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The Best Vinyl Releases Of May 2021

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Uproxx

Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.

Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of May below.

Amy Winehouse — Amy Winehouse At The BBC

Island/UMe

Before her passing, Amy Winehouse was a mainstay at the BBC and gave many performances over the years. Now, they’ve been collected on one stunning vinyl collection, which includes the audio-only versions of performances previously heard on A Tribute To Amy Winehouse By Jools Holland and BBC One Sessions Live At Porchester Hall. Other goodies from Winehouse’s career here include her first-ever TV performances and her earliest BBC Radio sessions.

Get it here.

My Bloody Valentine — Isn’t Anything, Loveless, EP’s 1988-1991 And Rare Tracks, and mbv (Reissues)

Domino

My Bloody Valentine’s material isn’t necessarily always the easiest to track down, but Kevin Shields and company have finally treated their fans on that front. A couple months ago, they announced their signing to Domino and subsequent reissues of their entire discography, so everything from the debut album Isn’t Anything to the newer mbv can now be enjoyed on crisp new vinyl.

Get them here.

Paul and Linda McCartney — Ram (50th Anniversary Reissue)

UMe

Paul and Linda McCartney only made one album together on which they were both given primary credit, and to celebrate Ram‘s 50th anniversary, a fresh new vinyl pressing has been released. This release should be about the best this album has ever sounded, thanks to the half-speed mastering process the album underwent for this edition.

Get it here.

St. Vincent — Daddy’s Home

Loma Vista

St. Vincent has been strongly pushing the 1970s aesthetic here in the Daddy’s Home era, so it’s only appropriate that the album gets a slew of different vinyl editions. Of them, the deluxe LP is the most fleshed out, as it includes treats like an iron-on patch, an 11″ by 22″ poster, and an exclusive 20-page photo zine.

Get it here.

Fountains Of Wayne — Welcome Interstate Managers (Reissue)

Real Gone Music

Following the death of Adam Schlesinger in 2020, Uproxx’s Jason Tabrys wrote of the now-newly reissued Welcome Interstate Managers, “What stands out most about Welcome Interstate Managers is the diversity of the material. Nothing sounds like ‘Stacy’s Mom,’ but none of the other tracks really sound like each other either. Instead, Schlesinger and Collingwood pull inspiration from Tom Petty, The Beatles, The Cars, The Beach Boys, Linda Rondstadt, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, U2, and even country music. The end result stands out as an interesting and evocative collection of songs that too many people shruggingly dismissed as the filler around a one-hit-wonder. Because we’ve always had more content than time to appropriately assess and appreciate it.”

Get it here.

Phoebe Bridgers — Copycat Killer EP

Dead Oceans

Songs from Phoebe Bridgers’ album Punisher didn’t need to be re-worked by any means. That said, a handful of them took on a fascinating new life through her more string-focused Copycat Killer EP. In April, Bridgers announced the collection would be getting a vinyl release, and here in May, the Copycat Killer vinyl is out now.

Get it here.

Violent Femmes — Add It Up (1981–1993)

Craft Recordings

As of 2021, Violent Femmes have been around for 40 years. What better way to celebrate than with a retrospective collection? Earlier this month, the band re-released the compilation album Add It Up (1981–1993). This time, though, they’ve added things like live recordings, demos, B-sides, interstitial voice recordings, and other rarities.

Get it here.

Angel Olsen — Song Of The Lark And Other Far Memories

Jagjaguwar

Angel Olsen’s two latest albums, 2019’s All Mirrors and 2020’s Whole New Mess, didn’t end up being released as a single double album as intended. The releases have been brought together, though, on a new box set, Song Of The Lark And Other Far Memories. But wait, there’s more: The collection also includes Far Memory, a collection of new songs, alternate versions, and remixes.

Get it here.

The Shins — Oh, Inverted World (Vinyl Me, Please Reissue)

Vinyl Me, Please

Vinyl Me, Please always comes through with the fantastic rereleases, and the aesthetics are always on point as well. Their repressing of The Shins’ classic Oh, Inverted World comes on a beautifully subtle but still standout “Coke Bottle Clear” vinyl, not to mention the lovely inverted cover art, which the record wonderfully pairs.

Get it here.

Lord Huron — Long Lost

Republic

Ben Schneider and the rest of Lord Huron dropped their latest stunner, Long Lost, this month. They also released a vinyl edition of it that makes it look like the cover art was made with these colored pressings in mind. The album art features a head that looks like it’s been replaced with a sunset, and the “custard & blue sky” double vinyl pressing is a beautiful complement.

Get it here.

Erica Banks’s ‘Toot That’ Video With DreamDoll And BeatKing Is A Candy-Painted Cash Enterprise

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Texas native Erica Banks certainly had some work to do to follow up the massive success of her breakout single “Buss It.” The viral track’s accompanying TikTok challenge made it and Banks a veritable household name practically overnight, so all eyes are watching for her next move. Fortunately, she and her mentor BeatKing have plenty more tricks up their sleeve.

The latest is a remix of “Toot That,” her Huey-sampling from last year’s self-titled mixtape. Produced by Sgt J, the original hijacks an interpolation of Huey’s 2007 hit “Pop, Lock & Drop It,” pairing it with the trademark slurred sounds of the Dallas native’s home state. The remix brings along New York rapper DreamDoll, who matches Banks’s boastful, uninhibited energy bar-for-bar, with a closing verse from the bass-voiced BeatKing.

Meanwhile, the video imagines the women as owner-operators of a “baddie consulting firm,” flashing an 800 number across the screen as they count cash with their carefully manicured claws and train their clients on treadmills with motivational chains.

Watch Erica Banks’s “Toot That” video with DreamDoll and BeatKing above. You can also catch Banks and BeatKing in the video for Big Jade’s “Dem Girlz.”

Erica Banks is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Juice WRLD Battles A Demon Army With Lil Uzi Vert In Their Animated ‘Lucid Dreams’ Remix Video

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Late Chicago emo-rap hero Juice WRLD’s rise to stardom began in earnest in 2017, when he released his Sting-sampling single “Lucid Dreams” to SoundCloud. After accumulating a huge following there, it was re-released in 2018 on Grade A Productions and Interscope Records, becoming a phenomenon and launching the young Juice WRLD to superstardom. Today, on the three-year anniversary of the release of Juice’s debut studio album Goodbye & Good Riddance, his label has re-issued the album with a remix of the song featuring a truly appropriate guest: Lil Uzi Vert.

At the same time as Juice WRLD was skyrocketing to fame on a parallel track thanks to his 2016 hit single “Money Longer,” his feature on Migos’ “Bad And Boujee,” and his 2017 breakout “XO Tour Llif3.” The two previously collaborated on the Goodbye & Good Riddance track “Wasted” and reunite here to combine their similar aesthetic and inspirations, with Uzi providing an extended verse to the ruminative track. An accompanying animated visualizer finds Juice on the run from a female demon, who commands an army of doppelgangers to pursue him through a nighttime cityscape. Fortunately, Uzi is there for backup, and with some creative uses of his new foreheard piercing (that diamond is magic!), the two escape the army and defeat their succubus foe.

Watch Juice WRLD and Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘Lucid Dreams’ remix video above. Another new track on the reissue is “734,” which you can play below.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Silk Sonic Bring Their Throwback Hit ‘Leave The Door Open’ To The 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards

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Currently, Silk Sonic (the duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) has just one song, “Leave The Door Open.” (Well, two if you count the minute-long “Silk Sonic Intro.”) So far, though, that’s all they’ve needed: The song has peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a height the single achieved again a couple weeks ago. So, at least for the moment, Silk Sonic is a one-trick pony, but what a trick it is. They trotted it out again last night for a performance at the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards and the song still makes an impact: Silk Sonic was trending on Twitter following their performance, even still the morning after.

Last night’s performance was similar in nature to their previous live renditions of the tune, featuring .Paak and Mars accompanied by backing singers as they all bust out soulful throwback vibes.

Although the duo currently only has one single, they’ve actually performed more than just “Leave The Door Open” live: At the Grammys in March, .Paak and Mars performed a medley of Little Richard songs in honor of the late legend.

Watch Mars and .Paak perform “Leave The Door Open” at the iHeartRadio Music Awards above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Madonna Tweeted About ‘Durag Activity’ While Wearing A Bandana And Fans Are Baffled

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Getty Image

Pop goddess Madonna is the latest celebrity to receive a truly astonishing ratio on Twitter after her latest post ruffled the feathers of users who took issue with her inability to tell the difference between a bandana and a du-rag. Posting a throwback photo of herself wearing dark shades and a black bandana, Madonna captioned the photo “Durag activity….” which… uh… no. On so many levels, no.

Fans were quick to express their discontent with Madonna’s misuse of the style and its nomenclature, reminding her that: 1. She is wearing a bandana, not a du-rag, in the picture, and 2. That “Durag activity” doesn’t mean what she apparently thinks it does. Naturally, Madge’s misstep was met with a deluge of reactions ranging from outrage quotes to tongue-in-cheek drags as she was compared to the plethora of pop stars in the past who’ve overstepped their cultural bounds and wound up stepping on an appropriation landmine.

Truthfully speaking, I am personally of the same mind about this stuff as comedian Sam Jay, who broke down her philosophy in the first episode of her (really excellent) new HBO show Pause With Sam Jay: I’m not offended, it just looks goofy. There are obviously way more important things going on in the world than to worry about a middle-aged mom’s off-target attempt to be “hip” — or any pop star’s, really. But if it looks bad, it looks bad, and you can get roasted like anybody else — it’s part of the culture, after all.

Check out the responses above and below.

J. Cole Reflects On Playing Pro Basketball In Africa: ‘I Plan To Get Better’

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After playing a few games with the Rwanda Patriots of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), J. Cole has left the team and returned home. While he didn’t exactly set the world on fire with his on-court contributions, he got to play basketball on a professional level, which is more than most lovers of the game can say. Now that Cole is back home, he has taken some time to reflect on the experience.

In an Instagram post from last night, Cole wrote:

“So many thank you’s are due. Thank you to @thebal and to @patriotsbbc for the opportunity. Thank you to my teammates, the coaches and staff for treating me like family. I learned so much in the few weeks we were together. Congrats on that win tonight and good luck next game. Thank you to @puma for supporting a dream from day 1, and getting me to Rwanda and back safely via Puma jet.

Thank you to the entire country of Rwanda and to the city of Kigali for hosting us. BEAUTIFUL land with BEAUTIFUL people. To anyone considering visiting or moving to the continent, from everything I saw and heard, I would recommend you consider Kigali and Rwanda in general. Thank you to everybody that had kind words for me despite my inexperience. I plan to get better.”

He also wrote a bit more about his basketball experience in another post about his new Puma RS Dreamer sneaker, saying, “The first drop will have a special place in my heart forever, for obvious reasons. These are the ones I took the scariest leap in. That nervous feeling I had playing under the whistle for the first time is the same feeling I had moving to New York without knowing anybody there. I say all that to say, Despite the fear we have to choose to jump, or be forced to live with regret.”

Check out Cole’s posts below.

Jay-Z Is Set To Speak At A Robin Hood Foundation Event For Wall Street Executives

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Getty Image

The Robin Hood Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to addressing poverty in the New York City area and a favorite of wealthy Wall Street executives looking to do some good with their riches (you know, aside from just like… giving it all away). The bemusingly titled charity is set to hold its annual investors’ conference next month and has invited a speaker who knows a bit about being on the other side of the wealth gap: Jay-Z.

CNBC made the announcement yesterday, reporting that Jay’s booked to discuss his use of data to make investment decisions, as well as the recent sale of his Tidal shares to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Jay’s other endorsements include cannabis, NFTs, and a reported TV and film production company for which he just filed a trademark. According to CNBC, it’s also an opportunity for Jay to schmooze with the sort of high rollers who can invest in his future endeavors as he builds his billion-dollar empire.

Even as Jay continues to make million-dollar money moves, the rap mogul has contributed just as much to his day job, collaborating with former rival Nas twice in as many months with songs on DJ Khaled’s new album and on DMX’s posthumously released Exodus, out now on Def Jam.

H/T to Complex.

Lil Nas X Wants His Next Music Video To Be ‘Crazier’ Than His Other Ones

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YouTube

The 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards were last night and so many of the biggest music stars were on hand. That included Lil Nas X, who wasn’t up for any awards but was there to present Elton John with the 2021 iHeartRadio Icon Award (alongside Coldplay’s Chris Martin). At one point during the evening, Lil Nas X took a couple minutes for a red carpet interview with Variety, and he spoke about his head-turning hopes for his next music video.

During the brief chat, he was asked how he plans to out-do “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and his previous attention-grabbing visuals. He responded, “I want to do something in a different lane that’s crazier. I’m not sure what yet, but that’s for when I make a main single or something, you know?”

He also spoke about how he felt during his famous pants-splitting incident while performing on Saturday Night Live, saying, “I was quite terrified, but I was like, ‘The show must go on… I hope my goodies aren’t on TV right now.’” As for the current location of those now-iconic pants, he said, “I think they’re still in New York being shipped here. We have to put them in a museum one day.”

The rapper closed with a message for LGBTQ kids who might be facing struggles: “You f*cking rock, f*ck everybody else.”

Watch the interview here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Master KG’s ‘Shine Your Light’ Is Sunny Afro-House Featuring Akon And David Guetta

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It’s a big day for South African star Master KG. Following up his viral hit “Jerusalema” from 2019, today the producer and musician has released a collaboration with pop mastermind David Guetta and R&B superstar Akon. “Shine Your Light” is a sunny, optimistic reminder to bring your own positivity and joy into the world. It’s anchored by Master KG’s afro-house sound, and obviously influenced by contributions from both Guetta and Akon. “I am blessed and excited to have collaborated with not one but two legends in David Guetta and Akon,” Master KG said of the track. “‘Shine Your Light,’ is special for me because it not only combines our different styles of music, but also spreads a positive message. Join us as we unite the world with love through music once again. Wanitwa Mosss.”

Guetta has collaborated with Akon before, but also expressed his admiration for KG’s ethos. “I am thrilled to have been able to collaborate with Master KG, and I’m so pleased to get to work with my long-time friend Akon again!” he said in a press release. “My hope is that ‘Shine Your Light’ brings joy to listeners around the world as we join each other on the dance floor once again.”

I can’t think of a better way to start the summer than that sentiment. Listen the track above.

Future And Hotboii Won’t Submit To An Exclusive Relationship On ‘Nobody Special’

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While Future shared two projects last year with Pluto X Baby Pluto, his joint project with Lil Uzi Vert, and High Off Life, his best contributions in 2020 came in the form of guest appearances. Joining names like Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Pop Smoke, and more for very strong features, the rapper impressed listeners throughout the year and it seems like Future’s agenda is the same this year. Evidence of this comes on “Nobody Special,” his new track with Hotboii. The track finds the pair speaking against an exclusive relationship in love. Both rappers declare, “I break hearts, I’m a problem, you ain’t gon’ want the fade” and later add, “You nobody special, I feel all these girls the same.”

“Nobody Special” joins a growing list of collaborations Future has done this year. Prior to working with Hotboii, Future stood beside 24kGoldn in the video for their “Company” track, an effort that arrived after he flashed his jewels (and dissed Steve Harvey’s stepdaughter) with 42 Dugg on “Maybach.” He also worked with Moneybagg Yo on “Hard For The Next.” As for solo music from Future, fans will have to wait a bit to get their hands on that, but in the meantime, they can look forward to watching him headline the third day of Rolling Loud’s Los Angeles festival.

Press play on the video above to hear the new track.