The Wrap-Up brings you the 5 largest music news stories of the week as well as information about new album and music video releases.

HEADLINES OF THE WEEK

1. WBRU artists win big at the Grammy’s On Sunday night, a few of our favorite BRU artists took home Grammy’s, most notably Beck, who won Best Rock Album, Best Engineered Album, and the biggest award of the night, Album of the Year, for Morning Phase. Jack White nabbed Best Rock Performance for “Lazaretto,” beating the Arctic Monkeys, the Black Keys, Ryan Adams, and Beck. “Ain’t it Fun” scored Paramore the Grammy for Best Rock Song while the Best Alternative Rock Album went to St. Vincent, who faced stiff competition from alt-J, Jack White, Cage the Elephant, and Arcade Fire. BRU artists even won awards in the more obscure categories, with Pearl Jam‘s Lightning Bolt winning Best Recording Package and Jack White’s The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27) winning Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package.   2. Florence + The Machine return after 4 years Florence + The Machine last released new music with Ceremonials in 2011. However, on Tuesday, they released an album teaser that led up to yesterday’s release of the band’s latest single “What Kind of Man.” “What Kind of Man” is on the band’s upcoming third album, How Big How Blue How Beautiful, which comes out on June 2. “What Kind of Man” features Florence Welch’s signature powerful vocals interspersed with sharp guitar riffs. In a press release, Welch opened up about the inspiration behind the new album:

I guess although I’ve always dealt in fantasy and metaphor when I came to writing, that meant the songs this time were dealing much more in reality. Ceremonials was so fixated on death and water, and the idea of escape or transcendence through death, but the new album became about trying to learn how live, and how to love in the world rather than trying to escape from it. Which is frightening because I’m not hiding behind anything but it felt like something I had to do.

The tracklist for How Big How Blue How Beautiful is shown below: 1. Ship to Wreck 2. What Kind of Man 3. How Big How Blue How Beautiful 4. Queen of Peace 5. Various Storms & Saints 6. Delilah 7. Long & Lost 8. Caught 9. Third Eye 10. St Jude 11. Mother     4. Dave Grohl is the 2015 Record Store Day Ambassador  On Wednesday, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl was named Record Store Day Ambassador for this year’s event, which will take place on April 18. You can watch Dave discuss the significance of records here and read his statement about receiving the honor below:

I found my calling in the back bin of a dark, dusty record store. 1975′s K-Tel’s Blockbuster 20 Original Hits by the Original Stars featuring Alice Cooper, War, Kool and the Gang, Average White Band and many more, bought at a small record shop in my suburban Virginia neighborhood, it was this record that changed my life and made me want to become a musician. The second that I heard Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein” kick in, I was hooked. My life had been changed forever. This was the first day of the rest of my life. Growing up in Springfield, Virginia in the 70′s and 80′s, my local independent record stores were magical, mysterious places that I spent all of my spare time (and money) in, finding what was to eventually become the soundtrack of my life. Every weekend I couldn’t wait to take my hard earned, lawn mowing cash down for an afternoon full of discovery. And, the chase was always as good as the catch! I spent hours flipping through every stack, examining the artwork on every cover, the titles and credits, searching for music that would inspire me, or understand me, or just to help me escape. These places became my churches, my libraries, my schools. They felt like home. And, I don’t know where I would be today without them. More recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to rediscover this sense of excitement, that magical feeling of finding something all one’s own, by watching my kids go through it. Let me tell you: Nothing makes me prouder than watching my daughters spin that first Roky Erickson LP one of them picked out for their very own on one of our weekend trips to the record store. Or to watch the reverence they have as they handle their Beatles vinyl. How carefully they replace the albums into their sleeves, making sure they’re placed back onto the self in the proper sequence. Watching them realize how crucial and intertwined every part of this experience is, I relive the magic of my earliest experiences with vinyl singles and albums, their artwork, liners notes etc. all over again and again. I believe that the power of the record store to inspire is still alive and well, and that their importance to our next generation of musicians is crucial. Take an afternoon (and some hard earned lawn mowing money) and please support them. You never know, it might change your life forever, too. Dave

  5. Arcade Fire’s Will Butler felt “forced” to go solo Will Butler of Arcade Fire (and younger brother of frontman Win Butler) is now making a name for himself as an Exposure artist with his new single “Anna,” a hypnotic track that features electronic beats and even a saxophone. In an interview with NME, he stated that he decided to go solo after finishing the score for the Oscar-winning film Her once his fellow bandmates Win and Regine Chassagne announced that they were expecting a child. He revealed, “[Working solo] was kind of forced on me; I feel like my name was suddenly out there.” He also shared information about his album’s direction stating, “there’s a little more dumb humor than you find in Arcade Fire.” You can hear Will’s distinct solo work for yourself when he performs at the Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge on March 6.   Matt and Kim – Hey Now Death Cab for Cutie – Black Sun  

And here’s your 12 CUTS ABOVE THE REST!

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