Kesha has announced her fifth studio album, Gag Order. Rick Rubin produced the LP, which arrives May 19 via Kemosabe Records and RCA Records. Its first two singles, ‘Fine Line’ and ‘Eat the Acid’, will be out on Friday (April 28). Find the album’s cover art below.
Introducing the album, Kesha wrote in a statement: “Without the darkness there is no light. So I let my darkness have the light. I can’t fight the truth. Life is difficult and painful. It is for everyone. An artist doesn’t exist to make others happy. I believe an artist gives voice, motion, color to the emotions we all have. The good emotions, and the unmanageably fucking miserable ones.”
The album’s title appears to be a reference to Kesha’s nine-year legal battle with her former producer Dr. Luke. Since the legal battle began, all of the singer’s albums, including Gag Order, have been co-released via Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records. In a new Rolling Stone feature, Kesha said, “I feel as if there has been an implied gag order for a very long time now.” She added, “With my ongoing litigation hanging over my head, I have not been able to speak freely because I know everything I say is scrutinized.”
Harry Belafonte, the legendary singer, actor, and civil rights activist, has died at the age of 96. According to The New York Times, Belafonte died of congestive heart failure at home in Manhattan today.
Harry Belafonte was born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in Harlem, New York to Carribean immigrants. He returned with his mother to her native Jamaica at the age of eight, where he spent much of his childhood before serving in the Navy during World War II. After his discharge, Belafonte studied acting at Erwin Piscator’s Dramatic Workshop alongside the likes of Marlon Brando and Tony Curtis and eventually began performing at the American Negro Theater. In 1954, he won a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway revue John Murray Anderson’s Almanac.
Belafonte launched his singing career by performing in nightclubs, releasing music on the Jubilee label before signing with RCA in 1953. His 1955 album Calypso topped the Billboard album chart for 31 weeks on the strength of singles like ‘Jamaica Farewell’ and ‘Banana Boat (Day-O)’. 1962’s Midnight Special featured the first-ever recorded appearance by a young musician named Bob Dylan, who played harmonica on the album. Belafonte’s final studio LP, Paradise in Gazankulu, came out in 1988.
In addition to releasing numerous albums, Belafonte was invited by Frank Sinatra to perform at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, and, as a guest host on The Tonight Show in February 1968, interviewed Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Throughout his career, he supported humanitarian causes like UNICEF, USA for Africa, and the Anti-Apartheid Movement, and helped organize the star-packed charity single ‘We Are The World’.
Belafonte received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1989, the National Medal of Arts in 1994, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. Last year, he became the oldest living person to receive the Early Influence Award from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Many men in the world of fashion rely on the classic and timeless white t-shirt as their go-to outfit. It’s a versatile piece that pairs well with blue jeans, cargo pants, or even smart tapered chinos. But what about accessories? Specifically, what type of watch would complement this iconic look? Let’s dive in and explore our options.
Seiko Presage Cocktail Time ‘The Martini’
It’s unsurprising that Seiko has made it onto the list with their £400 watch from the Presage series, named ‘The Martini.’ The watch features a stainless steel case, automatic movement, and it offers a timeless aesthetic with a beautiful dial that draws you in with its individualistic aesthetic. It’s a conservative and breezy piece that is perfect for those who appreciate intricate dials. These are great just like Seiko Prospex watches.
Hamilton Khaki Field King Auto
Hamilton, another beloved brand, makes it to the list as one of the best go-to brands for those looking for a more serious watch with a decent automatic movement. The King Auto from their renowned Khaki Field series is our top pick from their wide range of watches. It boasts a black PCD-coated case with a black dial and leather strap, giving it a stealthy and stylish look.
Tissot Gentleman (Black Dial)
The Tissot Gentleman is a classic-looking watch that exudes elegance and everyday style. It’s versatile enough to go beyond just pairing it with a white t-shirt; it can be worn with formalwear as well. The watch boasts a 40mm diameter and showcases a black dial with scratch-resistant sapphire glass, making it a perfect choice for daily wear.
Frederique Constant Classics Carree Automatic
Introducing a different look, we have the beautiful tank-esque Carree Automatic watch by Frederique Constant. Priced at £995, this watch is certainly expressive and thrives on its luxurious appearance, making it perfect for both smart and casual appearances, including a simple white t-shirt and jeans ensemble.
Baume & Mercier Black Classima Watch
The last piece on my list is a Baume & Mercier watch that, like the Tissot, thrives on its elegant appearance. From the stylish dial fonts to the stunning calfskin leather strap that adds a beautiful dynamic to the overall design, this watch is certainly an eye-catcher and worth every penny.
Wye Oak – the duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack – have announced Every Day Like the Last, a collection of new songs and previously unreleased tracks. It’s set for release on June 23 via Merge, and its title track is out today. Check it out below, along with the album cover and tracklist.
“This song is about the sacrifices we make for love, companionship, and community,” the band said of ‘Every Day Like the Last’ in a press release. “Human beings are messy, and yet—we need each other. The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives. But for all of us, and especially for those of us whose formative relationships were not so simple—alone can feel like the safest place to be. This song is about learning how to relax into imperfection, release the impulse to control, and accept the reality that life is brief and always ending, so we might as well have some company.”
Every Day Like the Last was recorded in Wasner and Stack’s current home state of North Carolina and Virginia at venues such as Stack’s backyard studio. It features thesingles Wye Oak have released since 2019’s Fortune, as well as three brand new songs.
“There’s been so much uncertainty in our lives,” Wasner explained. “Not just our lives personally, but everyone’s—and a big part of my life has been learning how to live inside of uncertainty, and not feel like my own emotional discomfort requires that I have to figure out, or attempt to figure out, how everything is going to be.” She continued:
Something that felt exciting to me was being a little bit more fleet-footed and light about being able to put things out into the world,” says Wasner. “A lot of these songs, we would write them and record them and then they’d come out a couple of weeks later, which, to me, just sort of feels so much more in line with how the creative process works and feels on our end of things.”
Every Day Like The Last — that could mean every day like the day that came before, or it could mean every day like the last day that you get. Both meanings apply. But for me, trying to live inside of the uncertainty is the theme. That is the thread that ties all the songs together—tolerating the discomfort of not knowing.
“We both were feeling not wanting to be tethered into the machine in the way that we had been for so long,” Stack added. “We just wanted to be able to make stuff in the room. And when we were able to do that, the aspirations shifted, because we were able to exercise this other muscle that we hadn’t in a long time.”
Every Day Like The Last Cover Artwork:
Every Day Like The Last Tracklist:
1. Every Day Like the Last
2. I Learned It from You
3. TNT
4. Its Way with Me
5. Fortune
6. Evergreen
7. Fear of Heights
8. Walk Soft
9. Repeat
Palehound have announced a new album called Eye on the Bat. The follow-up to 2019’s Black Friday arrives July 14 via Polyvinyl. Today’s announcement comes with the release of the new single ‘The Clutch’, along with an Brittany Reebe-directed video. Check it out and find the album cover and tracklist below.
“‘The Clutch’ is the very first song I wrote for this album, back in 2020 right when lockdown started,” Palehound’s El Kempner explained in a statement. “I had been on a tour that was sliced in half by the onset of the pandemic and we had to apocalypse road trip back to New York across the country from Oregon, where our next show had been scheduled for. While that was happening, I was also having a triggering romantic experience with somebody I didn’t know too well, and by the time I got home my whole body seemed to be spinning in turmoil. Writing and producing this song grounded me and helped me process a new future and self that I hadn’t anticipated.”
“Adam (Kolodny, co-director), El and I wanted to create something that captured the charged, raw drive of the song,” Reeber commented. “Inspired by slick, visceral performance videos of the early 00’s, we got ourselves the biggest space we could find and Adam created a visual aesthetic with the circular track, rotating head and alternating key lights that ultimately build (along with the band’s electric performance) to an epic and dizzying climax.”
Eye on the Bat was recorded across 2022 at Flying Cloud Recordings in the Catskills, with Kempner co-producing the record alongside Sam Owens. “It’s about me, but it’s also about me in relation to others,” Kempner said of the album. “After hiding for so long – staying inside and hiding your life and hiding yourself from the world – I was ready. I think I flipped.”
Back in 2021, Bachelor – Kempner’s collaborative project with Jay Som’s Melina Duterte – released the album Doomin’ Sun.
Eye on the Bat Cover Artwork:
Eye on the Bat Tracklist:
1. Good Sex
2. Independence Day
3. The Clutch
4. Eye On The Bat
5. U Want It U Got It
6. Route 22
7. My Evil
8. Head Like Soup
9. Right About You
10. Fadin
Ahead of the release of their forthcoming LP Ceremony this Friday, Tiny Ruins have shared one more single from it called ‘Out of Phase’. It follows the previously shared tracks ‘The Crab / Waterbaby’, ‘Dorothy Bay’, and ‘Dogs Dreaming’. Check it out via the accompanying visual below.
Beach Fossils have shared the latest single from their upcoming album Bunny. This one’s called ‘Run to the Moon’, and it follows previous cuts ‘Dare Me’ and ‘Don’t Fade Away’. The track finds vocalist Dustin Payseur reflecting on the birth of his daughter and processing the shift of “having absolute freedom, the fear of losing it, but then tapping into myself in a way that felt more real,” according to a press release. Listen to it below.
Angelo De Augustine has announced his fourth LP, Toil and Trouble, which will be out on June 30 via Asthmatic Kitty. Lead single ‘Another Universe’ arrives with a claymation video directed by De Augustine and animated by Owen Summers. Check it out below and scroll down for the album’s cover art and tracklist.
“I grew tired of reality and so I decided to make a world of my own,” De Augustine said of ‘Another Universe’. “It is a safe world. The kind of place in which only good things happen.”
Toil and Trouble will follow De Augustine’s 2019 effort Tomb as well as his collaborative album with Sufjan Stevens, 2021’s A Beginner’s Mind. He wrote, arranged, recorded, produced, and mixed the record on his own, playing 27 different instruments. “This album came from thinking about the madness of the world right now and how overwhelming that can be,” De Augustine explained. “I used a sort of counter-world as a guide to try to gain some understanding of what’s actually going on here – I had to take myself out of reality in order to try to understand reality.”
1. Home Town
2. The Ballad Of Betty and Barney Hill
3. Memory Palace
4. Healing Waters
5. The Painter
6. I Don’t Want To Live, I Don’t Want To Die
7. Another Universe
8. Song Of The Siren
9. Blood Red Thorn
10. Naked Blade
11. D.W.O.M.M.
12. Toil and Trouble
Fontaines D.C. vocalist Grian Chatten has shared his debut solo single, ‘The Score’. The track arrives with an accompanying video directed by Georgie Jesson. Check it out below.
“‘The Score’ is a heavyweight bated breath of lust,” Chatten explained in a statement. “I wrote it in Madrid between an electric fan and a dying plant and I intend to keep it there. It was inspired by sugar and sunset.”
Fontaines D.C. released their third LP, Skinty Fia, last year.
Gena Rose Bruce has released a new single, ‘Lighting Up’, alongside a performance video. Set to appear on a forthcoming EP, the track marks the singer-songwriter’s first new music since the release of her second album, Deep Is the Way, in January. Check it out below.
“For a long time I would just suppress how I was feeling and would give off the fake ‘I don’t care about anything’ vibe,” Bruce said in a press release. “But I came to a point where I was just numb. You stop the pain, you stop the joy. Lighting up is about facing reality and being honest with your feelings and choosing to walk in the light and let love in.”
She added: “I think there is something special about actually being able to see what happens in the studio when a live recording takes place, there is so much that goes into creating a good sound, it’s all about the performance and the energy in the room, and the connection with each musician, and I really feel we captured that with Lighting Up, it was shot at the Iconic Sound Park Studios in Melbourne where I also recorded my album Deep is The Way, so filming a live session there also held sentimental value.”
