Month: March 2024

Earlier this week, Beyoncé revealed the name of her upcoming country album, Cowboy Carter. While the title may reflect both the album’s country music leanings and Beyoncé’s married name (courtesy of Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter), fans who did a little digging unearthed another potential meaning behind the phrase.

This information comes by way of a TikTok creator’s deep dive, so take it with a grain of salt as stan social media is rife with conspiracy theories and “explanations” about our favorite artists that often come to nothing. But according to this creator, there could be a deep meaning associated with the phrase “Cowboy Carter.”

One of the earliest country music acts to rise to stardom was The Carter Family from Virginia. Their recordings, made from 1927 to 1956, were among the first to become commercially successful and also influenced country, bluegrass, folk, and more for decades to come.

The group’s patriarch, A.P. Carter, traveled around southwestern Virginia to find new songs after the success of their first recordings in 1930. He befriended a Black guitar player from Tennessee named Lesley “Esley” Riddle, who composed a number of the group’s songs, and his guitar technique was adopted by Maybelle Carter. That technique eventually became known as “the Carter scratch,” which is about how things work in America — if you know, you know.

Now, if this all sounds like a stretch, that’s probably because it is, but that also doesn’t mean it can’t be a little bit true. Ultimately, this fan theory is based in a belief that Beyoncé’s upcoming album will be an attempt on her part to reclaim the history of Black musicians’ influence on country music, the way Renaissance did for electronic dance music originally pioneered by Black, queer DJs in warehouse raves across urban America.

While Beyoncé might not have been thinking specifically about Esley Riddle when she named “Act II” Cowboy Carter, she certainly was thinking of a rich history that has been whitewashed by generations of effort on the part of radio DJs, record executives, and music historians who either ignored, overlooked, or erased Black artists’ contributions to a genre and American culture.

Cowboy Carter is out on March 29 via Parkwood and Columbia.

It looks like we may finally be getting SZA‘s long-awaited follow-up to her critically-acclaimed sophomore album, SOS. She began teasing Lana, a deluxe edition to SOS, which she says has since evolved into it’s own body of work, back in early 2023. Now, it looks like it might finally be arriving soon.

Yesterday, SZA took to social media to tease visuals and music from the upcoming project. In the clip, she is seen dancing in a tent in her undergarments. A new song plays in the background, containing the lyrics “F*ck around and die over community d*ck / Never fight over community d*ck.”

Fans are eager to hear the new project in its entirety. In the comments, a fan asked about the song “Diamond Boy,” a fan-favorite of which portions have already leaked online. SZA revealed that “Diamond Boy” will, in fact, appear on Lana, saying that the song is “on the deluxe I’m Bout to drop.”

So far, SZA has only shared “Saturn” from Lana. She began sharing potential cover artworks for the album late last year.

At the time of writing, she has not shared a release date for Lana, but fans can look forward to hearing her on a remix of Flo Milli’s “Never Lose Me” coming this Friday (March 15).

You can see the snippet SZA shared above.

Ahead of the new A24 movie, I Saw The TV Glow, hitting theaters this May, the tracklist for the film’s soundtrack has been revealed. Caroline Polachek, Phoebe Bridgers, Bartees Strange, and more will be appearing on different songs from the album.

As a first glimpse from the project, Yeule’s cover of Broken Social Scene’s “Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” also dropped today. The track appears in the film’s trailer, as Yeule puts an electronic spin on it. The song relies on a gentle, static production — making it feel like a broken television. She then increases the pacing of the lyrics, making this version a truly interesting listen, but one that feels perfect for the film’s universe.

Fans will be able to watch I Saw The TV Glow in theaters starting on May 3, with the soundtrack’s release following close behind.

Check out Yeule’s “Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” cover above. Below, find the complete tracklist and cover art.

I Saw The TV Glow (Soundtrack) Album Cover Artwork

I Saw The TV Glow (Soundtrack) Tracklist

1. Yeule — “Anthems For A Seventeen-Year-Old Girl”
2. Frances Quinlan — “Another Season”
3. Caroline Polachek — “Starburned And Unkissed”
4. Florist — “Riding Around In The Dark”
5. Bartees Strange — “Big Glow”
6. Maria BC — “Taper”
7. King Woman — “Psychic Wound”
8. Jay Som — “If I Could”
9. L’Rain — “Green”
10. The Weather Station — “Moonlight”
11. Drab Majesty — “Photograph”
12. Proper — “The 90s”
13. Sadurn — “How Can I Get Out?”
14. King Woman — “Bury”
15. Sloppy Jane — “Claw Machine” Feat. Phoebe Bridgers

I Saw The TV Glow (Soundtrack) is out 5/10. Find more information here.

Have you seen Kate Middleton? She is about 5’9,” very regal, and currently works as an amateur photographer. At least that’s what the Royals expect you to believe right now.

The Princess has been the subject of controversy over the last few weeks as millions of strangers try to track her whereabouts. The normally very public figure was admitted to the hospital for a planned surgery in January, though she hasn’t been “seen” since. While Kensington Palace rarely comments on this type of thing, it’s been getting a little out of hand.

America’s Favorite Brit John Oliver appeared on Watch What Happens Live where America’s Favorite Housewife Andy Cohen asked him about his take on what’s going on with Middleton. “I was out, I thought ‘Let’s all just ignore this, we’ve moved on’ until the photoshop thing. It feels like…[they’re] almost handling it badly in an impressive way at this point,” Oliver quipped, referring to the disastrous Photoshop blunder from this weekend.

Oliver then admitted that this could be much more complex than we think. “There is a no-zero chance she died 18 months ago. They might be Weekend At Bernies-ing this situation,” he continued. “Non-zero. I’m not saying it happened! I’m saying non-zero. Until proved otherwise, until I see her with a copy of the day’s newspaper,” he concluded.

The Princess is not expected to return to the public eye until after Easter, so surely the theories will keep flying over the next few weeks. But really, all we need is for Middleton to Tweet about Dune Part 2 and all of this would be settled.

Pavement superfans already have the band’s albums, but their singles releases may be a less common part of vinyl collections. Now, though, Pavement has announced Cautionary Tales: Jukebox Classiques, a collection of all of the 7-inch singles the group released from 1989 to 1999.

All in all, it features 18 records, all of which were reproduced with original artwork, and the collection comes with “a 24-page threaded saddle-sewn booklet and full discographical history,” per a press release.

How To Buy Pavement’s Cautionary Tales: Jukebox Classiques Vinyl Box Set

This release will actually be available exclusively through pre-orders. It’s available to pre-order now (via Matador, here), and the pre-order window is set to close on April 22. Pre-orders are expected to be delivered on July 12. The set is available digitally now.

Pavement’s Cautionary Tales: Jukebox Classiques Tracklist

1. Slay Tracks 1933-1969
A1. “You’re Killing Me”
A2. “Box Elder”
A3. “Maybe Maybe”
B1. “She Believes (edit)”
B2. “Price Yeah!”

2. Demolition Plot J-7
A1. “Fork Lift”
A2. “Spizzle Trunk”
A3. “Recorder Grot”
B1. “Internal K-Dart”
B2. “Perfect Depth”
B3. “Recorder Grot (Rally)”

3. Summer Babe
A1. “Summer Babe”
B1. “Mercy Snack”
B2. “Baptiss Blacktick”

4. Trigger Cut
A1. “Trigger Cut”
B1. “Sue Me Jack”
B2. “So Stark (You’re A Skyscraper)”

5. Cut Your Hair
A1. “Cut Your Hair”
B1. “Camera”
B2. “Stare”

6. Gold Soundz
A1. “Gold Soundz”
A2. “Kneeling Bus”
B1. “Strings Of Nashville”
B2. “Exit Theory”

7. Range Life
A1. “Range Life”
B1. “Raft”
B2. “Coolin’ By Sound”

8. Rattled By The Rush
A1. “Rattled By La Rush”
B1. “False Skorpion”
B2. “Easily Fooled”

9. Father To A Sister Of Thought
A1. “Father To A Sister of Thought”
B1. “Kriss Kraft”
B2. “Mussle Rock (Is A Horse In Transiton)”

10. Pacific Trim
A1. “Give It A Day”
A2. “Gangsters & Pranksters”
B1. “Saganaw”
B2. “I Love Perth”

11. Stereo
A1. “Stereo”
B1. “Birds In The Majic Industry (B side version)”

12. Shady Lane
A1. “Shady Lane (Krossfader)”
B1. “Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence”

13. Spit On A Stranger
A1. “Spit On A Stranger”
B1. “Harness Your Hopes (Live in Brixton)*”

14. Carrot Rope
A1. “Carrot Rope”
B1. “And Then”

15. Major Leagues
A1. “Major Leagues”
B1. “Your Time To Change”
B2. “Stub Your Toe”
C1. “Major Leagues (Demo)”
C2. “Decouvert De Soleil”
D1. “The Killing Moon”
D2. “The Classical”

16. Haunt You Down
A1. “Haunt You Down”
B1. “Jam Kids”

17. Black Out
A1. “Black Out (Alternate Version)”
B1. “Extradition (Alternate Version)”

One of my favorite singer-songwriters working today is Rosali Middleman, a 41-year-old Michigan native who records and performs as Rosali. I became a fan in 2021 upon the release of her tremendous third album, No Medium, a cathartic collection of stormy folk-rock tunes spotlighting Middleman’s remarkably tender yet tough vocals and the loose-limbed instrumental backing of the Omaha-based David Nance Group. It’s all raw vibes and electrified feels, like Sandy Denny jamming with Crazy Horse on a late night in the mid-1970s.

Rosali had come to my attention the previous year via a bootleg recording of a War On Drugs gig from December 2019, at which she performed a cover of The Pretenders’ “Birds Of Paradise” with the band for a hometown audience in Philadelphia. By then, she had been a fixture of the Philly music scene for more than a decade. When she moved to the city, she was interested in noise and experimental music. For several years, she performed in an improvisational outfit with her then-boyfriend. After that relationship ended, she drifted toward more structured and conventional sounds, drawing upon the music — Neil Young, British folk, the Grateful Dead — her musician-parents raised her on.

On March 22, Rosali will release her fourth record, Bite Down. Just as No Medium was one of my favorite records of 2021, Bite Down is one of the best things I’ve heard in the first quarter of 2024. It’s her first release for Merge Records, who signed Rosali after the critical success of No Medium. She says the pandemic lockdown, and her move away from the city to more secluded and peaceful environs in North Carolina, inform the album. Whereas No Medium contains bracing songs about addiction, romantic loss, and mortality, Bite Down approaches those themes with a flinty, indomitable fighting spirit.

“Being a human is a complex thing, and I think the older you get, you understand that the hardships you go through are there to teach you things,” she says during a Zoom call last month. “If you let them, you can experience growth in ways much quicker and profound than if you were to try to resist it and fear against them.”

Musically, Bite Down continues Rosali’s partnership with Nance and his band, now known as Mowed Sound. (They put out their own very good album in February.) Unlike most singer-songwriter records, Bite Down does not sound like a solo artist backed by a coterie of hired musicians, with all of the distance and staleness that implies. It sounds instead like a band record, created by a gang of likeminded individuals expressing something authentic and true together. It’s a real achievement.

This is your first album on Merge Records. Did knowing ahead of time that Bite Down would be your highest profile release to date affect you as you were making it?

I tried not to let it because you never know how anything’s going to go. I don’t ever want to make music or art with a commercial idea or any of that in mind. But I definitely felt pressure on myself because I felt like No Medium was an important record to me and to a lot of other people, and I wanted to make a record that was just as good as that.

I think you nailed it. You recently said about this new album, “I resolved to bite down on the proverbial bullet; sink my teeth into the flesh and bone of being in the world, devouring the obstacles in my path and gloriously savoring all that is on offer — good or bad.” What did you mean by that?

I think it’s partly related to post-pandemic life. That feeling of the bottom dropping out and now, what are we doing with our time? How do we care for our communities? All these big, big questions. And also feeling totally helpless and not sure what to do with myself, with my time, how to be of use, how to be of service. In the midst of that, I turned 40 and I moved cross country twice. I moved to Michigan for nine months to help family out before I moved to North Carolina. Like a lot of people, I fell into depression during that time. There’s that whole concept of you just got to lean in. And I was like, I need something that’s more severe than that. I’m biting down. It’s just accepting life.

A lot of singer-songwriter records sound like a songwriter backed by hired musicians. But the last two records you have made sound like they were made by a real band. You’re fully integrated into what Nance and the other players are doing. Can you talk about that dynamic? It seems important to you.

Definitely. With No Medium, we didn’t know each other that well when we made that record, I had met them a few times when I was living in Philly, and I was a big fan of their work. Then we went on a tour together with my other band, Long Hots, which is a garage-rock trio. We both had 7-inches coming out on Third Man, so we did a two-week tour. We were all in the same van, and they’re just the best people. We became super close in that short amount of time, almost like you would going to summer camp And that’s when Dave said, “We want to be your backing band for your next record.” So, I took him up on the dare and found myself in Omaha that fall.

The experience making that record was really fun. And then being able to tour with it a bunch, we became our own band. The energy that we all have together, now they just feel like family. They’re my best friends. I’ve spent the most time with them over the past couple of years than anybody else, really.

When we went to make this record, I went in with the songs less developed than I normally would because I wanted it to be a band record. Now we all had that language, that psychic stage telepathy, a deeper understanding of each other. I love the way they play. I love that they’re very flexible and fluid in the sounds. It’s not just this hard rock thing going on. They can be very sensitive and delicate as well, which has always been a big part of my music along with the harder side.

When I listen to Bite Down I imagine you and the band recording at midnight. That’s the vibe I get from the music. But apparently that wasn’t the case?

No, it was very business hours for the most part. We recorded these in [guitarist] Jim [Schroeder]’s basement in Omaha. He had housemates, three other people who lived there, so we were very conscious of not playing too late. The last record, we would stay up. There’s some vocal takes I did at 2 a.m. But this time, it was very, very tame and mature.

Neil Young & Crazy Horse often comes up as a reference for your records. Some of that comes from Nance, who is a big Neil fan. But I hear a lot of Neil in the music you have made on your own. The instrumental guitar album you made under the name Edsel Axle has a song called “Present Moment” that reminds me a lot of “Cortez The Killer.”

Definitely been a huge Neil fan for as long as I can remember. My parents are both musicians. They had a rock band growing up. So I was heavily influenced by Neil. I think his tone is… it’s one of those that hits you in your soul. Both his singing and songwriting have that capacity of just deep feeling in its tonality.

I’m from the Midwest also, and I think with Dave, that’s partly our synergy. There’s that heartland feeling to it that.

Definitely. I’m also from the Midwest, and I get the heartland rock vibe.

It’s something specific about being Midwesterners that we all understand. Even though Neil is Canadian, there’s something kind of Midwestern about Canada.

Before moving to North Carolina, you were part of the music scene in Philadelphia in the 2010s. That was when Philly was basically the capital of American indie rock. How did that inform you?

I moved in the beginning of 2008, right in January. Philly at the time, it was so affordable to live in, which is partly why I think it became the hotbed for a lot of musicians and artists. I was super into noise and experimental music, and West Philly had a lot of house shows where a lot of that was going on. You’d go to a noise show, and then you’d go to a folk show in a different part of town. It’d be the same people operating in these scenes. It had this “small town, big town” kind of vibe to it. I immediately started meeting people from Espers and Mary Lattimore and Jack Rose. They’re all close friends. Mary and I ended up living together for a few years.

It felt very positive. And it kind of happened immediately, just by going to a show. Somebody would be like, “Oh, you’re new. What are you up to? What you like?” And that opened a lot of doors creatively. Watching friends blow up, like Kurt Vile and The War On Drugs, was incredible to experience. It was just a very exciting time.

I think the first time I heard you was on a War On Drugs bootleg where you perform a cover of The Pretenders’ “Birds Of Paradise.”

I’m friends with Charlie Hall, the drummer. He played on my second record. He’s doing a lot of percussion. And Robbie Bennett, he played on No Medium. I was very close with him. Robbie’s wife, Kate, is a good friend. I know Adam and I would say we’re friends, but I was definitely closer with them. They were in more of my social circles. I remember being in Denmark in 2014, I got family over there, and then seeing Adam on the cover page of a music magazine. It was so cool to see them experience that growth. They’re all just very sweet, humble people.

The first time I heard you sing I thought, “That’s one of the best voices I’ve heard in a long time.” And I still think that. Maybe this is because of the “Birds Of Paradise” connection, but I hear some Chrissie Hynde in your style. The other comparison I would make is Sandy Denny. You sound like a tougher Sandy Denny to me. Do you consider either singer to be an influence?

Definitely Sandy Denny. Growing up, Fairport Convention was huge in our house. I was maybe 12 or something when I first connected to hearing her sing. At that point, I was definitely a singer. I’ve been in choir my whole life. I used to do state honors and competitive singing growing up. At that coming-of-age time of realizing the character of somebody’s voice, her voice was just so powerful. It’s similar to Neil’s guitar. It’s like when somebody has this rawness about them and it doesn’t seem affected in any kind of way, it is just their pure expression. That really struck me about the way she sings.

Chrissie Hynde, less so. I don’t know if I really sound like her. I have a toughness in my delivery sometimes, which I think has come out of my time in Philly. Growing up, I was a huge fan of ’90s R&B divas, like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. They were hugely important to me.

Sydney Sweeney is quickly washing off the stink of Madame Web thanks to her new horror movie Immaculate. The “nunsploitation” film premiered at SXSW on Tuesday night, spurring a flurry of reactions to Sweeney’s performance. Immaculate apparently has a jaw-dropping ending, which nobody is spoiling. Apparently, it goes places, and Sweeney does a hell of a job selling it.

“Hoo boy. Just watched the #SXSW premiere of IMMACULATE and Sydney Sweeney is a final girl and scream queen for a new generation,” Jason Kauzlarich tweeted. “Bloody, intense, and beautifully shot. Nunsploitation lives!”

“It’s no surprise that Sydney Sweeney DELIVERS in Immaculate!!” Leia Mendoza wrote. “One of my favorite new scream queen performances. the jump scares, atmosphere just added even more tension and this project goes wild with a midnight crowd!!”

“Sydney Sweeney’s punchy nunsploitation pregnancy horror has THE BALLSIEST ENDING of any mainstream horror you’ll see this year,” Whitlock and Pope tweeted. “I can’t believe they went there.”

“Whatever the next level beyond Scream Queen is, Sydney Sweeney gets there in IMMACULATE” Dancin’ Dan on Film wrote. “The trailer’s promise of Rosemary’s Baby in a convent doesn’t even begin to cover it. A gauntlet of gore with some righteous fury behind it. Sweeney is a horror heroine for the ages.”

You can see more Immaculate reactions below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Sydney Sweeney stars as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia’s warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors.

Immaculate opens in theaters on March 22.

(WARNING: Spoilers for Love Is Blind season six will be found below.)

Following weeks of drama and romance that normally concludes with a few weddings, or wedding as was the case in season six, the Love Is Blind community gathers for one last time for a reunion episode. Cast members from the recent season, married or not, are brought back together about a year after their season was filmed so that they can reflect on their Love Is Blind experience and address incidents and comments from the season. In regards to season six, that means we’ll hear about Clay and AD’s current status, whether or not Jeramey and Sarah Ann are together, how Amy and Johnny are doing as a (presumably) married couple, Trevor’s rumored troubled past before his appearance on the show, and so much more. With all that in mind, here’s when you can watch the reunion episode.

When Does The Love Is Blind Season 6 Reunion Come Out?

The reunion episode of Love Is Blind season six will be available to stream on Netflix on March 13 at 9 pm EST/6 pm PST. The episode will officially conclude the sixth season of Love Is Blind which only saw two couples make it to the wedding day, that being Clay & AD and Amy & Johnny. The latter tied the knot while Clay failed to say “I do” to Amy. Jimmy and Chelsea broke off their engagement at the beginning of episode 12, Laura and Jeramey’s relationship ended after episode 11, and Brittany and Kenneth’s ended after episode eight.

You can watch the trailer for the Love Is Blind season six reunion above.

The ‘Love Is Blind’ season 6 reunion episode will premiere on Netflix on March 13 at 9 pm EST/6 pm PST.

Robert Downey Jr., who survived both drug addiction and the Marvel machine, won his first Oscar on Sunday for his performance in Oppenheimer. The tributes from his famous friends came rolling in soon after, including Johnny Depp. The pair haven’t appeared in a movie together, but the Edward Scissorhands star once said that he and RDJ have “known one another for a million years.”

Depp doesn’t know him well enough to not share a fake photo, however.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “the Pirates of the Caribbean actor initially took to his Instagram Story to celebrate the Oppenheimer star by sharing a photo of the pair together. However, it turned out it wasn’t a real photo of them but rather a photoshopped picture.” The original (Getty) photo is from 1998 and it shows Downey Jr. with his then-girlfriend (and Depp’s Ed Wood co-star) Sarah Jessica Parker. In the fake pic that’s been “circulated on social media and fan sites for years,” she’s been replaced with Depp. Weird!

You can see it here.

Depp deleted the photo and added another where he’s talking with Downey, Jr. at the 2011 Golden Globes. This time, it’s real. What are they taking about in the picture? Probably the time Depp pulled a necklace out of his butt.

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)

Mitski is riding the highs of her The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We Tour. In between legs, the indie darling has shared some more music: Today (March 13), Mitksi has partnered with Spotify Singles to deliver a pair of new songs.

One of the songs is a cover of “Coyote, My Little Brother,” written by Peter Lafarge but popularized by Pete Seeger. The other is a new rendition of “Buffalo Replaced,” from Mitski’s seventh studio album, The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We.

On the Spotify Singles version of “Buffalo Replaced,” the wail of a freight train replaces the vibrations of the long-gone stampeding buffalo.

“Here, hope itself is personified,” reads a statement accompanying the songs’ release, “anthropomorphized into a sleeping creature, and the song’s narrator wonders if life would be easier without her.”

Mitski’s The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We Tour resumes in Chicago with four shows, running from March 21 through March 24. In tandem with the Chicago shows, Mitski has announced Here On Earth: Chicago gallery and pop-up shop in collaboration with the bookstore, Exile In Bookville. The four-day pop up will feature a selection of photos from The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We curated by Ebru Yildiz.

In the meantime, you can check out the Spotify Singles here.