Nobody revisits the past like The Beatles. Last fall, The Beatles reissued 1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’) and 1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’), which made Uproxx’s “The Best Vinyl Releases Of November 2023.” That might become an annual tradition, as The Beatles have a new reissue vinyl set coming on November 22.
On Thursday, September 12, The Beatles announced The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono. A press release described the project in-depth, as excerpted below:
“Originally compiled for US release between January 1964 and March 1965 by Capitol Records and United Artists, seven Beatles albums have been analog cut for 180-gram audiophile vinyl from their original mono master tapes for global release on November 22 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. Out of print on vinyl since 1995, the seven mono albums are available now for preorder in a new eight-LP box set titled The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono, with six of the titles also available individually.
All seven albums — Meet The Beatles!; The Beatles’ Second Album; A Hard Day’s Night (Original Motion Picture Sound Track); Something New; The Beatles’ Story (2LP); Beatles ’65; and The Early Beatles — feature faithfully replicated artwork and new four-panel inserts with essays written by American Beatles historian and author Bruce Spizer. The albums’ new vinyl lacquers were cut by Kevin Reeves at Nashville’s East Iris Studios. The box set collects the seven albums, and all except The Beatles’ Story are also available individually.”
You can pre-order the box set and individual LPs here, and see the announcement trailer here.
Week 1 of the NFL season showed that the league still runs through Kansas City and San Francisco in 2024, as the two Super Bowl participants both kicked off the season with quality wins in their openers. As for their biggest threats, well, not much has changed their either from last season. In the AFC, the Ravens came a toe away from stunning the Chiefs, while the Bills, Texans, and Dolphins all scratched out wins. In the NFC, it was the Lions, Eagles, and Cowboys all picking up solid wins in their openers to keep pace in the early going.
As we move into Week 2, we’re still waiting for our first big surprise of the young NFL season, as the teams we expected to look good did so, while the teams we expected to look bad were as advertised. The middle of the pack is what’s most interesting right now, as some teams like Minnesota, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay feasted on bad opponents in Week 1, and we’ll be looking to find out if that was more a referendum on their skill level or just a matter of how bad the Giants, Panthers, and Commanders are.
Primetime Game of the Week: Bills at Dolphins (Thursday 9/12, 8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video)
Thursday Night Football usually sucks because of the short week, but it’s a chance we get an excellent football game this time around. The two teams have battled at the top of the AFC East over the last few years, and while the Bills’ status at the very top of the division is debatable, they still have Josh Allen, which might be enough, even with a questionable group of pass catchers and on the heels of some high-profile losses on defenses due to free agency departures and an injury to Matt Milano.
As for the Dolphins, they loaded up this offseason with an eye on finally winning the division and going on a run in the AFC, but everything still comes down to Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, and their high-powered offense. There are questions about who lines up next to Tagovailoa in the backfield — Raheem Mostert is out, De’Von Achane is a game-time decision — but the Dolphins are incredible about plugging and playing guys at running back who just keep the machine humming.
These teams have so much familiarity with one another, so it’ll be fun to watch how much of a feeling out process there is early in the game. Buffalo has to make sure it doesn’t fall for the eye candy that Mike McDaniel will throw at them, while Miami absolutely cannot let Allen and James Cook run all over them — making Allen throw the ball isn’t always a great idea, either, but at least there’s reason to believe the Dolphins could handle a Bills receiver room that isn’t totally proven yet.
Sunday Funday Game of the Week: Bucs at Lions (Sunday 9/15, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
Do you like it when football teams score points against one another? Well, good news: The Bucs and the Lions are very good at doing that, and they play one another on Sunday. They’re helmed by two of the best redemption stories in the league at QB in Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield, both passing games are a joy (Mike Evans and Amon-Ra St. Brown are maybe my two favorite receivers to watch in the entire NFL), and there’s a battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball that will be worth the price of admission — Aidan Hutchinson going up against Tristan Wirfs (whenever they’re matched up, of course), and Vita Vea against Detroit’s unbelievable IOL. I’d say bet the over, but it’s currently set at 51.5, which is awfully high for a Week 2 NFL game.
Under the Radar Banger: 49ers at Vikings (Sunday 9/15, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
We’re going to learn whether the Vikings are a legitimate threat in the NFC or if they’re still a couple notches below the best team in the conference (and perhaps the NFL) on Sunday afternoon. Minnesota was very impressive in Week 1, as Sam Darnold carved up the Giants early before they effectively shut it down and cruised to a win over a completely inept New York offense. San Francisco is a massive step up in competition from the G Men, and they showed that even without Christian McCaffrey they are an explosive offense. Even early in the season, a short week going on the road is tough and Minnesota should be up for this one.
Who Won The MVP Last Week: Baker Mayfield
In a week where passing stats across the league were way down, Baker Mayfield was carving it up down in Tampa. The former No. 1 overall pick threw for 289 yards on 24-of-30 passing (80 percent completion rate) and four touchdowns, with zero interceptions, as the Bucs dismantled the Commanders. He and Mike Evans continue to have a tremendous connection and while the Washington defense isn’t exactly elite, Mayfield’s command of the Tampa offense was quite impressive and he delivered the most impressive performance of the young season.
Best Bet: Colts (-3) vs. Packers (1:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
Last week we came painfully close with the Rams only to lose in overtime, and this week we’re going a bit of a different route than normal. I’m not one to lay it often, especially with a team that figures to be the public side, but this line just feels too low for the Colts going up against a Packers team starting Malik Willis. Matt LaFleur is a phenomenal coach, but Willis has been in Green Bay for less than a month and there’s no way he’s got a full grasp of the offense. He was brought in as a project guy with some upside and is now thrust into a starting role in Week 2, and I’ll take Anthony Richardson and the Colts to get the job done here.
The college football season is in full swing, but much like Week 2, the Week 3 slate isn’t exactly overflowing with great matchups. We are still not to full conference play, and as a result most of the top teams are in tune-up mode, just looking to get right and into a rhythm before the schedule ramps up. That said, as we learned last week, nothing is assured in college football, with Notre Dame learning that lesson in a shocking loss to NIU at home.
This week, we’ll have to wait to see what Playoff contender finds itself on the ropes, but in the meantime, we’re going to take a look at the best matchups on paper, the game that will set message boards a blaze, and find a best bet for Week 3.
The Game Of The Year (Of The Week): No. 20 Arizona vs. No. 14 Kansas State (8:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
My hunch is The Wildcat Bowl (not an official nickname, but I’m going with it) is going to be a terrific game if you are someone who likes to watch teams getting into the end zone. Arizona has perhaps the best 1-2 QB and WR punch in the nation in Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan. Kansas State’s defense is 126th nationally in allowing 11.8 yards per attempt. Kansas State can run the damn ball as their top-4 ball carriers (QB Avery Johnson, RBs DJ Giddens, Dylan Edwards, Joe Jackson) have combined for 59 carries and 460 yards, good for 7.8 yards per carry. Arizona’s defense is 100th nationally in 5.6 yards per carry allowed.
So, basically, both offenses are extremely good at something that both defenses are extremely bad at preventing. This is a recipe for an absolutely ridiculous football game, one that I am going to watch every second of, and I highly recommend you watch it all, because this is going to be an early season banger, one that now doubles as a game with real stakes in the Big 12 championship race.
Lock Into This One: West Virginia vs. Pitt (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
Here’s the thing: Both of these teams could stink, and I would recommend that you sit yourself down and watch every single second of the Backyard Brawl. It is one of the nastiest rivalries in the sport, with two programs and fan bases that flat-out do not like one another. Last year’s game totally sucked — WVU won, 17-6, neither team eclipsed 100 passing yards, and they combined to run the ball 87 times for 3.2 yards per attempt.
This game shouldn’t be nearly as hideous, in large part because Pitt’s QB is former top-100 recruit Eli Holstein and has gotten off to a good start under center. Keep an eye on the running backs in this one: Pitt’s Desmond Reid is fifth in the nation in rushing yards, while WVU’s 1-2 punch of CJ Donaldson and Jaheim White is a nightmare to deal with. Both of these teams are going to want to establish it on the ground, and I expect this one to come down to whichever team is able to keep the opposing defense on the field longer.
Under-The-Radar Banger: Appalachian State vs. East Carolina (4:00 p.m. ET, ESPNU)
There’s a lot of reasons to want to keep an eye on this one. For one, I love the aesthetics of this one, as the purple Pirates have an elite game day look at home, while App State’s classic white unis and black helmets should complement that well. Beyond that, the boys from Boone need a bounceback in a big way after getting absolutely worked by Clemson last week, while ECU comes in feeling pretty good after a 2-0 start to the season. This will be a nice measuring stick game for both teams before they embark on Sun Belt and American play, respectively, and a lot of these boys have played each other for a long time going back to high school, so there should be plenty of intensity.
Message Board Meltdown Game Of The Week: Texas A+M vs. Florida (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
We may need to establish a no Florida rule going forward, because they can be thrown in here ever single week with how tense things are in Gainesville. They are coming off a blowout win over Samford where 5-star true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway looked like a future superstar … only for Billy Napier to announce that he’s going to rotate Lagway with Graham Mertz. Whoops!
Anyway, Florida is a potential tinderbox, and while A+M bounced back from a season-opening loss to Notre Dame by blowing out McNeese, well, losing to the Gators to move to 1-2 on the year would probably lead to some explosive threads over on TexAgs.
Who Won The Heisman Last Week?: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Ashton Jeanty is the first running back since Ricky Williams (!!) to have nine rushing touchdowns in his first two games. Most impressively, Jeanty hasn’t been feasting on FCS opponents to get there, as he ran it up on Georgia Southern in Week 1 and then kept it going with another 25 carries for 192 yards and three touchdowns on the road at Oregon as the Broncos nearly pulled off the stunning upset. We’ll have to see how long Jeanty can keep up his outrageous output, but Boise State knows how their bread is buttered and they will give him the rock as many times as he can carry it.
Best Bet (1-1): San Diego State at Cal UNDER 48 (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
We are going late night for our Best Bet this week and heading to the longtime ACC stronghold of Berkley, California. San Diego State is not an explosive offense — they had a grand total of 179 total yards in a 21-0 loss to Oregon State last week — and Cal is coming off of an impressive 21-14 win at Auburn where they flexed their defensive muscles. I expect this game to move quickly, with two teams that like to run the ball, and Cal will likely keep their star running back Jadyn Ott, who’s still not 100 percent, from heavy usage if they can avoid it. I love this to cruise in Under the number for a little “Wake up to winner” on the East coast for those who aren’t looking to stay up til 1 a.m. to watch.
Dua Lipa released Radical Optimism in May, and she will be keeping it alive well into 2025 after announcing new Radical Optimism Tour dates on Thursday morning, September 12. Lipa’s “Houdini” video won Best Choreography at the 2024 MTV VMAs last night, so that bodes well for the upside of her Radical Optimism live show.
“RADICAL OPTIMISM TOUR 2025!!” Lipa wrote on Instagram. THEY SAID THEY ‘MISS 2022 DUA’ WELL I’LL BE HAULING ASS FOR THE FORESEEABLE AND I CAN’T WAIT TO BRING THIS SHOW TO YOU!!”
According to Lipa’s official website, fans in Canada or the US can sign up from now until 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 17, for pre-sale ticket access. The same can be said for fans in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, except the pre-sale access sign-up ends at 7 p.m. BST on Monday, September 16. “No sign up is required” for fans in Ireland and the UK.
Lipa also teased, “More dates coming soon so watch this spaceee. LET’S GO!!!!!!!!!”
Dua Lipa’s 2025 Dates: Radical Optimism Tour
03/20/2025 — Melbourne, AUS
03/26/2025 — Sydney, AUS
04/02/2025 — Auckland, NZ
05/11/2025 — Madrid, ES
05/12/2025 — Madrid, ES
05/15/2025 — Lyon, FR
05/16/2025 — Lyon, FR
05/19/2025 — Hamburg, DE
05/20/2025 — Hamburg, DE
05/23/2025 — Paris, FR
05/27/2025 — Prague, CZ
05/28/2025 — Prague, CZ
05/31/2025 — Munich, DE
06/01/2025 — Munich, DE
06/03/2025 — Amsterdam, NL
06/04/2025 — Amsterdam, NL
06/07/2025 — Milan, IT
06/11/2025 — Antwerp, BE
06/13/2025 — Antwerp, BE
06/20/2025 — London, UK
06/21/2025 — London, UK
06/24/2025 — Liverpool, UK
06/27/2025 — Dublin, IE
09/01/2025 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
09/02/2025 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
09/05/2025 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
09/06/2025 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
09/09/2025 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
09/10/2025 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
09/13/2025 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
09/14/2025 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
09/17/2025 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/18/2025 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
09/26/2025 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
09/27/2025 — Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
09/30/2025 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
10/01/2025 — Dallas TX @ American Airlines Center
10/04/2025 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
10/05/2025 — Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
10/11/2025 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
10/12/2025 — San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
10/15/2025 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
10/16/2025 — Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
Each week our staff of film and television experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
Last season on Futurama, Fry, Leela, Bender, & Co. took on an Amazon-like company formed by Mom; caught a rage virus; and got turned into toys (that was a weird one). In season 12 (which is technically the second half of season eight if you go by production order, but let’s stick with Hulu’s season designations for the sake of ease), the gang “embarks on mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.” Guest stars include Danny Trejo, Cara Delevingne, and Kyle Maclachlan. (Read more about the new season here.)
Solar Opposites doesn’t get as much love and attention as Rick and Morty, another science-fiction/comedy animated series, but it should. The show goes to some truly unexpected places, including The Wall and SilverCops side-stories, and the voice cast of Dan Stevens, Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone, and Mary Mack do fine work as the chaotic former residents of Planet Shlorp. I would die for the Pupa (assuming it doesn’t kill me first).
This third season of Industry, overall, convinces me that there will be a future moment when this series will move beyond scoring critical acclaim and maintaining a loyal but relatively modest audience. Years into the future, this show could catch on with a whole new audience and be streamed into oblivion in a Suits-like way. That USA Network show maintained a dedicated enough audience to last a decade, but years later, the show’s exploding popularity on Netflix led NBC to double back and find new life in the franchise. It’s very easy to imagine Industry someday harnessing broad streaming appeal in the same way. (You can read our review here.)
Scrubs, Ted Lasso, and Shrinking creator Bill Lawrence’s comedy empire expands with Bad Monkey, a good show with a fun premise: Vince Vaughn plays a former cop who is now a health inspector in the Florida Keys. “But after stumbling upon a case that begins with a human arm fished up by tourists, he realizes that if he can prove murder, he’ll be back in. He just needs to get past a trove of Floridian oddballs and one bad monkey,” according to the plot synopsis. The show is based on author Carl Hiaasen’s novel of the same name, and has fun summer binge written all over it.
There’s been two big changes to Only Murders in the Building: the season is largely set in Los Angeles instead of New York City, and Selena Gomez is now Emmy nominee Selena Gomez. But what hasn’t changed is that the Martins, Steve and Short, are as funny as ever. Outside of that trio, the season 4 cast also includes Melissa McCarthy, Eugene Levy, Eva Longoria, Zach Galifianakis, Molly Shannon, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Kind (!!!), Meryl Streep, Jane Lynch, Michael Cyril Creighton, and recent Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
Studio Ghibli’s The Boy and the Heron is about a young boy named Mahito who moves into his family’s home in the countryside following the death of his mother. There, he discovers a crumbling tower; a mischievous gray heron, voiced in the English dub by Robert Pattinson at his weirdest; and a fantastical world. Also, a parakeet king voiced by Dave Bautista. If The Boy and the Heron is indeed Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, he went out with another masterpiece.
9. Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (Peacock)
peacock
On October 26, 1970, Muhammad Ali made his return to boxing following a multi-year suspension. That same night, a hustler named Gordon “Chicken Man” Williams (played by Kevin Hart) hosted a party in Atlanta that ended with a $1 million heist. The Peacock eight-episode limited series is based on this event, as the Chicken Man tries to clear his name by attempting to convince one of the first Black detectives (Don Cheadle) in the city’s police force to bring those responsible to justice. The cast also includes Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Chloe Bailey, Lori Harvey, and Samuel L. Jackson
Here’s a promise: if you make a movie as good as Green Room, I will watch whatever you make for the rest of your career. Rebel Ridge is the latest film from director and writer Jeremy Saulnier, and it stars Aaron Pierre as a former Marine who “grapples his way through a web of small-town corruption when an attempt to post bail for his cousin escalates into a violent standoff with the local police chief. He didn’t start this fight, but he will finish it.” And hey, if he wants to take out some neo-Nazis along the way, that would be cool, too.
You might know Brian Jordan Alvarez from his videos on TikTok and Instagram as TJ Mack, the singer of earworm “Sitting.” He’s also the star and creator of English Teacher, about a teacher who “often finds himself at the intersection of the personal, professional, and political aspects of working at a high school. Evan wants to be a principled person but often runs into trouble because of it.” His first lesson to his students: sitting is the opposite of standing.
There’s a few things you should know about Slow Horses:
1. As we previously wrote: “Each season is six episodes long and focuses on a distinct mystery or conspiracy and is full of little twists and turns and double-crosses. Sometimes there are stolen diamonds. Sometimes the slow horses will reveal themselves to be drug addicts or gambling addicts and it’ll muck everything up for a little. Sometimes you’ll be watching someone do something and assume they’re taking a brave and bold stance for righteousness and then realize they’ve been manipulated into accidentally doing the bidding of someone smarter and more conniving than they are.”
2. There is so much farting. Like, even more than you think.
To paraphrase Jesse Plemons: what kind of Civil War watcher are you? Someone who saw it in theaters, or maybe you were waiting until it was on streaming? Or maybe both! Alex Garland’s A24 film was a surprise hit at the box office, earning over $120 million at the box office on a $50 million budget, and it’s bound to be successful on Max, as well. It’s not too late to hop on the Cailee Spaeny bandwagon.
Well, that’s a rude title, isn’t it? But there’s a purpose for it. Based on author Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 novel of the same name, Uglies is set in a dystopian future where teenagers undergo cosmetic surgery to become “pretties.” Tally (played by Joey King) is excited for her turn, “but when a friend runs away, Tally embarks on a journey to save her that upends everything she thought she wanted.” If Uglies is a hit for Netflix, there are three sequels to adapt: Pretties, Specials, and Extras, which is not the Ricky Gervais show.
The old man is back, and now he’s even older! In season 2 of the John Wick-like FX series, former CIA agent Dan Chase (played by Jeff “The Dude” Bridges) and ex-FBI assistant director Harold Harper (John Lithgow) are tasked with finding Emily Chase (Alia Shawkat) after she is kidnapped. But “as the stakes rise and secrets are uncovered, Emily finds herself in an identity crisis with dire implications,” according to the official plot synopsis, while Zoe McDonald (Amy Brenneman) makes “surprising moves into Chase’s world.”
Created by and starring Natasha Rothwell, How to Die Alone is about a “broke, fat, Black” employee at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport who decides to change her life around following an accident at work. The comedy-drama series is about facing your fears, and Rothwell is a delight in the lead role. Give it a watch before she returns to The White Lotus for season three.
This week, The National and The War On Drugs commence a 19-date nationwide run of shows. It has been dubbed The Zen Diagram Tour, and I can only assume that the title refers to the commonly held belief that the same sort of person loves both The National and The War On Drugs. In this instance, that person happens to be me. Sure enough, I will be attending this tour in two weeks. I will be the flannel-shirted man with the salt and pepper beard. You won’t be able to miss me.
Incredibly, this is the first time these groups have toured together. But it is not the first time they have appeared on the same bill. That happened back in 2011 at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan and — would you believe it? — I was at that show as well. It was a fun night. I remember that we were all younger. I was much younger. A fresh-faced 34-year-old, the proverbial babe in the woods!
A few weeks before that gig, I moderated an interview between The National’s Aaron Dessner and The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel and Dave Hartley that (I think) was the first substantive conversation between the musicians. I revisited the article this week for the first time in many years, and it was a fascinating time capsule. At the time, The National had ascended to “large theater headliner” status in the wake of 2010’s High Violet. And The War On Drugs made their first significant impression outside of their home base of Philadelphia with the release of their second full-length, Slave Ambient. One of the record’s biggest boosters was Dessner, who had requested a public audience with Granduciel and Hartley after listening obsessively to Slave Ambient for months. He was especially taken with what he termed TWOD’s “organic” experimentation, which he contrasted with his own band’s tendency to constantly tinker until the last possible moment before putting out music.
My favorite part of the interview happens near the end, when Dessner suggests — kind of “jokingly,” he says — that The War On Drugs could one day fill arenas. “I would be so happy if music as good as this could do that someday, because it has that kind of wide horizon to it. It doesn’t feel like it would be a struggle for it to communicate on that kind of level.”
What Dessner possibly didn’t know is that The War On Drugs had only recently come into their own as a live act. The fourpiece that toured in support of Slave Ambient formed the first steady core of the band, with Granduciel supported by fellow charter member Hartley and keyboardist/guitarist Robbie Bennett. (A few years later, for the Lost In The Dream tour, the “classic” lineup solidified with the additions of drummer Charlie Hall, guitarist Anthony LaMarca, and multi-instrumentalist Jon Natchez.) In the studio, Granduciel made a lot of Slave Ambient by himself, writing songs as he was recording them by meticulously assembling countless instrumental passages, samples, and overdubs. To Dessner, he admitted that “before the record came out, I wasn’t sure how we were going to play them.”
Dessner then pivoted to reminiscing about the upsides of being a tour opener. “I kind of love opening, because it’s easier and kind of just more fun to get up and play fast and furious and have a good time.”
Adam concurred. “You have, like, two hours afterwards to party and hang out.”
If only they knew that the “party and hang out” days were already behind them.
I thought about that bygone interview from the first Obama administration while listening to Live Drugs Again, the second concert album in four years from The War On Drugs, out Friday. It follows 2020’s Live Drugs, a stirring capstone for the Lost In The Dream and A Deeper Understanding eras that leaned into the grandest — what Dessner termed the “wide horizon” — aspects of their music. It was regal and imposing and smooth, like a monolith, an impression supported by the pitch-black cover. It felt like a record that should have been packaged inside of a deluxe double-CD jewel case and sold at Sam Goody for $18.99.
Like Live Drugs, Live Drugs Again is a Frankenstein version of a live record, with each track composed of stitched-together moments lifted from countless performances. (I suspect only Granduciel knows exactly the myriad sources from which each song derives.) This approach makes sense coming from a man who assembles music like the rest of us contemplate jigsaw puzzles. Though the purist in me objects to this approach, especially given the number of excellent intact War On Drugs bootlegs just waiting for a sonic upgrade. (The three-show“Drugscember To Remember” stand from 2022 immediately comes to mind.) While these shows aren’t as technically perfect as the growing Live Drugs franchise, they have a sense of narrative and vibe that the official concert releases can’t match.
Of course, when I put on Live Drugs Again, the purist in me is eventually drowned out. This is epic rock ‘n’ roll that manages to top even the titanic Live Drugs, if only because The War On Drugs are that much better as a live band. Yes, I could quibble with some of the song choices. (I, for one, would have replaced “Pain” — a repeat from Live Drugs — with the rousing cover of Bob Seger’s “Against The Wind” that highlighted many shows on this tour.) But how can I complain when this band clearly “let the cowboys ride” on their own songs in ways that often top their recorded takes?
Several tracks already feel like definitive versions. “Harmonia’s Dream” was a consistent highlight of the I Don’t Live Here Anymore tour, and Live Drugs Again honors that with an extended open in which a trance-inducing electronic pulse is augmented by infectious arena-rock audience clapping. The build in “Old Skin” to Hall’s dramatic entrance packs a wallop on the album, but live it has that extra E Street-esque oomph that really elevates the song. And then there’s “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” which feels more and more like The War On Drugs’ finest anthem. On Live Drugs Again, we hear Granduciel honor his band in the intro, giving hype-man intros for each member and drawing out the last syllable in every name like he’s Paul Stanley addressing the unwashed hoards at Cobo Hall.
This sort of showmanship from the once-reticent leader of The War On Drugs is the most obvious departure point from the original Live Drugs. At some point during the I Don’t Live Here Anymore era, Granduciel embraced his inner rock star, drawing on the impassioned evangelism of perhaps his two most important influences, Bruce Springsteen and Mike Scott of The Waterboys. On “Burning” and “Under The Pressure,” he pushes his vocals like never before, practically shouting his way to new musical climaxes as his fellow bandmates aspire to maximum levels of heartland rock grandiosity. It’s no longer “Burning,” it’s now “Burninnnnng.” And “Under The Pressure” is gone, meet “Under The Preshhhhahhhhh!” (There’s also the matter of Granduciel’s always stellar guitar playing, which achieves peak shred-itude on the sultry “I Don’t Wanna Wait” and the welcome Slave Ambient deep cut, “Come To The City,” not to mention the obvious six-string showcase that is “Under The Pressure.”)
Putting out multiple live albums in relatively quick succession during an era when most bands wouldn’t think of putting out a single concert record says a lot about how The War On Drugs have evolved since that conversation with Aaron Dessner at the end of 2011. It reasserts the group identity that Granduciel pushed to the fore on the last studio record, as well as the importance of their live show as a calling card on nearly equal footing with their immaculate and deliberative studio work.
It also reiterates The War On Drugs’ relationship with hugeness. It differs from The National’s relationship with hugeness, which in recent years has manifested with Dessner’s entrée into the worlds of Taylor Swift and stadium pop. It’s hugeness as a form of celebrity and cultural capital. Granduciel has only fitfully flirted with that sort of hugeness, contributing guitar to records by Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus. Otherwise, his brand of hugeness is musical and spatial. As The War On Drugs’ audience grows, the music continues to expand ever-so-slightly beyond the confines of wherever they’re playing. When I saw them open for The National at the Beacon Theater 13 years ago, they were a small band who filled every square inch of the venue with guitar drones and synth swells. It was a wave of sound intended to overwhelm the senses, which it did.
Live Drugs Again feels like that, too. It’s the widest iteration yet of the “wide horizon” sound. The War On Drugs made the Beacon feel like a phone booth. And every time I’ve seen them since, they have given me the same feeling, whether it was a theater, an arena, or an open field. I look forward to seeing them push toward the next horizon.
Earlier this month, Charli XCX said bye to Brat Summer. That doesn’t mean she’s done with her hit album Brat, though: Today (September 12), she released her new “Talk Talk” remix with Troye Sivan (and Dua Lipa) while also announcing Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat.
Listen to the “Talk Talk” remix above. Find the Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat cover art and tracklist (which, based on some of the track titles, appears to be incomplete at the moment) below.
Charli XCX’s Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat Album Cover Artwork
Atlantic Records
Charli XCX’s Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat Tracklist
If you thought Kendrick Lamar was done releasing music for the year, think again. Lamar released a new track, his first since “Not Like Us” settled his feud with Drake for good, on Wednesday night.
The song doesn’t have an official title (fans have taken to calling it “Watch The Party Die”), but Lamar uploaded the track to Instagram with artwork showing a pair of dirty Nike Air Force Ones. It didn’t take long for internet sleuths to track down where the image seemingly came from: an eBay listing for “Vintage Nike Air Force 1 ‘82’ Low ‘Black Black 315122-001 Men’s Size 12.”
The Nike Air Force Ones, the “universal symbol of true goon-like activity,” cost $70 (plus $9 in shipping) and were located in North Little Rock, Arkansas from seller Good2BYou. The past tense is intentional, because they sold to someone in area code 94118 (San Francisco) on Wednesday, September 11, the day the song dropped. It’s unknown who the buyer is, but they made a wise investment. Meanwhile, “Good2BYou” must be kicking themselves over how much they could have sold the shoes for now.
But why shoes? One theory is that it’s Lamar retaliation for Drake mocking shoe size on “Push Ups.” You can see the listing for yourself here.
On Thursday morning, September 12, Charli XCX announced Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat, a brand-new deluxe version of her ubiquitous June album. The project features a “Talk Talk” remix featuring Troye Sivan, and Dua Lipa makes a subtle but also still awesome appearance by speaking French and Spanish in the outro. It is scientifically impossible not to play this song on a loop.
Around the original release of “Talk Talk” in June, Charli XCX posted a TikTok explaining that the track was inspired by the early days of her romance with The 1975’s George Daniel, her fiancé.
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan will kick off their co-headlining Sweat tour at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday, September 14. See all of their upcoming tour dates here.
Listen to “Talk Talk” featuring Troye Sivan above, and check out more about Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat below.
Charli XCX’s Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat Album Cover Artwork
Atlantic Records
Charli XCX’s Brat And It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat Tracklist
Taylor Swift treated the 2024 MTV VMAs like one of her shows, minus any actual performances. But there were multiple costume changes: the “Fortnight” singer showed up wearing a Reputation-y dress from Christian Dior’s 2025 resort collection before changing into what Swift style expert Sarah Chapelle described as a “custom Monse look inspired by the Fall/Winter 2024 collection.” Which is a fancy way of saying: it looks like The X-Files.
The dress, which had a beaded UFO spaceship on the front, could have been a reference to her rumored next single, “Down Bad” (“Did you really beam me up? / In a cloud of sparkling dust”). But some fans are convincing themselves that it was her sly way of acknowledging Fox’s science-fiction series The X-Files premiering 31 years ago yesterday. 31… 13… it’s all adding up.
“Taylor. I am straight up getting X-Files vibes from this dress,” one X user wrote, while another added, “taylor swift wearing an alien themed dress a day after the x-files anniversary means that she will be singing one of the songs in the reboot. there are signs for those who seek them.” The facts are indisputable: “Somehow missed this despite being one of my fave shows ever. 31 years ago yesterday we were given ‘Pilot’ for The X-Files. 31 years later Taylor Swift has been riding a roomba with a UFO backdrop & today wore a sequined ‘I want to believe’ dress. Ergo, Taylor is an X-Files fan.”
While accepting the award for Video Of The Year, Swift thanked her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end (and burgeoning actor) Travis Kelce, for his support. “This video seems very sad when you watch it, but it actually was like the most fun video to make,” she said. “Something that I’ll always remember is that when, when I would finish a take, and I’d and I’d say cut, and we’d be done with that take, I would always just hear someone cheering from across the studio where we were shooting it, and that one person was my boyfriend, Travis.” Swift added, “Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic, so I want to thank him for adding that to our shoot.”
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