Thursday Music News

05/25/2017

Jasmine Albertson

Local rock darlings Chastity Belt are streaming their new album I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone on NPR ahead of its June 2nd release on Hardly Art. The new album has them reflecting more within and covering topics like heartache, confronting change, and depression. It's a mature growth from earlier tongue-in-cheek tracks like "Cool Slut" and "Pussy Weed Beer." Chastity Belt will be touring the West Coast late July through August and will be playing the Crocodile on Thursday, June 1st with So Pitted. [ Stereogum ]

We've been reeling ever since the news last week that Chris Cornell passed away after his Detroit show at the Fox Theatre. Now his wife has spoken up via an open letter to her husband and Soundgarden frontman, which she shared with Billboard where you can read it in its entirety. In the letter she says, "You had always said I saved you, that you wouldn't be alive if it were not for me. My heart gleamed to see you happy, living and motivated. Excited for life. Doing everything you could to give back. We had the time of our lives in the last decade and I'm sorry, my sweet love, that I did not see what happened to you that night. I'm sorry you were alone, and I know that was not you, my sweet Christopher. Your children know that too, so you can rest in peace." [ Billboard ]

Will Oldham recently released a cover album of Merle Haggard covers, in light of Haggard's passing, called Best Troubador under his Bonnie "Prince" Billy moniker. For the vinyl edition of the album Oldham included a cover of Iris DeMent's 1993 song "No Time To Cry" and released a video for it. If the connection between Iris DeMent and Merle Haggard is unclear, Haggard recorded a version of DeMent's "No Time To Cry" for his 1996 release aptly titled 1996. [ Stereogum ]

Dinosaur Jr., who recently played Upstream Music Fest + Summit, have made an interesting announcement. The members of the band, including J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph, are now emoji. If you're someone with an iPhone you can now send your loved ones memorable images of the band throughout their career: The eye goggles from the “Freak Scene” video, Mascis’ glittery pink Jazzmaster guitar, and more. [ Pitchfork ]

Aesop Rock released a video for "Get Out of the Car" off of last year's Impossible Kid today. The video has Rock paying his respects to Camu Tao, who passed away 9 years ago today and with whom Rock was signed to the same label. The two-minute clip, directed by Rob Shaw, starts off with a sketch of the late rapper before editing itself into a black-and-white forest. You can catch Aesop Rock this weekend at Sasquatch! Music Festival. [ Spin ]

Experimental indie band Deerhoof have been announced as Joyful Noise Recordings’ Artist in Residence for 2017. Over the course of the year, the band will release five limited edition LPs through the subscription series. There will be three installments, the first of which consists of two split LPs featuring four Deerhoof side projects which will initially be offered as a pay-what-you-want digital download on Bandcamp, as well as a full-length album that will drop August 15th. Whether they'll have any time to tour with all of this happening has not been made clear. [ Consequence of Sound ]

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