Two months ago, Atlanta artist Daye Jack shared a single called "Hands Up." It featured Killer Mike and focused on police brutality and racism. Today, the song's accompanying music video arrived with footage of protestors, police, and Mike's CNN appearances. Watch the David Gallardo-directed clip below.
Read our feature on Killer Mike and Run the Jewels, "Last Rappers Standing."
Watch Killer Mike and El-P perform "Blockbuster Night Pt. 1" at Pitchfork Music Festival Paris:
Photo via SunKilMoon.com
Sun Kil Moon's Mark Kozelek has announced an upcoming covers album called Mark Kozelek Sings Favorites. It's coming on May 27 via Caldo Verde. It features a collaboration with Faith No More's Mike Patton—their cover of the late David Bowie's Young Americans track "Win." Listen here (via Stereogum).
Patton also appears on a cover of 10cc's "I'm Not in Love." The album features Kozelek's versions of tracks by Modest Mouse, Bob Seger, Waylon Jennings, and more. Find the tracklist below.
Kozelek also teased that an Elliott Smith cover will appear on an upcoming compilation.
Read our "Afterword" feature on Bowie.
Mark Kozelek Sings Favorites:
01 Send in the Clowns
02 Moon River
03 Win
04 I'm Not in Love
05 Amanda
06 O Holy Night
07 Mainstreet
08 Somewhere Over the Rainbow
09 Get Along Home Cindy
10 Another Day
11 Float On
12 Something Stupid
Here's Bowie's original:
Watch Sun Kil Moon perform "Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes" at Pitchfork Music Festival:
Tame Impala were musical guests on tonight's episode of the French TV show "Le Grand Journal." They performed two songs from Currents—"Let It Happen" and "The Less I Know the Better"—as well as their Lonerism track "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards." Watch all three performances below.
Read "Cosmic Neurotic: The Heady Perfectionism of Tame Impala's Kevin Parker."
Watch Tame Impala perform "It Is Not Meant to Be" on Pitchfork.tv:
Photo via Instagram
DJ Khaled's Beats 1 show, We the Best Radio, debuts this Friday. Today, Khaled said he'll premiere a new Future album during the show. In a Snapchat, he appeared with Future, and said, "I have Future's album/tape, that I'm premiering first on We the Best Radio, Apple Music." (Future added: "This Friday, We the Best, don't miss it. Love.") Watch that clip below, as well as a trailer for the show.
On Twitter, Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe confirmed Khaled's new show, as well as the new Future music. It follows last month's Purple Reign.
We the Best Radio airs at 8 PM EST.
new future album on friday on khaled's apple music radio show????? http://pic.twitter.com/IdfXBm2NcB
— trey (@treyzingis) February 1, 2016
ALERT @djkhaled @wethebest #WeTheBest Joins @Beats1 @AppleMusic / EP 1 Friday 5pmPST / 8pmET / Featuring @1future #NewFuture
— Zane Lowe (@zanelowe) February 1, 2016
Check out our interview with Future, and read "Future's Inferno: Monster, One Year Later".
Read "He the Best: An Interview With DJ Khaled About Basketball" on the Pitch.
Watch Future freestyle over a TNGHT beat in an episode of Pitchfork.tv's "Selector":
Here's DJ Khaled's episode of "Over/Under":
Low have shared a dreamy video for "Into You," taken from last year's Ones and Sixes. Directed by Jim Burns and Beth Chalmers and filmed in Glasgow, Scotland, the video frames the band's live performance in glittering beams of light. Check it out below.
Here's what Burns and Chalmers had to say about the video in a press release:
Inspired by the hypnotic reflections of the River Clyde on the archways beneath Glasgow’s city bridges, this film draws parallels between the power of a single beam of sunlight and the deeply affecting personal experience one feels during Low’s live performance. Despite being part of a crowd, Low’s music invokes within you a profound and unique individual perspective.
In other news, the band have expanded their tour behind Ones and Sixes. Find a full itinerary below.
Low:
02-01 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s *
02-02 Baltimore, MD - Creative Alliance
02-03 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
02-04 Atlanta, GA - The Earl
02-05 Birmingham, AL - Saturn
02-06 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
02-08 Houston, TX - Walter’s Downtown
02-09 Austin, TX - The Parish
02-10 Dallas, TX - The Kessler Theatre
02-11 Hot Springs, AR - Low Key Arts
02-12 Nashville, TN - City Winery
02-13 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
03-12 Mexico City, Mexico - Festival NRML
04-01 Wellington, New Zealand - Bodega
04-02 Auckland, New Zealand - King's Arms
04-04 Southbank, Australia - Melbourne Recital Centre ^
04-05 North Fremantle, Australia - Mojos Fremantle ^
04-07 Fortitude Valley, Australia - Black Bear Lodge ^
04-08 Sydney, Australia - Oxford Art Factory ^
04-09 Hobart, Australia - Eros & Thanatos (at the Museum of Old and New Art) ^
06-11 Kværndrup, Denmark - Heartland Festival
06-13 Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller Music Hall !
06-14 Stavanger, Norway
Watch Low perform "Clarence White" at the 2013 Pitchfork Music Festival:
Less than a week after his band Nevermen dropped their self-titled debut, Faith No More's Mike Patton has announced another collaborative project. This time, he'll be teaming up with Norweigan composer and producer John Kaada for Bacteria Cult, an eight-track LP released under the moniker Kaada/Patton. It's due out April 1 via Ipecac; find the tracklisting below. That's the artowkr above.
Bacteria Cult isn't the first time the two have made music as Kaada/Patton. Back in 2004, they released a full-length titled Romances. Three years later, they followed it up with a live DVD, Kaada/Patton Live.
"Working with John Kaada on this latest release was an honor and pure pleasure," Patton said in a press release, continuing:
His compositions have always resonated deeply with me and his orchestral arrangements for this project are harmonically dense and delicious! Each individual piece is so well constructed and inventively assembled that my vocal passages practically sang themselves. I’m hoping very much that we can seduce some eardrums and welcome listeners into this lush sonic ‘otherworld.’
Bacteria Cult:
01 Red Rainbow
02 Black Albino
03 Peste Bubonica
04 Papillon
05 Dispossession
06 A Burnt Out Case
07 Imodium
08 Fountain Gasoline
Below, check out Kaada/Patton's performance of their Romances track "Seule" in this clip from Kaada/Patton Live:
Since 1958, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has awarded platinum and gold certifications based on the quantity of albums sold by an artist. One million sold copies meant a record was platinum; half a million meant gold. Today, the RIAA announced a change in that methodology. Now, it will count on-demand audio and video streaming, along with the traditional album sales, in determining whether a record is platinum or gold.
One stream doesn't equal one sale, however. Instead, 1,500 on-demand audio or video streams will amount to one album sale. (On-demand streaming refers to the ability to choose what song you're listening to—services like Spotify and Apple Music, not internet radio sites like Pandora.) The RIAA's announcement didn't mention how these 1,500 streams will be tallied up—for example, whether one stream of a 17-song album will count the same as 17 streams of a single taken from the album.
Cary Sherman, CEO and chairman of the RIAA, spoke about the shift in a statement:
For nearly six decades, whether it’s vinyl, CDs, downloads or now streams, the Gold & Platinum Program has adapted to recognize the benchmarks of success in an evolving music marketplace. We know that music listening—for both for albums and songs—is skyrocketing, yet that trend has not been reflected in our album certifications. Modernizing our Album Award to include music streaming is the next logical step in the continued evolution of Gold & Platinum Awards, and doing so enables RIAA to fully reward the success of artists’ albums today.
To accompany the news, the RIAA announced that 17 artists have been award with newly designated gold or platinum records. Amongst those records, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, Big Sean's Dark Sky Paradise, and Coldplay's Ghost Stories have been designated as platinum. Meanwhile, the Weeknd's Beauty Behind the Madness went double platinum.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has played Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and "Skyfall" at his campaign rallies. The usage wasn't cleared with the singer, who issued a statement through a spokesman to The Independent: "Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning." Trump hasn't sent out a slew of angry tweets in response.
Last year, Trump used songs by R.E.M. and Neil Young, and was asked by both artists to stop. Michael Stipe was particular blunt in his refusal: "Go fuck yourselves, the lot of you—you sad, attention grabbing, power-hungry little men," he said.
Read "Adele's Confidence and Damon Albarn's Mistake" at The Pitch.
Youth Lagoon has called it quits after three albums. In a message posted to Twitter, Trevor Powers wrote "there is nothing left to say through Youth Lagoon. It will exist no more."
Read his full statement below.
http://pic.twitter.com/wotcJpQZo9
— Youth Lagoon (@youthlagoon) February 1, 2016
Youth Lagoon released three albums: 2011's The Year of Hibernation, 2013's Wondrous Bughouse, and last year's Savage Hills Ballroom.
Youth Lagoon are about to head on tour—the last, of course. Find those dates below.
Youth Lagoon:
02-03 Leeds, England - Belgrave Music Hall
02-04 Manchester, England - Band on the Wall
02-05 Glasgow, Scotland - King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
02-06 Dublin, Ireland - Whelan’s
02-08 Bristol, England - Thekla
02-09 London, England - Village Underground
02-10 Brighton, England - Komedia
02-12 Paris, France - La Maronquinerie
02-13 Utrecht, Netherlands - TivoliVredenburg Cloud Nine
02-14 Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
02-16 Zurich, Switzerland - Mascotte
02-17 Milan, Italy - Magnolia
02-18 Rome, Italy - Monk Club
02-19 Bologna, Italy - Covo Club
02-21 Vienna, Austria - Chelsea
02-22 Prague, Czech Republic - MeetFactory
02-23 Leipzig, Germany - UT Connewitz
02-24 Hamburg, Germany - Knust
02-25 Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
02-28 Oslo, Norway - Vulkan
02-29 Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia
03-02 Moscow, Russia - 16 Tons
03-04-06 Okeechobee, FL - Okeechobee Music Festival
03-23-25 Boise, ID - Treefort Music Festival
06-11 London, England - Field Day
Check out Youth Lagoon's set from Pitchfork Music Festival Paris 2013:
Primal Scream's new album Chaosmosis is out March 18 via First International/Ignition. Sky Ferreira duets with Bobby Gillespie on the album's lead single, "Where the Light Gets In." Below, watch the video. "Where the Light Gets In" was produced by Gillespie, Andrew Innes, and Peter Bjorn and John's Bjorn Yttling.
Even more special guests have also been revealed for Chaosmosis. Haim appear on "100% or Nothing" and "Trippin' on Your Love," and Rachel Zeffira from Cat's Eyes is featured on "Private Wars."
Find Primal Scream's tour dates below.
Read our interview with Ferreira and our "5-10-15-20" with Gillespie.
Primal Scream:
03-29 Aberdeen, Scotland - Beach Ballroom
03-30 Glasgow, Scotland - O2 ABC Glasgow
04-01 London, England - Palladium
04-02 Manchester, England - Albert Hall
05-28 Southampton, England - Common People
05-29 Oxford, England - Common People
07-24 Huntingdon, England - Secret Garden Party
08-13 Durham, England - Down to the Woods
Photo by Christelle de Castro
Santigold has announced a trek behind her upcoming album 99¢, which arrives later this month. The "We Buy Gold Tour" will kick off March 21 in Houston. Find Santi's full itinerary below.
99¢ is out February 26 via Atlantic. Read our interview with Santigold about the new album.
Santigold:
03-21 Houston, TX - House of Blues
03-22 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
03-24 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
03-26 Salt Lake City, UT - In the Venue
03-28 Tempe, AZ - The Marquee Theatre
03-29 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
03-31 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
04-02 Las Vegas, NV - The Foundry Hall
04-03 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
04-04 San Francisco, CA - The Masonic
04-06 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
04-09 Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre
04-11 Vancouver, British Columbia - Vogue Theatre
04-13 Calgary, Alberta - Flames Central
04-16 Minneapolis, MN - Mill City Nights
04-17 Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
04-19 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
04-20 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
04-22 Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
04-23 Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte
04-25 Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor
04-26 Fort Lauderdale, FL - Revolution Live
04-28 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
04-30 New York - NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
05-01 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts
05-03 Boston, MA - House of Blues
05-04 Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
05-06 Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore
Watch Santigold's recent "Chasing Shadows" video:
Death From Above 1979 have announced a joint Canadian tour with Eagles of Death Metal, which will kick off in April. In a short announcement posted to the duo's website, Sebastien Grainger discussed his initial encounters with EODM and offered a warning: "Canada, get ready for real rock-and-roll and wear your tuxedos." He also notes: "Eagles Of Death Metal are like peyote; You don't find them, they find you." Find his full statement below, along with the tour dates.
At first glance it may seem like this tour pairing is too funky to be true. However, when I gaze backwards in time, it seems that our fates are inextricably intertwined. It began back in 2005 on tour with Queens Of The Stone Age when EODM founding member, Joshua Homme, mentioned that he had a friend back home with a better mustache than ours (our band doesn’t share ONE mustache, we had one each). That friend back home was Jesse Hughes. Jesse is what I would consider a real rock-and-roll creature. He was born in a jean jacket. In fact, he was wearing a jean jacket when our fates collided for a second time: Christmas shopping at a Best Buy in the Atwater Village area of L.A., December 24th, 2012. I saw him from across the parking lot wearing a Canadian tuxedo (Google Image search!) and aviator sunglasses. I thought to myself: There’s only one other rock-and-roller on earth baddass enough to face a shopping tsunami at a major electronics big-box on Christmas Eve, Jesse from EODM. I creepily admired him from afar while I shopped for a Bluetooth speaker.
The only difference between him and I at that moment is that he looked like the lead singer in a rock-and-roll band and I looked like Val Kilmer in Weird Science. The next stop on the Wheel-Of-Fortune-Of-Life brought us together in a dusty barbecue shack in the Mojave desert. I was hunched over a pile of charred bones, my face and hands so sticky with sauce I looked like a hyena feasting on the African savanna. I looked up from the carnage and who did I see? Two tremendous Eagles: Dave Catching and Joshua Homme. Eagles Of Death Metal are like peyote; You don't find them, they find you. I did them the service of washing up the gore before walking over and saying “Hello, it’s me".
If all of this seems like a crazy reason to go on tour together, I think you’re crazy. Canada, get ready for real rock-and-roll and wear your tuxedos.
Sebastien Grainger, Death From Above, February 2016
Death From Above 1979:
04-26 Port Coquitlam, British Columbia - PNE Forum *
04-28 Edmonton, Alberta - Shaw Conference Centre *
04-29 Calgary, Alberta - Grey Eagle Casino and Bingo Centre *
04-30 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - O’Brians Event Centre *
05-01 Winnipeg, Manitoba - Burton Cummings Theatre *
05-04 London, Ontario - London Music Hall *
05-05 Québec, Québec - Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre *
05-06 Hamilton, Ontario - Hamilton Convention Centre *
05-08 Québec, Québec - L’Impérial Bell *
05-20 Columbus, OH - Rock on the Range *^
* with Eagles of Death Metal
^ with The Glorious Sons
Here's Death From Above 1979's video for "Virgins:"
Photo by Erez Avissar
On February 11, Kanye West will release his new album, Waves. That same day, the album will be premiered with a live event at NYC's Madison Square Garden, which will be streamed at theaters in over 20 countries around the world. Tickets are on sale now.
Conceptual artist Vanessa Beecroft will perform at the event. Find the list of participating countries and theaters here.
The Madison Square Garden event is listed as Yeezy Season 3. Yeezy Seasons 1 and 2 were showcases for Kanye's fashion line; both of those events were also streamed in theaters. He premiered new music at each event: "Wolves" (featuring Sia and Vic Mensa) at Yeezy Season 1 and "Fade" (with Ty Dolla $ign and Post Malone) at Yeezy Season 2.
After revealing the Waves tracklist, Kanye has continued to tease guest stars and new songs. The album includes "Real Friends" and "No More Parties in LA," as well as "Wolves" and "Fade." "All Day" and "Only One" didn't seem to make the cut.
Read the op-ed "On Kanye West and Black Humility" on the Pitch.
Watch Kanye West's performance of "Wolves" on "SNL," with Vic Mensa and Sia:
Photo by Kyle Cassidy
Last year, horror film legend John Carpenter released his debut non-soundtrack LP, Lost Themes. In interviews at the time, he said that he was already at work on more new music. Today, he's announced his next album: Lost Themes II is out April 15 via Sacred Bones. Find the tracklist and album art below.
The new album, once again, is a collaboration between Carpenter, his son Cody Carpenter, and his godson Daniel Davies (son of the Kinks' Dave Davies). The major difference between the first and second album is that while Lost Themes was recorded over several years and long distances, they recorded the new one together in the same city.
Carpenter recently announced his first-ever live shows, including dates at ATP Iceland and Primavera Sound. He's promised North American dates in the near future. Find his full schedule below.
Read our interview with Carpenter.
Lost Themes II:
01 Distant Dream
02 White Pulse
03 Persia Rising
04 Angel's Asylum
05 Hofner Dawn
06 Windy Death
07 Dark Blues
08 Virtual Survivor
09 Bela Lugosi
10 Last Sunrise
11 Utopian Facade
John Carpenter:
06-02-04 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound
07-01-03 Ásbrú, Iceland - ATP Iceland
10-28 Manchester, England - Albert Hall
10-29 Manchester, England - Albert Hall
10-31 London, England - Troxy
Photo by Scarlet Page
The Smashing Pumpkins have announced the return of their "In Plainsong" tour, in which they'll perform "an evening of acoustic based music and electronic soundscapes" according to a press release. (They did a similar tour last year.) Liz Phair will open on the tour, marking her first U.S. dates in six years. Find the schedule below.
The Pumpkins lineup includes founding drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, who rejoined the group last year. Following the tour, they'll record a new studio album—the follow-up to 2014's Monuments to an Elegy.
The Smashing Pumpkins:
03-22 Portland, OR - Schnitzer Hall *
03-23 Seattle, WA - The Paramount *
03-25 San Francisco, CA - The Masonic *
03-26-27 Los Angeles, CA - The Theatre at Ace Hotel *
03-29 Salt Lake City, UT - Kingsbury Hall *
03-30 Denver, CO - Ellie Caulkins Opera House *
04-01 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore *
04-02 Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre *
04-04 New York, NY - Beacon Theatre *
04-08 Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre *
04-09 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre *
04-10 Washington, D. C. - Lincoln Theatre *
04-12 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall *
04-14 Chicago, IL - Civic Opera House *
04-15 Louisville, KY - Palace Theatre *
04-16 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium *
04-18 Dallas, TX - Majestic Theatre *
04-19 Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall *
04-20 Houston, TX - Cullen Performance Hall *
* with Liz Phair
Photo by Daniel Topete
Twin Peaks have announced their full-length follow-up to 2014's Wild Onion, Down in Heaven. It's out May 13 via Grand Jury. Find the album art, tracklist, tour dates, and an album teaser below.
Down in Heaven
01 Walk To the One You Love
02 Wanted You
03 My Boys
04 Butterfly
05 You Don’t
06 Cold Lips
07 Heavenly Showers
08 Keep It Together
09 Getting Better
10 Holding Roses
11 Lolisa
12 Stain
13 Have You Ever
Twin Peaks:
02-24 Madison, WI - The Frequency
02-25 Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
02-26 Sioux Falls, SD - Total Drag [two shows]
02-27 Iowa City, IA - Blue Moose Tap House
03-09 Champaign, IL - The Accord
03-10 Nashville, TN - Exit In
03-11 Columbia, MO - Cafe Berlin
03-12 Bloomington, IN - Blockhouse
04-29 Austin, TX - Levitation
05-13 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
06-09 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music Festival
Down in Heaven teaser:
Watch Twin Peaks perform "Baby Blue" at Pitchfork Music Festival 2014:
Photo by Hisham Bharoocha/Abby Portner
On February 19, Animal Collective release their new album Painting With. Today, they've shared new track "Lying in the Grass," which premiered last week on their "Painting With" app. Listen below.
The band previously shared "Floridada."
Read our interview with Animal Collective, "Primitive Future."
Watch Animal Collective perform "Today's Supernatural" at Pitchfork Music Festival:
Photo by Ebru Yildiz
Azealia Banks will not face charges for an alleged assault on a security guard last October, TMZ reports. The L.A. City Attorney rejected the case due to lack of evidence, according to TMZ.
The incident took place at L.A. nightclub Break Room 86. Although it was caught on surveillance cameras, TMZ reports the aggressor's identity could not be confirmed.
Late last year, Banks was reportedly charged with assault and disorderly conduct after allegedly biting a security guard in New York.
Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival takes place March 4-6 in Okeechobee, Florida. The festival is co-founded by Paul Peck, the producer behind Bonnaroo's famous SuperJams. His new festival has just announced their inaugural all-star jam (called the PoWoW!).
Miguel and Arcade Fire's Win Butler will lead the PoWoW! as co-creative directors, with John Oates (of Hall & Oates) serving as music director. Kamasi Washington, the Meters' George Porter Jr. and Zigaboo Modeliste, members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, DJ Chris Karns, and Soulive's Eric Krasno will also participate. Special guests are promised.
Okeechobee's lineup also includes Kendrick Lamar, Future, Skrillex, Fetty Wap, Ween, Big Grams, Mac Miller, Mumford & Sons, Youth Lagoon, Hundred Waters, Shabazz Palaces, Robert Plant, the Avett Brothers, Odesza, Dungen, and more.
“This is a group of artists, each at the pinnacle of their respective genres, but this performance will obliterate genre barriers and create an epic dance party under the stars at Okeechobee 2016,” said Peck in a statement. “I love surprises, so you can be sure we’ve got a few major tricks up our sleeve.”
PJ Harvey has shared a video for her recent single "The Wheel," from The Hope Six Demolition Project, via Noisey. Directed by Seamus Murphy, the video collates footage shot in Kosovo between 2011 and 2015. Watch it below.
Speaking about her trip to Kosovo for the video, Harvey told Noisey:
When I’m writing a song I visualize the entire scene. I can see the colors, I can tell the time of day, I can sense the mood, I can see the light changing, the shadows moving, everything in that picture. Gathering information from secondary sources felt too far removed for what I was trying to write about. I wanted to smell the air, feel the soil and meet the people of the countries I was fascinated with.
Murphy added:
The song 'The Wheel' has the journey to Kosovo at its center. Who is to say what else has influenced and informed its creation? The sight of a revolving fairground wheel in Fushe Kosove/Kosovo Polje near the capital Pristina is the concrete reference point for the title. ... Was that sight alone the inspiration for the song? Without being told the stories of people who had suffered during the war, without visiting villages abandoned through ethnic cleansing and cycles of vengeance, without experiencing the different perceptions of people with shared histories, could the song have been written?
I made a return trip to Kosovo in December 2015, armed this time with the knowledge of how the project had developed. ... The enormous refugee crisis in Europe had been news for months. I spent some time on the Greek and Macedonian borders, and in Serbia, before traveling into Kosovo. It was happening in and through territories associated with recent conflicts in Kosovo and the wider Balkans. The idea of cycles, wheels and repetition once again being all too apparent and necessary to make.
Read Murphy's full explanation at Noisey.
