music
Scott Ian: Anthrax Won’t “Put a Record Out Until We Can Play Shows” Again
Anthrax have made it plain and simple: There will be no new album until after the COVID-19 pandemic. Many bands have released new albums throughout the pandemic, but the thrash legends believe it’s better to wait it out. Unfortunately, the spread of the virus hasn’t abated, growing worse in many parts of the United States. Drummer Charlie Benante previously said that there would be no new Anthrax album until a vaccine arrives. Guitarist Scott Ian seemed to confirm that stance in a new interview, but said the band is still working on new material. “We started writing new Anthrax last year — obviously, without a crystal ball knowing what was going to happen in the world, but with the intent of having a record out this year,” Ian siad in an interview with Knotfest.com’s “Mosh Talks With Beez”...
Palberta Announce New Album Palberta5000, Share “Before I Got Here”: Stream
Indie trio Palberta will kick off the new year with a new full-length album. Titled Palberta5000, it marks the group’s fifth overall and follow-up to Roach Going Down from 2018. Over the course of their last few records, the New York natives have earned a reputation for idiosyncratic, hard-to-categorize rock — the kind that mashes together experimental, surf rock, post-punk, punk, and more. For their forthcoming effort, however, Ani Ivry-Block, Lily Konigsberg, and Nina Ryser are pumping in more pop melodies. Palberta elaborated in a statement, “While punk music was our first love, pop music has become our fixation. Throughout the making of Palberta5000, we were focused on making music that people could not only sing along to but get stuck in their heads… that and attempting to make s...
Danger Mouse and Nigel Godrich Create New Radio App Station Rotation
Danger Mouse’s Brian Burton and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich have created a new app called Station Rotation. According to the duo, it’s a free program for artists, producers, directors, and other friends to program individually curated radio stations — not playlists, they emphasize — that can be streamed in real time within the program. Technically, the duo announced the project over social media last week, but they didn’t clearly explain what Station Rotation was at the time. Now, a press release has offered up some more specific details: Station Rotation allows Burton and Godrich’s famous friends to spin music online, and it allows fans to tune in and enjoy the music with friends who are also listening simultaneously, too. “Station creators choose their favorite songs, which (unlike ...
R.I.P. Eddie Van Halen, Legendary Guitarist of Van Halen Dead at 65
Van Halen co-founder and guitarist Eddie Van Halen has died following a long battle with throat cancer. He was 65 years old. According to TMZ, Van Halen passes away Tuesday (October 6th) at St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica, California. Edward Lodewjk Van Halen was born to Jan and Eugenia van Halen, on January 26th, 1955, in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The family, including elder brother Alex, moved to Pasadena, California, in 1962. With a father who played piano, saxophone, and clarinet, the brothers had the privilege of growing up in a musical household. He wasn’t shredding or even picking any guitars at first, though. Had things gone a different way, Van Halen might have become known for being a classical pianist. He and his brother took lessons from Stass Kalvitis, an older Russian instruc...
Lady Gaga Leads 2020 MTV EMA Nominations — BTS And Justin Bieber Aren’t Far Behind
Chromatica season is still raging. Lady Gaga‘s sixth studio album dropped in May, but its dance-ready grooves made it a key album to get through the summer, as we saw on full display at the VMAs. And now, Gaga’s reign continues: She’s the most-nominated artist at the 2020 MTV EMA, racking up seven nods, including Best Video, Best Artist, Best Pop, Best Song, and more. Gaga is followed closely behind by both BTS and Justin Bieber, who each grabbed five noms. This year’s EMA finds the show in its 27th year, and the show adds three new categories for 2020: Best Latin, Video for Good, and Best Virtual Live. The two-hour ceremony will air globally on MTV in 180 countries and territories on Sunday, November 8, 2020. Fan voting is now open at mtvema.com and will last until...
Blackpink To Light Up The Sky (And Our Screens) In New Netflix Documentary
Last Friday (October 2), the K-pop group Blackpink released their highly anticipated, debut Korean-language LP, The Album. Its eight tracks boasted a deft mixing of genres — EDM, hip-hop, pop rock — featuring high-profile collaborations with stateside superstars Cardi B (“Bet You Wanna”) and Selena Gomez (“Ice Cream”). The project marked a major career milestone for the four girls — Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa — catapulting them into the mainstream. But the road to success wasn’t always an easy one, and that hard-won journey is captured in a new documentary, hitting Netflix later this month. On Monday (October 5), the streaming giant surprise-dropped the trailer for the Caroline Suh-directed Blackpink: Light Up the Sky, which&nb...
The Antlers Release First New Song in Six Years “Wheels Roll Home”: Stream
The Antlers have returned with their first new song in over six years. It’s called “Wheels Roll Home” and, according to lead singer and songwriter Peter Silberman, it’s about the special joy of meeting up with someone you haven’t seen a while — not unlike the strange social distancing times we’re currently living through, and what fans of The Antlers likely feel about the band’s unexpected homecoming. “‘Wheels Roll Home’ is a simple song about the hopeful promise of reunion after a long time gone,” said Silberman in a statement. “It’s that feeling of finding home in someone, eager and impatient to build a life together. It’s the experience of waiting out tumultuous times, longing for stability someday.” “Wheels Roll Home” was written by Silberman and drummer Michael Lerner, with Silberman ...
Christine and the Queens Cover Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” on Piano: Watch
Christine and the Queens (photo via Instagram) and Bruce Springsteen (photo by Ben Kaye) Christine and the Queens has shared an intimate piano cover of Bruce Springsteen’s classic single “I’m on Fire”. In the caption accompanying the clip, Christine said the 1984 ballad from Born in the U.S.A. is one of the tracks she holds closest to her heart. “This is one of my favorite songs,” she wrote. “@bastien__d has a killer studio, so I went to spend a few hours there. I needed music as much as I need and miss you all. ♥️” Her cover of “I’m on Fire” is a pretty, stripped-back version where piano chords are used only when necessary, opting to let the melody notes ring out uninterrupted instead of recreating the strumming motion of the guitar. Between the minimalist instrumentati...
The War on Drugs Announce New Live Album LIVE DRUGS
The War on Drugs have announced a new live album. Titled LIVE DRUGS, it’s due out November 20th through frontman Adam Granduciel’s own Super High Quality Records. According to a statement, the 10-track effort was “culled from over 40 hard drives” of concert recordings. There are selections from across the indie rock band’s impressive catalog — including the 2008 debut Wagonwheel Blues, 2014’s Lost in the Dream, and A Deeper Understanding from 2017 — but many are captured like never before. For example, their live rendition of “Under the Pressure” features 20,000 audience members singing along to the extended guitar melody. Another inclusion, “Eyes to the Wind”, has “grown wholly independent” of the final album version. Editors’ Picks “As a band leader, I always want to know...
Bruce Springsteen Announces Letter to You Documentary for Apple TV+
October 23rd is an exciting day for Bruce Springsteen fans. In addition to releasing his new album Letter to You that day, The Boss will unveil a companion Apple TV+ documentary. Produced by Apple Original Films, Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You promises full song performances, in-studio footage, archival goodies, and a Springsteen-led look into the meaning of his new album. The iconic rocker wrote, directed, and served as executive producer on the project, with help from longtime collaborator and Springsteen On Broadway director Thom Zimny. In many ways, the documentary is also a celebration of Springsteen’s longstanding creative relationship with the E Street Band. Notably, the Letter to You album is the first project he’s released with the belove backing band follow...
Mac Miller’s Final Two Albums to Be Released as Swimming in Circles Vinyl Box Set
Mac Miller’s family has today announced a vinyl box set compiling the late rapper’s final two records, 2018’s Swimming and the posthumous Circles from earlier this year. Due out December 18th via Warner Records, Swimming in Circles brings together the two studio LPs for the first time in a limited edition package. Miller always intended the efforts to be companion releases with a continuous narrative arc. For the new box set, each album will be pressed on double-12-inch vinyl, with Swimming coming on dark blue and Circles on light blue. Housed inside a die-cut outer case, the box also includes a 12×12 booklet featuring archival photographs from the making of the albums, a 24×36 poster, and a six-panel lyric scroll. In conjunction with the announcement, Miller’s family has shared never-befo...
Guns N’ Roses Unveil “Not in This Lifetime” Pinball Machines
The post-pandemic arcade might not be the same crowded sweatbox we remember, but there will soon be at least one bright new toy for the ardent pinball fanatic. Make space in your rec room, ’cause Guns N’ Roses have announced “Not in This Lifetime” Pinball, a collaboration with Jersey Jack Pinball. The machine, available in three editions, is named after the band’s long-running reunion tour, and it’s a sight to behold. Guns N’ Roses’ iconography makes for excellent pinball graphics, with skeleton versions of the band adorning the colorful machine. GN’R guitarist Slash is an avid pinball collector and longtime player, so the collaboration with Jersey Jack, a leader in U.S. pinball manufacturing, makes sense. In fact, it’s a wonder it took so long, with other notable heavy bands like Metallic...
