Feed aggregatorHear Tyga's 'Rack City' Remix With Young Jeezy, T.I.We're not saying Tyga's "Rack City" is the best song on the radio right now. Wait, actually, we're saying exactly that. Listen to this remix (via Dajaz1) while you read last week's entry on our hip-hop blog, Tyga's 'Rack City' Is the Best Song on the Radio Right Now: Here Are 10 Reasons Why. A whole bunch of those 10 reasons are still intact, from the refreshingly minimalist production to the sheer, absurd joy of a rapper as personality-free as Tyga happening onto such an unforgettably ridiculous hook. Only now the one-time "Coconut Juice" slinger is joined by some lackadaisical strip-club rhymes from Wale, cannily cold-blooded wordplay from Fabolous, grunting sex boasts from Young Jeezy, money-counting yelps from Meek Mill, and, finally, if I'm counting right, a languidly swaggering T.I. living large. Unfortunately, the guest verses aren't all new, and they don't really improve on the original — imagine Rick Ross or some of the Young Money A-listers on this beat! — but this "Rack City" remix's biggest shortcoming? It's a "clean" version, bitch. Oh well: A video is on the way, and Tyga's major-label debut Careless World: Rise of the Last King is due February 21. Super Bowl XLVI Is Getting SkrillifiedThe music supervision department at NBC clearly wants to do something epic for this year's Super Bowl, which airs February 5 and might be the most-watched telecast in history. What music on the planet could be more epic than the scores of John Williams? The man did, after all, give us the soundtracks for Star Wars, Jaws, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones. And what could be more jaw-dropping than bringing in this "new" "dubstep" thing. (Maybe they read our Dubstep 101 Primer!) No, this isn't a satire. Billboard reported yesterday that John Williams' 2006 "Wide Receiver" piece (a theme already used by the NFL) will be reimagined (we like to think of it as orchestral chopping and screwing) by composer Joel Beckerman, who says he's transformed the piece into three new versions: one rock version, one "percolating soundtrack" version, and one dubstep version. According to the report, the three versions will bookend commercial blocks for the most part, but if the Lucas Oil Stadium (in Indianapolis, where this year's Superbowl is being held) turns into a giant rave on the 5th, at least you'll know why. As SPIN previously noted, Madonna will be the show's halftime performer, and her rumored guests now include Nicki Minaj, LMFAO, and Cee-Lo Green. We now patiently await the dubstep remix of the Jurassic Park. score. We're pretty sure this, the main NBC/NFL theme music, is the "Wide Receiver" piece up for dubbification: Country Legend Glen Campbell Performing at Grammys"You can't assume a man isn't a poet," said Jimmy Webb, the songwriter behind Glen Campbell's classic "Wichita Lineman," in a recent interview about the 1968 hit that secured the countrypolitan singer's legacy. "And that's really what the song is about." Anyone who doubts there's poetry in the high, lonesome voice of Campbell, now 75 and staring down Alzheimer's, will have a chance to see for themselves when he performs live at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. The former host of TV's The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour will sing backed by two current Grammy nominees: Blake Shelton, who's up for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Album, and the Band Perry, who are vying for Best New Artist against Bon Iver and Skrillex. Campbell, who owns five Grammys and a Lifetime Achievement Award himself, is in the midst of a "Goodbye Tour" that's currently set to run through a June 30 date in Bayfield, Wisconsin. His Ghost on a Canvas, one of SPIN's 20 Best Country & Americana Albums of 2011, includes songs by Paul Westerberg, Jakob Dylan, and Guided By Voices' Bob Pollard. Check out Campbell's elegiac, Abbey Road-strolling take on GBV's "Hold on Hope," along with a vintage "Wichita Lineman" rendition from The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, below. So far other high-profile collaborations announced for the February 12 Grammys ceremony include Coldplay with Rihanna and Kelly Clarkson with Jason Aldean. Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, Nicki Minaj, and Taylor Swift are also confirmed for the event, hosted by LL Cool J. Hey, Campbell had a hit with songwriter Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," and Public Enemy blew minds with the, ahem, unsentimental pro-Martin Luther King Jr. Day protest "By the Time I Get to Arizona," so it's only logical to assume the Rhinestone Cowboy is down with turn-of-the-'90s hip-hop. Drake Ends Beef With Conscience-Free Tattoo ArtistIn a late December interview, Drake was asked to address the fact that a young lady got his name tattooed on her face in giant block letters. The Young Money rapper at first chose his words carefully to avoid insulting a person who was willing to disfigure herself in his honor, but he closed his comments by slamming the tattoo artist who did the piece, calling him "a fucking asshole." But now Drake has reportedly opted to end this strange beef (so he can focus on his more pressing disagreement with Common? Weak beef sauce). As Karen Civil's blog points out, the artist, Kevin Campbell from Los Angeles' Will Rise, is saying it's all good over Twitter. Campbell tweeted at Drake this week, writing, "Nice talking to you buddy, glad everything's cleared up. It's good that something positive came out of this whole fiasco. Stay up." Then he announced to the world in a fresh tweet, "Drake beef officially squashed... Everybody can now move on. Only positivity from here on out." It's unclear whether Drake actually met up with Campbell in person or they spoke over the phone (or the web), however Civil did note Drake stopped by Will Rise in mid-January. At the time, Campbell said Drizzy stayed in the car and "sent in his huge security dude." Only Barack Obama Can Save the Music Industry NowLast week, President Barack Obama sang 10 seconds of Al Green's 1971 smash "Let's Stay Together" at a Harlem fundraiser. And now he has raised Green's single sales of the song to 16,000 — a leap of 490 percent, according to Billboard. Obama sang six words, so he improved Green's sales by 82 percent with every word he crooned. That likely makes the president's version of the song even more successful than Tina Turner's, and her cover hit No. 26 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1983. Perhaps the leader of the free world would consider dropping a few more tunes over the course of his reelection campaign. The music biz would sure appreciate it. No Doubt Somehow Still Recording Long-Awaited Comeback AlbumThe No Doubt saga continues: yesterday afternoon, Tony Kanal tweeted from the band's account, "Gwen back in the studio with us. Nothing like having the four of us in the same room making music." But, uh, haven't they been in the same room making music for the past two years? Here's how we know No Doubt have been spending their time: January 2009: After five years of no touring, and eight years of no studio albums, No Doubt announces that they will embark upon a 52-date North American tour, with Paramore as their openers. May 2009: The band is featured on the cover of SPIN. We say they're back in the saddle! May 2010: The band tweets photos of the whole gang, together again, announcing that they had returned to the studio together for the first time since Rock Steady. July 2011: The band tweets photos — again — of their recent studio sessions, revealing that they were working with Major Lazer on the new record. September 2011: The band publishes a blog post on their website that explains that the album needs more massaging, and that a 2011 release, as previously promised, was looking more like a dream than reality. January 2012: Tony's aforementioned tweets about being in the studio — again. A few days before his latest tweet, No Doubt's feed posted, "Gwen we're gonna Skype you in 10. New chord idea for Dreaming! Try to stay up." We'll say this: At least the band looks extremely happy to be in the studio. But it's been 11 years — 11 years! — since Rock Steady. Prior to this, the group's longest gap between albums was the five-year period between 1995's Tragic Kingdom and 2000's Return of Saturn, and the latter was about 1/10 as successful as the former. D'Angelo Plays First Show Since 2000 in StockholmYour eyes are not deceiving you: That is in fact footage of D'Angelo performing live tonight in Stockholm below. The influential and troublemaking neo-soul singer ended his long hibernation by kicking off his European tour with a gig in Sweden's capital. The string of European dates, dubbed "The D-Tour," mark D'Angelo's first concerts since the Clinton Administration, 2000's The Voodoo Tour. According to reports, the opening night setlist mixed cuts from Brown Sugar and Voodoo with unheard tracks from D'Angelo's rumored new album, James River. What the hell happened to D'Angelo? Read our 2008 investigation. Based on the Twitter reaction to the show, it appears as though D'Angelo is showing no rust from his dozen-year live hiatus. One concertgoer tweeted, "Framtiden, det blir svårt att bräcka konserten med D'Angelo," which punched into one of those free online translators is deciphered into "Future, it will be difficult to Outdoing concert with D' Angelo," which we translate into, "It's unlikely you'll see a better concert than the D'Angelo show any time soon." Given all the false starts and fake-outs D'Angelo has put fans through since the release of 2000's Voodoo — his James River is the R&B equivalent of Dr. Dre's perpetually delayed Detox — it wouldn't really surprise anyone if D' happened to miss the flight to Scandinavia. However, those concerns were erased when a photo of D'Angelo, with his trademark cornrows but looking thinner than when we last saw him a decade ago, in Stockholm began making the rounds on Twitter hours before his gig at the Filadelfiakyrkan. That's right, D'Angelo ended his long break from the stage at a venue no one this side of the Atlantic can pronounce. For the trek, D'Angelo has been joined by drummer Chris Dave and frequent collaborator Pino Palladino, who has performed with everyone from the Who to John Mayer to Gary Numan. The D-Tour will next visit Copenhagen, Paris, Amsterdam, London, Oslo, Zurich, and Hamburg. After that, the immediate future is unclear. ?uestlove told Pitchfork in December that James River, "the black version of SMiLE," is "97 percent done," and like that mythic Beach Boys LP, James River might finally be released. As for whether the singer is planning to bring the D-Tour to America remains to be seen. Until then, check out OkayPlayer for their daily behind-the-scenes D-Tour Diary, and watch clips of D'Angelo performing Voodoo's "Chicken Grease" plus new song "Sugar Daddy": First Spin: Get Post-Metal Giants Pelican's 'Lathe Biosas'It's a good day for aggressively brooding Chicago instrumental rock. First came word the Windy City quintet Del Rey has seen its album sales jump in Germany — never mind if it's mostly thanks to coincidentally named pop seductress Lana Del Rey. Now comes a new track from fellow atmospheric Chicago heavies Pelican since 2009's What We All Come to Need. "Lathe Biosas," from the upcoming four-song EP Ataraxia/Taraxis (out April 10 on Southern Lord) marches confidently between art-rock foreboding and neo-metal churn, all in less than five minutes. The title is Greek for "live unnoticed," but why? Peter Hook: Disney's Joy Division Shirts 'Might Be the Thing' to Reunite the Band
Peter Hook has a lot of witty one-liners about Disney's controversial Joy Division-inspired shirts that were yanked from shelves yesterday including "Because of the amount of money I’ve spent in Disneyland I think they owe me something without a shadow of a doubt" Also "I do wish I’d done the Joy Division...
First Spin: Hear Cheap Girls' Tom Gabel-Produced 'Communication Blues'Sometimes a band needs a helping hand. And if you're a heart-on-sleeve garage-punk outfit like Lansing, Michigan's Cheap Girls, there are few better folks to lend some support than Tom Gabel. The Against Me! mainman produced the Girls' upcoming third album, Giant Orange, which is out February 21 on Rise records. The album is actually the first Gabel has produced, and you can hear his own band's penchant for ragged, soaring choruses, and sharp guitars all over the humbly anthemic "Communication Blues." Cheap Girls will be airing the song, and others from the muscular, melodic Giant Orange on a headlining tour that kicks off March 1 in Cleveland.
Glen Campbell to Perform With Blake Shelton on Grammys
Glen Campbell currently on a farewell tour after his recent announcement that he is suffering from Alzheimer's disease will perform at the Grammy Awards with contemporary country stars Blake Shelton and The Band Perry The Grammys will take place February 12th in Los Angeles Campbell a Country Music Hall of Famer...
Party With SPIN at Mondrian Sessions in LA, SFSPIN, with help from our friends at IAMSOUND Records, is taking over Los Angeles' Mondrian and San Francisco's Clift Hotel for an intimate performances series this spring, Mondrian Sessions. Brooklyn's Chairlift helped to kicked off the series' first session on January 17 in L.A., and the series will run through May with two new artists performing at each hotel every month. Check out who we have lined up in January and February: January 26, 2012 - TOKiMONSTA (Clift Hotel - San Francisco) The events are FREE and 21+ for entry. RSVP to Clift Sessions (SF) Doors open at 9 PM with the performance beginning at 11 PM. Please arrive early to ensure entry! Stay tuned to @SPINMagazine and @iamsoundrecords for schedule announcements. How Spiritualized's Jason Pierce Fooled ReviewersSpiritualized's Sweet Heart Sweet Light was originally announced with a March 19 release date, but according to band mastermind Jason Pierce, the recent news that the English space-rock veterans' seventh album would be delayed a few weeks — despite advance copies already being sent out — is simply the result of a long-planned bait-and-switch. "I had the rather foolish idea last November that I could deliver the record that's been sent out and keep working on the real version," says Pierce, speaking on the phone from his Manhattan hotel room. "I'd meet the delivery date they need for reviews and things like that and nobody would be any the wiser that I'd be carrying on with the mixing." So, erm, the version of the (very good) album that we've been listening to is not the version that fans will eventually hear? "I think it's quite different," explains Pierce. "People say that all the little mixing moves I'm doing now are just for myself, but to me they're no different than the mixing moves I did at the start of the process. Balancing things is what mixing is. Some bits are more realized and closer to what I wanted them to sound like, but I'm in the unenviable position now where the [album] that's out there isn't finished." See beautiful photos from Spiritualized's recent show at the Royal Albert Hall. Pierce isn't particularly worried, though, about confusing reviewers by having these quasi-completed version of Sweet Heart kicking around. "With the reviews," he scoffs, "sometimes it's like they've got a different album anyway." The album will likely now see a late-March or early April release. Just don't ask Pierce if it's hard for him to resist the urge to keep tinkering with his majestic sounds. "Tinkering?" he says irritably. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Tinkering?" No no no no. Silly question. Poor choice of words. Regardless, barring any wholesale changes, when Pierce is done doing what he needs to do, Sweet Heart Sweet Light is shaping up to be another stellar entry in the band's beautiful catalog. Watch Florence + the Machine Belt 'Lover to Lover'Florence Welch has always kept things classy, and Florence + the Machine's new video for "Lover to Lover," off last year's Ceremonials doesn't pull any fancy-schmancy punches, either: It features nothing but Florence, that jaw-dropping voice, a harp, a guitar, a piano, and some epic Broadway stage lighting. The minimalism is impressive considering it was directed by Arni and Kinski, the duo responsible for that crazy, naked Sigur Rós video, but really impressive considering how far they've come since that crazy, depressing Snow Patrol video. |
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