Chicago rapper CupcakKe has released a new single titled "Squidward Nose." The charmingly-titled single follows a series of alarming tweets from the rapper, who on Monday told fans on social media that she was about commit suicide. After Chicago police confirmed that she was safe, the Ephorize rapper was taken to the hospital, later saying…
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Bring Me the Horizon's sound has changed drastically from their deathcore roots, as evidenced by their pop-leaning new single, “Medicine”, which the band released today along with a visually stunning music video. With the release of their sixth album, amo, just a few weeks away, “Medicine” marks the third song unleashed from the UK act's upcoming disc, following “Mantra”, which recently received a Grammy nomination, and “Wonderful Life”. The video is an effects-laden clip, courtesy of animator Extraweg and art director Oliver Latta, that shows a statue-like bust of singer Oli Sykes' head as it is engorged by a plague of demon-like representations of himself (watch below). [See Also: BMTH's “Mantra” on the Top 30 Metal + Hard Rock Songs of 2018] The new album was originally slated to be released on January 11th, but has been pushed to January 25th. Bring Me the Horizon will embark on a North American tour starting January 23rd in Nashville, Tennessee, and running through February 16th in Las Vegas, Nevada. They'll also return to the States to play the Epicenter, Welcome to Rockville, and Sonic Temple festivals in May. Though the last week has seen Kevin Spacey resurface for the first time since his self-inflicted retirement in 2017, the disgraced actor had been attempting to avoid an in-person court appearance when he is formally arraigned on charges of felony sexual assault next week. Unfortunately for Spacey, those efforts haven been denied. Judge Thomas Barrett ordered Spacey to appear in a Nantucket, Massachusetts District Court on January 7th, according to Variety. The judge's decision was revealed in an affidavit in which Spacey also entered a plea of not guilty. In the affidavit, which was obtained by the Boston Globe, Spacey requested that “this court excuse my physical presence at the arraignment as I reside out-of-state and believe that my presence will amplify the negative publicity already generated in connection with this case.” (Read: Louis CK, Kevin Spacey, and the No Apology Tour: How Ignorance is Bliss in Trump's America) As previously reported, Spacey will be arraigned on a charge of indecent assault and battery related to a 2016 incident. The alleged incident took place at a Nantucket bar in July 2016 and involved the 18-year-old son of former Boston WCVB-TV news anchor Heather Unruh. If convicted, Spacey could serve up to five years in prison and could also be required to register as a sex offender. In a bizarre video posted to Twitter on Christmas Eve, Spacey seemingly acknowledged the incident and promised he would be vindicated… all while appearing in character as Frank Underwood from House of Cards. Yesterday, he came out of hiding in Baltimore to deliver pizza to members of the paparazzi. A feature-length documentary about Sly and the Family Stone will be released in 2019, Deadline reports. The film will reportedly trace the seminal funk band's influence and chronicle frontman Sly Stone's past decade, in which he struggled with homelessness while waging a high-profile lawsuit with former managers over millions in allegedly unpaid royalties. Stone was awarded a $5 million verdict in 2015.
Longtime Deerhunter bassist Josh Fauver has died. Deerhunter shared news of Fauver's passing in an Instagram post, writing, “Very difficult times now.” A representative for the band confirmed the news to Pitchfork. A cause of death was not immediately known. Fauver played bass in Deerhunter from 2004 to 2012, appearing on several albums, including 2007's Cryptograms and 2010's Halcyon Digest. In addition to his time in Deerhunter, Fauver played in Atlanta bands Electrosleep International and S.I.D.S. He also ran an independent record label called Army of Bad Luck. Aussie rock queen Courtney Barnett appeared on CBS This Morning on Saturday to perform songs from her latest album, Tell Me How You Really Feel. She ran through “Nameless, Faceless”, “Need A Little Time”, and “City Looks Pretty”, and you can watch the replay below. Earlier in the week, Barnett appeared on the Late Night with Seth Meyers and performed “Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence”. She also hit the stage at Brooklyn Steel to take part in a 10th anniversary concert celebrating Mom + Pop Records. Car Seat Headrest brought their reworked Twin Fantasy to Seattle's Showbox this past weekend, closing out their high-energy show with an unexpected (and absolutely delightful) cover of OutKast's immortal “Hey Ya”. The cover emerged organically out of another cover, Dexys Midnight Runners' “Tell Me When My Light Turns Green”. Frontman Will Toledo leans into the thing, too, cycling through Andre 3000's verse before segueing into the song's famous call-and-response section. Watch some fan-shot footage of the cover below. Elsewhere in the set, Carseat covered Darude's Sandstorm”:
Car Seat Headrest will continue the party in 2019, as they've just announced a new batch of headlining tour dates. Check them out here. US actor Michael Shannon has thrown his voice into the ring of a very odd pairing, narrating a posthumous poem by Leonard Cohen about divisive hip-hop star Kanye West. Late last week, Leonard Cohen's The Flame – a posthumous collection of poems and lyrics – made headlines after it was revealed to contain a rather fitting poem written by the late musician about Kanye West. The poem – which was written in March of 2015 – is titled 'Kanye West Is Not Picasso', and is basically what you'd expect it to be. The prose sees the Canadian musician deriding West for his behaviour, while also comparing himself to the hip-hop star with lines such as “I am the Kanye West Kanye West thinks he is/When he shoves your ass off the stage.”
While the poem was written 18 months before Leonard Cohen's death, it seems to have been penned in response to an incident at Oxford University which saw Kanye West compare himself to Picasso. Strangely though, the poem appears to have gained relevance over three years later, with Kanye recently having divided his fanbase over a series of pro-Donald Trump comments. Now, an audiobook of The Flame is also being released, with names as diverse as Seth Rogen, Margaret Atwood, and Maggie Hoffman narrating Cohen's work. Most interestingly was the inclusion of US actor and musician Michael Shannon, who was tasked with reading the now-infamous 'Kanye West Is Not Picasso'. Armed with his gravelly voice, Shannon delivers a reading that sounds quite similar to Cohen in his later years, allowing us to wonder just how the late artist would have narrated the poem had he been given the chance. The timing of this narration is rather fitting though, with Kanye West again grabbing headlines today for a controversial rant that he uploaded to social media – just days after delivering a 'keynote' speech from on top of a table at an Apple store. Taking to Twitter today, the hip-hop icon shared a ten-minute video which featured him touching on a number of topics, including mind control, his 'genius' IQ, his inability to buy the publishing rights to his own music, and how he is merely a vessel for God's work. Needless to say, Kanye West is undoubtedly leaving his fans feeling a little concerned as his esoteric rants become more and more common. Check out Leonard Cohen's 'You Want It Darker':John composed A Love Supreme and Alice recorded her solo debut and more at the house
The Lowdown: Originally scheduled to be released in 2014, Tha Carter V experienced several delays as a result of a legal tussle between Lil Wayne and Cash Money Records. When the mega star rapper was finally released from his deal with Cash Money in June 2018, everyone knew Tha Carter V was coming, but nothing ignited the anticipation for this album more than when Weezy made the official announcement during a show in Miami. After nearly half a decade of waiting, Tha Carter V not only delivers new music but an intense feeling of relief. The Good: One outstanding feature of this project is the smooth display of lyrical dexterity demonstrated by Wayne. Days before the release of the album, the 36-year-old rapper told Billboard: “I don't write. When you write something down, you know which thoughts to put on paper to keep you in the subject.” It's almost unbelievable how Weezy can spit a long chain of rhymes without the use of a pen and pad, yet he does it smoothly throughout Tha Carter V. He makes good use of this style on “Dedicate”, where he spits lines like, “I started this shit, they borrowed this shit/ I thought of this shit, they thought it was it/ I'm doggin' this shit, they bark and they sit.” On “Mona Lisa”, the captivating element isn't just the storytelling, but the plays on words and double entendres used in different parts of the song. That technique can be heard in lines like “Liz call you daddy/ She about to be a bastard, oh,” “I smoke color purple/ I'm up in here feelin' like Celie,” and “They started French kissin'/ So he didn't see moi.” Another winning element on Tha Carter V is the sensational production. Trap and rap come together on “Let It Fly” (featuring Travis Scott); from the first beat to the last, the wave of sounds in the production captures the heart at the speed of light. The heavenly sound in the production of “Dark Side of the Moon” courtesy of Bloque and Jonah Christian is one of the best moments on the album. It's soft and simple, but most importantly, it guides listeners through the tunnel of sonic beauty that Wayne and Nicki Minaj create together. The Bad: It's hard to do anything other than enjoy the arrival of Tha Carter V and Weezy's fresh delivery. However, while Wayne stylishly brags about his wealth on “Hittas”, the mediocre hook can't be ignored. As he repeats, “I got hittas woadie/ Yeah, I got plenty woadie” in the hook, the energy he sets with the verse fades away. It's one example among a handful of either filler or the final product coming across as unpolished next to better tracks. The Verdict: When artists haven't released albums in a long time, they often try to bring fresh sounds or an updated style. The beautiful thing about Tha Carter V is that Lil Wayne doesn't try any funny experiment to gain the attention of younger audiences who are addicted to sounds from “the new generation of rappers.” Even when he's rapping over a trap beat with Travis Scott on “Let It Fly”, he still kills the beat with his own flow. In a video posted on his YouTube page, describing his hope for the reception of this album, Wayne said, “You don't have to like it, you don't have to love it, just enjoy it”. With Wayne on a lyrical and rhythmic roll for the better part of 23 tracks, enjoying Tha Carter V comes as no problem. Essential Tracks: “Dedicate”, “Mona Lisa”, and “Let It All Work Out” |
Audrey Warde
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January 2019
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