Here’s a toast to Marianne Faithfull, a true rock & roll legend. Nobody was ever better at being an old rock star, except maybe Leonard Cohen. Yet the difference is that Cohen didn’t release his debut album until he was 33 — he was never young in public. Faithfull was …
Read More »Gorillaz' Damon Albarn Awarded Honorary Degree From University of Exeter
Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Exeter earlier this week. Per the BBC, the university awarded Albarn “in recognition of his creativity, innovation, and commitment to environmental causes.” Albarn briefly addressed the Exeter graduates in a casual speech given on Wednesday. …
Read More »Dua Lipa Finds Her Bliss on 'Radical Optimism'
In the video for Dua Lipa’sBarbiehit, “Dance the Night,” an enormous disco ball crashes onto the floor, the bottom half of its mirrors shattering into a million pieces. In an interview, her collaborator Mark Ronson theorized that it signified the end of Lipa’s disco era, putting a bow on 2020’s …
Read More »Tyler, the Creator Sets Coachella Ablaze as No Doubt, Sublime Bring the Nostalgia on Day Two
After Day One of Coachella saw artists such as Sabrina Carpenter and Young Miko take inspiration from the Eighties, Day Two was a celebration of the Nineties thanks to reunion performances from No Doubt and Sublime, and the 2000s with Ice Spice’s Y2K aesthetic and the presence of Vampire Weekend. …
Read More »Damon Albarn Says Blur Are Going on Hiatus Again: 'It's Too Much for Me'
Blur is going on hiatus again following their recent reunion, which yielded their ninth studio album, The Ballad of Darren. In a new interview with French magazine Les Inrockuptibles (via Far Out Magazine), Blur frontman Damon Albarn said, “It is time to wrap up this campaign. It’s too much for …
Read More »Watch Blur Perform 'Parklife,' 'The Narcissist' for BBC Radio 2 Concert
Blur performed an intimate concert for BBC Radio 2 yesterday at the New Broadcasting House in London. The 13-song performance is available in full to listen to on the BBC website and the British channel has also unveiled videos of several songs. In one clip, Blur showcase their 1994 hit …
Read More »Inside Blur's 'Most Unexpected' Return
This time last year, the four members of Blur had no plans to make an album together anytime soon. Then they heard that they might have a chance to play Wembley Stadium this summer. “You can’t say no to that,” says drummer Dave Rowntree, 59. “It’s the most iconic venue …
Read More »Blur Drop New Single, the Britpop Throwback 'St. Charles Square'
Blur continued the march toward their reunion album, The Ballad of Darren, Thursday with the LP’s latest single, the Britpop throwback “St. Charles Square.” “I was just really relieved it went this way in the studio,” Damon Albarn told Apple Music Radio of the track following its premiere Thursday. “It’s …
Read More »Hear Blur's First New Song in Eight Years, 'The Narcissist'
On “The Narcissist,” Blur‘s first new song in eight years, Damon Albarn sings about looking in the mirror and seeing a Pierrot (a commedia dell’arte clown) looking back at him as he attempts to rebuild his ego. “If you see darkness look away,” he sings at one point, before the …
Read More »Damon Albarn Remembers Late Terry Hall With Heartfelt Piano Cover
Damon Albarn is remembering his late friend Terry Hall of the Specials through his music. On Tuesday, the Gorillaz musician posted a video of himself playing piano to the Specials’ “Friday Night, Saturday Morning” as a tribute to Hall, who died Monday at age 63. “Terry, you meant the world …
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