Frontman for Superchunk, Mac McCaughan, has released a new song titled “Happy New Year (Prince Can’t Die Again).” Stream it below. McCaughan posted the song on his Bandcamp with the note: “Written and recorded Dec 24, 2016 in a moment of trying to look at any possible bright side of the coming new year after the disaster that was this one.” The lyrics include “It was a year when everybody died” and “Next year might be better but I don’t see any proof.”
Music News
Lupe Fiasco announces new album DROGAS Light
After announcing his retirement from music recently, Lupe Fiasco has announced a new album, DROGAS Light. Lupe shared the release date, February 10th, and what seems like cover art on Twitter. See the tweet here. His last album was 2015’s Tetsuo & Youth.
Lupe announced his plans to release a trilogy of albums in 2016 which he later took back due to “clearance and mixing issues.” He later shared a track named “Made in America,” reportedly from an album called Drogas Light planned to be released “at the top of 2017 via 1st & 15th/Thirty Tigers.”
His plans come to a halt when a lyric in a new song “N.E.R.D.” started anti-semitism claims among listeners. After defending the track on Twitter, Lupe announced his decision to retire from music: “Yo Lupe fans it’s been fun and I hope you’ve had fun,” he wrote, “I’m officially not releasing anymore music. Albums cancelled.” He briefly put his Twitter to private before starting debates with the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League.
Ryan Adams shares new song “To Be Without You”
Ryan Adams has shared a new song, “To Be Without You.” It is the latest track from his upcoming album Prisoner. He also shared the album’s first song, “Do You Still Love Me?” earlier this month. He rerecorded and pressed a new version of that song earlier this week, which he will put in some of his upcoming box sets. Listen to “To Be Without You” below. Prisoner is set to be out February 17th through Pax Am/Blue Note.
Watch Bon Iver play an hour-long set for NPR
NPR have released footage from an entire Bon Iver concert, filmed in Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works earlier this month.
During the hour-long set, the band performed tracks from their latest album mostly as well as a few older tracks like “Beach Baby” and “Minnesota, WI” and “Creature Fear.” Justin Vernon was accompanied by two drummers and a five-piece sax ensemble for the concert. Watch it here.
Bon Iver launched a campaign called 2 A Million at the start of their current tour which seeks to raise support, raise support, awareness and “person-to-person connections in an effort to end gender inequality, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.” The band has been partnering with local nonprofits in each city they are performing in.
St. Vincent says new album due next spring is a “real sea change in her sound”
St. Vincent is on the cover of the January issue of Guitar World. In the interview in the magazine, Annie Clark talks about the beginning of her career and her work on the follow-up to her self-titled album, which came out in 2014. The new album does not have a name yet, but it is “due for release this spring” and Clark believes it to be a “‘real sea change’ in her sound.”
“I’ve been able to step back and reflect and not just be in the tour, record, tour, record cycle that I’ve been in for about 10 years. I think it’ll be the deepest, boldest work I’ve ever done,” Clark said about the album. She continued, “I feel the playing field is really open for creative people to do whatever you want, and that risk will be rewarded—especially now that we have such high stakes from a political and geo-political standpoint. The personal is political and therefore the political can’t help but influence the art. And only music that has something pretty real to say is gonna cut the mustard.”
Clark made a statement to go with her appearance on the Guitar World cover itself as well. Past “buyer’s guide” editions of the magazine have had scantily-clad women displaying the guitars. Clark holds her signature Ernie Ball guitar and wears a bikini t-shirt you would typically see in a gift shop on her cover, making her “own absurdist comment” on the magazine’s past. Check out the cover here.
Aphex Twin sells mysterious record in Houston
Aphex Twin is selling a new record for his appearance at Houston’s Day for Night tonight. A representative from the festival confirmed that the record is real. It is all white, and the label has no text besides the festival’s date and location with the AFX and Warp Records logos. See the record below. His performance tonight at Day for Night will the first Aphex Twin show in the U.S. in eight years.
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Blood Orange Drops Video for “Better Than Me”
On Friday, Dev Hynes (Blood Orange) released a new music video for “Better Than Me”. The video features Carly Rae Jepsen and an impressive choreographed dance number. The song is off of his most recent album, Freetown Sound, which was released in June. This rounds out an impressive year for Hynes, which saw his album receive critical acclaim and his late night talk show performances become bodies of work in their own regard.
You can watch the music video here.
Watch Childish Gambino perform “Redbone” on “Fallon”
Childish Gambino performed on last night’s “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Donald Glover showed up his vocal chops to perform “Redbone” from “Awaken My Love.” Watch it below. He also shared a virtual reality video for “Me and Your Mama” last month taken from his PHAROS concerts.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah announce new album, The Tourist, share “Fireproof”
Songwriter Alec Ounsworth on Feburary 24th will release a new album under Clap Your Hands Say Yeah named The Tourist. It will be his fifth full-length under the name and it is the follow-up to 2014’s Only Run.
The Tourist was recorded in a week at Dr. Dog’s studio in Philadelphia. It has 10 tracks and they were engineered by Nick Krill of The Spinto Band and mixed by Dave Fridmann, who also helped on two of CYHSY’s previous LPs. The album is said to be a “nod” to Ounsworth’s inspirations like Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Paul Simon.
The Tourist Tracklist:
01. The Pilot
02. A Chance To Cure
03. Down (is Where I Want To Be)
04. Unfolding Above Celibate Moon (Los Angeles Nursery Rhyme)
05. Better Off
06. Fireproof
07. The Vanity Of Trying
08. Loose Ends
09. Ambulance Chaser
10. Visiting Hours
Ounsworth will embark on a North American tour in support of the LP beginning in March.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 2017 Tour Dates:
03/02 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
03/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
03/04 – New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
03/05 – Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
03/07 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
03/08 – Columbus, OH @ Skully’s Music Diner
03/09 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
03/10 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
03/11 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
03/12 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
03/14 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
03/15 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
03/16 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux
03/17 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
03/18 – Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
03/19 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
03/21 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
03/22 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
03/23 – Visalia, CA @ Roxy Theatre
03/25 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
04/18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
04/20 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
04/21 – Austin, TX @ The Sidewinder
04/22 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
04/25 – Ybor City, FL @ The Orpheum
04/26 – Miami, FL @ Gramps
04/27 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
04/28 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
04/29 – Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
04/30 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
05/02 – Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
05/03 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Backroom
05/04 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
05/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
05/06 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Arcade Fire’s Tim Kingsbury announces Sam Patch album, shares new song
Tim Kingsbury from Arcade Fire has announced his first solo album as Sam Patch, a project he started last year. The album is called Yeah You, And I, and it is set to be out February 17th through Dep Records. Kingsbury started writing and recording the self-produced album during the summer of 2014 after the band’s Reflektor tour. It includes contributions on drums from Arcade Fire’s Jeremy Gara. Listen to the first single from the LP, “St. Sebastian” here. Find the tracklist below and the cover artwork above. Kingsbury’s upcoming tour dates are below as well.
Yeah You, And I:
01 Must Have Been an Oversight
02 100 Decibels
03 St. Sebastian
04 Waiting to Wait
05 Listening
06 No No No No
07 Never Meant No Harm
08 Up All Night
02 100 Decibels
03 St. Sebastian
04 Waiting to Wait
05 Listening
06 No No No No
07 Never Meant No Harm
08 Up All Night
Sam Patch:
03-02 Montreal, Quebec – Bar Le Ritz PDB
03-03 Ottawa, Ontario – Zaphod Beeblebrox
03-04 Quebec City, Quebec – Anti
03-09 Allston, MA – Great Scott
03-10 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
03-11 Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle
03-12 Washington, DC – Black Cat
03-16 Toronto, Ontario – The Drake
03-17 Detroit, MI – El Club
03-18 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
The Melodic Tree 