jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 11/04/2022 - Rock & Roll Friday, Takeoff's Vultures, Jimmy Iovine, Whitney Houston, Special Interest...

Music is like a spell. It has the power to push you to name all the things you feel like sometimes you can't say, and be able to sit with them and feel them, and also to move you forward. Open in browser Friday November 04, 2022 Special Interest's Alli Logout at the Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago, Sept. 12, 2021. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images) quote of the day "Music is like a spell. It has the power to push you to name all the things you feel like sometimes you can't say, and be able to sit with them and feel them, and also to move you forward." - Alli Logout, lead singer of Special Interest, whose third album, "Endure," is out today on Rough Trade rantnrave:// It's Friday And in honor of the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME induction ceremony, which on Saturday will welcome HARRY BELAFONTE, PAT BENATAR, ELIZABETH COTTEN, DURAN DURAN, EMINEM, EURYTHMICS, JIMMY JAM & TERRY LEWIS, JUDAS PRIEST, DOLLY PARTON, LIONEL RICHIE and CARLY SIMON into the official pantheon (along with a few behind-the-scenes luminaries, including one of the "complicated and misunderstood Americans" mentioned here), we're going to lean into the rock today. And in honor of that particularly sprawling collection of names whose plaques are about to be hung, we're going to keep our arms open wide, as always, when it comes to deciding what exactly rock and roll is. If it's got a good beat and you can dance on the ceiling to it, then it's rock and roll, yesterday, today and forever. (Please don't look for sarcasm or irony in the above paragraph, because it isn't there. Lionel Richie is a giant. Carly Simon was weirder and darker than anyone who'll play a show in Williamsburg or Echo Park in 2022. Judas Priest invented more things than Thomas Edison. Etc etc etc. Anyway...) On ENDURE, the third album by New Orleans dance-rock-against-the-machine foursome SPECIAL INTEREST, "pop, disco, and house all melt into their reliably raucous glam punk, and questions of communal caretaking press against a grief-riddled apocalyptic outlook," says Pitchfork. Also, "This time around, their thorns drip with honey." Which is to say, it's all that and deceptively catchy, too. This 8-minute punk-blues slow jam is a rock epic for the ages... TOM SKINNER—"the sort of drummer who always locates the pivot point between chaos and clarity"—is best known as one of two percussionists in the Afrofuturist jazz band Sons of Kemet and as the non-Radiohead guy in the Smile. He steps into the bandleader's seat on VOICES OF BISHARA, which finds him driving a quintet including the great British saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings and Nubya Garcia (plus bass and cello; the album was inspired in part by the music of the late cellist Abdul Wadud). It's an album of spiritual jazz built on deep grooves that could fill about a dozen different kinds of dance floors, whether in London, New York or, say, Cleveland, home of both Wadud and a certain music hall of fame. Here's Skinner and a slightly altered version of his quintet delivering a mesmerizing live performance of the album's "The Journey"... BIG JOANIE debuted in 2018 with the harmony-laden riot-grrrl blast of SISTAHS, and now, having signed to Kill Rock Stars, follows up with BACK HOME, which embraces synth-pop and other electronic touches and "swerves towards something that doesn't really sound like a punk album at all." An ambitious, promising step forward for "one of British punk's great new hopes," says NME... Baltimore's HORSE LORDS "fuse bluegrass, house, post-punk and free jazz in wild new combinations" on COMRADELY OBJECTS... MARVIN TATE'S D-SETTLEMENT's self-titled compilation consolidates the three-album oeuvre of a Chicago band that pulls together rock, gospel, funk, the blues and more while singing about "race, poverty, gender, and gentrification." The delirious opening track kindly requests that someone "turn da mother***in' lights back on"... TAIPEI HOUSTON, from the Bay Area, is an alt-hard-rock bass and drums duo consisting of brothers Myles and Layne Ulrich, whose dad is a man named Lars, who's "given some general advice, though I don't know that there's really any soundbite," according to Myles. "He's been really supportive of it and thinks it's really cool." Their debut album is called ONCE BIT NEVER BORED and is not a metal record. Also today: Albums from Drake & 21 Savage, R.A.P. Ferreira, Boldy James, Ezra Collective, Tyshawn Sorey Trio +1, First Aid Kit, Daniel Avery, Mount Kimbie, Cavetown, Joji, Okay Kaya, Yung Fazo, Lecrae, the Pretty Reckless, Hundred Watt Heart (aka guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas of the Roots), Fleshwater, Turnover, Phoenix, Teddy Swims, µ-Ziq, rRoxymore, Spoon x On-U Sound, Hawa, Coco & Clair Clair, Madeline Edwards, Kaitlin Butts, Gold Dust, Sam Bush (tribute to John Hartford), Laura Jean, Carla dal Forno, Born Without Bones, Tenci, Rayland Baxter, Anna of the North, Julien Chang, Old Fire, Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age), Black Mirrors, Jakob Bro & Joe Lovano (tribute to Paul Motian), Stephen Gauci/Matt Shipp/William Parker/Francisco Mela, Julie Campiche Quartet, the Headhunters, Ibrahim Maalouf, Robert McDuffie & Elizabeth Pridgen, Yonatan Gat... And the A-list-packed "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" soundtrack, led by the new Rihanna single... And, as a reminder, you have two days left to download Sault's five new albums. At the Movies SELENA GOMEZ confronts her mental-health struggles head-on in director ALEX KESHISHIAN's "profoundly sad and surprisingly raw" SELENA GOMEZ: MY MIND & ME, which drops today on Apple Plus... The intentionally bonkers biopic WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY, written by Weird All and ERIC APPEL and directed by Appel, premieres on Roku. "At almost no point does it accurately reflect even a tiny moment in Yankovic's actual life story," notes Rolling Stone... Showtime debuts SPECTOR, a docuseries about Phil Spector, the monstrous Rock Hall of Fame producer-turned-murderer... Meanwhile on Broadway, the musical version of ALMOST FAMOUS opened Thursday to scathing reviews. "Musical theater is a radically different beast from film, let alone life, and [Cameron] Crowe... does not seem to have accounted for that," JESSE GREEN writes in the NY Times. - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator shadows of the night Houston Chronicle I went to high school with the Migos, and Takeoff's death isn't your entertainment By Asha Gilbert After the barrage of messages early Monday, came something uniquely awful in this era of Instagram, TikTok, Twitter. Rolling Stone Right After Takeoff's Death, Gruesome Videos Spread Like Wildfire By Andre Gee Graphic footage of the rapper's killing is all over social media showing just how desensitized our culture has become. Variety Jimmy Iovine Opens Up About Working With John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Dr. Dre, the State of the Music Biz, and Being Inducted Into the Rock Hall of Fame By Jem Aswad In what he described as his 'last music interview,' on the eve of his induction into the Rock Hall of Fame, Jimmy Iovine — producer, executive, entrepreneur, co-founder of Beats by Dre and the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy — takes a fresh look back at his unique career. Billboard Can Primary Wave Transform Whitney Houston's Legacy -- and Her Estate's Fortunes? By Dan Rys A decade after the legend's death, the marketing and publishing whiz treating catalogs as dynamic, lucrative brands is helping to refresh her legacy — and to turbo-charge her estate's revenue. Slate The 1940s Music Industry Walkout That Predicted the Fights Over Napster and Spotify By Josh Levin and Evan Chung It also changed jazz and American culture forever. Complex Where Do DJs Stand on Playing Kanye's Music? By Jaelani Turner-Williams "When I DJ a party I like to create a positive vibe. I feel like Kanye's antics away from music have overpowered the emotional connection we have with his songs." NPR Music Special Interest dances on the edge of collapse By Mia Hughes The New Orleans dance-punk band's energetic third album "Endure" pushes the listener into sweaty nightclubs, rat-infested apartments and burning warzones. The FADER Westside Gunn is sharing the blueprint By Son Raw and Westside Gunn Westside Gunn breaks down his new album 10 and more in conversation with Son Raw on the Fader Interview. The New York Times For Ghana's Only Openly Transgender Musician, 'Every Day Is Dangerous' By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu Maxine Angel Opoku has found a new audience for her music with songs opposing a proposed law that would make it illegal to identify as gay, transgender or queer. Variety Allen Grubman Is Music's Big Voice -- And a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee By Roy Trakin The legendary lawyer earned his Ahmet Ertegun Award by demanding respect for artists. all night long Literary Hub A Brief Oral History of Rakim and the Golden Age of Hip-Hop By Jonathan Abrams Jonathan Abrams on lyricism and mixing in your own story. Billboard How Taylor Swift Changed the Course of the Concert Ticketing Businesses By Dave Brooks Swift has had a direct impact on cutting scalpers out of ticket sales, driving more money to artists. The Tennessean How Country Music Association is cementing its future by investing in Black artists By LeBron Hill Country music fans are diverse and here's what the Country Music Association is doing to reflect fans in its membership. Technomaterialism Negrophilia in club culture By Mathys Rennela Reflecting on the recent social reckoning around the dance music industry's anti-Blackness problem, this essay outlines the pitfalls of an industry which only seeks to tame social progress and profit from Black artistry. Okayplayer 'Hip Hop Homicides' Wants To Be More Than Your Typical True Crime Show By Elijah C. Watson The WE tv series, hosted by Van Lathan, debuts with an episode focused on the late Pop Smoke. It will explore the deaths of King Von and Magnolia Shorty in episodes two and three, before going on to XXXTentacion, Soulja Slim, and others. Los Angeles Times From lovable weirdos to queer icons, the B-52's dance this mess around one last time By Mikael Wood The Athens, Ga., new wave pioneers are wrapping up their last-ever tour. Says Fred Schneider, 'We are old. But we're completely hardcore.' Vulture Smino's Family Bonds Run Deep By Tirhakah Love The rapper and singer on his new album "Luv 4 Rent," working with J. Cole, and getting inspiration from his grandparents. The Verge For some, Amazon Music's big Prime expansion comes with big frustrations By Chris Welch Prime customers can't play songs on demand anymore. The Creative Independent Musician and novelist John Darnielle on debating your inner critic By Jeffrey Silverstein and John Darnielle Musician and Novelist John Darnielle discusses removing expectations, using doubt as motivation, and honoring the creative process inside you. It's Her Factory What 90s alt rock radio, Woodstock 99, and the Telecom Act have to do with contemporary right-wing media By Robin James 90s alt rock radio and Woodstock 99 are early instances of what is now a media-wide phenomenon. what we're into Music of the day "LA Blues" Special Interest "If you don't like it, you can f*** right off / Them boys in blue don't come 'round on this block." Epic 2022 rock and roll, from "Endure." Video of the day "Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me" Alex Keshishian Streaming on Apple Plus. Music | Media SUBSCRIBE Suggest a link "REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'" Jason Hirschhorn CEO & Chief Curator HOME | ABOUT | SETS | PRESS Redef Group Inc. LA - NY - Everywhere Copyright ©2021 UNSUBSCRIBE or MANAGE MY SUBSCRIPTION