Next month, U2 are releasing Songs Of Surrender, an album of 40 re-recorded and reimagined songs from their extensive back catalog. We’ve heard new versions of “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” and “With Or Without You,” and it seems like the Irish band are in full retrospective mode. During the Super Bowl, they announced […]
Mae Stephens Is Evolving TikTok Pop From “ABCDEFU” To “IDGAF”
I’ve written about TikTok’s lottery-like rags-to-riches fantasy in this column before — it’s what YouTube’s head of catalog Ryan Thornton once described to Billboard as the “potential of any song to go viral.” About five years into TikTok’s mainstream reign, countless unknown artists have benefited from that literal overnight virality and parlayed that success into […]
Xylouris White – “Red Wine”
If your reference points for the lute start and end with Martin on The Simpsons, then you might be reluctant to check out Xylouris White, the duo of Cretan lute player George Xylouris and Dirty Three member Jim White. But a Xylouris White set absolutely ambushed me at a festival a few years ago, and […]
Snow Ellet – “Whiskey & Soda Pop”
Over the past few months, Chicago’s Snow Ellet has been sharing some nostalgia rush-inducing singles that he recorded with Illuminati Hotties’ Sarah Tudzin. So far, we’ve gotten “Playing Dead” and “Elevator,” and today we’re getting the final track in the trifecta, “Whiskey & Soda Pop.” It’s giving Blink-182, it’s giving childhood, it’s giving All-American Rejects’ […]
Watch GloRilla Bring Out Surprise Guest Cardi B In NYC
I know it’s not easy being a rap star. It’s a dangerous job, you have no privacy, and you’re always in danger of falling off. Also, rap stars complain about being rap stars more often than regular people complain about their jobs. But rap stars also get hero’s welcomes whenever they pop up in surprise […]
Ruston Kelly – “Mending Song”
In April, country musician Ruston Kelly will release a new album, The Weakness. Earlier in the year, Kelly released its lead single and title track, and today he’s sharing another cut from the album, the banjo-led “Mending Song.” The first track Kelly wrote for The Weakness, “Mending Song” came together during a solo trip to […]
S.G. Goodman – “Take It Away”
Last year, S.G. Goodman released Teeth Marks, one of the best country albums of 2022. She’s got a busy year ahead of her, first with a headlining tour that kicks off tonight and later with dates opening for Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers. Today, she’s sharing a new song that was recorded during the Teeth […]
1017 Thug Turns 10
Young Thug is not an alien. He’s not a “post-verbal” pioneer, a mumble rapper, a genderqueer revolutionary, a gambling addict with an eating disorder, a crime lord, or our lord and savior. Without fail, people twist their takes into grotesque balloon animals when trying to wrestle with Young Thug’s groundbreaking presence. Critics, commenters, Lyor Cohens, […]
Judiciary – “Knife In The Dirt”
You probably shouldn’t put a knife in the dirt. It seems like that would be unsanitary. But maybe that’s the point. In any case, the Texan metallic hardcore band Judiciary can feel free to ignore my advice about knives and dirt. Judiciary can do what they want. In a few weeks, Judiciary will follow up […]
Kara Jackson – “Pawnshop”
For the past few years, the Chicago poet and musician Kara Jackson has popped up as a collaborator on albums from the likes of Sen Morimoto and Lala Lala. After being named the National Youth Poet Laureate in 2019, she released her first collection of original music, the A Song For Every Chamber Of The […]