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The Ted Lasso Power Rankings are a weekly analysis of who and/or what had the strongest performance in each episode. Most of the list will feature individual characters, although the committee does reserve the right to honor anything from animals to inanimate objects to laws of nature to general concepts. There are very few rules here.

Season 2, Episode 2 — Lavender

Honorable Mention: Frank Sinatra (skewed mercurial); dads, generally (some good, some less so); Jamie’s agents (spin-off); Rebecca (gonna need her to have a standalone episode at some point); Higgins (he’s a sweet man but it seems fitting in a very specific way to leave him out of the listings proper); Laughing Liam (AH AH HAH AH); Emily’s mom (a good egg); Ted Danson, JLD, Dave Grohl (Midas touch); Dani Rojas (physically pains me to remove him from the top ten); Nate (needs to chill out a little)

10. Jamie (Last Week: 7)

Tough week for Jamie across the board. Booted off his reality show, booted off of Manchester’s roster, laughed at by his agents, etc etc. Real existential crisis for old Jamie Tartt, one that culminated in a heart-to-heart with Ted in a bar where they talked about dads and soccer and other things two guys talk about over beers. The whole thing got quite biblical by the end, and I mean that literally, because once he rejoined the team in the final moments of the episode, it all straight-up mirrored the story of the Prodigal Son.

Pardon me for a second while I blow an inch of dust off of my old Sunday School Bible here, but that story goes something like this: A father has two sons, a well-behaved older one and a wildass younger one. The older one stays to work the fields and help the family and the younger one runs off to cavort with prostitutes and reprobates. Eventually, the younger one runs out of money and spirit and comes home, where the father greets him with open arms and celebrations. We pick up the story there:

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Ted is the dad, Sam is the older son, Jamie is the young delinquent. It works out almost perfectly. The only thing missing is Ted slaughtering a cow to celebrate. But that would have been weird. Jamie just found out George Harrison died. I’m not sure he’s ready to watch his coach slit a farm animal’s throat on the pitch. Maybe next week.

9. Danthony (Last Week: Not ranked)

I mean, I can’t very well rank Danthony below Jamie, can I? Not when Jamie got voted off before him. Rules are rules here.

8. Sam (Last Week: Not ranked)

Big rollercoaster week for Sam. Threw a little tantrum on the pitch about Jamie coming back, was assured that Jamie was not coming back, smiled and told Ted a sweet thing about his dad, then watched Jamie waltz back in any way to steal his thunder. He has a right to be upset on this one, I think. At Ted, specifically. Especially if, as it appears, Ted did not double back and tell him about the 180 on Jamie’s return. Communication is key.

Which brings up a good point: What the heck, Ted? It kind of looked like he just went ahead and made the decision unilaterally, which is, I suppose, depending on the language in his contract, his right, but still. At least tell the other coaches. At least tell Sam you’ve changed your mind after that heart-to-heart about being a leader. This might be the angriest I’ve ever been at Ted Lasso, even if he made the decision with kindness and understanding in his heart. Come on, man.

7. Will the Kit Man (Last Week: Not ranked)

My sweet boy. Just running around making things smell and taste nice. Turning the clubhouse into a day spa. I hope by episode four he has Dani in a charcoal mask with cucumber slices over his eyes. Like, on the bench, during the game. He just wants to help. I love him very much.

6. Ted (Last Week: 9)

Ted is inching closer and closer to that sit-down with Doctor “Okay, Fine, Call Me Doc If You Must” Sharon, a woman who sees straight through him as though he were a freshly washed window pane. This will be interesting for a lot of reasons, starting with Ted never really, truly coming to terms with his own post-divorce life and continuing on to the way he’s thrown himself completely into his job and helping the people around him while pushing down what appears to be a tiny, dark, bubbling little demon. It’s going to be a whole thing. The prediction here is that Ted will cry at some point. Write that down.

But there is a silver lining in it all: As long as the team doesn’t sell its lawnmower, he’ll always have at least one source of unfiltered joy in his life. It’s the little things, sometimes.

5. Mae (Last Week: Not ranked)

Love Mae. Runs the bar with an iron fist but has a heart made of solid gold. There’s a long list of characters on this show whose origin stories I would like to see explored in a Mythic Quest-style standalone episode (Higgins, Roy, Keeley, Nate, Rebecca), but none rank higher than Mae. Nothing would surprise me about her. The next episode could start with her polishing a silver medal she won for pole vaulting in the 1972 Olympics and I’d be like “Yeah, I can see it.”

4. Dr. Sharon (Last Week: 2)

While I cannot approve of anyone who has a blanket prohibition on sugar for any non-medical reason, I do appreciate the power move of taking one bite of a homemade biscuit and then placing it back in the box and handing the whole thing back to the person who gave it to you. Bold. Strong. Dr. Sharon fascinates me. I must know everything about her at once.

Also, I hope, more than anything else related to the second season of this show, the story she told about swearing off sugar because it makes her an unhinged lunatic ends up being a Chekhov’s Gun situation and we get to see her on a saccharine bender for the ages before the credits hit in the season finale. Like, swinging on a chandelier in Buckingham Palace. Arrested by the palace guards. The whole thing. Give Sharon a cupcake and watch her rage.

3. Keeley (Last Week: Not ranked)

Keeley might be the most consistent performer on the show. Rarely too high, rarely too low. Just giving good advice and having various world-famous athletes pleasure her. It’s a solid gig if you can get it. Good for her.

2. Roy (Last Week: 8)

I like that the show has already figured out what to do with a post-career Roy and I like that the answer turned out to be “have him cuss a lot in situations where one is not supposed to cuss in polite society.” Coaching a youth soccer team? Roy is letting an eff-bomb fly. On national television as a pundit? Get the bleeper ready, lads. He’s like Charles Barkley but bearded and even less censored. I appreciate this greatly. I hope the entire season charts his rise as a television phenomenon — complete with one of those montages where newspapers spin toward the camera and reveal headlines like “Ex-Footballer Becomes Telly Sensation” and “Roy Kent Tells It Like It Is” — and I hope he ends up with his own daytime talk show on the BBC. I know I just said this last week but I’m going to keep saying it until it happens. I will type this into existence.

1. Coach Beard (Last Week: 1)

See, you would think that Coach Beard might get bumped from the top spot after we learned that he’s been sleeping in the clubhouse because his chess partner and lover heaved his keys into a river during a quarrel. That’s not an unreasonable thing to think.

But you would be wrong. It only makes me love him more. Number one.

Sony Pictures surprised fans by dropping a new Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailer on Monday morning, when fans received the closest look yet at Woody Harrelson’s Carnage, and man, were folks feeling the film’s take on Venom’s deadliest enemy. Within minutes of the trailer‘s release, Carnage fans were going wild on social media with their reactions. From Harrleson’s transformation into the blood red symbiote to his badass strut in the middle of a brutal prison break.

You can check out the reactions below:

After the first trailer gave Venom fans a small taste of Carnage, sequel director Andy Serkis revealed that the classic Marvel villain will have a new power when he makes his live-action debut this fall.

“He can turn to mist. He can turn to all manner of tendrils. He can take different forms. He can weaponize, he can do all of these different things,” Serkis told IGN while explaining why Venom will have his work cut out for him. “It would be like trying to have a fight with an octopus basically.”

Here’s the official plot synopsis:

Tom Hardy returns to the big screen as the lethal protector Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters. Directed by Andy Serkis, the film also stars Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris and Woody Harrelson, in the role of the villain Cletus Kasady/Carnage. Directed by Andy Serkis, the film also stars Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris and Woody Harrelson, in the role of the villain Cletus Kasady/Carnage.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage opens on September 24.

The RX is Uproxx Music’s stamp of approval for the best albums, songs, and music stories throughout the year. Inclusion in this category is the highest distinction we can bestow, and signals the most important music being released throughout the year. The RX is the music you need, right now.

When it comes to legendary musicians, critics love to talk about their phases. Massive discographies get split up over time, catalogued into sections that are defined by sound, style, and era, each segment parceled out neatly for listeners to engage with. And though it’s only her second album, on Happier Than Ever, Billie Eilish has already ushered in a completely new phase — one that manages to sound absolutely pitch-perfect without negating her prior work. Shifting away from the eerie trap beats and ASMR pop that completely defined When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, this rising star cemented herself as the important element, everything else can be swapped out with apparent ease. Billie remains.

Happier Than Ever is a jazzy, sometimes too-slow, incredibly self-serious project, one that repurposes her righteous viral monologues and hindu poems with equal dexterity, Finneas’ golden touch mitigating the potential clunkiness of either. It’s hard to imagine another teenage pop star releasing a record that cites influences like Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee as major touchstones, let alone turning a slew of songs with the sonic palette of a jazz standards songbook into a commercially successful pop project, but she’s done just that. As different as her new blonde hair and doe-eyed promo photos are from her previous green locks and blank stares, the songs on this second album delve into sex, physical intimacy, trauma, lust, and abandonment in a way that’s leaps and bounds beyond the lyrics on her debut. It’s only been two years, but in Billie’s world, everything has changed.

And even if her personal life did drastically shift with the increased fame brought on by her first record and its record-breaking critical acclaim — the pressure of the spotlight is usually mentioned second-hand here, as an interruption of or hindrance to her relationships. Happier Than Ever gets into sex and physical intimacy right off the bat, with the slinky “Billie Bossa Nova” giving us “Girl From Ipanema” for the iPhone era. On an even more explicit standout, the insatiable “Oxytocin,” Billie imagines God watching her and a hookup do “bad things,” while other tracks like “OverHeated” and “Halley’s Comet” get at long-distance relationships, desirability, and body image in more roundabout ways.

Since fans have already heard a good portion of singles off the record — “Therefore I Am,” “My Future,” “Your Power,” “Lost Cause,” and “NDA” just a few days ago — it wouldn’t be surprising if the rest of the album paled in comparison to these predecessors. But that isn’t the case at all. Those songs are strong, but other more reflective tracks like album opener “Getting Older” and the title track examine complex feelings of mortality, freedom, and toxic relationships, “Everybody Dies” is akin to the Bond theme song Billie and Finneas released in 2019, “No Time To Die,” reflecting on loneliness that bleeds into existential themes.

Disappointment with men and relationships is a common thread throughout the album, with album closer “Male Fantasy” in particular skewering the still-prevalent double standards that impact young women, even if they’re as powerful as Billie Eilish. But Billie is at her best when she’s focusing on herself, and her behavior, instead of the unsurprising reality that men can’t live up to her standards. This perspective shift is clear in the album’s title, too, which seemed to sardonically hint at life after her debut album’s success, but is actually about feeling better now that a certain someone is no longer in her life. Not quite a breakup album, Happier manages to touch on all kinds of relational themes, as the swaggering “Therefore I Am” alluded to all the way back in fall of 2019. The bulk of these songs aren’t sad, or mad, but disappointed, and refocused on loving and understanding herself.

And even with the album’s heavy jazz and piano, little flourishes of percussion and fuzz keep the record from feeling sleepy or retro, another indication that Finneas might be the next super producer of our time. Take the massive Yeezus crescendo on “NDA,” or even the disco-funk embedded in the middle of “My Future” as proof that he can still insert subtle flexes, even within super-specific boundaries. Billie’s vocals, too, are feathery and treated with the same jaw-dropping precision that made her debut stand out so quickly. Maybe that’s why it’s so easy to take her lyrics to heart — the vocals are always the most important element in the mix. Even so, it’s likely that her palette for this album will be just that, a single project sound that’s quickly replaced for her next release. But if she moves as smoothly and assuredly into the next era, it won’t matter if it’s metal, musical theater, or even country. Because it will still be Billie. Clearly, all she needs is herself.

Happier Than Ever is out now via Darkroom Records/Interscope. Get it here.

Of all the people who were insulted — directly or indirectly — by DaBaby’s Rolling Loud claims that HIV/AIDS “kills you in two or three weeks” and his admonishment about performing fellatio in the festival’s parking lots, one artist who seems to have taken an amused view of the situation is Brockhampton’s Kevin Abstract. Rather than reaching out to inform DaBaby why his statements were offensive and incorrect like Sir Elton John and Madonna, he laughed off the Charlotte rapper’s words by claiming to have done exactly what DaBaby disapproved in his call to action.

While Abstract’s group, Brockhampton, was scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza on Sunday — the same day as DaBaby — the Texan rapper whiled the time away on Twitter, joking about the coincidence that put the two acts in such close proximity. Of course, it could have been an uncomfortable situation, as Abstract is openly gay and has rapped about sexual encounters with men in his lyrics, which he also referenced on Twitter.

However, rather than seeking out a confrontation, Abstract instead quipped, “JUS SUCKED A HUGE D*CK IN [THE] PARKING LOT,” directly referencing DaBaby’s earlier comments and showing he wasn’t about to let those comments deter him from being himself.

Ultimately, the Lollapalooza organizers resolved the dilemma themselves, removing DaBaby from the lineup and replacing him with G Herbo and Young Thug. Meanwhile, DaBaby continues to see the fallout from his comments (and his defiance toward the backlash they incurred), as Governor’s Ball also removed him from the lineup this week.

Ava Max turned some heads with her 2020 debut album Heaven & Hell, including those of some of her peers in the industry. She’s worked with people like Charlie Puth, Kane Brown, and Jason Derulo, but she has also captured the attention of perhaps the most successful pop-rock group of the past 20 years: Maroon 5, who just announced that Max will join them for some of their 2020 tour.

Specifically, Max will open for them on their stadium shows: at Wrigley Field in Chicago on August 30, Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA on September 5, Fenway Park in Boston on September 12, and Banc Of California Stadium in Los Angeles on October 2.

Find the full list of Maroon 5’s tour dates below.

08/10 — Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
08/12 — Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
08/14 — Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater
08/16 — Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
08/18 — Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
08/19 — Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater
08/21 — Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
08/23 — Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/25 — Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake
08/26 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
08/28 — Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
08/30 — Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field *
09/01 — Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
09/02 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
09/04 — Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion
09/05 — Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium *
09/07 — Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
09/08 — Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
09/10 — Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
09/12 — Boston, MA @ Fenway Park *
09/13 — Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
09/15 — Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
09/23 — West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
09/24 — Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
09/27 — Del Valle, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
09/28 — The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
10/01 — Phoenix, AZ @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
10/02 — Los Angeles, CA @ Banc Of California Stadium *
10/05 — Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
10/07 — Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
10/08 — Concord, CA @ Concord Pavilion

* with Ava Max

David Marchese is one of the best interviewers in the game. His conversation with music legend Quincy Jones (who called the Beatles “the worst musicians in the world” and “no-playing motherf*ckers” and claimed that Marlon Brando would “f*ck anything,” including “James Baldwin. Richard Pryor. Marvin Gaye”) should be taught in journalism school. He also got Jon Stewart to reveal the “worst legacy” of his time on The Daily Show and Erykah Badu confessed to him that she sees “good in everybody,” including Adolf Hitler.

In his latest interview, Marchese spoke to Jason Momoa for the New York Times Magazine. It got contentious. That’s often a good thing in conversations with celebrities — otherwise, it’s a puff piece. But this one was… awkward.

It started normally enough, but then the Aquaman actor was asked about the sexual violence on Game of Thrones, where he played Dothraki warlord Khal Drogo, and whether he thinks “differently today” about his scenes with Daenerys Targaryen.

“Well, it was important to depict Drogo and his style. You’re playing someone that’s like Genghis Khan,” Momoa answered. “It was a really, really, really hard thing to do. But my job was to play something like that, and it’s not a nice thing, and it’s what that character was. It’s not my job to go, ‘Would I not do it?’ I’ve never really been questioned about ‘Do you regret playing a role?’ We’ll put it this way: I already did it. Not doing it again.”

From here on, Momoa’s answers to Marchese’s questions became curt. For instance:

Marchese: “You said you have a vision for the whole totality of Aquaman. Are you able to articulate that vision for me?”
Momoa: “No.”
Marchese: “Oh, man.”
Momoa: “Sorry.”

Later, when Marchese about the research for Netflix’s Sweet Girl that stood out for him, Momoa replied, “I don’t really want to talk about big pharma right now.” That signaled the end of the interview for Marchese, who told the actor, “OK, I guess we’re done. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me.” But Momoa had one more thing to say:

“Yeah, and I wanted to bring something up that left a bad feeling in my stomach. When you brought up Game of Thrones, you brought up stuff about what’s happening with my character and would I do it again. I was bummed when you asked me that. It just feels icky — putting it upon me to remove something. As if an actor even had the choice to do that. We’re not really allowed to do anything. There are producers, there are writers, there are directors, and you don’t get to come in and be like, ‘I’m not going do that because this isn’t kosher right now and not right in the political climate.’ That never happens. So it’s a question that feels icky. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Yeah, well, thanks again,” Marchese responded. You can (and should) read the entire conversation here.

(Via the New York Times)

The NBA 2K League has been one of the many esports organizations that were hosting in-person events that fans could buy tickets to, go to an arena, and watch their favorite teams compete against one another. Unfortunately for them, and many others, they were forced to suspend those in-person events. However, this didn’t mean the end of the 2K League itself. The league moved to an online-only format and even had some matches shown on ESPN2. So while the rest of sports stopped for a bit the 2K League was one of the few that kept going.

As everyone is looking forward to moving back into a sense of normalcy we’re starting to see the return of in-person esports events too. On Monday, 2K League announced that the upcoming playoffs will be taking place at the Mavs Gaming Hub in Dallas, Texas. Not only that, but fans will be able to purchase tickets and attend these playoffs. For those who are choosing to not attend in person, they can still watch the playoffs through live streams on Twitch or YouTube. The playoffs will begin on Thursday, August 26.

Like a traditional sporting event, there needs to be a hook to convince fans to come attend in person instead of choosing to watch on a live stream and the 2K League’s big hook is going to be a unique stage set up. Fans can watch two matches taking place at the same time on two separate stages. The broadcast itself will switch between the two games taking place to try and grab key moments as they happen.

“The NBA 2K League live studio experience and stage is unlike anything in esports, with an electric energy and passion that is palpable. Add the high-stakes of the Playoffs and we have the perfect storm that our fans have been waiting to see for two years.” said NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue. “We are thrilled to be able to bring together the league’s top teams to safely crown a champion and share this excitement with our fans watching around the world.”

Over $1 million is on the line here for the teams competing with the champion of the league winning a $450,000 prize pool. The remaining $630,000 will be distributed among the teams that qualify for the 2021 Playoffs (second place – $180,000, third and fourth place – $80,000, fifth through eighth place – $42,500, ninth through twelfth place – $30,000). So making these playoffs over the course of the next few weeks will be a big deal. The top five teams from each conference will earn an automatic berth into the playoffs and the final two slots will be decided in a tournament with the remaining teams.

Not caught up on the standings but interested in the playoffs? These are the current top five teams in each conference. The full standings can be found here:

Eastern Conference:

1 Wizards District Gaming
2 Hornets Venom GT
3 76ers GC
4 NetsGC
5 Grizz Gaming

Western Conference

1 T-Wolves Gaming
2 Pacers Gaming
3 Jazz Gaming
4 Warriors Gaming Squad
5 Kings Guard Gaming

In a Monday morning statement across her social media accounts, Kathy Griffin has revealed that she’s been diagnosed with lung cancer. While any cancer diagnosis comes as a blow, Griffin was especially caught off guard because she’s never been a smoker. The comedian shared that the cancer is only “stage one,” and she’s optimistic about the outcome. She also made it a point to note that she has been vaccinated for COVID-19, and that her situation “would have been even more serious” if she was unvaccinated.

You can read her full statement below:

I’ve got to tell you guys something. I have cancer. I’m about to go into surgery to have have half of my left lung removed. Yes, I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked! The doctors are very optimistic as it is stage one and contained to my left lung. Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing. I should be up and running around as usual in a month or less. It’s been a helluva 4 years, trying to get back to work, making you guys laugh and entertaining you, but I’m gonna be just fine. Of course I’m fully vaccinated for Covid. The consequences for being unvaccinated would have been even more serious. Please stay up to date on your medical check ups. It’ll save your life.
XXOO, KG

As noted in her statement, Griffin has been fighting to rebuild her career after a 2017 scandal involving a satirical photo of Donald Trump’s severed head led to her being fired from CNN, where she was a staple during the network’s New Years Eve coverage. After blasting the crowd at the 2018 Writer’s Guild Awards for not lifting a finger to support her during the photo controversy, the heat on Griffin has notably died down over the years, after Trump’s bumbling pandemic response and the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building following a “Stop the Steal” rally. A very tasteless joke seems practically quaint after that.

(Via Kathy Griffin on Twitter)

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Billie Eilish finally follow up her debut album and super-producer Jack Antonoff take the spotlight for a change with a new Bleachers album. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters.

Billie Eilish — “Happier Than Ever”

After much ado, Billie Eilish’s long-awaited sophomore album Happier Than Ever is out. To accompany the release, she shared a rain-soaked video for the title track, an intensely vulnerable and emotional epic on which she all but mentions an ex who wronged her by name. It’s powerful and a key component of an album that’s ultimately a step forward for the young star.

Bleachers — “Secret Life”

Jack Antonoff has been more of a man behind the curtain in recent years with his work on some of pop’s most high-profile projects. Now, though, he’s stepping to the front of the stage again with a new Bleachers album, Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night, which he dropped last week. He preceded the album with “Secret Life,” a single that features one of those aforementioned collaborators, Lana Del Rey.

Silk Sonic — “Skate”

Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) released “Leave The Door Open” in March, and in the months since then, fans have been waiting for the duo to follow up the soulful track. Finally, nearly half a year later, they have, with “Skate,” which is directly in the same vein as its predecessor but with some more vigor.

Petey — “We Go On Walks”

Uproxx favorite Petey has a full-length album, Lean Into Life, coming out this fall, and to follow the title track lead single, he dropped “We Go On Walks” last week. Uproxx’s Caitlin White notes of the track, “The chaotic, sometimes aggressive facets of the song are pretty reflective of how plenty of people are feeling after the last 18 months of confusing pandemic-related isolation, as is the practice of going on walks, so it feels very much like a song of its time.”

The Kid Laroi — “Best For Me”

The Kid Laroi’s F*ck Love is the project that doesn’t end. He has released expanded edition after expanded edition of it since its original release in July 2020. The latest is F*ck Love 3+: Over You, which adds six more songs to the album (bringing the total across all F*ck Love editions to 35 songs), and this time, they’re all solo cuts like “Best For Me.”

Angel Olsen — “Safety Dance”

Angel Olsen isn’t necessarily the first artist you’d expect to release a project of ’80s covers, but that’s just what she’s doing with Aisles, and the returns so far have been delightful. Her latest is the Men Without Hats classic “Safety Dance,” and the rendition eschews the pop sensibilities of the original recording in favor of a more brooding post-punk direction.

Jamila Woods — “Fast Car”

This fall, esteemed indie label Jagjaguwar is celebrating its 25th anniversary with Join The Ritual, a big covers album featuring a number of wonderful guests. Among them is Jamila Woods, who put her spin on a timeless classic, Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” Woods managed to breathe new life into the widely covered tune, turning the folk tune into more of a smoldering R&B ballad.

Toosii — “Spin Music”

Toosii is fresh off the release of his new expanded edition of Thank You For Believing, which was given the extended title Thank You For Believing (The Manifestation). A key track from the effort is “Spin Music,” which boasts a guest spot from Fivio Foreign. The track comes with a video that features some visually compelling shots of the rappers enjoying some of the trappings of their opulent lifestyles.

Isaiah Rashad — “Score” Feat. SZA and 6lack

A new full-length effort from Isaiah Rashad, titled The House Is Burning, dropped last week, and among the highlights is a collaboration with SZA and 6lack. Uproxx’s Wongo Okon notes of “Score,” “The well-constructed collaboration is led by mellow and drowned-out vocals from Rashad who opts for a bit of singing as opposed to rapping his way through the beat. SZA steps in for a rather small contribution to the song while 6lack delivers a strong verse of his own.”

Lil Yachty — “Love Music”

While Yachty’s recent work has had a bit of a hard-edged aesthetic, his latest, “Love Music,” is more in the unicorns-farting-rainbows territory. Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes how the song sees Yachty leaving his comfort zone: “Rather than relying on the bass-heavy, bombastic trap that he’s been kicking around the last couple of years or even reverting to his early cartoon-trap styles, this song sees him going soft-rock like it’s 2005 all over again.”

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

Barack Obama’s special blend of no-nonsense presidential airs continues to be missed, even if people did enjoy seeing him truly enjoying life after leaving office. The sight of him surfing for the first time in 8 years could make (almost) anyone smile, at least briefly, but there’s a distinctly un-Obama-like move coming from the 43rd president for his upcoming 60th birthday celebrations at Martha’s Vineyard. It’s right along the lines of Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan’s decision to do a joint “socially distanced” residency in Texas last December while COVID cases surged in Texas. In the midst of those shows, Chappelle tested positive and shut down the residency, and now, things are arguably more dire in the U.S. with cases rising again as the Delta variant runs wild.

Plans for Obama’s birthday, meanwhile, do not look wise. As Axios reports, nearly 500 guests (no Biden) are on the agenda. There is talk of a COVID-coordinator for the event, which will be held outdoors with requests that everyone be vaccinated. However, there’s no guarantee that there will be true verification of vaccination status. Most businesses are operating on the honor system when it comes to customers/guests and masks, so there’s no telling how deep the verification process will dive. Tests are also not foolproof, and breakthrough cases happen. Granted, Axios points out that Martha’s Vineyard isn’t currently a “substantially high-risk” area, but guests will come from far and wide. Here are some details, via Axios’ Margaret Talev:

The party already is the talk of Uber drivers, hotel maids and check-in clerks.

One person with connections to Obamaworld said there were 475 confirmed guests — including friends, family and former aides — and 200-plus staff planning to work the party.

Pearl Jam was set to play, and one local hairdresser had been retained to style the hair of a band member. Steven Spielberg also was expected.

So… this probably involves at least 700 people gathered in one place, and even being “outdoors” doesn’t seem to fully deter Delta when it wants to do its thing. And all this is happening while Democrats are currently attempting to convince their Republican House colleagues (who are throwing tantrums and sh*tposting in retaliation) about taking this stage of the pandemic more seriously. Perhaps Obama needs to rustle up some of his commonsense approach, step in, and call this event off and maybe just go surfing again? That would be a great way to celebrate.

(Via Axios)