Indie music has grown to include so much. It’s not just music that is released on independent labels, but speaks to an aesthetic that deviates from the norm and follows its own weirdo heart. It can come in the form of rock music, pop, or folk. In a sense, it says as much about the people that are drawn to it as it does about the people that make it.
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Jeff Rosenstock – Ska Dream
Jeff Rosenstock surprise-released his latest album No Dream a little under a year ago, and now he’s gone ahead and done it again. Except this time, he re-made No Dream entirely as a ska album. Sounds like a joke, but it isn’t, and Ska Dream is actually an extremely fun listening experience and a nice momentary reprieve from near-constant mayhem. “As with most things ska in my life, what started out as a fun goof with friends eventually morphed into ‘Hey, what if we tried to make it good though?’,” Rosenstock wrote in a statement.
Dinosaur Jr. – Sweep It Into Space
Dinosaur Jr. have been around for nearly 40 years at this point, but their latest Sweep It Into Space shows no signs of slowing down for the veteran alt rockers. The new album was produced by breezy maestro Kurt Vile, and features some of Dinosaur Jr.’s most accessible work to date.
Remember Sports – Like A Stone
Three years after renaming themselves Remember Sports and releasing their first album under the moniker, the Philadelphia outfit is back for another round with Like A Stone. The group says that the making of the record was a truly collaborative experience, with each member’s musical influence making its way onto the final product. This collective experience definitely comes through across Like A Stone, which guitarist Jack Washburn described in a statement as “communal and loud and cathartic, but also kinda confidential and private.”
Dave Grohl & Violet Grohl – “Nausea”
Dave Grohl often speaks about his daughter Violet’s musical abilities, and even had her perform featured vocals on the latest Foo Fighters album. Now, the father and daughter have teamed up for a cover of X’s “Nausea,” which he called in an Instagram post “a moment that superseded anything musical. A life moment that I will cherish forever. A family moment.” I’m not tearing up, you are.
Chvrches – “He Said She Said”
Chvrches spent the last few weeks reactivating their social accounts in anticipation of something new, and now the moment has finally come for the band to launch their new era. Though there is no official album announcement just yet, the band shared “He Said She Said,” which Derrick Rossignol calls for Uproxx “a giant electro-pop tune with gigantic drum sounds and expansive synths.”
Hot Mulligan – “Pop Shuvit (Hall Of Meat, DUH)”
On their new EP, pop-punk heroes Hot Mulligan don’t sound very much like pop-punk heroes anymore. “Pop Shuvit” employs more pop sensibility than we’re used to from the Michigan band, and serves as a preview of their new EP I Won’t Reach Out To You,, which is all about deteriorating interpersonal relationships.
Pronoun – “I Wanna Die But I Can’t (Cuz I Gotta Keep Living)”
Pronoun released one of our favorite sleeper albums in 2019 with I’ll Show You Stronger. Now, Alyse Vellturo is prepping a short-form follow-up with a new EP entitled OMG I Made It. “I Wanna Die But I Can’t” is the first taste of the EP, and employs a similar lo-fi indie-pop vibe built upon harmonies and buzzing guitars that Vellturo perfected on I’ll Show You Stronger.
Ellis – “Hospital”
Just about a year after sharing her dreamy debut LP Born Again, Ellis is back with a new EP. “Hospital” is what Carolyn Droke calls for Uproxx a “cascading and tenderhearted track” that was inspired by the songwriter’s accident-prone tendencies.
Bachelor – “Sick Of Spiraling”
Two of the strongest songwriters in indie rock come together in Bachelor, which features both Jay Som’s Melina Duterte and Palehound’s Ellen Kempner. “Sick Of Spiraling” is the latest teaser from the duo’s forthcoming debut album Doomin’ Sun, which Derrick Rossignol describes for Uproxx as a “mid-tempo tune [with] some pleasing alt-country influences worked in.”
Jhariah – “Flight Of The Crows”
Jhariah is what you get when you mix the vocal grandeur of a band like Muse with the unpredictability of Radiohead? “Flight Of The Crows” starts out with a spastic drum beat before busting into an almost Broadway-worthy reprise. It’s something completely unique.
Frances Grove – “Get Well Soon”
Utilizing just a lone finger-picked guitar and layered vocal harmonies, Frances Grove delivers a full drama over the course of only four minutes. “Get Well Soon” is reminiscent of the most introspective numbers of Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher, employing similar lyrical stylings and emotional weight.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When Soccer Mommy released her anticipated sophomore album Color Theory in late February of 2020, she had no way of knowing that her album rollout would be cut short by the pandemic. But now that venues are getting ready to reopen their doors, Soccer Mommy is giving fans another chance to catch her new music on stage with a rescheduled fall 2021 tour.
After previously canceling her 2020 tour, Soccer Mommy offered fans a clever way to suffice. She shared a number of 8-bit videos for her track “Crawling In My Skin,” which showed the band performing at tourist destinations in five different cities. But of course, no video can replace the euphoria of experiencing music live and in a crowd, so Soccer Mommy has made sure to hit a number of major locations across North America with her upcoming tour.
Check out Soccer Mommy’s fall 2021 tour dates below.
09/15 — Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse *
09/16 — Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
09/17 — Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *
09/18 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
09/19 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club *
09/21 — Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel *
09/22 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *
09/23 — Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club *
09/25 — Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre *
09/26 — Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre *
09/28 — Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *
09/29 — Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall *
10/01 — Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom *
10/21 — Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall ^
10/22 — Austin, TX @ Emo’s East ^
10/23 — Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater ^
10/26 — Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom ^
10/27 — San Diego, CA @ Music Box ^
10/28 — Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre ^
10/29 — San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore ^
10/31 — Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre ^
11/01 — Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall ^
11/02 — Boise, ID @ Olympic ^
11/04 — Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre ^
11/06 — Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room ^
11/07 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue ^
11/08 — Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre ^
11/09 — St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall ^
* with Squirrel Flower
^ with Emily Reo
Color Theory is out now via Loma Vista. Get it here.
At just 20 years old, Willow already has over a decade of experience in the music industry. With four albums to her name already, Willow is able to take her music in all sorts of directions. That’s why with her upcoming LP, Willow is showing off her pop punk side. The musician released her Travis Barker-featuring track “Transparent Soul,” ushering in a new era of music.
Willow’s “Transparent Soul” single arrived alongside an equally energetic visual. With expressive vocal delivery, Willow leans on raucous guitars to serve up a scathing critique of someone’s character. “I knew a boy just like you / He’s a snake just like you / Such a fake just like you / But I can see the truth,” she sings.
The musician’s new song is a callback to the artists she grew up listening to in the heyday of pop punk: Avril Lavigne, My Chemical Romance, and Paramore. Speaking about the new direction of her upcoming album, which she has yet to detail, Willow explained why she decided to explore a pop punk sound:
“I never felt like I could sing that kind of music because I was always trained to sing R&B and pop. I realized that it’s not my voice that can’t sing this kind of music. I was afraid to sing this kind of music because I wasn’t sure what people would think.”
Watch Willow’s “Transparent Soul” video above.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
This week in pop music saw a number of exciting releases. Ariana Grande and The Weeknd got together for a soaring remix, Jorja Smith announced an anticipated new project, and Chvrches made a grand return.
The Weeknd — “Save Your Tears (Remix)” Feat. Ariana Grande
Seven years after their first collaboration “Love Me Harder” was released, Ariana Grande teamed up once again with The Weeknd to rework his After Hours track “Save Your Tears.” Grande saccharine vocals melt seamlessly over the song’s serrated synths and adds the illusion that the two musicians are singly directly to each other in the track’s lovelorn lyrics.
Chvrches — “He Said She Said”
Returning for the first time since their 2018 LP, Chvrches make a thundering comeback to tease their next album with the fiery track “He Said She Said,” which details the exhaustion of being a woman. “‘He Said She Said’ is my way of reckoning with things I’ve accepted that I know I shouldn’t have,” Chvrches’ Lauren Mayberry said. “Things I pretended weren’t damaging to me. […] All the verse lines are tongue-in-cheek or paraphrased versions of things that have actually been said to me by men in my life. Being a woman is f*cking exhausting and it felt better to scream it into a pop song than scream it into the void.”
Jorja Smith — “Gone”
After ushering in a new era with her hypnotic track “Addicted,” Jorja Smith officially announces her upcoming project Be Right Back with the snappy tune “Gone.” “There’s something about being able to write about one thing and for it to mean so many different things to others,” Smith said about the track. “I love that this song, well any of my songs really, will be interpreted in different ways, depending on the experiences of the people listening. This one is just me asking why people have to be taken from us.”
After a period of creative turmoil, Porter Robinson‘s sophomore album Nurture finally saw the light of day this week. The polished effort includes the touching song “Unfold,” which showcases the album’s hopeful sound. “This album came about during a period of intense creative and emotional struggle,” Robinson said of Nurture. “I had structured my life around the expectation that the only thing that made me happy was writing music. But it was exactly that obsession and imbalance that made writing music an impossibility for me for years.”
Kero Kero Bonito — “Well Rested”
Kero Kero Bonito dropped the three-track EP Civilisation II this week. Their track “Well Rested” is bright and airy, a distinct juxtaposition to it’s theme. “Well Rested” (future), our longest track yet at over seven minutes, addresses The Resurrection and humanity’s distant future,” Kero Kero Bonito said. “It’s a humanist manifesto for the Anthropocene in several parts incorporating chants, an insistent four-to-the-floor and field recordings of natural sites.”
Rebecca Black — “Personal”
Rebecca Black’s hyperpop comeback is already well underway. After featuring on a handful of tracks, reworking her infamous song “Friday,” and sharing the anthem “Girlfriend,” Rebecca Black is getting more “Personal” with her latest single. “’Personal’ represents this reckoning with a consequence of heartbreak I hadn’t really ever understood, which was the guilt and heaviness that comes with being the one to put an end to a relationship when that is not what the other person wants,” Black said. “I’ve learned you can’t really stop two people on roads heading in opposite directions, and it can feel so difficult to consciously make a decision that you know will hurt someone you love, while at the same time knowing it’s the necessary choice for yourself at the end of the day.”
Amber Mark — “Worth It”
Sharing a healthy dose of empowerment, Amber Mark makes a shimmering return with “Worth It,” her first new single in over a year. “We are our own worst critics, and I feel at times we are the hardest on ourselves,” Mark said about the song. “I wrote this song as a mantra to myself in order to lift my spirits in situations where I feel worthless. Whether someone has put you down or you’ve done it to yourself this song is meant to help you pick yourself up again and remind you just how worthy you are of happiness.”
Deadmau5, Rezz — “Hypnocurrency”
Two of the biggest producers in electronic music, Deadmau5 and Rezz, came together to serve up the expressive single “Hypnocurrency.” The track, which the two musicians have been teasing for some time, teeters between bass-heavy beats and bouyant synths.
Ashe — “When I’m Older”
After gaining a following through a handful of singles and EPs, Ashe officially announces her forthcoming debut album Ashlyn with the introspective track “When I’m Older.” “’When I’m Older’ is a record about saying ‘I had all these moments with you and all these memories, and you took up such a big part of my life, that God, I hope that when 10 years from now, 15 years from now, I hope that I don’t miss you anymore,’” she says. “‘I hope that I’m not still telling stories about you or still thinking about you, which ultimately, I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s a good hope.’”
Sasha Sloan — “When Was It Over?” Feat. Sam Hunt
Following up on her 2020 debut album Only Child, Sasha Sloan teamed up with country star Sam Hunt to share a new collaboration. Detailing how the song came about, Sloan said: “‘When Was It Over?’ is about not being able to let go of someone even when you know there’s nothing left. [Co-writer Shane McAnally] brought the title into the room and Sam and I both loved it. The rest fell into place from there.”
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
When Kevin Love signed a five-year max extension in Cleveland two and a half years ago, it raised some eyebrows. The Cavs were pretty clearly moving into a rebuild after the departures of Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, and the soon-to-be young Cavs weren’t going to fit Love’s timeline to compete for another title.
Many anticipated Love would get traded, at some point, but a combination of injuries and somewhat lackluster play has kept him from creating any kind of trade market over the last few years. As a result, he has been in and out of the lineup with various ailments, and when he plays, his frustration with the situation and losing has occasionally boiled over to some unseemly actions on the floor. On Tuesday, Love felt he got pushed in the back on a play against Toronto and angrily slapped at the ball when the referee tossed it to him on the baseline to inbound it, resulting in one of the strangest plays you’ll see, as the Raptors happily scooped up the loose ball slowly bouncing into the corner and got three points out of it.
While the intention of Love was surely not to swat the ball inbounds and his ire was directed at the officials, it’s still a bad look and the veteran forward didn’t play the fourth quarter or speak to the media after the game. He did, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, apologize to the team afterwards and while a fine may be on the table, the Cavs will handle the situation internally.
Cleveland Cavaliers are addressing the Kevin Love matter internally but the team is focused on turning the page with the forward having apologized last night, league sources tell @YahooSports.
As Cleveland continues to move forward with their young core, one that now seems to firmly be Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, and Jarrett Allen, a decision may need to come sooner than later on Love. He has two years at just over $60 million remaining after this season, and finding a trade partner will be difficult. While this instance wasn’t an issue of Love expressing frustration at his young teammates, we have seen that happen in the past, and it might be best for all parties to part ways and move on from what was once a fruitful partnership.
Cordae’s comeback continues today with the reflective video for “Dream In Color” from his newly released EP, Just Until…. The video is shot in DIY style, following Cordae and his crew as they wander the streets of Los Angeles, stopping at city landmark Jim’s Burgers (hell yes, that’s a landmark, and any real Angeleno will tell you so) for a quick bite before continuing their explorations.
“Dream In Color” is Cordae’s second video from Just Until… after the sentimental “More Life,” as well as his second video of the year overall. Before releasing the EP, Cordae closed out 2020 with videos for “The Parables,” “Soda” with DJ Scheme and Ski Mask The Slump God, “Freeze Tag” with Dinner Party and Snoop Dogg, and “Gifted” with Roddy Ricch. The handful of releases followed a name change after he left the YBN crew and spent much of 2020 working on a follow-up to his Grammy-nominated debut, The Lost Boy. He also turned up at the US Open, where he cheered on his girlfriend, champion tennis star Naomi Osaka.
With two songs down from his four-song EP, the question now is whether the next video we see from him will be from Just Until… or the long-awaited Lost Boy follow-up.
Watch the “Dream In Color” video above.
Cordae is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Although it’s widely accepted among reasonable folks that “cancel culture” isn’t necessarily as dangerous as some people with big platforms have made it out to be, it does seem apparent that social media call-outs for problematic behavior have become the new de facto status quo. In a new interview with Sunday Times in the UK about his recent partnership with Puma, Jay-Z addressed the question of whether he foresees an end to the present state of affairs: No way.
“You can’t give someone a microphone for 24 hours a day and [have them] not think they have to use it!” he explained. However, he expressed sympathy for younger social media users who may not have the best grasp of the situations they’re being asked to address. “These kids, it’s unbelievable. Imagine having a microphone and you’re asked about social justice questions at 18 years old? It’s like, ‘What? I’m meant to know the answer, and if I don’t answer the correct way, if I don’t say everything right, even if my intentions are right, and I don’t say the same right thing, it’s going to be everywhere.’”
He doesn’t think he’d be on social media much, even if his rise had come along 20 years later. Meanwhile, he expressed his own views on some of the most pressing social issues being debated online. “As a human race we’re still on basic things,” he said. “We’re still on Stop Asian Hate. We can’t sit and cry over spilled milk, but we do have to acknowledge that there’s milk, right?… it’s very frustrating. Are we here today? No. Are we further than 50 years ago? Yes.”
The Portland Trail Blazers boasted a 29-18 record at the end of March. By any objective definition, that 47-game run was a monster success for Damian Lillard and company, and Lillard was showered with deserved praise, including MVP murmurs.
Since then, however, the Blazers haven’t been quite the same and, with a deeper look, that was almost entirely foreseeable. Portland is just 3-10 in April, losing their last five games and nine of the last 11 overall. That seems like a sharp regression, to be sure, but the Blazers were also unsustainably “hot” in certain ways to compile the aforementioned 29-18 mark.
Portland was outscored by 10 points in the first 47 games, which is very difficult to do when a team wins 29 of those 47 contests. Some of that can be attributed to a borderline impossible +32.7 net rating in situations defined as “clutch” by NBA.com through the end of March. In short, the Blazers were awesome in high-leverage situations and, even on a team with Lillard, that wasn’t going to hold up in the long term.
On cue, Portland is just 1-5 in those same “clutch” situations in April, leaving their overall metrics to do the work. For the full season, including the 29-18 start, the Blazers have the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA, giving up 116.1 points per 100 possessions. That is virtually untenable, even for a team with a legitimately potent offense, and Lillard is enduring his worst shooting month (37.1 percent from the floor) in April as he battles injury and a massive workload.
In examining Portland’s supporting talent, it isn’t entirely surprising to see them compile an unsightly defensive profile, but that is also worrisome on the biggest stage. The Blazers face one of the most difficult remaining schedules in the NBA, and that begins with a six-game road trip on Tuesday. From there, Portland finishes with a treacherous trio of games at the end of the season against Utah, Phoenix and Denver, meaning they need to right the ship well before then.
At present, the folks at FiveThirtyEight still make the Blazers a significant favorite to reach the playoffs, and that is backed up when examining their place in the Western Conference standings, sitting in 7th a game back of Dallas to avoid the play-in and just a game ahead of the 9th place Spurs. Still, there are rumblings of the “hot seat” surrounding head coach Terry Stotts and, in an almost annual tradition, the whispers are beginning on how the Blazers should move forward after a middling campaign. Portland can quiet some of that noise with a strong finish but, with a negative point differential for the season, it is hard to argue that the Blazers are a significant threat to make a deep run in the West playoffs.
Where does Portland stack up in our DIME power rankings this week? Let’s explore.
1. L.A. Clippers (43-20, Last week — 1st)
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Admittedly, we’re kicking the can down the road here. There isn’t a clear No. 1 this week, and the Clippers were here a week ago. They still have the best record (11-3) in April, and L.A. has weathered the storm without Kawhi Leonard for several games. His status is a major factor, obviously, but they haven’t lost with Kawhi in the lineup since Apr. 1. Losing to the Pelicans on Monday wasn’t great, but it’s explainable.
2. Brooklyn Nets (41-20, Last week — 6th)
Being without James Harden for a while certainly isn’t ideal for the Nets. Brooklyn has the loftiest possible goals and, at this point, one has to assume the Nets won’t be at full strength very much before the brightest lights begin to shine. Still, Kevin Durant had an encouraging return this week, and the Nets just have enough firepower to withstand a lot. Brooklyn also beat both Phoenix and Boston this week to bolster their profile.
3. Phoenix Suns (43-18, Last week — 2nd)
It wasn’t a great week for the Suns with back-to-back losses. The defeats came on the road against quality opponents, though, and Phoenix bounced back by beating the scalding-hot Knicks on Monday. The Suns still have the second-best record in the league and they’re playing at a high level.
4. Philadelphia 76ers (40-21, Last week — 4th)
The Sixers lost four straight this week and I really didn’t blink. Part of that is that Philly has been undermanned, with Ben Simmons missing all four losses and both Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris missing time. Part of it was that the losses came to Milwaukee (twice), Phoenix and Steph Curry. The entire top tier is a jumbled mess right now, so we’re punting on the Sixers this week.
5. Denver Nuggets (40-21, Last week — 5th)
Denver is 9-3 since Jamal Murray went down. That may not paint the most accurate picture of their chances on the grand stage without their best guard, but the Nuggets continue to play well. They can potentially add to that run with home dates against New Orleans and Toronto this week.
6. Utah Jazz (44-17, Last week — 3rd)
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It’s probably a little bit punitive to move Utah this low. After all, the Jazz (still) have the best record in the league. Utah is just 6-6 in the last 12 games, though, and they inexplicably flop against Minnesota every time. The Jazz just got swept by the lowly Wolves for the season, which probably doesn’t mean much but is a really bad look.
7. Milwaukee Bucks (37-23, Last week — 7th)
There were highs and lows for the Bucks this week, resulting in stagnation here. Milwaukee beat Philly twice, only to lose to a shorthanded Hawks team on Sunday. If you want to pile on, Milwaukee is 8-9 in the last 17. When you introduce context, there isn’t a lot to worry about.
8. New York Knicks (34-28, Last week — 9th)
New York’s nine-game winning streak came to an end with a hard fought loss to Phoenix on Monday. Of course, there is no shame in losing to the Suns and, at the end of that run, the Knicks are tied for the No. 4 spot in the East. They also own the tiebreaker over the Hawks, and there is a real chance New York has home-court in the first round of the East playoffs. What a world.
9. Atlanta Hawks (34-28, Last week — 8th)
The injury bug just keeps biting the Hawks, almost to a comical degree. They lost two more pieces in the fourth quarter on Monday, and Atlanta continues to operate without Trae Young, De’Andre Hunter and others. Still, Nate McMillan and his group picked up two of their best wins over the season in beating Miami and Milwaukee without Young, and Monday’s loss to Detroit can be explained away by a brutal schedule spot. If they can get healthy at any point, the Hawks will be in great shape.
10. Los Angeles Lakers (36-25, Last week — 11th)
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Lakers on Monday, as they trailed the struggling Magic in the second half. From there, Los Angeles turned on the jets to a double-digit win, and it was also the best showing for Anthony Davis since he returned. The Lakers’ recent play isn’t befitting of a top-10 slot in the rankings, but everyone knows the deal here as they wait for LeBron’s return (which is set to arrive sooner than later).
11. Boston Celtics (32-29, Last week — 10th)
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Boston had a red-hot stretch, then beat Phoenix on Thursday in impressive fashion. Seemingly on cue, they then lost to Brooklyn and Charlotte (by 21 points), leaving some uncertainty. That performance against the Hornets was particularly vexing, but the Celtics are also 9-4 in the last 13 games.
12. Golden State Warriors (31-30, Last week — 13th)
Steph Curry is averaging 38.1 points per game in April and he already has the record for three-pointers in a calendar month. The Warriors have two more games in April, so that speaks for itself. On top of that, Golden State is 7-2 in the last nine games and they have a real path to avoiding the play-in, or at least getting the No. 7 or 8 seed, if they can stay hot.
13. San Antonio Spurs (31-29, Last week — 18th)
The Spurs have the most difficult remaining schedule in the lead by a wide margin, with opponents compiling a .611 combined winning percentage. As such, San Antonio might have a hiccup or two down the stretch, but they’ve won five of that last six. That stretch was absolutely enormous to set up their play-in position.
14. Dallas Mavericks (33-27, Last week — 14th)
Dallas just can’t seem to avoid the potholes. They’ve lost to Sacramento (twice) and Houston in April, all while posting a respectable 8-6 record this month. It will be very, very interesting to see how Tuesday’s nationally televised tilt goes between the Mavericks and Warriors.
15. Memphis Grizzlies (31-29, Last week — 16th)
The Grizzlies are 4-3 in the last seven games. That may not seem like much, but six of those contests came against Denver (twice), Portland (twice), Milwaukee and the Clippers. Navigating that stretch in acceptable fashion is a considerable win for Taylor Jenkins and company, and Jaren Jackson’s return brings even more optimism.
16. Miami Heat (32-30, Last week — 12th)
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Miami earned a great deal of respect in the bubble, and they are led by a great coach and two legitimate stars. With that out of the way, this has been a vexing season. That was on display again this week when Miami lost by 15 points to the shorthanded Hawks, then blew a fourth quarter lead to the Bulls on Monday. Their highs are high but, if you judge only this season, the Heat are pretty uninspiring.
17. Washington Wizards (27-34, Last week — 17th)
The Wizards came very close to extending their winning streak to nine on Monday, losing to the Spurs in overtime. The result of that strong stretch is that Washington is now the frontrunner for the No. 10 seed in the East, and that was pretty much unthinkable a few weeks ago. Credit to Scott Brooks for engineering a top-10 defense for the last several weeks. That doesn’t make much sense with Washington’s personnel.
18. Charlotte Hornets (30-30, Last week — 19th)
Charlotte hasn’t been good without LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward, but they’ve held up. The Hornets are 5-7 since Hayward went down, and that allows them to stick around at the .500 mark. That’s enough to keep them in position and both players are expected back in the near future to make a stretch run push.
19. Indiana Pacers (29-31, Last week — 22nd)
Injuries to the frontcourt have taken a lot away from the Pacers, but they had a good week. Indiana is on a three-game winning streak and, while the wins came against subpar competition, they still count in the standings. At minimum, they are now a big favorite to stay in the top ten of the East.
20. Toronto Raptors (26-35, Last week — 20th)
The Raptors have flirted with tanking maneuvers, especially when injuries were already taking their toll. Right now, though, Toronto is on the upswing after five wins in six games. They’re only one game out of the play-in, and Khem Birch (!?!?!) has helped to save their playoff chances.
21. Chicago Bulls (26-35, Last week — 21st)
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Chicago is undeniably playing better. They’ve won four of the last six games, and they are still hanging around on the edge of the play-in chase. Zach LaVine won’t be back until at least Friday, though, and the sledding can be tough without him to juice the offense.
22. Portland Trail Blazers (32-28, Last week — 15th)
It might be fair to say the next five games could dictate Portland’s season. They face the Pacers, Grizzlies, Nets, Celtics and Hawks on the road in the next seven days, and that is a brutal stretch.
23. New Orleans Pelicans (27-34, Last week — 23rd)
The play-in race looks to be almost over in the West, but the Pelicans are the one team that could play spoiler. They helped their chances by beating the Clippers on Monday, but New Orleans really needs a sustained run. They’re four games back of the No. 10 spot with 11 games to play.
24. Detroit Pistons (19-43, Last week — 24th)
Every caveat should be assigned to Detroit’s win over Atlanta on Monday. The Hawks were wildly shorthanded, the Pistons had the rest edge and the game was in Detroit. Still, that was a solid win for the Pistons, and they have been more competitive than you may think.
25. Sacramento Kings (25-36, Last week — 26th)
The Kings have two wins over the Mavericks in the last ten days, including a seven-point win on Monday. Nothing else is going too well for Sacramento, but that’s nice.
26. Minnesota Timberwolves (18-44, Last week — 25th)
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As noted earlier, the Wolves just swept the Jazz for the season, which is wild to consider. More broadly, Minnesota has been respectable since the All-Star break, posting an 11-15 record and ranking No. 14 in offense. That is closer to where they were supposed to be in the preseason, and having D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns certainly helps matters.
27. Cleveland Cavaliers (21-40, Last week — 27th)
The Cavs are not playing very well as a team and that is backed up by their 21-40 record. We’ll choose positivity here in pointing out that Isaac Okoro is showing flashes, and Darius Garland has been tremendous. In his last 11 games, Garland is averaging 22.9 points and 7.4 assists per game on 49/43/88 shooting. If that is even remotely real, it would be huge for Cleveland’s future.
28. Houston Rockets (15-46, Last week — 28th)
It looks like John Wall is done for the season, further emphasizing that Houston is playing out the string. The Rockets are 4-36 in their last 40 games and 2-14 in the last 16. Are there two teams worse? Yes, somehow there are.
29. Orlando Magic (18-43, Last week — 29th)
The Magic had a lead after three quarters against the Lakers on Monday… only to lose by double digits. That followed a 35-point (!) home loss to the Pelicans and a 19-point home loss to the shorthanded Pacers. Orlando would normally have earned the No. 30 slot with this stretch of play, but there is one team worse.
30. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-41, Last week — 30th)
Dismal feels like a good word to describe the Thunder right now. There is a method to the madness, of course, but OKC has a -20.7 net rating in the last 14 games. They’ve lost them all and rarely are they even in the game by the mid-fourth.
This November, it will be three years since Andrew Lincoln’s last episode of The Walking Dead and since that time, Lincoln seems to have followed through on his plan to spend more time with this family. He hasn’t returned to television, and he’s appeared in only one feature film, Penguin Bloom. Granted, much of that is due to the pandemic, which has made it impossible for a number of people to work, as well as delaying Lincoln’s planned The Walking Dead film.
The film has still not started production yet, although Lincoln is raring to go, as he recently told SFX Magazine (via Den of Geek): “I’m not filming at the moment. I’m still very much in lockdown. We’re very excited about how, at the first available opportunity, we’re going to go into production -– there’s talk of it being spring. I can’t wait to get those cowboy boots.”
We’re more than a month into spring, so hopefully, he’ll be able to slip into those boots any day now. The hope is that it won’t be the last time he slips into them, either. When AMC announcedThe Walking Dead movie minutes after Andrew Lincoln left the series, the idea at the time was that he’d star in multiple The Walking Dead movies. With ratings in decline, the pandemic delaying the first movie, and the parent series ending next year, however, no one seems to be talking about multiple movies anymore. They’re just trying to make the first one.
Lincoln, however, told SFX Magazine that additional movies are still very much a possibility. “I have signed for more than one film … All of those answers will hopefully be resolved in the next couple of months but, yes, there’s more than one,” he said. “We need to get the first one absolutely right and that’s why it’s taken longer than we anticipated – and obviously with the pandemic. I can’t wait. I’m really excited about broadening the scale and scope of the story and finding out where Rick is.”
Though Scott Gimple, the architect of The Walking Dead universe, has ruled out Rick Grimes popping up in the second spin-off series, The World Beyond, Lincoln himself isn’t exactly ruling out a return to the parent series. He doesn’t yet know one way or another whether he’ll appear, as he told SFX: “I don’t think it’s written yet, but I would never say never to that because everybody that’s still doing the TV show are dear friends, and it’s an extraordinary feat that they’re still going and making this beautiful and ground-breaking show that still resonates with the world.”
In other words, if they write him into the final season, Andrew Lincoln will appear in the final season. Given the fact that his character is still alive, and given how much he’s meant to the series, and the fact that he’s willing to do it suggests that Angela Kang would be passing up a huge opportunity to end the parent series right with the star of the show. At the very least, he should appear in an end-credits stinger teasing his upcoming movie.
The first of eight episodes of the final season of The Walking Dead will premiere on AMC on August 22nd.
Yesterday, Grimes shared a video of herself dancing with a sword to The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s “Save Your Tears” remix, and as Stereogum reports, a TikTok user asked Grimes in the comments how she is “ACTIVELY SLEEP1NG WITH THE MAN WHO LOTERALLY DESTROY THE PLANET AND HUMANITY,” to which she responded, “How is he doing these things? His whole career is about making travel/house power etc. sustainable and green. It’s worth a deep dive.” Another user asked if Musk is a men’s rights activist and Grimes replied, “He’s not. Def he’s been very immature at points on Twitter but for ex the president of SpaceX is a woman, as is his right hand at Neuralink etc.”
Somebody else asked who Grimes is trying to convince with her answers and Grimes replied, “I don’t need to convince anyone haha. I accept this discourse. I’m just rly close to it so sum times I try to correct the misconceptions haha.”
Aside from sword-dancing, Grimes is also in the process of healing from getting a gigantic full-back tattoo.
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