Month: September 2021

A month out from releasing their debut studio album, Projector, Brooklyn DIY-ers Geese have shared the album’s title track, “Projector.” It’s a disjointed, slightly proggy cut, filled with bendy guitar-lines and room-filling percussion. It kind of sounds like if The Killers met The Dismemberment Plan, a sonic combination I never knew I needed?

Here’s what Geese’s Cameron Winter had to say of the song: “The opening riff on ‘Projector’ was the first thing we ever wrote for the record. When the song was finished, it became a jumping off point for the rest of the album. We liked it because it was something decidedly different from the music we had been writing up to that point. Though we didn’t know it then, it’s fitting that ‘Projector’ became the title track on the record; it’s the song that ushered in the album’s sound.”

Also, Geese have outlined a US tour starting in 2022, kicking off in March in Philly and wrapping up at the Bowery Ballroom in New York.

Check out “Projector” above and find the band’s tour dates below.

03/11/2022 — Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
03/12/2022 — Washington, DC @ DC 9
03/14/2022 — Nashville, TN @ High Watt
03/22/2022 — Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
03/23/2022 — San Diego, CA @ Casbah
03/24/2022 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
03/25/2022 — San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
03/28/2022 — Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
03/29/2022 — Seattle, WA @ Barboza
04/02/2022 — Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
04/04/2022 — Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
04/06/2022 — Toronto, ON @ Garrison
04/07/2022 — Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
04/16/2022 — New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Projector is out 10/29 via Partisan/Play It Again Sam. Pre-order it here.

Windy City natives Vic Mensa and BJ The Chicago Kid team up for “The Taste,” a nostalgic ode to summertime in the city. Throughout the soulful single, the two name-check their favorite hometown landmarks like River Oaks Center mall, Lakeshore Drive, and Navy Pier, while telling a romantic interest “you taste like Chicago.” After a pair of velvety verses and choruses, the song’s bridge breaks down into a juking beat to really emphasize the point.

Vic Mensa’s comeback in the past year has been nothing short of impressive. Beginning with the V Tape in 2020, Mensa returned to the soulful, lyrically dextrous hip-hop that first brought him to national prominence. He followed up in spring this year with I Tape, which featured his reunion with longtime brother-in-arms Chance The Rapper on “Shelter.” In July, Vic teamed up with Just Blaze for the triumphant “Victory,” which celebrated his return to form, and most recently, he performed his entire breakout mixtape INNANETAPE at Riot Fest.

“The Taste” marks the reunion of Vic and BJ, who previously worked together on V Tape‘s “Rebirth.” BJ, meanwhile, recently announced his independence and has been quietly working on a new project while appearing of projects from likes of Polo G, Common, and more.

Watch Vic Mensa and BJ The Chicago Kid’s nostalgic ‘The Taste’ video above.

Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is a big deal, as it’s not only the band’s defining song, but one of the signature songs of the ’90s overall. When Nirvana was recording the song, though, they didn’t think it was a big deal, as Dave Grohl reveals.

NME recently ran a feature where they got different artists to share their thoughts on a song from Nevermind, and for “Teen Spirit,” they got Grohl. First, he reminisced about the recording process of the song, saying:

“I remember writing ‘Teen Spirit’ in our rehearsal space, and I liked the riff that Kurt came up with because it’s percussive. Those muted, stabbing strums in between the chords really lent to the pattern of the drum riff. To be honest, at that point, we were listening to a lot of Pixies – it was Bossa Nova [era]. And we were just having fun, really. We were just coming up with new song after new song every day. Krist Novoselic, I believe, has boom box recordings of all of these — riff ideas that were never used, songs that were shaped into songs for ‘Nevermind’ (some of them).”

Then, he revealed that “Teen Spirit” wasn’t high in the band’s pecking order while making Nevermind:

“Of course, no-one had any psychic foresight to imagine that the song would go on to do what it did. We just f*ckin’ rocked it in a little rehearsal space that was like a barn. I didn’t know what the lyrics were; Kurt’s melody pattern changed every other time we played it and it wasn’t really until we got into the studio to record it that I realized the power of the song. And not just lyrically or musically, but the groove of the song – it was really powerful. I think everyone was more focused on songs like ‘In Bloom’ or ‘Lithium’ or ‘Breed’; nobody really paid too much attention to ‘Teen Spirit’ while we were recording it. We just thought it was another cool song for the record.”

Check out the full feature — which also offers insights from St. Vincent, Ronnie Vannucci of The Killers, and others — here.

Atlanta-based indie folk artist Faye Webster dropped her anticipated sophomore album I Know I’m Funny Haha this summer, which flexes her range of styles from languid steel guitar to sultry bedroom R&B. The singer recently kicked off her largely sold-out tour earlier this month. To celebrate, Webster shares a video to her only collaboration on the album, “Overslept.”

The wistful tune features vocals by Japanese artist Mei Ehara, who Webster said was a big source of inspiration for her on the album. Their joint video, which was filmed separately, sees both artists having a slow start to the day. They wake up around 1 pm and noodle around on the guitar before finally brushing their teeth and deciding to go back to bed.

Speaking about working with Ehara in a statement, Webster said she learned a lot from the singer:

“When I was writing I Know I’m Funny Haha I had a little trouble finishing this song. I felt it needed someone else to complete it. Mei Ehara was someone who I listened to literally every day last year. She taught me so much about songwriting and instrumentation, and I felt like if anyone were to be on the record, it had to be her. I wanted to do a video where Mei and I could inhabit the same world, even though we’ve never met in person.”

Watch Webster’s “Overslept” video above.

I Know I’m Funny Haha is out now via Secretly Canadian. Get it here.

If you want Bill Burr to sign your copy of his new comedy album, Bill Burr Live From Madison Square Garden, you better wear a mask. Or at least that was the original plan. “I will be definitely be wearing a mask, but I’m at the point now, I don’t care anymore,” the comedian told Seth Meyers during Tuesday’s episode of Last Night when asked whether he’ll turn away unmasked fans. “I don’t care. I don’t care if you think the world’s flat. I don’t care what you think. Just do whatever the hell you’re going to do.”

Burr hopes “the virus gets deadlier and I want it to just wipe out way more people. That’s what I’m going for.” He’s joking… but only kind of. He continued, “I think we all tried to pull in the same direction. It’s not going to happen. And we’re all sort of broken up into these pods on the internet where people just want to hear what they want to hear.” If you want to go ahead and drink “alligator plaque medicine” to cure COVID, sure, why not.

The Mandalorian guest star also pinned the blame for the pandemic on God:

“People are blaming red ties and blue ties for this whole thing. You should blame God and modern medicine, because God made people flawed and modern medicine kept them all alive. Defeated Mother Nature. That’s why there’s eight billion mouth-breathing morons on the planet, myself included… There’s a plague of people like me. So, I think it’s great that people are going to go old school and not listen to doctors and, you know, go back to doing dances or whatever the hell they’re going to do”

You can watch the entire Late Night clip above.

With the release of her debut album Stranger In The Alps, Phoebe Bridgers proved her talent for confessional songwriting. Despite the success of her 2020 album Punisher, her debut LP’s song “Motion Sickness” is still her most-streamed track. Now, celebrating the four-year anniversary of the album that kick-started her success, Bridgers had shared the original photo that was turned into the Stranger In The Alps cover — and it’s actually one of her baby photos.

Stranger In The Alps‘s at-times haunting sound fittingly reflects its cover art, a photo of a dog standing next to a figure that’s been painted over to look like a ghost. The artwork was done by the artist Angela Deane, who is known for creating ghost compositions from vintage photographs. Bridgers has now shared the original photo that was eventually turned into her Stranger In The Alps cover art, and it shows Bridgers as an adorable toddler wearing a matching hot pink tank top and shorts and cheesing at the camera.

Sharing the photo on Twitter to commemorate the albums’ anniversary, Bridgers wrote: “stranger in the alps came out four years ago today thanks for listening.”

Stranger In The Alps is out now via Dead Oceans. Get it here.

After years of adapting other fantasy-filled stories, director and screenwriter Chris Columbus (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) is finally bringing to life his own trilogy of children’s books. According to a Deadline report, Disney Branded Television has announced they are developing a House of Secrets series for Disney+ that will follow Columbus’ trilogy of the same name. While it’s not yet known when the television series is slated to hit the streaming service, action-adventure fantasy fans will be pleased to know Columbus has called the project a cousin to the 1985 film The Goonies, another beloved title the director helped work on.

The House of Secrets series, co-authored by Columbus and the late Ned Vizzini and published from 2013-2016, follows siblings Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker as they are uprooted from their current family home and are forced to move into the Kristoff House. While their parents are thrilled at how spacious and affordable their new abode is, the children see it for what it really is instantly: creepy. However, this house is not just creepy but is also filled to the brim with mysteries, magic, and entries into other dimensions that ultimately send the Walker children on quite the adventure.

Columbus will be joined by his 26th Street Pictures partners, Michael Barnathan and Mark Radcliffe, as he begins work on the forthcoming series. As of right now, no other cast or crew member announcements have been made. According to Ayo Davis, the EVP of creative Development and strategy at Disney Branded Television, the team at Disney+ is delighted to be in work with the critically-acclaimed filmmakers, stating:

“Chris, Michael and Mark tell stories that resonate with multiple audiences, across generations and genres that deliver a sense of magic and wonderment through definitional characters. There is so much affinity for their acclaimed films, and we are delighted to be working with them to develop House of Secrets into a thrilling Disney+ series.”

Another episode of Obsessed just dropped and our pop culture connoisseurs Taylour Chanel and Britt Ellis are back to break down the TV series they’re living for right now. What do all of these shows have in common? Two words: celebrity travel.

Maybe it’s because we’ve all been on lockdown for a year and a half, but celebrity-hosted travel adventures are having a moment on TV and we’re not mad at it. From sweeping Italian vistas to Icelandic hot springs and Japanese street culture, the genre is giving us the kind of globe-trotting inspiration we need from our stay-at-home entertainment. It helps too that these journeys are narrated by charismatic celebrities who bring a sense of familiarity and fun to some of these off-the-grid treks and culinary ventures.

Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy marries the best of both, transporting the charming Oscar-nominated actor to the Italian countryside. There, Tucci explores the rich history of Italian cuisine — from the 2,000-year-old process of cheese-making in the mountains near Milan to the invention of fried pizza on the Amalfi coast — all while letting the locals guide him through their cities. He chats with Rennessaince scholars and pub owners, DJs, and winemakers to sample every bit of the country’s culture, infusing his musings with his signature wit and likability. And the ladies? They’re impressed.

Zac Efron, another popular A-lister, follows in Tucci’s travel-show-hosting footsteps with his Netflix series Down to Earth. Efron’s journeys focus on the sustainability element of travel, pairing the host with wellness expert Darin Olien as the two travel to some pretty extreme, exotic locations to uncover the secret to everything from living longer to renewable energy, bee-keeping, and Ayahuasca tourism. Efron’s not the most knowledgeable host, but Taylour and Britt think you’ll appreciate his enthusiasm anyway.

After a pit-stop for Conan O’Brien’s Conan Without Borders — a comedic off-shoot of his late-night talk show that will have you laughing your a** off while adding new places to your travel bucket list — the ladies end the episode with a food-centric reality series hosted by Selena Gomez. The pop star’s quarantine experiment takes place in her spacious kitchen where she attempts to make delicious food from different cultures with help from her family, friends, and a professional chef who Zooms in for a quick virtual cooking class. You might want to test out your own culinary skills after watching, or you might just want to visit the chef’s restaurant to sample the dishes done right. Either way, you’ll be treated to good food and a good time.

So get your passport ready and watch the full episode above.

A number of fake trades involving Ben Simmons have been thrown around in recent months. Some, like deals that could send him to a place like Minnesota or Sacramento, seem to match up with the team’s desire to make a move happen, even if the exact players don’t seem to match up with what those teams are eager to offer. Others, like deals that could send Simmons to Golden State, appear to mostly be speculation, to the point that Warriors owner Joe Lacob mostly shot down the idea of bringing him on board.

Now, a new deal has popped up in the rumor mill by way of ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. On Wednesday’s episode of First Take, Smith threw out that a trade between the Sixers and the Brooklyn Nets “could have happened,” and that it would have involved sending Kyrie Irving to Philly for Simmons. The catch: Kevin Durant apparently intervened and made sure this was taken off the table entirely.

“Kyrie could’ve ended up in Philly,” Smith said. “Sean Marks couldn’t do that cause KD wasn’t having it. KD wasn’t having it. KD like, ‘Kyrie ain’t going no damn place.’ Let me tell you something right now: Philadelphia might’ve said no, but I assure you, I assure you, if it were not for Kevin Durant, the Brooklyn Nets would be interested in making that deal.”

There’s an argument to be made that the Nets doing their due diligence on a potential Irving trade makes sense because he can decline his player option after this season and become a free agent, but Marks has made clear that he anticipates Irving (and, for that matter, James Harden) will join Durant in putting pen to paper on a contract extension prior to the start of training camp. Brooklyn has more of a defined core than just about any other team in the league, and it’s exceedingly hard to see them break it up any time soon as they prepare to enter this season as championship favorites.

Although Lil Nas X’s debut album Montero is a star-studded affair with features from icons like Elton John and contemporary favorites like Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, fans noticed a conspicuous absence of other male rap features — specifically, from other Black men (Jack Harlow appears on “Industry Baby”). Nas previously expressed his disappointment and received support from Kid Cudi after telling a fan, “Maybe a lot of them don’t wanna work with me.”

Shortly after the album was released, though, he did share the name of one who did: Drake, who Nas sent “Dolla Sign Slime.” However, Drake was finishing up Certified Lover Boy and unable to dedicate time to recording a verse, so Megan Thee Stallion was tapped to replace him. However, it turns out there was another rapper willing to align himself with Nas’ progressive vision; again, he was thwarted by bad timing.

Yesterday, during a Twitter Q&A with fans about Montero, the question came up once again, with another fan wondering why no other Black male rappers appeared on the album. This time, Nas was a little more forthcoming, revealing that he did almost have one but that deadlines forced him to forego the collaboration. “Ski Mask was almost on ‘Scoop,’” he shared, referring to rebellious Florida rapper Ski Mask The Slump God. “But we had to turn it in before he could finish.” However, Nas reiterated that “other than that a lot of them just don’t fwm tbh.”

While it’s disappointing to learn that the few allies Nas has were unable to participate, the end results still wound up being excellent, as Doja Cat’s verse on “Scoop” was appreciated by fans as a standout on the project. Hopefully, Nas’ success will convince more of his peers that working with him is worth whatever risk they think it’ll bring and, like Cudi later said, break down the “homophobic cloud” that hovers over hip-hop.