Music

Ricky Powell, the portrait and street photographer best known for his work with Beastie Boys, has died, Complex reports and his management confirmed to Pitchfork. He was 59. In his heyday in the in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Powell was a mainstay in the downtown Manhattan art and music scene. His portraits and

Loma Vista Recordings is no longer promoting Marilyn Manson’s music after Evan Rachel Wood accused the musician of abuse. The label had released Manson’s last two albums, 2017’s Heaven Upside Down and 2020’s WE ARE CHAOS. When reached by Pitchfork, the label shared the following statement: In light of today’s disturbing allegations by Evan Rachel

Bad Bunny performed at the WWE Royal Rumble tonight (January 31). The reggaetón star did a live rendition of “Booker T” from his latest album El Último Tour Del Mundo, while the song’s namesake Booker T stood stoic beside him on the stage. It closed with Bad Bunny handing the mic over to the wrestler,

Chet “JR” White, the bassist and producer best known for his work in the band Girls, died in October 2020 at age 40. Prior to his death, he produced California singer-songwriter Lia Ices’ Family Album, which was released on Friday (January 29) via Natural Music. Listen to the new album below. “Experiencing JR’s creative genius

Outpourings of grief followed the news that SOPHIE, the unparalleled producer and pop vanguardist, died in an accidental fall Saturday morning (January 30). Artists from across the music world paid tribute: Christine and the Queens, Rina Sawayama, Sam Smith, Nicolas Jaar, Shamir, Jlin, Kelly Lee Owens, Tkay Maidza, the Blessed Madonna, Bring Me the Horizon’s

Figures across the music community continue to pay tribute to SOPHIE, the highly influential avant-garde pop producer who passed away early Saturday morning (January 30) in Athens, Greece, following an accidental fall. Artists, friends, and collaborators including Arca, Danny L Harle, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, Jimmy Edgar, FKA twigs, Vince Staples, and many more have

Hilton Valentine, the founding guitarist of the band the Animals, has died. The band’s label ABKCO confirmed the news with a statement on Friday (January 29). He was 77. Born in 1943, Valentine grew up in the northernmost part of England and found interest in skiffle music as a teenager. He co-founded the Animals in

System of a Down has released a new music video for one of their 2020 comeback singles, “Genocidal Humanoidz.” Co-directed by bassist Shavo Odadjian and Adam Mason, the new video features animation in addition to performance footage. The video aired at the end of a livestreamed event held this afternoon to fundraise for the humanitarian

SOPHIE, the influential British producer who molded electronic music into bracingly original avant-garde pop, was killed in an accident Saturday morning (January 30), a representative confirms. SOPHIE died at roughly 4 a.m. in Athens, Greece, where the artist had been living. In a statement, the labels Transgressive and Future Classic wrote: “True to her spirituality

The organizers of Woodstock 50—the failed 50th anniversary concert celebrating the iconic 1969 festival—have settled their legal disputes with Dentsu, the Japanese-owned advertising firm contracted to finance the event, Billboard reports. Woodstock 50 was officially canceled in July 2019, three months after Dentsu pulled out of the festival. Three months ago, an arbitration panel ruled

The Knife’s Olof Dreijer has shared a new remix of “Monument,” a track from Röyksopp and Robyn’s 2014 Do It Again EP. Take a listen below. Last summer, Robyn joined Channel Tres and SG Lewis on the new song “Impact.” She also appeared alongside Jónsi on “Salt Licorice” from the Sigur Ros singer’s Shiver. Her

Selena Gomez has announced a new Spanish-language EP titled REVELACIÓN. The project arrives March 12 via Interscope. Today (January 29), Gomez has released the Tainy-produced single “Baila Conmigo” (“Dance With Me”), featuring Puerto Rican artist Rauw Alejandro. Check out the accompanying music video, directed by Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Nogari, below. “Baila Conmigo” follows “De Una

Ty Segall’s band Fuzz have shared a new video of the group performing live at the Los Angeles studio Gold Diggers Sound. Live at Gold Diggers Studio 1 features Fuzz performing a four-song set: “Nothing People,” “Mirror,” “Close Your Eyes,” and “Loose Sutures.” Check out the black and white clip directed by Joshua Erkman below.

Spotify has been granted a patent with technology that aims to use recordings of users’ speech and background noise to determine what kind of music to curate and recommend to them, Music Business Worldwide reports. The company filed for the patent in 2018; it was approved on January 12, 2021. The patent outlines potential uses

You can now read all 80 issues of Punk Planet for free on the Internet Archive. Founded by writer and editor Dan Sinker, the Chicago music and politics zine ran as a print publication from 1994 until 2007. In addition to music features and reviews, Punk Planet covered topics like feminism, politics, human rights, and

HAIM appeared on the latest episode of Hrishikesh Hirway’s Song Exploder podcast. The Los Angeles band was joined by producers Ariel Rechtshaid and Rostam to discuss the genesis of their 2019 single “Summer Girl,” from last year’s Women in Music Pt. III. Listen to the full episode below. In the episode, the sisters talk about

Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood is scoring Spencer, a new movie about Princess Diana, IndieWire reports. The film, directed by Pablo Larraín, stars Kristen Stewart as the late Princess of Wales. Check out a photo of Stewart as Princess Diana below. According to IndieWire, the movie could be released this fall. Jonny Greenwood’s latest soundtrack albums—Phantom Thread and

Adrianne Lenker was the musical guest on tonight’s episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. From a remote outdoor location, she performed “anything” from her album songs. Watch it happen below. At the end of 2020, Lenker performed several songs from her new album on NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series. Listen to her conversation

AEG, Live Nation, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), and many other event production companies have sent a letter to President Biden offering their spaces and services to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine. Read the full letter here. The letter, which points out that there are many venues already working on the State and Local

Perfume Genius, Foo Fighters, and Benjamin Gibbard are set to appear on Viva Vera 20!, a livestream special celebrating the 20th anniversary of the first show at Seattle’s Vera Project. The show will be broadcast on VeraTV.org on Wednesday, January 27, at 7 p.m. Pacific and feature additional performances and birthday wishes from TV on

Clark has announced a new album. Playground in a Lake is out March 26 via Deutsche Grammophon. The album features string ensembles, Oliver Coates playing cello, and Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor on clarinet. Listen to the new song “Small” below. “I’ve always wanted to record strings, but feel there’s this baggage with classical music,” Clark

On March 12, producer and multi-instrumentalist Lorenzo Wolff will release Down Where the Valleys Are Low: Another Otherworld for Judee Sill, a tribute album for the late singer-songwriter Judee Sill. Guests on the album include Bartees Strange, Bobby Hawk, Osei Essed, Mary-Elaine Jenkins, Grace McLean, Kate Ferber, Emily Holden, and Michael Cerveris. Below, listen to

serpentwithfeet has announced his album DEACON with a video for the single “Fellowship.” The track was co-written and co-produced with Sampha and Lil Silva; check out the Kordae Jatafa Henry–directed clip for “Fellowship” below. DEACON, the follow-up to serpentwithfeet’s 2018 debut LP soil, is due out March 26 via Secretly Canadian. “​I originally approached this

South Carolina rapper 18veno was shot dead last night, the York County Coroner’s Office in South Carolina confirmed to Pitchfork. He was was pronounced dead at the Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill. An investigation by the York County Sheriff’s Department is ongoing. 18veno was 19 years old. Born Paul Harts, 18veno grew up in

Jonas Gwangwa—the South African anti-apartheid activist, composer, and jazz trombonist—has died, NPR reports. The news was confirmed by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. “A giant of our revolutionary cultural movement and our democratic creative industries has been called to rest,” Ramaphosa wrote in a statement. “The trombone that boomed with boldness and bravery, and equally

King Krule has shared a cover of John Lennon’s iconic ballad “Imagine,” from Lennon’s 1971 album of the same name. Archy Marshall posted the track on Bandcamp yesterday (January 23), with a brief statement: “Recorded in sweat, last summer, for a friend.” Listen to Marshall’s take on “Imagine” below. Early last year, Marshall issued Man

Eminem debuted his new video for his song “Higher” during ESPN’s UFC 257 Countdown: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 pre-show on ABC. The clip for the Music To Be Murdered By – Side B track features footage from ESPN’s coverage of the Ultimate Fighting Championship alongside Eminem in a boxing ring performing the song. At one

Three New York-area ticket resellers have been fined by the FTC under the BOTS Act, as Engadget reports. It is the first case to be brought under the Obama-era anti-scalping legislation that was passed in 2016. Three companies—Just in Time Tickets, Inc., Cartisim Corp., and Concert Specials, Inc.—and their principals—Evan Kohanian, Simon Ebrani, and Steven