Grooveshark Ceases Operations

The streaming service Grooveshark announced on its website tonight that it will be shutting down permanently owing to the company's failure to obtain licenses for the vast majority of music on the site.

As Exclaim reports, Grooveshark faced a $17 Billion lawsuit that was organized by a coalition of major labels in 2011. Earlier this month, a judge ruled that Grooveshark had willfully violated the copy write on thousands of songs, and could potentially owe multiple millions of dollars in damages. Grooveshark's shut down is effective immediately.

In the official announcement on the Grooveshark website, the company wrote:

Dear music fans,

Today we are shutting down Grooveshark.

We started out nearly ten years ago with the goal of helping fans share and discover music. But despite best of intentions, we made very serious mistakes. We failed to secure licenses from rights holders for the vast amount of music on the service.

That was wrong. We apologize. Without reservation.

As part of a settlement agreement with the major record companies, we have agreed to cease operations immediately, wipe clean all the data on our servers and hand over ownership of this website, our mobile apps and intellectual property, including our patents and copyrights.

At that time of our launch, few music services provided the experience we wanted to offer ­and think you deserve. Fortunately, that's no longer the case. There are now hundreds of fan friendly, affordable services available for you to choose from, including Spotify, Deezer, Google Play, Beats Music, Rhapsody and Rdio, among many others.

If you love music and respect the artists, songwriters and everyone else who makes great music possible, use a licensed service that compensates artists and other rights holders. You can find out more about the many great services available where you live here: http://ift.tt/1OKrOnK.

It has been a privilege getting to know so many of you and enjoying great music together. Thank you for being such passionate fans.

Yours in music,
Your friends at Grooveshark
April 30, 2015

 Read our article on Tidal and the Elusive Promise of Streaming Music.

via Molly Beauchemin

Best Coast Stream California Nights

Photo by Janell Shirtcliff

Best Coast's new album, California Nights, is out May 5 via Harvest. Now, they're streaming the album ahead of time at Tumblr. Check it out here.

Previously, the band shared "Feeling OK", "Heaven Sent", and the title track.

Watch Best Coast shop for dad rock with Pitchfork.tv:

via Jeremy Gordon

New Arthur Russell Album Corn On the Way; Hear "Ocean Movie" Now

Front page photo by Tom Lee // courtesy of Audika Records

Steve Knutson started Audika Records in 2004 to release officially sanctioned archival material by the late Arthur Russell. The last one was 2008's Love Is Overtaking Me. On June 9, the label will release Corn, a collection of nine previously unreleased songs Russell recorded in 1982 and 1983. Listen to "Ocean Movie" from the album below.

Knutson put together Corn using Russell's original 1/4" tape masters. This material made it to test pressings in 1985, but none were released. The songs are largely solo works with Russell providing cello, keyboards, rhythm machine programming, vocals, and production. The album also features Mustafa Ahmed (percussion), Peter Zummo (trombone), and Rik Albani (trumpet).

The songs were recorded between 1982's 24→24 Music (as Dinosaur L) and his 1983 works Tower of Meaning and Loose Joints' "Tell You Tooday". The 2004 album Calling Out of Context featured four songs culled from the same sessions as the nine tracks on Corn (“The Deer In The Forest Part 1”, “The Platform on the Ocean”, “Calling Out Of Context”, and “I Like You!”).

Last year, Russell was honored in a Red Hot tribute compilation featuring Sufjan Stevens, Robyn, Hot Chip, Blood Orange, Phosphorescent, Jose Gonzalez, Devendra Banhart, Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry, Scissor Sisters, Cults, and others.

Corn:

01 Lucky Cloud
02 Corn
03 Keeping Up
04 See My Brother, He's Jumping Out (Let's Go Swimming #2)
05 This Is How We Walk on the Moon
06 Corn (Continued)
07 Hiding Your Present From You
08 They and Their Friends
09 Ocean Movie

via Evan Minsker

Kurt Cobain Plays With Frances Bean In New Montage of Heck Teaser

This morning on NBC's "Today", Montage of Heck director Brett Morgen unveiled new footage from his forthcoming Kurt Cobain documentary. A short clip features Cobain playing with his daughter, Frances. Watch it below via "Today".

Morgan spoke more about his relationship with Francis and her involvement with the movie. "It was really a tribute to Frances," he said. "And when I met with France the first time, she shook my hand and said, ‘I just met you but already I know you more than I know my father’… And we sat down and she said, ‘Listen here’s the thing, everywhere I go in life, people are always saying you’re dad’s the greatest and he’s like Santa Claus.. Whatever you do, keep it real. Keep it honest. Let’s tell the truth. But use the art to tell the story.'"

HBO will air Montage of Heck on May 4. It is screening in select theaters now.

Read our review of Montage of Heck from Sundance.

via Corban Goble

Toro Y Moi Spends Time at the Grocery Store in His "Lilly" Video

Toro Y Moi's Chaz Bundick has shared the latest music video from the new album What For?. "Lilly" is directed by HARRYS and largely takes place inside a grocery store. In the clip, he's pelted with food, lounges in the grass, and no matter what, he never takes his facial expression beyond "deadpan". Watch it below via Ray-Ban.

Watch Toro Y Moi perform "Say That" at the 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival:

via Evan Minsker

Titus Andronicus Announce New Album The Most Lamentable Tragedy, Share "Dimed Out" Lyric Video

Titus Andronicus have announced a new studio album, their first since 2012's Local Business. It's called The Most Lamentable Tragedy, which theatre buffs will recognize as another Shakespeare reference. That's the cover art above, which was done by Nolen Strals. They've also shared the lyric video for a new song called "Dimed Out". Watch it below. 

The Most Lamentable Tragedy will be out July 28 via Merge as a 2xCD and 3xLP. (The band's last two LPs were released on XL.) In 2013, Patrick Stickles said their next record would be a 30-song rock opera. 

The band will also play a string of album release shows at Brooklyn's Shea Stadium, which take place July 24-28.

A photo posted by Titus Andronicus (@titus_ndronicus) onApr 30, 2015 at 6:03am PDT

Watch them do "Still Life With Hot Deuce on Silver Platter":

via Jeremy Gordon

Titus Andronicus Share New Song "Dimed Out"

Titus Andronicus have shared a new song called "Dimed Out". You can listen to it below via Spotify; that's the attached art. 

Titus Andronicus' last album was 2012's Local Business. In 2013, Patrick Stickles said their next record would be a 30-song rock opera. According to Rdio, "Dimed Out" comes to us via Merge. (Their last two LPs were released on XL.) Stickles also posted a photo on Instagram that features a Merge sticker in the foreground. 

A photo posted by Titus Andronicus (@titus_ndronicus) onApr 30, 2015 at 6:03am PDT

Watch them do "Still Life With Hot Deuce on Silver Platter":

via Jeremy Gordon

Tame Impala Share "Disciples"

Photo by Pooneh Ghana

Tame Impala's forthcoming album Currents is coming soon via Interscope. Last night, frontman Kevin Parker sat down for an Ask Me Anything on Reddit, during which he laid out the trappings of the pop-influenced record and told some crazy stories. When asked by a fan what kind of questions Parker preferred, the frontman replied "I'm waiting for someone to ask me if they can hear a new song...!" Obviously, the Redditors did, so now we've got "Disciples", the latest Currents track to be revealed after  "Let It Happen" and "'Cause I'm a Man". Listen below.

Parker's extensive AMA also touched upon Kanye West ("Second guessing and hesitation and doubt are such inhibitors for artists, especially these days. I can’t help but think that Kanye has found the antidote") and the time Sean Lennon told Parker he sang just like his dad ("Honestly, I NEVER heard it [the similarity] myself," the frontman swears). 

And then there's his tale of band's run-in with Mac Demarco at Coachella, which involved dildos and hot tubs. "Mac is a great guy," Parker recalls, "he and his croneys are loose units. I left coachella in their van and they were waving [a] HUGE dildo out the window at passerbys. Then we ended up in his jacuzzi somehow." Sounds fun!

Read the whole thing here.

Read our interview with Tame Impala.

Watch the band perform "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" for Pitchfork.tv:

via Zoe Camp

Modest Mouse Perform "The Ground Walks, With Time in a Box" and "Wicked Campaign" on "Kimmel"

Modest Mouse have made stops at "The Tonight Show", "The Late Late Show", and "CBS This Morning: Saturday". They continued making the TV rounds last night with an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". Watch them perform the Strangers to Ourselves tracks "The Ground Walks, With Time in a Box" and "Wicked Campaign".

Watch Pitchfork.tv's documentary about The Lonesome Crowded West:

via Evan Minsker

Florence Welch Performs "What Kind of Man" With a Broken Foot on "Jools Holland"

During their set at Coachella's opening weekend, Florence and the Machine's Florence Welch broke her foot. As a result, Welch has been sitting down during performances. On "Later... With Jools Holland", watch her do "What Kind of Man" while seated.

The band also performed "Ship to Wreck". Both songs appear on their new album How Big How Blue How Beautiful, which is out June 2 in the U.S. and June 1 in the UK. 

via Evan Minsker

Pitchfork.tv Announces Syndication with Condé Nast Entertainment

Pitchfork.tv will begin syndicating video as part of Condé Nast Entertainment's The Scene, a digital network that features original programming from across the Internet. Pitchfork.tv's existing (and future) series, documentaries, sessions, and live performances will be featured alongside material from other Conde Nast publications like The New Yorker, WIRED, GQ, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as partners like Red Bull, The Onion, College Humor, Billboard, and more. 

via Pitchfork

Pitchfork.tv Announces Syndication with Condé Nast

Pitchfork.tv will begin syndicating video as part of Condé Nast's The Scene, a digital network that features original programming from across the Internet. Pitchfork.tv's existing (and future) series, documentaries, sessions, and live performances will be featured alongside material from other Conde Nast publications like The New Yorker, WIRED, GQ, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, as well as partners like Red Bull, The Onion, College Humor, Billboard, and more. 

via Pitchfork

Netflix Shares Trailer for Nina Simone Documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?

Today, Netflix shared the trailer for What Happened, Miss Simone?, their Nina Simone documentary. Check it out below. Helmed by Oscar-nominated director Liz Garbus (Bobby Fischer Against the World, Killing in the Name), the fully authorized doc incorporates concert footage, archival material, and interviews taking place over three decades. The movie will be available on June 26. 

via Corban Goble

Alabama Shakes Explore Space in "Sound & Color" Video

Alabama Shakes have shared their new clip for "Sound & Color", the title track from their new album. Directed by James Frost, the video features a man who mysteriously wakes up on a space station. Watch it below.

via Corban Goble

Jay Z Announces "Tidal X: Jaÿ-Z B-Sides" Concert Featuring Rare Music

Tidal, which recently streamed a Jack White acoustic show, has announced another event from one of its founders. "Tidal X: Jaÿ-Z B-Sides" will feature Jay Z performing deep cuts from his catalog. It'll take place May 13 at a yet-unnanounced New York City venue.

In order to get access to the Tidal-exclusive performance, Tidal users must submit playlists with a number of stipulations. Playlists will be judged on their sequencing, along with diversity of artist and genre, which means it's time to bust out everything you learned from making mix CDs in high school. The show will also be streamed on Tidal, for those who can't make it.

Read our Pitch post "Tidal and the Elusive Promise of Streaming Music".

via Corban Goble

Instagram Announces Music Channel @Music

Illustration via Jared Eberhardt

Instagram has announced @Music, a music-specific channel "dedicated to exploring music around the globe." In its inaugural post, Instagram outlined its mission statement for the account:

The music community is –– and always has been –– an important part of Instagram. For the past four years, we have become the home for artists big and small –– a place where people across the musical spectrum come to share stories, reveal their creativity and connect directly with fans.

Today we’re launching @music, a new account dedicated to exploring music around the globe, from those who create it to the community around it. Each week, we’ll take a look at the musical experience on Instagram. That means showing you a different side of artists you know and love, like Questlove (@questlove), and introducing you to up-and-coming talents from around the world, like Tricot (@ikkyu193). It means highlighting music photographers, album illustrators, instrument makers and, of course, fans.

In the Instagram tradition, we will also welcome community participation with a new, music-themed monthly hashtag project. Music is a huge part of all of our lives here at Instagram. It’s a passion of ours, and we know it’s a passion of yours. So follow along at @music –– we think you’ll discover something new.

According to Buzzfeed, the channel will post once daily Tuesday through Sunday, and will feature short profiles, music lessons, and emerging artists, amongst other material. Questlove and Until the Ribbon Breaks will be some of the initially featured artists.

via Corban Goble

Future Islands Perform "The Chase" on "Letterman", Release New Single

Photo via Instagram

Future Islands' last appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman" was a star-making turn for Samuel T. Herring. Letterman, giddy about Herring's dancing, shouted "I'll take all of that you got!" Last night, the band returned to the show, and they came with their new song "The Chase". "This song goes out to the people of Baltimore," Herring said. "Let us not discount their voices."

Directly after their performance, they released "The Chase" on iTunes via 4AD. The retail version of the song, which features the new song "Haunted By You" on the B-side, was recorded in Austin last month and produced by Spoon's Jim Eno. Find the single's artwork (by Lesser Gonzalez) below.

The band also recorded the song at Abbey Road Studios—it was a one-off direct-to-disc release for Record Store Day in the UK.

 

Sam's dance scuffs after today's Letterman performance http://ift.tt/1znOVOk

— Future Islands (@futureislands) April 29, 2015

Here's their iconic 2014 performance:

via Evan Minsker

The Kingsmen's Jack Ely, Singer Behind "Louie Louie", Has Died

Jack Ely was the lead singer of the Kingsmen in the 1960s. He's best known for providing the unintelligible and iconic vocal on the band's 1963 hit "Louie Louie". He died at home in Redmond, Oregon following a battle with illness, the Associated Press reports. He was 71.

The FBI famously launched an investigation to determine whether or not Ely was singing obscene lyrics. They ruled that the song was "unintelligible at any speed". 

Ely left the band shortly after the song was recorded, and later, started a band called Jack Ely & the Courtmen. He trained horses in Oregon.

via Evan Minsker

Update: Joni Mitchell Reps Refute Coma Report

UPDATE: Mitchell's official website refutes TMZ's report, saying "Joni is not in a coma."

Joni is still in the hospital—but she comprehends, she’s alert, and she has her full senses. A full recovery is expected. The document obtained by a certain media outlet simply gives her longtime friend Leslie Morris the authority —in the absence of 24-hour doctor care—to make care decisions for Joni once she leaves the hospital. As we all know, Joni is a strong-willed woman and is nowhere near giving up the fight. 

On March 31, Joni Mitchell was hospitalized. Though her exact condition was never disclosed, he representatives shared statements saying that her condition was improving. TMZ now reports that the iconic singer/songwriter is in a coma and unresponsive.

Billboard cite "multiple sources" who say her condition was worse than her representatives led the public to believe. "It's very serious," said one source.

According to TMZ, Joni's friend Leslie Morris has filed legal documents to obtain conservatorship over Mitchell.

via Evan Minsker

Rich Homie Quan Drops New Mixtape If You Ever Think I Will Stop Goin' In Ask Royal Rich

In 2013, Rich Homie Quan released I Promise I Will Never Stop Going In. Today, he dropped the sequel hosted by DJ Fresh. It's called If You Ever Think I Will Stop Goin' in Ask Royal Rich. It features production from London on da Track, Wheezy, Izze the Producer, and others. Download it here and stream it below.

via Evan Minsker

Drake, the Strokes, Chvrches, the War on Drugs to Play Inaugural Landmark Music Festival

A new festival called the Landmark Music Festival—an event that will take place in Washington, D.C.—has been announced. It's all happening on September 26-27 at Washington D.C.'s West Potomac Park.

The bill features Drake, the Strokes, Chvrches, the War on Drugs, Chromeo, Band of Horses, the Kills, Twin Shadow, Dan Deacon, alt-j, Albert Hammond Jr., Ex Hex, boots, Hiss Golden Messenger, the Joy Formidable, Wale, fun. singer Nate Ruess, Dr. John, and more. Check out the full lineup here.

The entire festival will be streamable via the Live Nation channel on Yahoo! Screen. The event will support Trust with the National Mall's Landmark Campaign, established to help reinvigorate and renovate the aging National Mall—site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, among other events—which hasn't been renovated in nearly 40 years. 

Tickets are on sale now, with a lottery for free passes taking place in the coming weeks. 

Watch Chvrches perform at Pitchfork Music Festival Paris:

via Corban Goble

Doldrums Shares "IDONTWANNABEDELETED" Featuring Samantha Urbani

The expanded "Loser" edition of Doldrums' new album The Air Conditioned Nightmare, which came out earlier this month via Sub Pop, came with a bonus 7" featuring additional songs. One of them is "IDONTWANNABEDELETED", a track that features Blood Orange collaborator and former Friends member Samantha Urbani. That song surfaced online today—listen above.

Urbani recently went solo with her very good new track "1 2 3 4".

Read our "Rising" interview with Doldrums.

Watch Doldrums perform at MoMA PS1 on Pitchfork.tv:

via Evan Minsker

Jack White's Final Acoustic Show in Fargo Streaming

Photo by David James Swanson

Jack White finished up his first ever entirely acoustic tour over the weekend with a set at the Fargo Theatre—it's his last show before a long break from performing live. He played a mixture of solo, White Stripes, and Raconteurs songs. The entire thing streamed live on Tidal, and now, it's available to watch in full below (via Consequence of Sound).

via Evan Minsker

Joni Mitchell Reportedly In a Coma, Unresponsive

On March 31, Joni Mitchell was hospitalized. Though her exact condition was never disclosed, he representatives shared statements saying that her condition was improving. TMZ now reports that the iconic singer/songwriter is in a coma and unresponsive.

Billboard cite "multiple sources" who say her condition was worse than her representatives led the public to believe. "It's very serious," said one source.

According to TMZ, Joni's friend Leslie Morris has filed legal documents to obtain conservatorship over Mitchell.

via Evan Minsker

Earl Sweatshirt Releases Solace

Photo by Saghan Lockhart

Weeks after Earl Sweatshirt released his new album I Don't Like Shit I Don't Go Outside, he's back with more new music. He just uploaded a 10-minute project called Solace—"music from when i hit the bottom and found something," as the YouTube description says. Stream it below.

find your solace in your Self

— EARL (@earlxsweat) April 28, 2015

IF YA SOUL INTACT LET ME KNOW

— EARL (@earlxsweat) April 28, 2015

Earl alluded to the project in a recent interview with NPR, as Complex points out. "We set up a studio at my house and I did a little project real real fast," he said. "It's called Solace. And that, I'm just sitting — it's more for my mom."

Read our recent interview with Earl.

Watch Earl on an episode of Pitchfork.tv's "Over/Under":

via Corban Goble

Tobias Jesso Jr. Soundtracks a Steamy Romance in "Without You" Video, Announces Tour

Tobias Jesso Jr. has shared his latest video, a clip for his Goon single "Without You". It features Jesso as a lounge singer soundtracking the romance between a younger man and an older woman. Watch it below. 

He's also announced his first ever full-band tour; check out his schedule below.

Read our Rising interview with Jesso, and check out his recent Guest List.

Tobias Jesso Jr.: 

05-02 Leeds, England - Live at Leeds
05-03 Glasgow, Scotland - Stag & Dagger
05-06 London, England - The Courtyard Theatre
05-07 London, England - The Courtyard Theatre
05-08 Manchester, England - Night and Day Café
05-10 Dublin, Ireland - Unitarian Church
05-12 Paris, France - La Gaîté Lyrique
05-13 Brussels, Belgium - TBD
05-14-16 Brighton, England - The Great Escape
05-17 Amsterdam, Netherlands - London Calling
05-19 Hamburg, Germany - The Stage Club
05-20 Berlin, Germany - Grüner Salon
05-22 Milan, Italy - Biko
05-23 Rome, Italy - Teatro Quirinetta
05-28-30 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound
07-16-19 Pemberton, British Columbia - Pemberton Music Festival
07-17-19 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
09-29 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
09-30 Portland, OR - Star Theatre
10-02 Seattle, WA - Neptune
10-06 Minneapolis, MN - The Cedar Cultural Center
10-07 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
10-10 Montreal, Quebec - Corona Theatre
10-11 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
10-14 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
10-15 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
10-16 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
10-17 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
10-19 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
10-20 Nashville, TN - Exit/In
10-21 Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
10-22 Birmingham, AL - Saturn
10-23 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jack's
10-24 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
10-25 Austin, TX - Emo's
10-27 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
10-28 San Diego, CA - Belly Up Tavern
11-17 Zurich, Switzerland - Exil
11-18 Cologne, Germany - Kulturkirche
11-24 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
11-25 London, England - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
11-27 Bristol, England - Thekla
11-28 Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms
11-29 Manchester, England - The Ritz
12-02 Leeds, England - The Brudenell Social Club
12-04 Dublin, Ireland - Button Factory

via Corban Goble

Blur Announce Free Show in Brooklyn

Blur's new album, The Magic Whip, is out now. To celebrate, the band has just announced a free show taking place at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 1. The show, which is sponsored by Converse, is the first time since 2000 that Blur's "classic" lineup has played in New York City. Starting tomorrow, fans can RSVP for tickets here.

Previously, the band played a similarly small show in London to promote The Magic Whip. They'll also play "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on April 30. 

Read our interview with Damon Albarn from last year here.

via Jeremy Gordon

Richard Thompson Announces New Album Still, Produced by Jeff Tweedy

Richard Thompson has announced a new solo album called Still, which is produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. It's out June 23 on Harvest Records. They've also shared the first single, "Beatnik Walking"; listen to it above via Aquarium Drunkard. 

"Richard's been one of my favorite guitar players for a very long time," said Tweedy in a press release. "When I think about it, he's also one of my favorite songwriters and favorite singers. He's the Ultimate Triple Threat. Getting to work closely with him on this record was a truly rewarding experience, not to mention a great thrill. And he keeps alive my streak of working exclusively with artists who make me look good as a producer."

Check out Thompson's full tour itinerary here. Here's a shot of them both in the studio by photographer Zoran Orlick:

via Corban Goble

Django Django Share CGI "Reflections" Video, Stream New Album

Scottish band Django Django have shared the CGI video for "Reflections". The video is directed by Natalia Stuyk and animated by Eva Papamargariti. The band were transformed into "other-worldly kinetic sculptures" via Motion Capture and Face Shift technologies. Watch it below via Pitchfork.tv.

Django Django's new album Born Under Saturn is out May 5 in the U.S. via Ribbon and May 4 via Because internationally. The entire album is streaming on iTunes Radio. You can check out their upcoming tour dates below, too.

Django Django:

04-30 Kingston, England - New Slang
05-02 Aberdeen, Scotland - Lemon Tree
05-03 Glasgow, Scotland - Live at Glasgow
05-05 London, England - Rough Trade
05-13 Portsmouth, England - Pyramids Centre
05-14 Sheffield, England - The Plug
05-15 Brighton, England - The Corn Exchange (The Great Escape Festival)
05-18 Norwich, England - Waterfront
05-19 London, England - KOKO
05-21 Bristol, England - O2 Academy Bristol
05-22 Warwick, England - Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre
05-23 Manchester, England - Cathedral
05-29 Cologne, Germany - Electronic Beats
05-30 Paris, France - Parc de Bagatelle (We Love Green Festival)
06-06 London, England - Field Day Festival
07-02 Gdynia, Poland - Open'er Festival
07-05 Normandy, France - Beauregard Festival
07-17 Suffolk, England - Latitude Festival
07-18 Ferropolis, Germany - Melt! Festival
07-28 New York, NY - Webster Hall
08-06 Los Angeles, CA - The Mayan
08-22 Hamburg, Germany - Dockville
08-23 Biddinghuizen, Netherlands - Lowlands
08-28 Reading, England - Reading Festival
08-29 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
09-04 Larmer Tree Gardens, England - End of the Road Festival
09-06 Laois, Ireland - Electric Picnic

via Evan Minsker

Tobias Jesso Jr. Soundtracks a Steamy Romance in "Without You" Video

Tobias Jesso Jr. has shared his latest video, a clip for his Goon single "Without You". It features Jesso as a lounge singer soundtracking the romance between a younger man and an older woman. Watch it below.

Read our Rising interview with Jesso, and check out his recent Guest List.

via Corban Goble

Towkio Drops .Wav Theory Mixtape Featuring Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kaytranada, Donnie Trumpet

Chicago rapper Towkio, of the Save Money crew, just dropped his new mixtape .Wav Theory. It includes "Heaven Only Knows", his collaboration with Chance the Rapper, along with team-ups with Vic Mensa and Chance's Social Experiment collaborator Donnie Trumpet, as well as production from Chance, Kaytranda, and the artist himself. Listen to the mixtape in its entirety below, and check out the full credits.

Don't forget - Chance the Rapper is headlining this year's Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago.

Here are Towkio's accompanying visuals for the project: some stunning fast-lapse scenery of his native Chicago:

via Zoe Camp

Kendrick Lamar Throws First Pitch at Dodgers Game

Photo via Instagram

Tonight, Kendrick Lamar threw the first pitch at the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the San Francisco Giants. Compared to Jack White's pitch at the Tigers game last summer (and 50 Cent's pathetic attempt at one), Kendrick did a pretty well! Watch it below.

Read "Evolve With the Flow: How Drake and Kendrick Found Their Voices", Jayson Greene's latest Overtones column.

Got eeem. @kendricklamar http://ift.tt/1bNoqY9

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 28, 2015

.@kendricklamar meets @OrelHershiser. http://ift.tt/1DRzjy1

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 28, 2015

Watch a mini-documentary on Kendrick Lamar at Pitchfork Music Festival:

via Zoe Camp

Death From Above 1979's "Virgins" Video Is Extremely Creepy

There's creepy, and then there's Death From Above 1979's "Virgins" video. In the Eva Michon-directed video, a bunch of Amish kids eat mushrooms, bang their heads, snort the ashes of the dead, lick each other's eyeballs, and get sprayed with projectile goat milk straight from an udder. So yeah, "creepy" is an understatement. Watch it below via MuchMusic.

The band themselves star in the video as cops. They shared this statement on the video: "The video takes cues from the lyrics of the song which are a meditation on innocence and coming of age. That very precarious time in life when sex is elusive, maybe even frightening but always compelling.” 

"Virgins" appears on their last album The Physical World. 

Michon, who's married to the band's Sebastien Grainger, also directed the recent documentary on the band, Life After Death From Above 1979.

via Evan Minsker

Kehlani and Chance the Rapper Share "The Way"

The Oakland-based singer/songwriter/dancer Kehlani has a new album coming out tomorrow called You Should Be Here. The album includes "The Way", a Jahaan Sweet-produced single featuring Chance the Rapper. That's it above.

I'm on my lil Wayne '08 shit FEED YA FEATURES @kehlanimusic - #TheWay ft Me The Rapper https://t.co/ITTkWy75GQ

— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 27, 2015

Chance is headlining this year's Pitchfork Music Festival on July 19 at Chicago's Union Park.

via Evan Minsker

Daft Punk Make Tribute Video for Nile Rodgers

Back in February, Nile Rodgers said Daft Punk had made a "touching film" in honor of Chic's new album. Now, you can watch the video, a cute clip in which the Daft Punk robots send Rodgers a message from space. Check it out below, via Consequence of Sound. It's a part of Nile Rodgers: From Disco to Daft Punk, a documentary about Rodgers' lengthy career, which you can watch over at Arte. The documentary is primarily in French, but several interviews are shot in English. 

The first new Chic album since 1992's Chic-Ism is called It's About Time. (Rodgers explains in a press release, "The album's title is: It's About Time... because it's about time.") It includes the recently shared single "I'll Be There", which is a collaboration with the Martinez Brothers. 

via Zoe Camp

Holly Herndon, GABI, Evan Caminiti to Play Tinnitus Show Presented by Pitchfork's Show No Mercy and Blackened Music

Pitchfork's Show No Mercy and Blackened Music are happy to announce the sixth installment in the Tinnitus series that focuses on composers of extreme sound.

It takes place June 4 at The Wick (260 Meserole Street) in Brooklyn. Holly Herndon, GABI, and Evan Caminiti will perform.

Tickets are $15 in advance, available here. Doors open at 9 p.m., and the music starts at 10. This is a 21+ event.

Herndon is touring in support of her album Platform, out May 19. Check out our recent interview with her here. She's scheduled dates around the world; find her itinerary below.

Holly Herndon:

05-01 Den Haag, Netherlands - Rewire
05-02 Krems, Austria - Donau Festival
05-23 Arcosanti, AZ - FORM Festival
06-01 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
06-02 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s
06-03 Washington, DC - DC9
06-04 Brooklyn, NY - The Wick (Tinnitus)
06-10 London, England - XOYO
06-11 Berlin, Germany - Berghain
06-13 Birmingham, England - Supersonic
06-20 Barcelona, Spain - Sonar
06-26 Milan, Italy - S/V/N @ Fabbrica del Vapore
06-27 Paris, France - Badaboum
06-28 Toulouse, France - Les Siestes Electronique
07-03 Fribourg, Switzerland - Bellouard Festival
07-04 Foligno, Italy - Dancity Festival
07-11 Viseu, Portugal - Jardins Efemeros
08-14 Oslo, Norway - Øya Festival
08-20 Hamburg, Germany - International Summer Fest @ Kampnagel

via Pitchfork

Billy Corgan Takes Job With TNA Wrestling

Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan has taken a role with TNA Wrestling, a professional wrestling company based in Nashville, Tennessee, that airs "Impact Wrestling", a weekly show on Destination America. According to a press release, his title is Senior Producer, Creative and Talent Development. He'll be writing characters and storylines for "Impact Wrestling". 

Corgan released a statement about his involvement:

Saying I'm humbled and honored by this opportunity to be part of TNA, a world-class wrestling organization, is an understatement and a dream come true. What's great is the entire TNA organization stands in full support of my music life with the Smashing Pumpkins. In return, I'm fully committed to using my 30 years of entertainment experience, along with my deep-rooted passion for pro wrestling, to take on the thrilling challenge of creatively contributing to IMPACT WRESTLING, finding and developing new talent, and working eye-to-eye with the best-of-the-best. For as cultures currently evolve at great speed, so must pro wrestling meet and supersede such expectations to thrive.

He also said his involvement with TNA will be full-time:

And to counter a press report I've already seen, my participation with @IMPACTWRESTLING will be a full-time endeavor.

— Billy Corgan (@Billy) April 27, 2015

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't do ANYTHING half way. And to @IMPACTWRESTLING's credit they brought me in to make things happen

— Billy Corgan (@Billy) April 27, 2015

Corgan's affinity for pro wrestling is well established. A few years ago, he helped launch Resistance Pro, a pro wrestling company based out of his hometown Chicago. At one point, an AMC reality show about the promotion was even in the works, but he ended up leaving the company back in November. 

He's also worked with TNA before. Witness this amazing commercial filmed for a TNA pay-per-view:

via Jeremy Gordon

Pitchfork Wins Webby Award

We're pleased to announce that Pitchfork has won a 2015 Webby Award, in the category of Websites: Music.

Pandora won the People's Voice Webby in the same category. Other nominees included Noisey, JerryGarcia.com, and the DNA Project. 

Our Cover Story "Station to Station: The Past, Present, and Future of Streaming Music" was a Webby Award Honoree for Websites: Best User Interface. Additionally, our sister site The Dissolve was nominated in the field of Websites: Blog — Cultural. 

The Webby Awards are selected by members of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Established in 1996, the Webby Awards are the "leading international awards honoring excellence on the Internet." The 1,000+ member Academy includes "leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities." Among the Academy's members are David Bowie, Beck, "The Simpsons"' Matt Groening, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Tumblr's David Karp, director Darren Aronofsky, and many more.

Thanks to the Academy for choosing us.

via Pitchfork

Jamie xx Travels Through Space in the "Gosh" Video

Jamie xx has shared the video for "Gosh", the opening track from his forthcoming album In Colour (arriving June 1 via Young Turks). Directed by Erik Wernquist, the video explores the surface of a planet from space. Watch it below. 

He's also expanded his upcoming tour, which includes a set at Pitchfork Music Festival. Check out those dates below, too. 

Jamie xx:

05-16 Lyon, France - Nuits Sonores
05-23 Liverpool, England - The Bombed Out Church (Young Turks Showcase)
05-30 Dublin, Ireland - Forbidden Fruit
06-05 London, England - St. John's Church
06-06 Manchester, England - Parklife Festival
06-07 Brighton, England - Wildlife Festival
06-12 Toronto, Ontario - Bestival Toronto
06-13 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06-19 Barcelona, Spain - Sónar
07-04 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Pitch Festival
07-04 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-09 Montreux, Switzerland - Montreux Jazz Festival
07-17 Berlin, Germany - Melt Festival
07-19 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
07-21 Denver, CO - The 1up
07-22 Calgary, Alberta - HiFi
07-23 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
07-25 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
07-27 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club
07-29 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
07-31 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
08-01 Austin, TX - The Mohawk
08-02 Pomona, CA - HARD Summer Music Festival
08-05 Detroit, MI - Majestic Theater
08-08 New York, NY - Terminal 5
08-09 Boston, MA - Royale
08-21 Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop
08-22 Brecon Beacon, Wales - Green Man Festival
08-28 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
08-29 Paris, France - Rock En Seine
08-30 Reading, England - Reading Festival
09-10 Isle of Wight, England - Bestival
10-15 London, England - O2 Brixton Academy
10-16 Manchester, England - Albert Hall
10-17 Glasgow, Scotland - The Arches
10-19 Cologne, Germany - Gloria
10-20 Luxembourg, Luxembourg - den Atelier
10-22 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
10-23 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
10-24 Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefährlich
10-29 Helsinki, Finland - Ääniwalli
10-30 Moscow, Russia - Yotaspace
10-31 St. Petersburg, Russia - Glavclub

Watch the xx perform on Pitchfork.tv:

via Zoe Camp

D'Angelo and the Vanguard Announce Summer Tour

Photo by Greg Harris

D'Angelo and his band the Vanguard have announced a summer tour in support of Black Messiah, as Rolling Stone points out. It launches in June, and extends into August. Check out the U.S. dates here, and the international dates here.

The Vanguard is composed of Jesse Johnson (guitar), Isaiah Sharkey (guitar), Pino Palladino (bass), Chris "Daddy" Dave (drums), Cleo "Pookie" Sample (keyboards), and singers Kendra Foster, Charlie "Red" Middleton and Jermain Holmes.

Listen to "Really Love":

via Jeremy Gordon

The Unicorns' Alden Penner Teams With Michael Cera for New EP and Tour

Photo by Laura Crapo

Earlier this year, the Unicorns' Alden Penner teamed up with actor Michael Cera for a track titled "Meditate". A new mix of that track appears on Penner's Canada in Space EP, out June 29 via City Slang. Listen to the new song "Breathe to Burn" above.

Upon the EP's release, Penner will embark on a European tour, with Cera as a member of his band. Cera will also play some of his own music on the tour. Find all dates below.

In a press release, Penner said: 

There are more Canadians than any other nationality represented in the planned Mars colony. The Canada in Space EP is an imagining of the dreams, reveries, phantasms, hallucinations, psycho-spiritual projections, naïve mythologies, actions, visions and experiences of an abandoned crew before, during and after its permanent journey to Mars; the compression of time; dispersion, fragmentation of states and generations in space; ultimate detachment & wormholes.

Alden Penner:

06-23 London, England - 100 Club
06-24 Bristol, England - Exchange
06-25 Manchester, England - Gullivers
06-26 Leeds, England - Belgrave Music Hall
06-27 Edinburgh, England - Midnight Circus
06-28 Birmingham, England - The Rainbow
06-29 Brighton, England - Komedia
06-30 Dublin, Ireland - Workmans Club
07-02 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Upstairs
07-03 Paris, France - Le Badaboum
07-06 Berlin, Germany - Privatclub

via Zoe Camp

Refused Are Back: New Album Freedom Out This Summer, New Track "Elektra" Streaming Now

Photo by Dustin Rabin

Twice, it seemed that it was all over for Refused. The Swedish hardcore band originally broke up following the release of their excellent 1998 album The Shape of Punk to Come. Then, after their 2012 reunion tour, they announced that it was decisively over. 

But after all that, earlier this year, Refused announced a world tour. And now, they're putting out a new album. "Refused Are Fucking Alive", they have announced in a new press release.

The new album, Freedom, is out June 30 via Epitaph. Check out their new song "Elektra" via the visualizer below, along with the tracklist. This is the album cover:

The album was produced by Nick Launay (Arcade Fire, Kate Bush, Nick Cave). "Elektra" and "366" were produced and co-written by Shellback, the Swedish pop superproducer who has worked on countless massive hits by Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Pink, and others. Freedom will get a limited edition CD release featuring a 28-page hardbound book with a poster and gold foil stamping on the album cover.

"It’s not a reunion anymore," said frontman Dennis Lyxzén in a statement. "This is one of the most radical things we’ve ever done, both musically and lyrically." 

"Nobody wanted us to fuck with the image of the band who makes a great album and splits up," said drummer David Sandström. "Nobody wanted us to dilute it. That actually provoked us."

Refused are heading out on tour this year, as well, including dates with Faith No More. Find their schedule below.

Freedom:

01 Elektra
02 Old Friends / New War
03 Dawkins Christ
04 Françafrique
05 Thought Is Blood
06 War on the Palaces
07 Destroy the Man
08 366
09 Servants of Death
10 Useless Europeans 

Refused:

05-02 Meerhout, Belgium - Groezrock
05-22 Hünxe, Germany - Ruhrpott Rodeo Open Air Festival
05-24 Las Vegas, NV - Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival
05-25 Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
05-26 Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy Theatre
05-28 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
05-29 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
05-30 Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
05-31 Chicago, IL - Double Door
06-01 Boston, MA - The Sinclair
06-03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
06-04 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
06-05 Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel
06-20 Montebello, Quebec - Amnesia Rockfest
06-27 Seinäjoki, Finland - Provinssi
07-02 Gdynia, Poland - Open'er Festival
07-11 Collalbo, Italy - Rock am Ring
07-16 Viveiro, Spain - Resurrection Fest
07-17 Tønsberg, Norway - Slottsfjell
07-18 Tromso, Norway - Bukta Tromso Open Air Festival
07-30 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade Music Park *
08-01 Philadelphia, PA - Mann Center *
08-02 Columbia, MA - Merriweather Post Pavilion *
08-04 Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion *
08-05 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden *
08-07 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh Coliseum *
08-28 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
08-29 Gräfenhainichen, Germany - Pure & Crafted Festival
08-30 Reading, England - Reading Festival

* with Faith No More

via Evan Minsker

Sun Kil Moon and Jesu Working on Collaborative Album

Photo by Ken Estep

Sun Kil Moon and Jesu are releasing a collaborative album together, according to the latter band's mastermind, Justin K. Broadrick. He announced the news via Twitter this morning, but offered no additional details regarding a title or release date.

The new LP is the latest product of the long-standing collaborative relationship between Mark Kozelek and the Godflesh frontman. Jesu's 2009 album Opiate Sun came out through Kozelek's Caldo Verde label (Broadrick later interviewed Kozelek for the Caldo Verde website). In 2013, Kozelek covered Godflesh's song "Like Rats" (listen below), and the following year he referenced the musician by name in his track "The Possum".

Here's Broadrick's tweet:

A lot of questions about a new Jesu record, I've been working on it for some time, it's a collaboration LP between Sun Kil Moon and Jesu.

— Justin K Broadrick (@JKBroadrick) April 27, 2015

via Zoe Camp

Hot Chip Share "Burning Up" Lyric Video

Photo by Tonje Thilesen

Hot Chip's new album Why Make Sense? is out May 18 in Europe and May 19 in the U.S. via Domino. They've already shared two singles, "Huarache Lights" and "Need You Now" – and now, they've let go of "Burning Up", a non-album cut which appears on the pre-order-exclusive Separate EP. Check out a lyric video for the track below.

Watch Hot Chip do "How Do You Do?" at Pitchfork Music Festival:

via Zoe Camp

Killer Mike Discusses Race and Politics at MIT

This weekend, in addition to attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Killer Mike gave a lecture on race and politics at MIT. Watch video of a portion of his lecture and some select Q&A moments below, via Consequence of Sound.

Read Killer Mike's recap of the White House Correspondents' Dinner here.

Lecture:

Killer Mike on race relations:

On Hip-Hop's origin as an alternate to violence:

Watch Killer Mike perform "Reagan" at the 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival:

via Molly Beauchemin