Gorillaz have racked up a roster of big names for their Song Machine series so far, and for the latest installment, they’ve called on a legend: The Cure leader Robert Smith joins Damon Albarn and company on “Strange Timez.” The song has an uneasy and alternative energy, which makes the video’s lunar setting all the more appropriate.
The new song kicks off the Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez tracklist, which was also unveiled today. Artists who appear on songs that haven’t been released yet include Elton John, 6lack, St. Vincent, Beck, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Jpegmafia, and Earthgang, among others.
Listen to “Strange Timez” above and find the Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez tracklist below.
1. “Strange Timez” Feat. Robert Smith
2. “The Valley Of The Pagans” Feat. Beck
3. “The Lost Chord” Feat. Leee John
4. “Pac-Man” Feat. Schoolboy Q
5. “Chalk Tablet Towers” Feat. St. Vincent
6. “The Pink Phantom” Feat. Elton John & 6lack
7. “Aries” Feat. Peter Hook and Georgia
8. “Friday 13th” Feat. Octavian
9. “Dead Butterflies” Feat. Kano & Rosani Arias
10. “Désolé [Extended Version]” Feat. Fatoumata Diawara
11. “Momentary Bliss” Feat. Slowthai and Slaves
12. “Opium” Feat. Earthgang
13. “Simplicity” Feat. Joan As Police Woman
14. “Severed Head” Feat. Goldlink and Unknown Mortal Orchestra
15. “With Love to An Ex” Feat. Moonchild Sanelly
16. “MLS” Feat. Jpegmafia and Chai
17. “How Far?” Feat. Tony Allen and Skepta
Song Machine: Season One — Strange Timez is out 10/23 via Parlophone.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Mxmtoon has had an incredibly prolific year. The singer shared her sunny EP Dawn in the spring and announced its follow-up Dusk shortly thereafter. The singer even recently broke ground on her own podcast, 365 Days With Mxmtoon. On top of that, Mxmtoon had the opportunity to collaborate with beloved pop star Carly Rae Jepsen for the tender single “OK On Your Own.”
Armed with a ukulele, Mxmtoon opens with soulful reflections on “OK On Your Own” before a buoyant beat drops. Jepsen’s vocals arrive later, adding dimension to Mxmtoon’s cool-toned delivery.
In a statement about the single, Mxmtoon gushed over the opportunity to work with Jepsen:
“I was beyond excited to work on this track and have it be graced by Carly Rae Jepsen, someone who stands for empowerment and knows the themes of love and loneliness all too well. my hope for the song is that ‘ok on your own’ can let people know that vulnerability is never something to be afraid of, and admitting you need time for yourself and support from a friend is sometimes a necessary step. […] sometimes relationships aren’t meant to work. it’s a bitter reality that many of us come to terms with at one point or another, but we all have to realize our own self worth before letting certain people into our lives! ‘ok on your own’ is your reminder that stepping away from a relationship isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather one of strength!”
Listen to Mxmtoon and Jepsen’s “OK On Your Own” above.
Arcade Fire’s iconic record The Suburbs was released just about ten years ago. Fans have been anxious for more music from the group after vocalist Win Butler teased a few unreleased songs on Instagram. But as the pandemic lockdown continues in many places, it seems that production on new music has come to a halt. To suffice, Butler and Regine Chassagne got together to commemorate a decade of The Suburbs with a stripped-down version of the album’s title track.
Armed with just two guitars, Butler and Chassagne still manage to make their harmonies full. “So can you understand / That I want a daughter while I’m still young? / I want to hold her hand / And show her some beauty before this damage is done,” Butler sings.
Before sharing the acoustic song, Butler’s brother and fellow Arcade Fire member Will Butler shared a few singles off his upcoming solo project, Generations, which will debut at the end of September. In an interview with NME about his record, Will discussed the status of Arcade Fire’s next album, saying he doesn’t expect to be able to continue writing music with the group until after the pandemic: “It takes more logistics to get together. It always took a certain amount of logistics, but right now it’s insurmountable.”
Revisit Uproxx’s The Best Arcade Fire Songs, Ranked here.
In his colorfully animated new video for “Superheroes,” Stormzy salutes all the everyday heroes that make the world go ’round, casting small acts of kindness as superpowers. The latest video from his 2019 album Heavy Is The Head contains a tribute to Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played the Black Panther in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and provided a big-screen superhero for kids all over the world to look up to.
Among the “superpowers” displayed in the video, Stormzy saves a child from being hit by a car, but then also provides mentorship. Meanwhile, a young woman cooks a meal and cleans up for her elderly neighbor (or grandmother), while Stormzy’s fellow rapper Little Simz inspires another young woman to be confident in her hair. A young man uses his brain power to fill a white board with equations, Stormzy protects another youngster from menacing policemen, and grime star Dave makes a cameo to lead a Black Lives Matter march. The video points out all the ways in which ordinary people can be superheroes and “save the day,” simply by making small differences in the lives of other people. It turns out empathy is the greatest superpower of all.
Watch Stormzy’s “Superheroes” video above.
Stormzy is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
President Donald Trump’s response to the pandemic has faced heavy criticism in the months since the country was forced into a national lockdown in March. As the number of deaths continue to grow six months later, the president has also frustrated members of the scientific and medical community with his rhetoric downplaying the severity of COVID-19. However, veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s new book, Rage, reveals that Trump openly admitted several times in private that he knows the virus is “deadly,” but he likes “playing it down.”
In a series of interviews with Woodward, Trump admitted as far back as February 7 that he knew the exact dangers of the virus, yet still gave public remarks that were in direct conflict with those facts. Via CNN:
“It goes through the air,” Trump said. “That’s always tougher than the touch. You don’t have to touch things. Right? But the air, you just breathe the air and that’s how it’s passed. And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flus.”
But Trump spent most of the next month saying that the virus was “very much under control” and that cases in the US would “disappear.” Trump said on his trip to India on February 25 that it was “a problem that’s going to go away,” and the next day he predicted the number of US cases “within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero.”
Even as the situation worsened in March, Trump continued to make public statements that went against scientific information that he privately acknowledged. For example, the president has known for months that young adults and children are at risk from the virus:
By March 19, when Trump told Woodward he was purposely downplaying the dangers to avoid creating a panic, he also acknowledged the threat to young people. “Just today and yesterday, some startling facts came out. It’s not just old, older. Young people too, plenty of young people,” Trump said.
Publicly, however, Trump has continued to insist just the opposite, saying as recently as August 5 that children were “almost immune.”
In an excerpt from Rage, Woodward agrees with the assessment that February was a “wasted month,” and that the president failed to adequately prepare for the virus and gave the public misleading information that has only furthered its spread.
“Presidents are the executive branch. There was a duty to warn. To listen, to plan, and to take care,” Woodward writes. Instead, Trump minimized the threat “to reassure the public they faced little risk.”
Christopher Osburn has spent the last fifteen years in search of “the best” — or at least his very favorite — sips of whisk(e)y on earth. In the process, he’s enjoyed more whisk(e)y drams than his doctor would dare feel comfortable with, traveled to over 20 countries testing local spirits, and visited more than fifty distilleries.
Simply saying the world “scotch” to a true aficionado conjures up complex imagery. Peat smoke. Copper pot stills. The fog and brine of the rugged coast of Scotland. Fancy gentlemen (usually wearing full beards or well-maintained mustaches) holding up Glencairn glasses as they marvel at the elegant color of their favorite single malts. (This latter image is finally receding into the rearview as the industry strives to diversify.)
But just because 30-year-old bottles of The Balvenie or GlenDronach easily run $1000, doesn’t mean there aren’t great bargains to be had for less than the price of dinner for two at Chipotle. In the past, we’ve talked about bottles of Scotch in the $50 to $200 range. Today, we’re going to lower our price point (as well as our standards) and head on down the lowest shelf at the liquor store.
Here are my personal picks — snatched from deep in my tasting notebook — for the best bottom shelf Scotch whiskies on the market.
You may have heard the name J & B before without really know anything about this blended whisky. The initials stand for Justerini & Brooks. The spirit inside is truly unique (and rare) because of its combination of Italian, English, and Scottish roots. Made from a blend of 42 single malt and grain whiskies, this bargain bottle never disappoints with its mellow, highly mixable flavors.
Tasting Notes:
You might not think of nosing a bottom shelf scotch whisky (especially a blended scotch), but you should. When you take a sniff of this surprisingly balanced whisky, you’ll be met with hints of toasted oak, cinnamon, and sweet cream. The first sip brings forward dried fruits and cooking spices. Sticky toffee pudding and dried orange peel emerge next. The finish is long, warming, with just a sprinkle of spice and subtle smoke at the very end.
Bottom Line:
There’s a reason bartenders love this bargain bottle. It’s cheap, complex, and easily mixable into your favorite scotch (or American whiskey)-based cocktails.
There’s a pretty good chance you’ve never heard of Highland Queen Scotch. Named for Mary Queen of Scots, this brand has been around since 1893. It’s made by a distillery you probably have heard of: Tullibardine. The Highland Queen Majesty Sherry Finish doesn’t carry any age statement and is shrouded in mystery. Though it’s purported to be finished in sherry butts similar to offerings from higher-end brands like The Macallan, Bowmore, and Ardbeg.
Tasting Notes:
The sweet smell of sherry is prevalent from the very first nose. After that, your senses will be filled with Christmas spices and sweet vanilla. The first sip yields cinnamon, butterscotch, and toasted caramel. The finish is long, smooth, and warming with a final flourish of spicy heat.
Bottom Line:
If you’re on a budget, but you want a whisky that was finished in sherry butt, this is a good pick. While not the greatest sipper on the planet, it will do the trick in a pinch.
Not only is Famous Grouse “famous,” it’s also been the best-selling whisky in Scotland for more than forty years. If that’s not enough to get you to try this bargain blended whisky, we don’t know what will. While it carries no age statement, the malt and grain whiskies included are blended together and rested to create a whisky known for its mellow, drinkable, mixable flavor.
Tasting Notes:
This supremely well-balanced whisky starts with the nose. The first aromas you’re treated to are butterscotch, dried cherries, and cinnamon. The first sip brings rich, toasted oak, creamy vanilla, and sticky toffee pudding. The finish is long, warming, and smooth with a final flourish of caramelized sugar.
Bottom Line:
This expertly crafted blended whisky is perfectly suited for budget sipping in a Glencairn glass, but it’s a better fit in your favorite whisky cocktail.
Classic Cutty Sark, while cheaper, is only 40% ABV. The brand’s Prohibition Edition with its 50% ABV and bold flavor is a much better value for your money. This blended Scotch whisky was created to pay homage to Prohibition bootlegger Captain William McCoy both in its name and its higher alcohol content.
Tasting Notes:
You might think higher ABV means harsher blended whisky. In some cases you’re right, but there’s an exception to every rule. Cutty Sark Prohibition Editions begins with aromas of sweet cream, dried orange peel, and rich cocoa. The first sip brings forth hints of walnuts, sweet caramel, and subtle peppery spice. The finish is long, very warm, and filled with toffee notes followed by subtle astringency.
Bottom Line:
This is the kind of high-alcohol whisky that deserves to be served neat or on the rocks. Open up the flavors with a few drops of water and sit back and enjoy every sip.
This gold medal winner at the San Francisco Spirits Competition is matured for a minimum of 12 years in Scotland before being shipped to Bordeaux, France to be bottled by a brand called Bardinet. So… it’s kind of like a Scottish, French whisky. Don’t worry, we’re also confused.
All you need to know is that it’s technically a scotch and it’s crazy cheap for a 12-year-old.
Tasting Notes:
For a scotch that can be purchased for under $20 at some stores, Sir Edward’s 12 deserves to be nosed. The first aromas you’ll be met with are tree nuts, dried orange peel, and honey. The first sip yields brown sugar, subtle spices, anise, and butterscotch. The finish is long, warming, and filled with toasted oak and subtle smoke.
Bottom Line:
While this whisky was aged for 12 years, it’s still better utilized as a mixer than a sipper. It’s not the harshest sipping whisky, but it shines much brighter in cocktails.
This award-winning whisky is double barrel matured to create a unique, complex, bargain bottle. It’s first aged in new, charred American oak casks before being moved into first-fill ex-bourbon barrels. It carries no age statement but is made from whisky distilled at one of the brands owned by William Grant and Sons before being bottled in England.
Tasting Notes:
This is truly bargain bottle — starting with whiffs of dried fruits, sticky toffee, and butterscotch. The first sip brings forward cinnamon, sweet cream, toasted honey, and sweet vanilla. The finish is mellow, medium in length, and ends with a hint of pleasing spicy heat.
Bottom Line:
While you probably want to save the higher-end whiskies for sipping, if you’re ever going to find a really cheap bottle to drink neat, this is it.
Also on the list are common NBA coaching candidates like Sixers assistant Ime Udoka, Timberwolves associate head coach David Vanterpool, and newly-demoted Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn, in addition to newer names like Milwaukee assistant Charles Lee and Miami’s Dan Craig and Chris Quinn.
For the most part, though, it seems like Indiana is casting a pretty wide net in the search for its next head coach. The NBA has a ton of highly qualified and smart assistant coaches who could take the Pacers to the next level after five straight first-round playoff exits in the Eastern Conference.
When McMillan was dismissed, reports indicated Indiana would target a coach like Mike D’Antoni who could improve the team’s offense. While D’Antoni’s availability is unknown with the Rockets in the middle of a second-round battle with the Lakers, other creative offensive coaches like Joerger, Hammon, and Vaughn will give the Pacers some new perspective about their team as they conduct a wide-ranging search.
Whether you’re a hardcore adventurer trekking across the Himalayas or a city-dwelling skater gulping water between grinding handrails, you’ve probably owned a Nalgene bottle. From its first appearance in the cultural zeitgeist — a statement piece for the backpackers and environmentalists of the ’70s — the brand has cultivated intergenerational appeal through a commitment to simplicity, durability, and sustainability. It’s got that special classic/ timeless quality that so few products ever achieve. So much so that the phrase “let me fill up my Nalgene” is ubiquitous everywhere from destination music festivals to boutique hostels to backcountry hiking routes.
Now, with the launch of Nalgene Sustain bottles the brand is ready to build on its rich legacy by doubling down on the qualities that made its signature product so iconic. This new iteration, like those preceding it, lives at the intersection of form and function. It balances utility and stylishness while pushing deeper into the frontier of a market it single-handedly defined.
“We essentially created the personal hydration category,” Elissa McGee, GM of Nalgene Outdoor Products says. “That concept wasn’t a thing, so we defined it. Now we’re taking it further.”
McGee explains that in creating the Nalgene Sustain line, the brand is once again eager to set the bar, this time as the first reusable bottle made with recycled plastic to hit the market. Using a revolutionary material, Tritan Renew, every Nalgene Sustain bottle is composed of up to 50% recycled plastics otherwise destined for a landfill.
Nalgene
Nalgene
Nalgene
Part of the Nalgene brand’s push for a more sustainable product is a reassertion of the brand’s core beliefs. It’s also a necessary response to the plague of single-use and short-term-use plastics that adventurers and vagabonds see strewn along trails and beaches year after year. But while the commitment to build a recycled bottle was longstanding, Nalgene Sustain bottles represent new production processes that weren’t previously possible.
“If you tested one of our new Nalgene Sustain bottles and you tested the standard Nalgene bottle, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference,” McGee says. “It’s exactly the same performance but we’ve made it that much cleaner and that much more sustainable — all while still being the bottle you know and love.”
Aside from being half-composed from recycled material, the Nalgene Sustain line doesn’t make any moves to change the classic Nalgene silhouette. In our opinion, it’s better for it. It’s still a short, stocky, lightweight 32-ounce bottle with a recognizable wide-mouth design dressed in seven translucent colorways. Every visual cue — from the logo to the measurement lines — points back to the brand’s history.
“There’s not a decision that we make that doesn’t tie back to who we are or doesn’t connect to where we came from,” says McGee.
Nalgene
Nalgene
Nalgene
Nalgene first began as part of the Nalge Company in Rochester New York in 1949 as a plastic alternative to glass laboratory beakers. Everything from the iconic wide-mouth design to the simple shape and measurement scale printed on the side of each bottle has its origins in the lab market. In fact, it’s this practicality that first inspired scientists to start taking the bottles out on the trails with them instead of lugging around clunky metal canteens.
After catching on with the backpackers and renegade environmentalists of the 1970s, Nalgene bottles hit the mainstream at the 1980 Olympics at the side of the US hockey team. In the decades since, it’s clearly established itself as the standard when it comes to reusable water bottles for skaters, hikers, wanderers, and lifestyle artists.
“We have this funky crazy looking little bottle,” McGee notes. “But it’s because it has been fully pressure-tested in the labs to make sure it does all of the things you need it to do — that’s what made it really take off.”
Ironically, the Nalgene brand’s “function over fashion” attitude and the bottle’s penchant for customization via stickers and printed logos has created huge fans for the brand in the streetwear community. Fashion houses like Supreme and UNDEFEATED have done splashy collabs that quickly sold out. By the same token, smaller customizations and tweaks — like the different-colored bottle caps, logos, and cap attachment pieces across the Sustain line — are quickly noticed and celebrated by style-centric aficionados.
“When you start to look at those streetwear partners or those girls and guys who are especially trend-forward and really pushing the envelope, what they look for is something that doesn’t want to or need to ride their coattails,” McGee notes. “They want to find a brand that is authentically doing its thing that they can put their unique spin on.”
Of course, authenticity isn’t something achieved through buzzwords and “brand story.” It’s hard-earned — field-tested across decades. It comes with scrapes, scratches, and lots of miles. As McGee says:
“We’ve heard so many stories — from service members in the military who have told us that a piece of shrapnel that would’ve otherwise hit them hit their bottle, to people telling us that purchasing our bottle was their first step toward a healthier lifestyle, to nature hacks using a Nalgene bottle as a nightlight or pouring hot water in it to use as a heater in a sleeping bag — stories like that are something we really treasure.”
The new Nalgene Sustain line builds on the legacy that both McGee and fans of the bottle are so eager to highlight. The new line updates what is arguably the most recognizable reusable water bottle in the history of reusable water bottles with a true-to-form performance and technology-based step forward into the future. “Be yourself, but keep your eyes on the horizon,” it announces.
That balance of growth and commitment to history is a delicate tightrope to walk. This bottle handles it with style.
Perfume Genius shared his shimmering fifth studio album Set My Heart On Fire Immediately back in May. Since the singer can’t tour behind the release, he’s come up with different ways to stay engaged with his fans. The singer recently stopped by Santa Monica’s KCRW station to perform a few songs with a full band. Along with sharing some originals, the singer gave a moving rendition of Leonard Cohen‘s “Bird On The Wire.”
For his cover, Perfume Genius gave his backup band a break, opting to tackle the song with just his vocals and a piano. “If I could play this cover anywhere, I think I’d want to play it in a big church with a big pipe organ,” he said about the song. “Or, if somehow we could get the pipe organ to a deep, dark cave.”
Before covering “Bird On The Wire,” Perfume Genius gave a rendtion of his Set My Heart On Fire Immediately tracks “On The Floor” and “Jason.” Providing context to his music, the singer said: “I wrote ‘On The Floor’ about the idea of a crush, and how when it becomes desperate and obsessive, it can turn into this thing that lives on its own separate from you and almost detached from the person you care about,” he said. “Its own weird world with fictions and ideas all swirling around, and how it can be like a plague on you, and really taxing.”
In other Cohen news, the singer’s estate may sue the Republican National Convention over the use of his song “Hallelujah.” When the RNC reached out to Cohen’s label and his estate, they both promptly denied the request to use the song. But the RNC went ahead with it anyway, playing two covers of the track, which Cohen’s estate still owns the rights to. The family’s legal representative said they were “surprised and dismayed that the RNC would proceed knowing that the Cohen Estate had specifically declined the RNC’s use request, and their rather brazen attempt to politicize and exploit in such an egregious manner ‘Hallelujah’, one of the most important songs in the Cohen song catalogue.”
Listen to Perfume Genius sing “On The Floor,” “Jason,” and Leonard Cohen’s “Bird On The Wire” above.
Set My Heart On Fire Immediately is out now via Matador. Get it here.
In the days since Steve Nash was hired to coach the Brooklyn Nets, the assumption among fans and media has been that the decision was made mostly in accordance with what Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would want. And while that still may be true, Nash put to bed the idea that his hire was made with Durant’s hands on the controls.
In fact, Nash made it clear that it was him who reached out to Nets general manager Sean Marks himself, rather than the other way around. We know Nash and Durant formed a strong relationship when Nash was an advisor with the Warriors, but this was not a case of behind-the-scenes negotiations between a superstar and a coaching candidate.
“Kevin and I have a relationship, we’re friends, but I did not talk to him specifically about this,” Nash said at his introductory press conference. “For me it was really trying to hone in on what I could bring to the table here and fulfill what this franchise is looking for.”
Steve Nash says he had not discussed the possibility of coaching Kevin Durant with the Nets star prior to being hired:
“Kevin and I have a relationship, we’re friends, but I had not talked to him specifically about this” pic.twitter.com/lU7vjL2E7q
Since being hired, Nash has spoken with both Durant and Irving, he said. Even if their blessing wasn’t the sole green light for Marks, it’s clear Nash will have to gain buy-in from both players to be successful in Brooklyn.
Nash and Durant have their own relationship — the former was a consultant with the Warriors during the latter’s tenure in the Bay — but Nash expanded upon his past with Irving as well, dating back to when the two worked out together a few years back and which has continued to the present day. Nash went on to call Irving one of his all-time favorites.
Steve Nash: “Kyrie is one of my favorite players of all-time.”
Whether Nash explicitly spoke with either star player about the job and their involvement in the search won’t matter much when the basketball begins. That Nash has cultivated relationships with both and whether he can continue to do so will be the decisive force in the Nets’ success next season as they pursue the franchise’s first championship.
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