Category: Worldwide

The UK rock scene is clearly alive and well since two of this week’s buzziest albums come from bands across the pond. On the latest Indiecast episode, hosts Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen share their thoughts on the much-hyped albums from two UK artists: Arctic Monkeys’ The Car and Dry Cleaning’s Stumpwork.

Because it’s MLB playoffs this week, Steven and Ian have some obligatory baseball banter. They talk the Padres and the legacy of San Diego’s music scene. The city is not only Blink-182‘s hometown, but it’s also known as the breeding ground for ska bands like Slightly Stoopid and Sublime.

In this week’s Recommendation Corner, Ian mentions the Philly band Knifeplay, whose new album Animal Drowning manages to pull off a a darker edge that’s missing in most modern sheogaze. Meanwhile, Steven shouts out Field Medic, who writes lo-fi Bob Dylan-inspired music that carry heavy subject matters on the new album Grow Your Hair Long If You’re Wanting to See Something That You Can Change.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 111 here or below and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can submit questions for Steve and Ian at [email protected], and make sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for all the latest news. We also recently launched a visualizer for our favorite Indiecast moments. Check those out here.

Carly Rae Jepsen has been exploring the concept of loneliness. She started with the heartbreak-inspired Dedication, and with her new album, The Loneliest Time, she dives into more existential loneliness inspired partly by the pandemic and partly by the emptiness of modern dating. But suppose the title has you worried that she’s gone full Morrissey. In that case, you should know the songs are also full of meditations on romanticism, a concept that has defined Jepsen’s sound since “Call Me Maybe” rocketed her into the pop music stratosphere.

The 13 tracks on this album were culled down from over a hundred songs, many resulting from Zoom writing sessions during the pandemic. But this go-around, Jepsen wasn’t writing towards some overarching concept. Instead, she followed a mantra to do what felt good. So the title and its hints of loneliness are a reference to all she had to endure during the pandemic — the death of two family members, including her grandmother, and the general sense of isolation and solitariness that everyone experienced — come out more as a mood board around an idea than, say, the depths of despair. Instead, Jepsen comes as close as she’ll get to a sense of mourning with “Joshua Tree,” “Far Away,” and “Bends,” which sound like remembrances of people and places that are rendered not unpleasant and a little nostalgic thanks to the ’80s-inspired soundscapes she incorporates into most of the album. The latter song, in particular, uses minor chords and the minor third (aka the saddest musical interval) to evoke a heavy feeling. But the song ends on an optimistic, if minor, note with the chords stepping up all the time into Jepsen’s elegiac refrain, “I can see the sun on you.”

California and its sunshine play no minor role in The Loneliest Time, certainly partly due to Los Angeles being the city Jepsen found herself in for much of the pandemic. It makes numerous appearances, including “Western Wind.” The song is the album’s sole collaboration with Rostam Batmanglij, a former founding member of Vampire Weekend, who Jepsen has co-written with numerous times. There’s a space to the song and more of a human feel than many others. It gets at that lonely feeling too, thanks largely to Batmanglij’s indie-influenced musical proclivities.

So much is alienating, but it’s easy to find yourself on woman-identifying TikTok listening to complaints about dating apps. Synths and drum-programmed tracks with a disco influence belie Jepsen’s intent: to create an album we can dance to when it’s hard not to feel alone together. They aren’t that different from “Beach House,” but the latter has a more infectious beat. This cheeky song roasts the surrealism of finding a datable person on these apps (and the lyric “I’ve got a lake house in Canada and / I’m probably gonna harvest your organs” is sure to become a meme). “Shooting Star” tapes into the equally viral nature of horoscope culture, integrating Jepsen’s bold embrace of life as a Scorpio (IYKYK) and electro laser synths that also pop up in the equally danceable “So Nice.” And if you don’t get 1984 MTV vibes from the album’s lead track, “Surrender My Heart,” then you’ve got to break your new wave records out for a refresher.

So, where is the loneliness on this album? In most songs, the music puts it in the rearview. It opens with a definitive statement: “I want to be open, I want to be honest with you.” And it closes with the title track, a lament on giving a relationship another try that’s old-school enough to invoke a smoking habit. It’s also the most disco-adjacent bop on the album, with string parts and synths evocative of the most cinematic Bee Gees hits. Jepsen paints herself as an active character, not a wallower. And if the person on the other side of the speakers isn’t in quite that same place, the melodies on many tracks beckon them to the dance floor.

The Loneliest Time is out 10/21 via Interscope and School Boy. Pre-order it here.

Happy Midnights release day to all those who celebrate! As a present, Taylor Swift treated fans to the music video for “Anti-Hero” — the first of what appears to be many, as her tenth studio album will be a visual one. Matching the themes of feeling out of place and misunderstood by those around you, Swift references everything from Alice In Wonderland to (potentially) 30 Rock as she finds the best company in… other iterations of herself.

The most comedic part of the “Anti-Hero” video comes during Swift’s bridge, where she lyrically describes her daughter-in-law killing her for the money, but the family members think she’s “laughing up at us from Hell” because nothing was left.

At the funeral scene in the video, Swift is referenced as an old woman in a painting, posing with, of course, a bunch of cats. It follows the traditional concept of a portrait resting by someone’s coffin, only Swift in present day hides inside hers, peaking out as her pretend family fights. (It also might be a reference to the long-held belief that she travels in suitcases to avoid paparazzi.)

Adding to the humor, Swift enlisted comedians John Early (Search Party, 30 Rock), Mary Elizabeth Ellis (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia), and Mike Birbiglia to play her children fighting over the will.

Watch Swift’s music video for “Anti-Hero” above. Continue scrolling for additional Swiftie reactions.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Buy/stream it here.

James Corden doesn’t care if you think he’s an a**hole, which is just the sort of thing you’d expect to hear from a guy who reportedly acts like a monster to the people who wait on him. The Late Late Show host sat down to breakfast (LOL) for a weirdly-timed interview with The New York Times’ Dave Itzkoff with the purpose of talking about Mammals, the new Amazon Prime series that Corden executive produced and stars in — playing a chef, of all things. But Itzkoff could hardly ignore the giant egg-yolk omelette in the room, which Corden clearly did not want to rehash. According to the intrepid reporter, things got awkward.

When Itzkoff mentioned that he was surprised Corden hadn’t wanted to cancel the sit-down, the late-night host seemed perplexed as to why he would even consider that — and why they were even still talking about him being banned (then un-banned) from dining at perennial New York City brunch spot Balthazar (and its sister restaurants) after owner Keith McNally called him out on Instagram for apparently being a total wanker.

“I haven’t done anything wrong, on any level,” Corden said. “So why would I ever cancel this [interview]?” While it’s only natural that the American public would be interested to hear that the guy they watch on TV sometimes might be a total jerk in real life, Corden — totally dismissing why treating service industry workers like pieces of sh*t might rub people the wrong way — seemed to think it was more bizarre that he was even still talking about the incident… despite the fact that it all transpired (at least on social media) just days before their chat.

“I was there,” Corden said. “I get it. I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it’s so silly. I just think it’s beneath all of us. It’s beneath you. It’s certainly beneath your publication.” So… add “New York Times reporters” to the list of people Corden doesn’t seem to have much respect for (alongside flight attendants, and his wife).

Ultimately, Corden suspiciously claimed that he himself didn’t read much about the incident, and doesn’t think most Americans really cared. But he admitted that he’ll likely address it on his own show. “I think I’m probably going to have to talk about it on Monday’s show,” he said. “My feeling, often, is, never explain, never complain. But I’ll probably have to talk about it.” Based on what many who have interacted with the “Carpool Karaoke” creator say, he needs to work on the latter part of that maxim.

You can read the full interview here.

(Via The New York Times)

In the early months of the pandemic, Taylor Swift watched a lot of movies she had never seen before. Being one of the world’s biggest pop stars takes up a lot of free time, y’know? “I started watching lots of films. We would watch a different movie every night. I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t seen Pan’s Labyrinth before. One night I’d watch that, then I’d watch L.A. Confidential, then we’d watch Rear Window, then we’d watch Jane Eyre,” she said. Swift also watched 30 Rock, based on a lyric from her new album, Midnights.

In “Anti-Hero,” which Swift calls “one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” she sings, “Sometimes, I feel like everybody is a sexy baby / And I’m a monster on the hill.” The “sexy baby” line is jarring, but it’s most likely a reference to the season five episode of 30 Rock, “TGS Hates Women,” where Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) hires a female writer, Abby (Cristin Milioti), to join the TGS with Tracy Jordan staff. But Liz turns on Abby when she finds her to be an over-sexualized, stereotype of a woman, complete with pigtails and a “sexy baby” voice. “The whole ‘sexy baby’ thing isn’t an act,” Abby contends. “I am a very sexy baby.” (There’s also a “twist” in the extremely good episode that I won’t spoil.)

The nod to 30 Rock has not gone unnoticed:

Now where’s the duet with Jackie Jormp-Jomp, hm?

Taylor Swift just dropped a new video for “Anti-Hero” and there’s a lot going on in it, everything from ghosts to multiple versions of Swift. Of particular interest to comedy fans, though, is the straight-up comedy sketch that pops up in the middle of it. It stars comedian Mike Birbiglia, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia‘s Mary Elizabeth Ellis, John Early, and Swift herself.

The skit begins at 2:12 into the video and runs for about two minutes. It starts during, and is based on, the part of the song where Swift sings, “I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money / She thinks I left them in the will / The family gathers around and reads it / And then someone screams out / “She’s laughing up at us from Hell.”

It takes place at Swift’s funeral as attendees sit in front of her casket and a portrait of an elderly Swift surrounded by many cats. We then get a look at the characters involved: Kimber (Swift’s daughter in law, played by Ellis), Preston (the son married to Kimber, played by Birbiglia), and Chad (Swift’s other son, played by Early). Preston gets up to read Swift’s will, discovering that she left her beach house to three of her cats, and her children were given 13 cents each.

They’re initially dismayed by the news until Chad has a realization, saying: “There’s probably a secret encoded message that means something else!” The enthusiasm is quickly dampened, though, as Preston reads from the will: “PS: There’s no secret encoded message that means something else. Love, Taylor.” As Preston reads, Swift, lying in the casket at her current age, cracks the top open and takes a peek at what’s going on. This reveal of no Easter eggs leads to argument and chaos before the song and video continue.

Swift said of the video, “The Anti-Hero video is HERE, which I wrote and directed. Watch my nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts play out in real time. with some help from the excellent @birbigs, @bejohnce, and @meellisday who fabulously portray… get ready for it… my grown sons and daughter in law? Anyway. Forever grateful to my incredible DP @The_RinaYang and our amazing crew.”

The first tweet also includes a behind-the-scenes photo of Swift, Bigbiglia, Ellis, and Early filming the funeral scene.

Birbiglia also offered his own behind-the-scenes pic, writing on Instagram, “The casting decision I did not see coming.”

Watch the “Anti-Hero” video above.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Get it here.

As is tradition any time Taylor Swift does anything, there’s been a lot of talk surrounding her latest album, Midnights. Now, though, those conversations can shift from speculation to reaction and analysis, as the album is out now. So too is a new video for “Anti-Hero.”

Swift previously said of the song:

“Track 3, ‘Anti-Hero,’ is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before. You know, I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized, and that I, you know… not to sound too dark, but I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person. But, don’t feel bad for me. You don’t need to.”

This song is a real guided tour throughout all the things that I tend to hate about myself. We all hate things about ourselves, and it’s all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we’re going to be this person. So, yeah, I like ‘Anti-Hero’ a lot because I think it’s really honest.”

Watch the “Anti-Hero” video above.

Midnights is out now via Republic. Get it here.

The Lakers, for the second straight time to open the season, were featured on TNT in a loss to a Western Conference contender, this time losing 103-97 to a Clippers team that never felt like they were really going full speed.

While it was a better showing from the Lakers in the sense that they battled back from a big first half deficit to make it competitive and even take a brief fourth quarter lead, the weaknesses of this roster were on full display. The team shot 9-of-45 from three, with their three point guards — Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Kendrick Nunn — combining to go 1-of-25 from the field. It was a horrific shooting performance, but that doesn’t feel like an outlier for this team as LeBron noted after their opening night loss to the Warriors that they simply don’t have many shooters.

Charles Barkley, who has already demanded the Lakers trade Russ for killing his joy for the game (something Paul George seems to agree with), once again ripped Rob Pelinka and the Lakers management for putting another “embarrassment” of a roster around James.

However, he also had a challenge for LeBron, which was to publicly call out Anthony Davis and demand that the Lakers lone star in his prime step up to be the best player on the team.

As Barkley notes, LeBron at 38 is still great but he can’t be expected to carry a team that has a star that was once considered a potential future face of the league (and was somehow named to the NBA’s 75 Greatest Players list). Charles’ point about Davis’ slide down the list of the league’s best is notable, as he was someone that many thought could become a perennial MVP contender, but instead he has been surpassed by a lot of guys and isn’t even considered on that shortlist for a variety of reasons.

Health is among them, and Davis took another bump on Thursday with a hard fall that left him bruised up and moving a bit gingerly in the second half, but he’s also just taken a step back since the Bubble, where he looked, briefly, like the final form many thought he could be. For the Lakers to have any chance, they certainly need to make a trade and upgrade the roster, but Barkley is probably right that they also need Davis to be more than just a sidekick and at least share the reins with James as an equal.

The Clippers beat the Lakers on Thursday night in their season opener, pushing the Lakers to 0-2 on the season after opening week losses to two of the West’s top contenders.

The result isn’t a surprise, but what remains fairly jarring is just how bad things are with Russell Westbrook. After an offseason in which the Lakers tried to Westbrook to no avail, all while saying they were crafting a plan for how to work him in better, the result has been a lot of the same in the first two games, with Russ struggling to find his place on a Lakers roster that is just not built for him (or the team as a whole) to succeed right now.

On Tuesday night, this led Charles Barkley to plead with the Lakers to trade Westbrook, saying they’ve taken all of the joy out of his life. Two days later, Westbrook’s former teammate Paul George concurred with Barkley after watching his friend have an 0-for-11 shooting night against his Clippers, diplomatically noting the disastrous roster construction of the Lakers and hoping that at some point Russ can find that joy again because he hates seeing him like this, via Dan Woike.

“I’m always a huge Russell supporter. I won’t undermine the great moments we had in Oklahoma. He was tremendous for my career. Honestly, I don’t get the shade or the hate or the stuff that’s thrown at him. He’s one of the best players to ever play this game. It’s hard when you’ve got the pressure they’re putting on him here. Quite frankly, it’s not the team that’s very…it’s not geared for him, with the roster they have as well. Like, it’s got to work both ways. He was very easily a 30-10-10 guy when he had the keys to the team. We can’t forget about that. For me, I just want him to keep having that joy, keep having that excitement, that fun. That’s what makes him special, the fact that he can do that on a nightly basis. I hate to see that it doesn’t look like it’s there for him. But, you know, hopefully in the end, it works out for him in his favor.”

That is the general consensus around the league, and at this point it’s pretty painful watching Westbrook and the Lakers. While Russ’ struggles get the majority of the headlines, the team as a whole is just a catastrophe shooting the ball, going 9-of-45 from three-point range in a six-point loss to the Clippers. The other Lakers point guards combined for a 1-for-14 night, as Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn were equally bad offensively, and after correctly noting that the team doesn’t have enough shooting after the opener, LeBron has resigned himself to his fate this year.

Westbrook is at the center of it all and he (and a pair of future first round picks) likely hold the key to potentially making this at least some better in a trade, but until the Lakers pull the trigger on a deal to bring in some real talent, we’re going to get this on a nightly basis, and Russell Westbrook won’t be the only one whose joy for basketball is stripped away during Lakers games this season.

In the midst of already scheduled and highly-anticipated new K-pop music this month, the roster of releases only grew bigger when ITZY announced a surprise pre-release English single last Sunday (October 16).

On Friday midnight (1 p.m. KST), the leading performance K-pop group unleashed their inner pop punk princess for their single “Boys Like You,” alongside a Halloween-themed music video to celebrate spooky season. With an addictive chorus that will get stuck in your head, and lyrics that will help you call out a boy playing games with you (“Boy, gonna diss me? / Boy, I’m so pissed / Boy, gonna miss me, / Boy, you are dismissed / ‘Cause I don’t fall for boys like you”), ITZY’s pre-release single is a pop track that further proves how relatable they can be.

The music video, on the other hand, follows the enemies to friends trope when Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna all turn against each other until they found out they were all getting played by the same guy and seek revenge.

ITZY’s “Boys Like You” releases ahead of the group’s US leg of their ITZY First World Tour: Checkmate. The K-pop quintet will kick off their US tour next Wednesday, October 26 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, CA. Check out the full tour dates below.