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Hanukkah starts on December 7, Christmas is on the 25th, and any other holidays you may be observing before 2023 comes to a close are probably kicking off soon, too. So, if you haven’t already gotten your holiday shopping done, time is running out. If you still have some music fans to buy for, we have you covered.

We’ve rounded up some of the best music-related gifts worth considering this year, and there’s a healthy mix of things that should appeal to just about everybody, whether they’re into audio, reading, hip-hop, rock, or whatever else. The items below come in at a range of price points, too, so no matter who you’re shopping for, get started by checking out the list below.

Powerbeats Pro Wireless High-Performance Earbuds

Price: $249.95

A quality pair of headphones can really let a song’s production and impact flourish, and Beats is one of the leading brands in the market. Their Powerbeats Pro earbuds are a solid pick, as they boast a 9-hour battery life, Siri functionality, and a bunch of other ease-of-use features.

Get it here.

Vibes High-Fidelity Earplugs

Price: $33.99

Seeing a live performance is perhaps the best way to hear music, but it’s also one of the loudest and potentially most harmful ways. Hearing protection is important, and Vibes’ hi-fidelity earplugs lower sound without sacrificing quality, making them a must-use for the next show you attend.

Get it here.

Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame x EARPEACE

Price: varies

Another hearing protection option worth looking into is EARPIECE’s collaboration with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. They have standard and pro options, and if you’re unsure which one to get, the EARPIECE website has a quick rundown that should help you decide which set is right for you.

Get it here.

TCL Q Class Premium 3.1 Channel Sound Bar

Price: $249.99

The rise of concert films of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé doesn’t just mean people going to the theater for a concert experience, it also means that soon, people could be experiencing them in their home. But, to optimize that, you need a good sound system for your television. You can’t go wrong with the TCL Q Class Premium 3.1 Channel Sound Bar, a simple two-piece setup that offers high-end home audio at an affordable price point.

Get it here.

Soundboks 4

Price: $999

Do you know somebody who’s trying to throw a party in the woods? A rave in a cave? Some other sort of gathering with music, far away from an outlet? That calls for Soundboks, a huge, portable, battery-powered speaker that lets you crank it up to 126 decibels. The specs are impressive: It can go for up to 40 hours on a single charge (6 hours at full volume), it has an effective frequency range of 40 Hz to 20 kHz, and it’s splash proof.

Get it here.

Dave Grohl — The Storyteller

Price: $21.99

Between his time in Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and the many other endeavors he’s been involved in, Dave Grohl has seen some stuff, which means his memoir ought to be pretty darn interesting. If you want a taste of what to expect before committing to the buy, here’s an excerpt he shared previously, about the time he met Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

Get it here.

Paul McCartney — The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present

Price: $30

Speaking of McCartney: He put out a book of his own in 2021 and it would be a perfect gift for the Beatles fan in your life who has happened to have missed it. A new paperback edition was released recently and it comes with seven new song commentaries, on ⁠’Bluebird,” “Day Tripper,” “English Tea,” “⁠Every Night,” “⁠Hello, Goodbye,” “Magical Mystery Tour,” and “Step Inside Love.”

Get it here.

Skullcandy x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Price: $159.99

TMNT is back in the spotlight right now after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was one of this summer’s biggest movies. Now, they’ve teamed up with headphone favorites Skullcandy for a new wireless gaming headset that’s a striking “ooze” color and comes with interchangeable headbands.

Get it here.

Skullcandy Rail ANC True Wireless Earbuds

Price: $99.99

Like Skullcandy but want it less turtle-y for some reason (or just prefer earbuds to a gaming headset)? The Rail ANC True Wireless Earbuds are worth a look: They boast a 38-hour battery life, they have 4-microphone active noise canceling, and if you forget where you put them, they even have Tile finding technology.

Get it here.

Blackpink x Funko Pop!

Price: varies

Shortly after Funko announced their new Blackpink collaboration in October, pre-orders sold out. A number of items, like group member keychains, are still available as of this post, though. They’re cheap, too, making them perfect stocking-stuffers for any Blinks on your gift list.

Get it here.

Blackpink x Loungefly

Price: varies

Not enough Blackpink for you? Well, their Funko collab goes deeper: The group teamed with Funko’s Loungefly brand for a line of gorgeous accessories. Specifically, there’s a backpack, crossbody bag, and zip wallet, all of which come in a matching black and pink color scheme that’s perfectly executed.

Get it here.

Meta Quest 2

Price: $249.99

We don’t really have to explain that Meta Quest 2 is one of the best ways to experience the world of VR entertainment. From a music perspective, though: Meta has the Music Valley Concert Series coming up, and the VR performance lineup includes The Kid Laroi, Jung Kook, Jorja Smith, and Alec Benjamin.

Get it here.

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses

Price: varies

In addition to Ray-Ban being one of the most trusted glasses brands, they pack some impressive tech into their new smart glasses thanks to a Meta partnership. You can livestream with them, you can take pictures, and you can even listen to music thanks to the built-in “discreet open-ear speakers let you enjoy rich audio quality, music and calls, while keeping you connected to the world around you.”

Get it here.

Fender Play

Price: $19.99 per month or $149.99 per year

Getting into guitar can be tough, so if you know somebody on your shopping list is getting an axe of their own, a Fender Play subsciption could be a good complementary gift. The service offers guitar lessons to sharpen your skills, bite-size tutorials to learn songs in a flash, and a community where aspiring players can support each other.

Get it here.

Sonos Era 100

Price: $249

A lot of high-end home audio setups can be bulky, but Sonos Era 100 sounds great and comes in a compact form factor. Aside from its minimal footprint and simple-but-elegant aesthetic, it should work with whatever you’re trying to play your music from, whether it’s a Bluetooth-compatible device or an older piece of hardware that can connect via line in.

Get it here.

DOOMSDAY 2023

Price: varies

Rhymesayers Entertainment and MF DOOM’s estate are commemorating the late rapper with a new DOOMSDAY drop. This capsule includes a bunch of limited merch items with a ton of variety, meaning there should be something for everybody. Options include embroidered hoodies, T-shirts, sweatpants, socks, slides with custom printed shoeboxes, skate decks, pins, and more.

Get it here.

Tyler The Creator Spotify Capsule Collection

Price: varies

It doesn’t matter what your favorite Tyler The Creator album/era is: Spotify’s new merch capsule collection has you covered. You can browse the collection album-by-album and cover yourself head-to-toe in hoodies, socks, hats, and other pieces you can incorporate into your everyday look.

Get it here.

Ticketmaster Gift Card

Price: varies

You don’t even have to know what music your giftee is into for this present to work: A Ticketmaster gift card gives the gift of live music (or live sports of theater or anything, really) in all its forms. They’re flexible, too, as you can get a gift card in any amount from $25 to $500.

Get it here.

Billie Eilish Eau De Parfum

Price: varies

Eilish has been building herself a nice perfume line for a little while now. She’s up to three different Eau de Parfum scents at the moment, including the recently released Eilish No. 3. That one’s actually sold out as of the writing of this post, but maybe it’ll be back in stock by the time you read this. If not, you can still grab the two previous award-winning scents right now.

Get it here.

Megan Thee Stallion Merch

Price: varies

Megan Thee Stallion has become a pop culture favorite in recent years, and she has a killer merch line, too, featuring everything from shirts, to bikinis to pet collars. You don’t even have to be a Meg fan to get into her merch, really, as a lot of people could get down with a “Bad b*tches have bad days too!” hoodie.

Get it here.

Taylor Swift Merch

Price: varies

Taylor Swift is also a merch queen, and while vinyl might be the first thing you think of when it comes to her offerings, she has a bunch of different coals on the fire. We actually wrote a whole Swift-specific gift guide, so that’s a good place to start looking. Then there’s her online shop, which has everything from hoodies to pajamas to a clock.

Get it here.

Drake and Kendra Samir — Titles Ruin Everything

Price: $19.95

We put together a Drake gift guide, too, and one of the items worth highlighting here is Titles Ruin Everything, his and Kendra Samir’s poetry book. You’ve seen DJ Khaled reading it, and now you can, too.

Get it here.

Ice Spice Chia Pet

Price: $34.99

First there was the Ice Spice Munchkins Drink from Dunkin, and now Ice Spice is continuing her crusade of perfect branding opportunities with a new Chia Pet. Chia Pets are one of the all-time fun novelty gifts, and getting Ice Spice as the model for one is an absolutely perfect use of the format.

Get it here.

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

Beabadoobee has a special gift for her fans, who have been so loyal this past year. Today (December 6), the Filipino indie-pop singer has shared a special concert album Live In LA, featuring performances recorded at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.

The album features several fan favorites, including her viral tracks “Glue Song” and “The Way Things Go,” as well as standout tracks from her albums Fake It Flowers and Beatopia.

Earlier this year, Bea opened for Taylor Swift on various dates of her critically acclaimed Eras Tour. During the Eras Tour, Bea spoke with People about taking inspiration to write new music while on the road.

“I’ve written so much recently, it’s like something in my brain where I’m like, all right, I’m back on my songwriting thing,” said Bea. “I’ve been planning on writing the next album and I’ve had ideas for it for ages and I’ve already had some songs here and there, but I’ve been finishing half-written songs and making new ones just yesterday. And it’s all really inspiring.”

You can see the Live In LA cover art and tracklist below.

1. “Talk”
2. “Apple Cider”
3. “10:36”
4. “Together”
5. “Charlie Brown”
6. “Care”
7. “She Plays Bass”
8. “Last Day On Earth”
9. “Pictures Of Us”
10. “Animal Noises”
11. “The Perfect Pair”
12. “See You Soon”
13. “Sunny Day”
14. “Glue Song”
15. “Don’t Get The Deal”
16. “You Lie All The Time”
17. “Back To Mars”
18. “Cologne”
19. “The Way Things Go”
20. “Coffee”
21. “Fairy Song”

The end of the year is loaded with “best of lists,” for obvious reasons. But even with big lists dropping left and right, it’s worth taking a moment to focus on the superlatives. While we picked 100 bottles of bourbon to highlight this year, there was one that truly stood above the rest — Eagle Rare 25.

Eagle Rare 25 is a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey made at the iconic Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. That alone will get most people excited, as Buffalo Trace is behind some of the world’s most beloved and sought-after whiskeys — from the Pappy Van Winkle line to Blanton’s and Weller to E.H. Taylor. But the “best of the year” is about more than just hype and seeking beloved brand drops. It’s about transcending time and place while offering something unique. A game changer. And that’s what the team at Buffalo Trace was able to achieve with our pick for 2023’s best bourbon.

In creating something truly magnificent, there are a lot of facets at play. Yes, it has to taste astoundingly good. But it also has to open new doors while still holding onto something familiar and perhaps comforting. It’s a hell of a balancing act. That becomes even more strained the longer a whiskey ages. Kentucky has a varied climate with cold winters, mild springs and falls (for the most part), and hot and humid summers. That variance makes long aging a rarity. When looking at aging bourbon, seasons become more important than years. It’s really more about the maturity of the whiskey than the number on a bottle.

“The whiskey changes and develops over time due to a variety of factors, including oak, barrel char, temperature, humidity, light, and more,” Harlan Wheatley, Master Distiller at Buffalo Trace, notes. “Age often contributes to creating a mature spirit, but many factors work together to create an outstanding tasting experience.”

This deeper understanding of aging an American whiskey is what makes Eagle Rare 25 so special. Eagle Rare 25 wasn’t just left to sit in a barrelhouse like any other barrel of bourbon at Buffalo Trace. Through the experimentation happening at Warehouse X at Buffalo Trace, Wheatley and his team have been monitoring how whiskey is aged and affected by atmospheric pressure, humidity, temperature, light, and even the airflow in a warehouse. They’ve been gathering millions of scientific data points for years now and have been able to apply what they’re learning to a new format in Warehouse P, where Eagle Rare 25 was aged.

I’ll let Wheatley take it from here: “Warehouse P allows us to maintain our commitment to age as a critical element to producing premium whiskey, while also accounting for the realities of our physical location and the impact the environment has on our ability to age barrels over an extended timeframe, gracefully.”

All of this sounds great (albeit very “in the weeds”). But here’s the long and short of it, Eagle Rare 25 was an experiment that went beyond the “science” and hit the mark of something closer to magic. As the barrel aged in Warehouse P, it started to change in ways that weren’t expected. It’s almost as if the whiskey started doubling back on itself flavor-wise. The hefty oakiness that it had at 20 years old, matured away and revealed a softer whiskey, full of notes that weren’t as readily apparent before.

It wasn’t that it tasted like it was 12 or 15 years old again. It was more like it tasted like something completely new. Something fresh.

As Wheatley puts it, “While we developed predicting formulas on what to expect from our whiskies based on the changes in the environment, this whiskey took us somewhere new as it aged in Warehouse P.”

So what does this whiskey taste like? I have the answer for you. I was lucky enough to taste this with Wheatley in Warehouse P when it was ready and again for this article to confirm my original tasting notes:

The nose hints at old oak staves resting in a musty warehouse — much like Double Eagle Rare (a 20-year-old product) — before veering toward stewed cherries with hints of clove and nutmeg next to salted dark chocolate shavings and rich powdered sugar icing cut with bourbon vanilla and light pipe tobacco essences with a whisper of fall leaves and orchard barks. Taking a step back, the nose is like looking over a banquet table full of Black Forest cakes in an old brick barrel house with dirt from the floor, musty old bricks, and aged beams adding to the sweet and lush desserts. Then imagine the windows are open and the falling leaves and cool air are just sneaking into that experience.

The first sip reveals rich vanilla that gets buttery and creamy with an almost eggnog vibe thanks to the spice with dried cranberry, brandy-soaked cherry, and dried figs leading to rich toffee rolled in dark chocolate and anise before getting cut with a touch of earthy tobacco pulled from fresh black dirt.

The finish hugs you gently, with warmth tied to winter spice barks soaked in apple cider cut with black cherry as the dirt takes on a warehouse must with gently sweet oak staves mingling with a whisper of whole black pepper and clove buds over creamy dark orange spice cake. Basically, you’re diving into those spiced cakes while the barrelhouse continues to layer into the overall profile.

What’s magical about this pour is that the oakiness is there but so subtly drawn back that you’d have a hard time guessing this was 25 years old (ancient, in Kentucky bourbon terms).

All of this adds up to something truly superlative in bourbon. And yes, of course, it’s also pricy — this bourbon is $10,000 at MSRP and twice that at retail. But there are clear reasons. One, this is well-made whiskey that’s amazingly rare — only about 200 bottles exist. Two, it’s something truly delicious. And three, this whiskey is a doorway to a new world of aging whiskey in Kentucky (and the U.S.) for longer periods, which might be a whole new world of flavor profiles we’ve not seen in a very long time at high-age statements.

Wheatley won’t rest on his laurels simply because he hit it out of the park with Eagle Rare 25, either. He pointed out while we were sipping that they’ve “planned experiments over a 20-year timeframe to identify ideal environmental conditions” for their whiskeys and that they’re only “about seven years into the process”.

Eagle Rare 25 isn’t only the fruit of true craftsmanship and experimentation, but it’s the beginning of something game-changing. Or as Wheatley put it, “I firmly believe the whiskey category is only bound by the ideas we have not considered yet.”

That, folks, is very exciting. And we’re proud to name this expression our Bourbon Whiskey of the Year.

For a city that doesn’t even crack the top 50 biggest in America, Cleveland, Ohio has had an outsized impact on pop culture. But two of its most successful natives appear to have a disagreement on just how much one of them is beloved in the city itself.

After fellow Cleveland natives Rich Paul and Jake Paul (… no relation, oddly enough) noted that the city doesn’t really “embrace” him the way it should, Kid Cudi posted a long response to them on Twitter, arguing that he makes “most people in that city and the state of Ohio proud.”

During his appearance on Jake’s podcast BS w/ Jake Paul, Rich noted, “You can’t expect somebody to treat a situation any differently than how they were treated.” While Jake claimed that Cudi “acts like he’s not from there,” noting that the natives have major pride for it.

However, he said, Cudi charged him an “astronomical fee” to perform at one of Jake’s recent boxing matches. Rich defended him, saying he couldn’t blame Cudi for pursuing his business.

However, Cudi seemed to take these statements personally, offering the below commentary before deleting his post altogether:

Ok so I just saw this and heres my thoughts:
Rich Paul doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know my life. My mom lives in Cleveland and lye been goin there on holiciays and summer breaks for years. Mostly when im in Cleveland, its family time. Im not throwin events in the city cuz its already too hot for me in the city. When im there I like the chill. It hangin at Cleveland clubs or in the streets or whatever the fuck else u expect me to do. Oh I get it, was I suppose to catch a couple Browns or Cays games? Im the most lowkey guy around. You aint suppose to see me brother. Thats number 1. Number 2: I will say the city of Cleveland has embraced me over the years. So I disagree. Radio in Cleveland might not play my shit, but I had 20k people at Moon MaAs Landing in Cleveland last year. A success. And were cloin it again too. Not only does the city embrace me, I make most people in that city and the state of Ohio proud. Everytime I record a record I mention the city. Thats all day. Everybody that listens to my music knows Im proud of where im from. And 3rd, as far as Jake Paul, listen chief, Im an artist. Areal one. I make art for a living. Im not some guy that comes out to perform at boxing matches. I entertained it tho cuz it was u, anci tho it went against what I stand for I submitted a fee. My fee is my fee. Especially for some shit thats not my style. If im gonna do it its gonna be worth it for my pockets and time. This is business baby. Im not these other rappin ass niggas that will show up for a lil check. U came to me u shoulda knew what time it was young man. U dont know me either to say im anything broski. So theres that. Ok, these are toy thoughts.

Cudi’s well within his rights to respond (although it looks like he’s mistaken Jake’s comments for Rich’s — which doesn’t seem surprising given Cudi isn’t really a sports guy), but the length and otne of his response is giving “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” energy. Perhaps he got some more context and that’s why he deleted the post; the internet has a way of removing context and generating friction where there shouldn’t be any.

Taylor Swift’s interview for her new honor as Time Magazine‘s 2023 Person Of The Year touched on the impact that friendship bracelets have had this year. For those who don’t know, Swift used the lyric “So, make the friendship bracelets” in her 2022 Midnights song, “You’re On Your Own, Kid.”

Swifties took that as inspo and ran with it, making their own friendship bracelets as a staple for The Eras Tour this year. As noted in the article, they were also themed to various Swift songs or references, as fans swapped with each other before the show.

For those who have an upcoming Eras Tour concert, here’s what to know about getting the bracelets.

Where To Buy Taylor Swift Friendship Bracelets

Fans who are looking to make their own bracelets can buy items through Amazon, including string and beads — both colorful and lettered ones. Depending on what you’re looking for, there are a lot of options to get creative with the personalization. This is probably the quickest option, but craft stores like Michaels always carry the same products, too.

If others are looking to go the route of having someone make them for them instead, Etsy has a lot of sellers that offer packages of Swift-themed friendship bracelets.

If you thought that the Kevin Costner Yellowstone drama — and his suggestion that he’d sue producers — might make the final episodes uncomfortable to shoot, oh boy. Ditto for the awkwardness of the production disappointing Paleyfest attendees possibly being eclipsed by a new development involving the cowboy soap opera.

One of Mr. Taylor Sheridan’s ranches (not the Four Sixes) has filed a lawsuit against Cole Hauser, who portrays Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network juggernaut series. The New York Post relays how Bosque Ranch has alleged damages for trademark infringement (and false advertising) against Hauser’s Free Rein Coffee Company brand. Here’s the lowdown:

The suit claimed that Free Rein uses “a brand mark strikingly similar to Bosque Ranch’s registered trademark, potentially misleading consumers,” according to San Angelo Live.

Both the caffeine company and the ranch use a similar logo, with the letters B and R intertwining … The brand embodies “the spirit of the West … the dreamer’s mindset and callused hands of those cowboys [Hauser] admired,” according to Free Rein’s website.

You can see the Free Rein logo here. It must be noted that there’s actually an F and R in the logo, but there does appear to be a resemblance to the Bosque Ranch logo. And since Yellowstone largely films at Bosque Ranch, again, this could make the final round of Yellowstone filming (which begins in Fall 2024) very unpleasant, no matter how the lawsuit turns out.

(Via NY Post)

Poor Things, the fantastical new film from The Favourite and Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos, stars Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, who is brought back to life after killing herself by a mad scientist played by Willem Dafoe. Movie of the year incoming. Bella is an adult but possesses the mind of child, so all her experiences are new again — including having sex. “Why do people not just do this all the time?” she asks Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) in the trailer.

Stone was praised for her fearlessness when it came to doing her own sex scenes by Lanthimos.

“It’s weird, isn’t it? Why is there no sex in movies?” he asked during a press conference at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year. “It’s a shame that Emma cannot be here with us to speak more about it because it’s weird that it would be coming all from me. First of all, it was an intrinsic part of the novel itself — her freedom about everything, including sexuality. And secondly, it was very important for me to not make a film which was going to be prude because that would be completely betraying the main character.”

Lanthimos gave Stone credit for having “no shame about her body, nudity, engaging in those scenes. And she understood that right away. The great thing about myself and Emma is that now we’ve completed four films together, so there’s a shorthand. We can communicate without having to explain everything or talk too much about things.”

Here’s more on Poor Things:

From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

Poor Things opens on December 8th.

(Via Rolling Stone)

Since its worldwide launch in 2018, TikTok has served as a primary vessel for music. It’s where musicians go to get discovered; It’s where older favorites go to receive new lives. It plays a major role in the way we consume music.

This year, many songs went viral, but only a select few came out on top, both domestically and internationally.

What were the best TikTok songs of 2023?

In the U.S., PinkPantheress and Ice Spice made major waves with their collaboration “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2.” The latter also became a favorite of North West and Kim Kardashian with her hit single, “In Ha Mood.” Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” proved to be so popular that she released the song as an official single four years after its original release.

Internationally, K-Pop group FIFTY FIFTY had a breakthrough with their hit, “Cupid.” Karol G and Shakira also embodied pure femininity with “TQG.”

You can see the list of national and international hits below.

United States

1. “Collide (More Sped Up)” by Justine Skye
2. “Cupid – Twin Ver – Sped Up Version” by FIFTY FIFTY
3. “Her Way (Sped Up)” by PARTYNEXTDOOR
4. “Favorite Song (Sped Up)” by Toosii
5. “Boy’s A Liar, Pt. 2” by PinkPanthress & Ice Spice
6. “Bounce When She Walk” by Ohboyprince
7. “Peaches & Eggplants” by Young Nudy & 21 Savage
8. “In Ha Mood” by Ice Spice
9. “Makeba” by Jain
10. “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift

World

1. “Cupid – Twin Ver – Sped Up Version” by FIFTY FIFTY
2. “If We Ever Broke Up” by Mae Stephens
3. “Collide (More Sped Up)” by Justine Skye
4. “What It Is (Solo Version)” by Doechii
5. “มองนานๆ” by FLI:P
6. “La Bebe (Remix)” by Yng Lvcas & Peso Pluma
7. “LALA” by Myke Towers
8. “Girls Like Me Don’t Cry (Sped Up)” by Thuy
9. “TQG” by Karol G & Shakira
10. “Makeba” by Jain

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

Just a few months after Blur returned with a new album, The Ballad Of Darren, awakening from an eight-year hiatus, it seems they might be going back into hibernation mode. Lead singer Damon Albarn did a recent interview with the French publication Les Inrockuptibles (via Far Out Magazine), where he seemed to be confirming that it was time to close the chapter on the band again.

“It is time to wrap up this campaign,” he said. “It’s too much for me. It was the right thing to do and an immense honour to play these songs again, spend time with these guys, make an album, blah-blah-blah.”

“I’m not saying I won’t do it again, it was a beautiful success, but I’m not dwelling on the past,” Albarn added.

Blur had previously been touring the record, finishing their scheduled shows in South America. However, it seems that Albarn didn’t quite love the album either, pointing out that, “I haven’t listened to it again.”

As for what’s next, Albarn is working on an “opera which will be presented in Paris next year,” and connecting with Jamie Hewlett to “start working on a new Gorillaz album” in India.

“Once you’ve tackled an opera, everything else seems easier,” he added.

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

The NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament saw the quarterfinals conclude on Tuesday night with the Bucks thrashing the Knicks and the Lakers beating the Suns in a thriller. The game in L.A. ended with some controversy over a timeout that was granted to the Lakers when the Suns had seemingly forced a turnover in a two-point game, but prior to that it had been another classic duel between LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

Both future Hall of Famers topped 30 points on the evening in signature form, with LeBron relentlessly attacking downhill and Durant putting on a shotmaking display from the midrange and perimeter. After many questioned how much players would care about a new tournament with a $500,000 prize, the IST has delivered some truly spectacular games in November and December, with the intensity from both players and fans clearly ratcheted up a notch or two from the typical regular season game.

That has been fantastic to see and it has turned many of the tournament’s skeptics into believers, including some prominent players. After Tuesday night’s loss, Kevin Durant spoke glowingly about the IST, noting that he “wasn’t a fan” of the idea when it was introduced but is now a “huge fan” after seeing the intensity of the games and the atmosphere it’s produced — noting the buildup to Tuesday in L.A. “felt like a playoff game.”

While the In-Season Tournament hasn’t eliminated blowouts, it has brought some added juice to those games that do end up being close, and it’s been clear that there’s a different energy and effort level from players in those games. A game like last night was particularly important, because we’ve seen how it’s given a purpose to up-and-coming teams like the Pacers, Kings, and Pelicans, seeing a pair of title contenders with legends like LeBron and KD finding that same spark had to be particularly exciting for the league.