anyway to uplift listeners. It’ll receive a physical release on 12-inch vinyl and CD with remixes at a later date as well. “In tough times we wanted to reach out with a new song,” said Bernard Sumner in a statement. “We can’t play live for a while, but music is still something...
