2025-06-28 18:00:24.819

The 1975's Glastonbury headlining set was shrouded in pre-show rumors of extravagant staging costs exceeding their performance fee. While the lead singer, Matty Healy, didn't shave his head as rumored, the production was undeniably lavish, featuring massive video screens, a reappearing treadmill, and even a car on stage. The screens displayed everything from news montages and song lyrics to self-deprecating critiques of Healy's lyrics and the band's music, creating a meta-commentary on their own performance. Healy himself oscillated between enthusiastic crowd engagement and self-aware, tormented pop star roles. The show's visual spectacle occasionally threatened to overshadow the music, particularly during a lengthy interlude where Healy changed his trousers, resulting in a minor audience exodus. However, the band's strong musicality shone through in hits like "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)", "She's American", "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)", "Sex", "Love It If We Made It", and "The Sound", culminating in an emotional performance of "About You". Overall, the 1975's set was a bold, experimental, and ultimately impressive performance, despite its occasional strangeness and self-deprecation.

2025-06-24 06:01:00.618

Mick Ralphs, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and founding member of the iconic British rock bands Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, has passed away at the age of 81. A statement released on Bad Company's official website announced his death, noting that he had been bedridden since suffering a stroke days after his final performance with the band at London's O2 Arena in 2016. Details surrounding his death were not provided. Ralphs's impact on rock music is undeniable. He is set to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Bad Company this November. Fellow Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers shared his grief, describing Ralphs as his friend, songwriting partner, and an incredibly talented guitarist with a great sense of humor. Ralphs penned numerous hits, including Mott the Hoople's "Ready for Love" and Bad Company's "Can't Get Enough" and "Feel Like Makin' Love". Born in Stoke Lacy, England, Ralphs's musical journey began in his teens playing blues guitar. He co-founded the Doc Thomas Group in 1966, which evolved into Mott the Hoople in 1969. While Mott the Hoople achieved success with "All the Young Dudes," written and produced by David Bowie, Ralphs left the band in 1973 feeling creatively stifled. He subsequently formed Bad Company with Paul Rodgers, initially intending only to collaborate on a single album. However, with the addition of Simon Kirke on drums and Boz Burrell on bass, Bad Company was born, achieving immediate success and producing numerous hits. Bad Company's debut album reached No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, with "Can't Get Enough" becoming their biggest hit single. Their follow-up album, "Straight Shooter," also performed exceptionally well. Ralphs's songwriting prowess is evident in hits like "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" and "Feel Like Makin' Love". The statement from Bad Company noted that Ralphs is survived by his wife, Susie Chavasse, two children, three step-children, and his bandmates Rodgers and Kirke. Rodgers shared a poignant message, reflecting on their recent laughter and the lasting impact of Ralphs's legacy.

2025-06-17 06:00:20.344

The author, a black queer woman raised on jazz and soul, reveals her unexpected love for the indie folk genre popular in the 2000s, often derided as music for hipsters. She recounts how her discovery of this genre, through Tumblr fan edits of the Norwegian teen drama Skam, provided comfort and solace during her teenage years while grappling with her identity and coming out. The music, with its blend of melancholy and hope, resonated with her experiences of unrequited love and heartbreak. The author argues that the music, despite its often-criticized aesthetic, was integral to her self-discovery and deserves a place on Pride playlists.

2025-06-12 12:00:41.138

Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys' visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and other summertime anthems and made him one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82. Wilson’s family posted news of his death to his website and social media accounts Wednesday. Further details weren’t immediately available. Since May 2024, Wilson had been under a court conservatorship to oversee his personal and medical affairs, with Wilson’s longtime representatives, publicist Jean Sievers and manager LeeAnn Hard, in charge. The eldest and last surviving of three musical brothers — Brian played bass, Carl lead guitar and Dennis drums — he and his fellow Beach Boys rose in the 1960s from local California band to national hitmakers to international ambassadors of surf and sun. Wilson himself was celebrated for his gifts and pitied for his demons. He was one of rock’s great Romantics, a tormented man who in his peak years embarked on an ever-steeper path to aural perfection, the one true sound. The Beach Boys rank among the most popular groups of the rock era, with more than 30 singles in the Top 40 and worldwide sales of more than 100 million. The 1966 album “Pet Sounds” was voted No. 2 in a 2003 Rolling Stone list of the best 500 albums, losing out, as Wilson had done before, to the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The Beach Boys, who also featured Wilson cousin Mike Love and childhood friend Al Jardine, were voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Wilson feuded with Love over songwriting credits, but peers otherwise adored him beyond envy, from Elton John and Bruce Springsteen to Katy Perry and Carole King. The Who’s drummer, Keith Moon, fantasized about joining the Beach Boys. Paul McCartney cited “Pet Sounds” as a direct inspiration on the Beatles and the ballad “God Only Knows” as among his favorite songs, often bringing him to tears. Wilson moved and fascinated fans and musicians long after he stopped having hits. In his later years, Wilson and a devoted entourage of younger musicians performed “Pet Sounds” and his restored opus, “Smile,” before worshipful crowds in concert halls. Meanwhile, The Go-Go’s, Lindsey Buckingham, Animal Collective and Janelle Monáe were among a wide range of artists who emulated him, whether as a master of crafting pop music or as a pioneer of pulling it apart.

2025-06-11 18:00:09.998

Brian Wilson, the innovative and pioneering co-founder of the Beach Boys, passed away at the age of 82. The news was confirmed by his children. Wilson's musical talent was evident from a young age, leading to the formation of the Beach Boys and the creation of iconic hits. His life was marked by both immense success and personal struggles, including mental health challenges and a difficult relationship with his father. The article details his contributions to the Beach Boys' success, the creation of the groundbreaking album *Pet Sounds*, his battles with mental illness and the controlling influence of his therapist Eugene Landy, and his later years, including his marriage to Melinda Ledbetter (who died earlier this year) and his continued musical output. His death follows the recent passing of his wife and his placement under a conservatorship earlier this year.

2025-06-10 18:00:33.981

Sly Stone, the revolutionary musician and dynamic showman whose Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s and ’70s and beyond with such hits as “Everyday People,” “Stand!” and “Family Affair,” died Monday at age 82. Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, had been in poor health in recent years. His publicist Carleen Donovan said Stone died in Los Angeles surrounded by family after contending with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other ailments. Founded in 1966-67, Sly and the Family Stone was the first major group to include Black and white men and women, and well embodied a time when anything seemed possible — riots and assassinations, communes and love-ins. The singers screeched, chanted, crooned and hollered. The music was a blowout of frantic horns, rapid-fire guitar and locomotive rhythms, a melting pot of jazz, psychedelic rock, doo-wop, soul and the early grooves of funk. Sly’s time on top was brief, roughly from 1968-1971, but profound. No band better captured the gravity-defying euphoria of the Woodstock era or more bravely addressed the crash which followed. From early songs as rousing as their titles — “I Want To Take You Higher,” “Stand!” — to the sober aftermath of “Family Affair” and “Runnin’ Away,” Sly and the Family Stone spoke for a generation whether or not it liked what they had to say. Stone’s group began as a Bay Area sextet featuring Sly on keyboards, Larry Graham on bass; Sly’s brother, Freddie, on guitar; sister Rose on vocals; Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini horns and Greg Errico on drums. They debuted with the album “A Whole New Thing” and earned the title with their breakthrough single, “Dance to the Music.” It hit the top 10 in April 1968, the week the Rev. Martin Luther King was murdered, and helped launch an era when the polish of Motown and the understatement of Stax suddenly seemed of another time. Led by Sly Stone, with his leather jumpsuits and goggle shades, mile-wide grin and mile-high Afro, the band dazzled in 1969 at the Woodstock festival and set a new pace on the radio. “Everyday People,” “I Wanna Take You Higher” and other songs were anthems of community, non-conformity and a brash and hopeful spirit, built around such catchphrases as “different strokes for different folks.” The group released five top 10 singles, three of them hitting No. 1, and three million-selling albums: “Stand!”, “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” and “Greatest Hits.”

2025-06-08 06:00:19.516

Lil Wayne's new album, Tha Carter VI, received harsh criticism upon release. However, his subsequent Madison Square Garden performance proved to be a different story. The show, his first solo headlining appearance at the venue, was a 70-minute whirlwind tour through his extensive discography, featuring a mix of new and old songs. While the new material was limited, the concert heavily featured popular hits and guest verses from his past collaborations. The performance was described as chaotic and disorienting, yet exhilarating at times, with Wayne seamlessly transitioning between songs and eras. The lack of elaborate stage production focused attention on Wayne's wordplay and flow, highlighting the raw energy that defined his earlier work. Although the album may be skippable, and the concert's fast pace may not appeal to all, the show demonstrated Wayne's enduring charisma and stage presence, showcasing a career spanning triumphs and struggles. The concert ended with "A Milli," a song considered one of his most unique and memorable hits.

2025-06-07 00:00:44.809

Renée Elise Goldsberry, celebrated for her role in "Hamilton," releases her debut solo album, "Who I Really Am." Inspired by fellow risk-taking artists, Goldsberry's album features 13 tracks blending soul, funk, blues, and gospel, including a reimagined version of her iconic "Hamilton" song, "Satisfied." In an interview, she discusses her journey of self-discovery through the album, the possibility of returning to "Hamilton," and her aspirations for an EGOT. She reflects on her decision to re-record "Satisfied," initially resisting the idea but ultimately embracing it during a Nashville recording session. Goldsberry also shares her admiration for artists like Sara Bareilles, praising her bravery in taking creative risks. While acknowledging the possibility of achieving EGOT status, she emphasizes the importance of the journey over the final destination.

2025-06-05 00:00:41.232

Chance, a San Diego-based poet and rapper, wrote the song "Locked Down" while imprisoned in Phoenix, Arizona, during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. The song is part of her self-published collection, "Pandemic Soup for the Soul." "Locked Down" is also featured on "Bending the Bars," a hip-hop album by artists formerly or currently incarcerated in Florida's Broward County jails. The album was organized by Chip, a south Florida abolitionist organization that provides support to inmates. The organization began receiving calls in April 2020 about medical neglect, abuse, and fear perpetuated by guards. Broward County jails are known for their lawlessness and lack of oversight, with 21 inmates reported dead since 2021. Chip used the data gathered to support a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Florida and Disability Rights Florida. The album's creation stemmed from inmates' desire to share their art, using two phones to record songs, overcoming significant technical and logistical challenges. Musicians inside used two phones to record, one as a microphone and the other to listen to the beat. Chip covered the costs of calls, and a sound engineer helped with production. The album features a variety of genres, including Caribbean beats, southern bass, and Miami drill, and reflects themes of love, loneliness, hope, and demands for systemic change. The album's production was challenging due to censorship and limited access to communication. Despite these challenges, "Bending the Bars" is a polished and clear album showcasing the talent of the incarcerated artists. The project serves as a model for interacting with and caring for those in the prison system, and Chip plans to release a documentary about the process in 2026. Gary Field, an incarcerated organizer, writer, and scholar, emphasizes the ongoing societal abuse inherent in the prison-industrial complex, urging people to recognize, organize, and speak out against it.

2025-05-31 12:00:27.259

Taylor Swift has successfully bought back the master recordings of her first six albums, marking a significant victory in her long-running fight for ownership of her music. This acquisition includes not only the master recordings but also videos, concert films, album art, photography, and unreleased songs. Originally losing the rights in 2019 when her label, Big Machine, sold them to Scooter Braun, Swift described the sale as her "worst-case scenario." Braun later sold the masters to Shamrock Capital for a reported $300 million. Swift's letter to fans expresses gratitude to Shamrock Capital for their fair and respectful handling of the deal, emphasizing that this was a business deal but also recognized the personal significance of the music to her. While rumors suggested a much higher purchase price, Swift clarified that the actual cost was significantly lower. Swift's ability to buy back her masters was partly due to her rerecording project, where she remade her first six albums as "(Taylor's Version)", which allowed her to devalue the original recordings and regain control. This project also included unreleased songs from the original songwriting sessions. The success of her rerecordings, combined with her immensely successful Eras tour, contributed to her financial capacity to complete the buyback. While most of her first six albums have been rerecorded, Reputation remains partially unfinished, as Swift felt it perfectly captured a specific moment in her life and didn't need improvement. She hinted at the possibility of releasing the remaining rerecordings and unreleased tracks in the future. Swift's journey highlights the industry-wide conversations about artist rights that her saga initiated, leading to more young artists negotiating ownership of their master recordings in their contracts. She credits her fans for their unwavering support throughout the process.