9 h. ago Hotline TNT: Raspberry Moon review – love lights melodies through the fuzz

(Third Man Records)Will Anderson opens up on the NYC group’s third album, revealing an expansive articulacy to his take on 90s indie-rockThe third album by these New York-based indie-rockers rings some crucial changes. First, bandleader Will Anderson is in love, which alleviates some of the gloom that pervaded earlier records. And while the lyrics don’t amount to much on the page, when sung in unaffected deadpan and robed in artfully embellished shoegazey noise, Anderson’s elliptical poetics carry a compelling weight.Second, and more importantly, Anderson invited his bandmates into the studio to record Raspberry Moon. Where previous albums had been one-man affairs, with Anderson overdubbing layer upon layer of guitar and synth on his lonesome, the presence of other musicians in the room has shaken up the paradigm. Their trademark walls of fuzz remain, but Raspberry Moon also fields tracks such as Break Right, on which the happy/sad melodies flourish with space to breathe, and the lu...

Events

12 h. ago Coldplay to reissue albums on records made from recycled plastic bottles

Each 140g LP is made up of approximately nine recycled bottles, after they are cleaned, processed into small pellets and then moulded into records.

Politics

4 d. ago Kathryn Joseph confirms late night Edinburgh International Festival show in support of new album 'We Were Made Prey'

Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Kathryn Joseph has announced a very special late night show at The Hub on August 9 as part of this year's Edinburgh International Festival, in support of her new album 'WE WERE MADE PREY.', out now via Rock Action Records.

Culture

6 d. ago The Grammys tweak rules to create two new categories for 2026

The Recording Academy has carved out a stand-alone category for best album cover, just as Sabrina Carpenter takes the spotlight

Politics

7 d. ago Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst: ‘There was a time I wished I’d never made music’

In the last few years, the singer-songwriter has weathered divorce, grief and false allegations of sexual assault. Now, he’s back writing, performing – and rediscovering his political rageIn the mid-90s, Omaha made a pretty decent tour stop for up-and-coming bands. Nebraska sits near-plum in the US’s middle, and in its most populous city, once famed for its fur trade, stockyards and railroads, there had grown a thriving subculture that centred largely on a book and record store named the Antiquarium and a small venue named the Cog Factory.Conor Oberst spent much of his early teens puttering between these locations, filling his young brain with music and literature. By 12, he had begun writing his own songs, and by 13 he had recorded his first album, releasing it on his older brother’s label and selling it in the record store. Sometimes he would take to the stage at the Cog Factory, a small, pale boy with an acoustic guitar and a lot of words. Continue r...

Politics

9 d. ago The Rolling Stones reported to be working on new album, two years after releasing Hackney Diamonds

Are the band set to release their 25th studio album later this year?

Politics

1 week ago David Byrne: Talking Heads great announces eight UK performances for 2026

The celebrated musician is set to release his new album on September 5 2025 through Matador Records

Politics

1 week ago Sly Stone was a trailblazer who changed the course of music – and an icon of both hope and pain

With the Family Stone, Sly was so audacious it was hard to believe his brilliance could ever be exhausted – making his unravelling all the more painful to watchSly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82Sly Stone’s greatest songs – ranked!Sly Stone – a life in picturesEven though he recorded three of funk’s most foundational albums – four if you include 1970’s Greatest Hits, as flawless a good time as pop ever delivered – Sly Stone’s subsequent fall from grace was perceived as a grave betrayal of his talent. That Stone’s unravelling was so conspicuous – his drug abuse apparent in every wasted chat show appearance, his infallible hit-machine waning after his Family Stone became estranged – only exacerbated the sting of this loss. But Stone’s imperial era lasted almost a decade and delivered a discography that remains the acme of funk. He changed the course of pop and reconfigured the structure and essence of dance music, multiple times. He was an icon of hope, of pain,...

Politics

1 week ago Sly Stone was a trailblazer who changed the course of music – and an icon of both hope and pain | Stevie Chick

With the Family Stone, Sly was so audacious it was hard to believe his brilliance could ever be exhausted – making his unravelling all the more painful to watchSly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82Sly Stone’s greatest songs – ranked!Sly Stone – a life in picturesEven though he recorded three of funk’s most foundational albums – four if you include 1970’s Greatest Hits, as flawless a good time as pop ever delivered – Sly Stone’s subsequent fall from grace was perceived as a grave betrayal of his talent. That Stone’s unravelling was so conspicuous – his drug abuse apparent in every wasted chat show appearance, his infallible hit-machine waning after his Family Stone became estranged – only exacerbated the sting of this loss. But Stone’s imperial era lasted almost a decade and delivered a discography that remains the acme of funk. He changed the course of pop and reconfigured the structure and essence of dance music, multiple times. He was an icon of hope, of pain,...

Politics

1 week ago Scots households being paid to bring plastic bottles back to four major supermarkets

Households across the UK are being given a financial incentive to return single-use empty bottles to supermarkets where the products can be recycled in a new government scheme to tackle plastic waste.

Politics

1 week ago Paul McCartney was 'nearly killed' during most chilling encounter of career

Paul McCartney released one of his most celebrated albums on this day in 1973, but recording it proved to be costly as he was 'nearly killed' while working on the record

Events

2 w. ago Addison Rae: Addison review – 2025’s most refreshing star revels in pop’s shallow pleasures

(Columbia)The one-time TikTok dancer’s remarkably cohesive debut spans Jersey club to R&B, and defies an obsession with ‘lore’ to suggest that the best pop isn’t that deepWhen Madonna came to the height of her powers in the late 90s and early 00s, it felt as though she had perfected a new mode of pop stardom, making icy, complex and uncannily incisive records such as Ray of Light and Confessions on a Dance Floor. Those albums are powered by a gripping interplay between detachment and intensity; they sound, to me, like attempts to make pop albums without any sense of ego. As if she’s saying: this isn’t a Madonna record, it’s a pop record.Addison Rae’s exceptional debut album reminds me of that unimpeachable run of Madonna records, understanding that supreme confidence and exceptional taste can sell even the most unusual album. It’s both familiar – Rae is an artist who unapologetically lives and dies by her references – and totally bold: I get the sense that she is less trying to ...

Politics

2 w. ago Alexsandro sold litter to provide for his family. Now he’s in the Brazil team

Alexsandro’s road to the top was tough – picking through rubbish, jobs on building sites and being rejected by almost every club in Brazil – but he would not let his family downIn 2021, Alexsandro wrote down five dreams in his notebook: to marry and have children with his wife, to live in a big house, to take his family out of the favela, to play for a big club and to save some money for his holidays. This year, he has been called up to the Brazil squad for the first time, and now hopes to play at the 2026 World Cup. “Now that I’ve turned those human dreams into reality, it is time to work on my professional dreams even more,” says the Lille defender.Alexsandro, who grew up the eldest son of a single mother in a poor family, knew the meaning of the word work. They lived in the Dique II community, a favela to the north of Rio de Janeiro, where they had to find items in the “Rampa”, a rubbish tip, to make ends meet. His whole family worked by recycling things. They picked up plastic, ...

Politics

2 w. ago Old Dominion's new album, 'Barbara,' won't lean on band's record

Old Dominion will release their new album, “Barbara,” on Aug. 22

Culture

2 w. ago Taylor Swift 'bursts into tears' as she gives huge update on album after huge wait

Taylor Swift has announced that she has bought back the master recordings of her first six albums from Shamrock Capital after a prolonged battle

Politics

2 w. ago They wanna be with you everywhere: why Fleetwood Mac are still totally ubiquitous

With hit musical Stereophonic arriving in the West End and their albums permanently lodged in the charts, the rockers have earned a devoted new generation of fansA time traveller from 50 years ago might be surprised if they were to visit the UK now – not so much by the echoes of the politics, with an embattled Labour government and a resurgent far right, but by the prevalence of Fleetwood Mac.The Broadway hit Stereophonic, written by David Adjmi, opened in the West End this week after becoming the most nominated play in Tony award history (it ended up winning five out of 13, including best play). It invites theatregoers to journey back to 1976 and “plug into the electric atmosphere as one up-and-coming rock band record the album that could propel them to superstardom. Amid a powder keg of drugs, booze and jealousy, songs come together and relationships fall apart.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Feels bigger than herself’: the importance of Taylor Swift’s latest victory

World’s most famous pop star has finally bought back rights to her master recordings, a win for her but also a potentially major win for the industryIt goes without saying, but Taylor Swift has scored a lot of victories in the past few years. There was, first and foremost, the blockbuster Eras Tour, which became the bestselling concert tour of all time and a certifiable cultural era in itself. She released the bestselling concert film of all time, with a distribution model that upended the theatrical market. There was yet another album of the year Grammy. She turned the Super Bowl into the ultimate rom-com. Even with mediocre critical reviews, her most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, set more streaming records than I can count.All of these were beyond impressive, if at times threatening overexposure and annoyingly at odds with her self-styled narrative as an underdog – the emotionally astute lyricist battling against a sliding scale of villains, from careless boys, bitc...

Politics

3 w. ago Taylor Swift reveals she’s bought back master recordings of first six albums in emotional statement

Pop superstar called the triumph ‘my greatest dream come true’

Politics

3 w. ago Taylor Swift buys back the rights to the master recordings of her first six albums

After her former label sold her catalogue in 2019, Swift embarked on her lucrative album rerecording project – but now owns the originals for the first timeTaylor Swift has bought back the master recordings to her first six albums, giving her control over her entire catalogue for the first time. “I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,” she wrote in a letter to fans. “But that’s all in the past now. All of the music I’ve ever made now belongs to me.”She originally lost the rights in 2019 when her first record label, Big Machine, sold them to music executive Scooter Braun. Swift described the sale to Braun as her “worst case scenario”, and said she had not been given the opportunity to buy her work outright, but to “earn” one album back for each new album she recorded for the label. Her subsequent albums, from 2019’s Lover onwards, were released on Republic, with Swift retaining the rights to the master recordi...

Politics

4 w. ago Taylor Swift has the chance to reclaim her original masters with the help of an unlikely source

Pop superstar has spent years trying to gain ownership of the original recordings of her first six albums

Politics