We’re at the point in the year where it’s not quite done yet, but done enough to start looking back on everything that happened. That’s especially true of music, as year-end list season is in full swing (Uproxx recently ran our top albums and songs of the year lists, for example). 2022 was busy, but in a new “Top 5” video, host Jackie Powell condenses the past few months into five key moments.
She begins with one of the year’s biggest album releases: Beyoncé’sRenaissance. The comeback project was Queen Bey’s first album since 2016’s iconic Lemonade and the follow-up has earned similar acclaim. Both the album and lead single “Break My Soul” spent some time at No. 1 on their respective Billboard charts, and zooming out, the project added a new dimension to Beyoncé’s already complex and beautiful legacy.
Sure, you’ve been doom-scrolling through your share of year-end Best Albums lists, but there are some deep cuts out there that might not be getting the shine they deserve. While we stand by the diverse offering of the year’s best on Uproxx’s Best Albums of 2022’s round-up, these picks represent the ones you may have missed. From post-punk and global sounds to West Coast hip-hop and IDM, check out the best albums of 2022 that you might have missed below.
Khruangbin and Vieux Farka Touré – Ali
Much like how Khruangbin’s Texas Sun/Moon collaboration with Leon Bridges wonderfully melds together each artist’s sound while aiming for the essence of Texas, Ali is a sonic journey into West Africa with Vieux Farka Touré. The son of the great Malian desert blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré, Vieux joins forces with Khruangbin to honor his late father on the album. The Texan trio elevates Touré as a vocalist and guitarist, and together they tap in deeply to the spirit of West African blues and folk. One that can finally be felt in widespread fashion well outside of the continent.
Greentea Peng – Greenzone 108
The British rapper’s latest mixtape sees her spitting metaphysical rhymes over jazzy psychedelic soul beats and dancehall riddims. “Stuck In The Middle” showcases her sly wordsmithery over a groovy twang, while “Your Mind” lays down lush strings and funky horns for Peng to flow over with impeccable cadence: “I see you still, cower at your power. I see you still, doubt the world is ours / But I’m here to shower you, with messages from higher you, in spite of you, inside of you, there’s light in you, and fight in you.”
Widowspeak – The Jacket
On their sixth album, Brooklyn’s Widowspeak have found their highest form. Straddling shoegaze and cowboy pop, The Jacket is a calming, extremely pleasant, and flat-out gorgeous display from a band that’s aging gently and gracefully. Through standout tracks like the kaleidoscopic “While You Wait,” the balmy “Everything Is Simple” and the brilliantly arranged “The Drive,” singer Molly Hamilton’s vocals are a salve throughout one of the best evening companion albums of the year.
Ela Minus & DJ Python – Corazón
Before the arresting dance music pulse of Ela Minus’ breakthrough 2020 album, Acts Of Rebellion, the 2017 Adapt EP was a more playful, vocal IDM essay on synth mastery from the Colombian artist. Corazón harkens back to that early release through the earthy tonalities of New York-based producer DJ Python. As its title suggests, Corazón is a collection of love songs — only three of them to be exact — that leave a lasting feeling of sweet longing, tinged with palpable hope and nostalgia for sweet moments of romance. None do it better than “Pajaros en Verano,” one of the best songs of the year which brims with starry-eyed adoration wrapped in Ela and Python’s warm embrace of synths.
Thee Sacred Souls – Thee Sacred Souls
In the spirit of retro-soul-minded acts like Durand Jones & The Indications and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, the self-titled debut from SoCal’s Thee Sacred Souls is a display of lowrider soul tunes. Singer Josh Lane, drummer Alex Garcia, and bassist Sal Samano channel vintage ’60s soul and ’70s R&B vibes on the twelve-track Daptone Records release. But it’s in their full seven-piece setup where you get transported to a scene right out of that sock hop in Back To The Future, only this time, it’s the full Thee Sacred Souls touring ensemble commanding the stage for [radio DJ voice] alllll the lovers out there.
George Fitzgerald – Stellar Drifting
Domino Records really had their finger on the pulse of melodic IDM this year and George Fitzgerald’s Stellar Drifting was it’s most accessible offering. Breakneck soundscapes bloom everywhere, often making way for lasting vocal collabs like the glorious “Passed Tense” with Panda Bear and the magic carpet ride that is “Rainbow And Dreams” featuring Soak. For the album, Fitzgerald synthesized the literal sound of the cosmos and moments like “Cold” — featuring a pitched-down (and uncredited) Ellie Goulding — are downright interstellar.
Tim Bernardes – Mil Coisas Invisíveis
Brazilian singer-songwriter Tim Bernardes opened for Fleet Foxes on tour this year and recently collaborated with them on the track “A Sky Like I’ve Never Seen.” He even recorded a version of “Baby” with Brazilian legend Gal Costa before she passed this year. His trajectory is certainly on the rise and his solo album, Mil Coisas Invisíveis, is one of the finest modern Brazilian folk albums released in recent memory. Look no further than “BB (Garupa De Moto Amarela)” for a prime example of how Bernardes presents his elegant and poetic Portuguese-language lyricism, alongside bohemian arrangements that feel inspired by the flower child era of the Summer of Love.
Larry June & Jay Worthy – 2 P’z In A Pod
While San Francisco’s Larry June Spaceships On The Blade drew considerable attention this year (including from Uproxx’s Best Albums of 2022), June’s collaboration with Compton rapper Jay Worthy was likewise a standout. 2 P’z In A Pod is nothing short of a titanic West Coast rap release, bringing together two distinct voices from NorCal and SoCal. The record is produced entirely by Sean House and “Leave It Up To Me” doesn’t just show two rappers complementing each other with a distinct symbiosis, it might just be the best track June put out this year. There are even features from a slew of OGs in The Diplomats’ Jim Jones, West Coast rap fixture Suga Free, and then NYC’s Roc Marciano on the cognac-soaked “Leave It Up To Me.”
A.O. Gerber – Meet Me At The Gloaming
There’s a lot more than meets the eye on Los Angeles singer-songwriter A.O. Gerber’s latest album. If meticulously constructed and impassioned tunes like “You Got It Right” and “Walk In The Dark” remind you of Wye Oak, perhaps it’s because Gerber co-produced the album with Wye Oak collaborator Madeline Kenney. Out on the workhorse Father/Daughter Records label, melancholy strings permeate this beautiful album about staying optimistic in difficult emotional standstills. And even experimental jazz saxophonist Sam Gendel pops up at a couple turns, flashing ambitious layouts from Gerber and company that leave you wanting more.
Cola – Deep In View
While Montreal post-punk trio Ought disbanded recently, Cola immediately arose from the ashes. Most importantly, deep-voiced singer Tim Darcy is still at the helm lyrically on an album that easily slotted among the best post-punk releases of the year. Album opener “Blank Curtain” sets the stage with Darcy’s perfectly-paced vocals, sleek riffs, and a devious bass line from Ben Stidworthy. “Water Table” brings back Darcy’s signature callouts of our growing technocratic state, over drums from Ben Cartwright that thump like a tell-tale heart. And for a moment, it feels like Ought never left, they only got better.
Archibald Slim – Worldly Ways
While Archibald Slim is still rubbing elbows with Atlanta’s left-of-center Awful Records crew that he first came up with (including on Father’s “Let’s Kick His Ass!” along with Zack Fox this year), he’s found new life with LA’s P.O.W Recordings after a lengthy hiatus. Now Worldly Ways immediately slots him among the upper crust of the label’s eclectic roster of emerging rappers. The Boldy James comparisons are inescapable as Slim weaves stories with the hard-earned wisdom of a man who’s traversed many roads, but with the South as his recognizable point of origin. And he puts it down on the standout title track over a breezy thump, rapping: “I ain’t proud of some of the things that I had done. But my folks proud I stand my ground and I don’t run unless there’s time on the line.”
The year was 2007 and French house duo Justice were blowing the minds of hipsters and party bros alike. The Bloghouse era was thriving amid the emergence of electro acts like Chromeo, Simian Mobile Disco, and The Bloody Beetroots, and no song was as anthemic for the NYC-born scene quite like Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E.” A rallying cry back to the dance floor; there was a future for the convergence of indie and electro house that wasn’t only up to Daft Punk anymore. The fulcrum of Justice breakthrough album, Cross (spelled out with simply a symbol for a cross; one that the duo accused Justin Bieber of ripping off), “D.A.N.C.E” now has a brand new remix featuring Logic that stands out amid a 15th anniversary Deluxe Edition of the album.
Cross effectively ushered in a new era of DJ culture. Justice’s Xavier De Rosnay and Gaspard Augé became huge and other DJ personalities followed suit. Just as “D.A.N.C.E.” represented the rise of indie-electro, the reprised version with Logic shows how hip-hop eventually seeped into the culture as well. Logic is thrust into the mix, but helps carry the beat as if it were a brand new spin. It’s part of six new tracks in a second disc that features demos and an unreleased Justice track called “Donna.”
Listen to “D.A.N.C.E.” featuring Logic above. Check out the album artwork and tracklist for Cross (Deluxe) below.
Justice
Disc 1: † Original
1. “Genesis”
2. “Let There Be Light”
3. “D.A.N.C.E.”
4. “Newjack”
5. “Phantom”
6. “Phantom pt. II”
7. “Valentine”
8. “TThhEe PPaARRtTYY”
9. “DVNO”
10. “Stress”
11. “Waters of Nazareth”
12. “One Minute to Midnight”
Disc 2:
1. “The Party (Demo)”
2. “Valentine (Demo)”
3. “D.A.N.C.E. (Demo)”
4. “Donna”
5. “B.E.A.T. (Instrumental)”
6. “Justice ft. Logic – D.A.N.C.E.”
Cross (Deluxe) is out on 12/15 via Ed Banger Records/Because Music.
There aren’t many drawbacks when it comes to vinyl, but here’s one that’s a perpetual elephant in the room: it sure can get expensive. So, if you have a vinyl collector in your life who could use a fancy new record and you want to save them the stress of selling a kidney to pay for it, why not get them a slick new LP for their library this holiday season?
In terms of where to start your hunt, we’ve done some legwork for you. A lot of fantastic new vinyl releases dropped this year (which we keep up with in our monthly Best Vinyl Releases round-up, by the way) and we’ve collected a few of our favorites here. These picks span genres, price points, and formats, so no matter who it is you’re shopping for, the following list should at least point you in the right direction.
Taylor Swift — Midnights
Republic
Price: $29.99
Midnights is perhaps the biggest album of the year, and as always, Taylor Swift came through with the merch. Her webstore has four differently colored versions of the album on vinyl, too. If you want to dig deep into your pockets and buy all of them, the four editions can be placed together and form a clock face on their back sides.
If your vinyl library doesn’t have any Blondie in it, this box set is probably the best possible place to start your collection off right. It has the band’s first six albums — Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat To The Beat, Autoamerican, and The Hunter — as well as four additional LPs that feature outakes, B-sides, and other exclusive rarities that add up to 124 total studio tracks.
One of the year’s most colorful albums has gotten a decidedly less vibrant vinyl release. It’s a beauty, though, as this edition of Special is pressed on silver vinyl, and if it piques your interest, you ought to act fast: It’s exclusive to Lizzo’s web store and only 7,000 copies are set to be sold.
It could be argued that Harry Styles had a bigger year than anybody else in music, with “As It Was” spending 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, making it one of the longest-running chart-toppers ever. With that in mind, Harry’s House is a definite vinyl buy, especially if you opt for one of the exclusive colors (orange and seaglass green) available in his webstore.
A Beatles vinyl reissue isn’t exactly a hard sell, especially when it comes to this new release of Revolver. This version features newly mixed audio available in mono, stereo, and Dolby Atmos iterations, and the Super Deluxe edition even comes with a 100-page hardbound book. It’s a must-own for any Beatles fan, and probably any music fan, too.
Uproxx’s Ian Cohen previously declared that God Save The Animals, the new Alex G album, is the artist’s best. He wrote in part, “Folky Alex G, abstract Alex G, slowcore Alex G, rawk Alex G, it’s all here, but God Save The Animals manages to circle back to his origins placing the vocals higher than they’d ever been since Race or Rules.”
The War On Drugs — I Don’t Live Here Anymore (Limited-Edition Deluxe Box Set)
Price: $69.98
It’s been over a year since The War On Drugs dropped their latest album, 2021’s I Don’t Live Here Anymore. To mark the occasion, they have a limited-edition deluxe box set available now, which includes unreleased tunes “Oceans Of Darkness” and “Slow Ghost” on a 7-inch. They’ve even gone through the trouble of making an unboxing video for the release, so check that out above for more details about what’s included in the expansive set.
Steve Lacy was perhaps the year’s biggest breakout star thanks to his No. 1 hit “Bad Habit,” and furthermore, Gemini Rights was one of 2022’s best-received albums. The soulful, psychedelic R&B sounds of the LP are begging to be played via turntable, so you can’t go wrong adding this one to the collection.
Super young Paul McCartney fans might know the Beatles leader best by his latest solo album, 2020’s McCartney III (or perhaps the next year’s McCartney III Imagined project featuring contemporary artists). Well, as the title suggests, it’s part of a trilogy of albums, which have now been collected in a new box set. The vinyl edition includes special photo prints as well as notes about each album from McCartney himself.
The Weeknd had one of the year’s biggest albums with Dawn FM, and now fans can secure their own uncommon piece of it: The album has gotten an exclusive vinyl edition that’s only available at Target and features alternative artwork and silver translucent vinyl.
ABBA (who somehow only just picked up their first-ever Grammy nomination, by the way) have a storied discography and now you can own it all thanks to a new box set. It features each of the band’s nine albums — including their latest, last year’s comeback LP Voyage — along with ABBA Tracks, which includes non-album singles and B-sides.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens — Harold And Maude (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
A&M/Cat-O-Log/UMe
Price: $35.98
Harold And Maude has become one of the defining films of its era, and Yusuf/Cat Stevens played a part in that with his soundtrack. That first came out 50 years ago, and now this vinyl reissue of it combines Stevens’ songs with dialogue from the film for the first time.
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
4AD
Price: $30
Not only is the latest Big Thief album a killer listen, but this particular vinyl edition of it is sustainably produced. The jacket is printed on 100-percent recycled board, while the two LPs are produced from recycled materials (which means any given individual record won’t look exactly like the one in the photo above, so it’s a responsible way to give a truly unique gift).
For months now, PJ Harvey’s entire discography has been getting the vinyl reissue treatment, so there are options here. A particularly compelling one is the 6-LP B-Sides, Demos & Rarities set, with features 59 tracks, most of which are unavailable on other formats and 14 of which were previously unreleased.
Roxy Music have been riding the same wave as PJ Harvey this year, as they too have given all eight of their albums fresh vinyl pressings. This is the best these classic LPs ever sounded, too, as they were all remastered at half speed and are packaged with revised artwork with a glossy laminated finish.
It’s Beyoncé. On vinyl. This one isn’t really a tough sell. Renaissance was one of the year’s most anticipated albums, “Break My Soul” was a hit, and some (like Questlove) are already calling the release a classic. So, if it’s not already in the collection, it ought to be.
Speaking of anticipated albums, Blue Rev was the Canadian group’s first album since 2017 and it’s perhaps the most critically acclaimed release of their career. Aside from the bold blue pressing shown above, there’s also a slick translucent edition that’s limited to just 4,000 copies that’s another appealing option.
Time and time again, Vinyl Me, Please comes through when it comes to exclusive, appealing vinyl pressings. Pictured above is a gorgeous reissue of Interpol’s Turn On The Bright Lights (grab it here if that’s what you want), but their entire inventory is worth perusing to find the right album for your giftee. They also offer different options for gift memberships, so sending a loved one on that journey could be the way to go and the gift that keeps on giving.
Music releases tend to thin out as the end of the year approaches, but today (December 9), SZA made this a December to remember with S.O.S., her long-awaited new album. Today is also big for Phoebe Bridgers stans, as she features on “Ghost In The Machine.” When that news was revealed a few days ago, SZA couldn’t help but laugh at how positive the reactions were, sharing an audio clip of somebody screaming about it and writing, “Response to having phoebe on the albums been pretty positive lol.”
Bridgers hasn’t publicly said much about the song, although she did post about the track on Instagram this morning, writing simply, “Thank you.” She also shared an edited version of the album cover that added Bridgers to the image.
Elsewhere, a SZA fan listening to S.O.S. tweeted, “you aight white girl @phoebe_bridgers.” Bridgers responded, “no.” Somebody else replied, “beb I don’t think it was a question it was a statement [crying emoji].” Bridgers again answered, “no.”
SZA and Bridgers don’t really have a public history with each other before this collab, although this summer, some fans attending the Outside Lands festival were upset they had to choose between seeing Bridgers and SZA, since their set times overlapped.
Listen to “Ghost In The Machine” above and check out some reactions to the track below.
Beloved series Carpool Karaoke has returned for its second season, which is set to debut on Friday (December 9). Ahead of the series’ upcoming release, Apple has unveiled its lineup of guests, which includes everyone from Duran Duran and Nikki Glasser to Sandra Oh and Hilary Clinton.
Legendary Chicago band Wilco, Ciara and Russell Wilson, and Method Man will also appear in the Apple original series.
The series started as a segment on James Corden’s Late Late Show. The bit would later be developed by Apple TV+ into its own series in 2017. Here are the official descriptions for each episode:
Sandra Oh & Duran Duran: It’s a dream come true for lifelong superfan Sandra when she meets her idols for the first time—and even performs with them.
For All Mankind Cast (Jodi Balfour, Edi Gathegi, Joel Kinnaman, Krys Marshall, Coral Peña, Shantel VanSanten, Cynthy Wu): In space, no one can hear you scream—but can they hear you sing “Spice Up Your Life”? The cast of the Apple Original is determined to find out.
Nikki Glaser & Wilco: The iconic Chicago band goes on an adventure with megafan Nikki, featuring a cameo by the great Mavis Staples and a Ferris Bueller homage.
Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton & Amber Ruffin: Hillary and Chelsea turn to their gutsy pal Amber for support as they sing along to empowering anthems—with an assist from Vanessa Williams.
The Bacon Brothers: This duo celebrates their longtime band by covering songs from other sibling acts—plus, Michael teases Kevin for his years of fashion fails.
Method Man & Chris Redd: From Stevie Wonder to DMX—and even Nickelback—the rapper/actor and comic riff through their playlist and a round of Black Facts.
Ciara & Russell Wilson: The power couple combines their passions as they sing along to Ciara’s bangers and hit the football field for a climactic pass.
Check out the trailer for Season 2 of Carpool Karaoke below.
Well, we’re in the home stretch: the winter holidays are now a matter of weeks away. Hopefully, you’ve done some exemplary planning and all your gift-buying has been done for months now. If that’s not the case, no need to worry: We got you covered.
If there are any music fans in your life whose names haven’t yet been crossed off your shopping list, our rundown of gift ideas is a strong place to start. Whether they could use some new headphones, if they’re more of a reader, or if something offbeat would perk their ears up, there’s bound to be at least one winning option here.
So, let’s get into it.
Grateful Dead Dancing Care Bears Little Playmate 7 Qt Cooler
Igloo
In terms of animals, this season is all about reindeer, but now’s a great time to give bears a look, because two of the most iconic ones ever have come together for a collaboration: the Care Bears and the Grateful Dead bears. They’ve united under the Igloo banner for a cooler that’s good for holding 7 quarts (or up to nine cans) and comes in a lovely pink color.
There are almost too many options when it comes to headphones, but this offering from Adidas is particularly compelling, especially for eco-conscious consumers. In addition to sounding great and being sweat- and splash-proof, the RPT-02 SOL headphones are actually powered by light and built in part from 87 percent recycled plastics.
Metallica had one of 2022’s biggest musical moments thanks to a memorable placement in Stranger Things, and now fans who want to spend a bit more time in Hawkins can. The band and Netflix teamed up for some exclusive merch based on the show and the band, including a version of the now-iconic Hellfire Club shirt that’s been given a taste of Metallica.
Skullcandy has become an industry leader in headphones and they sure have packed a lot of features into their new earbuds. Aside from the sound and build quality customers have come to expect, the Skull-iQ Smart Feature Technology inside offers hands-free voice control, making these a supreme pick for the more active among us. If you tend to misplace things, Skullcandy thought of that, too, as they have Tile technology built in.
Cameo has changed the game when it comes to giving everyday folks access to famous people. There is a rich roster of musicians on the platform, too, so if somebody in your life would appreciate a personalized video message from a musical favorite, options include Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips, Kenny G, Bootsy Collins, Royce Da 5’9″, Gata, Alice Cooper, Dave Mustaine, Lupe Fiasco, and almost countless others.
Soon, there will be no doubt about what luggage on the airport carousel is yours. That is, if you get an item or two from the new Rolling Stones anniversary collection, which has their iconic mouth logo on everything from rolling luggage to duffel bags to backpacks, all of which will bring a distinct aesthetic to travel adventures.
If the constant flow of stories about musicians losing their hearing hasn’t made this clear: It’s important to protect your ears at concerts (and other loud environments). Ear plugs are a concert/festival must-have and Loop earplugs offer a volume reduction of 18 decibels while keeping the sound natural. So, if you or a loved one don’t already have a hearing protection solution, this is your sign to get one (specifically, this one).
There are almost as many earbud/headphone manufacturers out there as there are songs to listen to through their products. When it comes to high-end choices, though, Ultimate Ears has an offering worth considering. The UE Drops are about as bespoke as you can get, too: The buying process includes taking a custom impression of your ear, meaning the earbuds you end up with should fit better than any pair you’ve ever worn before.
The esteemed 33 1/3 series has been pumping out high-quality and super-focused books about classic albums for years now. This year, author Sequoia Maner took on Kendrick Lamar’s iconic album To Pimp A Butterfly, making this the perfect opportunity to get granular and learn about one of this era’s defining releases. And if that one doesn’t pique your interest, maybe one of the other books from this series will, which range from Cat Power to Duran Duran.
Beats is both one of the trendiest and most respected brand in headphones, and this year, they teamed up with Kim Kardashian for a line of flesh-colored earbuds that look wonderfully understated. Celebrity partnership aside, these have three listening modes (Active Noise Cancelling, Transparency Mode, and Adaptive EQ) and the Apple H1 chip, which allows for “automatic switching, audio sharing (with another pair of Beats headphones or Apple AirPods), and ‘Hey Siri.’”
If you haven’t gotten on board yet, here’s some news: VR is here. Furthermore, Beat Saber is one of the most engaging music experiences on the platform and the game introduces new content all the time: In just the past few months, song packs from The Weeknd and Lizzo were added, bringing some of today’s biggest bops to the saber-swinging realm.
It’s hard to believe this wasn’t already a thing, but in November, Snoop Dogg finally introduced a line of dog products, Snoop Doggie Doggs. The focus here is dog clothes, including jerseys, hoodies, shirts, bandanas, collars, harnesses, leashes, and tricked-out water/food bowls. There’s even a boom box chew toy that plays Snoop’s signature “bow wow wow, yippie yo, yippie yay” line from his 1993 classic “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?.”
A Creative’s Guide To Living An Artistic Life: Words + Music In 6 Seconds Deck
Dan Wilson
As a creative person, ruts happen. Grammy-winning artist/songwriter/producer Dan Wilson (of Semisonic) has something to help with those trying times, though: a 75-card deck of cards that feature advice about creativity, collaborating, and more. If an artist finds themselves stuck, they can pick a random card or flip through the deck, letting the wisdom contained within start them on the path to their next hit.
It could be argued that Harry Styles had a bigger year than anybody else in music, with “As It Was” spending 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, making it one of the longest-running chart-toppers ever. With that in mind, Harry’s House is a definite vinyl buy, especially if you opt for one of the exclusive colors (orange and seaglass green) available on his webstore.
The Birdsong Project is massive — For The Birds: The Birdsong Project is a five-volume benefit compilation consisting of 242 tracks by everybody from Jeff Tweedy to Damon Albarn to Tilda Swinton. This literally is for the birds, by the way, as the project benefits the National Audubon Society.
If your vinyl library doesn’t have any Blondie in it, this box set is probably the best possible place to start your collection off right. It has the band’s first six albums — Blondie, Plastic Letters, Parallel Lines, Eat To The Beat, Autoamerican, and The Hunter — as well as four additional LPs that feature outakes, B-sides, and other exclusive rarities that add up to 124 total studio tracks.
Billie Eilish has been in the perfume game for a bit now, and her releases stand out due to the eye-catching bust container they come in. As for her latest fragrance, it’s described, “An alluring aroma which opens with the freshness of Italian bergamot and apple blossom. It flows into a woody, earthy spiciness of papyrus and black pepper with a contrast of wild wet poppy flowers. A base of woody palo santo and ebony are expertly wrapped in a metallic, nuanced veil of skin musk.”
Time and time again, Vinyl Me, Please comes through when it comes to exclusive, appealing vinyl pressings. Pictured above is a gorgeous reissue of Interpol’s Turn On The Bright Lights (grab it here if that’s what you want), but their entire inventory is worth perusing to find the right album for your giftee. They also offer different options for gift memberships, so sending a loved one on that journey could be the way to go and the gift that keeps on giving.
Questlove is an established author at this point, and while The Roots drummer’s Music Is History book actually came out in 2021, it received some attention recently when the audiobook version earned a 2023 Grammy nomination in the Best Audio Book, Narration, And Storytelling Recording category. As for what the book’s about, it serves as a fascinating look at both Questlove’s encyclopedic mind and music history more broadly, via an exploration of one track per year from 1971 to 2021.
The Mainstream Sellout performer showed up to the AMAs in a spiked jumpsuit that many people online expressed concerns about. He even acknowledged it while accepting the Favorite Rock Artist award, saying it was “uncomfortable to pee in.” However, he’s shared more about that chaotic look during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
“Everyone I loved couldn’t show me any of their love,” he deadpanned. Kimmel said, “This is like the things they use to keep pigeons off the fence,” and MGK agreed.
Kimmel added, “You really put Lionel Richie in danger here,” pointing to a photo of the two sitting next to each other in the audience, which circulated the Internet and had some users mad at MGK. Kelly explained that he and his team didn’t account for the sitting down part, and the staff wasn’t too happy about that. “It took me all this time and then I saw Lionel Richie coming and I saw an empty seat next to me and I was like, ‘Please don’t make this man sit next to this stupid suit,’ and he came over and sat down. He inspected it and touched it. We were so close I was scared to clap for Wayne Brady, so every time he made a joke I just looked like I was unentertained, but I didn’t want to impale Lionel Richie.”
Lizzo accepted the People’s Champion Award from her mother, Shari Johnson-Jefferson, at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards last night (December 6). “When I first heard about this award, I was on the fence about whether I should accept because if I’m the people’s champ, I don’t need a trophy for championing people,” the Special songwriter said to begin her acceptance speech. “To be an icon isn’t about how long you’ve had your platform; being an icon is what you do with that platform.” It’s universally agreed upon that Lizzo used her six-minute People’s Choice platform beautifully.
The Emmy and Grammy winner brought several activists to the stage, naming them all and explaining each woman’s cause — including Jayla Rose, one of her Big Grrrls backup dancers, and Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer. Lizzo held back tears when introducing Maggie Mireles, whose sister, Eva Mireles, died while protecting her students during May’s Uvalde, Texas school shooting.
Lizzo’s speech concluded by urging the audience to “give them their flowers.” Stevie Nicks took to Instagram today (December 7) to give Lizzo flowers with an open letter.
“In my opinion~ your presentation last night on the People’s Choice Awards was not only so beautiful and so needed~ that you get the award for being a great woman of our time,” Nicks’s post reads. “I was so impressed and so touched that you put that together and pulled it off. It was stunning~ and everyone heard you. You have given all women soundbites forever~ flute player, singer, songwriter, future politician…? Your name is in the stars now.”
The most famous music festival in the world will return to the California desert next year after an eventful and historical 2022. The dates for Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival have been set for April 14-16, as well as April 21-23. Fans looking to get a jump on the tickets for the coveted festival before the lineup is announced can do so on Friday, June 17.
Next year’s festival already looks like another momentous one, as co-founder Paul Tollett said Frank Ocean would make his long-awaited return to the Coachella stage. While the remaining headliners and other performers have yet to be announced, judging from the most recent example in 2022 and the pre-pandemic show in 2019, there’ll be a massive variety in artists taking the stage, with some of music’s biggest stars closing it out.
Unfortunately, Coachella fans who purchased the festival’s NFTs to secure a lifetime ticket may be out of luck unless the organizers can sort out the mess left behind by the FTX crash. They’re working on that now; for the rest of us, it might just be safer to buy tickets the old-fashioned way for the time being.
(@beeefyfridgerss) 
