John Rich got some serious star power on board for his new "Shuttin’ Detroit Down" video. Yep, that’s Kris Kristofferson getting the axe after 32 years at the same auto plant, and Mickey Rourke losing his temper on his co-worker’s behalf. Watch Rich’s recession drama below, then let us know what you think of the song and video.
Another track from Eminem’s Relapse has hit the web (RapRadar got the world premiere), and it’s a whole lot darker in sound and content than "We Made You." My take after a couple of quick spins: This is, more or less, the Eminem I’ve been waiting for. Yes, he’s still rapping in a silly accent for some reason, and he takes an obvious potshot at Kim Kardashian’s anatomy again, but I don’t even care. Do you hear the way he’s flowing? "I remember the first time I dismembered a family member, December I think it was…" Nobody finds poetry in violence and perviness like Marshall. He’s a majorly offensive verbal acrobat, the world’s most eloquent sociopath.
Give "3 A.M." a listen below (NSFW lyrics, of course), then weigh in. What do you think of Eminem’s latest?
More from EW’s Music Mix:
Eminem challenged by Rick Ross: Who’d you rather see in a rap battle?
Eminem’s Relapse cover art: What do you think?
Asher Roth: Are you ready for a suburban rap star?
The Clipse and Kanye West’s "Kinda Like a Big Deal": Hear it here
Vampire Weekend has been taking some time off from touring lately to focus on recording the follow-up to their 2008 debut. When the anti-poverty ONE campaign asked them to play a charity show, though, the indie rockers agreed right away. "As a musician, sometimes it’s hard to figure out the best way that you can do anything for causes that you’re interested in," Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig tells the Music Mix. "Just living in New York City, and in my experience as a teacher in a low-income neighborhood before I was in a band, the inequalities stare you in the face. Any organization that’s spreading awareness of that kind of inequality is doing a good thing." So tomorrow night, the quartet will head down to Spartanburg, South Carolina, to play a celebration concert for Wofford College, the winners of the second annual ONE Campus Challenge to raise awareness of global poverty.
After that, it’ll be back to Brooklyn, where the band hopes to finish its second album in time for a September release. As with their debut, VW keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij is producing the sessions. "For the last month or so, it’s just been us by ourselves in this small studio, working every day," Koenig says. "It’s nice after having been on tour so much to be in a slightly different situation, but it’s pretty intense. We’re really trying hard to do everything that we want to do."
With the songwriting process more or less finished, Koenig says the band has moved on to refining its studio approach. "It’s definitely going to be a recognizably Vampire Weekend sound, but there are going to be new sounds. We’re trying to challenge ourselves not to use the same bag of tricks that we used on the first album — different instruments, stuff like that."
One new song that’s almost certain to wind up on the album is "White Sky," which Vampire Weekend brought to Jimmy Fallon last month. Notes Koenig: "The recorded version is very different from how we played it on Fallon. Because we were still working on the recording, we decided to do this very slow acoustic version [on TV]. The real version is more like how we’ve been playing it live. There’s a lot of synth sounds, and it’s a little more pumped up."
Koenig also revealed some of his favorite new music, giving shout-outs to VW pals Harlem Shakes, British electro act Metronomy, and Toy Selectah, a DJ with whom the band spent time on a recent tour of Mexico. "[Toy Selectah] just put out a free mixtape with cumbia and reggaeton mixes that he made of songs by people like Chromeo and Feist," Koenig raves. "He’s really incredible."
More from EW’s Music Mix:
Vampire Weekend perform new song, talk second album on Jimmy Fallon
Passion Pit: The next big indie-rock breakout band?
Dirty Projectors’ "Stillness Is the Move": Download it for free
EW’s 50 Most Heartbreaking Songs of All-Time
So Rick Ross wants to battle Eminem, eh? Ha. Hahahahaha. I guess that would be an improvement of sorts over Ross’ current feud with Em’s pal 50 Cent, which may or may not be the world’s first Web 2.0 rap beef, but is certainly one of the world’s most boring. The fun wouldn’t last long, though. Here’s how this would go if it ever happened: Rick Ross would call Eminem old. Then Eminem would lyrically demolish him. Ross just put out a very solid album, and Eminem’s most recent material has been sorta subpar, but Ross on his best day is simply not coming close to Em on his worst in terms of mic skills. (Ross probably knows this — he also told MTV that he’d like to land a guest verse on Em’s Relapse if the whole battle thing doesn’t happen. Huh?)
What the Ross-Mathers matchup would be missing is the crucial element of evenly matched competitors. It’s just not that much fun watching two artists of different talent levels going at it. As long as we’re talking totally theoretically, I’d much rather see Eminem battle someone like, say, Jay-Z — another lyrical heavyweight who’s faced sideways talk from some quarters about his advancing age. That face-off will never happen, because as far as I know Jay and Em are on friendly terms, and besides, Jay considers himself above petty conflicts. But you can’t deny it would result in some must-hear music. As for Ross? If he really wants to battle someone who makes sense, a natural rival who’s working in the same niche as he is, may I suggest he pick an on-record fight with Andy Samberg?
I kid, I kid! (Sort of.) But you tell me: Which rap stars would you like to see declare lyrical war? Or are you completely over the idea of rap beefs?
More from EW’s Music Mix:
Eminem’s Relapse cover art: What do you think?
Asher Roth: Are you ready for a suburban rap star?
The Clipse and Kanye West’s "Kinda Like a Big Deal": Hear it here
addCredit(“Ross: Mike Coppola/FilmMagic; Eminem: Theo Wargo/WireImage.com”)
Three years after their first reunion album, New York Dolls are returning for another round. May 5′s Cause I Sez So, produced by the Dolls’ old partner Todd Rundgren, is only the fourth studio album the glam-rock gods have completed over thirty-plus years of ups and downs. And right now, the Music Mix is the only place where you can hear standout track "Exorcism of Despair." Stream this catchy little number below, then tell us what you think of the Dolls’ latest. Cause I Sez So is available for pre-order now.
More from EW’s Music Mix:
New York Dolls, Hold Steady go yum-o at Rachael Ray’s SXSW day party
The wild story behind classic single "There She Goes" could be getting even crazier
Susan Boyle? Miley Cyrus? Amy Winehouse? Tell us who should be on VH1′s new Divas
It’s been 19 years since British indie-rockers the La’s released their first, and so far last, album. And it’s been four since EW told the crazy story behind the band’s classic single, "There She Goes." At the time, enigmatic La’s frontman Lee Mavers promised to finally explain everything "after our new music comes out. Cheers, mate." That new music never arrived. But according to NME.com, Mavers has now asked the Pete Doherty-led Babyshambles if they would back him on a second La’s album. To be honest, the Music Mix is not holding its breath. After all, rare is the situation that gets less weird or screwed-up with the introduction of Mr. Doherty. Then again, there is something pretty mouth-watering about a Mavers-Doherty team-up.
What do you think, Music Mixers? Are you excited about the idea of another La’s album? And, if not, may we politely suggest you watch the clip below and reconsider the matter.
More from EW’s Music Mix:
Today in covers: The Fray takes on Kanye’s "Heartless"
Sugarland covers Kings of Leon’s ‘Sex on Fire’
Eminem’s ‘Relapse’ cover art: What do you think?
EW’s 50 Most Heartbreaking Songs of All-Time
Lo-fi Brooklyn duo Matt and Kim must be either exhibitionists or Alanis Morrissette fans, judging by the video they just debuted for their single "Lessons Learned." Main lesson learned in this video (spoiler alert!): If you take off all your clothes in the middle of Times Square, tourists will definitely gawk at you and the NYPD will probably tackle you. Check it out below — NSFW, obviously, if your workplace frowns on pixilated anatomy — and let us know what you think. Also, watch out for that shocking surprise ending.
More on the Music Mix:
Passion Pit: The next big indie-rock breakout band?
Susan Boyle: America, what’s your problem?
EW’s 50 Most Heartbreaking Songs of All-Time
Last month I had a sitdown with Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas so he could tell me about the time he smoked Salman Rushdie "like a bong" and, oh yes, preview a selection of tracks from his second solo CD, Cradlesong, which is due out June 30. Thomas also asked my opinion about which of two tracks should be the first single off the album: the catchy but somewhat melancholic "Her Diamonds" or the more rocking, INXS-styled "Give Me The Meltdown." I assured Thomas that "Meltdown" was unquestionably, undoubtedly, indubitably, the one to pick. So imagine my surprise to discover today that he has decided to reject my advice and go with "Her Diamonds." Well, that’s it, Mr. High-and-Mighty Rock Star. I’m washing my hands of the whole matter! If you find yourself down to your last ten million bucks by year’s end then you really only have yourself to blame.
What do you think Music Mixers? Is "Her Diamonds" a good lead single? Or should Thomas have heeded my advice? Check out the track at Billboard.com and give us your opinion.
More from EW’s Music Mix:
Today in covers: The Fray takes on Kanye’s "Heartless"
Susan Boyle: America, what’s your problem?
EW’s 50 Most Heartbreaking Songs of All-Time
Adam Schlesinger on Tinted Windows, Stephen Colbert and…the Jonas Brothers!
Remember what we were saying about Miley Cyrus and the Billboard charts? Well, she just did it again, topping the latest Billboard 200 albums chart with 133,000 copies sold of the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The soundtrack isn’t new; in fact, this is the fourth week that it’s shown up on the albums chart. But this is the first time it’s made it to the top, thanks to a temporary lull in big releases.
Despite (or due to) Diddy’s best efforts on Twitter, meanwhile, Day26′s Forever In a Day debuted with 113,000 copies sold — a respectable opening number, to be sure, but only enough for No. 2. Rascal Flatts fell to No. 3 with 107,000 copies sold of last week’s chart-topper Unstoppable, which isn’t looking like quite such a fitting title after all. And aside from Day26, the only other new album to get anywhere near the top regions of the chart this week was Silversun Pickups’ Swoon, bowing at No. 7 with 43,000 copies sold — the fuzz-rockers’ biggest sales week ever.
So, did you buy any of those albums? What do you think of this slow retail week? Let’s hear it!
More on the Music Mix:
Susan Boyle? Miley Cyrus? Amy Winehouse? Tell us who should be on VH1′s new Divas
Rascal Flatts soars, Neil Young flops on the albums chart
EW’s 50 Most Heartbreaking Songs of All Time
She’s a triple threat superstar– acting, dancing, singing — but a disastrously out-of-tune performance (it’s from last year, but captured here on what’s supposedly a leaked board feed that wasn’t what viewers actually heard at the time) on The Today Show seems profoundly unkind to Beyonce’s natural gifts — and to most mammal ears. We’ve already called her representatives to see if this is in fact a hoax, but in the meantime, watch here, or listen on Howard Stern’s show below.
Update: Beyonce’s dad and manager Matthew Knowles has responded to TMZ’s posting of the footage, saying, "If no one took the time to look at the biggest Inauguration in the history of America then shame on them.
If no one took the time to listen to Beyonce sing ‘America theBeautiful’ and ‘At Last’ at the Neighborhood Ball for the first danceof President Obama and the First Lady, and they question Beyonce’svocal ability, they’ve gotta be an idiot.
At 12 years into her career, the last thing someone should bequestioning is her vocal ability. That would be like questioning ifKobe Bryant could shoot a jump shot. The vocals were obviously altered."
Update #2: Sweet relief! TMZ has spoken with the creator of the video, who admits it’s a fake. Though EW did its due diligence to reach Beyonce’s reps for confirmation — they’ve yet to release an official response — we share the blame with TMZ, Howard Stern, and myriad other media outlets who fell for the prank. It’s a gossip-eat-gossip world, readers, and sometimes snap editorial decisions get made. Our apologies.
