Aziz Ansari recently did a video interview with Vogue where he discussed a variety of topics: the upcoming Met Gala, his “ultimate style icon,” and inevitably Kanye West. Ansari tells his favorite Kanye West anecdote about how he once walked in on the rapper listening to 808s and Heartbreak(a story he’s told for years) and is then asked to rank his favorite Kanye albums in order. Ansari’s rankings are: Watch the Throneand My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasytied for first place, Yeezus and TheLife of Pablo tied for second, then Graduation, The College Dropout, Late Registrationin third, fourth, and fifth place. He then explains how DMX is responsible for one of his favorite rap verses ever. Check out the full video below; the Kanye discussion begins around the 5:20 mark. Ansari’s hit Netflix show “Master of None” is set to return May 12. Last year saw him pairing up with co-star Eric Wareheim on a very goofy music video for Kanye’s “Famous.”
We’re less than a month away from the return of “Twin Peaks,” which will have a two-hour premiere on Showtime on Sunday, May 21. Now, in a new trailer, director David Lynch has given fans a look at some familiar locations from the fictional town of Twin Peaks, including the sheriff’s department, Laura Palmer’s house, the Double R Diner, and more. Check that out below. We’ve already gotten a look at the show’s returning cast, including Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne).
Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. is the No. 1 album in the U.S. for its second week in a row, Billboard reports. This week, DAMN. moved 238,000 album equivalent units (87,000 units in traditional album sales and 136,000 in streams). Last week, the excellent new LP debuted at No. 1 after moving 603,000 copies, unseating Drake’s More Life with the year’s biggest sales week. (This week, DAMN. had the fourth biggest sales week of the year behind its opening week, Drake, and Ed Sheeran.) Kendrick recently announced a North American tour in support of DAMN.; he’ll be joined by supporting acts Travis Scott and D.R.A.M. Last week, “HUMBLE.” became the No. 1 single in America.
Fyre Festival, a new luxury festival founded by Ja Rule, was scheduled to take place in the Bahamas this weekend. After attendees experienced a series of chaotic events, the festival was postponed and organizers started working to evacuate guests from the island. Today, Ja Rule took to Twitter to issue an update. “Relieved to share that all guest are safe, and have been sent the form to apply for a refund,” Ja Rule wrote. Fyre Festival’s official Twitter account also issued another apology earlier this morning in a series of tweets. “We're heartbroken that we let down all the guests who put their faith in us,” read the Fyre Festival statement. “To our guests and staff—thank you again for your all patience as we navigate our next steps. We owe you an apology.” Find the full statement below.
Earlier this week, Ja Rule, Fyre Festival, and the Bahama Ministry of Tourism all issued statements apologizing for the blundered event. In a note, Ja Rule emphasized that the festival was “NOT A SCAM.” He continued, “I truly apologize as this is NOT MY FAULT... but I’m taking responsibility. I’m deeply sorry to everyone who was inconvenienced by this.” In an interview with Rolling Stone, McFarland explained why the festival went awry and promised a makeup festival for 2018. In light of the fiasco, Seth Rogan and The Lonely Island said that they’ve coincidentally been working on a movie about “a music festival that goes HORRIBLY WRONG.”
Relieved to share that all guest are safe, and have been sent the form to apply for a refund. Our deepest apologies... #fyrefestival
BTY YoungN, the New Orleans rapper affiliated with Birdman’s Rich Gang stable, was shot and killed Saturday night at a Shell gas station in New Orleans, The Times-Picayunereports. New Orleans police said the shooting occurred at a Shell gas station on Airline Highway in the Hollygrove neighborhood. He was 27. The rapper, born Desmone Jerome, madeheadlines last year for being a new member of Birdman’s Rich Gang. He released a series of mixtapes over the past few years, including 2nd Feed Up(below), which came out in February. Just 10 days ago, his new album Cut the Check with Hollygrove Keem and Jay Jones was released. The NOLA Music Awards named him the “Breakthrough Artist” of 2016.
The theme song of Samantha Bee’s late night TBS show “Full Frontal” is Peaches’ 2006 single “Boys Wanna Be Her.” Last night, Bee threw a special called “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” and sure enough, the show was opened and closed by Peaches performing the track live. Watch it happen below. The show—Bee’s alternative to the Trump-free official Correspondents’ Dinner—also featured appearances from Will Ferrell (who reprised his George W. Bush impression) and Allison Janney (who opened the show as her “West Wing” character C.J. Cregg). Find the full special here. Peaches’ last album was 2015’s Rub.
Blistered Earth—a Metallica tribute band from Spokane, Washington—had all of their gear stolen after a show last Saturday in Portland. After listing all the instruments and gear that was nabbed, the band’s story got the attention of the media. Then, they got some help from an unexpected source—Metallica themselves. “James [Hetfield] & the rest of the guys in Metallica (thanx guys) have seen fit to replace our equipment,” the band wrote on Facebook. A representative for Metallica confirmed the news to Pitchfork. Shawn Murphy, a drummer in Blistered Earth, gave an interview about the incident. “It’s pretty awesome that they would do that,” he said. “It is fairly well documented that they had all of their gear stolen way back in the day, back when they didn’t have money to replace their gear, so they have first hand knowledge of how shitty this feels.”
Yesterday, details emerged about the chaotic roll-out and postponement of Fyre Festival, a luxury festival that was scheduled to take place in the Bahamas this weekend. The campsite seemed to be half-finished, bands cancelled, and planes were reportedly grounded because the island was at capacity. An apology was issued from festival co-creator Ja Rule, and co-organizer Billy McFarland promised that a make-up festival will happen next year. Apparently, the events surrounding Fyre Festival sound a lot like a film that Seth Rogen and the Lonely Island are working on.
“This seems like a good time to mention the movie we are making with @thelonelyisland about a music festival that goes HORRIBLY WRONG,” Rogen tweeted. The Lonely Island replied, “For real, thinking about suing #FyreFestival for stealing our idea.” Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Rogen, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer for comment.
This seems like a good time to mention the movie we are making with @thelonelyisland about a music festival that goes HORRIBLY WRONG.
It’s the 100th day of Donald Trump’s presidency. To mark the occasion, New York Senator Chuck Schumer has shared a Spotify playlist. The majority of the titles appear to be puns that take aim at the president. (“Music has meant so much these #Trump100days,” Schumer tweeted.) Examples include Tame Impala’s “New Person, Same Old Mistakes,” John Legend’s “Same Old Story,” Solange’s “Weary,” Beyoncé and Shakira’s “Beautiful Liar” (beautiful?), the Eagles’ “Lyin’ Eyes,” John Mayer’s “Stop This Train,” and Stevie Wonder’s “You Haven’t Done Nothin’.” There’s also stuff by Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe, Talking Heads, the Black Keys, Esperanza Spalding, and James Blake. Is “Workin’ For the Weekend” a knock about Trump’s regular visits to Mar-a-Lago? Is “Hotline Bling” a reference to candidate Trump’s stint as “SNL” host? Make your own politically charged assumptions and listen below.
Lorde has shared a new playlist on Spotify. It’s called “Homemade Dynamite,” named after a new song from her forthcoming Melodramaalbum. She recently debuted the song live at her Coachella performances. The playlist features a slew of recent songs like “LOVE.” from Kendrick Lamar’s recent DAMN.album and “Mask Off” by Future, as well as some older tunes like Paul Simon’s “Graceland” and Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang.” It also includes songs by Bon Iver, Kehlani, Childish Gambino, Weyes Blood, and others. Lorde promised on Twitter that she would update the playlist regularly with songs that she has on rotation. Listen below. Melodrama, the follow-up to 2013’s Pure Heroine, is due June 16 via LAVA/Republic.
For each of the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency, the anti-Trump compilation Our First 100 Days has shared a new song. Contributions included songs from Angel Olsen, Mitski, Avey Tare, Jay Som, Toro Y Moi, Speedy Ortiz, Tim Heidecker, and many others. Today, the final installment has arrived—a cover of the Woody Guthrie classic “This Land Is Your Land” from Phosphorescent. Listen below. Matthew Houck’s last Phosphorescent studio album was 2013’s excellent Muchacho. In 2015, he released a 3xLP live album.
Watch Phosphorescent perform at Pitchfork Music Festival:
On Thursday night, DMX checked himself into a rehab facility in Southern California, TMZ reports. Earlier this week, the rapper cancelled his Tuesday Santa Ana show and postponed his Los Angeles and San Diego dates due to an unnamed “medical emergency.” In a statement, his manager Pat Gallo confirmed that DMX would be refraining from touring due to health concerns. “It is important right now that he take some time off to focus on his health so that he can be a better father, friend and entertainer,” Gallo said. “We are eternally grateful for the outpouring of concern and support that has poured in. We ask that you please keep X in your prayers as he embraces your support.”
Multiple sources and fans noted that DMX appeared to struggle through his set during the Ruff Ryders and Friends reunion show in Brooklyn last week. DMX has long battled substance abuse issues, as well as bronchial asthma. In 2016, he was hospitalized after being found unconscious. Early this year, he returned with a new single.
Earlier this month, Lionfish Music announced Cover Your Ass Vol. 1, the first installment of a charitable compilation supporting Planned Parenthood. It’s out May 26. The first offering from the compilation is Speedy Ortiz’s cover of TV on the Radio’s “Young Liars.” Stream the cover below. Cover Your Ass Vol. 1 also features Hinds, Cass McCombs Band (covering Pointer Sisters), Porches (covering Big Star), TEEN, Palehound (covering Kelly Clarckson), the Lemon Twigs (covering Dido), Deerhoof (covering Public Enemy), Cut Worms, Daddy Issues, (Sandy) Alex G, The Quilz, and Luke Temple. 100% of the profits from the compilation will got to Planned Parenthood.
Watch Speedy Ortiz perform “The Graduates” on Pitchfork.tv:
Fyre Festival, a new luxury festival scheduled to take place in the Bahamas this weekend, was postponed after a chaotic turn of events. The campsite appeared to be half-finished, bands cancelled their appearances, and planes were reportedly grounded because the island was at capacity. After an apology from festival co-creator Ja Rule (“I’m heartbroken at this moment. My partners and I wanted this to be an amazing event. It was NOT A SCAM.”) and a statement from the Bahama Ministry of Tourism, the festival’s founder and co-organizer, Billy McFarland, explained the disaster and plans for a make-up festival next year in an interview with Rolling Stone. “We thought we were making timeframes that were correct,” he told the magazine. “We were a little naïve in thinking for the first time we could do this ourselves. Next year, we will definitely start earlier. The reality is, we weren’t experienced enough to keep up.”
McFarland cites poor planning and unfortunate weather conditions as reasons for flight delays and the chaotic scene on the ground. He claims that those who want to go home will be sent home tonight, but asks guests who are staying in private homes to stay longer, if they can. “We’re going to take every measure to make this right for everybody now, and make this right for everybody next year, on a large scale,” he said. He also promised that the festival would donate $1.50 per ticket to the Bahamian Red Cross. Read the full interview here.
Last year, Hamilton Leithauser (the Walkman) and Rostam Batmanglij (formerly of Vampire Weekend) released a new album called Had a Dream That You Were Mine. Now, they’re releasing a new live album, I Won’t Let Up: Live at Music Hall of Williamsburg, in conjunction with Leithauser’s newly extended tour. The LP was recorded during a three-show stint in New York. It will be released on vinyl as an exclusive with Vinyl Me Please and can only be purchased in a bundle with a ticket to a show on the new tour, which has dates in the U.S. and Europe. Purchase the bundle here (using the password 1959). Find the dates here. “We got very lucky at the Music Hall of Williamsburg one night—I really think the performances we captured are the band’s best to date,” Leithauser wrote in a Facebook post. “It’s “pretty epic” as the lazier kids might say.”
Killer Mike was the guest on the latest episode of Hannibal Burress’ “Handsome Rambler” podcast. It was recorded live at Atlanta’s Laughing Skull Lounge on 4/20 (Mike’s birthday). Listen to the full podcast below. During the episode, Mike talks about why he’d make a terrible Mayor (holding meetings in strip clubs), probes some Atlanta conspiracy theories, retells the Run the Jewels origin story, and opens up about how he and Big Boi were originally supposed to be raccoons for their appearance on HBO’s “Animals” before he shut it down (“We ended up being foxes because I sent a note back saying, ‘Dear White Friends of Mine, never ask your fucking black friends to play a raccoon in any fourth grade play or television production’”). Comedian Al Jackson was also a guest. Past “Handsome Rambler” guests include Flying Lotus, Thundercat, and Joey Purp.
Prior to the release date, 34 Scores is available exclusively at the Björk Digital exhibition in Los Angeles (May 19-June 4). She will also perform selections from the songbook with 32 string players at her upcoming L.A. concert on May 30 (at Walt Disney Concert Hall).
Earlier this year, Ryan Adams released his new album Prisoner. He also announced an absurdly elaborate Prisoner: End of World Edition box set, featuring action figures, a play set, and each of the album’s tracks, as well as 17 previously unreleased B-sides, spread across multiple 7” records. Adams has now made those rarities available separately from the box. Stream Prisoner B-Sides below. Adams is currently on a world tour in support of Prisoner; he will be joined by Jenny Lewis for select dates.
Fyre Festival, a new luxury fest due to launch in the Bahamas this weekend, was postponed this morning after attendees reported a chaotic festival site. Now, festival co-creator Ja Rule has addressed the situation. In a note on Twitter, which he says is not his official statement, he writes, “We are working right now on getting everyone of [sic] the island SAFE. That is my immediate concern.” He adds, “I’m heartbroken at this moment. My partners and I wanted this to be an amazing event. It was NOT A SCAM.” In addition to promising refunds, he continues, “I truly apologize as this is NOT MY FAULT... but I’m taking responsibility. I’m deeply sorry to everyone who was inconvenienced by this.” See the note below.
Ja Rule’s post follows the Bahama Ministry of Tourism’s official statement on Fyre Festival. “We offered advice and assisted with communications with other government agencies,” they wrote. “The event organizers assured us that all measures were taken to ensure a safe and successful event but clearly they did not have the capacity to execute an event of this scale.” Read their statement below.
The festival, for which weekend tickets were priced from $1,000 to $12,000, was postponed after organizers “assessed the situation” and realized they couldn’t “move forward as [they] hoped [they] could.” Signs of problems began to emerge yesterday, when ticket-holders arrived at a seemingly half-finished campsite. Blink-182 soon cancelled, and planes scheduled for the festival were grounded, reportedly because the island was over capacity. Multiple festival-goers already there reported underwhelming conditions: unstable accommodation, haphazard luggage distribution, and “luxury tents” seemingly designed for disaster relief.
Entrepreneur Billy McFarland, who created the fest with Ja Rule, has not yet publicly commented. Read Fyre Festival-goers’ stories here.
Just before Record Store Day (last Saturday, April 22), Jason Pierce and Peter "Sonic Boom" Kember posted on Spiritualized's Twitter and Facebook accounts asking fans not to buy new reissues of albums by their former band Spacemen 3. The reissues were released via Space Age Recordings, the label run by Gerald Palmer, the band's ex-manager. Pierce and Kember wrote, “We are currently in legal dispute with Gerald Palmer due to him depriving us of our rights in our music and other intellectual property rights relating to Spacemen 3. Any monies from those sales will go directly to him and help fund his side of the dispute.” However, those posts have since been taken down.
In a statement emailed to Pitchfork, Palmer said that the posts were removed after he contacted Pierce and Kember's legal advisers on April 26, “requesting (amongst other things) that I required their immediate confirmation that they would remove the wildly inaccurate, distorted and untrue postings.” He continued, “I received a response 2 hours later confirming 'we can confirm that the posting has been removed from the Spiritualized Facebook and Twitter page and that it will not be re-posted.'”
Palmer also stated, “All claims that the reissues are ‘illegitimate,’ that legal action is being taken, and that the band’s members are being paid ‘very little’ in royalties are both strenuously denied and completely refuted.”
Read his full statement below.
Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Pierce and Kember for comment.
Gerald Palmer:
All claims that the reissues are “illegitimate,” that legal action is being taken, and that the band’s members are being paid “very little” in royalties are both strenuously denied and completely refuted and you can quote me on that; in print if you like.
It is true to state that our solicitor (attorney) did send a letter to one of the ex-members of the band who illegally authorised the license of a Spacemen 3 recording behind our back (to which the other band members were denied any royalties or advance) but no legal proceedings have been initiated by us (or any other party for that matter) in relation to ANY dispute concerning Spacemen 3. The disgruntled band member did subsequently make a post on a forum erroneously alleging they got paid ‘zero’ royalties which then appears to have been disseminated by other fans of the band whilst adding their own take on the story but hey, that’s the internet for you. For the record these albums are owned and controlled by me for life of copyright. All the ex-members of Spacemen 3 continue to be accounted to and paid on a bi-annual basis as they have been for the last 30 years, with the total sum paid out in royalties running into substantial six figure sums.
Let me pose a question you may wish to consider; if the releases are purported to be “illegitimate” you may wish to ask yourself why, since the expiration of the licenses to Fire Records, BMG and subsequently Taang! Records in the U.S.A. in the 90’s (check the copyright notices on the jackets of these issues if you have them to hand) then you may ask yourself why no other label (excepting only Space Age Recordings) has exclusively manufactured, distributed and sold these records on a worldwide basis for approximately the last 20 years?
Subsequent to being alerted to Pitchfork’s news story I contacted Jason Pierce and Peter Kember’s legal advisers yesterday (26th April) requesting (amongst other things) that I required their immediate confirmation that they would remove the wildly inaccurate, distorted and untrue postings made on the official Spiritualized Facebook page and the official Spirtualized twitter page. I received a response 2 hours later confirming 'we can confirm that the posting has been removed from the Spiritualized Facebook and Twitter page and that it will not be re-posted.'”
As a foot note, it is the small independent record stores who will suffer the financial consequence of Pete and Jason’s reckless actions the most.
Richard D. James (aka Aphex Twin) has shared a new demo. It’s called “4xAtlantis take1,” and it was “made to test out the Poly CV feature on the Cirklon,” a rep for sequencer manufacturer Sequentix has confirmed to Pitchfork. (He also used 4 Intellijel Atlantix modules to make “4xAtlantis take1.”) The track arrives in Sequentix’s new video from the Berlin electronic music and gear fair Superbooth. Check out James’ demo in the video below. Last year, Aphex Twin released the Cheetah EP. The seven-track effort included two songs named after Sequentix’s Cirklon: “CIRKLON3 [Колхозная mix],” and “CIRKLON 1.” The former came with a music video directed by a child (which Pitchfork named the No. 21 best video of 2016).
Today, Sufjan Stevens released Carrie & Lowell Live, an audiovisual album recorded during his tour behind 2015’s excellent Carrie & Lowell. In addition to the live album, Sufjan has announced another Carrie & Lowell companion piece. The Greatest Gift Mixtape — Outtakes, Remixes, & Demos from Carrie & Lowell is due out October 20 via Asthmatic Kitty. It includes unreleased songs from the album sessions, as well as iPhone recordings and remixes from Helado Negro, Doveman, and more. The Greatest Gift will be released on cassette, LP, and digital formats. Check out the cover art and tracklist below.
Sufjan has also announced a new 12” single featuring the Carrie & Lowell Live versions of “Blue Bucket of Gold” and the Drake “Hotline Bling” cover featuring Gallant. You can pre-order it now at Asthmatic Kitty, with records expected to ship in September.
Sufjan is set to release Planetarium—a collaborative record with the National’s Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, and drummer James McAlister—in June. The group will embark on a brief tour this summer.
The Greatest Gift Mixtape — Outtakes, Remixes, & Demos from Carrie & Lowell
01 Wallowa Lake Monster (Carrie & Lowell Outtake)
02 Drawn to the Blood (Sufjan Stevens Remix)
03 Death With Dignity (Helado Negro Remix)
04 John My Beloved (iPhone Demo)
05 Drawn to the Blood (Fingerpicking Version)
06 The Greatest Gift (Carrie & Lowell Outtake)
07 Exploding Whale (Doveman Remix)
08 All of Me Wants All of You (Helado Negro Remix)
09 Fourth of July (900X Remix)
10 The Hidden River of My Life (Carrie & Lowell Outtake)
11 City of Roses (Carrie & Lowell Outtake)
With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week’s batch includes albums and EPs from Gorillaz, Feist, Sufjan Stevens, Mary J. Blige, Thurston Moore, BNQT, Cashmere Cat, Sylvan Esso, and Young M.A.
Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett assembled a star-studded cast for their new Gorillaz album, Humanz. Among the many featured artists are: Grace Jones, Danny Brown, Mavis Staples, Pusha T, Vince Staples, Savages’ Jehnny Beth, D.R.A.M., De La Soul, and Kelela. Read our track reviews for “Andromeda” and “Let Me Out.” Watch their record-breaking VR video for “Saturnz Barz.”
Feist’s new album, Pleasure, follows 2011’s Metals. The album was produced by Feist with Mocky and Renaud Letang. Read our reviews of the title track and “Century” (featuring Jarvis Cocker). Watch the excellent “Pleasure” video here.
Sufjan Stevens’ new live album was recorded on November 9, 2015 at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center in South Carolina. In addition to live renditions of Carrie & Lowell songs, it includes Stevens and Gallant’s “Hotline Bling” cover.
Strength of a Woman is Mary J. Blige’s first album since The London Sessions in 2014. The LP features Kanye West, Kaytranada, Missy Elliott, Migos’ Quavo, DJ Khaled, and Prince Charlez. Check out the track review of Blige and West’s “Love Yourself.”
The new album from Thurston Moore, Rock n Roll Consciousness, features contributions from My Bloody Valentine’s Debbie Googe, Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley, and more. It follows 2014’s The Best Day. Check out our review of “Smoke of Dreams,” and find tickets to the Thurston Moore Band’s Friday Pitchfork Music Festival performance here.
BNQT features members of Band of Horses, Franz Ferdinand, Grandaddy, Midlake, and Travis. The supergroup’s lineup is: Ben Bridwell, Alex Kapranos, Jason Lyttle, Fran Healy, Eric Pulido, McKenzie Smith, Joey McClellan, and Jesse Chandler. Volume 1 is their debut album.
9 is the debut LP from Cashmere Cat, following his Wedding Bells and Mirror Maru EPs. The record features the Weeknd and Francis and the Lights (on “Wild Love”), MØand SOPHIE (on “9 (After Coachella)”), Selena Gomez, Tory Lanez, 2 Chainz, and more.
After breaking through with her viral hit “OOOUUU,” Young M.A has shared a new EP called Herstory. The Brooklyn rapper has said it is the precursor to her debut full-length, Herstory in the Making. Read Pitchfork’s track review for “Hot Sauce.”
Pixies appeared on “Conan” last night, playing “Bel Esprit” off Head Carrier, their latest LP. Check it out below. The band are touring through the end of the year, with shows booked throughout North America and Europe, including some with Mitski. Check out their itinerary here, and revisit Pitchfork’s interview with Black Francis and Paz Lenchantin.
The War on Drugs have announced a world tour, following the release of their new song “Thinking of a Place.” They’ll kick things off in Philadelphia this September before heading through Europe and wrapping up in November. Check out their full itinerary below. “Thinking of a Place” marked the band’s first new original music since 2014’s Lost in the Dream, and their first release since signing to Atlantic. It was released as a limited edition 12” single for this year’s Record Store Day and is now available on streaming services.
09-21 Philadelphia, PA - Dell Music Center
09-22 New York, NY - Summerstage
09-23 Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
09-25 Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
09-26 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
09-28 Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory
09-29 Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
09-30 Austin, TX - Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
10-05 Los angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
10-06 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
10-09 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
10-11 Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
10-13 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
10-14 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
10-18 St. Paul, MN - Palace Theatre
10-19 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
10-20 Columbus, OH - Express Live!
10-21 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
11-02 Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live
11-03 Cologne, Germany - E-Werk
11-04 Brussels, Belgium - Forest National
11-06 Paris, France - Bataclan
11-09 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands
11-10 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands
11-12 Manchester, England - O2 Apollo
11-14 London, England - Alexandra Palace
11-17 Zurich, Switzerland - X-tra
11-18 Milan, Italy - Fabrique
11-20 Munich, Germany - Muffathalle
11-21 Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit 36
11-22 Berlin, Germany - Tempodrom
11-24 Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
11-25 Copenhagen, Denmark - Tap 1
11-27 Stockholm, Sweden - Annexet
Chvrches have shared a new live version of their Every Open Eye track “Down Side of Me.” It’s the band’s contribution to 7-inches for Planned Parenthood—the new compilation of 7” vinyl records and digital singles that benefit Planned Parenthood. The track arrives along with a new music video, directed by Kristen Stewart. In a press release, Lauren Mayberry said, “‘Down Side Of Me’ was not written specifically for this project but I really like how the lyrics can be interpreted in a way that supports the goal of the project as a whole. We should all be able to have faith that our governments are working in our best interests—and if they aren’t then, they should be challenged and held to account. ‘I’ll believe that you’re all that you said you would be.’” Watch the Stewart-directed video below.
The 7-inches for Planned Parenthood vinyl boxset is expected to arrive in the fall. The project was announced with a promotional video for the project in which John Legend, St. Vincent, and Zach Galifianakis covered Minnie Riperton’s “Lovin’ You”. Other artists contributing to the compilation include Bon Iver, Björk, and Sleater-Kinney. Find the full list of participators here.
A new luxury festival due to take place this weekend in the Bahamas has been postponed after ticket-holders arrived to a campsite embroiled in chaos. Ja Rule and entrepreneur Billy McFarland’s Fyre Festival, for which weekend tickets were priced from $1,000 to $12,000, tweeted this morning: “After assessing the situation this morning and looking at best options for our guests, we cannot move forward as we hoped we could.” They added that they are working on scheduling flights for those already on the island. Read Fyre festival-goers’ stories here.
Signs of problems at the site began to emerge yesterday, when ticket-holders arrived at a seemingly half-finished campsite. That evening, Blink-182 cancelled, and planes scheduled for the festival were grounded, reportedly because the island was over capacity. Multiple festival-goers already on the island reported underwhelming conditions, including unstable accommodation, haphazard luggage distribution, disaster relief tents, and more. Attempts to leave the island, too, were apparently hindered.
Due to unforeseen and extenuating circumstances, Fyre Festival has been fully postponed (con't)
Last fall, NPG/Warner Bros announced that Prince’s iconic 1984 album Purple Rainwould be remastered and reissued in early 2017. Now, details of the reissue have been announced. Due out June 23, the reissue comes in two packages—deluxe and expanded deluxe—both of which feature a remastered version of the album (overseen by Prince in 2015) and a second disc featuring 11 songs “from the vault and previously unreleased”—six of which, a press release states, “have never been released or distributed in the collector or bootleg community.” The expanded edition features a disc of single edits and B-sides, as well as a live DVD recorded at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY, on March 30, 1985. A previously unreleased studio recording from the era, of “Electric Intercourse,” is out now—listen below.
The new release was developed with the help of plans “agreed [upon] with Prince before he passed away.” Prince’s discography was recently made available on streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify. Two albums of unreleased music, taken from Prince’s famous Paisley Park vault, are also scheduled to be released on June 9.
Gorillaz made an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” last night, playing “Let Me Out” from Humanz, which is out today. Damon Albarn, Seye Adelekan, Jesse Hackett, Mike Smith, Karl Vanden Bossche, Gabriel Wallace, Jeff Wooton performed alongside special guest Pusha T, while Mavis Staples sang the chorus via video. Watch it all go down below. Gorillaz recently conducted their first ever live, animated interview leading up to the release of the new album. They’re set to launch a North American tour this summer, along with the inaugural edition of their new festival, Demon Dayz.
DJ Khaled has dropped the video for new single “I'm the One,” featuring Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne, Justin Bieber, and Quavo from Migos. Watch it below. Filmed at an extravagant California mansion, the clip begins with Khaled and his son on an opulent beachfront while a woman rides around on a horse. He invites his all-star guest list over to “celebrate life success, and our blessings.” On Instagram, he dedicated the video to his son, Asahd—who is listed as an executive producer of his new album and also appears on the single’s artwork. The new track appears on Khaled’s forthcoming album Grateful. He released his last album, Major Key, in 2016.
A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg have come together for a new song. Listen to “Wrong” below. Rocky has kept busy the last few months, guesting on a version of Frank Ocean’s “Chanel” and D.R.A.M.’s “Gilligan” with Juicy J. He will also appear on the upcoming Mura Masa album. Ferg recently shared a new song with Remy Ma called “East Coast.” It will appear on his upcoming album, Still Striving. Rocky’s last solo studio album, At.Long.Last.A$AP, arrived in 2015; Ferg released his Always Strive and Prosperalbum last year. Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends- by A$AP Mob dropped last fall.
Watch Rocky perform “Pretty Flacko” at Pitchfork Music Festival:
After teasing her new collaboration with Migos, Katy Perry has shared their new collaborative song “Bon Appetit.” Listen below. She revealed the single’s artwork on Wednesday. Her head appears on a white plate surrounded by fruit while Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset’s hands reach toward her. Perry previously released a dystopian music video for her single, “Chained to the Rhythm,” featuring Skip Marley. The single was unveiled via disco balls located around the world. Next up, Perry will perform on the season finale of “Saturday Night Live” on May 20.
Migos have only increased in ubiquity since the release of their excellent album Culture earlier this year, appearing on songs with Calvin Harris and Katy Perry and popping up with four separate Coachella appearances at the first weekend of this year‘s festival. Now, they’ve shared another collaboration, this time appearing on Sean Paul’s new song “Body.” Listen to it below. A music video featuring Paul and Migos is forthcoming; find a teaser for that below as well.
Sufjan Stevens has released his new audiovisual live album, Carrie & Lowell Live. Listen to it below. The album was recorded on November 9, 2015 at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center in South Carolina, during Sufjan’s tour supporting his last album, Carrie & Lowell. It features Sufjan and Gallant’s cover of Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” In addition to the audio, Carrie & Lowell live has been released in video form, with the video available on YouTube and Vimeo. The live album precedes Sufjan’s upcoming collaborative album with the National's Bryce Dessner and Nico Muhly, Planetarium, which is out June 9.
Feist has released her new album Pleasure—the follow-up to 2011’s Metals. Listen to the album in full below. The album was produced by Feist with Mocky and Renaud Letang. Pleasure includes the previously released title track (along with its swirling video) and “Century” with Jarvis Cocker of Pulp. Earlier this month, Feist invited fans to plan their ideal listening party for the album. “Send us a description of where your ideal listening place might be,” she wrote. This week, Feist will begin touring in support the album; find those dates here.
Logic has shared a new song from his upcoming album Everybody. “1-800-273-8255” features Alessia Cara and Khalid. Listen to the song below. “1-800-273-8255” is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (the song title is the NSPL number) to raise awareness for mental health and the nationwide suicide crisis. Logic’s forthcoming album features Killer Mike, Chuck D, Juicy J, Black Thought, No I.D., actor Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars, Divergent), and famed scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson. “1-800-273-8255” follows the title track as well as the video for “Black SpiderMan.” Everybody, Logic’s follow-up to 2015’s The Incredible True Story, is out May 5.
Back in 2011, Julia Holter released an album called Tragedy, which was inspired by the Greek tragedy Hippolytus. Now, she’s bringing her Tragedy to the stage as an opera (via Brooklyn Vegan). The Tragedy Opera will be performed at Brooklyn’s National Sawdust on June 22 and 23. Created in collaboration with Yelena Zhelezov and Zoe Aja Moore (who she worked with for music videos like “Goddess Eyes II,” an Ekstasis rework of a Tragedy cut), it features new arrangements of Tragedy songs performed by the trio with the Wild Up ensemble.
According to the event listing, “the mise-en-scene of the opera will draw upon the visual elements that originally inspired the music—shadows, reflections, echoes, fragments, statues—and will layer vocal performers, multiple channels of video (both live and sourced content), and performing objects to create a haunting emotional landscape.” Find out more information here.
Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac have shared a new song together. “Feel About You” is from their upcoming album of duets, Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie, which is out June 9 on Atlantic. The duo will soon embark on a tour of North America supporting their album, including shows in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Nashville, Northern Virginia, and more; check out those dates here. They previously shared the song “In My World” off the new album, which marks the first release from Buckingham since 2011’s Seeds We Sow.
Read our Sunday Review of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk, and our recent review of theTango in the Night reissue.
Thee Oh Sees have announced a tour. They’ll hit the road later this month at Norman Music Festival in Oklahoma and tour Europe through the summer, before wrapping up with a series of North American dates in September. Their itinerary also includes stops at London’s Field Day Festival as well as France’s This Is Not a Love Song. Check out all their dates below. Last year, Thee Oh Sees released two albums: A Weird Exits and An Odd Entrances. Earlier this year, John Dwyer released a new Damaged Bug record called Bunker Funk.
04-29 Norman, OK - Norman Music Festival
05-05 Winterthur, Switzerland - Salzhaus
05-06 Frankfurt, Germany - Zoom
05-07 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Rotown
05-08 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
05-10 Clermont-Ferrand, France - La Coopérative de Mai
05-11 La Rochelle, France - La Sirène
05-12 Rouen, France - Le 106
05-13 Lyon, France - L'épicerie Moderne
05-14 Paris, France - Trabeno
05-16 Nottingham, England - Rock City
05-17 Brighton, England - Clarendon Centre
05-18 Nantes, France - Stereolux
05-19 Rennes, France - Antipode
05-20 Reims, France - La Magnifique Society
05-21 Brussels, Belgium - L'Ancienne Belgique
05-26 George, WA - Sasquatch
06-03 London, England - Field Day Festival
06-04 Bristol, England - SWX
06-06 Metz, France - La BAM
06-07 Milan, Italy - Magnolia
06-08 Ravenna, Italy - Beaches Brew
06-09 Dudingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn
06-10 Nimes, France - This Is Not A Love Song
06-11 Bordeaux, France - Le Block
06-12 Tours, France - Le Temps Machine
06-14 Manchester, England - Transformers
06-17 San Francisco, CA - Phono Del Sol Festival
06-22-23 Los Angeles, CA - FYF
08-06 Katowice, Poland - OFF Festival
08-08 Hamburg, Germany - Molotow
08-10 Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08-11 Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
08-12 Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
08-18 Saint Malo, France - La Route du Rock
08-19 Brecon Beacons, England - Green Man Festival
09-01 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom
09-02 Albuquerque, NM - Sister Bar
09-04 Austin, TX - Hotel Vegas Outside
09-05 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jack's
09-06 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
09-08 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero Theater
09-10 Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw
09-13 Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
09-14 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulip I Le National
09-15 Toronto, Ontario - Danforth Theater
09-16 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
09-17 Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
09-19 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
09-22 Missoula, MT - Monk's
09-24 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
09-25 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
Watch The Oh Sees perform “The Dream” at Pitchfork Music Festival 2012:
Following the release of her excellent album Everybody Works earlier this year, Jay Som has shared a new song. It’s called “Turn the Other Cheek,” and it’s part of the anti-Trump compilation Our First 100 Days (which has also featured contributions from Angel Olsen, Mitski, Avey Tare, and plenty more). Listen to it below. Along with the new song, Jay Som has also announced a fall tour behind Everybody Works. It includes stops at Bonnaroo and Brooklyn’s Northside Festival. Check out her full itinerary here.
Brooklyn rapper Young M.A has released a new EP. Herstory includes the previously shared “Hot Sauce,” as well as a new song called “JOOTD” that samples Monica’s “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)”. M.A’s breakout single “OOOUUU” is included as a bonus track. Listen to the self-released EP below. M.A has said that the EP is the precursor to her debut full-length, Herstory in the Making. Find her upcoming tour itinerary (which includes shows with 21 Savage) here.
Pitchfork named “OOOUUU” the No. 67 song of 2016. Find the full list here.
Watch “The 10 Best Rap Mixtapes of the New Millennium,” via Pitchfork.tv:
In support of her new book From Cradle to Stage: Stories From the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars,Virginia Hanlon Grohl and her son Dave Grohl appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” During the adorable interview, Mrs. Grohl shares an incredible photo of her son at a tender age, and Colbert reads Dave’s sixth grade report card out loud while he grows increasingly uncomfortable. Elsewhere, Dave tells some formative stories about his childhood, and his mother talks about their relationship in the wake of Kurt Cobain’s death. In addition, Dave Grohl joined the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (who were sitting in with “Colbert” house band Jon Batiste and Stay Human) to perform “Santiago.” Watch it all go down below.
From Cradle toStage—which features Virginia Hanlon Grohl’s interviews with the mothers of famous musicians including Dr. Dre, Amy Winehouse, Haim, and Michael Stipe—is out now. For more insight into Dave Grohl’s childhood, revisit a clip of him reacting to his teenage rock band.
Watch Dave Grohl in a clip from The Smart Studio Story, via Pitchfork.tv:
Foster the People have shared three new songs. They’re called “Doing It for the Money,” “S.H.C.,” and “Pay the Man.” All three come from the group’s forthcoming third record, which is due out this summer via Columbia. The follow-up to 2014’s Supermodel does not yet have a title. Head here to downloaded the new songs as a bundle, titled III. Foster the People are set to embark on tour next month. Among their stops is a Lollapalooza set in August. Check out their itinerary here.
SZA has a new song with Travis Scott, “Love Galore.” Along with the track, she’s shared its music video, which is directed by Nabil (who recently did the visual for Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA.”). It features intimate shots of SZA, Travis, and butterflies. At the end, Travis is tied to a bed. It closes with a woman sitting in a rocking chair, laughing with blood on her face. Watch the video below. “Love Galore” is produced by thankgod4cody and Carter Lang. It is the latest single from SZA’s forthcoming record Ctrl, which is set to come out this summer via Top Dawg Entertainment in partnership with RCA Records. The LP follows 2014’s Z.
Watch SZA perform “Warm Winds” at Pitchfork Music Festival 2014:
In other news, Mac has announced his second goofy fan club-related piece of news of the week. Earlier, he launched a search for an assistant proficient in dank memes. And now, he's announced the Mac DeMarco Fan Fiction contest. From May 1 through August 15, fans can submit "a fun, original piece about anything Mac related." The winner gets "a drawing of himself/herself with Mac illustrated by one of Mac's favorite artists, Stefan Marx." Plus, "the winner's story will be featured in the Fan Club Fanzine that every member receives at the end of the year."
Mac has also announced new fan club membership perks. Find the full info here.
Fall Out Boy have announced a new album. It’s called M A N I A, and it’s out September 15 via Island/DCD2. The band have also shared a video for a new song from the album, “Young and Menace.” In a statement about the track, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz says, “It’s hard to rationalize rage – it’s hard to quantify anxiety... this song does neither, it embraces the wave…”. The clip was directed by SCANTRON and Mel Soria. Wentz says of its inspiration, “The concept is the idea of a movie like Elf, where he realizes maybe he isn’t an elf after all, but ours has less comedic elements and more real world implication.”
Fall Out Boy will embark on a North American tour this fall: check out their itinerary below. Proceeds of ticket sales will be donated to the Fall Out Boy Fund, which gives to charities in Chicago. The group’s last album was 2015’s American Beauty/American Psycho.
10-20 Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
10-21 St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
10-22 St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
10-24 Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
10-25 Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre
10-27 Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
10-28 Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
10-29 Boston, MA - TD Garden
11-02 Fairfax, VA - EagleBank Arena
11-03 Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center
11-04 Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
11-05 Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
11-07 Houston, TX - Toyota Center
11-08 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
11-10 Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
11-12 Seattle, WA - Key Arena
11-14 Oakland, CA - Oracle Center
11-15 San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
11-17 Inglewood, CA - The Forum
11-18 Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Arena
Phoenix have finally, officially shared their new song “J-Boy.” It premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 Radio show today. They've also announced the full details of their new album Ti Amo,out June 9 via Loyaute/Glassnote. The 10-track follow-up to 2013’s Bankrupt!focuses on “simple, pure emotions: love, desire, lust, and innocence,” the band said in a press release.“It’s also a record about our European, Latin roots, a fantasized version of Italy: a lost paradise made of eternal Roman summers (hyper-light, hyper-clarity, pistachio gelato), jukeboxes on the beach, Monica Vitti and Marcello Mastroianni, fearless desire and antique marble statues.” See the full tracklist and album art below.
Phoenix will perform “J-Boy” on “The Tonight Show” on May 2. The new track follows the band’s announcement of a world tour, which features support from Mac DeMarco, Whitney, the Lemon Twigs, and Miike Snow. Find their updated itinerary below.
01 J-Boy
02 Ti Amo
03 Tuttifrutti
04 Fior Di Latte
05 Lovelife
06 Goodbye Soleil
07 Fleur De Lys
08 Role Model
09 Via Veneto
10 Telefono
Phoenix:
05-12 Miami, FL - Fillmore *
05-13 Orlando, FL - House of Blues *
05-14 Atlanta, GA - Shaky Knees Festival
05-15 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium *
06-02 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore ^
06-03 New York, NY - Governor's Ball
06-04 Toronto, Ontario - Field Trip
06-05 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom ^
06-07 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks ^#
06-10 San Francisco, CA - Live 105
06-11 San Diego, CA - 91x Valley View Casino Center
06-13 Phoenix, AZ - Marquee Theater ^
06-14 Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl ^!
06-15 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl ^
06-21-25 Pilton, Somerset - Glastonbury Festival
06-29 Vilanova I la Geltrú, Spain - Vida Festival
06-30 Coulau, France - Garorock Festival
07-01 Montreux, Switzerland - Montreux Jazz Fest
07-06 Lisbon, Portugal - NOS Alive
07-07 Bilbao, Spain - Bilbao BBK Live
07-08 Hérouville-Saint-Clair, France - Festival Beauregard
07-09 Belfort, France - Les Eurockeenes
07-12-16 Dour, Belgium - Dour Festival
07-13 Aix-Les-Bains, France - Festival Musilac
07-14 Carhaix-Plouguer, France - Festival les Vieilles Charrues
07-16 Berlin, Germany - Melt! Festival
07-20-22 Wiesen, Austria - Out of the Woods Festival
07-22 Rome, Italy - Rock in Roma
08-06 Bandol, France - Lunallena Festival
08-11-12 Bali, Indonesia - Sunny Side Up
08-11-13 Jakarta, Indonesia - We the Fest
08-12-13 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Good Vibes Fest
08-15 Manila, Philippines - Areneta Coliseum
08-17 Bangkok, Thailand - Moon Star Studio
08-18-20 Osaka, Japan - Summer Sonic Festival
08-18-20 Tokyo, Japan - Summer Sonic Festival
09-01 Stockholm, Sweden - Popaganda Festival
09-02 Laois, Ireland - Electric Picnic
09-24 Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
09-25 Cologne, Germany - Palladium
09-26 Hamburg, Germany - Grosse Freiheit
09-28 Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Rockhalle
09-29 Paris, France - AccorHotels Arena
09-30 London, England - Alexandra Palace
* with Whitney
^ with The Lemon Twigs
! with Mac DeMarco
# with Miike Snow
Watch Phoenix discuss Bankrupt! in an interview with Pitchfork.tv:
