Jamie Lidell Soundtracks New Hillary Clinton Ad

Jamie Lidell’s “Me and You,” from his recently released album, Building a Beginning, is featured in a new Hillary Clinton campaign ad. The visual tells multiple stories of who people honored with their donation to Clinton’s campaign. Find it below.

In a separate Clinton support ad from the Patriotic Artists and Creatives PAC, Dawes recorded a version of Robert Palmer’s “Man Smart Woman Smarter.” Watch that below, too. “It‘s always nice to get to use our music to serve a bigger purpose that we believe in,” Dawes singer-songwriter Taylor Goldsmith said in a statement.

For your mom.
For teachers.
For the planet.

Donate in honor of who or what you love, and share your custom graphic: https://t.co/LAnQQ8bdGa http://pic.twitter.com/JQfore3kuf

— Hillary for America (@HFA) October 30, 2016

Watch Hillary Clinton’s Presidential Bid in 5 Songs on Pitchfork.tv:

via Sheldon Pearce

Parquet Courts, Bun B to Release Collaborative Single

In July, Parquet Courts were joined by Bun B for a performance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” They teamed up to perform a remix of Human Performance’s “Captive of the Sun” featuring a new verse from the UGK rapper. Parquet Courts’ Austin Brown was a recent guest on Matt Wilkinson’s Beats 1 show, where he revealed that the band have recorded their collaboration with Bun B. Brown said they will release the track as a white label 12" in February, which will include a chopped and screwed remix done by Houston producers DJ Candlestick and OG Ron C on the B-side. Listen to the interview here (starting at 32:00). 

Brown also discussed his love of Houston rap, the Colbert performance (“Even I didn’t know it was going to be a for sure thing until I saw him walk into the Ed Sullivan theater that day”), and how the collaboration came about through a series of coincidences via the help of Nardwuar, who chatted with Bun B at a DJ Khaled show about Brown and the band. 

Later, Brown discussed his feelings on rap rock:

Rap music and rock music don’t have a great history of working well together. There have been a lot of failures on the way to combining rap and rock. But this was, I feel, a really great combination, and everything worked really well.  

Read our feature “Texas Never Whispers: Two Days on Tour With Parquet Courts.”

Watch Parquet Courts’ “Over/Under” on Pitchfork.tv:

via Kevin Lozano

Charli XCX and Lil Yachty Share New “After the Afterparty” Video: Watch

Charli XCX and Lil Yachty’s new single “After the Afterparty”—their track produced by FRED, Stargate, and PC Music-affiliate SOPHIE—has a new music video. In the video, Charli and Yachty lead a crew of hard partying zombies. Watch it below. The single will appear on Charli’s forthcoming album, which follows the SOPHIE-produced Vroom Vroom EP.

Read “PC Music’s Inverted Consumerism” on the Pitch. 

via Evan Minsker

Arcade Fire Debuted New Songs at Secret Show

Arcade Fire are headlining Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in New Orleans tonight. Last night, they prepared for the show with a secret set at an empty space at New Orleans’ Secondline Stages, The Times-Picayune reports. During the show, they treated a small audience of people in Halloween costumes to new material. Phones were confiscated at the door, so it’s unlikely that any footage will surface of the show. Be sure to tune into the Voodoo live stream tonight to see if they bring any of that new material to the big stage. Their last album was 2013’s Reflektor.

In June, Will Butler said a new Arcade Fire album could possibly be released next spring, but that there was no “definite schedule” and that the album will be “done when it's done.” 

via Kevin Lozano

Watch Mac DeMarco and Band Perform Dressed as MacGruber

Watch Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Maya Rudolph’s Talking Heads Band Play Festival Supreme

Last night, Tenacious D’s Festival Supreme returned for it’s fourth iteration at the Shrine Expo Hall & Grounds in Los Angeles. The festival featured performances from artists like Mac DeMarco and Flight of the Conchords. Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Maya Rudolph’s Talking Heads parody band Test Pattern also performed. Below, you can watch Test Pattern’s set at the festival, featuring songs from the “Documentary Now!” episode “Final Transmission” (which satirized the Talking Heads’ 1984 film Stop Making Sense). 

Read “Flight of the Conchords’ Greatest Hits” on the Pitch. 

via Kevin Lozano

Watch Iggy Pop’s Full Performance on “Austin City Limits”

Iggy Pop’s episode of “Austin City Limits” aired last night. Below, you can find the full episode, via PBS. He and his backing band of Matt Sweeney, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Dean Fertita, and Troy Van Leeuwen, and Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders played an eleven-song set that spanned Iggy’s discography. Earlier this, week clips of Iggy Pop’s performance were shared. Iggy Pop’s last album was 2016’s  Post Pop Depression. 

Read “How Iggy and the Stooges Invented Punk” on the Pitch. 

via Kevin Lozano

Lupe Fiasco: “Fuck Kid Cudi, That Dude Needs His Ass Beat”

Lupe Fiasco has chimed in on the recent beef between Kid Cudi and Drake, calling Cudi a “disrespectful clown” on Twitter before going on to say “Fuck Cudi” and “that dude FOUL and needs his ass beat.” Find those tweets below. The tensions between Drake and Cudi escalated recently when Drake took shots at Cudi on a new song, “Two Birds, One Stone,” taken off his upcoming project More Life. Cudi retaliated by tweeting, “Say it to my face, pussy.”

Earlier today, it was revealed that Kanye West is listed as a co-writer on “Two Birds.” Lupe’s last album, Tetsuo & Youth, arrived in 2015. He previously promised a trilogy of new albums would arrive in 2016, but recently announced that they likely would not be released this year due to “clearances and mixing issues.” 

He a disrespectful clown tho Leticia....he can't help himself but still... https://t.co/RSirvHBC8g

— Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco) October 28, 2016

Man fuck that nigga..what part of "rehab" is calling people pussies and asking for fades?! Rehab is checking your own problems not this shit https://t.co/ZUa0uYq8DA

— Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco) October 28, 2016

Fuck cudi https://t.co/g1QQLyFbjd

— Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco) October 29, 2016

You pushing what you THINK you know about this dude...I'm acting what i KNOW. That dude FOUL and needs his ass beat. Period https://t.co/KVjti5ty5m

— Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco) October 29, 2016

Exactly you NEVER seen me just pop off for no reason. Investigate this niggas antics before you ask me adjust to appease a fuck boy...NEVER https://t.co/zKXe7JTc8e

— Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco) October 29, 2016

via Noah Yoo

Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars Sued Over “Uptown Funk”

Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson have been sued for copyright infringement over their hit single “Uptown Funk,” TMZ reports. The complaint, obtained by Pitchfork, was filed by the Minneapolis electro-funk band Collage. They claim that Ronson and Mars’ single “is an obvious, strikingly and/or substantially similar copy” of Collage’s 1983 single “Young Girls.” The complaint also notes that Ronson and Mars have talked about how “Uptown Funk” was influenced by early 1980s Minneapolis electro-funk soul music. Collage are seeking damages and profits.

The complaint states:

Upon information and belief, many of the main instrumental attributes and themes of “Uptown Funk” are deliberately and clearly copied from “Young Girls,” including, but not limited to, the distinct funky specifically noted and timed consistent guitar riffs present throughout the compositions, virtually if not identical bass notes and sequence, rhythm, structure, crescendo of horns and synthesizers rendering the compositions almost indistinguishable if played over each other and strikingly similar if played in consecutively.

Trinidad James, Jeff Bhasker, Devon Gallaspy, Phillip Lawrence, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner/Chappell Music, Atlantic Records, RCA Records and others are listed alongside Mars and Ronson in the lawsuit. Only one member of Collage, Larry White, is alive. The estates of two other members, Grady Wilkins and Lee Peters, are also listed as defendants.

Earlier this year, another group claimed that “Uptown Funk” infringed on their song. The Sequence argued that Mars and Ronson copied their 1979 song “Funk You Up.” The Sequence did not bring a lawsuit. 

via Evan Minsker

Bob Dylan Accepts His Nobel Prize

The Nobel Foundation has announced that Bob Dylan called the Swedish Academy earlier this week to accept the Nobel Prize in Literature. He told the Swedish Academy’s permanent secretary Sara Danius that, “The news about the Nobel Prize left me speechless,” and he “appreciate[s] the honor so much.” The Nobel Foundation says it “has not yet been decided if Bob Dylan will attend any events during the Nobel Week in Stockholm in December.”

This comes after Dylan’s recent interview with The Telegraph, where he finally acknowledged the Nobel Prize, and said he “absolutely” wants to attend the December 10 ceremony “if it all possible.” You can read the Nobel Foundation’s full announcement here. 

Prior to this week’s developments, it was reported Dylan was not returning the Nobel committee’s emails, and the one mention of the award on his website shortly disappeared. Earlier this month, one of the Swedish Academy’s members called Dylan’s recent silence “impolite and arrogant.”

Read the op-ed “The World Does Not Need Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize Winner in Literature” on the Pitch.

via Kevin Lozano

The Smiths Discussed Reuniting in 2008

Johnny Marr recently sat down with The Guardian for an interview that discussed the band’s history and his upcoming memoir Set the Boy Free, out November 15 via Dey Street Books (an imprint of HarperCollins). He also shared an excerpt from the memoir, which reveals that the Smiths were discussing a possible reunion in 2008.

While working on remastering the Smiths’ catalogue, he texted Morrissey and Andy Rourke of their music, “you can really hear the love in it.” He reveals that in September 2008, he met with Morrissey in Manchester and pub, and during the course of their meeting they began “talking about the possibility of the band re-forming.” Marr says, “For four days it was a very real prospect.” He even talked to his current band, the Cribs, “about the possibility of [him] playing some shows with the Smiths.”

He continued to talk to Morrissey after the meeting, and they planned to meet up again, but after he and the Cribs went to Mexico, he says there was a sudden “radio silence” from Morrissey. “Our communication ended, and things went back to how they were and how I expect they always will be,” he writes. 

Elsewhere in the memoir excerpt, Marr talks about a brief period where he and Morrissey communicated about their mutual dislike of former Prime Minister David Cameron. Earlier this year, Cameron, a professed Smiths fan, misquoted the band in Parliament. You can read the memoir excerpt here. 

The Smiths broke up following the release of 1987’s Strangeways, Here We Come. Since then, most rumors of a possible reunion have been shot down by the band’s members. In a 2009 interview with BBC Radio 2 Morrissey said, “People always ask me about reunions and I can't imagine why. It baffles me.” Marr acknowledges these reports in the memoir excerpt, writing, “There had been rumours for years that the Smiths were about to re-form, and they were always untrue. I had never pursued any offer.”

While the Smiths might not be reuniting anytime soon, unreleased music from Marr and Andy Rourke’s pre-Smiths band, Freak Party, is set to be released this year. 

Read our “5-10-15-20” interview with Johnny Marr, and “The Smiths Were Way More Subversive Than We (and David Cameron) Care to Remember” on the Pitch. 

Watch Pitchfork.tv’s “Liner Notes” for The Queen Is Dead:

via Kevin Lozano

Kanye Listed as Co-Writer on Drake’s Kid Cudi, Pusha T Diss Track

Drake recently released “Two Birds, One Stone,” a track which seemed to take shots at Pusha T and Kid Cudi. After a few lines seemingly aimed at Pusha, he appears to turn his attention to Cudi: “You were the man on the moon, now you go through your phases” Cudi responded on Twitter: “Say it to face, pussy. You think it's a game. I wanna see you say it to my face. I'll be out soon. Promise.” The plot thickens, as it’s now been revealed that in the song’s credits, Kanye West is listed as one of the song’s writers and composers, Pigeons and Planes points out. He’s also a co-producer with Noah “40” Shebib. Here’s what it says in the track information in Tidal:

After Cudi sent tweets in September saying that Kanye and Drake “ain’t fuckin with me,” Kanye delivered a memorably furious mid-concert response. (“I BIRTHED YOU.”) Days later, he softened his position: “I just wanted to take time out to say Kid Cudi is my brother.” He also called him “the most influential artist of the past 10 years.” Kanye and Pusha are seemingly cool with each other.

Read “The Drake vs. Pusha T Beef: Are We Really Doing This?”

via Evan Minsker

Watch Bill Murray Sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” for Game 3 of the World Series

Chicago Cubs fan Bill Murray was on hand at Wrigley Field for game 3 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians. He sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the bottom of the 7th inning. Watch it go down below. “It’s the bottom of the 7th inning—the last chance to order beer—but we didn’t come here to drink beer, we came here to win this ball game,” he shouted before singing a unique rendition of the song.

This isn’t the first time he’s taken part in the longstanding baseball tradition. He sang the song at the Cubs’ home opener in 2004. Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump sang the national anthem.

Bill Murray singing 'take me out to the ball game' @Cubs @Indians @MLBONFOX @FOX46News #WorldSeries http://pic.twitter.com/JZp7QfGncH

— Brien Blakely (@bblakelyFox46) October 29, 2016

via Sheldon Pearce

Philadelphia 76ers Apologize to Sevyn Streeter Over Anthem Controversy

Earlier this week, singer Sevyn Streeter was barred from singing the national anthem at the Philadelphia 76ers home opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder because she was wearing a jersey with the words “We Matter” on it. “I’m at the 76ers game to sing the national anthem and the organization is telling me I can’t because I’m wearing a ‘We Matter’ jersey,” she said in a video. After some public backlash (and private backlash from players), the 76ers organization has issued an apology, according to TMZ.

“After receiving feedback from our players, basketball operations staff and ownership group, we believe that the wrong decision was made, and Sevyn should have been welcomed to sing,” they said in a statement. “We apologize to her, and in an effort to move the conversation forward, we have reached out to offer her an opportunity to return and perform at a game of her choice. We are waiting to hear back.” Streeter has yet to publicly respond.

Read “DeRay Mckesson on the Power of Protest Music” and “The Sounds of Black Lives Matter” on the Pitch.

Watch Sevyn Streeter’s “D4L” video featuring the-Dream:

via Sheldon Pearce

Bob Dylan Finally Acknowledges Nobel Prize, “Absolutely” Wants to Attend Ceremony

Earlier this month, Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, and until now he has yet to acknowledge the honor. He recently sat down with The Telegraph for an interview to discuss his upcoming show at London’s Halcyon Gallery, and when asked if he’d show up for the award ceremony in Stockholm he said, “Absolutely” if “it’s at all possible.”

He admits that the honor is “hard to believe,” saying, “Whoever dreams about something like that?” Elsewhere in the interview he says that some of his songs are “Homeric in value,” and that the meaning of his lyrics will need to be decided by the “academics,” because “they ought to know” and he’s not “really qualified” to pass judgement. You can read the entire interview here. 

Until this interview, it was reported he wasn’t returning the Nobel committee’s emails, and though the award was mentioned on his website, even that acknowledgement disappeared. Last week, one of the Swedish Academy’s members called Dylan’s actions “impolite and arrogant.”

Read “The World Does Not Need Bob Dylan, Nobel Prize Winner in Literature” on the Pitch.

 

via Kevin Lozano

Listen to Jóhann Jóhannsson’s New Song “Kangaru” From Arrival Soundtrack

Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming science fiction film Arrival will see a theatrical release on November 11. Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson scored the film, and today, the soundtrack has been detailed. It’s also out November 11 (via Deutsche Grammophon). For the score, Jóhann worked with Theatre of Voices, conducted by Paul Hillier, and other artists including Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe and Hildur Guðnadóttir. In addition, the vinyl version includes the Max Richter track “On the Nature of Daylight.” Below, listen to the soundtrack’s closing song “Kangaru,” and see the full tracklist and cover artwork.

The Arrival soundtrack is Jóhann’s second album of 2016. In September, he released Orphée. Previously, Jóhann worked with Villeneuve on the score for his directorial debut Sicario. He is also currently composing the score for the Villeneuve-led Blade Runner 2049.

Arrival stars Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker. It is based on Ted Chang’s science fiction story “Story of Your Life.” Watch the trailer below.

Arrival OST:

01 Arrival
02 Heptapod B
03 Sapir-Whorf
04 Hydraulic Lift
05 First Encounter
06 Transmutation at a Distance
07 Around-the-Clock News
08 Xenolinguistics
09 Ultimatum
10 Principle of Least Time
11 Hazmat
12 Hammers and Nails
13 Xenoanthropology
14 Non-Zero-Sum Game
15 Properties of Explosive Material
16 Escalation
17 Decyphering
18 One of Twelve
19 Rise
20 Kangaru

via Matthew Strauss

Morrissey and Nick Cave Are the Subjects of New Vegan Cookbooks

Microcosm Publishing has announced a new pair of vegan cookbooks, one in homage to Morrissey and another for Nick Cave. They’re called Defensive Eating With Morrissey: Vegan Recipes From the One You Left Behind and Comfort Eating With Nick Cave: Vegan Recipes to Get Deep Inside of You. Both are written by Automne Zingg with recipes by Joshua Ploegg. According to a press release, “each book features 50 portraits of the artist soothing himself with delicious, comforting meals, from mac and cheez to mushy peas.” See both book covers below.

Morrissey and Cave are, of course, published authors. Moz penned his Autobiography, as well as his debut novel List of the Lost. Nick Cave has written a number of books. His latest is The Sick Bag Song.

Morrissey is currently on tour. See his upcoming dates here. Find Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ 2017 tour dates (behind Skeleton Tree) here.

via Matthew Strauss

Read DJ Khaled’s Book’s First Chapter

DJ Khaled has shared the first chapter from his upcoming book, The Keys, out November 22 via Crown Archetype (a subsidiary of Penguin Random House). In the chapter, he discusses the pervasive “they” who are trying to keep you down, reflects on his lucky life, and gives some pointers on how to choose the right friends. Not surprisingly, the entire chapter is written in all caps. Read the chapter here. The book is set to feature feature contributions from Jay Z, Rick Ross, Puff Daddy, L.A. Reid. Lyor Cohen, Arianna Huffington, and others.

Last week, DJ Khaled documented the birth of his baby son on Snapchat. Some of the snaps included songs from his latest album, Major Key. 

Read “He the Best: An Interview With DJ Khaled About Basketball” on the Pitch.

Watch Pitchfork.tv’s “Over/Under” with DJ Khaled:

via Kevin Lozano

John Lennon Protest Letter to Queen of England Found in Record Sleeve

On October 26, 1965, Queen Elizabeth II presented the Beatles their Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) medals. Four years later, John Lennon returned his, explaining in a letter to the Queen that he was protesting England’s involvement in the Nigerian Civil War and the Vietnam War, as well as the Plastic Ono Band’s song “‘Cold Turkey’ slipping down the charts.” A copy of that letter has now been found in a record sleeve, as CNN points out.

The man who bought the record apparently got it for just £10; the letter it contained is now worth an estimated £60,000 ($72,000). A memorabilia expert has theorized that Lennon sent a different copy to the Queen because he smudged his signature: “If you’re writing to The Queen, you want the letter to look pretty perfect.” See the letter, and listen to “Cold Turkey” (which peaked at No. 14 on the UK Charts), below.

Read “The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s.”

A letter John Lennon wrote to Queen Elizabeth decades ago was found in the sleeve of a record in a man's attic https://t.co/MXuvFe2plX http://pic.twitter.com/iFVCRoqLPr

— CNN (@CNN) October 28, 2016

via Matthew Strauss

Kid Cudi Blasts Drake: “Say It to My Face, Pussy”

To celebrate his 30th birthday, Drake released four new songs from his forthcoming project More Life. On one of those tracks, “Two Birds, One Stone,” Drake seemed to take shots at Pusha T and Kid Cudi. Back in September, Cudi dissed Drake on Twitter. At a subsequent show, Drake said, “Boy you gettin’ way too high, you need to cud-it.” On “Two Birds, One Stone,” Drake raps, “You were the man on the moon, now you go through your phases.”

Cudi recently checked himself into rehab for depression. However, today, he tweeted a response to Drake:

@Drake Say it to face, pussy. You think it's a game. I wanna see you say it to my face. I'll be out soon. Promise.

— The Chosen One (@KidCudi) October 28, 2016

via Matthew Strauss