Music news

• Anohni: Hopelessness review – the most profound protest record in decades

  05-05-2016 20:15
  
  The former Antony and the Johnsons singer has made a record that proves the assertion that anger is an energy(Rough Trade)Last November, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke opined on the problems facing modern protest songwriters: “If I was going to write a song about climate change in 2015, it would be shit,” he said. “In the 60s, you could write songs that were like calls to arms … it’s much harder to do that now.”
  Harder, perhaps, but not impossible. A week or so
  
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• Prince's death: federal officials join investigation into drugs prescribed

  05-05-2016 20:04
  
  DEA and US attorney’s office will investigate possible wrongdoing involving prescription medications after doctor revealed singer reached out for helpThe local police investigation into the death of Prince is being beefed up with staff from the US attorney’s office and the Drug Enforcement Administration, as a California doctor who specializes in prescription drug addiction revealed the singer’s representatives reached out for urgent help the day before he died.Associates of Pr
  
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• Walking on sunshine: The Ladies of Too Slow to Disco compilation

  05-05-2016 19:32
  
  From singer-songwriter ballads to lavish soul, The Ladies of Too Slow to Disco compilation captures the creativity and optimism of female musicians in 70s California. Here some of them talk about those heady daysWe’ve been primed by so many films and TV series to expect something darker beneath images of 1970s California sunshine and optimism: to believe the smiles are rictus grins, concealing an underbelly of excess, amorality and tragedy. Sometimes, though, it was just fun. “The mo
  
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• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End - Review Roundup

  05-05-2016 19:31
  
  The scores are in and the HYPE IS REAL.
  
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• Lenny Henry on his music career: ‘I had Jeremy Paxman getting down to Sex Machine’

  05-05-2016 19:13
  
  The comedian turned singer on police racism, finding humour in the blues and what he learned from his hero, PrinceHi Lenny! You’ve just put out a blues album, New Millennium Blues. What is it with comedians and the blues (1) ? The blues has been in my life since I was little. My parents had this massive record player in the living room, a “blue spot grand” they called it ... it used up an entire rainforest to make this thing, and it had all these records in it. Some were rock,
  
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• Music Review: Energetic interplay from Bianca De Leon

  05-05-2016 18:28
  
  Bianca De Leon, "Love, Guns & Money" (Lonesome Highway)
  
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• Captain America: Civil War - 15 Celebs Choose #TeamCap Or #TeamIronMan!

  05-05-2016 18:06
  
  Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Hugh Jackman, Jessica Chastain & more reveal their Avengers side.
  
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• English National Opera's new artistic director promises to heal the 'trauma'

  05-05-2016 17:52
  
  Daniel Kramer admits company’s spirit has been damaged following £5m funding cuts from Arts Council England Daniel Kramer, the newly appointed artistic director of the embattled English National Opera, has promised to help heal the “trauma” of the last couple of years and put developing fresh talent at the core of his tenure.Kramer appeared at ENO’s 2016/17 launch and admitted the company’s spirit had been endangered. The recent turbulent years have been marke
  
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• Kaytranada: ‘I prefer a house party vibe. Just the local place to have fun’

  05-05-2016 17:49
  
  The top-flight remixer is in constant demand as a DJ. But it’s his first LP, featuring Vic Mensa, Syd tha Kyd and Anderson Paak that could make him a star in his own right. Not that he sounds thrilled about it...You wouldn’t call Kaytranada an expert salesman of his music. “To be honest, I don’t know,” he says when asked about his hopes for his debut album, 99.9%. “I really hope people create memories and have good times with it. But if they don’t like i
  
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• F**k It Friday: Winnie Harlow

  05-05-2016 17:31
  
  Sometimes you just gotta throw caution to the wind and say "F**K IT"!
  
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• Laura Mvula Announced As The MTV Staying Alive Foundation’s 2016 Ambassador

  05-05-2016 17:14
  
  Yay!
  
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• Morgan Stewart Interview: #RichKids of Beverly Hills Season 4 Is Way More In Your Face And Grittier

  05-05-2016 17:07
  
  Sounds like Season 4 is going to be EXPLOSIVE!
  
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• Mozart: Gran Partita CD review – seriously impressive students under Trevor Pinnock

  05-05-2016 16:15
  
  Royal Academy of Music Soloists Ensemble/Pinnock
  (Linn)Chamber music for winds doesn’t get better than the mighty Gran Partita – 50 minutes of Mozart at his most sublimely tuneful and blithe. And from their glowing first chord to the extravagantly mellow colours of the variations to the deft fizz of the finale, this is seriously impressive playing from students of the Royal Academy of Music under Trevor Pinnock. The piece needs a superb first oboe and the academy has that in Thomas B
  
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• Gregory Porter: Take Me to the Alley review – genre-straddling true grit

  05-05-2016 16:00
  
  The jazz singer finds pop success by resolutely following his own path
  There’s something striking about the press reviews of singer-songwriter Gregory Porter’s third album, Liquid Spirit (2013). They’re all written by specialist jazz critics, full of references to the singer’s rhythmic phrasing, the tasty call-and-response between bass and vocals and the steady eighth-note strut in the right hand of the title track’s piano solo. Nothing wrong with that, of course. P
  
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• Eötvös/DoReMi; Cello Concerto Grosso CD review – unexpected ideas, brilliant effects

  05-05-2016 16:00
  
  Midori/Queyras/Grubinger/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France/Eötvös
  (Alpha) Peter Eötvös’s three concertos, all composed between 2011 and 2013, were composed with very specific soloists in mind. Two of them, the violinist Midori and percussionist Martin Grubinger, appear on this disc, while the Cello Concerto Grosso was originally intended for Eötvös’s fellow Hungarian Miklós Perényi, but is played here by Jean-Guihen Queyras. In all o
  
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• These Prom Dress Nightmares Will Seriously Put You Off Buying Yours Cheap Online

  05-05-2016 15:47
  
  These girls received nightmare dresses that look nothing like the pic.
  
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• One Of Your Favourite Pretty Little Liars Characters Is Returning For Season 7

  05-05-2016 15:46
  
  YAAAAAAS.
  
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• Fela Kuti – 10 of the best

  05-05-2016 15:24
  
  A look back over a seminal career that encompassed political dissidence, UFO contact, chicken sacrifice – and some of the greatest dance music ever recordedOlufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti was born on 15 October 1938 in Abeokuta, Nigeria to influential upper middle-class parents. His mother was one of Nigeria’s leading feminists and a prominent anti-colonial protester while his father, a preacher, was the first president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers. They planned careers i
  
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• Kylie Jenner Just Dropped Her First Rap Song

  05-05-2016 15:12
  
  Kinda. Not really.
  
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• We Caught Up With Our 'The Walk' Competition Winner To Talk About Breaking Into The VR Industry

  05-05-2016 15:08
  
  19-year-old Nils Söderman got right in the centre of the future of film
  
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• OAE/Truscott review – marrying the centuries with wit and finesse

  05-05-2016 14:33
  
  St George’s, Bristol
  Michael Gordon’s new bassoon concerto was placed alongside early and late Mozart in an animated and insightful concertFor all that its prime focus is period-instrument performance, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, quite rightly, sees no contradiction in commissioning brand new works, and it was to the American Michael Gordon they turned for a bassoon concerto to set alongside Mozart. Appropriately, Gordon looked back to the Enlightenment for inspiration
  
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• Simple pleasures? – in praise of Dvořák's music

  05-05-2016 13:37
  
  Sometimes dismissed for having little to offer intellectually, the Czech composer’s populism, heart and imagination will instead be celebrated by Mark Elder and the Hallé in this month’s Dvořák festival“Music should always be joyful, even when it is tragic. He is a happy man who leaves such a legacy behind him.” So wrote Bohuslav Martinů of his Czech compatriot Antonín Dvořák. Over the next few weeks, Manchester’s Hall&eacu
  
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• Readers recommend playlist: songs about spying

  05-05-2016 13:00
  
  There’s a sinister subterfuge running through the playlist this week, with artists from Bauhaus to King Creosote collected by a reader on a mission
  Below is this week’s playlist – picked by a reader from the comments on last week’s blog. Thanks for your suggestions. Read more about the weekly format of the Readers recommend series at the end of the piece.I had no idea what was expected from me as I turned up for duty on Thursday armed only with enthusiasm and a clear week
  
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• Demi Lovato Goes On Epic Rant Over Nicki Minaj Side Eye Drama

  05-05-2016 12:32
  
  It's just never ending.
  
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• Does David Bowie's Blackstar sleeve hold a secret? Help us find out

  05-05-2016 12:30
  
  Owners are claiming to have discovered a secret constellation – but is it an intentional chemical reaction or just a trick of the light?
  Record collectors and David Bowie fans – we need you.
  After spotting someone claiming that they left their Blackstar vinyl sleeve in sunlight for a few hours, unintentionally revealing a whole constellation of stars, we wondered whether you would help us test out their discovery (follow the link for instructions). Is it intentional design quirk aime
  
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• Did Jeremy McConnell Just Ask Vicky Pattison Out On A Date?

  05-05-2016 12:28
  
  This is a bit awks...
  
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• 20 Reasons Why Dogs and Cats Makes Our Lives Hell!

  05-05-2016 12:01
  
  They maybe cute and adorable, but when puppies and kittens grow up they become absolute a-holes!
  
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• Premiere | Listen To Just Kiddin's Sun Soaked 'Fall For You'

  05-05-2016 12:00
  
  #SummerAnthem
  
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• Teddy Thompson and Kelly Jones: 'If musicians disappear, the music will too'

  05-05-2016 11:46
  
  What do you do when you’re fed up of modern pop and worrying how to make a living? You make a record summoning the spirit of 1962If you play an acoustic guitar, and can draw a crowd of 300 or so, each of whom has a few dollars to spare, then the chances are that when you visit New York you will be playing at the City Winery. Which is where, on a bitterly cold April night, Teddy Thompson and Kelly Jones - not the one from Stereophonics – are on stage. It’s a curious venue. Not l
  
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• Gwen Stefani's Carpool Karaoke Was Crashed By George Clooney And Julia Roberts

  05-05-2016 11:25
  
  What a trio.
  
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• KFC Is Launching Edible, Chicken Flavour Nail Polish

  05-05-2016 11:00
  
  Bringing a whole new meaning to chicken fingers.
  
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• This Throwback Photo Of Justin Bieber And Selena Gomez Is Now The Most Liked Post On Instagram Ever

  05-05-2016 10:49
  
  Oh the Jelena feels.
  
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• Justin Timberlake Announces The Name Of His Brand New Song & We're SO Excited

  05-05-2016 10:44
  
  Prepare to play this one on repeat...
  
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• Federal authorities officially assisting Prince investigation

  05-05-2016 10:30
  
  Minnesota police confirm the DEA and US attorney are involved after artist’s team sought help for possible addiction issuesMinnesota police have confirmed the US attorney’s office and the Drug Enforcement Administration are helping them in their investigation into Prince’s death.Jason Kamerud of the Carver County sheriff’s office told the Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday: “They have agreed to provide federal resources and expertise in our investigation.” Contin
  
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• 28 Incredible Reasons To Bow Down To Adele...And Not Just Because It's Her Birthday

  05-05-2016 10:30
  
  Adele is amazing and here's the proof (like you needed it)...
  
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• Radiohead's Burn the Witch may be critique of refugee crisis, says animator

  05-05-2016 09:41
  
  Virpi Kettu suggests the band’s latest video and title could allude to the ‘blaming of different people’The animator of Radiohead’s Camberwick-Green-meets-The-Wicker-Man video for Burn the Witch has suggested the clip might have been a commentary on Europe’s refugee crisis.In an interview with Billboard, Virpi Kettu said the band may have wanted to increase awareness of the issue, especially “the blaming of different people … the blaming of Muslims&rdqu
  
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• The Indestructible Matt Tuck Talks His Epic Ice Cold Gig...And Tricking His Friends Into Coming Along

  05-05-2016 09:19
  
  The Bullet For My Valentine star talks his world first gig with Jägermeister...
  
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• Soul singer Laura Mvula reveals comforting advice given to her by Prince

  05-05-2016 08:01
  
  Laura paid tribute to the “fearless” late singer, who acted as her mentor and biggest advocate.
  
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• Midnight Oil to play first Australian and international tour since 2002

  05-05-2016 05:29
  
  The five piece rock band confirm 2017 reunion tour on their website and announce the upcoming release of lead singer Peter Garrett’s first solo albumAustralian rock band Midnight Oil have announced they are reforming to play a new tour in Australia and overseas in 2017. Related: Peter Garrett says music is the key to making Australia 'planet friendly'Continue reading...
  
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• Glastonbury festival to pay tribute to David Bowie and Prince

  05-05-2016 01:21
  
  Pyramid stage to be decorated with metal lightning flash and broadcast footage of Bowie’s 2000 headline set, while late-night Prince parties also plannedGlastonbury organisers will pay tribute to David Bowie and Prince at this year’s festival. Plans to decorate the Pyramid stage with a giant metal lightning flash in homage to Bowie’s Aladdin Sane album cover have been approved.Footage of his headline appearance on the Pyramid stage in 2000 will be broadcast around the site, whi
  
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• Prince died on eve of planned meeting with addiction doctor

  05-05-2016 00:08
  Music legend Prince died one day before he was scheduled to meet a doctor who specializes in addiction treatment for a "life-saving mission," the doctor's lawyer said at a news conference on Wednesday. California doctor Howard Kornfeld was first contacted by Prince representatives on April 20, one day before the singer's body was discovered at his home, attorney William Mauzy told reporters. "Dr. Kornfeld felt that his mission was a life-saving mission," Mauzy said.
  
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