Rock
Every R.E.M. Album Ranked From Worst to Best
This definitive ranking of R.E.M.’s discography first appeared in 2017, several years after the band called it quits. It will remain not only to commemorate all the great music R.E.M. has given us over the years but also to burn like a candle — and keep vigil — just in case we one day get to add to it. Either way, we’ll keep going back to Rockville until it truly is the end of the world. It’s been over 40 years since R.E.M. played their first show, a friend’s birthday party in an abandoned church in Athens, Georgia, on April 5th, 1980. It’s hard to believe that a band with a catalog we kept holstered, cocked, and ready throughout our adolescences have turned such an advanced age. (We also must acknowledge that we’ve been drifting through a slightly emptier world for some time now without A...
10 Rock Albums IDLES Thinks Every Fan Should Own
Crate Digging is a recurring feature in which we take a deep dive into a genre and turn up several albums all music fans should know about. In this edition, IDLES guitarist Mark Bowen shares his exclusive picks. 2022 was as good of a year for IDLES as it could have been. After their stunning 2021 album Crawler found them touring the world with a loaded schedule, they played Coachella, Glastonbury, toured the US twice, and, most recently, nabbed a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. Since their breakthrough in 2018 with Joy as an Act of Resistance, IDLES have been a leader among their post-punk contemporaries, and their dominance both in their native England and beyond is a testament to their position as one of the biggest rock bands of the last decade. Guitarist Mark Bowen is ...
Cardi B Covers a Fall Out Boy Classic to Ring in the New Year
A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it! Cardi B celebrated New Year’s Eve on Saturday (Dec. 31) by covering Fall Out Boy‘s seminal hit “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down.” The superstar’s delightfully emo moment came during her performance at Miami’s E11EVEN nightclub to ring in 2023. With a drink in one hand and a mic in the other, Cardi excitedly launched into the 2005 single in a fan-captured TikTok video. “Anything you wanna hear/ But that’s just who I am this week/ Lying in bed/ Next to the mausoleum,” she wailed a capella as the crowd excitedly sang along. “Cardi b singing fall out boy first thing after midnight on new year’s day is exactly how i wanted to start my year,” the TikTok user wrote on the clip, which also features Offset on stage, playing to a different part of the packed crowd. ...
Foo Fighters Will Be a ‘Different Band Going Forward’ Without Taylor Hawkins, Group Says in 2022 Year-End Note
Foo Fighters say they will continue as a “different band going forward” following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. The Dave Grohl-fronted rock band took to social media on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31) to share a heartfelt message about the challenges of 2022 and offer a glimpse into what the future may hold for the group. “As we say goodbye to the most difficult and tragic year that our band has ever known, we are reminded of how thankful we are for the people that we love and cherish most, and for the loved ones who are no longer with us,” the Foos began their statement on Twitter. “Foo Fighters were formed 27 years ago to represent the healing power of music and a continuation of life. And for the past 27 years out fans have built a worldwide community, a devoted support system that has ...
Foo Fighters Tease Return in New Year’s Eve Message
In a New Year’s Eve message to fans, Foo Fighters said “goodbye to the most difficult and tragic year that our band has ever known,” while also teasing their eventual return. Nine months after the tragic passing of drummer Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters seemingly confirmed their intent to move forward as a band. “Without Taylor, we would never have become the band that we were – and without Taylor we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward,” the band wrote. “We also know that you, the fans, meant as much to Taylor as he meant to you. And we know that when we see you again — and we will soon — he’ll be there in spirit with us every night,” the band’s statement continued. Advertisement Since Hawkins’ passing in March 2022, Foo Fighters’ only activity has come in the form of ...
Every Album by The Replacements Ranked From Worst to Best
This feature originally ran in August 2013, but we’re dusting it off in celebration of Paul Westerberg’s birthday on December 31st. Welcome to Dissected, where we disassemble a band’s catalog, a director’s filmography, or some other critical pop-culture collection in the abstract. It’s exact science by way of a few beers. This time, we sort through the best and worst of everyone’s favorite Trouble Boys. “Whose side are you on?” That’s the age-old question Paul Westerberg asks on “Left of the Dial” off of Tim. While he wasn’t exactly talking to his fans, he just as well could have been. At the time, the Minneapolis bard was already one foot in the door of another new era for The Replacements, a polarizing chapter that would see the band wave goodbye to their blitzkrieg of boozy basement pun...
A Figure Skater Just Recreated Wednesday Addams‘ ’Goo Goo Muck’ Dance on Ice
Kamila Valieva took the 2023 Russian Figure Staking Championships by storm last week by performing a routine to The Cramps‘ “Goo Goo Muck” dressed as Wednesday Addams. Starting outside the edge of the rink, the 16-year-old sensation nailed her recreation of the herky-jerky dance on the Jenna Ortega-led Netflix series — all the way down to the hand motions, gothic party dress and long black pigtails. “When the sun goes down and the moon comes up/ I turn into a teenage goo goo muck/ Yeah, I cruise through the city and I roam the streets/ Looking for something that is nice to eat,” Lux Interior’s voice sang as Valieva executed the choreography flawlessly and the audience in the stands clapped along to the beat. Then, halfway through the program, Valieva went full TikTok as the music abruptly ...
Foo Fighters’ 10 Best Covers
Covers have always been an integral part of the Foo Fighters lore. From Dave Grohl’s early demo doodling to extended live medleys to the late Taylor Hawkins’ fan-favorite side project Chevy Metal, the Foo’s love to pay homage to their influences — and have a damn good time while doing it too. Put simply, Foo Fighters just love music, and they can’t help but indulge in the sugary goodness of a cover. It’s as if there’s a cosmic pull willing them to perform the music they love but didn’t write. Like their multiple documentaries on the music-making process and their B-movie slasher flick, the band looks to revel in the magic and pure fun of music. Of course, a pillar of this rock-as-gospel mentality was the band’s celebrated long-time drummer Taylor Hawkins. While his aforementioned Chev...
Courtney Love: Lana Del Rey and Kurt Cobain “Are the Only Two True Musical Geniuses”
Courtney Love showered Lana Del Rey with the ultimate praise in a new interview, likening the pop singer to her late husband Kurt Cobain. “Lana and Kurt are the only two true musical geniuses I’ve ever known,” Love said during an appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast (via Stereogum). “And by that I mean they can Spielberg anything.” Love specifically cited Lana Del Rey reciting Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and Nirvana covering Meat Puppets on MTV Unplugged as examples of how the two musicians “Spielberged” it. “[Del Rey’s] got the integrity that Kurt had,” Love added. “The only two people I know that I can say… By the way, [Michael] Stipe? Bono? Yes, these are people that I know and love. Billie Joe [Armstrong], sure. But Lana? She’s got a magic thing. And she’s not even fucked up.” Advertisemen...
Modest Mouse’s Jeremiah Green Diagnosed With Stage 4 Cancer
Jeremiah Green, drummer for rock band Modest Mouse, has been diagnosed with stage four cancer. The 45-year-old’s mother Carol Namatame took to Facebook on Christmas (Dec. 25) to share the news, without specifying the type of cancer her son has. “Please send healing vibes for my son, Jeremiah Green, who is battling stage 4 cancer. He’s is so strong and so brave and hanging in there!” she wrote alongside photos of the rocker. Radio host Marco Collins also shared a bit more information on Facebook, noting that due to chemotherapy treatments, Green pulled out of the band’s recently wrapped tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough sophomore album, The Lonesome Crowded West. “Despite having a stage 4 diagnosis, his prognosis is good! Also his oncologist is a big MM fan (s...
Dave Grohl and Friends Cover Randy Newman’s “I Love LA”: Watch
Winter, that occasionally charming burden, is not shared equally, as Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin reminded us on the eighth and final night of Hanukkah with their cover of Randy Newman’s “I Love LA.” Like previous covers in Season 3 of the Hanukkah Series, “I Love LA” was recorded live at Los Angeles’ Largo at the Coronet on December 5th. At the time they couldn’t have known that the midwest and northeast would be blitzed with snow storms at the end of the month. But right now, if you call one of those area home, it’s hard not take personally lyrics such as, “Hate New York City/ It’s cold and it’s damp,” and “Let’s leave Chicago to the Eskimos.” Dave, Greg, we hope you get sunburn. A note accompanying the cover’s release reads, “Merry Christmukkah! Our nondenominational gift ...
Listen to Magic Pills’ Deep House Remix of U2’s “Ordinary Love”
Multi-instrumentalist and electronic producer Magic Pills has released a deep house spin on U2’s 2013 track, “Ordinary Love.” Almost 10 years have passed since the original’s release as part of the iconic soundtrack of Nelson Mandela’s biographical drama, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, so Magic Pills reimagined it with dance elements to honor the anniversary. He takes the rock song to new heights, replacing the original guitar melody with a more brisk, driving rhythm and funky riffs. The upbeat, deep house result reflects the song’s emotive message. “In the case of U2, it was very important to save the energy that Bono invested in lyrics, but at the same time I wanted to make it deeper,” Magic Pills said in a statement. “Listening to the chorus, where Bo...
