Music News

Viet Cong announce name change

After months of controversy that had shows protested and canceled, the post-punk band formerly known as Viet Cong have announced their new name. The Canadian outfit are officially known as Preoccupations.

The band first encountered criticism after the release of their debut tape in 2014, but their name began affecting their shows once their full-length was released early last year. They were accused of insensitivity, racism, and cultural appropriation for their choosing their name from the brutal North Vietnamese army that fought the South and the US during the Vietnam War. The band promised that their name change was coming in September, and now they’ve officially chose on Preoccupations.

“We apologize to those who were adversely affected by our former band name,” Preoccupations said in their statement. “This was never anticipated nor our intent. We are artists and not politicians, we understand that the name reflected pain to some individuals and we are happy to change it and move on and focus on our music.”

In an interview with Pitchfork, frontman Matt Flegel said that the new name is from a list friend and fellow Canadian musician Chad VanGaalen sent the band. “It’s kind of been an issue finding a new band name — it’s hard to find something that hasn’t been taken. Obviously, it’s been a long time coming, but really we started coming up with names after we finished recording this new record. It made sense to have a new body of work to give it some sort of context. A new band name with new music moving forward.”

Read the band’s full statement below.

“After finishing our latest record and taking some time off, we are excited to announce that we will be performing and recording as ‘Preoccupations’ going forward. We will be previewing new material from a forthcoming record in a series of festivals and shows in North America and Europe in the coming months. We apologize to those who were adversely affected by our former band name. This was never anticipated nor our intent. We are artists and not politicians, we understand that the name reflected pain to some individuals and we are happy to change it and move on and focus on our music. Thanks to all our friends and fans. See you all soon.”

Unknown Mortal Orchestra expands tour

Unknown Mortal Orchestra expanded their tour behind their latest album, Multi-Love. Their itinerary has North American dates for July, including a headlining show in New York City’s Central Park. Find a full list of dates below. Unknown Mortal Orchestra played Coachella’s first-weekend last week and will return to Indio for round two. The band will also hold voter registration drives at various performances as the presidential election approaches.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra:

04-21 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
04-23 Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
04-28 Sao Paulo, Brazil – Beco 203
04-29 Buenos Aires, Argentina – Niceto Club
04-30 Santiago, Chile – Sala Omnium
05-07 Fort Collins, CO – Aggie Theatre #
05-08 Lincoln, NE – Vega #
05-09 Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s #
05-10 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall #
05-12 Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck #
05-13 Memphis, TN – 1884 #
05-13-15 Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Festival
05-17 Columbus, OH – Skullys Music Diner #
05-18 Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme #
05-19 Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre #
05-20 Fargo, ND – The Aquarium #
05-21 Winnipeg, Manitoba 0 WECC #
05-23 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Amigos Cantina #
05-24 Edmonton, Alberta – The Starlite Room #
05-25 Calgary, Alberta – Commonwealth #
05-27 George, WA – Sasquatch Festival
05-27-29 Boston, MA – Boston Calling
06-17-19 Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands – Best Kept Secret Festival
06-17-19 Aarhus, Denmark – Northside Festival
07-01 Vilanova I La Geltru, Spain – Vida Festival
07-03 Werchter, Belgium – Rock Werchter
07-19 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
07-20 Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Ballroom
07-23 Ottawa, Ontario – Ritual Nightclub
07-24 Burlington, VA – Signal Kitchen
07-25 Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall
07-27 Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
07-28 Providence, RI – Fete Ballroom
07-30 New York, NY – Central Park Summerstage
09-02-03 Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre at UC Berkeley !

# with Whitney
! with Tame Impala

Afropunk Brooklyn’s 2016 lineup announced

Afropunk has announced the lineup for this year’s Brooklyn festival, which is set to take place August 27-28th at Commodore Barry Park. Ice Cube, Janelle Monáe, Tyler the Creator, TV On The Radio, Flying Lotus, the Internet, Cee Lo Green, George Clinton, Angel Haze, Kelela, Saul Williams, Skunk Anansie, Shabazz Palaces, Thundercat, Trash Talk, Prayers, and Downtown Boys will perform, as well as a “Superjam” from members of Bad Brains, Fishbone, and Living Colour. The theme is “Power to the Party;” check out the manifesto below and the poster above. Afropunk released the following statement about the theme:

Power, it’s a feeling, it’s an energy, it’s the undisputed connection between cause and effect – the best of us give it away, the worst usurp it, but living modern life to the fullest, means either mastering your relationship to it or walking in its shadow. We are not blind.
Party is an oxymoron, it’s a gathering of many for a shared purpose and it’s also an outcast individual, it’s a lively social occasion as well as a gang – and the story of any party is never over, because like naked cities and the metaphysical “I”, there’s always another take.
Power to the Party means trusting the friction, the transference of great capacity to the free spirit, belief in the high-heeled spark of the assembly, and the group-mind’s ability to choose a glorious path. This isn’t about getting elected, or being protected; it’s about staking a claim.
Join the party and feel its power
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Mumford & Sons donate all profits from Charlotte, NC concert to LGBTQ organization

Mumford and Sons’ concert in Charlotte scheduled on Thursday night will go on but all profits will be donated to a local LGBTQ organization in town.

“As a band that relishes welcoming everyone to our shows and promoting tolerance,” Mumford and Sons wrote in their statement, “we do want to take a stand with the people of North Carolina who this week are shouting loudly against intolerance, fear and discrimination.”
Their show at the Time Warner Center Arena was sold out, so the LGBTQ community received a lot of help in fighting back against HB2. Read the band’s complete statement below. 

“Dear friends,
We will be playing a show tomorrow in Charlotte, and recent events in North Carolina have got us talking a lot as a band the last few days, so we felt compelled to say something in advance to you.

As a band that relishes welcoming everyone to our shows and promoting tolerance, we do want to take a stand with the people of North Carolina who this week are shouting loudly against intolerance, fear and discrimination.

Over the years we’ve looked for ways to contribute to the vitality of local communities and, in that spirit, we’re now creating a charitable fund to support those who have made it their mission to pursue love and justice. We will be donating all of our profits from this show to this new fund. And we will start by making a donation from it to a local LGBTQ organisation.

As always, we will open the doors to our show to anyone who wants to come, and are excited to get down with the people of Charlotte. 

M, B, W & T”

James Blake says new album Radio Silence is complete, shares “Timeless”
Listen to “Timeless,” which he premiered during the two-hour 1-800 Dinosaur broadcast tonight, below.

Mitski shares “Your Best American Girl” video

Mitski recently announced Puberty 2, which is her follow-up to 2014’s album Bury Me at Makeout Creek, and also released a single called “Your Best American Girl.” That single now has a video, directed by Zia Anger. Watch it below, and find all of her upcoming tour dates.

According to the press release, the video “plays on the idea of, as a Japanese girl, never quite fitting in with the genre’s surplus of white American guys.” The video has cinematography from Ashley Connor, art direction by Caiti Hawkins, and styling by Creatures of the Wind. Puberty 2 is set to be out on June 17th on Dead Oceans.

Mitski:

04-17 Brussels, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique – solo show
04-19 London, England – Birthdays – solo show
04-21 Paris, France – La Mécanique Ondulatoire w/ Twin Peaks – solo show
04-23 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso Basement – solo show
06-20 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
06-22 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
06-23 Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle
06-24 Philadelphia, PA – PhilaMOCA
06-25 Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel
06-26 Durham, NC – The Pinhook
06-28 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade: Purgatory
06-29 Birmingham, AL – The Syndicate Lounge
07-01 Houston, TX – Walter’s Downtown
07-02 Austin, TX – The Sidewinder
07-03 Dallas, TX – Three Links
07-05 Phoenix, AZ – The Rebel Lounge
07-06 Santa Ana, CA – The Constellation Room
07-07 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
07-08 San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill
07-09 Oakland, CA – Starline Social Club
07-11 Portland, OR – Analog Theater
07-12 Vancouver, British Columbia – The Cobalt
07-13 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
07-15 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
07-16 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
07-19 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
07-20 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
07-22 Toronto, Ontario – Horseshoe Tavern
07-23 Montreal, Quebec – Bar Le Ritz

Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver receives 40th anniversary soundtrack reissue

Martin Scorsese’s film Taxi Driver will turn 40 this year. To celebrate, Waxwork Records will release Bernard Herrmann’s score on vinyl. The album is available on yellow and tri-color (yellow, black, and white) vinyl and comes with liner notes from Scorcese. The packaging artwork is by Rich Kelly. Find the packaging shots and previews from the soundtrack below. The soundtrack is out today.

The film’s anniversary will be celebrated on April 21 at Tribeca Film Festival. Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, and others will be on a panel for the film.

Watch the trailer for flying Lotus-scored film LoveTrue

The Flying Lotus-scored documentary LoveTrue will premiere at Tribeca Film Festival later this month. Directed by Alma Har’el and executive produced by Shia LaBeouf, the documentary will tell the story of three real-life relationships. Today, they have released the trailer for LoveTrue, which features some of FlyLo’s original music. In it, several of the film’s subjects, which includes children, musicians, and dancers, talk about their experiences with love. Watch it and check out the documentary’s poster below.

M83 debut “Laser Gun,” new member Kaela Sinclair at first stop on Junk world tour

M83 began their extensive tour in support of their new album Junk in New Orleans at the Civic Theatre last night. The band had a few surprises, first debuting Junk’s “Laser Gun” and introducing new singer-keyboardist Kaela Sinclair, who won the spot after the band had open auditions to replace Morgan Kibby in February.

Watch a clip of M83 performing “Laser Gun” with Sinclair below, via Stereogum, and watch additional clips of ““Echoes Of Mine,” “Wait,” and “Steve McQueen”.

“Echoes Of Mine”:

“Wait”:

“Steve McQueen”:

M83’s current tour schedule:

M83 2016 Tour Dates:
04/08 – Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory *
04/09 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
04/10 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater *
04/12 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre *
04/13 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre *$
04/15 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
04/16 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl *
04/17 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *
04/09 – Ponoma, CA @ Fox Theater *
04/22 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
04/23 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst Club *
04/25 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater *
04/26 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater *
04/27 – Missoula, MT @ The Wilma Theatre *
04/29 – Edmonton, AB @ Winspear Centre !
04/30 – Calgary, AB @ Grey Eagle Event Centre !
05/04 – Hong Kong, CN @ Kitec Star Hall
05/07 – Kuala Lumpur, MY @ KL Live
05/10 – Melbourne, AU @ Forum Melbourne
05/11 – elbourne, AU @ Forum Melbourne
05/14 – Brisbane, AU @ Tivoli
05/16 – Sydney, AU @ Enmore Theatre
05/19 – Sentosa, SG @ Hard Rock Coliseum
05/21 – Jarkata, ID @ Lapangan D
05/24 – Seoul, KR @ Blue Square – Samsung Card Hall
05/26 – Tokyo, JP @ Studio Coast
05/28 – Quincy, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival
05/30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Great Saltair #
05/31 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre #
06/01 – Kansas City, MO @ Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland #
06/03 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live!
06/04 – New York, NY @ Governors Ball Music Festival
06/06 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE #
06/07 – Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s #
06/08 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues #
06/10 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
06/11 – Raleigh, NC @ Red Hat Amphitheater
06/12 – Richmond, VA @ The National
06/14 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
06/15 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
06/16 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion ^
06/18 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival
06/22-26 – Pilton, UK @ Glastonbury Music Festival
06/24-26 – Paris, FR @ Solidays Festival
06/28 – Istanbul, TR @ Zorlu Center for the Performing Arts
06/30 – Gdynia, PL @ Open’er Festival
07/01-03 – Marmande, FR @ Garorock Festival
07/01-03 – Belfort, FR @ Les Eurockeenes Festival
07/07 – Bilbao, ES @ BBK Live Festival
07/09 – Lisbon, PT @ NOS Alive! Festival
07/14-17 – Ostrava, CZ @ Colours of Ostrava Festival
07/15 – Gräfenhainchen, DE @ Melt! Festival
07/17 – Suffolk, UK @ Latitude Festival
07/20 – Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point
07/21 – Boston, MA @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
07/23 – Oro-Medonte, ON @ WayHome Music & Arts Festival
07/24 – Detroit, MI @ MoPop Festival
07/25 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
07/27 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove
07/29 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
07/23-31 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival
08/10 – Oslo, NO @ Øya Festival
08/11 – Gothenburg, SE @ Way Out West Festival
08/13 – Helsinki, FI @ Flow Festival
08/15 – Budapest, HU @ Sziget Festival
08/19 – Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
08/20-21 – Sankt Polten, AT @ Frequency Festival
08/20-21 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands Festival
08/24 – Zurich, CH @ Zurich Openair Festival
08/25-28 – Charleville-Mézières, FR @ Le Cabaret Vert

* = w/ YACHT
$ = w/ Børns
# = w/ Bob Moses
^ = w/ Tame Impala

Listen to Xiu Xiu cover Julee Cruise’s “Into the Night” from “Twin Peaks”

Xiu Xiu will release Plays the Music of Twin Peaks, a cover album of Angelo Badalamenti’s ,music from David Lynch’s show on Record Store Day. They previously released their version of the show’s theme, “Falling.” Today, they released their cover of “Into the Night” by Julee Cruise. The song originally was on “Twin Peaks”‘s sixth episode. Hear Xiu Xiu’s cover below.

Listen to Julee Cruise’s “Into the Night”: