News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
Neil Young Shares New Performance Video Of Live Rarity “Silver & Gold”
It’s Christmas and Neil Young is here with a gift. “Silver & Gold” was written in the early ’80s and played on tour a few times in 1984 but a studio recording wasn’t released until it appeared on his 2000 album of the same name. Per setlist.fm he hasn’t played it since Farm Aid over 17 years ago, and today he’s sharing a video of a performance of it.
Stream Whirr's Spellbinding New Album 'Raw Blue'
2024 was another fertile year for shoegaze. As the fuzzy genre thrives, it’s hard not to notice the influence controversial band Whirr has over it, especially for TikTok viral artists like Wisp or flyingfish. Despite being canceled in 2015 for transphobic comments and general bullying online, Whirr remain a revered act. Today, they’re back with the surprise album Raw Blue.
Tyler, The Creator Freestyles Over Kendrick Lamar's “Hey Now,” Reflects On 'Bastard' 15th Anniversary
Both Kendrick Lamar and Tyler, The Creator kept hip hop interesting in the latter half of the year with GNX and Chromakopia respectively. Today, Tyler released “That Guy,” a freestyle over the GNX track “Hey Now.”
Beyonce NFL Halftime Show: Watch
2024 was big for Beyoncé, who unveiled the massive album Cowboy Carter in March, became the first Black woman to hit #1 on the Hot 100 chart with a country song, broke the record for most career Grammy nominations, amongst many other achievements. Today, she gave her first live performance in more than a year at the Christmas Day NFL Halftime Show.
Ice Spice Shares New Tracks On 'Y2K!' Deluxe
Earlier this year, Ice Spice dropped her rather forgettable debut album Y2K! (the Central Cee collab, however, is a great time). Now, the viral Bronx rapper is back with the deluxe edition, playfully and perhaps annoyingly titled Y2K!: I’m Just A Girl (Deluxe).
Kate Bush Reflects On Monet And AI In Annual Christmas Message
Beloved art-pop recluse Kate Bush isn’t the type to make public appearances these days, but she does share occasional messages to the world on her website. When she was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last year, Kate Bush didn’t attend, but she did share a statement. She shared another statement when she was named Record Store Day’s UK Ambassador earlier this year. In October, Bush gave an exceedingly rare BBC interview, and she said that she’s “got lots of ideas” for new music. Now, she’s shared a Christmas message, an annual ritual for her.
Wednesday's Karly Hartzman & MJ Lenderman Separately Cover Counting Crows' "A Long December" In North Carolina: Watch
Counting Crows’ 1996 power ballad “A Long December” has emerged as a depressive lighters-up standard. In recent years, a bunch of people have covered “A Long December”: The Hold Steady, Oceanator, Knifeplay. Earlier this year, Noah Kahan sang it with lead Counting Crow Adam Duritz. And over past week, the two leaders of Wendesday added their own “A Long December” covers to the list.
Closer Announce Breakup, Share Two Final Songs: Listen
Seven years ago, the frantic and ferocious New York screamo power trio Closer jumped onto our radar with their colossal full-length debut All This Will Be. Since then, they’ve released the equally great follow-up Within One Stem, but members of the band have moved to different cities, which makes it hard to keep a DIY concern going. Singer and drummer Ryann Slauson, for instance, now lives in Philadelphia and leads Sonagi; their Everything Is Longing is one of our favorite EPs of the year. Now, Closer are calling it a day, and they’ve just shared two huge new songs ahead of their final show.
The 8 Worst Music Trends Of 2024
It’s time for another Stereogum tradition: itemizing our least favorite music trends of the year. And boy, did 2024 give us some big ones, some real heavy shit; this is gonna be a long one. Let’s kick things off with a trend that was brewing in 2023, but really popped off this year…
For The First Time, Christmas Music Released This Century Is In The Top 10
A few years ago, Stereogum’s own Chris DeVille wrote a column about a crucial question: Where are the modern Christmas standards? Every year, Mariah Carey’s 1994 song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” reliably returns to #1 on the Hot 100. It’s part of the flood of holiday music that dominates the Hot 100 for about six weeks every year. Most of the other songs Christmas songs that fill the chart predate “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” usually by a lot. This year, however, we have two different Christmas songs in the top 10, and it’s the first time this century that post-Mariah Christmas music has charted that high.
The Number Ones: Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do”
In The Number Ones, I’m reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart’s beginning, in 1958, and working my way up into the present. Book Bonus Beat: The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music.
Watch REO Speedwagon Play Their Farewell Shows
In case you missed our 2024 in memoriam video, REO Speedwagon — the band behind hits like “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep On Loving You” — are breaking up over “irreconcilable differences.” “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever see this coming,” frontman Kevin Cronin recently told Billboard. “The simple answer is that REO Speedwagon at this point is a three-person partnership…and I have one vote. So if I get outvoted then I have to accept that, whether I like it or not. I’ll be honest with you — I don’t like it.”
Hozier Covers The Pogues On 'SNL': Watch
Hozier was the musical guest for the second time on Saturday Night Live this weekend, 10 years after he first took Studio 8H to church. He performed his No. 1 hit “Too Sweet,” and — because he’s Irish and in New York and it was the Christmas episode — he did a cover of the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s “Fairytale Of New York,” the holiday ballad co-written by the late Shane MacGowan.
Watch Suki Waterhouse Cover TOPS With Jane Penny
Earlier this month, Suki Waterhouse surprised fans by bringing out Stephin Merritt, Amanda Lepore, and Del Water Gap in Brooklyn. In Montreal last week, the British singer-songwriter pleased audiences again by welcoming Jane Penny onstage for a TOPS cover.
Watch Sturgill Simpson Cover The Grateful Dead At Kennedy Center Honors
Earlier this year, Sturgill Simpson unveiled Passage Du Desir, his debut under the alias Johnny Blue Skies, which made our list of the Best Albums Of 2024. On Dec. 8, the country polymath sang at the 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors, and his performance is online now and will air on CBS on Sunday (Dec. 22).
Sondre Lerche Takes On Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” For Annual Christmas Cover
For over a decade, Sondre Lerche has been celebrating the holidays with an annual Christmas cover. He’s tackled Animal Collective, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Doja Cat, and more, and this year he’s transforming Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”
Watch Paul McCartney Reunite With Ringo Starr And His Lost Beatles Bass Guitar In London
Earlier this year, Paul McCartney’s favorite bass guitar was returned to him after it was missing for 54 years. On Thursday (Dec. 19), the former Beatle performed his first show with the beloved instrument since he got it back, and he was also joined by special guest Ringo Starr at London’s O2 Arena.
Lil Baby Didn’t Like Being Namechecked On Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Quit Gambling After Losing $8M In One Day
Last month, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, and Nas reacted to their namechecks on Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album GNX, and now Lil Baby has a delayed response to being mentioned on the rapper’s mega-hit from May, “Not Like Us.”
Grammys Announce Lifetime Achievement Awards For Prince, The Clash, Frankie Valli, & More
The Grammys are slowly approaching with the ceremony taking place on Feb. 2. Beyoncé leads all nominees, followed by a tie between Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, and Post Malone. Today, the Recording Academy revealed the Special Merit Award Honorees, including Prince, the Clash, Frankie Valli, and more.
Coheed And Cambria Frontman Shares Cover Of Taylor Swift’s “Welcome To New York”
Last month, Claudio Sanchez released a rendition of the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven.” Today, the Coheed And Cambria frontman is sharing a whole album of covers called Claudio Covers, featuring his version of Taylor Swift’s 1989 track “Welcome To New York.”
More Eaze & Claire Rousay Announce New Album 'No Floor': Hear "Limelight, Illegally"
This year, Claire Rousay released the great album sentiment, then followed it with a reimagined score for the 1980 animated film The Bloody Lady. On Thursday (Dec. 19), the ambient artist announced a new LP titled No Floor with frequent collaborator More Eaze. The single “Limelight, Illegally” is out now.
Stream SZA's New Album 'SOS Deluxe: LANA'
SZA’s long-awaited SOS Deluxe: LANA is finally here, after many delays. It was “bout to drop” in March, and the R&B darling said that SOS Deluxe and Lana were two separate projects. Earlier this month, she revealed SOS Deluxe and Lana were the same piece of music and teased that it was arriving soon. It was slated for midnight before getting pushed to the morning and now this afternoon, and now it’s out.
Shut Up, Dude: This Week’s Best Comments
Robert Smith doesn’t stream music “on principle and never will,” he said on a podcast this week. “I’ve got loads and loads of different iPods with stickers on them so I know in the dark which one’s gonna play which.” If you get a 4GB iPod Mini for Christmas, here’s some playlist inspo from 20 years ago:
Lizzo Gives First Interview Since Lawsuits: “None Of These Things Are True”
Last year, Lizzo was sued by her backup dancers — Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams, and Noelle Rodriguez — for sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. She denied the allegations, then was sued by another former tour employee, Asha Daniels. She attempted to get the lawsuit against her thrown out to no avail, and she has publicly stated that she’s “getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet.” Now, the disgraced pop star went on the Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast and addressed the situation again.
Knifeplay Share New Song "Old Time Christmas": Listen
In 2022, the dreamy Philadelphia indie rockers Knifeplay, a former Band To Watch, released For The Holidays, a Christmas music EP that was only available for a limited time. The EP went up for sale during the Christmas season, and sales went to benefit Broad Street Ministry, a charity that helps Philadelphians in need. The record collected Christmas songs that Knifeplay released over the years. Now, they bring it back once a year and add new music to it.
Clairo’s Tour Ended With A Rap Battle
Since early September, the ultra-chill indie-pop phenom Clairo has been touring behind her recent album Charm. Clairo was supposed to do a three-night stand at Toronto’s Massey Hall back in October, but she postponed those shows, citing exhaustion. I don’t blame her. If I had to deal with the crowd hijinks at Clairo shows every night, I’d be exhausted, too.
The Cure’s Robert Smith Talks Chappell Roan, Brat Summer, His Viral 2019 Rock Hall Interview
Two months ago, the Cure returned with Songs Of A Lost World, their first new album in 16 years. It’s fucking awesome. Part of the record’s magic is the idea that a record like this, a vintage Cure record that absolutely envelops you, can exist as part of the current pop landscape. It seems like it’s been beamed in from another time, and it doesn’t work in conversation with anything that’s being made today. So it’s a trip to hear Robert Smith talking about his present-day pop contemporaries.
Alabama Shakes Played A Surprise Reunion Show In Tuscaloosa
Southern blues-rockers Alabama Shakes never officially broke up, but before last night, they hadn’t played a live show since Montreal’s Osheaga Festival in 2017. Frontwoman Brittany Howard released her hugely acclaimed solo debut Jaime in 2019, and she followed it up with What Now earlier this year. She’s reportedly starting up a new project, a hardcore punk band called Kumite, and they’ll make their live debut in Nashville next month. But she hasn’t forgotten the band that made her famous in the first place. On Wednesday night, Alabama Shakes reunited in their home state for a surprise benefit set, their first performance in more than seven years.
The Replacements Guitarist Slim Dunlap Dead At 73
Bob “Slim” Dunlap, former guitarist for Minneapolis rock heroes the Replacements, has died. Dunlap suffered a stroke in 2012, and he never fully recovered, dealing with limited speech and mobility for the rest of his life. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Dunlap died at home in Minneapolis on Wednesday. He was 73.
Fievel Is Glauque's Zach Phillips Announces Solo Album 'True Music', Shares Title Track: Listen
Fievel Is Glauque were a Stereogum Band To Watch in 2022, and their recent album Rong Weicknes is among the year’s most acclaimed. Long before Fievel Is Glauque started, Zach Phillips, one half of the duo, was well-established in the avant-garde underground. He’s made solo music, and he’s taken part in groups like Blanche Blanche Blanche, Grendel’s Mother, and Perfect Angels. Now, he’s getting ready to release his new solo album True Music on New Year’s Day.