Gorillaz (David Brendan Hall), Tame Impala, and The Strokes (Carlo Cavaluzzi) to play Primavera Sound 2021 Good things come to those who wait: Primavera Sound has unveiled the lineup for its rescheduled 20th anniversary festival, and it’s even more stacked than before. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Barcelona, Spain music festival was forced to push back its celebratory 20th edition to 2021. Festival organizers put that time in quarantine to good use, as they’ve managed to expand an already impressive lineup with several exciting additions. Joining previously confirmed acts including Pavement, The Strokes, Iggy Pop, Beck, The National, and Tyler the Creator are Gorillaz, Tame Impala, FKA twigs, Charli XCX, and Jamie xx. Also set to play Primavera Sound in 2021 are Bad Bunny, Bikini ...
In our new music feature Origins, artists are given the chance to offer listeners insight into what brought about their latest track. Today, The Lemon Twigs map out how they got to the “Moon”. Despite being on lockdown like the rest of us, The Lemon Twigs are making 2020 a busy year. Last month, they released their surprise benefit album LIVE, and after a slight delay, they’ll drop their new proper full-length, Songs for the General Public, on August 21st via 4AD. They teased the LP with the kaleidoscopic lead single “The One” in March, and today they’re delivering a second shot with “Moon”. The Lemon Twigs’ Michael D’Addario may describe the tune as a perfecting of the band’s “dumpster sound” (more on the later), but trust he means that with all positivity. Ringing from the back...
Queen’s Brian May revealed Monday that he recently suffered a small heart attack earlier this month, and was rushed to the hospital by his doctor. The incident came amidst other notable health concerns for the legendary guitarist. A few weeks ago, May revealed on Instagram that he had torn his gluteus maximus muscle in his buttocks during a “moment of over-enthusiastic gardening”. In his new video message, the guitarist admitted he was “pissed off” by the “Brian May Is a Pain in the Bum”-type headlines. While May did indeed tear his gluteus maximus, he said that he found out later, after another MRI, that the excruciating pain he described at the time actually came from a severely compressed sciatic nerve. “That’s why I had a feeling that someone was putting a screwdriver in my back,” he e...
Lana Del Rey took to Instagram on Friday to announce a new album and poetry collection — but the message was largely lost in the context of the rest of the post. The singer drew the Internet’s ire for framing a rebuff against critics by comparing herself to other female singers, mostly naming women of color like Doja Cat and Beyoncé, “who have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, fucking, cheating, etc.” Meanwhile, Del Rey argued, she is met with allegations of glamorizing abuse “when in reality I’m just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent abusive relationships all over the world,” The pop star insisted that modern feminism should allow for her point of view, too: “There has to be a place...
A release date for Bright Eyes’ new comeback album still hasn’t been set, but that has stopped Conor Oberst and co. from teasing their fans with new music. Following “Persona Non Grata” and “Forced Convalescence”, the reunited outfit is now sharing “One and Done”, and single that once again features cameos from members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Queens of the Stone Age. Similar to last month’s “Forced Convalescence”, today’s offering sees RHCP’s Flea on bass and additional percussion courtesy of QOTSA drummer Jon Theodore. Also like the preceding single, Oberst can be heard ruminating on the current state of the world — specifically the bleakness of its collapse and final days. “This whole town looks empty but we knew it wouldn’t last/ Behind b...
Since March 10th, a Bolivian orchestra has been stranded in the German palace at Rheinsberg. According to the BBC, the medieval palace is a moated castle, surrounded by “23 packs of wolves,” which is said to be haunted by Frederick the Great. In early March, the Orquesta Experimental de Instrumentos Nativos flew to Germany to perform three concerts and see some sights, with the total trip expected to last a little over two weeks. Many of the group’s young members had never been out of Bolivia before. But as their plane landed, the orchestra learned that the Berlin region of Germany had announced bans on large gatherings of people. One member, identified as Carlos, recalled an ominous omen. “Our bus broke down on the motorway. I remember joking that this was bad luck and perhaps our concert...
Jimmy Cobb, the veteran jazz drummer best known for his work alongside Miles Davis on 1959’s Kind of Blue, has died at the age of 91. According to NPR, Cobb passed away Sunday, May 24th, at his home in Manhattan. The cause of death was lung cancer. Cobb was the last surviving member of Miles Davis’ First Great Sextet, which also included saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, pianist Bill Evans, and bassist Paul Chambers. The sextet appeared on Davis’ landmark Kind of Blue, widely considered the best-selling jazz record of all time. Cobb also drummed for Davis on several other albums, including Porgy and Bess, 1958 Miles, Sketches of Spain, and In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk. Additionally, he appeared on Coltrane’s Giant Steps and Coltrane Jazz,...
Earlier this month, Grimes and Elon Musk welcomed a healthy baby boy, and they promptly set him up for years of therapy by naming him X Æ A-12. Now, without much explanation, the child has undergone a rebranding: X Æ A-Xii. There, that clears things up, doesn’t it? Via The Guardian, there’s been speculation that the child’s original name violated California law, which stipulates that only the 26 letters of the alphabet can be used. The new appellation would seem to fit the rule of law, swapping as it does a 12 for an Xii. Neither Musk nor Grimes has confirmed this as the reason, though in responding to an Instagram comment about the CA mandate, Grimes wrote, “Roman numerals. Looks better tbh.” Using the roman numerals for 12 instead of the modern English symbols won’t change...
Bucky Baxter, the veteran steel guitarist known for his extensive work with Bob Dylan and Steve Earle, has died at the age of 65. According to Rolling Stone, Baxter passed away Monday, May 26th, at his home in Sanibel Island, Florida. A cause of death was not immediately made available. Baxter played on several Steve Earle albums released during the 1980s and early 1990s, including Guitar Town, Exit 0, and Copperhead Road. Baxter was also a founding member of Earle’s backing band The Dukes. While on tour with Earle in the early 1990’s, Baxter met Bob Dylan, who asked Baxter to teach him how to play steel guitar. Not long after, Baxter was invited to join Dylan’s “Never Ending Tour” and would remain a frequent presence on the road for the next decade. All told, Baxter backed Dylan for ...
Faith No More were due to embark on a European tour this summer, their first such outing in four years. However, due to the ongoing outbreak, the band has rescheduled all of those dates for 2021. The new itinerary sees their overseas concerts pushed back almost exactly 12 months. Now set for June and July 2021, these gigs include Berlin, Oslo, Amsterdam, and two-night stints in both London and Manchester. All currently held tickets will remain valid for next year, and refunds will also be available upon request. According to a statement, an announcement regarding Faith No More’s imminent North American tour with Korn, set to launch this August, is forthcoming. Editors’ Picks Last week, it was announced that Faith No More’s shows with System of a Down and Korn, previously marked for t...
One half of the jazz-funk project Knower, Genevieve Artadi dropped her solo debut, genevieve lalala, back in 2015. Five years later, she’s announced her sophomore album under her own name, the serendipitously named Dizzy Strange Summer. Due out July 17th via Brainfeeder, the 16-track LP is being previewed today with the lead single, “Living Like I Know I’m Gonna Die”. Though not what’s become known as a “quarantine album,” Dizzy Strange Summer does reflect the world’s current state in both its title and themes. The collection’s 16 songs were written while Artadi was experiencing a personal upheaval, not unlike many of us are going through now. “I was pretty lost,” she said in a press release. “But enjoying feeling lost.” Helping the psychedelic jazz artist find her way on the LP were ...