Alternative Rock
Thom Yorke Shares Playlist of His First Sonos Radio Mix: Stream
Those who are looking for something a little more mellow than music livestreams and drive-in concerts will be pleased to know Radiohead’s singer has got your back. Thom Yorke has shared a playlist of the songs he played on his first Sonos Radio mix. Stream it below via Apple Music and Spotify. As previously announced, Yorke is curating his own 24-hour station on Sonos called “In the Absence Thereof”, a sampling of which has made it onto this new playlist, aptly titled “In the Absence Thereof…v1″. The music spans the full genre spectrum, with the common theme being that it’s an “ever-rolling compilation” with material “that fascinates or moves” him. Earlier this morning, Yorke shared the playlist on Twitter, writing, “Thought you may be interested in the tracks that made up my first Sonos r...
Japandroids Announce First-Ever Live Album Massey Fucking Hall
Canadian rockers Japandroids will usher in the summer season with their first-ever live album. Titled Massey Fucking Hall, it’s due out June 19th digitally and on vinyl October 2nd. The forthcoming album is named after Massey Hall, the renowned Toronto venue where it was recorded. There are 12 songs altogether, culled from the duo’s three different albums. Included are “No Known Drink or Drug” and “Arc of Bar”, off the most recent Japandroids LP, 2017’s Near to the Wild Heart of Life. There’s also “Younger Us” and “The House That Heaven Built”, a favorite off 2012’s Celebration Rock and one of the best songs of the last decade. Additionally, the band’s now-classic 2009 debut, Post-Nothing, is well-represented with singles like “Heart Sweats” and “Young Hearts Spark Fire”. “We never thought...
Radiohead Streaming 1994 Show Live at the Astoria on YouTube: Watch
It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time for another entry in Radiohead’s quarantine concert series. Today, May 28th, the rockers are unlocking footage of their famous 1994 London show Live at the Astoria. Tune in below beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT. Coming as it did a little over a year after Pablo Honey and ten months before the classic The Bends, this set captured Radiohead in a liminal moment. Still riding high on the unexpected success of “Creep”, the band was already transitioning away from their early, grunge-derivative sound to the galactic rock that would define them in the second half of the ’90s. Live at the Astoria is notable as the first officially recorded performance of many future classics, including “Fake Plastic Trees”, “Black Star”, “My Iron Lung”, and “S...
The Raconteurs Announce New Documentary and Live EP, Both Due Out Friday
Lockdown just got a bit easier thanks to The Raconteurs, who have announced the imminent release of a new documentary film and live EP. Both are titled Live at Electric Lady and due out this Friday, May 29th. The two projects capture The Raconteurs’ intimate concert event at Electric Lady studios, the legendary New York space where frontman Jack White and The White Stripes have previously recorded. Judging by the trailer seen below, the 60-minute doc and Spotify-exclusive live EP will feature favorites from across Raconteurs’ catalog, including some off last year’s Help Us Stranger album. The garage rockers also churn out a cover of Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ 1977 punk classic “Blank Generation” (Hell contributed to the first release from White’s Third Man Books). “Everyone who is a mu...
Barenaked Ladies’ Steven Page on a Potential New Album
Kyle Meredith With… Steven Page Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Barenaked Ladies singer-songwriter Steven Page gives Kyle Meredith a call to discuss his new single “Isolation”, in addition to Here’s What it Takes, the musical he’s been working on for the past seven years that was about to open right before the global pandemic. He also dives into his history of theatrical writing, recently teaming up with Broadway stars for an online collaboration, and performing a show with his own son. Page also talks about the success of his home shows over Zoom, and says he has an album’s worth of songs that could hopefully see the light of day sooner than later. Kyle Meredith With… is an ...
Rose McGowan on Planet 9 and Building a Better World
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Radio Public | Stitcher This week, This Must Be the Gig is joined by actor, filmmaker, musician, and fearless activist Rose McGowan. Known for her roles in films like Scream and Jawbreaker and TV shows like Charmed, Rose’s recent life has been dedicated to bringing the horrors of abusers such as Harvey Weinstein to light and to justice—a subject she faces with boundless fortitude. Most recently, she has turned her passion towards making music, namely the new album Planet 9. Rose envisioned this alternate planet as a child, and has shared an album encapsulating the feeling of hope, escape, and light for herself and for listeners as a comfort, solace, and respite. In this chat, Rose and host Lior...
Gorillaz Celebrate 20-Year Visual History with New Almanac
It’s been over 20 years since the birth of Gorillaz, and co-creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett are celebrating the visual side of the project with a giant “almanac” due out this October. The Gorillaz Almanac, published by Z2 Comics, will contain over 120 pages of full-color illustrations by Hewlett, including exclusive new artwork, games, puzzles, and the first-ever comic strip to star the virtual band members: 2D, Noodle, Murdoc Niccals and Russel Hobbs. Appearances from guests spanning multiple eras of Gorillaz are also promised. The standard edition of the book comes packaged with a CD copy of “season one” of their 2020 Song Machine project, which has thus far produced tracks like “Momentary Bliss” (featuring slowthai and Slaves), “Désolé” featuring Fatoumata Diawara, and “Ari...
A Perfect Circle’s Mer de Noms Escaped Tool’s Shadow 20 Years Ago
Outside of a few major examples — such as Dashboard Confessional, Audioslave, CSNY, Foo Fighters, Gorillaz, The Mars Volta, Cream, and Led Zeppelin — side projects, supergroups, and spin-offs are rarely as triumphant as the bands from which they originate. Of course, Californian troupe A Perfect Circle — founded by Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan and former Tool guitar tech Billy Howerdel — must be added to that list. Over the past 20 years, and through four studio albums and numerous major tours, they’ve amassed a following that rivals those of any of the members’ outside endeavors. (Some fans even prefer APC to Tool, and for understandable reasons.) True, their subsequent records offer stronger hooks, more decorative instrumentation, and a greater emphasis on overtly political and/or ...
Whitney Team with Waxahatchee to Cover John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”: Stream
Chicago band Whitney has released a new cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” featuring the searing guest vocals of Waxahatchee. As if that weren’t enough, Whitney has also served up a version of the R&B classic “Rain” by SWV. While these two covers come from very different sonic backgrounds, together they help demonstrate the range of Whitney’s rock and country-soul sound. Drummer/vocalist Julien Ehrlich brings “Take Me Home, Country Roads” up an octave, allowing his relaxed tenor to float above those iconic southern riffs. For Waxahatchee, aka Katie Crutchfield, this kind of melody is her bread and butter. Her voice obliterates his when they join together for the chorus. But this happens when one half of the duet has a bigger natural instrument than the other, and the ...
Gerry Cinnamon on the Songwriting Influence of Insomnia, Neil Young, and Reservoir Dogs
Kyle Meredith With.. Gerry Cinnamon Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Gerry Cinnamon calls up Kyle Meredith to discuss his sophomore LP, The Bonny. The Scottish singer-songwriter, who is seeing massive success in the UK, talks about what it’s like to achieve this kind of fame in his 30s, the DIY road that he follows, and how he sees songwriting as a lost art form. Cinnamon also goes on to talk about how Reservoir Dogs, Neil Young’s Powderfinger, and his bouts of insomnia have influenced his career and songs. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Meredith digs deep into the a...
10 Matty Healy Lyrics Every 1975 Fan Knows by Heart
The lights go out, but suddenly everyone starts screaming. From the fog, a neon rectangle — or black and white depending on the era — lowers down and illuminates the stage. Screaming is still happening, of course, until you hear the infamous lines: “go down, soft sound.” Over the past seven years, for the hundreds, maybe thousands of shows they’ve played, The 1975 begins each set in the same exhilarating manner. But for longtime fans, the theatrics are no longer just a spectacle: they’re a routine. This is The 1975 live show experience. Whether it be their 2013 teenage angst-ridden debut, their ‘80s pop sophomore LP, or the more recent culture critique within their third album, The 1975’s live shows are essentially exhibitions, or better yet, manifestations of the general motifs and themes...
STRFKR on Having Their Music Played in Space
Kyle Meredith With… STRFKR Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS STRFKR frontman Joshua Hodges speaks with Kyle Meredith about the group’s surprise new record, Future Past Life. The Portland-based singer-songwriter discusses how the record finds the band taking a more acoustic-led direction, the raw honesty in the lyrics, and the dark stories that make up the set. Hodges also talks about having an astronaut fan who took their music to space and how they repaid the favor with a few Easter eggs. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Meredith digs deep into the artist’s work ...
