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GLD take a step beyond just making the music with their latest releases, as they use their new tracks “Hate Machine” and “Monsters In Our Head” with VRG as opportunities to tell a story. The following short film, produced and animated by the mysterious artists, centers around the hate that can so easily fester on social media and the internet. Protagonists Mattie and Jake must fight their demons and gather recruits to hopefully reverse its destruction. In the video, the likenesses of Daft Punk, deadmau5, Marshmello, and more can be easily seen. According to the duo, they “have nothing to do with the songs in the video or project but are all artists GLD love, look up to and admire.” Self-described as an “Electronic Alternative-Rock Band from Hell,” GLD are certainly turning heads with their sinister approach to music. Listen to “Hate Machine” and “Monsters In Our Head” below — and consider this video a warning. GLD – Hate Machine & Monsters In Our Head: A Short Film Spotify: Hate Machine & Monsters In Our Head This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: GLD Animate Short Film For “Hate Machine” & “Monsters In Our Head” [WATCH] Source

The last time we wrote about WILDLYF was to premiere his “Plain Jane” remix earlier this year. In the time since, the Australian rising star has put out a few more tracks and made a significant name for himself in the bass scene. And as if to book end a fantastic year, he’s got one more track in the chamber and it’s a doozy. “GOSH” is pure entropy in a sealed container. To say it another way, it has structure, but within that structure is a craziness that struggles to be unleashed at every single moment. At under three minutes, “GOSH” doesn’t putz around and gets to the good stuff pretty soon on. A hefty sub-bass and wild lead synth combine for a singular harmonic experience that should be enough to make your head spin. Discordant and harsh synths aside, the frenetic track is a dance floor destroyer and liable to get someone in trouble some day… until then, bump it loud. Listen to “GOSH” below. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: WILDLYF – GOSH Source

We’re not sure why we didn’t think of it to be honest, some legend has immortalised the full RÜFÜS BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix by making it into a Spotify playlist. Now you can easily access all the tracks you loved from the massive two hour mix, no googling required! We prefer it in it’s mixed glory but if you’re trying to listen to all the tracks in their entirety, this is the way to do it. With tracks from Simian Mobile Disco, Jon Hopkins as well as the trio themselves, this is a playlist packed full of tunes that offers even more listen time than the original 2 hour mix. Click play below and let it roll for some easy listening. Source

Gianni Blu‘s infectious anthem “Work It” has been making booties move across the globe for a few months now and if it hasn’t crossed your radar just yet, don’t worry — it’s still making waves. First, came “Work It.” Then, came a movement. Dancer Vanesa Seco started a shuffling challenge to the song using the hashtag #WorkItAllNightChallenge. Soon enough, the song took off on social media, encouraging shufflers and other forms of dancers to go crazy to this record, or really any song of their choice. “Work It” is all about getting down and finding your groove. With its worldly rhythms, layered chants, and a catchy whistle routine, it’s impossible to deny the dance floor when this track comes on. It seems to get spicier with every play. “Work It” is out now via Spinnin’ Records. Get down to it right here, if you haven’t already. And remember, it’s never too late to join in on the #WorkItAllNightChallenge! Gianni Blu – Work It Get it: http://smarturl.it/GBWORKIT This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Gianni Blu’s “Work It” Is Still Making Waves On Social Media [LISTEN] Source

Who’s the real VIP? The New Year’s Eve festival-goers with access to an open bar, that’s who. After delivering Los Angeles a techno treat for Halloween, Minimal Effort will once again light up the Belasco Theater in downtown Los Angeles for New Year’s Eve with a house/techno lineup that has visions of finger hand fairies dancing in my head. Sasha, Skream, Layton Giordani, Justin Jay, Will Clarke, Super Flu, YokoO, and Option4 are some of the artists that will be on hand to ring in the new year, with further lineup announcements expected soon! Earlybird and GA tier 1 tickets have already sold out, but anyone planning on treating themselves as they say goodbye to the dumpster fire that has been 2018, just know that a Minimal Effort VIP tickets include a new perk that will probably put any New Year’s resolutions on hold a day or two. Aye just FYI Our VIP tickets come with an OPEN BAR OPEN. BAR. Nuff said right?https://t.co/LpK2jAIIhJ — Minimal Effort (@MinimalEffortla) December 4, 2018 Techno, check. Open bar, check. Date to kiss at midnight… that’s up to you. But awkward side hugs from friends while double fisting free drinks will be just as good. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Minimal Effort NYE Returns With A Toast-Worthy Perk For VIP Source

It’s been less than two years since Resident Evil: The Final Chapter hit theaters. You know, the seventh entry in Milla Jovovich’s 14-year-long blockbuster franchise that was meant to put the kibosh on the series? Well, as Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer predicted back in 2016: “…as they say, all good things must come to an end. At least until two or three years have gone by in observance. Then, it’s time for the soft reboot.” That time is now, according to Variety, who reports that Constantin Film has tapped director Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down, The Strangers: Prey at Night) to reboot the series from a screenplay by Greg Russo. “Obviously, I’m a huge fan of the franchise so to work on that was a lot of fun,” Russo told Bloody Disgusting a week ago. “For me it was very clear-cut that I wanted to go back and make it scary again like a horror film in terms of the classic James Wan-style so that was the pitch, going back and looking what made the games scary in the first place…” Long before Paul W.S. Anderson got on board, the series was originally in the hands of the zombie godfather himself, the late George A. Romero, who wrote a screenplay that leaned far more into the horror. Here’s hoping Russo takes some notes from that draft, which you can easily find floating around the Internet, and delivers a legitimately frightening horror film. In the meantime, here’s a dumb video celebrating the game’s most iconic line: Source

Hot on the heels of the Oscars announcing the host of its 2019 ceremony—it’s Kevin Hart—the Golden Globes have followed suit. Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh will host the NBC broadcast, making them only the second duo to host following Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. (Read: Breaking Down Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season Five) They make a fitting pair, what with Oh, a previous Golden Globe winner, having starred in one of the year’s most buzzy shows in Killing Eve and Samberg being the Golden Globe-winning star of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which launches on NBC just four days after the ceremony. Samberg’s got hosting experience, too, having previously hosted the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards and the 2015 Primetime Emmys. We are pleased to confirm that Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh will be co-hosting this year’s 76th #GoldenGlobes! pic.twitter.com/H4ktWJ0jvk — Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) December 5, 2018 “Sandra and Andy are the perfect choices to host this world-class event,” said Paul Telegdy and George Cheeks, co-chairmen of NBC Entertainment, in a statement. “They bring wit, charm and style to a room filled with the very best of film and television. It’s sure to be another unforgettable fun-filled night.” This year’s Golden Globes nominees will be announced on Thursday morning. Check back here for the full breakdown. The ceremony unfolds on January 6th. Source

Last month, Morrissey released his excellent cover of The Pretenders’ “Back On The Chain Gang”, a bonus track for the forthcoming deluxe edition of his most recent studio album Low in High School. If the Smiths-esque rendition makes you wonder what kind of magic he could make out of other artists’ songs, then you’re in luck! Moz has announced via his website the release of a new covers album entitled, California Son. Joe Chiccarelli served as producer for the 12-track effort, which includes renditions of songs by Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, and more. BMG is putting out the album, which as of yet has no official release date but is rumored for March. Check out the tracklist below. California Son Tracklist: 01. Morning Starship (Jobriath) 02. Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow (Joni Mitchell) 03. Only A Pawn In Their Game (Bob Dylan) 04. Suffer The Little Children (Buffy Sainte Marie) 05. Days Of Decision (Phil Ochs) 06. It’s Over (Roy Orbison) 07. Wedding Bell Blues (Laura Nyro) 08. Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets (Dionne Warwick) 09. Lady Willpower (Gary Puckett & the Union Gap) 10. When You Close Your Eyes (Carly Simon) 11. Lenny’s Tune (Tim Hardin) 12. Some Say I Got Devil (Melanie) Revisit Moz’s take on The Pretenders’ classic: Source

RL Grime’s latest album Nova showed a depth from the producer we hadn’t seen before. With a bunch of tracks being more soulfully influenced instead of just electronic trap bangers, we got tunes that aimed to get you in the feels. Of those tracks, Light Me Up ft. Miguel & Julia Michaels is arguably the most prominent, pushing towards a lighter future bass feel with a heavy focus on the vocals of Miguel and Julia Michaels. Well Sydney trap lord Enschway was given the remix rights and he made sure the tune got given the heavy trap flip we didn’t know we needed, saying “I’ve always been a massive fan of RL… so when he hit me up… I was bloody stoked.” The remix takes the melodic and soulful original vocals and finds a way accentuate their hollowness. Through this he creates a bit more of an intense foreshadowing build up that drops like a truck. The closer you get to it, the more you feel its impending heaviness and when it finally gets there, boy does it deliver. The remix comes as part of RL Grime’s impending Remixes Vol 1 release and if this tune’s anything to go by, it’s set to be BANGIN’. We got the exclusive listen so check it out below and keep an eye out as RL Grime’s Nova Remixes start popping up! Source

Sometimes, all an artist needs to break through is one lucky moment. For Alex Lustig, that moment came this past weekend when his song “Under Pressure” was used in a video featuring viral global stars BTS. BTS have easily become one of the biggest artists of 2018, with a social media presence that is as explosive as it is influential. According to Lustig’s management, following the posting of the video below, his Twitter followers tripled, Instagram followers doubled, and the SoundCloud plays on the track doubled all in the first day. While it’s important to let your craft do the talking most times, this kind of exposure certainly doesn’t hurt. Check out “Under Pressure” and the video below, which already has 4 million views in 3 days. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Alex Lustig is going viral after BTS Shared His Track Source

The posthumous XXXTentacion album Skins is set for release this Friday, and earlier this week we learned that Kanye West is the LP’s only credited feature. Ahead of the drop date, their collaboration “One Minute” has reportedly leaked, and it features some objectionable lyrics. Recorded after XXX’s death, Ye uses his verses to cast doubt on sexual assault survivors. According to The Fader, after verses offering tribute to his late collaborator and remarking on his own controversial legacy, Kanye raps towards the end of the track the following lyrics: “She wanna give you the cookie, you Famous Amos She gave you the pussy but you ain’t pay for the anus Now your name is tainted, by the claims they paintin’ The defendant is guilty, no one blames the plaintiff” Kanye’s perspective is unfortunate, but not unexpected. Ye lent his support in September to ASAP Bari after the ASAP Mob co-founder was arrested for sexual assault. He’s also spent the year championing the noted sexual predator Donald Trump, an embrace that has been met with an outpouring of backlash from fellow artists. The release of Skins will also include the previously released single “Bad”. The release follows the emergence of secretly recorded audio where XXXTentacion admitted to domestic violence, which he was previously charged with alongside other crimes including false imprisonment and witness tampering before being shot and killed in June. Source

Two weeks ago today, Resolution NYE revealed its 2018 headliners: Diplo, Porter Robinson (DJ Set), and Seven Lions, with special guest Borgore. While this would be a solid lineup on its own, it’s no festival. That being said, Resolution has just revealed its full lineup for 2018 NYE and it’s seriously strong. Joining the headliners this year will be Anna Lunoe, Cash Cash, GTA, Infected Mushroom, Joyryde, Skism b2b Trampa, Bijou, Kompany, Sullivan King, Allen Oh and Sir Kutz. This isn’t your typical festival lineup by any means, and that’s really what makes it so exciting. You’ve got a little bit of everything from dubstep to house to psytrance to bass house and more. No matter what you’re into, it’s hard to imagine ever being bored. Grab your tickets and learn more about the largest New Year’s Eve Celebration in the northwest online at ResolutionSeattle.com. This article was first published on Your EDM. Source: Resolution NYE Reveals Full Lineup With Joyryde, Sullivan King, Infected Mushroom & More Source

Back in May, it was confirmed that Jake Gyllenhaal joined the cast of Spider-Man: Far From Home as Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio. Now, he’s having a little fun with the role on his newly-minted Instagram account. In the video post, he’s holding an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man — rather appropriately, Issue 334: “The Return of The Man Called Mysterio!” — and says, “Whoa. What the fu–?”, before the video cuts off. Watch below. Once again, Tom Holland will return for the highly anticipated sequel, once more under the direction of Jon Watts. Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers are also back to pen the script. Marvel and Sony have set the sequel for July 5th, 2019. In the meantime, you really, really ought to go out and see Spider-Man: Into the Spideyverse. Source

After releasing three full-length efforts last year in addition to a New York Times best-selling autobiography, Gucci Mane took 2018 relatively low-key. But thankfully we’re at least getting one good helping of Guwop before the year’s up. The rapper’s latest studio album, Evil Genius, is out at the end of the week, and features a star-studded 17-song tracklist. He’s released the advance singles “Wake Up In The Sky” (featuring Bruno Mars and Kodak Black), “Solitaire” (featuring Migos and Lil Yachty), BiPolar (featuring Quavo), and “I’m Not Goin” (featuring Kevin Gates). He opted to bring the latter to life during his performance on last night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Kevin Gates himself was also in attendance for Gucci’s stint as musical guest, and together they brought a hazy, ominous cool (as well as a bunch of actual fog) to the late night stage. Watch their performance below. Evil Genius drops December 7th. Source

Happy Holidays! From cat carrying hoddies and cozy oneies to rave outfits and camping gear, our shop offers everything a festie goer could dream of. Help someone step their game up by scooping them a gift from our collection of amazing stuff. As you scroll-shop, grab something to drink and tune into a session of house music with Pional‘s ‘Tempest’. Cat Carrying Hoodie Purchase Gift New Tech You maybe wondering, what in the world are those?! These Vibes Hi-Fidelity Earplugs (as seen on ABC’s Shark Tank) are discreet, reusable earplugs designed for live music. Unlike foam earplugs that block and muffle sounds, Vibes reduce the volume of loud live music to a safer and more comfortable level, while still allowing you to hear it, and everything around you, clearly. Use promo code THATDROP to get 15% off plus free shipping when you purchase from www.discovervibes.com. In-home studio software: Purchase Gift Portable Speaker Purchase Gift Portable super chill spot Purchase Gift Steezy Joggers Purchase Gift Purchase Gift Purchase Gift Cozy Onesie Purchase Gift Purchase Gift Purchase Gift Rave Outfits Purchase Gift Purchase Gift Purchase Gift Purchase Gift Purchase Gift Purchase Gift MORE RAVE OUTFITS Nesting Purchase Gift Yoga Mat Purchase Gift Purchase Gift Heady Socks Purchase Gift Please head to our shop to find more variety in each of these categories. The post 20 Gifts on Every Festie-Goer’s Holiday Wish List appeared first on EDM | Electronic Music | EDM Music | EDM Festivals | EDM Events. Source

Limp Bizkit are working on a new album, and guitarist Wes Borland has shared some clips of him playing the new sounds via Instagram. Listening to the small bits of new music, it sounds like Limp Bizkit are branching out musically, although there’s no telling what the final tracks will sound like fleshed out with full instrumentation and Fred Durst‘s rap-rock vocals. “Today was a very long and great day. We’re on track,” Borland posted along with one of the Instagram posts. Borland is also seen holding a bass guitar in one of the photos, leading fans to speculate that he will perhaps pick up bass duties, as the band’s longtime bassist, Sam Rivers, has a new band called Sleepkillers. Only time will tell. Limp Bizkit’s upcoming album will mark their follow-up to 2011’s Gold Cobra. Borland broke the news that the band was finally working on a new album back in November with an Instagram video showing footage of himself warming up on guitar, getting ready to record. The new disc has had the tentative title Stampede of the Disco Elephants for years, but it is unknown whether that name will stick when the album is released. Source

Surprise, surprise: Turns out having Ariana Grande — one of the most popular figures in the world — as your ex-girlfriend is tough. So it goes for Pete Davidson, who’s having an especially awful fall season for himself. According to a source by People, Grande tried reaching out to Davidson following their breakup this past October, only to get blocked and told: “Stop reaching out. You’re not good for my health. I can’t have this in my life.” Grande ostensibly confirmed the news herself by sharing a back-and-forth with a fan: — Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) December 3, 2018 On Monday, Davidson addressed his own mental health with an Instagram post, saying: “I’ve been getting online bullied and in public by people for 9 months. I’ve spoken about BPD and being suicidal publicly only in the hopes that it will bring awareness and help kids like myself who don’t want to be on this earth.” Shortly after, Grande offered her support to Davidson by sharing his words on her Instagram story and writing, “I know u already know this but i feel i need to remind my fans to please be gentler with others. I really don’t endorse anything but forgiveness and positivity. i care deeply about pete and his health.” Of course, all of this comes days after Grande’s record-breaking “thank u, next” video dropped, featuring Davidson’s mug in a Mean Girls-inspired Burn Book, and reports surfaced of her replacing his tattoo with a Mac Miller tribute. On the plus side, Davidson at least resolved things with great guy Dan Crenshaw. Source

In October, David Bazan announced his first album under the moniker Pedro the Lion since 2004. Dubbed Phoenix, the 13-track record is due out on January 18th via Polyvinyl. Bazan previously shared lead single “Yellow Bike”, and now he’s back with a follow-up in the sepia-toned “Model Homes”. Bazan’s memory-laden track finds the singer reflecting on looking at “tract homes, open houses, with our mom and dad” after church let out. As the song’s existential leanings suffuse its haunting melody, Bazan intones that “Sunday afternoon felt like a tomb.” Describing the song in a press release, he said, “A redwood tree, properly starved for resources, might easily mistake itself for a saguaro cactus and learn to feel at home in the desert.” Hear it below. Pre-orders for Phoenix are on-going. In support of the new effort, Pedro the Lion will tour the West Coast early next year. Source

Pinegrove emerged from their year-long hiatus back in September with a brief run of 2018 tour dates and a new album, Skylight. The follow-up to their breakthrough debut Cardinal was originally planned for 2017, but accusations of sexual coercion against lead singer Evan Stephens Hall led the band to take an “extended period of time off the road.” After a successful digital release of the LP and return to the road, the Hall’s outfit has now detailed more plans for 2019. The band has announced plans for an upcoming physical release of Skylight set for February 15th. Coming on clear vinyl (limited to 2,000 pressings), CD, or cassette, the physical formats are considered deluxe versions of the LP, each coming with an acoustic version of the record dubbed Skylight II. Coinciding with the release will be another round of US tour dates kicking off February 21st in Washington, DC. Further stops include Nashville, Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta, St. Louis, Buffalo, and more. Find the Skylight artwork and tracklist below, followed by Pinegrove’s upcoming tour itinerary. Skylight Artwork: Skylight Tracklist: 01. Rings 02. Portal 03. Intrepid 04. Paterson & Leo 05. Angelina 06. Thanksgiving 07. Easy Enough 08. Darkness 09. Skylight 10. Amulets 11. Light On Pinegrove 2018/2019 Tour Dates: 12/05 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla 12/06 – London, UK @ The Garage 12/12 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 12/14 – West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour 02/21 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat 02/22 – Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall 02/23 – Greensboro, NC @ Blind Tiger 02/25 – Orlando, FL@ Soundbar 02/26 – Atlanta, GA @ Hell 02/27 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East 03/01 – Newport, KY @ Southgate House Revival 03/02 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill 03/03 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge 03/06 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop 03/07 – Buffalo, NY @ The Rec Room 03/08 – Hamden, CT @ Ballroom 03/09 – Asbury Park, NJ @ House of Independents Source

Fresh off his Saturday Night Live debut this past weekend, Anderson .Paak returned to TV screens on Tuesday with not one, but two different late-night appearances. .Paak first guested on The Daily Show, where he performed a groovy, chilled out rendition of “Anywhere” from his newly released Oxnard album. He also sat down for a brief chat with host Trevor Noah, discussing the origins of his stage name, mentor and label boss Dr. Dre’s impact on his music, and more. Check out the perfomance and chat below. Later in the evening, .Paak swung by The Tonight Show to participate in a game of Charades. He was joined by actress Saoirse Ronan, pop singer Alessia Cara, and host Jimmy Fallon. Take a look: In February, .Paak will embark on his world tour in support of Oxnard. Source

It’s a good day to get it on again. MTV Studios launched back in June, with the new production unit at the network promising updated takes on old MTV classics such as Daria, Made, Aeon Flux, and The Real World. Today we add to the list of revivals Celebrity Deathmatch, MTV’s hit claymation wrestling franchise that pits stop-motion famous people against other stop-motion famous people. What’s more, one of the show’s past competitors is actually set to star in and executive produce the show. MTV is partnering with Ice Cube and his production company Cube Vision to realize the series’ return. The rapper is set to star in the new version, as well as serve as an executive producer alongside series creator Eric Fogel, Jeff Kwatinetz, and Ben Hurwitz. The original series aired from 1998 to 2002, spanning a total of 75 episodes, and was picked up for a brief return without Fogel in 2006. Plans for another Celebrity Deathmatch remake with Fogel’s involvement were actually announced back in 2015, but never materialized. “Deathmatch was the meme before memes,” said MTV, VH1, and CMT president Chris McCarthy in a statement (via Variety). “[It] remains a hot topic on social media and will be a smart, funny way to tackle the over-the-top rhetoric of today’s pop culture where it belongs – in the wrestling ring.” The Celebrity Deathmatch reboot will be available as a weekly series in 2019, either for a yet-to-be-determined SVOD or network partner. This won’t be Ice Cube’s first connection to Celebrity Deathmatch, either. Back in the original run, he took on Ice T in a brutal frozen bout. Revisit it below. Source

It was a fascinating year for metal and hard rock, with a number of underground and upstart acts releasing stellar albums in 2018, alongside strong discs from veteran bands like Judas Priest, A Perfect Circle, Clutch, Ministry and others. Hardcore continued its renaissance, with young acts like Vein and Turnstile leading the charge. Meanwhile, extreme metal had another banner year, as bands like Behemoth, Tribulation, Portal, and others all churned out impressive albums. And doom metal ruled with exceptional efforts from YOB, Sleep, Khemmis, Windhand, and others. And while next year will see the release of albums from big guns like Slipknot, Deftones, Rammstein, and possibly even Tool (fingers crossed), 2018 was a noteworthy year for heavy music, in that it was highlighted by a wide spectrum of subgenres, ranging from the avant-garde metal stylings of Zeal & Ardor to the radio-ready hard rock power of Halestorm. With the launch of Consequence of Sound’s new destination Heavy Consequence earlier this year, it’s our pleasure to bring you our staff picks for the Top 25 Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2018. –Spencer Kaufman Managing Editor, Heavy Consequence __________________________________________________________ 25. Pig Destroyer – Head Cage Origin: Alexandria, Virginia The Gist: After a six-year gap between albums, Pig Destroyer’s sixth disc, Head Cage, acts not just as a followup to their previous LP, Book Burner, but also to all the various experiments guitarist Scott Hull has undertaken between then and now, both in Pig Destroyer and his other grind band, Agoraphobic Nosebleed. Why It Rules: Pig Destroyer continue their sonic expansion beyond the realms of grindcore, showing ample creativity and proficiency in more technical, progressive, groovy and punky realms. The players’ dabblings within other genres pay off here, giving a more well-rounded album than ever before with more song variance than they’ve had at any point prior in their career, all of which is delivered well. Vocalist J. R. Hayes continues to be the one of the best lyricists in grindcore, and the alchemical mixture of Blake Harrison’s noise and electronics with mastermind Scott Hull’s meaty guitar work continues to dazzle as a true force of extreme music. —Langdon Hickman Essential Tracks: “Army of Cops”, “Concrete Beast”, “Torture Fields” __________________________________________________________ 24. Portal – Ion Origin: Brisbane, Australia The Gist: Portal are one of Australia’s, and the world’s, most out-there death metal bands, and you can reach that conclusion from a Google Image search alone. They sound as ghoulish and inhuman as they look, taking equally from Morbid Angel and Ligeti. On their fifth album, ION, they strip away the bassy murk long integral to their sound and bring up the treble, giving them a black metal makeover while also adding clarity. Why It Rules: Mystery’s been Portal’s appeal for most of their career, and making their attack more discernible doesn’t take away from that. It’s only made them more extreme. Now their terror is fully in front of you, with Horror Illogium’s guitar contorting into impossibly tortured shapes, skipping around in a bizarre cosmic game of hopscotch. Taken apart, it’s a mess of atonal noise; put together, it’s a pain and bliss hell-symphony for a hell-world. —Andy O’Connor Essential Tracks: “Phreqs”, “Crone”, “ESP ION AGE” __________________________________________________________ 23. Clutch – Book of Bad Decisions Origin: Frederick, Maryland The Gist: Hard rockers Clutch have been going strong since the early ‘90s, and continue to deliver the goods on their 12th studio album. For Book of Bad Decisions, frontman Neil Fallon and company tapped producer Vance Powell, who has worked with Jack White and country star Chris Stapleton, giving the disc a sound and energy that matches the band’s live show. Why It Rules: On Book of Bad Decisions, the Maryland rockers deliver a classic-sounding Clutch album that also feels fresh and awakened. Tracks maintain the sludgy melodies and groovy rhythms that longtime Clutch fans love but also branch out into new territory with everything from brass-heavy instrumentals on “In Walks Barbarella” to a touch of twang on “Vision Quest”. —Anne Erickson Essential Tracks: “Gimme the Keys”, “In Walks Barbarella”, “Vision Quest” __________________________________________________________ 22. Mammoth Grinder – Cosmic Crypt Origin: Austin, Texas The Gist: After nearly nonstop touring as the drummer for Dallas thrash insurgents Power Trip, Austin metalpunk maestro Chris Ulsh returns to his main project, Mammoth Grinder, his take on Swedish death metal via pummeling hardcore. This is also the first disc with their new lineup, with Ulsh switching over from guitar to bass and recruiting Iron Reagan’s Mark Bronzino on guitar and Ryan Parrish on drums. Why It Rules: Anything with Ulsh’s touch is guaranteed to be a front-to-back banger. Even with five years between albums, a grueling schedule with Power Trip, and two-thirds of the band based out of Richmond, Virginia, Mammoth Grinder still sound like Mammoth Grinder. They can justify calling one of the songs “Superior Firepower,” as influenced by primitive Chicago death metal of Master as it is the Texas heat Ulsh emerged from. —Andy O’Connor Essential Tracks: “Locust’s Nest”, “Cosmic Crypt”, “Servants of the Most High” __________________________________________________________ 21. Ministry – AmeriKKKant Origin: Chicago / Los Angeles The Gist: The first release since the second time Ministry leader Al Jourgensen swore he was pulling the plug on the band, AmeriKKKant unfolds as a continuous sound collage assembled out of the nonstop bombardment that’s become a daily fact of life for anyone with access to media. Jourgensen was galvanized by the seismic shocks caused by the election of Donald Trump, whose voice is the first thing one hears on AmeriKKKant in the form of a warped soundbite. Why It Rules: Why turn to this album when you can saturate your brain with the same unpleasant subjects virtually anywhere you turn? Because Jourgensen has a way of making them fun somehow. In anyone else’s hands, the miasma of chilling headlines the Ministry mastermind draws from would make for an oppressive, despair-inducing mood. Instead, you can glean some relief as Uncle Al leaps into the maelstrom like a park ranger sky-diving into a forest fire. Boy, do we ever need someone like him right now. —Saby Reyes-Kulkarni Essential Tracks: “Twilight Zone”, “Victims of a Clown”, “Game Over”, “Antifa” __________________________________________________________ Source

Late last month, we shared with you all what might have been the most insane band break-up notice of all time. It came from a Toronto-based doom metal outfit called Witchrot, the leader of which took to Facebook to reveal that, due to “the unfortunate reality of our guitarist fucking my girlfriend of almost 7 years,” the band would be calling it quits. Oh, and apparently their drummer had died. Now, the band is making headlines again — for the complete opposite reasons. In a case of “good news-good news,” it turns out their drummer didn’t actually die and the band has decided to un-break up. All the attention brought on by the original note seems to have reinvigorated Witchrot’s frontman, Peter Turik. In a statement provided to Alternative Press, Turik said that the band is back together and planning to “use this attention to our full potential.” As for their drummer, Turik said that he quit due to his commitments to bands like Crazy Bones and Gloin. “Say I died,” he told Turik. “No one will give a shit.” Ha. Read Turik’s full statement below: “The other Sunday I posted on Witchrot’s Facebook page that the band was taking a break. Two people I cared about stabbed me a trillion times in the heart with betrayal and that resentment scars like hell fire. It obviously left me feeling wretched. I always hate it when bands stop dead without any updates and I felt, well, might as well let the people know. After writing, I asked Simon, our drummer who quit a couple weeks prior (due to the fact that he has become increasingly busy drumming for Crazy Bones, Gloin, and Brenda), if that was a good idea. He said ‘Yeah, but say I died, no one will give a shit’…… Clearly they did. I am floored by the fact that this post received so much attention, considering we had only around 300 likes on Facebook when I wrote it. The amount of positive feedback people expressed, with regards to my situation along with the praise for our music, was touching to say the least. I thought maybe a couple people in Europe might care or ‘like’ the post but instead it reached nearly every news source on the planet……..Fuckin eh. At this point I am going to continue the band full force with Lea up front on vocals. The both of us talked it over and I’m so happy that she is on board. She has that powerful voice that makes you feel small in her presence. Kind of carved out and hollow. We are going to use this attention to our full potential. We booked studio time and also decided to recruit some friends to play Lee’s Palace Dec 28. Of course, now we have big plans to tour extensively in the near future. No sense in waiting around, we have so many talented friends that can easily learn our songs in no time. I’ve decided to switch to guitar, that way the guitar will finally sound the way it’s supposed to. Stay heavy – Peter” Witchrot’s self-titled EP can be heard on Bandcamp, while tickets to the aforementioned Lee’s Palace show are available here. Source

The career of Bob Dylan lends itself to tall tales. For Jeff Slate, that tendency comes straight from the man himself. “He walked into Morris Levy’s office in 1961 and dictated a biography, as he tells it in Chronicles, that was completely fiction,” Slate said. “The dead parents, the living in boxcars, all these odd jobs he’d had driving a truck.” As the writer and researcher behind the liner notes for More Blood, More Tracks, Slate has spent more time than most sifting the truth out of the alternate takes, studio logs, and other primary sources that form the album’s historical record. That job also makes him duty-bound to straighten out the lingering misconceptions about Dylan’s 1975 masterpiece, Blood on the Tracks, that have added beguiling (if incorrect) color to the record’s commonly accepted narrative. If our recent phone conversation is any indication, it’s a task that he relishes, not as a scold, but as the steward of a truer story that’s even more compelling than the legends. Consequence of Sound and Sony bring you an exploration of legendary albums and their ongoing legacy with The Opus. Hosted by Paula Mejia, the first installment revolves around Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks in conjunction with the new Bootleg Series release, More, Blood, More Tracks. Subscribe now. “Anybody who’s a music obsessive, or certainly a Dylan fan, is going to be completely mesmerized by a tale of a record that was recorded, scrapped, rerecorded, and released,” he said. “It was reviewed! Larry Sloman did a whole piece about the making of the record for Rolling Stone in November of 1974, and then it never saw the light of day in the form he wrote about.” Forty-four years later, it’s time to amend the record. Below, we’ve given Slate the floor to debunk five of the most persistent myths surrounding Blood on the Tracks. Read on to discover the real stories about Dylan’s aborted sessions with his backing band Deliverance, the fabled Christmas sessions in Minnesota that produced some of the record’s most indelible moments, and the confessional voice that’s led many to call this his most personally revealing work. More Blood, More Tracks, the latest installment in Dylan’s enduring Bootleg Series, is currently on sale. The deluxe edition includes more than 70 previously unreleased recordings from the sessions behind Blood on the Tracks, specifically outtakes, studio banter, false starts, and alternate versions of “Tangled Up in Blue”, “Simple Twist of Fate”, and “Shelter From the Storm”. Stream a preview of the collection below via Spotify. __________________________________________________________ Jeff Slate: I think there’s this myth that the New York sessions made a better record. I don’t subscribe to that notion. I think that, individually, the performances are probably more powerful, but taken as a whole, as a record, I don’t think that would have been the record that would have reestablished Dylan as the preeminent singer-songwriter of his generation in 1975. People kind of hold it near and dear because it’s this lost record, but I think the biggest misconception is that it’s a better record. It’s a cooler record, it’s a funkier record, it’s a more interesting and intimate record, but to say that it’s a better record does a disservice to the recordings he did in Minnesota. I don’t think that the original version of “Tangled Up in Blue” is superior to the one that he redid when he was up in Minnesota. It’s a cooler, solo, more intimate, more intense version, but to say it’s better is a subjective call. “Idiot Wind” is probably better. (laugh) But that’s a whole other argument. __________________________________________________________ Slate: The biggest misconception, and I had it too, when I went into it, was that he went in with the band, and started with the band, and was difficult to work with, and didn’t give them direction, and kept changing the arrangements and the tempos, and would veer from one song and back and to another and back, and so forth. Now that we have the session notes and the tapes in chronological order, what we realize is a couple of things. The first thing was, he recorded 11 songs before the band even showed up. His intention, the way we and the team who worked on [More Blood, More Tracks] understood it, was to record a solo acoustic record. […] Within the first half-hour, he’d cut four tracks: two versions of “If You See Her, Say Hello” and two of “You’re a Big Girl Now.” While the tonality of his voice changes, and little things change here and there, the guitar playing is identical, the solo breaks are identical, the harmonica solos are identical. So, this idea that he was unprepared or wasn’t sure what he was going to do – he was ready to get down, and he was kind of making Freewheelin’ for the mid-’70s: a more mature, world-weary version of the album that he’d made in 1963. __________________________________________________________ Slate: Now that we can listen to the tapes, the first thing we realize is that he didn’t intend to record with the band, and when he did bring them in, it really doesn’t work. For whatever reason, those sessions didn’t connect. They were the guys who were available on the Rosh Hashanah holiday in New York City. I don’t know if they were the A guys or the B guys or the C guys, but they didn’t connect with him. I think the story that he was hard to work with and mercurial is more legend than reality, because we can hear him trying, over and over, to get a take with these guys, and instead of it getting better, it kind of falls apart. Whatever was happening — and I know the drummer was in a booth, and Bob wouldn’t wear headphones — there were technical issues, but usually, when musicians are in that situation, they find a way to connect, and these guys just didn’t. But, he did connect with Tony Brown the bass player, who he brought back the next day, and who he returns to the next three days, recording basically by himself or with Brown on bass and a couple of overdubs here and there. […] That’s probably the biggest myth that we wanted to deal with, that he was making this record and he fired the band one by one. He wasn’t. He was probably making an acoustic record. _______________________________________________________ Download | Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS | Follow via Facebook __________________________________________________________ Slate: People repeat this in stories as fact. We actually went back and researched this, and there’s no primary source — there’s no interview with Bob, no interview with his brother, nobody who was on the scene at the time who says it was David who convinced him to do this. I think there was a biography, maybe in the late ’70s or early ’80s, that just stated it as fact, and then after that, everybody just repeated it, because why would that not be fact-checked? However, the reality is, as Ratso Sloman told me when I interviewed him […] nobody’s going to make Bob do what he hasn’t already decided to do. He’d been living with this record for a couple of months, it was going to come out, and he was probably having second thoughts because, by all accounts, he wanted to make a big artistic statement. After being at Columbia Records for the entirety of the ’60s, he’d jumped ship to David Geffen and Asylum Records in 1973, released Planet Waves and Before the Flood, and was now back at Columbia. He’s back, putting his stake in the ground as the preeminent singer-songwriter of that generation. Does he want to release a cool record or a great record? What people aren’t giving him credit for is that he knew, from an artistic standpoint, that it needed something more. Probably his brother, because he was local and knew a studio and knew some local musicians, was able to present him with the opportunity to record while he was there for vacation. […] Kevin Odegard, who played guitar and helped put the sessions together, told me they went in to record one song. The idea was to record, on the first night, “Idiot Wind”, and maybe it would be a freestanding single separate from the album, or maybe it would replace the version on the album because he’d rewritten it so dramatically. However, it went so well that he immediately started recording another song and then another and then came back a couple nights later and recorded a couple more. So, I think that’s probably another one that falls into the category of myths, that he’d planned to do “Tangled Up in Blue” again. That didn’t come until the second night. __________________________________________________________ Slate: I think the idea [that Blood on the Tracks is purely autobiographical] is a disservice to how good these songs are. Look, there’s no doubt that these songs are of a more personal nature than a lot of his other music. But, by the same token, he was taking these painting classes, he was fascinated with the Cubists, he was fascinated with the idea that when you look at something close up and then at 10 feet away and then at 30 feet away, it reveals itself in completely different ways, and he was trying to do that with songwriting. To find a linear narrative about one individual in those songs that have elements of love songs in them is to minimize the scope of the subject matter he’s dealing with. […] It’s easy to pick up on this narrative that’s been told and retold, that it’s a breakup record, but the reality is, if you take “Tangled Up in Blue” and break out the story, is it about two people on the run and trying to find each other? Yeah, it is. But it’s also all these other things. Is it current day? Is it 100 years ago? Is it the ’50s? Is it the future? There are also all these other characters that come in and out of the narrative, in first-person and third-person, and all this other stuff going on. So, to say that it’s a straightforward song of breakup kind of minimizes the fact that he’s dealing with so many levels of emotion, and so many different styles of lyricism and storytelling. This is not a Neil Young ballad. No disrespect to Neil. He writes great songs, but this is a whole other animal. Also, to say that this is his divorce record — he didn’t get divorced for three years after this. That’s a pretty long divorce! […] People do feel like this is the one time that he gave us a peek behind the curtain, and then it closed shut again in many ways; Desire had some confessional-ish songs on it, and they do exist throughout his career. But that’s all assuming that these stories are about him. We don’t know that. He’s not going to tell us. Why oversimplify them? Accept them for what they are, and let them do their magic. To think that it’s him writing about one individual limits the scope of these songs that are so large and full of multitudes, as they say. Source

Primavera Sound has revealed its 2019 lineup and color us shocked, but it’s incredible. The festival returns to Barcelona, Spain May 30th through June 1st, and it once again features an unparalleled bill of performers. Tame Impala, Cardi B, Robyn, Stereolab (their first confirmed performance in a decade), Solange, Janelle Monáe, Courtney Barnett, Jarvis Cocker (introducing JARV IS), Erykah Badu, Nas, Guided by Voices, FKA Twigs, Carly Rae Jepsen, Charli XCX, Pusha T, Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Kurt Vile and the Violators, Interpol, Liz Phair, Neneh Cherry, Primal Scream, Snail Mail, Yves Tumor, Built to Spill, and Tierra Whackare are all set to perform. Oh, sorry, not enough awesome for you? Also featured are Christine and the Queens, Big Red Machine, Jawbreaker, Future, Danny Brown, Soccer Mommy, SOPHIE, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Suede, Dirty Projectors, Princess Nokia, Big Thief, Low, James Blake, Kali Uchi, Lizzo, JPEGMAFIA, Beak>, and Sigrid. If that lineup feels pretty diverse, that’s very much the point: A press release emphasizes a “new normal” that focuses on Primavera’s commitment to “urban music without forgetting any essential selections” while booking a 50/50 gender split. Included in the statement is a sort of manifesto that reads: “That in a line up, equality between female and male artists should be normal That gender barriers and pigeonholing being dismantled should be normal That all stages, schedules and proposals being provocative should be normal That the music of the new generations be embraced without forgetting how we got here should be normal.” Tickets are on sale now via the festival’s website. Find the complete lineup below, followed by an announcement trailer highlighting the “new normal” theme. Source