The Jacksonville Jaguars will head into the 2021 offseason with a great deal of optimism as their 1-15 record (including 15 straight losses to finish) on the season earned them the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft and, presumably, that means Trevor Lawrence is on his way to Duval County.
Who Lawrence will be playing for is up in the air after the Jaguars fired coach Doug Marrone after five seasons at the helm in Jacksonville, announcing plans to hire a new coach as well as a new GM in a total overhaul of the leadership structure.
There have been rumblings for some time that Urban Meyer is the top candidate to take over the Jaguars coaching job, and with owner Shad Khan insisting that personnel decisions will still need to be run through him, even as he denied having conversations with Meyer already, that would seem to indicate that whatever happens next will be at the whim of ownership.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan said he had roster control in 2020 and will make sure GM coming in knows he will keep that control for now, at least.
That typically spells disaster for professional sports franchises, as rarely is it a good thing to have non-football people being the decision makers on all signings and roster moves (ask Cowboys fans). Still, so it goes and for Jaguars fans hoping to see a major change to how things run in Jacksonville, the fact that ownership will retain roster control is not a great sign for that sweeping change to come — it would also seem to preclude them from being able to land any of the best GM candidates, who surely wouldn’t take the job without being granted control.
In any case, Trevor Lawrence should help raise the floor of this team, but whether they can build a contender around him with whatever hires they make and ownership running the show on the football operations side is a much bigger question.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of December below.
Beyonce — Homecoming: The Live Album
Sony Music Entertainment
Homecoming was one of the biggest things to hit Netflix last year, and on top of the film, Beyonce also released an accompanying live album of her 2018 Coachella performance. Now it’s also available as a new 4-LP vinyl release, which features some gorgeous large photography from the performance.
Billie Holiday — Lady Sings The Blues (Vinyl Me, Please reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Vinyl Me, Please always deliver wonderful releases that aren’t available anywhere else, and in December, one of their offerings was a new edition of a late-career gem from Billie Holiday. It’s pressed on “Trav’lin Light Blue” vinyl, and it features fresh new liner notes and a clean remaster based on the original analogue tapes.
The Kinks — Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One (Reissue)
BMG
Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One was a concept album that was ahead of its time upon its 1970 release, and now it’s being properly honored with an expansive 50th anniversary box set. There are multiple editions available, and between them are a 60-page hardback book with quotes and photos, CDs containing bonus unreleased tracks, and much more.
The story of The Coathangers’ debut album is an unconventional one: The band formed a band to play a house party, despite not having any prior musical experience. After those humble beginnings, they found themselves releasing a self-titled debut album in 2007. This rerelease pressing has only 1,000 copies, with 500 of them on Confetti Crush Splatter Vinyl and the remaining 500 on Neon Strawberry Banana Pinwheel Vinyl.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens — Mona Bone Jakon and Tea For The Tillerman (Reissues)
A&M/UMe
Yusuf/Cat Stevens recently dropped Tea For The Tillerman², a reimagining of his classic album after which it is titled. That was in celebration of the album’s 50th anniversary, and he also marked the occasion with reissues of both that album and Mona Bone Jakon. Perhaps most notably, the releases feature a pair of previously unreleased songs, “Can This Be Love?” and “I Want Some Sun.”
Get Mona Bone Jakonhere. Get Tea For The Tillermanhere.
Gang Of Four — Gang Of Four: 77-81
Matador
You may have seen this one on our 2020 holiday gift guide. To reiterate, though, it features remastered editions of the albums Entertainment! and Solid Gold, along with goodies like a double live album, a collection of early singles, a book, a cassette of demo recordings, and other goodies you’d find in a box set as expansive as this one.
London Music Works — The Essential Games Music Collection Vol. 1
Diggers Factory
Some of the most memorable music of all time doesn’t make it onto lists of the best albums or songs, and that’s video game music. For decades, iconic tunes have come from the gaming community, and this collection from London Music Works features classic tracks from game franchises like Call Of Duty, The Legend Of Zelda, and World Of Warcraft.
The Black Keys — Brothers (Deluxe Anniversary Edition)
Nonesuch
The Black Keys kicked off an era of mainstream stardom with Brothers in 2010, and now that album is celebrating ten years. To mark the occasion, the band is released a big new deluxe version of it, which features a new remastered edition of the album, three bonus tracks, a 60-page book featuring archival photos, a limited edition poster, and new liner notes.
The chameleonic country star followed up a rocking 2019 with a pair of surprise bluegrass albums, which featured reinterpretations of tunes from throughout his discography. Uproxx’s Steven Hyden noted that the album “is exactly the sort of down-home, deeply traditional record that many Simpson fans would have preferred to Sound And Fury, or even A Sailor’s Guide To Earth.”
Gaye is on any worthwhile list cataloging the best singers in music history, and while hearing his vocals live today isn’t possible, a concert album will have to do the trick. Indeed, this one does. The audio comes from a 1980 show, so most of his beloved songs had already been released at that point, meaning a bunch of his hits are included in this stellar set.
President Trump is headlining a rally later today for Republican senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler’s re-election campaigns in Dalton, Georgia, a day before voters head to the polls for the runoff election. But although the president hasn’t landed in the Peach state yet (Joe Biden is also scheduled to speak in Georgia on Monday), the Fox News caravan has arrived, as has at least one “white supremacist.”
“Fox News on Monday cut the video feed of an interview after a Trump supporter repeatedly flashed what appeared to be a white supremacist hand signal,” Raw Storyreports. “As [Fox News reporter Griff] Jenkins was speaking to a man about the rally, a man positioned directly in front of the camera, who was wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat, began flashing what has been called a white power hand sign.” The man flashed the symbol (which has become a fixture at rallies) for nearly 20 seconds before the camera cut to a live shot of the White House; the interview continued, audio only.
Fox News abruptly cuts away as Trump fan makes white power hand gesture during Georgia live shot pic.twitter.com/CQguCoOoko
The “Okay Hand Gesture” was part of a 4chan hoax before being co-opted by the far right as a “sincere expression of white supremacy,” according to the Anti-Defamation League, “such as when Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant flashed the symbol during a March 2019 courtroom appearance soon after his arrest for allegedly murdering 50 people in a shooting spree at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.”
In the latest video from Tobe Nwigwe‘s #CincOriginals/#GetTwistedSundays campaign, the Houston rapper clears out and shares his shine with a pair of fiery rap queens to demand revolution with “Tundah Fiyah.” Nell, Tobe’s producer, and Mumu Fresh — the rapper alter ego of Baltimore singer Maimouna Youssef — swipe the sizzling track right out from under their host, spitting sidewinding, multisyllabic verses praising Black women and advocating for some social restructuring along the lines of equality.
Nwigwe has relied on Nell to craft the pounding, minimalist beats on his past several weeks of videos, which have featured a who’s-who of the best rappers out. Tobe and Big KRIT warned against following crowds on “Bozos,” while Black Thought and Royce Da 5’9″ helped the Houston rapper play “Father Figure” to a lost generation. Hometown hero Lil Keke paid homage to Prince and Houston’s drug of choice with “Purple Rain Thing,” while D Smoke exercised his right to bear arms on “Headshots,” but “Tundah Fiyah” is the first time so far that Nell has stepped in front of the mic. Meanwhile, if you’re unfamiliar with Youssef’s work, check out her 2018 Tiny Desk set, as well as her Tiny Desk appearance with Common’s band, August Greene.
Chris Rock and Netflix are breaking new ground by delivering the first-ever remix of a comedy special. In a special video for the streaming service, Rock announced that his 2018 special, Chris Rock: Tamboline, will be released later this month as Chris Rock: Total Blackout, The Tamborine Extended Cut. Calling it a “hot remix,” Rock says the new 90 minute version full of “searing observations on race, fatherhood, and politics,” is the “first time in history” that a comedy special dropped a remix. Total Blackout will also include new moments and interviews with Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, and more.
Here’s how Uproxx described the original version of Chris: Rock Tamborine after it made its Netflix debut in 2018:
Sadly absurd topics like racism, gun violence, politics, and modern romance necessitate an equally ludicrous format when presented as stand-up comedy. Simply warning the audience that what comes next might sound mean, but actually isn’t “because it’s funny,” isn’t good enough. Legwork is required to discuss an otherwise volatile and delicate subject with the addition of jokes, and thanks to Tamborine‘s occasionally infuriating attempts to delay the inevitable, Rock accomplishes this beautifully.
Tamborine was the first installment from Rock after signing a two-special deal with Netflix for $40 million. Before Tamborine, Rock hadn’t recorded a special since 2008’s Kill the Messenger, so his stand-up return was a decade in the making and a huge get for Netflix. As for when his next special will arrive, there’s no word yet, so fans will have to make do with the new, remixed material when Total Blackout arrives.
Chris Rock: Total Blackout, The Tamborine Extended Cut arrives on Netflix on January 12, 2021.
The new year is already off to an optimistic start thanks to the efforts of Inglewood’s breakout artist, D Smoke. The Grammy-nominated rapper returned with a brand-new song over the weekend, “It’s OK,” delivering a positive message and showcasing some talented youths in the song’s accompanying music video. D Smoke released the video today after debuting the song a few weeks ago.
The cleverly shot video sees D Smoke recruiting the kids as hype men, backup dancers, and musicians, as the video breaks down with a marching band and becoming an exuberant display of joy in a backlot. Throughout, D Smoke’s rapid-fire verses express his uplifting outlook — even when he flexes a pump-action shotgun and warns that he believes in using it for self-defense.
D Smoke, the winner of the inaugural season of Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow, is nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy for his debut album, Black Habits. He most recently released the “Closer To God” video from the album with his brother SiR. He also appeared in Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe’s “Headshots” video and collaborated with Berkley’s Rexx Life Raj on the song “Optimistic” for Empire’s Voices For Change compilation.
Greta Thunberg’s damn good at Twitter, and she isn’t about to let a little thing like reaching adulthood destroy her streak. The award-winning environmental activist also knows how to wait for the right moment — she famously waited nearly a year to roast Donald Trump with a request that he “chill” out — and her eighteenth birthday was no exception. Thunberg posted a photo on Twitter to thank her supporters for recognizing her birthday. Naturally, her brand of snark was on point to troll climate-change deniers while feigning that she was ready to throw off the shackles of science.
“Thank you so much for all the well-wishes on my 18th birthday!” she tweeted. “Tonight you will find me down at the local pub exposing all the dark secrets behind the climate- and school strike conspiracy and my evil handlers who can no longer control me! I am free at last!!”
Thank you so much for all the well-wishes on my 18th birthday!
Tonight you will find me down at the local pub exposing all the dark secrets behind the climate- and school strike conspiracy and my evil handlers who can no longer control me! I am free at last!! pic.twitter.com/w1VBG83VVN
The “Flat Mars Society” shirt is a nice touch. Still, Thunberg knows when the time is right to be serious. She officially marked her birthday with Sunday Times interview, in which she declared that the best present would be to see people helping planet Earth heal. She also isn’t interested in receiving clothes as a gift: “I know people who have clothes, so I would ask them if I could borrow them or if they have something they don’t need any more. The worst-case scenario, I guess I’ll buy second-hand.”
Thunberg also declared that although she travels overseas by boat, she isn’t telling celebrities not to fly in airplanes. “I’m not telling anyone else what to do,” she declared. However, she warned that these A-listers are harming their own credibility by doing so: “[T]here is a risk when you are vocal about these things and don’t practise as you preach, then you will become criticised for that and what you are saying won’t be taken seriously.” Looks like Greta will be keeping it real for many, many years to come.
Jake Tapper isn’t afraid to call out Trump associates (like perpetual liar Kaleigh McEnany) for their shenanigans, and on Sunday afternoon, he nailed Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller to the wall. The CNN anchor had spent part of the weekend covering the audio footage of Donald Trump begging Georgia officials to rig the election in his favor, and Miller stepped in, only to be smacked hard by Tapper.
Long story short, Miller appeared to question the validity of the footage (due to him only being able to find part of it?), and Tapper pointed him toward the complete audio file. Tapper then added, “[A]nd while I have your attention pay your child support”
Tapper was referring to Miller’s paternity-involved saga related to a lawsuit filed by former Trump campaign staffer A.J. Delgado. In 2020, the Huffington Post reported that the campaign concealed payments to Miller when he became embroiled in legal proceedings to determine the amount of child support that Miller was required to pay. If true, the presumed intent by the campaign would be to protect Miller from having income factored into child support calculations, and Miller was previously called out on Twitter by Rep. Eric Stalwell (D-CA) on the issue: “Kids shouldn’t go hungry because Dad is a deadbeat.”
Well, Miller was incensed over Tapper bringing up the subject and responded, “You’re a fake news p***y, Jake. I’d like to see you say that to my face.”
You’re a fake news pussy, Jake. I’d like to see you say that to my face. https://t.co/5OaOMqojwp
Just a hunch here: Tapper would probably have no problem saying what he said directly to Miller’s face. People on Twitter appear to be here for it, too, if it happens.
Jake Tapper is not having any of Jason Miller’s bullshit and I am HERE for it. pic.twitter.com/HNV6MIjYUn
A year-and-a-half ago, Justin Bieber started an unexpected feud when he tweeted at Tom Cruise, “I wanna challenge Tom Cruise to fight in the octagon. Tom if you dont take this fight your scared and you will never live it down.” Bieber later insisted he was just joking around, saying, “I don’t know him. He’s tight. The story is I saw an interview with him, and he was just on my mind. It was just a random tweet. I do that stuff sometimes.”
Well, it looks like Cruise was on Bieber’s mind again over the weekend, as he invoked the feud on Instagram. Sharing a photo of himself as a boxer in his recent “Anyone” video, Bieber wrote, “Tom Cruise is toast.”
The comments were filled with support from some recognizable names, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who referenced the Rocky movies and wrote, “‘You’re gonna eat lightning and crap thunder’ go get em bro.” Bieber collaborator Benny Blanco also chimed in, “def knocking me out in the first round.”
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 January. If you’re not trying to potentially miss out on anything, it might be a good idea to keep reading.
Friday, January 1
Another Sky — Music For Winter Vol. 1 (Fiction)
Antonio Lopez — Roots & Wings (Head Above Music)
The Dirty Nil — Fuck Art (Dine Alone Records)
Grimes — Miss Anthropocene Rave Edition (4AD)
Reuther — Letting Go EP (Get Party Records)
The Soviet Machines — The Soviet Machines (self-released)
Friday, January 8
Aaron Frazer — Introducing… (Colemine Records)
Dante Elephante — Mid-Century Modern Romance (Born Losers Records)
Griselda Records — Conflicted (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Griselda Records)
Henrik Appel — Humanity (PNKSLM Recordings)
Hilang Child — Every Mover (Bella Union)
Jarle Skavhellen — Beech Street (Nettwerk)
Jeff Plate — Mother’s Day (Rat Pak Records)
Kaz Mirblouk — Careless By Contrast (Mock Records)
Modern Hut — I Don’t Want To Get Adjusted To This World (Don Giovanni Records)
Morgan Wallen — Dangerous: The Double Album (Republic Records)
Oska — Honeymoon Phase EP (Nettwerk)
Passenger — Songs For The Drunk And Broken Hearted (Nettwerk)
Viagra Boys — Welfare Jazz (YEAR0001)
Wax Tailor — The Shadow Of Their Suns (Lab’Oratoire)
Lawrence Rothman — Good Morning, America + Not A Son (KRO)
Lava La Rue — Butter-Fly EP (Marathon Artists)
Lia Ices — Family Album (Natural Music)
Little Steven And The Disciples Of Soul — Macca To Mecca (Wicked Cool Records/UMe)
Lucero — When You Found Me (Liberty and Lament/Thirty Tigers)
Magon — Hour After Hour (December Square)
Marcos Resende & Index — Marcos Resende & Index (Philips Records)
Martin Gore — The Third Chimpanzee EP (Mute Records)
Nopes — Djörk (Magnetic Eye Records)
The Notwist — Vertigo Days (Morr Music)
Pounder — Breaking The World (Shadow Kingdom)
Puma Blue — In Praise Of Shadows (Blue Flowers Music)
Robbie & Mona — EW (Spinny Nights)
Shai Maestro — Human ( ECM Records)
The Sonder Bombs — Clothbound (Take This To Heart Records)
Steven Wilson — The Future Bites (Caroline Distribution)
Tamar Aphek — All Bets Are Off (Kill Rock Stars)
Terry Gross — Soft Opening (Thrill Jockey Records.)
Toledo — Jockeys Of Love EP (4AD)
Tony Trischka — Shall We Hope (Shefa)
Zeahorse — Let’s Not (And Say We Did) (Copper Feast Records)
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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