The Wrap-Up: This Week in Music + 12 Cuts
The Wrap-Up brings you the 10 largest music news stories of the week as well as information about new album and music video releases. HEADLINES OF THE WEEK 1. Weezer wanted YOU to help them choose their next single Two weeks ago, Weezer released their ninth...
The Wrap-Up brings you the 10 largest music news stories of the week as well as information about new album and music video releases.
Two weeks ago, Weezer released their ninth album, Everything Will Be Alright In The End, which sold 34,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #5 on the charts. With the album’s lead single, “Back to the Shack,” receiving lots of attention since its release in July, the band asked fans on Tuesday to participate in a Facebook poll to help them pick their next single. The band asked, “How much do you think each of these 3 songs would help Weezer’s career if released as the next single?” The options, which were all featured on last night’s Exposure, were: “Ain’t Got Nobody,” “Da Vinci,” and “Go Away,” a duet with Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino.
2. Gorillaz will return in 2016
Damon Albarn, the musician behind the virtual band Gorillaz, spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald and stated that he is preparing for the release of a new Gorillaz album in 2016. The last release from Gorillaz was The Fall in 2011.
However, when Albarn was asked about the future of Blur, he gave a more uncertain response, stating:
“I would imagine there’s some kind of future, but at the moment there’s no time for the future – only the present. Who knows? I’m reluctant to say anything, because if I do, it just gets taken out of context and then I’m accused of being a wind-up.”
3. Jack White will explore the history of music at Yale
Jack White is known for his various musical projects (i.e. being a solo artist, a member of multiple bands, and the founder of Third Man Records), but on Tuesday, he will take his talents to the field of history. White will speak at a Yale University panel, titled “Exploring the Rise and Fall of Paramount Records,” which will analyze the history of Paramount Records and commemorate the release of Volumes 1 & 2 of The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records 1917-1932, box sets released through Third Man Records and Relevant Records.
The panel also includes Yale professor Daphne Brooks, musician Adia Victoria, music critic Greil Marcus, and Dean and Scott Blackwood, the heads of Revenant Records. According to the panel’s website, the speakers will each play “a selected song in its entirety and discusses its deeper implications and dimensions.”
4. Milky Chance covered Miley Cyrus and announced a North American tour
German duo Milky Chance, known for their hit “Stolen Dance,” performed a laid-back, acoustic cover of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” on Thursday.
The band also announced a spring 2015 North American Tour. If you want to catch them live near you, check out their House of Blues Boston show on March 29. Get tickets HERE.
5. R.E.M. will be featured in a feature-length documentary
R.E.M. will be featured in a documentary, R.E.M. by MTV, that will bring together career-spanning footage and interviews from the station. The documentary will air on MTV, VH1, and Palladia towards the end of November and will also be included in a six-DVD box set, REMTV, that will be released on November 24. In the documentary’s trailer, shown above, vocalist Michael Stripe states, “We had a lot of luck. It turned out good – in fact, great.”
6. CHVRCHES released a video for “Under the Tide”
CHVRCHES released their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, last year, but on Thursday, they released a music video for “Under the Tide.” The song actually features lead vocals from Martin Doherty, rather than Lauren Mayberry, and its space-themed video juxtaposes images of of the band (mostly Doherty) with anime characters and and computer-generated graphics.
Check out our interview with CHVRCHES at Lollapalooza HERE!
7. Cold War Kids released a new album and announced a 2015 tour
On Tuesday, Cold War Kids released their fifth album, Hold My Home, the follow-up to last year’s Dear Miss Lonely Hearts, which they promoted at the 2013 WBRU Dunkin’ Donuts Summer Concert Series. Explaining how the recording process for this album differed from their previous efforts, lead vocalist Nathan Willett told Music Times:
“So we recorded in our home studio and definitely felt a sense of everything being in-house. Since the beginning we always loved to do all the artwork and all the songwriting, and everything is like under one small roof with us. So I kind of felt like the last piece of the puzzle was for us to be able to like use our home studio, which is our place of comfort, to do everything — write, record, finish records.”
The band also announced 2015 North America tour dates on Tuesday and you can watch them perform at the House of Blues Boston on Saturday, March 21. Get your tickets HERE.
8. Pearl Jam covered The Who & Tom Petty
On Monday at their Milwaukee show in the BMO Harris Bradley Center, Pearl Jam covered The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” with Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen. During the same show, Frontman Eddie Vedder also covered Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” (shown below).
9. Tove Lo, CHVRCHES, & Lorde featured on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack
The full tracklist of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack was released on Tuesday and it features CHVRCHES‘ “Dead Air,” Lorde’s “Yellow Flicker Beat” and “Ladder Song” (a Bright Eyes cover), and Tove Lo’s “Scream My Name.”
Check out the video above to watch Lorde discuss what it was like to curate the film’s soundtrack and what inspired her choices.
10. The Head and the Heart released a new music video
WBRU Exposure favorites The Head and the Heart released a music video for “Let’s Be Still,” a song from their 2013 album of the same name. The whimsical video begins with a man waking up from frightening dreams and depicts him escaping to a field to go sightseeing on hot air balloons. The band told USA Today that the video was inspired by Mary Poppins. They will perform on CBS This Morning next Saturday, November 1.
You can catch the six-piece band perform in Providence at Lupo’s on December 8 by getting tickets HERE.
HEADLINES OF THE WEEK
1. Weezer wanted YOU to help them choose their next single
Two weeks ago, Weezer released their ninth album, Everything Will Be Alright In The End, which sold 34,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #5 on the charts. With the album’s lead single, “Back to the Shack,” receiving lots of attention since its release in July, the band asked fans on Tuesday to participate in a Facebook poll to help them pick their next single. The band asked, “How much do you think each of these 3 songs would help Weezer’s career if released as the next single?” The options, which were all featured on last night’s Exposure, were: “Ain’t Got Nobody,” “Da Vinci,” and “Go Away,” a duet with Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino.
2. Gorillaz will return in 2016
Damon Albarn, the musician behind the virtual band Gorillaz, spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald and stated that he is preparing for the release of a new Gorillaz album in 2016. The last release from Gorillaz was The Fall in 2011.
However, when Albarn was asked about the future of Blur, he gave a more uncertain response, stating:
“I would imagine there’s some kind of future, but at the moment there’s no time for the future – only the present. Who knows? I’m reluctant to say anything, because if I do, it just gets taken out of context and then I’m accused of being a wind-up.”
3. Jack White will explore the history of music at Yale
Jack White is known for his various musical projects (i.e. being a solo artist, a member of multiple bands, and the founder of Third Man Records), but on Tuesday, he will take his talents to the field of history. White will speak at a Yale University panel, titled “Exploring the Rise and Fall of Paramount Records,” which will analyze the history of Paramount Records and commemorate the release of Volumes 1 & 2 of The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records 1917-1932, box sets released through Third Man Records and Relevant Records.
The panel also includes Yale professor Daphne Brooks, musician Adia Victoria, music critic Greil Marcus, and Dean and Scott Blackwood, the heads of Revenant Records. According to the panel’s website, the speakers will each play “a selected song in its entirety and discusses its deeper implications and dimensions.”
4. Milky Chance covered Miley Cyrus and announced a North American tour
German duo Milky Chance, known for their hit “Stolen Dance,” performed a laid-back, acoustic cover of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” on Thursday.
The band also announced a spring 2015 North American Tour. If you want to catch them live near you, check out their House of Blues Boston show on March 29. Get tickets HERE.
5. R.E.M. will be featured in a feature-length documentary
R.E.M. will be featured in a documentary, R.E.M. by MTV, that will bring together career-spanning footage and interviews from the station. The documentary will air on MTV, VH1, and Palladia towards the end of November and will also be included in a six-DVD box set, REMTV, that will be released on November 24. In the documentary’s trailer, shown above, vocalist Michael Stripe states, “We had a lot of luck. It turned out good – in fact, great.”
6. CHVRCHES released a video for “Under the Tide”
CHVRCHES released their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, last year, but on Thursday, they released a music video for “Under the Tide.” The song actually features lead vocals from Martin Doherty, rather than Lauren Mayberry, and its space-themed video juxtaposes images of of the band (mostly Doherty) with anime characters and and computer-generated graphics.
Check out our interview with CHVRCHES at Lollapalooza HERE!
7. Cold War Kids released a new album and announced a 2015 tour
On Tuesday, Cold War Kids released their fifth album, Hold My Home, the follow-up to last year’s Dear Miss Lonely Hearts, which they promoted at the 2013 WBRU Dunkin’ Donuts Summer Concert Series. Explaining how the recording process for this album differed from their previous efforts, lead vocalist Nathan Willett told Music Times:
“So we recorded in our home studio and definitely felt a sense of everything being in-house. Since the beginning we always loved to do all the artwork and all the songwriting, and everything is like under one small roof with us. So I kind of felt like the last piece of the puzzle was for us to be able to like use our home studio, which is our place of comfort, to do everything — write, record, finish records.”
The band also announced 2015 North America tour dates on Tuesday and you can watch them perform at the House of Blues Boston on Saturday, March 21. Get your tickets HERE.
8. Pearl Jam covered The Who & Tom Petty
On Monday at their Milwaukee show in the BMO Harris Bradley Center, Pearl Jam covered The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” with Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen. During the same show, Frontman Eddie Vedder also covered Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” (shown below).
9. Tove Lo, CHVRCHES, & Lorde featured on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack
The full tracklist of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack was released on Tuesday and it features CHVRCHES‘ “Dead Air,” Lorde’s “Yellow Flicker Beat” and “Ladder Song” (a Bright Eyes cover), and Tove Lo’s “Scream My Name.”
Check out the video above to watch Lorde discuss what it was like to curate the film’s soundtrack and what inspired her choices.
10. The Head and the Heart released a new music video
WBRU Exposure favorites The Head and the Heart released a music video for “Let’s Be Still,” a song from their 2013 album of the same name. The whimsical video begins with a man waking up from frightening dreams and depicts him escaping to a field to go sightseeing on hot air balloons. The band told USA Today that the video was inspired by Mary Poppins. They will perform on CBS This Morning next Saturday, November 1.
You can catch the six-piece band perform in Providence at Lupo’s on December 8 by getting tickets HERE.