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. Jack White released an interactive music video

On Sunday, Jack White spoke out about the exhaustive rider that was attributed to him, telling “journalists and other people looking for drama or a diva” through a critical open letter that while on tour, he does “not ask for anything” and that “anything on the rider is for the band and the crew.” Four days later, he made headlines again, but this time for something more positive: he released an interactive video for Lazaretto track “That Black Bat Licorice.” White had 3 different music videos filmed for the track and just by pressing a couple keys, you can easily flip between the different videos. Simply pressing play will bring up a surreal animated video depicting White chasing a love interest. Holding down the “3” key produces a live-action video with White while the “b” key brings up a live-action video of everyday people headbanging.  

2. Passion Pit debuted 2 new songs

Just a few weeks after releasing a teaser for their upcoming album Kindred, Passion Pit released 2 new tracks. They first released “Lifted Up (1985),” which reflected the band’s signature energetic, synth-drive sound. The next day, they released “Where the Sky Hangs,” an 80’s-esque midtempo love song that has already been featured on Exposure.  

3. Modest Mouse released another new track

Modest Mouse have already released “Lampshades on Fire,” “Coyotes,” and “The Best Room” from Strangers to Ourselves, which comes out next month on March 17. On Monday, they debuted “The Ground Walks, With Time In A Box,” a restless six-minute track full of purely instrumental intervals that show off the band’s impressive musicianship. Hopefully by March 17 we can hear more from the 15-song album.  

4. Tom DeLonge claims he has had encounters with aliens

Tom DeLonge is back under the spotlight this week, but not for another quarrel with his former Blink-182 bandmates. DeLonge spoke to Paper Magazine about his encounters with extraterrestrial life and having his phone tapped. The full long interview can be read here, but the definite highlight of the interview was DeLonge’s description of his run-in with aliens while camping around Area 51:

We had two nights. We did one outside of a secret base called China Lake. And that was on the flight path to Area 51, which is known as Groom Lake. We camped out at the northern end of that, about 200 miles from the nearest staff location. We were above an area called Tonopah, which is where they test-fly a lot of different things. So if you remember, I was talking about a person that was gathering all that footage for the congressional hearing. That person was telling me that that the big belief, which I had corroborated by a university professor that was in the know, by the way, that the communication of this particular phenomenon is the frequency of thought. So part of communicating and making contact is shutting your mind down and being able to project your thoughts. And this guy was telling me about it, and this whole protocol for how it works. When we went out there the first night, we decided to run through this protocol where you project your thoughts. So we decided to do it, and we were up mad late, but nothing happened. I kept telling the guys: if anything was going to happen, it would happen at three in morning, because that’s the time when things like this happen. Don’t ask me why. We put about four logs on the fire, and everything is illuminated by the fire, and we fall asleep around one or two. I woke up right around three a.m. My whole body felt like it had static electricity, and I open my eyes and the fire is still going, and there’s a conversation going on outside the tent. It sounded like there were about 20 people there, talking. And instantly my mind goes, OK, they’re at our campsite, they’re not here to hurt us, they’re talking about shit, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. But they’re working on something. Then I close my eyes and wake up, and the fire is out and I have about three hours of lost time.

 

5. The Foo Fighters are headlining Glastonbury

In their NME Awards acceptance speech video for winning Best International Band, the Foo Fighters announced that they would be headlining the Glastonbury Festival at England in June. This will be the band’s first appearance at the festival in 17 years. Tickets to Glastonbury sold out in October, but if you find yourself planning a summer trip to England, you can still grab resold tickets in April.  

And here are your 12 CUTS ABOVE THE REST!

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