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Rick Astley has to be the luckiest ’80s musician on the planet. The whole “Rickrolling” phenomenon has given his hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up” a reach far beyond its natural life span, and kept the guy a household name far longer than he probably would have been.

(For those who are unfamiliar, Rickrolling is when you make someone think they’re being sent to a website, but the link goes to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” video instead as a joke. It’s a silly viral bait-and-switch gag that’s been going since 2006.)

But what people may not realize, because his most famous song has become an internet joke, is that Rick Astley is actually a really freaking great musician. The man can saaaang and it seems he’s only gotten better with age.

If you were to choose the most unlikely combo of musical mashups, it might just be Rick Astley and Foo Fighters. Right? Like who would put them together?

Oddly enough, they put themselves together in 2017, when Foo Fighters brought Astley on stage during a concert to sing “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl even created his own Rickroll-inspired meme, the Dave G’Roll, with the band’s song “Best of You.” So there’s a history there.

But nothing has been more surprising than hearing Rick Astley do an acoustic cover of Foo Fighters’ “Everlong.” It’s so good. Like, so good.

Not to knock Rick Astley of the 1980s, but that strangely deep voice on a young man was sort of his signature thing. Ergo, you’d think it would be easy to recognize Astley’s voice no matter what he was singing. But you’d be wrong. If you close your eyes and listen to this, you’d likely never guess it was Rick Astley.

Maybe it’s because the song itself isn’t something you expect from the “Never Gonna Give You Up” guy. Maybe it’s because you had no idea that Rick Astley was still making music. Who knows. All I know is that my jaw dropped watching him knock out an awesome version of a grungey rock song with just his voice and acoustic guitar.

Seriously, that was amazing, right? Even hardcore Foo Fighters fans gave Astley props in the comments:

“As a huge Foo Fighters fan, all I can say is this cover didn’t let me down.”

“Tbh I could listen to a whole album of Rick Astley doing grunge covers.”

“Are you kidding me?????? That voice from the 80’s… And one of the greatest numbers of all times…. Didn’t think you could pull that of…. But you did….. Respect to you Rick.”

And, of course, some had to make jokes:

“I love this cover. It feels like the singer is never going to give you up or never gonna let you down. He doesn’t run around and desert you. He will never make you cry and never say goodbye. He doesn’t tell a lie and hurt you. I think that is special.”

“This guy should stop making memes and stick to music! He’s got talent!”

“I’m glad he’s never given up. This did not let me down.”

But this comment perhaps best summed up what most of us walked away thinking:

“God now I feel bad that we’ve ridden on Rick Rolling for so long that we missed the part where Rick Astley is actually a badass musician…”

This article first appeared on 4.4.22.

Laughter is one of the most natural impulses in humans. Most babies start to laugh out loud at around 3 to 4 months, far earlier than they are able to speak or walk. Expressing enjoyment or delight comes naturally to us, but we’re not the only creatures who communicate with giggles.

Researchers at UCLA have identified 65 species of animals who make “play vocalizations,” or what we would consider laughter. Some of those vocalizations were already well documented—we’ve known for a while that apes and rats laugh—but others may come as a surprise. Along with a long list of primate species, domestic cows and dogs, foxes, seals, mongooses and three bird species are prone to laughter as well. (Many bird species can mimic human laughter, but that’s not the same as making their own play vocalizations.)

Primatologist and UCLA anthropology graduate student Sasha Winkler and UCLA professor of communication Greg Bryant shared their findings in an article in the journal Bioacoustics.

The authors explored various play vocalization sounds, recording them as noisy or tonal, loud or quiet, high- or low-pitched, short or long, a single call or rhythmic pattern.

But really, what we want to see is what animal laughter sounds like from various species, right? While the researchers said that it can be hard to document laughter in the wild, especially among animals with quieter vocalizations, we do have some examples captured on video.

Check out these foxes laughing like little kids:

Or maybe little kids on helium. How fun is that?

Ever seen a bonobo chimp laugh? Just as cute.

I’m not sure if tickling a baby bonobo is sweet or torturous, though these researchers surely know what they’re doing. It’s always delightful to see the instinctual playfulness of primates.

Laughter in some animals isn’t as audibly apparent as it is in these foxes and chimps, though. Researchers from Humboldt University of Berlin found that rats laugh when they are tickled—and appear to enjoy tickling, as they seek it out—but their vocalizations are ultrasonic, so it’s hard to hear them without special instruments.

The UCLA researchers shared that the study of laughter in animals can help us better understand our own evolutionary behavior.

“This work lays out nicely how a phenomenon once thought to be particularly human turns out to be closely tied to behavior shared with species separated from humans by tens of millions of years,” Bryant said, according to UCLA.

“When we laugh, we are often providing information to others that we are having fun and also inviting others to join,” Winkler said. “Some scholars have suggested that this kind of vocal behavior is shared across many animals who play, and as such, laughter is our human version of an evolutionarily old vocal play signal.”

Raise your hand if you just want to see a cow laughing for real now.

This article first appeared on 1.14.22

Reading is a fundamental tool of learning for most people, which is why it’s one of the first things kids learn in school and why nations set literacy goals.

But even those of us who are able to read fluently might sometimes struggle with the act of reading itself. Perhaps we don’t read as quickly as we wish we could or maybe our minds wander as our eyes move across the words. Sometimes we get to the end of a paragraph and realize we didn’t retain anything we just read.

People with focus or attention issues can struggle with reading, despite having no actual reading disabilities. It can be extremely frustrating to want to read something and have no issues with understanding the material, yet be unable to keep your mind engaged with the text long enough to get “into” what you’re reading.

But what if there were a font that could help you stay focused? That could help you not only read faster but better retain what you’ve just read?

That’s what the creators of Bionic Reading claim is possible with their font tool.”Bionic Reading revises texts so that the most concise parts of words are highlighted,” the Swiss company’s website reads. “This guides the eye over the text and the brain remembers previously learned words more quickly.”

Give it a try:

The gist is that our eyes don’t need to focus on the entire word because our brains can fill in the rest for us. By bolding the first part of the word, we’re more quickly able to move from word to word.

“Bionic Reading aims to play a supporting role in the absorption of volume text,” states the website. “We see technological progress as an opportunity for all those who want to increase the pleasure of reading in a noisy and hectic world in a focused way and without distraction.”

While there are no studies cited on this method of reading, there are plenty of anecdotes about it being helpful. The example shared by @WhattheADHD on Twitter got people’s attention and many people responded with enthusiasm at how much easier the bionic reading text was for them to read.

“This is amazing! I have ADHD and I didn’t even realize that I was having trouble fixating when I read,” wrote one person. “My eye latches right on to the bold face. Can’t wait to try reading a book again. It’s been all audiobooks for a while.”

“It’s incredible how reading this feels like finally unlocking 100% of your brain,” wrote another.

However, not everyone was impressed or thrilled with the sample. Some people said that they had a harder time reading the bionic text or that it distracted or slowed them down. Both positive and negative responses came from a diverse pool of people. Some who described themselves as neurodivergent said that they loved it and some said it was harder. The same went for people who said they were neurotypical, so it’s hard to say who this tool may specifically help the most. Everyone’s brains work differently, and different people will find different things helpful.

Bionic reading might be a game-changer for some, but it’s not the only tool of its kind. There are speed-reading programs that train you to stop reading each word and allow your brain to read visually instead of auditorily. There are also various methods of making reading easier by adjusting how your eyes move across the text.

For instance, check out this “space reading” technique:

Bionic Reading has a free text converter on its website that you can use to try out its font changes. A YouTube clip from the company also shows possibilities for how the font can be adjusted to individual preferences, making more or less of the initial letters bolded.

And again, if this doesn’t work for you, then it’s probably not made for you. For people who struggle with reading, something like Bionic Reading could make a huge difference.

Three cheers for technology being used to help people overcome difficulties and make learning easier and more efficient.

This article originally appeared on 5.30.22.

If there’s one thing a determined parent will do, it’s make sure their kid is getting their needs met. Even if that means they have to reinvent the wheel to do it. Rachel Griffin Accurso, or as parents across TikTok and YouTube know her, Ms. Rachel, found herself without any real options for additional resources to help her toddler who was diagnosed with a speech delay.

Accurso was looking for a developmentally appropriate show for her son but she wasn’t having any luck. That’s when she decided to take her teaching degree and get to work on creating her own show. It became a family business when she teamed up with her husband, Broadway composer Aron Accurso, who has been there every step of the way. He’s even in the episodes singing along.

“Songs for Littles” has infiltrated homes across America. If you have a toddler and internet access, you’ve likely heard of it. The show has more than a billion views on YouTube. Yes, that’s billion, with a “B.” Ms. Rachel also has more than 19 million likes on TikTok and has speech pathologists everywhere singing her praises.

Accurso is intentional with all of her videos, doing close-ups on her mouth when introducing new words and pausing to “hear” responses from her viewers after asking a question. In her interview with Today, Accurso admitted, “A lot of things I teach are things I wish I had known for my son.” She explained that everything she does is backed by research and is recorded in her small apartment in front of a green screen.

Parents on TikTok often upload videos thanking Accurso or showing off the skill their child learned from watching her show. The journalist who interviewed “Ms. Rachel” for Today even got to record an episode of “Songs for Littles” with her.

Check out the cute video below:

This article originally appeared on 01.10.23

New Year’s Eve is often a night filled with celebratory shots and champagne toasts. But as the party night fast approaches, one doctor is gently reminding folks the importance of partying responsibly during the holidays. Really, it’s a piece of advice that’s important all year long.

Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, an Ohio based neurosurgeon with over two decades of experience, has a TikTok channel filled with educational videos and lifestyle tips. But it’s his latest clip explaining just how long it takes our bodies to break down alcohol that has gone viral.

In the video, which was shared on Christmas Day, Dr. Hoeflinger sets the scene of a party where “a lot of drinks are going down” by setting up a bunch of shot glasses filled with water.

“Say you’re having five drinks in the first hour,” he says, taking five fake, water-filled shots. “As you’re taking them, that alcohol is building up in your system fast. [It] goes to your brain within five minutes and starts to affect you.”

The same can’t be said for other parts of the body. As Dr. Hoeflinger noted, “your liver only metabolizes one ounce of alcohol per hour.” And according to Northwestern Medicine, that process only begins 20 minutes after consumption.

Hoflinger continues, “I’ve got five ounces of liquor in my system right now, and at the end of the hour I’m only going to burn off an ounce…so I’m going to have [four] ounces left in my bloodstream.”

@doctorhoeflinger Knowing this about drinking could save your life! #fyp #party #drinking #alcohol #foryou #holiday #christmas ♬ Storytelling – Adriel

Of course, there are different factors—such as body mass, hormones, medications, etc.—that affect someone’s rate of absorption. And yes, we might be able to form a functional tolerance where behaviorally, we show no signs of intoxication. However, even with all these variables, for the most part all bodies are affected by alcohol similarly. In other words, your blood alcohol level will be more or less the same, and the risks will remain even if you don’t “feel drunk.”

Hoeflinger continues, saying “the party’s rockin’, so we’re gonna have some more,” while taking three more shots and reminding viewers that he still has only burned off one ounce of liquor during the hour that’s passed.

Now he’s had a total of eight ounces of alcohol in two hours. He’s burned off two, but still has six ounces left in his system—meaning that in this scenario, it will take another six hours to completely burn off.

In hour three, Hoefligner takes one shot since the party is “winding down.” This brings him up to a total of nine ounces of alcohol over three hours. His liver has metabolized three ounces, leaving him (still) with six ounces of liquor left in his bloodstream.

“You’re going to be drunk well into the wee hours of the morning, it doesn’t wear off,” he warns, noting the common misconception people have that “they stop drinking an hour or two and can hop in the car and drive.” But in reality, “you can’t do that as you’re still drunk five, six hours down,” he explains.

Dr. Hoeflinger concludes his video by saying:

“For this holiday season the whole point is I really want to tell people that’s how alcohol can stack up in your system easily when you’re drunk and you won’t know it and it won’t wear off for hours and hours down the road.” This is followed by an urge for people to take an Uber or Lyft home to avoid potentially taking their own or another’s life.

The informative clip, which has been viewed over 13 million times, received a flood of praise from viewers online, especially from parents with kids of a drinking age.

“This is the first time I have ever had anyone explain this in this way. I am forwarding this to my son,” wrote one parent.

It also resonated among designated drivers. One person commented “thank you for caring and educating. I’m the sober ride. I’ve seen the devastation from drinking and driving.”

The topic hits Dr. Hoeflinger on a personal level as well. In a previous video, he shared that he lost his 18-year old son, who died nearly a decade ago from drunk driving. Coming from a medical professional, the plea to not drink and drive is important to hear. But as a parent, it hits different. As he shared in the clip, “losing somebody you love is one of the worst experiences you can have in your life.”

Though Hoeflinger focused on the effect of liquor in his party example, the principle applies to wine and beer as well. Healthline recommends only having one large glass of wine every three hours, and one pint of beer every two hours.

It also gives some best practices to avoid intoxication, including:

• Eat at least 1 hour before drinking.
• Sip your drinks slowly.
• Avoid shots, which you’re likely to down rather than sip.
• Don’t drink more than one standard drink per hour.
• Alternate between alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks, preferably water.
• Limit or avoid carbonated drinks, like champagne, sparkling wine, and cocktails mixed with soda.
• Sit down when drinking, since doing it while standing tends to make people drink faster.

And of course, don’t be afraid to get another ride home. This New Year’s Eve (and beyond), feel free to kick back and have fun. But let’s look out for one another by doing it safely.

This article originally appeared on 12.31.22

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.

Every week, Uproxx is rounding up the best new indie music from the past seven days. This week we got new music from Blur, Anjimile, The Armed, Ratboys, and more.

While we’re at it, sign up for our newsletter to get the best new indie music delivered directly to your inbox, every Monday.

Slow Pulp — “Slugs”

A lot of great albums came out already this year, but even more are coming. Slow Pulp’s Yard is looking to be a highlight after the release of the sweeping “Cramps” and the newest single “Slugs,” a playful, languid earworm. The dreamy essence carries the appeal of their last record, 2020’s Moveys. Against distorted guitars, an infectious hook is sung lazily and memorably: “You’re a summer hit / I’m singing it.”

Blonde Redhead — “Melody Experiment”

Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino explains that her new song “Melody Experiment” is a “conversational piece between two people. One is questioning the intentions, integrity, and consequences of one’s emotions and actions. She is hypersensitive. The other keeps things simple, allowing himself to go with the flow.” The track is capricious and bewitching, immediately pulling the listener in with the intriguing opening line: “How would you feel if I kept you a secret?”

Anjimile — “Father”

The King is Anjimile’s forthcoming LP, and it’s looking to be a powerful experience. “Father” is a touching ballad that reckons with his experience getting sober and his appreciation for his parents’ support: “Are you still drinking? / What were you thinking? / On my heart, weighing / I am still praying,” he lulls.

Ratboys — “The Window”

“I walked across the green grass / To where I knew you laid / The way the sun was shining down / I only saw your shape,” sings Julia Steiner in the moving new Ratboys single, “The Window.” The song builds cathartically with infectious instrumentation and emotional lyrics; their forthcoming album of the same title will be strong.

The Armed — “Sport Of Form”

The Armed are back, and it’s a big return. Their glitchy, eccentric new song “Sport Of Form” oscillates between slow, endearing moments and rapid-fire explosions. It culminates into the disorienting repetition of the line, “Does anyone even know you? / Does anyone even care?” The anthem leaves the listener feeling changed.

The Japanese House — In The End It Always Does

The Japanese House’s In The End It Always Does is full of highlights, from the sprawling, dream-pop earworm “Boyhood” to the buoyant “Sunshine Baby” with The 1975’s Matty Healy. The whole album is a hypnotic fantasy, Amber Mary Bain’s vocals breezy and mesmeric against fluttering instrumentation.

Blur — “St. Charles Square”

“I f*cked up / I’m not the first to do it,” Damon Albarn kicks off the new Blur song stating. The invigorating, catchy track is the latest taste of their forthcoming comeback LP The Narcissist, and it stays true to their brand of weird, infectious rock.

Del Water Gap — “All We Ever Do Is Talk”

Storytelling is the centerpiece of Del Water Gap’s new track “All We Ever Do Is Talk”: “And what happened? / To meeting you at the hotel, 3 am / Pull the belt from your robe, pushing me on the bed,” he sings against an exuberant rhythm, though the adds a thick, complicated layer of melancholy: “But will we ever get that feeling again?”

Magnitude — “Rectify”

Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Magnitude make unforgiving, brutal hardcore, and “Rectify” is a great dose of their sound. The two-and-a-half-minute track only intensifies as it goes on, jumping at every opportunity to pick up speed and get louder. The guitars are invigorating, and the final breakdown is pure mayhem.

Bad History Month — “Breakdown Lane”

Bad History Month’s “Breakdown Lane” is an off-kilter, brooding song, packed with screeching guitars and soft vocals. It feels like a haunted daydream: “I rest my eyes and the day just dies / Another day just dies another day just dies / Another day just.” It comes from their forthcoming EP True Delusion, which is ominously explained on their Bandcamp page: “Spring 2021. Vaccines. Everybody out again. I started my first rock band and joined a cult. The end of the world was good for me. Happiness is a true delusion. And all of it was real.”

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

There are, so far, nine Disney+ series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that doesn’t include one-off specials, upcoming shows, and the non-canonical Netflix programming. It’s a lot to take in, and a lot to watch. Take Hawkeye, for instance. As a fan of Hailee Steinfeld, dogs named after pizza, and Jeremy Renner’s dearly-departed app, I’m sure I would enjoy it, but I haven’t gotten around to pressing play yet. I have seen a live performance of Hawkeye‘s most talked-about scene, however, and now I’m ready to watch the whole thing.

Rogers: The Musical debuted at the Hyperion Theater in Disneyland’s Disney California Adventure on June 30th. The 30-minute show is a singing and dancing recap of the life of Steve Rogers / Captain America. It begins in the 1940s when Steve is a tenacious short king who wants to serve his country; from there, we see his first meeting with Agent Peggy Carter, transformation into super-soldier Captain America, crash landing in the Arctic, and decades-later resurrection, up to the events of Avengers: Endgame. Thanos isn’t in Rogers: The Musical, but the rest of the Avengers are, as is the eye-patched man who assembled them together, Nick Fury (yes, he sings).

Rogers: The Musical has the spectacle you would expect from a Disney Parks production of a Marvel project, but the heart of the show is the relationship between Steve and Peggy. As book writer Hunter Bell explained, “Love stories make great musicals, and our show is largely guided by the relationship between Steve Rogers and the remarkable Peggy Carter.” Steggy shippers will not be disappointed (sorry, Stuckys). Neither will Broadway fans.

“It was important to us to continue the best of both Avengers and Broadway traditions, infusing humor, heart and heroic action into the music,” composer Christopher Lennertz said. “The score has memorable melodies and a huge scope of instrumentation that match the iconic presence of our hero. Audiences will hear big band jazz, modern funk, classic orchestra, and more.”

Rogers: The Musical also the best choreography in a Disney Parks attraction since Daisy’s dance class in Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (iykyk). “The music and lyrics tell such a great story from the opening to the final bows, and I wanted to make sure the dance carried the same strong narrative,” Disney Live Entertainment choreographer Sarah Kobayashi explained. “The time travel aspect gave us a great well to draw from choreographically, taking inspiration from various dance styles throughout the decades and spinning them with a modern twist.”

Along with the live show in the Hyperion, there is patriotic-themed food throughout Disney California Adventure, including red, white, and blue popcorn and a pastrami pretzel dog. The Fourth of July has come and gone for another year, but a hot dog wrapped in everything bagel-seasoned pizza dough is good year-round (or at least until it’s taken off the seasonal menu).

Rogers: The Musical, like all theme park attractions, is intended for the largest possible audience. So while it helps to have a familiarity with the MCU, it’s not essential. Get out of the California sun for 30 minutes, and enjoy a charming, surprisingly earnest live show. You’ll have “Save the City” stuck in your head the rest of the day — or at least until you ride “It’s a Small World.”

Rogers: The Musical will be performed at the Hyperion Theater in Disney California Adventure Park from June 30-August 31, 2023

Bronny James is on his way to USC, as the 4-star guard recruit and the eldest son of LeBron James is about to make his highly-anticipated jump to college basketball before potentially entering the 2024 NBA Draft and letting his dad live out his dream of teaming up with him in the league. Despite that, there’s another member of the James family who is still on the AAU circuit, and during his first game at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam Basketball Tournament, he apparently attracted interest from a number of NBA scouts.

Bryce James and Team Strive For Greatness played on Monday in the 16-under division, with James scoring 12 points in a win and receiving praise from his dad on Twitter.

According to Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports, a handful of scouts from NBA teams — including, unsurprisingly, the Los Angeles Lakers — treated James as “a priority” on the day.

“Scouts from the Lakers, Magic, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Heat, Knicks, Suns, Hawks and other teams all made James a priority on Day 1 of games,” Peek wrote.

It’s going to be quite a while before we know about James’ future in the league, as he’s a recruit in the class of 2025 and won’t be eligible to enter the NBA Draft until the following year. As of this writing, James is listed as a 6’4 shooting guard and the No. 81 overall recruit in his class by On3’s Industry Ranking.

U2 is honoring the 30th anniversary of their Zooropa album today by announcing a limited-edition gatefold pressed on yellow vinyl. It will also feature a new photo from 1993 on the inner gatefold and two additional mixes added alongside the original tracks. (It previously won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.)

It also isn’t the end of the celebration for U2. Next week, the band will host a global livestream of ZOO TV: Live From Sydney, on July 12 at 12 p.m. PT. There is also a limited merch collection to honor Zooropa that will only be available until midnight PT on July 13.

While the Zooropa pressing won’t arrive until the fall, it is currently available to preorder. The release date is also set to line up with the band’s massive U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At The Sphere residency in Las Vegas — being the first act to play at the new billion-dollar venue.

Continue scrolling to view the Zooropa anniversary vinyl tracklist.

SIDE 1:
1. “Zooropa”
2. “Baby Face”
3. “Numb”

SIDE 2:
1. “Lemon”
2. “Stay (Faraway, So Close!)”
3. “Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car”

SIDE 3:
1. “Some Days Are Better Than Others”
2. “The First Time”
3. “Dirty Day”
4. “The Wanderer”

SIDE 4:
1. “Lemon (The Perfecto Mix)”
2. “Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix)”

Zooropa‘s 30th anniversary pressing is out October via Island Records/Interscope/UMe. Find more information here.

This week, Rolling Loud returns to Portugal with headliners Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, and Meek Mill at Praia Da Rocha, Portimão. The set times have been announced, with the Wednesday show already underway.

Today, BKtheRula, Luh Tyler, Joey Badass, Aitch, Latto, Central Cee, Destroy Lonely, Lil Uzi Vert, Ken Carson, and more are ready to perform, with Travis Scott taking the main stage at 11:45 PM.

Meanwhile, the gates open on Thursday, July 6 at 4 PM West European Time, with Playboi Carti popping out at 11:45 PM after Lil Skies, Kodak Black, Robb Banks, JID, GloRilla, Mariah The Scientist, Lola Brooke, NLE Choppa, and more rock out.

On Friday, July 7, the gates once again open at 4 PM WET. Duke Deuce, Gucci Mane, Ski Mask The Slump God, Lil Durk, and Meek Mill are all billed for the Levi’s Stage, while Kaycyy, Unknown T, and Digga D are all going on the LoudPunx stage.

Rolling Loud Portugal is the third international festival this year after Thailand and Rotterdam, while the Los Angeles show introduced the LoudPunx initiative. Unfortunately, the New York show was canceled due to logistical factors. Meanwhile, the Germany show is running concurrently to the Portugal festival in Munich.

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