Access to Music Blog

Welcome to our blog! We'll be keeping you up to date with the latest music news & novelties as well as what's going on at Access to Music, the UK's leading popular music & media college - www.accesstomusic.co.uk

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Weekly Roundup: Prince, Kesha, Blink 182 and More!

Posted by Tony Best

The music world has been set alight by the news of pop legend Prince’s passing. The tragedy was announced last Thursday and prompted tributes from fans and prolific musicians across the globe as well sales of 2.5 million songs in 4 days! His former band The Revolution, who contributed to his iconic album Purple Rain, announced that they will be reuniting to play shows in his honour. We may also soon be hearing new music by Prince as he allegedly has enough unreleased material for a posthumous album a year for the next century!

Another prominent topic in the pop world is the ongoing legal battle between Kesha, her producer and her label. Thankfully the ordeal hasn’t permanently stifled her musical output as she will be releasing a brand new track with Zedd tomorrow!  

Pop-punk fans will be pleased to hear that Blink-182 have just released a new track! It is their first without founding member Tom Delonge and with Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba in his place. Click here to have a listen. The band’s drummer has also been in the headlines after sharing an Instagram image of himself with Outkast’s Andre 3000 at Coachella and a caption confirming that they’ll be making music together!

Another exciting Coachella occurrence in the news this week was N.W.A’s reunion during Ice Cube’s set! Click here to read all about it and watch clips.  

Florence + the Machine, who performed at Coachella last year, have released a short film called The Odyssey consisting of visuals set to music from their album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful. Watch it here.

Love Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy? Check out this experimental remix by founding member Danger Mouse which had been kept under wraps for ten years after initially being rejected by their label!  

Metalhead? You may be interested in learning more about Babymetal’s new album and single in this Rolling Stone interview. I’d also highly recommend the new Gojira track, it’s excellent!

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Weekly Roundup: Calvin Harris, Beyoncé, Metallica and More!

Posted by Tony Best

Gutted you’re missing out on Coachella? Well in addition to reading all about the opening weekend highlights, you will be able to live-stream the second weekend in 360°!

One of the major highlights of the first weekend was Calvin Harris performing We Found Love with an unexpected guest appearance by Rihanna. Rihanna was also in the headlines this week for overtaking The Beatles for number of weeks spent at No. 1 in the US!

In other news, Snoop Dogg, who made a guest appearance during Ice Cube’s set at Coachella on Saturday, has just released a mellow new track entitled Late Nights. Check it out here.

Beyoncé, who made a guest appearance at Coachella during her sister Solange’s set back in 2014, has been in the news this week following the release of a mysterious trailer for her upcoming HBO project.

Remember that new supergroup with members of Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon and At the Drive-In I mentioned last week? Well their debut track has dropped and if you’re a rock fan you’re bound to love it!  

Metallica were this year’s official Record Store Day ambassadors and to celebrate they played an intimate in-store show consisting entirely of tracks from their first 2 albums! Head over to the band’s Facebook page to stream it.  

Have you heard of the genre ‘Fun Rock’ before? Click here to get up to speed!

Can you guess who Britain’s richest ever female musician is? Find out here. What about the UK’s most charitable celebrities? Click here to find out who they are!

And finally, have you ever wondered why Nickelback get so much hate? A study has been conducted to shed some light on the matter!

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Weekly Roundup: Vinyl, Festivals, Metal & More!

Posted by Tony Best

Lots of vinyl news in the headlines this week in the run up to Record Store Day tomorrow! You may or may not be surprised to hear that just under 50% of vinyl buyers don’t listen to them, according to a poll conducted by ICM. Another interesting finding from the study was that roughly half the buyers listen to albums online before purchasing, suggesting that music streaming boosts vinyl sales. However, it hasn’t boosted them enough to outweigh digital music sales as, according to a separate study, digital music revenue has surpassed physical format revenue for the first time!

Curious about which album sold the most vinyl copies in the last year? Click here! Interested in how vinyls are made? Click here!

By now you may have heard that Hevy Festival has been cancelled after initially being relocated to the Midlands. Michael Eavis has revealed that Glastonbury Festival may also be relocating in 2018 instead of having a year off.  

Are you a fan of Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon or At the Drive-In? Members of each have formed a new supergroup called Gone is Gone. If you enjoy metal, I’d also recommend checking out Mastodon bassist Troy Sanders’ other super group, featuring members of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Soulfly and The Mars Volta, Killer Be Killed.

Have you heard Deftones’ awesome new album? If so, you may be interested in going behind-the-scenes for the video of Prayers/Triangles or checking out Hearts/Wires live on Jimmy Kimmel.

After discovering that one of my favourite musicians Thomas Giles’s music was featured in an anti-Trump video I was interested in the kind of music that was being used to promote him and came across this official theme! In other music/politics crossover news, notorious whistleblower Edward Snowden is now an electronic music vocalist!

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Weekly Roundup: Animal Collective, DJ Shadow, Damon Albarn and More!

Posted by Tony Best

Animal Collective made several appearances in the headlines last week, primarily because they released two awesome new tracks last Monday! Furthermore, founding member Deakin released a solo album on Friday (available to stream here) and co-founder Geologist had a column published in Sports Illustrated, in which he mentions The Strokes amidst ruminations on New York’s NHL teams.

Trip-hop pioneer DJ Shadow has also dropped a new track from his upcoming album The Mountain Will Fall, which will feature guest appearances by Run The Jewels, Nils Frahm and others. Another record which will be released later this year is the soundtrack to Damon Albarn’s Alice in Wonderland inspired musical ‘wonder.land’. Click here to listen to snippets from the trailer.

In other news, music censorship may be taking a new turn with the introduction of auto-detection software to remove bad language!

How would you feel about Slipknot/Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor fronting Stone Temple Pilots? Do you think he could do the late Scott Weiland justice? According to Rock Feed, it’s a realistic possibility!

Prefer pop to rock/metal? You’ll want to check out the new Jennifer Lopez song written by Meghan Trainor!

More into the likes of 50 Cent? Love the Predator franchise? You may be pleased to discover that the rapper will be acting in the upcoming Predator sequel!

And finally, our former student Jess Glynne will be joining Kylie Minogue, Katherine Jenkins and others in performing at the Queen’s 90th birthday celebration. The event will be hosted by Ant and Dec and broadcast on ITV on the 15th of May.

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Weekly Roundup: Obama, Beyoncé, Gojira, Ghostbusters & More!

Posted by Tony Best

To celebrate International Jazz Day on 29th April, Barack Obama has invited various musicians, including Jamie Cullum, Aretha Franklin and Sting, to perform at the White House! Another politician in the music headlines this week was Hillary Clinton who paid Beyoncé a visit during the filming of her new video and may even be appearing in it. In other political news, motivational speaker and hard rocker Andrew WK has revealed that he will be founding his own political party – The Party Party!

Rock fans may be pleased to hear that a live album and film of Mötorhead’s last ever tour, before the tragic passing of frontman Lemmy Kilminster in December, will be released on double vinyl, CD, DVD and blu-ray. Click here to learn more. Fans of the heavier end of the rock and metal spectrum may be pleased to hear that the new Gojira album, which has been in the works for three years, is approaching completion. Click here to listen to a snippet and read about the recording process.  

Are you excited about the new Ghostbusters film? Opinions seem to be divided after the trailer surfaced last month! Nas appears to be in favour as his clothing line HSTRY has introduced a set of items inspired by the film. In other hip-hop news, it looks like Notorious BIG could be the next rapper to receive the posthumous hologram treatment!

And finally, the latest actor to follow the trend of dabbling in DJing is none other than Matthew Perry from Friends!

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Weekly Roundup: SXSW, SNL, HD Vinyls and More!

Posted by Tony Best

South by Southwest festival kicked off in Texas last week and will be continuing until this weekend. The festival hosts conferences, film screenings and musical performances by emerging artists as well as established acts. The Guardian have compiled a list of up-and-comers to look out for if you’re attending or check out online if you’re looking for new music!

Kendrick Lamar, who played the festival in 2014, has been in the headlines this week for topping the charts with his new release ‘Untitled Unmastered’ and for surprising students at a Reebok hip-hop workshop in Manchester – just a 5 minute walk away from our centre!

Kanye West has also been mentioned in news stories regarding copyright accusations by Hudson Mohawke, further changes to his new album and his involvement in the new Global Citizen compilation album with members of Mumford & Sons, The National and Ellie Goulding.  

In other hip-hop news, A$AP Rocky and Tyler the Creator have released an awesome new freestyle through Tyler’s Golf Media app.

Have you seen Ariana Grande’s uncanny pop star impersonations from the Saturday Night Live episode she hosted last week? Click here to get up to speed! As per usual, a ‘cut-for-time’ sketch that wasn’t included in the episode has been released in the days following the episode’s airing.

More interested in what’s going on in the Indie world? Check out the new Last Shadow Puppets video! And if you’re a fan of The Stone Roses you will have undoubtedly heard that they have a new album in the works, click here to read more about it.

Vinyl enthusiast? High Definition Vinyls could be your dream come true! The technical specifications have already been revealed and they could be on the market within three years!  

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5 Minutes with Becky Jerams

Posted by Tony Best

Our former student Becky Jerams has been busy with a variety of creative endeavours since leaving us. She has released a solo EP, had her music featured in a movie trailer and a Volkswagen commercial, published a novel and written songs for several international artists! We were keen to get back in touch with her and grateful that she found time to answer a few questions for us:

Tell us a bit more about what you’ve been doing since leaving Access to Music: 

Besides performing my solo material, I have also been writing for other artists and projects. I am currently signed with a publishing company and my tracks have been used on various films, shows and adverts as well being placed with other artists. My company get a lot of leads for acts in Japan and Korea who are looking for songs, so I have been learning a lot about that market and collaborating with some of the top songwriters and producers for Asia. I have also been pitching songs out to Eurovision and made it through to the first heat for Malta this year. Sadly we didn't get to the next stage, but I'm hoping to get a song into the competition one day! 

Describe your music in 5 words...

Passionate, Melodic, Quirky, Eclectic, Wordy.

What was the first song you learnt to play/perform?

The first song I ever sang live was "Colours Of The Wind" from Pocahontas when I was 8 years old. Guitar-wise it was "Wonderwall" by Oasis - the song EVERY teenage guitar player learns for the first time. It's like a rite of passage. Which is your favourite track that you perform or have created and why?

My favourite track is always changing as I continue writing - right now my favourite song to perform is an acoustic track called "Reasons" which is something I created especially for inclusion in the young adult book I released last year. It was great to combine my passion for music and fiction together in one project so the song has a very special place in my heart. It is also a real crowd-pleaser which is always a bonus! You're up next on Karaoke. What are you singing?

"Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia. If you could collaborate with any artist/band (living or dead) who would it be?

Tori Amos - she's one of my all-time musical heroes. I would also love to write a song with Tom Fletcher from McFly one day. What is your favourite album of all time?

"Jagged Little Pill" by Alanis Morissette. Where is your dream gig venue/location?

It would be amazing to play somewhere like the Royal Albert Hall to a huge listening audience... Maybe one day! What’s the most played track on your iPod/gramophone at the moment?

I am really into a K-Pop band right now called 4Minute and their track "Crazy" is never off my iPod! Which act/band is your guilty pleasure?

I actually really love a lot of the teeny-bop Disney stars because their music is just so fun and catchy - the songs from Teen Beach Movie have far too many plays on my iPod. In fact, most of my iPod would probably be considered a "guilty pleasure" by other people because I love pop music. But I really don't feel that guilty about it.

If you could delete one song from musical history, what would it be?

"Red Red Wine" by UB40. I absolutely hate it.

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Weekly Roundup: Frank Ocean, Frances, Disturbed and More!

Posted by Tony Best

One of the most exciting stories of the week was Kendrick Lamar’s surprise release of eight untitled new tracks! The collection, labelled ‘Untitled Unmastered’, consists of outtakes from his latest album To Pimp a Butterfly and features a guest performance by Cee Lo Green. The unexpected release of the tracks may have been prompted by Basketball icon LeBron James, click here to find out more!

In other hip-hop news, the new Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz album is out today! It’s available to stream on Spotify and purchase on iTunes. Another interesting collaboration which may be on the horizon is Wiz Khalifa with Selena Gomez! Khalifa posted a video of himself in the studio with Gomez on Instagram earlier this week spurring speculation that they are working on music together. Read more about it here.

Frank Ocean’s follow-up to his acclaimed 2012 album Channel Orange is also rumoured to be dropping soon. Footage recently emerged online of an exclusive VIP party hosted by the singer with previously unheard tracks being played in the background. The snippets were swiftly removed for copyright infringement suggesting that they may very well have been cuts from his upcoming new album, tentatively titled Boys Don’t Cry.  

Adele’s follow-up to 25 is not coming out any time soon but she may be debuting a new song towards the end of her current world tour! Looking for similar music to tide you over until her next album? Check out her protégé Frances! Looking for new music in other genres? Spotify has launched weekly ‘Fresh Finds’ playlists for hip-hop, electronica, vocal pop, guitar-driven rock and experimental music!

Have you heard alt-metallers Disturbed’s cover of The Sound of Silence? It has entered the charts 50 years after the Simon and Garfunkel original reached No. 1! Here are the two versions:

Disturbed – The Sound of Silence

Simon and Garfunkel – The Sound of Silence

Which do you prefer?

And finally, witness the moment that Justin Bieber came eye to eye with the NHS choir that beat him to Christmas Number One!

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Weekly Roundup:  New Order, RHCP, All Saints and More!

Posted by Tony Best

If you missed out on the BRITs last night, or you’re interested in reliving the evening’s finest moments, have a look at The Guardian’s highlights video featuring Drake’s surprise appearance with Rihanna and Lorde’s David Bowie tribute! And if you want your memory refreshed on the evening’s winners, click here.

The event was hosted by Ant & Dec for the third time and the duo confirmed earlier this week that it would also be their last due to commitments to Britain’s Got Talent and Saturday Night Takeaway. Their replacements are yet to be revealed!

In other news, pioneering New Wave act New Order, who won a BRIT award for best video in 1988, have just released a new video for their track Singularity from their 2015 LP Music Complete. The surreal video consists primarily of footage of people dancing and protesting in West Berlin in the 80s, watch it here!

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who also rose to prominence in the 80s, are currently working on a new album with producer Danger Mouse and I was excited to discover that it’s now almost finished! Danger Mouse has produced several fantastic sounding albums, such as Demon Days by Gorillaz and Modern Guilt by Beck so I’m intrigued about what he does for RHCP!

Moving  on to the 90s, All Saints, who won BRIT awards for Best British Single and Best British Video in 1998, will be performing again for the first time in over a decade and releasing a new album in April. Click here to read more about it and listen to a teaser.

Another popular 90s act in the headlines this week is the Deftones, although the news isn’t quite as positive. Guitarist and founding member Stephen Carpenter doesn’t seem too pleased with the softer direction the band has taken on their upcoming new album.

Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor, on the other hand, has confessed that the heavy music lifestyle is catching up with him and even discussed the possibility of stepping away from the band in an interview with Radio 1 DJ Daniel P Carter.

By now you’ve probably watched Deadpool but have you listened to the soundtrack? The success of the film has launched several tracks from it into the charts, read more here!

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Music Courses in London

Posted by Tony Best

Thinking about studying music in London? Access to Music has two colleges in the city!

Our primary London music college is situated in the East London district of Stratford. The centre was founded in 2002 and hosted the first Access to Music award ceremony which was presented by iconic producer and ‘fifth Beatle’ George Martin! Another big name, whom we think you may have heard of, is a young star by the name of Ed Sheeran! Ed studied on our Artist Development course between 2007 and 2008 where he refined his craft, gained valuable industry contacts and made a name for himself. He recalls his time with us fondly and is now our patron! Our London alumni also include Rita Ora, Laura Welsh and Stereophonics drummer Jamie Morrison.

We also offer Music Performance and Music Business courses in conjunction with the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) in Kilburn, north-west London. Click here to check them out! ICMP runs a choice of degree courses, has excellent facilities, and regularly welcomes high profile guest speakers (such as Example).

One of the great things about the music scene in London is that it caters for every genre so whatever style of music you play, we can help you meet the right people, play at the right places and maximise your potential. If you don’t play music but you’re interested in working behind the scenes we also offer various non-performance courses including Sound Engineering, Music Business and Creative Media.

Have a look through our music courses in London and please get in touch if you or anyone you know is interested in kick-starting their music career in the capital city!

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Weekly Roundup:  Dr Dre, Flight of the Conchords, Zara Larsson and More!

Posted by Tony Best

By now you’ve probably heard a lot about the Grammys but are you up to speed with the results of the NME Awards? The event took place in London last night with performances by Coldplay, Foals, Bring Me The Horizon and Rat Boy! Click here to see the list of nominees and winners.

Glastonbury appeared in two winning NME Award categories; Best Festival and Music Moment of the Year for the Libertines’ secret set at the festival. Glastonbury has also been in the headlines this week with the announcement that Coldplay will be headlining for the fourth time and, more recently, that Jeff Lynne’s ELO and PJ Harvey have been added to the line-up. Unsure whether to go to Glastonbury or a different festival this year? Take this quiz to help you decide!

Love music-themed films? Here are 12 to look forward to in 2016. Missing from the list, however, is the upcoming Dr. Dre biopic funded by Apple Music! They may not have released a film yet, although I definitely think they should, but TV musical comedy duo The Flight of the Conchords will be reuniting after being inactive for 3 years! Whether they will be making new episodes remains to be seen but they will be performing at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island this July.

Gigwise has also put together a list of rising, underdog bands primed to dominate the festival season. If Gigwise’s predictions are accurate, they could end up on the brand new official Trending Chart! The first track to top the inaugural Trending Chart is Zara Larsson’s Lush Life, read about it here.

And finally, have you ever wondered what the news would sound like if it was presented in song form? A Manchester band called Penny Broadsides have decided to try just that with news bulletins from the 1800s! Click here to listen to an interview with the young band.  

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Weekly Roundup:  Kanye West, Gwen Stefani, Star Wars and More!

Posted by Tony Best

The full list of presenters and performers at the 58th Grammy award ceremony, taking place this Monday, has been revealed. James Corden, Ariana Grande, Ice Cube, his son and our former student Ed Sheeran are amongst the presenters and the performers include Johnny Depp, Lady Gaga, Skrillex, Kendrick Lamar, James Bay and Justin Bieber. Click here for the full list. Another article regarding the Grammys which caught my eye was a Rolling Stone list of 25 artists who have never one won despite, in some cases, multiple nominations!

In other award news, the iHeartRadio Music Award nominations have been revealed, with Taylor Swift appearing in the most categories. She’s been nominated for eight awards, including Song of the Year and Female Artist of the Year, followed closely by The Weeknd who was nominated for seven. Taylor Swift has also been in headlines this week for being targeted by Kanye West in misogynistic lyrics on his new album. He claims that she gave him approval to use the lyrics but a spokesperson for Taylor Swift has recently revealed the opposite to be true, read more about it here.

Kanye West showcased his new album, which is now called The Life of Pablo, on Madison Square Garden in New York last night. He also screened a trailer for an upcoming video game about his mother travelling to heaven... Watch it here.

The album’s official public release date hasn’t been announced yet and if Martin Shkreli gets his way it won’t be released to the public at all. The notorious businessman, known for increasing the price of a life-saving drug by over 5000% and, more recently, purchasing the only existing copy of Wu Tang Clan’s new album, has offered Kanye $10 million to take his new album off the market.

In other news, Gwen Stefani is making a comeback! Her new album This is What the Truth Feels Like will be coming out later this year, a decade after her last album The Sweet Escape. Have a listen to the album’s first single Make Me Like You. The album will also feature the track Used to Love You which she wrote and released last year following her divorce with Gavin Rossdale. The remaining members of Stefani’s former band No Doubt are also making a comeback; they’ve formed a supergroup with AFI frontman Davey Havok.

Star Wars fan? Iconic producer Rick Rubin has put together an album of Star Wars themed tracks, due for release in March, featuring the likes of Flying Lotus, Baauer and Röyksopp. Get a taste for what to expect here.

I’ve heard of people naming their pets after their favourite musicians but I didn’t know that scientists named new species after them as well! Click here to read about the various creepy-crawlies named after celebrities.

And finally, are you struggling to keep your cat under control? Cellist David Teie could have the solution to your problems!

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Why Do We Love Music?

Posted by Tony Best

It’s no secret that music appeals to people all over the world and brings individuals from all walks of life together. Despite some of the challenges faced by the music industry in this digital age, the music industry is growing and, in 2014, accounted for a £4.1 billion influx into the British economy!

Have you ever wondered why we love music so much though, and what it is makes us admire our favourite musicians so much and pay to see them play and hear their albums? A Vox article I came across today addressed that very question!

A popular theory discussed in the article is that we appreciate music because it sounds similar to speech. We evolved to become attuned to speech so that we can recognise how others are feeling which, in turn, affects how we are feeling. The range of sounds available in music is much broader than in speech which means music can be particularly stimulating.

After doing a bit more research I came across a theory proposed by composer and philosopher Leonard Meyer. He suggests that appreciation of music comes from expectation and reward. Whether it’s a particular scale, a soaring chorus or a brutal breakdown, we form expectations about how pieces of music are meant to unfold, and when our expectations are met we are rewarded with a dopamine rush.  

Musicologist David Huron, however, believes that our fondness of music is more intrinsic. You might not expect a love for music to make as much evolutionary sense as a love for food but you could be wrong! Huron argues that deciphering whether a distant sound was made by a harmless animal or a dangerous predator was crucial to survival and therefore sound bypasses the ‘logical brain’ and has a direct influence on our emotions.

Whatever the reason behind it, there’s no denying that music can be extremely powerful. It can give us chills, help us heal and even improve our cognitive abilities! If you, like us, have a real hunger for music, we have a Taster Day coming up soon where you can get a feel for our music courses. Book your place here!

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Weekly Roundup: Paul Oakenfold, Shinedown, Animal Collective and More!

Posted by Tony Best

The musical acts due to perform at the 88th annual Academy Awards on 28th February have been announced; Lady Gaga, Sam Smith and The Weeknd! They will also be handing out Oscars at the event, along with Pharrell Williams, Kevin Hart, Ryan Gosling and several others.

Electronic music is finally getting its own award ceremony! The ceremony, co-founded by genre front runner Paul Oakenfold, will be filmed at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles on 14th April and aired on Fox. Details on award categories, hosts and live performance yet to come!

If you prefer rock, you might want to check out the new Shinedown track State of my Head which just topped Bilboard’s Rock Chart! Into hip-hop instead? You may want to get involved with the petition for Snoop Dogg to replace David Attenborough as the narrator of Planet Earth! The petition was created after Snoop Dogg narrated a small section of the programme on Jimmy Kimmel Live, watch it here.

In other hip-hop news, Kanye West has renamed his new album once again; it has gone from So Help Me God to Swish and now to Waves. The album will be debuted at an event on Madison Square Garden in New York which will be broadcasted to theatres worldwide on 11th February. The poster suggests that West may also reveal his new clothing line at the event, click here to learn more. And here’s some genre-hybrid news for you; it looks like Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor wants to collaborate with Eminem!

Former One Direction member Zayn Malik has just released a video for the first single off his upcoming debut solo album. The track is called Pillowtalk and is definitely more risqué than anything he released with One Direction! Animal Collective have taken an innovative and interactive to sharing their new song Lying in the Grass. It has been showcased on a mobile app entitled Painting With, named after the band’s upcoming album, which allows users to make paintings with others online.

And finally, Miley Cyrus will be returning to acting! She will be starring in a new Amazon Prime TV series helmed by Woody Allen, read more about it here.

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Recently Reported Reunions and Releases

Posted by Tony Best

This week has given us several reasons to be excited for the remainder of 2016, especially for those going to Coachella! Various recently reformed bands will be playing the festival; Guns N Roses, with their original line-up, and LCD Soundsystem were announced as headliners at the beginning of the month and now it looks like N.W.A may be making an appearance as well! This won’t be the first time that the festival showcases band reunions; Rage Against the Machine, At the Drive-In and Pixies are amongst several other bands who have played reunion performances at the festival in the past. Ever wondered why the festival draws reformed bands? Click here to get up to speed!

At the Drive-In reunited for the festival in 2012 before playing their supposed final ever gig at London’s Brixton Academy later that year but they’ve gotten back together once again for a world tour and new album! These days post-hardcore is characterised by the likes of A Day to Remember and Pierce The Veil, but back in the 90s it was bands like At The Drive-In that defined the genre’s sound. Have a listen here.

Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner’s side project The Last Shadow Puppets will also be headlining Coachella and they have a new album in the works entitled Everything You’ve Come to Expect. The album will be their first since 2008 and will be released on April 1st. Another project featuring an Arctic Monkeys member in the headlines this week is Iggy Pop’s new album Post Pop Depression. The album will feature Josh Homme and Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, click here to listen to the album’s first track. Interested in checking out Iggy Pop’s back catalogue and not sure where to start? Listen to I Wanna Be Your Dog!

Another exciting upcoming album which had its release date announced just moments ago is the new Deftones album! I’m a big fan and can’t wait to hear the direction they take next. Other exciting upcoming projects in the news this week include Paramore’s new album, Chance the Rapper’s upcoming mixtape and Lady Gaga’s new album with input from Elton John!

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Weekly Roundup: David Bowie, Adele, Glastonbury & More!

Posted by Tony Best

The tragic death of music legend David Bowie was announced on Sunday, prompting tributes and mourning from fans and fellow musicians around the world. Bowie had been aware of his cancer for over a year but thought he had more time, revealed friend and producer Tony Visconti earlier this week. Bowie had even been working on a follow up to his new album Blackstar when he died and managed to record several demos for it, which may be released posthumously. Blackstar has been at the top of the UK album charts this week and the video for his single of the same name beat Adele’s record for the highest number of views in one day!

Adele has also been in the headlines this week her flawless rendition of Nicki Minaj’s verse in Monster on James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke and for garnering four Brit Award nominations! This year’s Oscar nominations have also been announced this week, with Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and Sam Smith amongst the nominees for Best Original Song. The 2016 Grammy Award nominations were announced at the end of last year but this week it was revealed that Run DMC will be the first hip-hop act to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award!

Glastonbury fever is spreading already with headliner rumours circulating the media and exciting new announcements regarding line-up gender balance and opportunities for unsigned artists. However, some rather unfavourable information about the festival has also come to light this week; representatives have admitted to breaching environmental regulations and discharging human waste into a nearby river last year.

In 2007, when I was living in Holland, Fedde Le Grand’s Put Your Hands Up For Detroit was one of the hottest singles on the radio and it was hard to go anywhere without hearing it. After that Fedde le Grand fell off the radar a bit but I was glad to discover today that he’s got a new album in the works! I don’t think his new single has the same charm that Put Your Hands Up For Detroit had but I reckon it’s still worth a listen if you’re into dance music. I was also pleased to discover that Weezer, another artist I listened to a lot in the noughties, are working on a new self-titled ‘White’ album and will be coming to the UK in April. Click here to check out their new singles and read more about the new record.

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New Year Novelties

Posted by Tony Best

One of the biggest stories of the week is the announcement of the BBC Sound of 2016 winner Jack Garratt. His unique blend of pop, indie and electronica is difficult to label but easy to recognise; he’s truly created a sound he can call his own. Click here to have a listen.

Another unique band in the headlines this week is Radiohead. They wrote a theme song for the latest Bond film Spectre last year but, as I’m sure you’re aware, Sam Smith’s Writing’s on the Wall was selected instead. Radiohead released their version of the theme song earlier this week to show fans what could have been. I personally preferred it to Writing’s on the Wall. What do you think? Check it out here.

Another story which will please Radiohead fans is the revelation that they have recently established a new company, which means their new album will most likely be out soon! The band set up new companies to release each of their previous two LPs and there was only a space of a few months between founding the companies and releasing the albums. Although the discovery was made this week, their new company, entitled Dawn Chorus LLP, was actually launched in October so hopefully we won’t have much longer to wait!

Accomplished hip-hop producer RJD2 also has a new album in the works entitled Dame Fortune. Have a listen to the album’s infectious, funk-infused lead single Peace of What.

It remains unclear whether he’s working on a new album but Kendrick Lamar performed a new track on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show yesterday and it’s fantastic! Have a listen here.

Justin Timberlake may not be working on a new album but he’s got some exciting plans in the pipeline – he’s writing music for a new animated film called Trolls. Unfortunately however, he is also being sued for the use of a sample in his 2013 track Suit & Tie. Read more about it here.

Have you heard about the controversial new Netflix documentary Making a Murderer? It has shocked audiences around the world with its sobering depiction of the flaws in the US Justice System and even prompted a musical response! The Black Keys vocalist Dan Auerbach’s side project The Arcs have written a new track about the issue called Lake Superior, the proceeds of which will go to a charity for wrongly convicted prisoners.

I’ve been reading a lot about virtual reality advancements in video games lately but only just discovered that it will be incorporated into the music industry as well! Click here to read all about Universal Music Group, US Radio and iHeartMedia’s partnership plans for virtual reality music experiences!