Over the last few weeks, Paul Simon, Elton John, Neil Diamond, and Slayer have all announced that they’re retiring from touring, with none of them giving any indication that we should doubt their commitment to retirement. Now, Ozzy Osbourne has also announced that he will be going on one last tour, but the seriousness…

Somebody needs to go pick up several cases of Tide pens, because in a new interview with Vulture’s David Marchese published earlier today, multi-platinum record producer/multi-hyphenate music mogul Quincy Jones drops a half-century’s worth of piping-hot gossip all over the internet’s lap. In the interview, Jones, who…

Most psychics, specifically the ones who aren’t members of the X-Men, are heartless monsters who live off of the grief and gullibility of others, and they’re so full of themselves that they go out of their way to make people think they’re special by pretending to communicate with their dead friends and loved ones.…

I actually do know some people who are afraid of this. People have pretty unexpected problems onstage. I know a singer for a huge band who basically is thinking about peeing the whole time—where the bathroom is, why he has to pee so soon, why he can’t stop peeing and just enjoy himself (this kinda seems like the worst…

Recently, Billy Corgan has been teasing some new Smashing Pumpkins music, noting in a lengthy Instagram post that he’s working with Rick Rubin on some kind of reunion, and now a leaked image from a photoshoot has apparently revealed that not every original member of the band is up for the revival. This comes from Alternative…

On August 4, 1958, Billboard put Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool” atop a brand-new chart it dubbed the Hot 100. Prior to that, the industry had relied on a shaky system that aggregated record store sales, radio DJ spins, and jukebox plays to measure a song’s popularity. The Hot 100 finally put all of those competing…

Weirdly, the lead-up to Justin Timberlake’s big return to the Super Bowl halftime show has been largely about managing expectations. Rather than teasing something that the world has never seen before, Timberlake has been telling people not to get too excited about a surprise appearance from Janet Jackson or the other…

The anticipation for Black Panther couldn’t be higher. Ryan Coogler’s film is breaking presales records left and right, while his cast, led by Chadwick Boseman, is putting all other stars to shame on the red carpet. Kendrick Lamar’s done his part to stoke those flames, dropping songs here and there from the soundtrack…

Rhye turns in another half hour of immaculate R&B with Blood, while Payroll Giovanni & Cardo’s Big Bossin Vol. 2 feels like liquid summertime, and Hookworms pull themselves back from the abyss on Microshift. These, plus AWOLNATION and The Soft Moon in this week’s notable new releases.

Today, man of the woods Justin Timberlake returned to civilization for a press conference about his upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, taking a moment to shoot down everyone’s hopes for any special guests he might be bringing along to Minneapolis. As reported by Reuters, Timberlake said that he had “a ton…

Historically, pop artists have launched new albums with a “statement single.” As Slate pointed out last year, these songs might introduce sonic U-turns (see Taylor Swift’s electroclash revenge fantasy “Look What You Made Me Do”) or underline trenchant points of view (Dixie Chicks’ self-explanatory, non-mea culpa “Not…

Andrew W.K., “Ever Again”

As reported by Pitchfork, Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot has announced its first-ever U.S. tour of “live music performance art.” The group announced the tour with an Instagram post, and while it doesn’t hint at what the “performance art” angle of these shows will be, it seems very safe to assume that Pussy…

Chvrches released its well-received second album, Every Open Eye, way back in September of 2015, but now the band has finally returned with its first new music since then—not counting that “Bury It” remix or the track released as part of the 7-Inches For Planned Parenthood benefit compilation. The new song, “Get Out,”…

The year in music was off to a promising start thanks to January’s many great new albums. And with planned releases from the likes of U.S. Girls, Rhye, and The Soft Moon—not to mention the hotly anticipated Kendrick Lamar-curated Black Panther soundtrack—February looks to continue that trend. Here are the new records…

Everybody seems to love Nick Offerman, but nobody loves Nick Offerman like the stringy-haired man in a Nick Offerman shrine from this video for They Might Be Giants’ “The Greatest” loves Nick Offerman. Or maybe “love” isn’t the right word for this terrifying Buffalo Bill nightmare, in which a man sews together a Nick…

According to Deadline, music icon Aretha Franklin has personally selected Jennifer Hudson to star in a biopic about her life, with Clive Davis apparently revealing that news at his big pre-Grammy party on Sunday night. Hudson even performed at the party, singing Franklin’s “Think” and “Respect” after appearances from…

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their tracks. This round, we’re joined in the studio by Lola Kirke. Best known for her appearances in Gone Girl and The Leftovers, as well as her starring role on Mozart In The Jungle, Kirke…

Though the bulk of the statuettes had been handed out before the 60th Grammy Awards telecast began, the ceremony was still a lively affair thanks to stirring performances from Kendrick Lamar, Kesha, and Childish Gambino. But as the night went on, astute viewers noticed how few female nominees were making their way to…

Earlier this month, the Grammys announced that Kendrick Lamar would be returning to its stage for what we assumed would be another intense and powerful performance like his showing in 2016. Then, once rumors emerged that Lamar’s performance would feature a couple of special guests—specifically U2 and comedian Dave…