music
UNICEF, Patoranking re-release Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Patoranking, a popular Nigerian musician and some other artistes, on Friday re-released the late Bob Marley’s iconic song, “One Love.” This is contained in a statement signed by UNICEF Abuja, Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships officer, Oluwatosin Akingbulu. Mr Akingbulu said that proceeds from the song and related activities would be used to support “Reimagine”, UNICEF’s new global campaign. He said the campaign was organised to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming a lasting crisis for children and to ensure the post-pandemic world was fairer and more equal for every child. “The release is to support UNICEF’s work to reimagine a fairer, more just world for children whose lives had been upended by the COVID-19 pa...
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine to Release Rust in Peace Book with Foreword by Slash
Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has set a September 8th release date for his upcoming book, Rust in Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece. The 208-page tome features a foreword by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. This isn’t Mustaine’s first foray into the world of literature. He released his excellent autobiography, Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir, back in 2010. For his new book, Mustaine centers on the classic 1990 LP, which many consider Megadeth’s finest artistic achievement. Based on the publisher’s synopsis, the book gives thorough first-hand insight into the making of the album, including “the process of hiring the band and supporting cast, of trying to handle the ensuing success, and ultimately the pressure of fame and fortune-which caused the band to finally break-u...
Drake Is A ‘Popstar,’ Not A Doctor, On Flexing New Khaled Collab
“I’m a pop star, but this shit ain’t bubblegum / You would probably think my manager is Scooter Braun.” That’s what Drake raps a minute into “Popstar,” an airy new collab with DJ Khaled that dropped on Friday (July 17). It was just one of Aubrey’s several references to, you guessed it, pop stars — “Look, Ariana, Selena, my Visa / It can take as many charges as it needs to” and “Shit don’t even usually get this big without a Bieber face” — as well as one of two songs the pair released simultaneously. The more melodic “Greece,” meanwhile, finds Drake accessing a much higher vocal register than he’s been showcasing lately. It’s a breezy piece of escapist trap&B that finds the, ahem, pop s...
Beabadoobee’s Dreamy Statement, Monsta X’s Three-Minute Escape, And More Songs We Love
From burning down houses to cheating on dishonest lovers, country singer Miranda Lambert has never strayed away from exploring the darker spectrum of emotions in her music, as opposed to the idyllic, beer-battered, truck-loving fare that usually takes up space in the genre. It’s significant, then, that her latest single “Bluebird” is inherently hopeful, while still combatting themes that ring universal. Partially inspired by a Charles Bukowski poem, it’s a self-love anthem wrapped in self-assured zingers like “If the house just keeps on winning / I got a wildcard up my sleeve” and “If love keeps giving me lemons / I’ll just mix ’em in my drink.” The idea of feeling caged but taking the good with the bad feels especially timely, as we all struggle to find ways to channel the bluebird in our...
The End Of Oliver Tree As We Know Him
In late 1999, the pro wrestler Dustin Runnels was fed up with his employer, World Championship Wrestling. The ratings for its flagship program, WCW Monday Nitro, consistently sagged behind that of its competition, WWE, and in under two years, WWE would acquire the failing enterprise and absorb many of its superstars. But before then, WCW pulled out nearly every ploy in an attempt to reinvigorate itself to viewers — like letting Runnels trash the company on live television. Clad in a long, leather trench coat and white face paint, Runnels entered the ring on Nitro to debut a new persona named “Seven,” but he quickly broke character to skewer his bosses. “They’ve dressed me up like Uncle Fester to play trick or treat all year long,” he said, seething. He bemoane...
Ihsahn Announces Pharos EP, Shares New Song “Spectre at the Feast”: Stream
Black metal legend Ihsahn has set a September release for Pharos, the second of two companion EPs. In advance of the EP, he has shared the music video for lead single “Spectre at the Feast”. Pharos, due September 11th, concludes the two-part EP concept dedicated to Ihsahn’s home country of Norway. Following the February’s five-song Telemark EP, Pharos is billed as a “reverse image” of its counterpart. The EPs see Ihsahn drawing inspiration from the black metal he helped proliferate in his influential band Emperor, as well as other styles and genres. According to Ihsahn, this second EP is the “aesthetic and musical counterpart, wherein I can distill all those more progressive, experimental and mellow elements of my music.” The press release refers to it as “the light to Telemark‘s dark.” Th...
Sylvan Esso Return with Mysterious New Song “What If”: Stream
This past spring brought us WITH, a thrilling live album and concert film from Sylvan Esso. Now, the indie pop duo is back with proper new music in the form of “What If”. The group’s first all-new offering in over two years is soft-spoken and sparse, with singer Amelia Meath’s slightly synthesized vocals floating lightly over glitchy piano. Though only a little over 90 seconds long, its message is clear: What if the things we thought we knew weren’t true at all? “What if darkness was light?” Meath asks early on. Hear it for yourself below via a video that shows Meath bobbing around in a body of water Editors’ Picks “What If” doesn’t appear on any streaming services, only on YouTube and over on the group’s social media, some of which has been scrubbed clean. Sylvan Esso haven’t provid...
Illuminati Hotties Unveil New Mixtape Free I.H.: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting For: Stream
Illuminati Hotties have unveiled the new mixtape Free I.H.: This Is Not The One You’ve Been Waiting For. Stream it below with Apple Music and Spotify. With humor, compassion, and thrashing guitars, Illuminati Hotties have become synonymous with Los Angeles’ “tenderpunk” movement. Free I.H. is the follow-up to 2018’s Kiss Yr Frenemies, and was written during a messy breakup with indie label Tiny Engines. The label engaged in some, uh, questionable accounting practices, and like so much kick-ass punk music, Free I.H. comes from a place of getting royally (or royalty) fucked. Bandleader Sarah Tudzin wrote the mixtape in February, before COVID-19 had become a global nightmare. In an interview with Stereogum, she spoke of composing songs about a messed-up world, and th...
Pose‘s Dyllón Burnside Breaks The ‘Silence’ With His Debut Single
Though Dyllón Burnside is perhaps best known for his performance in Ryan Murphy’s groundbreaking series Pose as Ricky, a young newcomer to the House of Evangelista — then Wintour — in the dramatized reimagining of Harlem’s ‘80s ballroom scene, his artistic merits are by no means limited to the screen. His earliest passion, rather, was music: By the time he was 12, Burnside was already touring cross-country, even playing Madison Square Garden in New York, as the central singer in a three-piece hip-hop boy band called 3D. Now, at 31, the multi-hyphenate performer is returning to those roots. He makes his solo musical debut with the new single, “Silence,” a slow-grooving track, premiering on MTV News, that boasts clear R&B influences. A metronomic beat clicks over soulful electronic produ...
The National’s Matt Berninger Reveals New Solo Single “Distant Axis”: Stream
On October 2nd, The National frontman Matt Berninger will release his debut solo album, Serpentine Prison. After first previewing the LP by unveiling its title track, Berninger has now unveiled a second teaser track in “Distant Axis”. The song was co-written by The Walkmen’s Walter Martin. In a statement, Berninger discussed the collaboration, saying, “II met Walter Martin fifteen years ago when The National opened for The Walkmen on a tour of shitty clubs in the American Southeast. On that tour I learned a lot about how to be in a band without ruining your life. I also learned a lot about Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. Walt and I have stayed friends and about three years ago we started passing ideas back and forth. ‘Distant Axis’ started from a sketch Walt sent me named ‘Savann...
Nicolas Jaar Unveils New Album Telas: Stream
Nicolas Jaar, photo by S. Hyuj/Somnath Bhatt Electronic music composer Nicolas Jaar is back today with his new album, Telas. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. The record serves as Jaar’s third full-length of 2020, following his March album Cenizas and February’s 2017-2019, an industrial techno record he released under his Against All Logic alter ego. The 60-minute Telas is broken up into four distinct parts — “Telahora”, “Telencima”, “Telahumo”, and “Telallás” — one of which was already shared by Jaar back in May during a Radio Alhara performance. Additional musical contributions come courtesy of cellist Milena Punzi, vocalist Susanna Gonzo, and instrument makers Anna Ippolito and Marzio Zorio, with mastering being handled by Heba Kadry. In addition to a...
Joey Bada$$ Reveals New Project The Light Pack: Stream
Joey Bada$$ has returned with his first solo release in three years. The project, titled The Light Pack, is streaming in full below via Apple Music or Spotify. The long-awaited follow-up to All AmeriKKKan Bada$$ consists of three new songs: “The Light (Mind)”, “No Explanation (Body)”, and “Shine (Soul)”. According to social media posts teasing the release, this bundle serves as a “rebirth” for the Brooklyn rapper, which likely means it’s a precursor to a full album and not than just a standalone effort. Since his last proper full-length in 2017, Joey released a collaborative album as part of Beast Coast, a supergroup featuring members of Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies, and The Underachievers. The MC’s also been particularly busy with TV projects; in addition to portraying Inspectah Deck in...
