Thursday Music News

08/04/2016

Janice Headley

The nominees are in for this year's prestigious Mercury Prize, unfortunately now known as the "Hyundai" Mercury Prize. Heavy hitters David Bowie and Radiohead lead the shortlist, alongside Michael Kiwanuka (above), Anohni, Savages, and more. Not only has the name slightly changed, but so has voting: for the first time ever, the public are invited to vote to determine one album that makes it to the semi-finals. Vote here. The ultimate winner will be announced September 15th. Scottish trio Young Fathers walked away with the award in 2014; watch a powerful 2015 KEXP session with them below. [Under the Radar]

More corporate sponsorship, but if it gets The Roots back in the studios, we're all for it. The funky Philadelphia group keep busy as the house band for The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Kimmel, but they've now teamed up with beer label Stella Artois for an original track titled "Bittersweet," which describes the taste itself. Drummer ?uestlove sums it all up: "This project fuses two of our passions: music and food. As someone who loves to experiment in the studio and in the kitchen, this crazy unique collaboration inspired by Stella Artois was the perfect challenge. You really have to try it to believe it; it will change your perceptions of food, science, and entertainment." Listen to a high-pitched and a low-pitched version below (not sure what that is supposed to represent flavor-wise?). [Spin]

With tongue firmly in cheek, husband-and-wife duo Tennis share a new track titled "Ladies Don’t Play Guitar." Vocalist Alaina Moore tells Stereogum, "I’ve been pushing myself to present a stronger point of view lyrically and to make more assertions about the way I feel constricted or shaped by gender, like an invisible hand that guides the way I work and carry myself, especially within the music industry. This song was my starting point. I took a very intentional break from songwriting until I felt like I had something to say again. Now I do." Listen below: [Stereogum]

Mere days after headlining Key Arena, Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock caused a five car pile-up in his hometown of Portland. Oh, Issac. Brock was driving across the Morrison Bridge and failed to stop on the other side, creating a domino effect as he hit a City of Portland Parks pick-up-truck that hit a Subaru that hit another Subaru that hit a fifth car who left the scene (our guess is a Subaru). Brock's sternum was bruised by the airbag, and another driver was hospitalized for a concussion. He tells TMZ, "I feel asleep at the wheel, nodded off and next thing I knew there was a car." That's what can happen on a long drive for someone with nothing to think about. [Consequence of Sound]

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