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It’s time to talk about the good stuff. The really good stuff. But be warned great Scotch whisky doesn’t come cheap. Especially when it’s rare. If you want to drink the best of the best, you’re going to pay for it. $100 is cheap in the context of today’s tasting.

For this “double-blind” taste test (meaning I don’t even know which bottles are in play), I let my wife pour some of the most ridiculous bottles on my shelf. The only throughline is that these are all Scotch, all expensive, and all great. Oddly, these were way easier to rank than I expected, even double-blind. Bottles this rare are also very unique and distinct — that makes it a tad easier to identify and rank them.

Our lineup today is:

• GlenDronach 21
• Bowmore 20 David Simson Edition
• Aberfeldy 20
• Glenfiddich 23
• Laphroaig 25
• Oban 21 (2018 Edition)
• Talisker 25
• Glenkinchie Distillers Edition
• Aberlour A’Bundha
• Johnny Walker Blue

See those? All bangers all the time! Now let’s get into it!

Also Read: The Top 5 UPROXX Scotch Whisky Posts of The Last Six Months

• The 50 Best Scotch Whiskies Of 2021, Ranked
• The 100 Best Whiskeys Our Head Drinks Writer Tasted In 2021
• The Best Scotch Whiskies Under $50, Ranked
• Every Scotch Whisky Brand From Diageo’s Massive Portfolio, Ranked
• The Best Value-Per-Dollar Scotch Whiskies, Ranked

Part 1: The Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

This is all about the sweet red berries and the dirt under the bushes intermingling with spicy oatmeal cookies with plenty of raisins and walnuts next to soft and supple maltiness on the nose. The palate leans into soft and creamy vanilla with black-tea-soaked dates, wintry spice, and a dash of orange oil. Dark chocolate arrives on the mid-palate and drives the finish toward more of that wintry spice, stewed plums, mincemeat pies, and a whisper of dry cedar on the very end.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Fresh Band-Aids mix with leathery prunes on the nose with a thin line of smoked pork fat lurking underneath. The palate is delightfully spicy with a hint of cinnamon next to anise and maybe some dried chili yet tempered by creamy dark chocolate and berries. The mid-palate stays spicy before veering into wet charcoal with a hint of that smoked fat making a reappearance.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Honey and apples all day on the nose (hello, Aberfeldy!) with a sense of soft rainwater, light maltiness, and summer wildflowers. The palate mixes red berries with apple skins as buttery toffee and lightly spiced malts lead to a leathery dried apricot, sultanas, and cream soda. The end leans into the honey with a cedar vibe next to an orchard full of fruit with a nod to the soil on the very backend.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

More apples, tart, sweet, bruised, stewed, drive the nose with a gentle floral edge next to buttered brioche with a dollop of marmalade served on an old maple plank. The palate has a lush vanilla feeling to it as pear candy and dried roses lead to floral yet creamy honey. The sweetness lingers from the mid-palate to the finish as apple and pear skins and cores melt into a pot of that floral honey.

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

This is so pale. Interesting. The nose mixes old Band-Aids with smoked pork belly, pine-infused honey, woodruff, and maybe a touch of sea rocks. The palate leans into malts with a spicy edge — think anise, cloves, Red Hots. The mid-palate creates a flavor matrix of sweet yet smoked pork fat that’s perfectly spiced with heat and seasoning that all leads back to the soft malts, light medicinal touch, and a hint of wet charcoal.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Saltwater taffy wrappers counter a bold rush of Douglas fir firewood stacked in very black dirt with a hint of sap next to buttery caramel malts, red fruit leather, apple taffy, and a hint of soft and supple leather. The palate is all about the Nutella before a toasted coconut vibe leads to a burst of seawater-soaked cedar, dark chocolate and dried chili tobacco, and all the spices from a sticky toffee pudding boiled down to a tincture bomb of flavor. WOW.

Those dark chocolate tobacco leaves fade out as the saltwater taffy makes a comeback on the finish with a hint of hot seawater next to Christmas cake.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Campfire smoke wafts from far down the beach as beeswax candles mingle with unfiltered apple cider in a rock mug mixes with creamy chocolate pudding and a hint of sea spray. The palate is all about old cellar beams with cobwebs next to grains of sea salt, wet moss, orange tobacco, and wisteria. That campfire smoke makes an appearance late as misty sea-heavy fog descends on the finish with white wildflowers next to smoked prunes and a dash of dried smoked chili malts.

What a journey!

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

This is downright thin compared to the last sip. The nose is a soft mix of cedar, red berry, and vanilla pods next to a bowl of fruity candy. The palate starts off watery but then explodes with flavor — black pepper, brie rinds, sour candy, a dirt cellar floor, smooth malts, and a hint of sour apple tobacco. The finish continues to build with a cheese cellar vibe next to fresh cream touched with winter spices and vanilla on the backend.

This was a wild ride!

Taste 9

Tasting Notes:

This is very bourbon-y from the jump with plenty of leather, spicy plum jam, vanilla cream, and hefty brown and woody spices. The palate is hot with those spices and oak staves as prunes and dates add some sweetness (but not much). Candied pecans give way to dark chocolate bitterness as the finish builds on that heat with hints of old leather and dark fruit buried underneath it all.

Taste 10

Tasting Notes:

This is incredibly soft on the nose with hints of plums, old leather, Christmas spices, and a whiff of fireplace smoke.

Johnnie Walker, is that you? I think so.

The palate is orange-infused marzipan covered in dark chocolate with a hint of rose water next to floral honey, smoked plums, and plenty of tap water. The malts get lightly spicy as the dried stone fruit takes on a thin line of smoke with almond and orange peaking in through the watery finish.

Part 2: The Ranking

10. Johnny Walker Blue — Taste 10

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $276

The Whisky:

This is the mountaintop of Johnnie Walker’s whiskies. The blend is a marriage of ultra-rare stock from extinct Diageo distilleries around Scotland. That’s just … cool. This expression is all about barrel selection and the mastery of a great noser and blender working together to create something special.

Bottom Line:

It’s kind of amazing how this stood out against the single malts, and not in a good way. Full disclosure, my wife grabbed this by mistake due to it being “expensive” but not a single malt.

All of that aside, I just couldn’t get past the watered-down nature of this one.

9. Aberlour A’Bundha — Taste 9

ABV: 56.2% (varies)

Average Price: $95

The Whisky:

A’bunadh (ah-boon-arh) means “the original” in Gaelic and the juice in this Highland bottle represents that for Aberlour. The whisky is matured in old Olorosso sherry casks exclusively. The juice then goes into the bottle at cask strength, unfussed with.

Bottom Line:

This was just too hot today. Had it been poured over a single rock, it might have jetted to the top three.

8. Aberfeldy 20 — Taste 3

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $210

The Whisky:

This special release from last year spent 20 years mellowing in re-fill bourbon and sherry casks. Then the prime juice was married and filled into hand-selected Sauternes sweet wine casks from France for a final year of maturation. The results hold onto the signature honeyed heart of Aberfeldy while adding more sweetened nuance to the dram.

Bottom Line:

This was nice but a little one-note with that apple and honey vibe. I know, I know, that’s “two” notes. But that was the dominating factor on the palate and you had to really dig to find more.

7. Glenfiddich 23 — Taste 4

ABV: 40%

Average Price: $360

The Whisky:

It’s all in the name of this yearly special release from Glenfiddich. The whisky matures for over 23 years in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before it’s vatted and then filled into French Cuvée casks that held Champagne. That whisky is then cut down to proof and bottled just in time for the holiday season.

Bottom Line:

This was very similar to the Aberfeldy but a bit more nuanced and deep. That said, that 80 proof isn’t doing this any favors.

6. Bowmore 20 David Simson Edition — Taste 2

ABV: 50.7%

Average Price: $627

The Whisky:

This distillery exclusive is Bowmore at its finest. The juice in the bottles is lightly peated malt that spends 20 years in both Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks before it’s vatted and bottled as-is without proofing or filtering.

Bottom Line:

This was pretty damn nice. It was a little milder on the palate with that “Band-Aid” vibe carrying on a little too long. I’m splitting some serious hairs though. This was very drinkable — just not as deep and arresting as the next five.

5. GlenDronach 21 — Taste 1

ABV: 48%

Average Price: $325

The Whisky:

Don’t let the name fool you. In this case, the “parliament” is the collective noun for rooks — a type of European crow that nests above the distillery. That dark essence is rendered in the whisky through 21 long years of maturation in Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks exclusively.

Bottom Line:

This is delicious. But it’s a little easy. This feels like a crowd-pleaser, and that’s fine. “Great but didn’t wow me like the rest” was in my notes.

4. Laphroaig 25 2020 Edition — Taste 5

ABV: 51.4%

Average Price: $669

The Whisky:

Where Bowmore goes light on the peated malts, Laphroaig goes all-in, like a drunken sailor at a poker table. This whisky spends 25 long years aging in both ex-bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry butts before it’s masterfully blended seaside and the bottled as-is with zero fussing (hence the pale color).

Bottom Line:

This is a goddamn masterpiece. It’s subtle yet striking. Had the mid-palate been a little more brazen, it might have been number one today.

3. Glenkinchie Distillers Edition — Taste 8

ABV: 43%

Average Price: $85

The Whisky:

This limited edition expression from last year’s Diageo Distiller’s Editions is expertly crafted whisky. The juice has a finishing maturation in a specially made barrel which is constructed from used and new American oak that’s then filled with Amontillado sherry for a month. Once that fortified wine is dumped, the whisky goes in for its final maturation.

Bottom Line:

This was the biggest surprise by far. The sip started off so watery and mellow and then just went in so many unique and delicious directions. A “cheese cellar”?! Come on, that’s an amazing note to find in any whisky.

2. Oban 21 2018 Edition — Taste 6

ABV: 57.9%

Average Price: $730

The Whisky:

This whisky from 2018 is much-sought-after. The classic juice from the tiny Oban Distillery spends 21 years resting in a combination of used European oak barrels in Oban’s small warehouse nestled between a black rock cliff and the lapping of the sea. The juice is then married and bottled at cask strength, capturing all the nuances and uniqueness of Oban in the bottle.

Bottom Line:

I wrote “wow” in my notes while tasting this one. It’s so … vivacious. The palate is big but not overwhelming and makes perfect sense from beginning to end. This is truly the good stuff.

1. Talisker 25 — Taste 7

ABV: 45.8%

Average Price: $902

The Whisky:

This whisky is a marriage of American bourbon barrels, Spanish sherry casks, and Talisker’s seaside location. The whiskies in this single malt spend a minimum of 25 years resting in old bourbon and sherry barrels a few short steps from the sea in the Isle of Skye. Talisker’s tiny warehouse feels a bit like an old pirate ship that’s seen too many sea battles and that aura is imbued into every barrel as it matures.

Bottom Line:

This took me on a journey of flavors and nostalgia. I’m not joking when I say that it damn near brought a tear to my eye when I thought about drinking Talisker for the first time with my now-passed father-in-law. That’s a transformational whisky.

Part 3: Final Thoughts

As soon as I smelled that Talisker 25, I knew this competition was over. I love that Oban and it would have handily won if the Talisker didn’t make it in the lineup.

Overall, I think we all learned that, yup, great whisky is great. I know, big surprise, right? Still, if you can get any of the bottles top five, you’ll be in for a true treat, but that Talisker is just something else entirely. Happy whisky hunting!

The timing worked out pretty perfectly for comedian, actor, and Daily Show alum Al Madrigal this spring with the release of Morbius (where he plays Agent Rodriguez) and the launch of his comic series, Primos (which draws inspiration from ancient Mayan and Aztec mythology). These are in addition to a development deal with CBS Studios and his work overseeing the comedy podcast network he co-founded with Bill Burr. Now, with Morbius hitting VOD and the last issue of volume 1 of Primos about to drop (it’s out today), it’s once again difficult to not be impressed by the symmetry and the workload that the ultra-multi-hyphenate is carrying, but he seems pretty happy about all of it.

As a fellow comedian and someone who has known Madrigal for 15 years, I can attest that none of this is the result of luck or something that happened overnight. Madrigal’s success in show business (you may also recognize him in a pivotal and lauded role opposite Ben Affleck in The Way Back) is the result of hard work, planning, and in Al’s case, being ridiculously nice. Like, so nice that he tells us that it (and his chatty streak) drives his wife nuts. But it’s obviously opened up some doors for him. I spoke with Al about all of that, Mayan mythology’s role in his book, the importance of representation, and how hard it is to make something truly unique in a genre in which everything has already been done.

Please explain the MCU/Spider-Verse difference. This sounds like some real-life Dr. Strange-type shit.

Look up “WHIH Newscast.” It is promotional stuff they did for the Avengers movies. I play a pundit opposite Leslie Bibb. And then in Morbius, I play Agent Rodriguez, who I’m told is modeled after “Phil Rodriguez,” who’s a character in the Spider-Verse. And then, in a Farmer’s Insurance commercial, I played Captain America.

If you think about it, JK Simmons, who plays Jonah Jameson in all of the Avengers and Spider-Man movies, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, is in the Farmer’s ads as well. So, a lot of cross-over happening. But yeah, three different characters and the first Latino Captain America right here.

With Morbius hitting VOD, is it a relief that maybe more people have the chance to go in and experience the film fresh without the critical response dominating the conversation?

Morbius was plagued by COVID in a variety of ways. There were six different delays that maybe led to unrealistic expectations being built up over time. I think it’s gotten a bad rap and people should judge for themselves.

Were you a comic book fan growing up?

I read a lot of graphic novels when I was working at the Daily Show. And when I was a teenager, I read a lot of comic books before I started probably going out more than I should have.

Seems like it paid off. I wanna talk about your new comic book, Primos. You do such a brilliant job of weaving ancient Mayan and Aztec lore into the storyline while also filling the page with heroes and villains who are all of Latin descent, at least in the first book. Do you remember a time when you were reading comics as a kid and realized that none of the characters looked like you?

Oh, Latinos were nonexistent [in comics and comic culture]. That’s how this idea started. I met Axel Alonzo, who was then the editor-in-chief of Marvel comics. We were doing a podcast called “Comic Book Live.” We discovered we had a lot in common and became instant friends.

We’ve always talked about the lack of Latinos in comic books. Representation is important. If you don’t see yourself on TV ever, or anyone that looks like you, you can’t help but feel, even subconsciously, like [you are] lesser than. If you’re a huge Marvel fan and you’re Asian and Shang-Chi comes out, that’s major. So, I feel like they’re becoming aware, and actually, Axel Alonzo was one of the guys at Marvel who was responsible for a lot of their diversity initiatives.

Is there extra pressure knowing that you’re, kind of, in a sense, creating the Latino Avengers?

No, because the main thing I want it to be is a good comic. Forget the representation and the ethnicity. I want it to be a compelling story. I want the characters to be unique and that’s difficult to do when you talk about superpowers because everything has already been done.

Part of what makes Primos so unique is how much Mayan and Aztec mythology you’ve woven into the origin story. I assume that’s the product of a lot of research?

It is, but then luckily, I just tripped right into the coolest backstory, so I was able to take this real-life character, an emperor from 603 to 683, named K’inich Janaab Pakal. Ricky Pascal (the protagonist of Primos), is his descendant. So, Ricky Pascal, Gina Pascal, and Javier Pascal all come from this line of emperors.

What was it like to step out of the traditional entertainment world to try to get an idea made in the comic book world?

I was given the opportunity because Axel was able to shepherd me through this. And then I leaned on Elliot Kalan, from The Daily Show who has done this. Paul Scheer, who has written for Ghost Rider, sent me what that outline looked like. And then, as far as learning comic book writing, like anything else, I always think I can do anything because other people have done it. So, why not me?

The art is amazing. And I was curious how much input you have on what the art looks like?

I got a lot of input. I have the best artist ever in Carlo Barberry who did Spawn and Deadpool. I could look at his vision of what I was trying to put out there, and learn from how he was interpreting what I had scripted out. I think that’s what they actually used to do in Stan Lee’s Marvel era. When they would create these characters, they’d actually have the artist draw it all out and they’d fill in all the dialogue afterward.

What’s the dream for this series and these characters? Adaptation to the screen, more volumes?

Obviously a movie franchise or TV series would be incredible. Right now, the plan is to continue building out this world. Adding characters, telling stories from the same universe. While we have a lot of people interested in the current IP, I’m excited to build out the rest of the story.

You mentioned some of the edits that took place with Morbius, does anything about this experience make you less likely to want to be in another comic book movie or hold onto control with Primos if you were to ever try and bring it to screen?

Editing is part of this process. This is a collaborative medium and I feel extremely fortunate to have been a part of it. I love comic books and all the Marvel movies and would welcome the opportunity to continue playing this character. I’d feel incredibly grateful to have Primos make the journey to the big screen. Again, this is a collaborative process. One thing I’ve learned as a producer is to surround yourself with great people and trust them to do their job. I really don’t need to micromanage anything. And we’re making TV and movies. Nothing to be too precious about.

‘Morbius’ is available on VOD and ‘Primos’ can be bought here.

(Spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick lie ahead)

Over the weekend, Top Gun: Maverick exceeded box office expectations, becoming the highest grossing weekend of Tom Cruise’s career and setting a new Memorial Day weekend box office record. A lot will (justifiably) be made about what this means for the theater experience at a time that seems very critical. Covid is by no means gone (which I, um, experienced first hand last week), but audiences swarmed back to watch Tom Cruise fly a fighter jet. It felt cathartic. [Ahead there will be spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick and No Time to Die.]

Since the pandemic started there was a lot of talk about what movie would save theaters. I’m honestly less interested in that and more interested in the movie that would save us. You know, in a world of nonstop terrible news, the movie that, just for a little bit, has the power to make us feel happy. I can’t remember a movie, that was released in theaters only, that almost everyone I know has now already seen. Top Gun: Maverick is a phenomenon and I truly believe the reason why is less about all the cool airplane stunts (and they are very cool) and more to do with this is a movie that makes us feel good. Honestly, I kind of forgot that it was okay to let myself feel good about something. Top Gun: Maverick doesn’t really give us a choice in the matter. You will leave this theater in a good mood, dammit.

And I hope people are paying attention to what made this movie a success. In an era where every would-be blockbuster has to be overly complicated and convoluted, Top Gun: Maverick is a sleek machine of a throwback. People have been watching older action movies for the last two years, remembering how great they are, and wondering why they don’t make them anymore. Then here comes Maverick to say, you know, maybe we can still make them like that. It very much feels like a precise vision of what an action movie should be and does not stray from that vision.

Is it so wrong to just want to watch a movie where the hero wins the day? It seems to happen so infrequently now it’s actually surprising when it does happen. What’s notable about Top Gun: Maverick is literally none of our heroes die during the mission. None of the characters are used for cheap emotional weight. (And the one character who does die, off-screen, has actual repercussions in the plot in that Maverick no longer has protection from a superior officer.) It’s a great concept that, to Maverick, if one team member dies the whole mission, in his mind, is a failure. And by gosh he’s not going to let you leave that theater having watched a failure.

The movie I also kept thinking about this weekend was No Time to Die. A convoluted mess of a movie (to be fair, a lot of James Bond movies are convoluted) in which, after 25 movies, everyone involved thought it would be cool to watch James Bond die. Now, to be fair, both No Time to Die and Top Gun: Maverick were filmed before the pandemic started and had no idea what the world would be like when they were, respectively, released. But I swear, after everything we had been though, all I wanted in the world was to watch James Bond save the day and float off on a raft into the sunset with a lady, like he’s done time and time before. It’s honestly borderline malpractice they unleashed that movie on us without a warning. “Hey, it’s been a tough few months right, well what if we also kill James Bond? Pretty cool, right?” I’ve been rewatching a lot of Bond recently and it’s jarring how much fun these movies used to be and it’s annoying we’ve been watching this sad drip James Bond for the last 15 years. (For the record, I really like Casino Royale and Skyfall, but whoever they cast as Bond next, please please make him “fun.”) Yes, past Bond movies have had sad endings (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a bummer of an ending) but, I’m sorry, I don’t watch James Bond to ruminate about our own mortality. I want to see James Bond win the day. The timing of No Time to Die really, really sucked. I left that movie in a terrible mood, which kind of defeats the purpose of watching a James Bond movie in the first place.

There were times during Top Gun: Maverick I worried we were headed for another James Bond situation. But by the end of the movie I had made my peace with that possibility in that, unlike No Time to Die, Top Gun: Maverick was a movie with actual emotional weight (as opposed to a movie about nanobot germs) and would have earned that ending. And Top Gun: Maverick brings us to the very edge a few times. But, in the end, no one wants to see Maverick die (other than enemy pilots and maybe Jon Hamm’s Cyclone). Not now. Not after all this. We all have seen enough actual real death. Just let us have our brief feeling of fictional triumph. Let us feel good about something. It’s the reason we like going to the movie theater in the first place. And this past weekend people went back. If Maverick had ended on a downer I truly think there would be repercussions in a “I can feel sad at home” kind of way. But instead, people left Top Gun: Maverick on cloud nine and I’m sure more than a few people rediscovered why they liked going to the theater in the first place. In the end, it was Maverick who saved the day.

Top Gun: Maverick rocketed into theaters and delivered biggest opening weekend of Tom Cruise’s career thanks to a combination of factors. The original film is a beloved ’80s classics, early reviews were overwhelmingly positive across the board, and this is the first Memorial Day weekend in years that wasn’t bogged down by the pandemic. As Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proved, people are ready to return to the theaters after being stuck at home. Everything came together in a perfect serve for the shirtless volleyball game of Top Gun‘s return.

However, if you ask far-right radio host Steve Gruber, Top Gun: Maverick‘s success happened because it’s a slice of pure American pride that spells trouble for the Democrats in the midterms. Never mind that Cruise’s religion of choice is an outer space cult that thinks aliens give you the flu, Top Gun is MAGA gold, apparently.

Via Mediaite:

“This is by far the biggest warning of all for mealy-mouth politicians and feckless weasels of all stripes, everywhere, RINOs, Democrats and socialists, that in November it’s American pride that will be returning,” Gruber said. “And it will be Americans reawakening and taking back our country, and it is American pride that has driven the very rare A+ rating for the brand new Top Gun film.”

As Mediaite notes, Gruber is just the latest in a long of right wing voices who are trying to tout Top Gun: Maverick as proof that audiences want more “anti-woke” films. Never mind that Multiverse of Madness absolutely destroyed at the box office, and it prominently features a lesbian hero, America Chavez, and her two mothers. Sometimes, people just want to see things blow up on a huge screen with massive speakers, and that’s all there is to it.

(Via Mediaite)

Keeping track of all the new albums coming out in a given month is a big job, but we’re up for it: Below is a comprehensive list of the major releases you can look forward to in June. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.

Friday, June 3

• 070 Shake — You Can’t Kill Me (GOOD Music)
• Al Riggs — Themselves (Horse Complex Records)
• Andrew Bird — Inside Problems (Loma Vista / Concord)
• Angel Olsen — Big Time (Jagjaguwar)
• Astronoid — Radiant Bloom (3Dot Recordings)
• Ben Zaidi — Acre of Salt (Nettwerk Records)
• Chelsea Rose — Truth or Consequences (Paul Is Dead Records)
• Drive-By Truckers — Welcome 2 Club XIII (ATO Records)
• Fantastic Negrito — White Jesus Black Problems (Storefront Records)
• Farees — Galactic Africa (Rez’Arts Prod)
• The Fixx — Every Five Seconds (BFD/The Orchard)
• Flaccid Mojo — Flaccid Mojo (Castle Face)
• Forgiveness — Next Time Could Be Your Last Time (Gondwana Records)
• Frank Zappa — Zappa/Erie (Zappa Records/UMe)
• Gene On Earth — Time On The Vine (Limousine Dream)
• T. Gowdy — Miracles (Constellation)
• GWAR– The New Dark Ages (Pit Records)
• Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS? — Maine Coon (Vild Recordings)
• Horsegirl — Versions of Modern Performance (Matador)
• iamamiwhoami — Be Here Soon (To whom it may concern)
• Jasmyn — In the Wild (ANTI- & Royal Mountain)
• Jelly Crystal — ILY EP (Smuggler Music/PIAS)
• Ken Yates — Cerulean (Ken Yates)
• Killswitch Engage — Live At The Palladium (Metal Blade Records)
• L’Objectif — We Aren’t Getting Out But Tonight We Might EP (Chess Club Records)
• Las Cruces — Cosmic Tears (Ripple Music)
• Mary Gauthier — Dark Enough To See The Stars (Thirty Tigers)
• Memphis May Fire — Remade in Misery (Rise Records)
• Michael Franti & Spearhead — Follow Your Heart (Boo Boo Wax)
• Mr Little Jeans — Better Days (Nettwerk)
• Namir Blade — Metropolis (Mello Music Group)
• Oklahoma Kid — Tangerine Tragic (Arising Empire)
• Poliça — Madness (Memphis Industries)
• Post Malone — Twelve Carat Toothache (Mercury Records/Republic Records)
• Purity Ring — Graves EP (The Fellowship)
• Queen of Jeans — Hiding in Place EP (Memory Music)
• S.G. Goodman — Teeth Marks (Verve Forecast)
• Saajtak — For the Makers (American Dreams)
• Sub Urban — Hive (Warner Records)
• The Suffers — It Starts with Love (Missing Piece Records)
• Tedeschi Trucks Band — I Am The Moon: I. Crescent (Fantasy Records)
• Tove Styrke — Hard (Records/Columbia)
• Tuff Bear — Tuff Bear’s Picnic (Acrophase Records)
• Ural Thomas and The Pain — Dancing Dimensions (Bella Union)
• The Zells — Ant Farm (Crafted Sounds)

Friday, June 10

• A Little Farther West — Vaya Con Dios (Town & Country Records)
• Adrian Quesada — Boleros Psicodélicos (ATO Records)
• Allison Ponthier — Shaking Hands with Elvis EP (Interscope Records)
• American Aquarium — Chicamacomico (Thirty Tigers)
• André Bratten — Picture Music (Smalltown Supersound)
• Between Friends — Cutie EP (10K Projects)
• Big Gigantic — Brighter Future 2 (self-released)
• Billy Howerdel — What Normal Was (Alchemy Recordings/Rise Records/BMG)
• Bloomsday — Place to Land (Bayonet Records)
• Bobby Oroza — Get On The Otherside (Big Crown Records)
• Carrie Underwood — Denim & Rhinestones (Capitol Records Nashville)
• Chase & Status — What Came Before (MTA Records)
• Cold Showers — Strength In Numbers EP (Dais Records)
• David Newbould — Power Up! (Blackbird Record Label)
• Deau Eyes — Legacies (Tone Tree Music)
• Dion Lunadon — Beyond Everything (In the Red Records)
• Erin Anne — Do Your Worst (Discrepancy Records)
• FKJ — Vincent (Mom+Pop)
• Future Palace — Run (Arising Empire)
• George Ezra — Gold Rush Kid (Columbia Records)
• Grace Ives — Janky Star (True Panther/Harvest)
• Jack Flanagan — Rides the Sky (Imports)
• Jamie Drake — New Girl (AntiFragile Music)
• Jenny Owen Youngs — It’s Dangerous To Go Alone EP (Nettwerk Records)
• Joyce Manor — 40 Oz. To Fresno (Epitaph)
• Judah & the Lion — Revival (Cletus the Van/Virgin Music)
• Julius Rodriguez — Let Sound Tell All (Verve)
• LIFE — North East Coastal Town (The Liquid Label)
• Liss — I Guess Nothing Will Be The Same (Escho / In Real Life)
• Mapache — Roscoe’s Dream (Innovative Leisure / Calico Discos)
• The March Divide — Lost Causes (Slow Start Records)
• Marco Benevento — Benevento (RPF)
• Michael Monroe — I Live Too Fast To Die Young (Silver Lining Music)
• Michael Rault — Michael Rault (Daptone Records)
• Michaela Anne — Oh To Be That Free (Yep Roc Records)
• Moonchild Sanelly — Phases (Transgressive Records)
• Museum Of Light — Horizon (Spartan Records)
• Neneh Cherry — The Versions (Republic Records)
• Nick Mulvey — New Mythology (Verve Forecast)
• Riley Pearce — The Water & The Rough (Nettwerk)
• Rufus Wainwright — Rufus Does Judy At Capitol Studios (BMG)
• Sinead O’Brien — Time Bend and Break the Bower (Chess Club)
• Spacey Jane — Here Comes Everybody (Spacey Jane/AWAL)
• Vance Joy — In Our Own Sweet Time (Liberation Music)
• Vieux Farka Touré — Les Racines (World Circuit Records)
• The Wrecks — Sonder (Big Noise Music Group)
• Wylderness — Big Plan For A Blue World (Succulent Recordings)

Friday, June 17

• Alice Merton — S.I.D.E.S. (Mom+Pop)
• Anteloper — Pink Dolphins (International Anthem)
• Bartees Strange — Farm to Table (4AD)
• Calum Scott — Bridges (Capitol Records)
• Charlie Griffiths — Tiktaalika (InsideOut)
• Chillin Villain Empire (CVE) — We Represent Billions (Nyege Nyege)
• Dan Reed Network — Let’s Hear It For The King (Drakkar Entertainment)
• Dylan Moon — Option Explore (RVNG Intl.)
• Flasher — Love Is Yours (Domino)
• Foals — Life Is Yours (Warner)
• girlfriends — (e)motion sickness (Big Noise)
• Hank Williams Jr. — Rich White Honky Blues (Easy Eye Sound)
• Harken — Honeymoon Suite (Hand Mirror)
• Hazel English — Summer Nights EP (P-VINE)
• Hercules & Love Affair — In Amber (Skint/BMG)
• Horse Jumper of Love — Natural Part (Run For Cover Records)
• Infinity Knives & Brian Ennals — King Cobra (Phantom Limb)
• IV And The Strange Band — Southern Circus (Black Country Rock)
• Joey Badass — 2000 (Columbia Records)
• Kevin Gates — KHAZA (Atlantic Records)
• Lionel Boy — Down at 8 EP (Innovative Leisure)
• Lit — Tastes Like Gold (Round Hill Records)
• Logic — Vinyl Days (Def Jam)
• Making Movies — XOPA (Cosmica Artists)
• ME REX — Plesiosaur EP (Big Scary Monsters)
• Mt. Joy — Orange Blood (Dualtone)
• Nova Twins — Supernova (Marshall)
• Nick Cave — Seven Psalms (Goliath)
• Patty Griffin — Tape (Thirty Tigers)
• Perfume Genius — Ugly Season (Matador)
• Pet Fox — A Face In Your Life (Exploding in Sound)
• Tim Bowness — Butterfly Mind (InsideOutMusic)
• Tungsten — Bliss (Arising Empire)
• TV Priest — My Other People (Sub Pop)
• UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell & Astro — Unprecedented (UMe)
• Violet Skies — If I Saw You Again (Artium)
• Yaya Bey — Remember Your North Star (Big Dada)

Friday, June 24

• Alexisonfire — Otherness (Dine Alone Records)
• Art d’Ecco — After The Head Rush (Paper Bag Records)
• The Brian Jonestown Massacre — Fire Doesn’t Grow On Trees (A Recordings)
• Bryan Senti — Manu (Naïve Records)
• Caamp — Lavender Days (Mom + Pop Music)
• Candy — Heaven is Here (Relapse Records)
• Christine McVie — Songbird (A Solo Collection) (Rhino Records)
• Conan Gray — Superache (Republic)
• Damien Jurado — Reggae Film Star (Maraqopa Records)
• Day Wave — Pastlife (PIAS)
• Dune Rats — Real Rare Whale (Ratbag Records/BMG)
• Emery — Rub Some Dirt On It (Tooth & Nail Records)
• Empress Of — Save Me EP (Major Arcana)
• ENPHIN — End Cut (Pelagic Records)
• G. Love — Philadelphia Mississippi (Philadelphonic Records/Thirty Tigers)
• Glenn Jones — Vade Mecum (Thrill Jockey)
• Goose — Dripfield (No Coincidence Records)
• Hackensaw Boys — Hackensaw Boys (Nettwerk)
• Hollie Cook — Happy Hour (Merge Records)
• Jack Johnson — Meet The Moonlight (Brushfire/Republic)
• James Vincent McMorrow — The Less I Knew (Faction)
• Jimmie Allen — Tulip Drive (Stoney Creek Records/BBR Music Group)
• Joan Shelley — The Spur (No Quarter)
• Katie Alice Greer — Barbarism (FourFour Records)
• Katrina Ford — Katrina Ford EP (Violin Films)
• Limbs — Coma Year EP (UNFD)
• Linda Hoover — I Mean To Shine (Omnivore Records)
• Lindsay Clark — Carpe Noctem (Audiosport Records)
• Luke Combs — Growin’ Up (Sony Music Nashville)
• Luminous Beings — Horrors (XL)
• Lupe Fiasco — Drill Music In Zion (1st & 15th)
• Martin Courtney — Magic Sign (Domino)
• Mikey Erg — Love At Leeds (Don Giovanni Records)
• Motherhood — Winded (Forward Music Group)
• Muna — Muna (Saddest Factory Records)
• Peter Rowan — Calling You From My Mountain (Rebel Records)
• Petrol Girls — Baby (Hassle Records)
• Porcupine Tree — CLOSURE / CONTINUATION (Music For Nations)
• Soccer Mommy — Sometimes, Forever (Loma Vista)
• Tijuana Panthers — Halfway to Eighty (Innovative Leisure)
• Tim Heidecker — High School (Spacebomb)
• Wire — Not About To Die (pinkflag)
• Young Guv — GUV IV (Run For Cover)

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

Memphis’ FOX13 News reports that the court date for Justin Johnson and Cornelius Smith, the two men accused of killing Young Dolph, has been moved per their attorneys’ request. Both men appeared in court on Friday, May 27, where their attorneys requested a reset to July 1 due to some new discovery that they say will be vital to the judge setting Smith’s bond. July 1 will also be Smith’s new bond hearing.

Smith’s attorney, Michael Scholl, said, “We are receiving more information and I want to take a look at it. One of the factors that go into the bond is the likelihood of conviction. Other factors are [whether the accused is a] flight risk.”

Johnson was identified by police as a suspect in the case around two months after Dolph was shot to death outside a local Memphis bakery, Makeda’s cookies. A warrant for Johnson’s arrest was issued in January and he was arrested shortly thereafter in Indiana.

Meanwhile, Smith was identified and arrested when the car used in the murder was linked to another shooting in the immediate aftermath of Dolph’s death. A third suspect, Shundale Barnett, was arrested in January but was mistakenly released, while two other men, Devin Burns and Joshua Taylor, were also named as persons of interest in the case.

School shootings are a distinctly American epidemic, and one that many of us have become disturbingly inured to. While the normal human reaction to hearing about a mass murder like the one that took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this week is extreme heartbreak, the typical Republican reaction is to blame everyone and everything but the country’s absurd lack of gun laws for the crime.

But given that the Uvalde attack was the twenty-seventh school shooting in America in 2022 alone, pro-gun pundits are having to find new targets for their faux outrage that aren’t the gun lobby or organizations like the NRA. And Tucker Carlson came up with a real doozy on Wednesday when he declared that pandemic lockdowns are to blame for the two most recent shootings in Texas and Buffalo, New York.

So… just exactly how does that work? Carlson, reacting to recent reports that the pandemic increased reports of mental illness in young people decided to make a pretty big leap:

“Oh, so the lockdowns dramatically increased the instance of mental illness among young people and in ten days, we’ve seen two mass shootings from mentally ill young people. Could there be a connection? Now that’s not finger-pointing. That’s not to blame Fauci for yesterday’s shooting—we’re not that low, we’re not Joe Biden. But if people are becoming mentally ill because they’re disconnected from others, what can we do to connect them to others and thereby reduce the instances of mental illness? That’s a real conversation—is there a more important one?”

Well, how to keep semi-automatic rifles out of the hands of teenagers might be a better place to start, but…

You can watch Carlson’s inanity below.

Death Cab For Cutie is nearing a major career milestone, as the group’s tenth album, Asphalt Meadows, is set to drop this September. When they announced the album last month, they shared the single “Roman Candles,” for which they’ve now released a proper video. It’s a neat one, too: In the single-shot clip, the band performs the song in a room as they’re fitted with protective equipment and pyrotechnics go off around them.

The band previously said of the song, “‘Roman Candles’ is about the crippling, existential dread that goes hand in hand with living in a nervous city on a dying planet, and that the only way to be in the moment is to let it all go.” Ben Gibbard added, “The lyrics were cobbled from a couple of different songs dealing with my general sense of anxiety; the feeling that the fabric that weaves a functioning society together was crumbling during the pandemic.”

Watch the “Roman Candles” video above. Also revisit our (pre-Asphalt Meadows) rankings of Death Cab’s best songs here.

Asphalt Meadows is out 9/16 via Atlantic. Pre-order it here.

Death Cab For Cutie is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

While the average festival attendee might not recognize the names of Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, and Yoni Reisman, they have proven to be pivotal to New York City’s history. After founding the production company Founders Entertainment as 20-somethings with an immense passion for live music, they also crafted the idea to host a music festival on Governors Island in 2011.

The sounds of the city were still drawn to the Indie Sleaze movement, and so, the festival’s single-day lineup reflected that — with electronic artists Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, and Empire OF The Sun headlining that year. That decision to cater to a generation of fellow early adults paid off immensely, as the aptly-titled Governors Ball’s debut drew the highest attendance for any event on Governors Island. “As many area festival attempts often fall flat due to poor execution, the Governors Ball was a pleasant exception to the rule, leaving us looking forward to its return next year,” Flavorwire wrote about the festival.

Building upon their success, the founders expanded Governors Ball to a two-day festival the following year, moving the location to Randall’s Island to better accommodate the growth — which included popular city food vendors (Luke’s Lobster, Wafels & Dinges) and a variety of outdoor games. Beck, Kid Cudi, Passion Pit, and Modest Mouse were on 2012’s top billing.

Despite the momentum, the third year was not a charm for Governors Ball, as disaster struck in the form of Tropical Storm Andrea on day one — the start of weather that would prove to be a common struggle for the founders in years to come. By 9 pm, the entire festival was canceled, with local paper Gothamist publishing a slideshow of the conditions. Crowds in colorful ponchos dispersed, just trying to avoid being drenched in mud.

“It was a heck of a storm: a lot of rain and high winds. When you have 40,000 people on your festival site, which is grass, and you have five to six inches of water descend upon that site within an eight-hour period, the result is a field of mud,” Russell told INC about that year. “There’s not much you can really do to combat that. We laid down plywood, sand, and landscaper’s hay, but everything just sank. Around 8 p.m. on Friday, when we started getting 40 mph wind gusts, we knew we had to cut the show.”

Throughout the years, weather complications have continued to be a common theme affecting Governors Ball. In 2019, Sunday attendees were stuck on Randall’s Island, until an 8:30 pm announcement officially canceled The Strokes and SZA’s nighttime performances. With severe thunderstorms, ticket buyers walked back across the RFK bridge to get home.

Still, Governors Ball planned to get back to normal. The original 2020 lineup continued the cross-generational appeal by featuring Tame Impala, Missy Elliott, Flume, and Vampire Weekend as headliners; it was eventually canceled due to the pandemic. After taking a-year-and-a-half hiatus until returning in September 2021, much like the rest of the world, the festival made some major changes. As for whether these will prove for better or for worse is to be determined.

Upon their return, Governors Ball announced they would be moving the permanent location to Citi Field — with stages set up just outside of the Mets stadium. Last year marked my first time attending the festival, so it’s difficult to compare to past locations. However, crowd control seemed to be a significant issue. Given the stages are spaced quite closely together, a lot of the audiences blended into one giant crowd, with very minimal lamp posts or clear exit signs. About six months later and in the wake of Astroworld, it seems to be a potential safety issue.

Still, Governors Ball has the opportunity to smooth out any roadblocks for their second year at Citi Field. At the very least, they have an all-star lineup — one that leans heavily into aiming for a younger demographic instead of keeping one headliner your Gen X mother might recognize.

Saturday’s headliner, Halsey, is one of the most exciting artists on the bill. They sought out their musical heroes — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails — to eventually began crafting an industrial-inspired pop record together. The result was their cinematic fourth studio album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. While the writing process began before Halsey’s pregnancy (and first child), it conceptually began to wrap around all the various aspects of motherhood.

Rapper J. Cole will close out the festival as Sunday’s headlining performer. Last year, he released his Grammy-nominated sixth album, The Off-Season. “The Off-Season symbolizes the work that it takes to get to the highest height,” he told Slam magazine last year. “The Off-Season represents the many hours and months and years it took to get to top form. Just like in basketball, what you see him do in the court, that shit was worked on in the summertime.”

Hip-hop continues to play a heavy part in Governors Ball’s main acts: Friday headliner Kid Cudi, Jack Harlow, British MC Skepta, Coi Leray, Roddy Ricch, and many more. As a fun surprise, basketball player Shaquille O’Neal is scheduled to perform on Saturday under the stage name DJ Diesel.

For those looking for rising indie acts, Samia is one of the solo artists not to miss. The singer-songwriter released her first full-length record, The Baby, in 2020. She has since followed that with a handful of equally strong singles, from the somber, piano-driven “Desperado” to capturing feelings of love, and acceptance on “As You Are.” Last year, Samia also teamed up with a handful of prominent indie artists to reimagine songs from her debut album, including Bartees Strange, Christian Lee Hutson, Palehound, and many more.

The past year has also been a record-breaking one for Michelle Zauner, who fronts the Philly-based indie band, Japanese Breakfast. Between releasing a Grammy-nominated album, Jubilee, and becoming a New York Times bestselling author with her debut memoir, Crying In H Mart, Zauner has continuously distinguished herself as a talented artist — no matter what the medium is.

In all, Governors Ball has the chance to redefine itself for this new decade, evolving as necessary, and representing its city as the flagship festival offering.

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

If you’re a fan of Breaking Bad and/or Better Call Saul (are there people who like one, but not the other? I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t want to know), you should follow Thomas Schnauz on Twitter. He’s written (and occasionally directed) many of the best episodes for both shows, including “Say My Name” and the Saul season six midseason finale “Plan and Execution,” and answers questions from his followers.

Like @David66393582, who wondered “if deaging tech was ever considered? And would you use it if and when Walt and Jesse emerge in BCS?” It’s a fair question considering Saul takes place before the events of Breaking Bad, but Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Giancarlo Esposito, etc. look older in the prequel series, because that’s how aging works. “You either go with it or you don’t,” Schnauz replied. “We don’t have the time or budget to do that.” Better Call Saul does not have The Irishman money.

The Emmy-nominated writer also responded to a question from @TruthScarier about whether Saul takes into account people who haven’t seen Breaking Bad. “We try to have it make sense for people who haven’t seen BB, and that just means returning characters and references have to work organically with the plot and not be forced in,” he explained.

Also, Schnauz tweets about testicles.

A lot.

Like hundreds of times.

Honestly? Good for him.