Back in October, burgeoning indie-pop singer Claud signaled the beginning of something exciting as they announced they were the first signee of Phoebe Bridger’s newly minted Saddest Factory label. They’ve now officially announced their debut record Super Monster and are following-up the news with a vibrant video alongside their recent single “Soft Spot.”
Directed by Brad Bischoff, Claud’s “Soft Spot” video shows them aiming to part with their emotional baggage. Claud packs up a truck with their belongings and hits the road, only to find themselves continuing to mourn a past relationship.
Speaking about the concept behind the visual, Claud notes that they’ve learned the difference between moving away and moving on from their past:
“Something I’ve come to realize in the last couple years is that moving away is VERY different than moving on (seems obvious but is really not…). This video is about the stuff that you can’t seem to leave behind and that comes with you wherever you go, whether they’re good things or not so good things.”
About the single, Claud said, “I have a soft spot for lots of people, places, and things. This song is about knowing I can’t be with this one specific person, but my feelings won’t go away… I still hope I run into them, or they randomly text me about something. It’s just me romanticizing what I can’t have and being like ‘but what if…’”
Watch the “Soft Spot” video above.
Super Monster is out 2/12/2021 via Saddest Factory. Pre-order it here.
Bun B recently told HotNewHipHop that he doesn’t mind if defending Megan Thee Stallion damaged his relationship with Tory Lanez because protecting Black women is more important. The Houston legend stood up for Megan at a time when few of his contemporaries did, shortly after Megan was allegedly shot in both feet by Lanez after an argument at a Hollywood house party.
Responding to a question about the hip-hop community’s reaction to the shooting, Bun told HNHH, “Initially, many people are hesitant to get into other people’s business. This was a domestic issue between a couple and most people tend to stay out of those. Things can get very touchy.” However, he said, “We have to make sure that we are standing up and supporting and defending our Black women. Because if Black men don’t say, ‘Don’t touch our Black women,’ white men and white women will do and act however they feel or choose against our women. And those days are done.”
He elaborated, “People are usually waiting for that first person to say something, and then more and more people will step to the table. I feel like if I hadn’t said anything, I’m not sure how much people would have even spoken on this issue. And if my relationship with Tory Lanez is damaged, then so be it. We have to protect our Black women and any Black man that doesn’t feel the same way is not my brother.”
He also noted that Tory didn’t “read the room” when he released his defensive albumDaystar while allowing that Tory has the right to defend himself in court. Bun admitted he didn’t know whether Tory would be able to continue performing in Houston after the incident, pointing out that “People still went to R. Kelly concerts, so I can’t really say what people will and won’t do.”
Scott Baio got steamed over John Stamos wanting to be Chachi in a reunion and the reunion itself, and Ralph Malph wants Baio to sit down. Yes, I did type that sentence in 2020, but it’s certainly no less messed up than the rest of what we’ve seen lately.
Let’s briefly recap here. Baio, a noted MAGA enthusiast who recently took over a craft store to celebrate his Trump love, grew angry when his former Happy Days co-star, Ron Howard, crossed nostalgia with politics. Howard’s perceived offense was to organize while raising funds for Joe Biden in the swing state of Wisconsin. Quite quickly, cast members — including Henry Winkler, Anson Williams, Marion Ross, and Don Most — hopped aboard. Baio decided not to reprise his Chachi role (even though he has “Chachi” in his Twitter bio), and he complained that Howard plotted “to use a classic show like Happy Days about Americana to promote an anti-American socialist. #Shameful.” Then John Stamos stepped up with an offer to play Chachi, and Baio judged hard: “This is what Hollywood has come to. #shameful #LiberalsAreDesperate.” He fired shots at Stamos about “Aunt Becky.” It got pretty ugly.
Don Most didn’t appreciate Baio’s tantrums. While speaking to Fox News to promote his Lost Heart film, Most related that he wasn’t surprised that Baio sat out the reunion, but he wishes that Chachi would chill out and realize that free speech goes both ways:
“It was disappointing to hear how strongly he felt. And how he was so critical and negative about us doing this. I felt it was way out of line. I really did. Because we are entitled to our opinions. And we were all as a group uniting to do something, just like he proposes his views. He was part of the show and people are aware of him because of that show. And he’s using that as a way to present his views. We’re entitled to do the same. And we were all united in the way we felt.”
Most also related that he and Scott used to play golf together, but they really don’t touch base anymore, and it doesn’t sound like they’ll be hanging together anytime soon. And what does Scott Baio think of this (which is the reason why he’s currently trending on Twitter)? He has a Chachi GIF in response.
Arca has never been afraid to push boundaries. Earlier this year, for example, she released an hour-long single titled “@@@@@.” Now the experimental artist is back with another ambitious and lengthy project: Her first-ever remixes. Specifically, the song “Riquiquí” has been remixed 100 times with help from artificial intelligence.
The remixes are collected on the release Riquiquí;Bronze-Instances(1-100), which clocks in at nearly six hours long. Arca says of the endeavor:
“Did you know that up until now I had never allowed anyone to remix an Arca song? There existed 0 official remixes to an Arca track until today — ‘Riquiquí’ has gotten 100 remixes by an intelligent sentience, created and trained by the genius minds at Bronze. I’ve worked with Bronze once before; in 2019 I gave musical language to Echo, a musical being birthed into the Museum of Modern Art’s lobby, and then Echo began to speak of its own volition. There you will never hear the same thing twice — for two years it is an evermorphing stream thanks to Bronze’s trained yet unpredictable musical AI. I recognized the textures and melodies, but never the song — for a composer such as myself it remains something truly new which I had never experienced before, a moment of unforgettable experience in virtue of the mystery and wonder Bronze makes possible.
I had the idea to make the album art for ‘Riquiquí’ a QR code that functioned as an instant gateway to a forever-mutating instance of the song. On all streaming platforms you’ll be able to hear 100 unique instances if you will. A prometheus flame.”
For all the negative things 2020 has brought us, it has also brought millions of new, interested eyeballs to our once little corner of video game culture.
Well, once they collectively finished Tiger King they came swarming over… but what I’m trying to say is that for both avid gamers and welcomed noobs alike, 2020 has been the year for gaming. And now that this year is coming to a close, what better time for a year-in-review episode with your favorite gaming news and culture show, Uproxx Recon?!
Certified Co-host of the Year, SushiBAE, and honorable mention, me, AJ Lodge, are twelve months wiser and ready to take you through some of 2020’s best moments in streaming, the most wholesome moments in our community, and some of our favorite video games this year. Plus, because we don’t believe that any one game can be the “best,” we’re offering our picks for games that are the “easiest to recommend” and including plenty of discussion about older games that are still thriving even now. There was something to play for everyone this year, whether you’re a fan of great gameplay, engaging stories, or just want to hang with your friends. (Okay, but if you really want to know if Cyberpunk 2077 is better than Among Us, first we have to talk about graphics…)
Check your inventory for chips and salsa because UPROXX Recon is throwing the greatest goodbye party for 2020 that we’ve seen all year!
Never one to skirt controversy, especially when it comes to criticizing her own party, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared her blunt opinion on the Democratic leadership of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer. During an interview for the Intercepted with Jeremy Scahill podcast, AOC made it clear that it’s time for Pelosi and Schumer to go and make room for younger, more progressive leadership. However, AOC acknowledges that no such candidates exist at the time, which she blames on the Democratic Party as a whole for failing to groom “the next generation.” Via The Intercept:
“A lot of this is not just about these two personalities, but also about the structural shifts that these two personalities have led in their time in leadership,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “The structural shifts of power in the House, both in process and rule, to concentrate power in party leadership of both parties, frankly, but in Democratic Party leadership to such a degree that an individual member has far less power than they did 30, 40, 50 years ago.”
While AOC is pragmatic about abruptly replacing Pelosi and Schumer without a plan, citing a vacuum that “nefarious forces” could fill with “something even worse,” she made it clear that this is not about making herself the Speaker of the House. “The House is extraordinarily complex and I’m not ready,” AOC told Scahill. “It can’t be me. I know that I couldn’t do that job.”
AOC also leveled criticism at President-Elect Biden for bringing in “hawkish” members from the Obama administration. While the former president is a beloved figure in Democratic circles, AOC hasn’t been shy about criticizing Obama. She recently pushed back at his criticisms of the controversial “Defund the Police” slogan by arguing that making people “uncomfortable” is what led to increased attention towards police reform.
The holiday season is upon us and musicians everywhere are celebrating in their own way. Dave Grohl and his cohort Greg Kurstin have been commemorating each night of Hanukkah with covers of popular songs by various Jewish musicians. Florence And The Machine vocalist Florence Welch is also ringing in the joyous season, but she took a more traditional route.
As part Nordoff-Robbins’ annual charity event The Stars Come Out To Sing For Christmas, many artists and musicians gathered to deliver carols, poems, and inspiring messages. Welch appeared during the event to give an operatic rendition of the classic song “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Welch tenderly delivered the lyrics from a box seat of an opera house, filling the opulent room with her moving vocals.
Along with Welch, there were an array of artists who joined in on the carols to raise money for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity. The organization aims to bring a creative music therapy approach to children with psychological, physical, or developmental disabilities. Their annual fundraising event is usually hosted in-person but went virtual this year. It was hosted by Nile Rodgers and saw performances from the likes of The Who’s Roger Daltrey, OneRepublic, Robbie Williams, Tony Bennett, Neil Young, and more.
Watch Welch perform “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” above.
Is there a better gift than a great bottle of beer? Hell, it doesn’t even have to be a bottle. It can be a special six-pack or a growler from your favorite local craft brewery. Sharing beer this time of year just feels festive, even in 2020 when most of our gatherings will be virtual.
While we always have plenty of opinions on which beers you should drink, we thought we’d pull in a crew of seasoned industry experts this time around. We asked beer writers, brewers, photographers, judges, and all-around aficionados to help us create a list of the “best beers to gift someone this holiday season.” Some of their picks were on our radar, others surprised us — which is sort of the whole point.
Before we dive in we should note that one beer was called out three times. We dropped the third call out (mine) and kept the other two, both because we believe in the beer and to give you a rare second opinion on the flavor profile. For the most part, the beers featured are fairly accessible from delivery services (just click the prices). In the few cases where they aren’t, we recommend looking for a local craft beer that matches the tasting notes of the beer getting shouted out.
If I need to gift someone beer around the holidays, I’ll grab a six-pack of the classic Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA. This seasonal IPA pours clear and is dark amber in color with an off white head. Definitely keeps you toasty in the winter at 6.8 percent ABV.
It’s always tasty, festive, and satisfying.
Tasting Notes:
It’s not your typical sweet winter beer with added spices or anything like that. It’s just a crisp, flavorful, and well-balanced IPA. It’s brewed with Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook hops and punches you in the face with citrus and pine aromas. The flavor is smooth, hoppy, and piney. It packs rich malty caramel notes with medium bitterness and a sweet finish.
A classy beer in a beautiful bottle, Coolship Cerise from Allagash also comes with an interesting story. Allagash uses the traditional, centuries-old Belgian technique of cooling the wort in a Coolship — a wide, shallow vat in a room with open windows — and allowing wild bacteria in the Maine night air to inoculate it. The beer is then aged on cherries for six months before being bottled. The addition of cherries produces a familiar and accessible flavor, making it perfect for those who are new to beer, while its spontaneously-fermented complexity will delight those with more advanced palates.
Tasting Notes:
There are notes of tart cherry, oak, barnyard funk, and wine mingling throughout the beer.
Boon Kriek Mariage Parfait — Cristal Peck, Brewmaster and Malt Specialist at Boortmalt Innovation Center, Antwerp
2020 is a pretty bleak time to traverse Europe in the pursuit of beer. Exploring breweries and sampling the goods in taprooms is not really a thing these days. So you can imagine my glee when a reconnaissance trip to the countryside region of Lembeek in Belgium unearthed something pretty special: A temporary gift shop within a trailer at a brewery that has been a pioneering force behind Belgium’s rare lambic gems, Brewery Boon.
The trailer was compact yet brimming with vast arrays of spontaneously fermented treats of different blends, different foeders, different fruits. It was endless possibilities with each shelf containing lambics more complex and layered than the other.
Their stylish branding also featured on a handful of merch. I felt like a kid in a candy store. So I went ahead and packed myself a mixed box with a bit of everything. And hey, maybe even a few bottles to gift to those tricky people to buy for, including their Kriek Mariage Parfait!
Tasting Notes:
Kriek Mariage Parfait is not “beer” as we know beer to be. It’s in a league of its own — utter brilliance from beginning to end and unlike anything else. Hectic fizz pulls out aromas of sour cherries augmented by tart wine and deep woody tannins. The distinct lambic funk is almost cheesy but difficult to pinpoint without sounding derogatory when it could not be further from that.
Deep ruby red with a solid and persevering pink foam, you taste the remnants of fresh wild cherries macerated through prolonged barrel-aging. It’s a feast for the microbes of the renowned Lembeek terroir.
Kriek Mariage Parfait drinks like a delicious cocktail of sour wine and sparkling bubbles, oaky cherries, and tart complexity against delicate vanilla. Like I said, utter brilliance from beginning to end. I feel thankful that this tradition is protected and celebrated and the next generation of Boon is ready to take the reins.
TIP: If the Kriek Mariage Parfait is not easy to find, Boon’s standard Kriek (their best-seller actually), or their glorious aged Kriek, their Oude Kriek, are very worthy substitutes.
Beer is daily bread, a basic commodity, and good beer is easy to find these days. If you’re going to give it as a gift, it can’t be something they can find at any supermarket. It doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive, but it does have to be special. It needs a bit of that rare ingredient called unobtainium.
It also helps, I think, if it’s strong. If it comes from a tiny batch from a tiny brewery, even better. It definitely can be local (especially if the recipient ain’t from around here).
Most importantly, though: It has to be really good.
So I’m going with Wellspent Mister Maraschino, out of St. Louis. This big, viscous, bourbon-barrel-aged stout, matured on cacao nibs and Luxardo cherries, ticks all those boxes and more. The red-wax capping even gives it a gifty vibe. Notably, our blind tasting panel over at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine gave this beer top marks of 99/100 earlier this year.
Tasting Notes:
Nose like dark-chocolate cake batter, studded with cherries drowning in glistening chocolate goo. On the palate: weighty, thick, with dark chocolate coming on strong and getting darker pushes from roasted edges and moderate bitterness. Relatively restrained sweetness, all things considered—it’s warming, balanced, and doesn’t cloy. Bourbon is subtle and brown-sugary. A monster of a beer that works because all those big performers strum in harmony.
It’s one of the best beers I had all year. Good luck finding a bottle. I had one and gifted it to myself.
Burning Sky Cuvée — Matthew Curtis, co-founder/editor in chief of Pellicle Magazine
Burning Sky Brewing
Style: Farmhouse Ale/Saison Brewery:Burning Sky Brewery, Firle, UK ABV: 6.5% Average Price:$17.50, 750ml bottle (UK only)
The Beer:
In our house, we have a saying: “Cuvée all-day”
We’re referring to the eponymously named beer from the stupendous Burning Sky Brewery, one of the U.K.’s best-kept secrets. As a producer — for me at least — they rank alongside luminaries such as Hill Farmstead, Casey, Tilquin, and The Rare Barrel. Their beers are often without parallel in England, so when I gift you a bottle, you know it means I genuinely like you.
Cuvée is a special beer among the sours and saisons that makes up this brewery’s range, poured in 750ml bottles. 70 percent of the blend is its house saison, barrel-matured in former Chardonnay barriques. The other 30 percent is a portion of lambic taken from their friends, Brouwerij Girardin in Belgium, also aged in oak at Burning Sky.
Tasting Notes:
This blend (hence the beer’s name) shares a lively, spritzy acidity with a popular sparkling white wine from the north-east of France. This mingles with layered flavors of lemon zest, lime, and gooseberry, all leading to a delectably-dry finish. It’s the kind of beer that’s perfect to open on Christmas morning, and, trust me on this, makes a magical pairing with seafood.
Aecht Schlenkerla Urbock and Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche — Andreas Krennmair, award-winning home brewer and author of Vienna Lager
Schlenkerla
Style: Rauchbier, Bock and Doppelbock Brewery:Brauerei Heller-Trum Schlenkerla, Bamberg, Germany ABV: 6.5% and 8% Average Price:$10, .5l bottle
The Beer:
Schlenkerla is an odd one. This traditional brewery from Bamberg is one of only two to still brew traditional smoked beers. Their flagship beer, Märzen, presents itself very differently. When served straight from a wooden cask in the brewery taproom/restaurant, the beech smoke is soft and subtle, almost undetectable if you’re used to it. From the bottle, the smokey character is more dominant, often described as liquid bacon.
Of course, the conventional way of aging this beer takes time, some planning ahead, and restraint not to sample the beer too early. Fortunately, Schlenkerla itself uses their beer cellars in one of the hills of Bamberg to age the bottled beers under controlled conditions and sells them by vintage at ages of at least 4 years. The fact that Schlenkerla Urbock and Eiche are truly rare specialties and exceptionally unusual beers makes them the perfect gifts even for seasoned beer nerds.
Tasting Notes:
Two particular seasonal winter specialties from this brewery are Urbock, a Bockbier with 6.5 percent ABV, and Eiche, a Doppelbock, with 8 percent ABV, which is brewed from oak-smoked malt. While they’re great beers on their own, they improve even more with age. When enjoyed fresh, they’re both quite smoke-forward, with Urbock being on the sweeter side, while Eiche is a bit drier and accentuated by oak smoke.
At a year’s age, they can take on a metallic taste. But, after a few more years, this fades away, leaving behind an even meatier-tasting strong beer than before. It’s probably the best smoked beer you’ll ever have.
Avec Les Bons Vœux — Breandán Kearney, founder & Editor-in-Chief of Belgian Smaak
Falling somewhere between a Belgian Tripel and a Belgian Saison, Avec Les Bons Vœux is often overlooked for its smaller sibling Saison Dupont.
This beer started life as a gift! Avec Les Bons Vœux — translating as “With Good Wishes” — was originally created in 1970 as a one-off gift to Brasserie Dupont’s most loyal customers. Its reception was so successful that it was moved into regular rotation and this strong copper blond ale has become a complex staple of the brewery’s portfolio ever since.
Tasting Notes:
The famous open flame kettle at Dupont equips the Bon Vœux with hints of caramel and honey. But the characteristic yeast profile found in all of Dupont’s beers is the dominant element in its flavor make-up. With its highly attenuating fermentation capabilities, its tolerance to high temperatures, and the squat flat-bottomed fermenters in which it does its work, the Dupont yeast delivers stone fruit and citrus notes with some background pepper and clove.
It’s a rich and balanced beer, perfect as a gift for beer beginners or long-time geeks.
I’m consistently flabbergasted at how many beer lovers still haven’t tried Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Perhaps they’ve mistaken it for a holiday spice bomb and passed it by. The label, with its snowed-in cabin, certainly looks the part of a gingerbread ale, but what lies inside the bottle is a hop lover’s delight.
Celebration Ale makes a great holiday gift because it’s available just about everywhere. It’s reasonably priced. And it’s a true seasonal beer that’s released every year around Thanksgiving. Because it’s built on that year’s hop harvest, every vintage is a little different, making it a fleeting experience to be savored and remembered.
Tasting Notes:
This is classic American IPA — the kind you can see through — is built on old-school Pacific Northwest hops (Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook) to the tune of more than 60 IBUs. Celebration’s flavor more than delivers on the aroma’s assertive promises of pine needles, grapefruit zest, and resin. The bracing bitterness and hop bouquet are supported by a malt foundation that suggests English toffee and biscuits. There’s enough sweetness to even out the bitterness, but Celebration manages to avoid an overly chewy malt character that would reduce drinkability.
So many American IPAs aspire to the deft balance of malt heft and hop brightness of Celebration Ale, but very few do it as well as Sierra Nevada. Give this one to the hop lover on your list. Veterans and newcomers alike are guaranteed to thank you.
This was an “ah-ha” beer for me. I liked sours and lambic perfectly well before this beer. I loved them after. The beer is a blend of well-aged lambics that are married and then bottled and cellared for additional fermentation and aging. It’s kind of a masterclass in what great beer can be when you take your time making it, making it a great gift for anyone looking to expand their beer knowledge and palate.
Tasting Notes:
The beer greets you with a slight, earthy funk next to mild grassiness, orchard ripe apples, and a hint of citrus tartness. The palate leans into the dry grass and tart fruits with a real sour underbelly next to a slight funk. The sourness, tartness, sweet fruits, and grass balance each other out while a dry nature takes you towards a Champagne-esque final note.
After a rough year, Google’s usual “Year In Search” retrospective could have been extremely depressing. The imagery and the searches themselves are enough to induce anxious flashbacks in anyone who was even passably aware of the seemingly hundreds of disasters that took place on a global scale in 2020. Fortunately, this year’s video arrives accompanied by a message of hope, courtesy of Chicago producer Peter CottonTale, who soundtracks the video with his new song “Together” featuring Chance the Rapper, the Chicago Children’s Choir, Cynthia Erivo, and Re-Collective Orchestra’s Matt Jones.
It’s the second collaboration between Chance and Peter this year after the duo linked up in April for the gospel-themed “Pray For Real.” Their chemistry, which was previously displayed on tracks like “Forever Always,” remains intact. CottonTale also appeared this year on Vic Mensa’s V Tape, which saw Chance and Vic reunite on a record for the first time since Vic’s 2013 Innanetape.
Meanwhile, Chance recently re-released his Christmas album, Merry Christmas Lil’ Mama, with Jeremih and also started collaborating with R&B living legend Dionne Warwick after she shouted him on Twitter. The moment gave Chance an opportunity to close out his 2020 on a high note after being sued by his former manager Pat Corcoran. Chance also has one last year-ending moment planned: A virtual concert which will celebrate the reissue of Merry Christmas Lil’ Mama.
Anna Kendrick is very good at Twitter, but she doesn’t tweet much anymore (lucky). And she definitely wasn’t tweeting over the weekend when her account was hacked.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, “Starting around 5:26 p.m. [on Saturday], a series of tweets were sent out to Kendrick’s 7.2 million followers that used offensive language. Sentences such as ‘shoutout my n*gga james bro’ and ‘funky in this bih n*gga’ were among the approximately thirty tweets.” The link in her bio was changed, too, from the website to her book, Scrappy Little Nobody, to Thugs.org (the hack was effective in the sense that I just went to Thugs.org; unfortunately (?), it “can’t be reached”).
Once the Academy Award nominee regained control of her account, she found the one silver living about getting hacked. “Well, the fun thing about getting my Twitter briefly hacked is that people I hadn’t heard from in years reached out to let me know. So, I guess thank you to my hacker for a little anxiety, and for getting me back in touch with my high school friend James. Cheers,” she tweeted. Good looking out, James.
Well, the fun thing about getting my Twitter briefly hacked is that people I hadn’t heard from in years reached out to let me know. So, I guess thank you to my hacker for a little anxiety, and for getting me back in touch with my high school friend James. Cheers.
Kendrick also gave a shout out to “to the FIRST person to get me in touch with someone from Twitter before anyone else managed to do anything helpful @THEKIDMERO What a fucking legend.” That would be Desus & Mero co-host The Kid Mero, who had Kendrick on his Showtime series last year. They, along with Desus Nice, toured the Bronx, including a daytime visit to a local strip club. It’s delightful. You should watch.
But first, change your Twitter password.
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