Month: November 2023

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Megan The Stallion’s rebirth and Olivia Rodrigo enter an iconic cinematic universe. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Megan Thee Stallion — “Cobra”

“Cobra” is a big one for Megan Thee Stallion. She brought the goods, too, with lyrics that cut deep into her psyche at the moment and that are starting all sorts of conversations.

Olivia Rodrigo — “Can’t Catch Me Now”

The rumors turned out to be true: Rodrigo has a new song on the The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes soundtrack. The tune in question is “Can’t Catch Me Now,” a sorrowful-sounding ballad that ends in a big and appropriately cinematic climax.

The Kid LAROI — “Bleed”

We’re at the point in the year when there aren’t too many high-profile albums to look forward to until 2024, but The Kid LAROI will highlight 2023’s final couple months with The First Time. He offered a taste of it last Friday with “Bleed,” an acoustic-driven pop-rock ballad that sees LAROI coping with the end of a relationship.

Jung Kook — “Standing Next To You”

Jung Kook is the latest BTS member to come through with a solo album, as Golden has arrived. Fans of the group should be excited, but so should anybody, really, based on “Standing Next To You,” a funky, ’80s-inspired single that’s an undeniable crowd-pleaser.

Kevin Abstract — “Madonna”

With Brockhampton now a thing of the past, Kevin Abstract is moving forward on his own. He’s going in a different direction, too, as his pre-release singles, last week’s “Madonna” included, have shown him pursuing a more rock- and pop-inspired sound.

Kid Cudi — “At The Party” Feat. Pharrell and Travis Scott

As we start looking into 2024, Kid Cudi’s Insano is a clear highlight for January. The album rollout has started here in 2023, though, and last week, Cudi unveiled “At The Party,” which is definitely ready for a rager and brings some star power via Pharrell and Travis Scott.

Hotline TNT — “History Channel”

Hotline TNT’s new album Cartwheel has earned the approval of Indiecast hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen, who discussed the project in their latest episode. Among the highlights is “History Channel,” which the band’s Will Anderson told Brooklyn Vegan was nearly a single before the band “decided to save it for the true fans.”

Conan Gray — “Killing Me”

Gray delivered the well-received album Superache last year, and while it’s not exactly clear what’s on the horizon yet, he’s unveiled a string of delightful singles in 2023. The latest is “Killing Me,” which continues to draw inspiration from the sounds of the ’80s, which sounds great delivered via yet another catchy hook from Gray.

Empty Country — “Bootsie”

Empty Country (aka Joseph D’Agostino, formerly of Cymbals Eat Guitars) recently told Uproxx about how video games inspired his new album, Empty Country II, saying, “I do play video games here and there, and I’ll get heavily into something for like six months. And it was Elden Ring while I was writing Empty Country II. And I was like, ‘Okay, a video game couldn’t possibly inform something like this album.’ But it really did. You really feel like you’re discovering things and it’s the only open world game where I’ve felt that way and it’s not just the same content recycled, recycled. So yeah, Elden Ring even kind of makes its way into Empty Country II just in that feeling of exploration and discovery that I hadn’t had from anything in a long time.”

Willow — “Alone”

Willow’s in the rare position of being a music industry veteran at only 23 years old. Throughout her journey, Willow has confidently explored various styles, and while her 2022 album Coping Mechanism was firmly rock-inspired, she’s confidently working in jazzy neo-soul on the new single “Alone.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

We’re less than one week away from the 2023 LA3C Food And Music Festival taking over downtown Los Angeles. The headliners will be Erykah Badu and Herbie Hancock, while other notable acts include Questlove, Robert Glasper, Flying Lotus, and even Fred Armisen.

Will Questlove’s set have any crossover with his notably elite private playlists? Will Armisen finally do Ringo Starr cosplay? Who knows! But whatever these artists have in store will happen across six venues from Friday, November 10, and Sunday, November 12: Theatre at Ace Hotel, The Palace Theatre, The Orpheum Theatre, The Los Angeles Theatre, Marketplace on Main, and Bazaar on Broadway.

Across all three days, doors will open at 2 p.m. local time. On Friday, Flying Lotus is due at the Theatre at Ace Hotel at 9:30 p.m., followed by Armisen at The Palace Theatre at 10:15 p.m., and Kamasi Washington at The Los Angeles Theatre from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

On Saturday, Questlove is scheduled to perform at Marketplace on Main at 8 p.m., while Badu is set for The Orpheum Theatre at 10 p.m., Robert Glasper can be found at Theatre at Ace Hotel at 10:30 p.m., and Nick Hakim gets The Palace Theatre at 11 p.m.

Sunday’s schedule features Herbie Hancock at the Theatre at Ace Hotel at 8:45 p.m. and Marc Rebillet at The Palace Theatre at 9:30 p.m.

See the full LA3C schedule below, and find more information here.

The best musical performances from the past week of late-night TV include sets from Bleachers, Depeche Mode, and more. Uproxx has the rundown below so you can catch up or relive your favorites. Here are the best live music performances on TV from the past week.

Allison Russell

Russell performed the bluesy title track from her new album The Returner on Jimmy Kimmel Live! If you look closely, you may notice that her band is entirely made up of women, right down to the string section that joins on the bridge.

Bleachers

Debuting their sax-driven new song “Modern Girl” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jack Antonoff and co. kicked off the rollout of their highly-anticipated fourth studio album, which should probably be out sometime next year. The band displayed their old-school influences in everything from the sound to their stage design, as always led by an exuberant Antonoff.

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode returned to the Tonight Show stage after performing their song “Wagging Tongue” the week before, this time with a haunting performance of another Memento Mori standout, “My Favourite Stranger.”

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow‘s got a new album, Evolution, on the way, and stopped by Fallon for a hard-rockin’ performance of her new song “Alarm Clock.” The classic staging suits the straightforward guitar-based pop bid. With its catchy, relatable hook — who doesn’t hate their alarm clock? — you can likely expect to hear a lot of this one from the rock-pop staple.

Madison Beer

Decked out in a glittery prom dress with a stage evoking an abandoned playground, the singer delivered an uptempo performance of the song “Sweet Relief” from her new album Silence Between Songs on Kimmel.

Willie Nelson

Celebrating his recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, the legend Willie Nelson stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform “I Never Cared For You” and “Whiskey River” from his Greatest Hits album. The latter was apparently a surprise encore! Gotta love free music!

In “Father and Son,” Cat Stevens sings as a father telling his son to relax, take it easy, maybe find a girl to settle down with and marry. He must have left out the part about watching porn with his kid.

Mike Johnson, the generically-named speaker of the House who believes early humans had dinosaurs as pets, discussed how he and his teenage son monitor each other’s porn habits in a resurfaced clip from 2022. “It scans all the activity on your phone, or your devices, your laptop, what have you; we do all of it,” he said about a program called Covenant Eyes during a “War on Technology” panel at a Louisiana church, according to Rolling Stone. Weird!

Johnson continued, “It sends a report to your accountability partner. My accountability partner right now is Jack, my son. He’s 17. So he and I get a report about all the things that are on our phones, all of our devices, once a week. If anything objectionable comes up, your accountability partner gets an immediate notice. I’m proud to tell ya, my son has got a clean slate.”

Of course his porn-monitoring son is named Jack. Of course.

The deeply odd video from last year, which was discovered on the former Twitter by user Receipt Maven, has inspired a lot of reactions. “Aside from how creepy and inappropriate it is… the speaker of the house is admitting that he allows a tech company to monitor his devices and no one bats an eye?!” @libragrl1685 wrote, while @cwebbonline called it like it is: “Of all of the things I can think of to do with my son, this is not one of them. Bizarre AF! On so many levels. We’re just at the beginning stages of uncovering this dude.”

Here’s more:

(Via Rolling Stone)

(Spoilers for Season 2 of The Bear will obviously be found below.)

The Bear, FX’s Jeremy Allen White-starring Hulu sleeper series, kept the kitchen fires burning hot (even without a kitchen for much of the time) in Season 2. The show exclusively streams on Hulu, and on Monday, FX Entertainment President Nick Grad announced that (finally) a third season has been greenlit.

Finally, we’ll find out if Carmy gets unfrozen and erroneously decides to chase Claire rather than continue to pursue his dreams with Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) as business partner. It seems unlikely that he will be able to juggle both, but I guess the writers really wanted Carmy to get busy. All I know for sure is that we need more of Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as soon as possible. When will this happen?

Sometime in 2024. That’s nebulous but still pretty damn good news, considering that Hollywood has been at a standstill with the recently concluded WGA strike and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike happening through much of 2023. Then again, the show managed to turn around Season 2 barely less than a year after Season 1 debuted, so perhaps they wouldn’t have started production until around now anyway.

Can we put in more requests, pretty please? More than a few seconds of Joel McHale’s rude, patronizing Chef would be fab. Oh, and Will Poulter’s tattooed Chef is welcome to visit Chicago. That should do nicely.

The Bear is currently streaming two seasons on Hulu.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spent all of last week getting roasted in every direction over reports that the 2024 presidential candidate wears lifts in his cowboy boots. DeSantis was mocked by everyone from Stephen Colbert to The View, and John Oliver couldn’t resist joining in.

The Last Week Tonight host was particularly interested in DeSantis’ response to Donald Trump after the former president wrote on social media, “Tell me he’s not wearing hidden heels,” above a photo of his opponent. DeSantis attempted to fire back with his “trademark wit” as Oliver sarcastically called it.

Via The Daily Beast:

“I’ll tell you this: If Donald Trump can summon the balls to show up to the debate, I’ll wear a boot on my head. This is a time for substance,” DeSantis said.

On Sunday night, Oliver took note of the disappointing reply: “You can’t claim it’s a time for substance just after promising to wear a boot on your head,” the Last Week Tonight host exclaimed.

But Oliver was just getting warmed up.

“You’re so bad at this!” he continued. “Even if you weren’t running against one of the world’s greatest bullies, it looks so pathetic that you thought that was a good comeback. Never before has a politician had such kid-with-a-rolling-backpack-wearing-a-tie-to-class energy.”

Oliver’s burn arrives on the (lifted) heels of Stephen Colbert also dunking on DeSantis for stuffing his boots.

“Here’s the thing: Cowboy boots, they’re great — if you’re a cowboy,” Colbert said. “If you’re the governor of Florida, you look like a dork. Nobody believes he’s roping dogies in Tampa. Even though Dogie Style is Tampa’s number one strip club.”

(Via The Daily Beast)

Nicki Minaj will celebrate her birthday by dropping Pink Friday 2, her fifth studio album, on December 8. Minaj switched from her original release date because November 17 is also when 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne plan to drop their joint album, Welcome 2 ColleGrove (as noted by Billboard). Nonetheless, Barbz are clinging to any and all hope that Minaj will still release new music of any sort before December 8.

On Saturday, November 4, Minaj went on Live to play snippets of unreleased songs. Around the same time, she posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), “I think an EP with these songs is actually a great idea @RepublicRecords.”

Elsewhere on Minaj’s very active (and cluttered) X feed, she disclosed that one of the newly teased unreleased tracks “was gonna be” her first single, “but I was heavily preggers and didn’t feel comfortable. Then there’s a song called ‘Memories’ that would’ve been the second single. Lol. So glad I waited. The album really turned out perfect.”

Minaj also taunted whoever dared taunt her and the Barbz for their excitement for Pink Friday 2 across two posts, as excerpted below:

“Can’t believe everyone cares about what WE do. Y’all don’t got no other album rollout to clock/look forward to? Well thank y’all. From the bottom of my heart. For this constant attention & promo. The barbz are FED. The barbz are HAPPY. Nananabooboo PF2 12.08.23 HEAUX

“The barbz is like the rich kid everybody in the school is jealous of. the ones who parents actually took them on vacation for summer break & sh!t. They always got the new clothes, their parents grease their face b4 they go to school. Hair neatly done & don’t smell like piss.”

Are you not entertained? If not, keep scrolling. There’s more, including a hint that Minaj might drop a single before Pink Friday 2, a poll asking if the Barbz like hearing music ahead of December 8 (a la “Bahm Bahm“), and a question over which artist she should have featured on a newly recorded track “Let Me Calm Down.” See it below.

The featured artist should rap on it. Won’t discuss the genre. Who y’all thinking 🤔 https://t.co/oVKKBRHZY8

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) November 3, 2023

The future will be a bit different for Slipknot going forward. That’s because the band recently announced the departure of its drummer Jay Weinberg from the band. Weinberg’s exit comes nearly a decade after he joined the band back in 2014 following founding member Joey Jordison’s firing from the band in late 2013. Jordison notably passed away at 46 back in 2021.

In a statement on Slipknot’s website, the band wrote, “We would like to thank Jay Weinberg for his dedication and passion over the past ten years. No one can ever replace Joey Jordison’s original sound, style or energy, but Jay honored Joey’s parts and contributed to the last three albums and we, the band, and the fans appreciate it.” They added, “But as ever, Slipknot is intent on evolving. The band has decided to make a creative decision, and to part ways with Jay. We wish Jay all the best and are very excited for what the future holds.”

Weinberg’s contributions to Slipknot can be found on the band’s 2014 album .5: The Gray Chapter, 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind, and 2022’s The End, So Far. Weinberg’s exit is the second departure that Slipknot has experienced this year as their former keyboard player Craig Jones left the band earlier this year. Both Jones’ and Weinberg’s replacements have yet to be announced.

Friendsgiving might have started as a novel alternative to Thanksgiving, but today it’s an American holiday in its own right.

For many, especially millennials and Gen Zers, Friendsgiving offers an opportunity to get creative with their celebrations without being obligated to outdated, even problematic traditions or having to break the bank.

However, some of us might not want to go to the extreme of only having pizza and beer. What if there were a way to balance the decadence of a traditional Thanksgiving meal while still keeping it easy and laid-back? And could we make it healthy too?

As it turns out, we can.

Here’s a super simple breakdown of what your next Friendsgiving prep could look like. An appetizer, salad, side, entree, and dessert. All done in an hour—even quicker if you assign certain dishes to different partygoers. #spreadsheetsrule

But wait, it gets better—all of these meals can be made organic at an affordable price, using O Organics® at Albertsons. O Organics helps shoppers find quality ingredients at reasonable prices every day of the year. Friendsgiving is no different.

Without further ado, let’s get cooking!

Appetizer: Charcuterie Board

Canva

Nothing quite hits like the fancy, grown-up version of Lunchables. Crackers, meats, cheeses, and various fancy toppings that can be combined in endless ways. The easiest form of culinary creativity there is.

You already know how to make one of these bad boys, but here’s a basic template if you’re needing a dose of inspo:

Meats: Some tasty choices here are salami, prosciutto, sausage, etc. I made a smaller-scale board and decided to go with salami. If you or your friends aren’t a fan of pork, sliced turkey or smoked salmon are some yummy alternatives.

Cheese: The possibilities are endless here. You can even opt for a dairy-free cheese option!

Bread or Crackers: Artfully arranged. Speedily snacked upon. Some O Organics options here and here.

Fillers: this is where the charcuterie really shines. Fill in the spaces with splashes of color and flavor. Be sure to go for both savory and sweet. That means olives, sliced cucumbers, bell peppers, nuts, and a vibrant array of fresh or dried fruit. A yummy fruit spread doesn’t hurt either.

Time: 5 min

Salad: Squash And Feta Salad

Ingredients:

(3-4 servings)

1 small red onion (O Organics sells them in a bag)

1 bag O Organics frozen Butternut Squash

6 cups fresh O Organics spinach, arugula, kale, or whatever salad green you like

1/4 cup O Organics pecans

1/4 cup O Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil

O Organics Lemon and Olive Oil Salad Dressing

Crumbled O Organics Goat Cheese

Salt and pepper

Chop some onions. Sautee them in olive oil. Add a bag of frozen squash. Dress some salad greens with dressing. Add the onions and squash. Top with pecans, cheese, salt and pepper. Badda bing badda boom.

Time: 10 minutes

Side: Autumn Seasoned Air Fryer “Roasted” Potatoes

Canva

As any millennial will tell you, we love our air fryers. Nothing quite ticks all the quick, easy and healthy boxes quite like one. And if you haven’t yet had a perfectly crispy on the outside, buttery soft on the inside air fryer potato, then what are you waiting for?

Ingredients:

One 3 pound bag of O Organics red or russet potatoes—honestly any potato will do

2 Tablespoons O Organics olive oil

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

That’s it. No really.

Cut potatoes into one-inch pieces. Coat with olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning. Cook in an air fryer at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Toss the potatoes in the basket and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender and crisp.

Time: 20 minutes. TOPS.

Entree: Coconut Chicken Curry

cravingsomethinghealthy.com

Because who needs turkey? This one pot piéce de rèsistance is the very essence of Friendsgiving—unique, versatile and not without a little spice.

Being the entree, this dish calls for a few more ingredients, but is honestly not much more demanding. You’re basically looking at 15 minutes for prep, and about 30 minutes to simmer.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon O Organics olive oil

1 medium onion diced

2 teaspoons ginger minced

2 teaspoons green curry paste

2 teaspoons curry powder

2 cups O Organics Thai Style Curry Chicken Broth

1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into 1-inch dice

1 15-ounce can O Organics full-fat coconut milk

2 ½ cups O Organics cooked chicken breast

1 8.8 ounce package O Organics 7 Grains & Lentils Blend

1 16 ounce bag of O Organics frozen peas

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

Lime juice

Cilantro

Chopped O Organics cashews to garnish

Using a Dutch oven (or large pot with a lid), saute the onion and ginger in olive oil over medium heat, for about 4 minutes. Add the curry paste and curry powder and saute for one more minute.

Add the Thai Style Curry Chicken Broth and the diced sweet potato. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then cover with a lid, reduce the heat to medium-low and catch up with friends for 20 minutes while the dish simmers.

When the sweet potato is tender, shake the can of coconut milk well and pour it into the pot. Add the chicken, 7 Grains & Lentils Blend, and peas. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and let the curry simmer for another 10 minutes.

Congrats! You are finished. You can add salt, lime juice, cilantro, extra curry powder/paste, or garnish with roasted cashews. Each bowl is customizable.

Time: 40 min

Dessert: Holiday Kettle Corn Bark

onbetterliving.com

Of course, you can always opt for pie, but sometimes people might want to opt for something a bit more bite-sized when it comes to desserts—especially after a hefty meal. This sweet and salty finger food does the trick quite nicely.

Ingredients:

1 bag (6 oz) O Organics Kettle Corn Organic Popcorn (about 9 cups)

1 bag (10 oz) O Organics Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

8 oz white chocolate, broken into small pieces

1 cup pistachios, roasted and salted

2/3 cup O Organics Dried Cranberries

2 tbsp O Organics Organic Coconut Oil

1 tsp salt

Line a 12×17-inch baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. Spread kettle corn on the lined baking sheet in one thin single layer. Put the semi-sweet chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle the melted chocolate evenly over kettle corn, reserving about a 1/3 cup for finishing touches. Sprinkle the pistachios and cranberries over the kettle corn evenly.

Follow the same melting instructions for the white chocolate, then drizzle evenly over the kettle corn. You can follow with any remaining semi-sweet chocolate for a layered effect. Let the kettle corn stand for 5 minutes.

Place the kettle corn bark in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden. Once the bark has hardened, break into pieces.

Time: 20 minutes.

OR…if you want to make life even easier…just grab some pints of ice cream and call it a day. No judgment here.

Time: literally a few seconds to open the freezer and grab some bowls.

And there you have—a no muss, no fuss, healthy and affordable Friendsgiving spread. Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your chosen family.

Get to your nearest Albertsons today and find everything you need to make these yummy dishes! No Albertsons in your area? You can also find O Organics products exclusively at Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, ACME, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, Randalls, and Pavilions.

Years ago, The Office star John Krasinski revealed that he refused to shoot a scene where Jim cheated on Pam. The same thing happened over a decade prior on another wildly-popular NBC sitcom when Matthew Perry spoke up about his misgivings over an adultery angle involving Chandler and Monica on Friends.

Lisa Cash played a flight attendant in the season five episode of Friends, “The One in Vegas: Part 1,” but her role was originally much bigger. The actress revealed to TMZ that she was supposed to play a hotel staffer who sleeps with Chandler after he has a fight with Monica.

“I was told that [Perry] went to the writers and said the audience will never forgive him for cheating on Monica, which he was probably right,” Cash said. “That would have changed possibly the course of the show and his character.” She added that the original storyline “could have been kind of a game-changer” for her career, but considering the vile way that The Office fans still treat the actress who played Cathy, maybe it’s for the best.

Cash called Perry, who passed away last month at 54 years old, “likable and welcoming and made me feel at ease… I had fun doing the scene with him.” You can watch her brief appearance on Friends here.

(Via TMZ)