This year’s Rock Hall of Fame ballot has seen quite a lot of drama already — because of Dolly Parton? It’s true! In another act of grandiose, self-aware grace, the country singer tried to decline her nomination to the historical hall because she felt that lots of other more “rock” oriented groups should get in before her. Unfortunately for Dolly, pretty much everyone on the planet disagreed. First of all, she’s a songwriting icon, and second of all, her constant decisions to put the good of other people first is so metal that it supersedes any genre distinction — she’s rock and roll, whether she likes it or not. Luckily, she accepted.
Anyway, voters definitely agreed, because after the Hall made it clear they were keeping Dolly on the ballot for the fan voted sections. She made the top five spots quite easily, following up Duran Duran, Eminem, Pat Benatar, and Eurythmics. Those who finished just outside those top five slots include Judas Priest, Carly Simon and Lionel Richie, so they won’t be nabbing one of the fan selected spots this year. Those votes from fans are taken into final consideration, but don’t necessarily guarantee an artist makes it into the hall: The top five artists, as selected by the public, will comprise a ‘fans’ ballot’ that will be tallied along with the other ballots to choose the 2022 inductees,” said the Rock Hall said of these selections.
Congratulations to Duran Duran, Em, Pat, Eurythmics and Dolly for the vote of confidence. The final announcement will come in May, with the induction ceremony coming shortly after.
Olivia Rodrigo is currently on tour behind her celebrated debut album, Sour, but one of the best parts of her rather small live shows has been the covers and guests that have featured along the way. For the dates that Gracie Abrams was on the road with them, Olivia and Gracie would often do early 2000s pop songs together, and recently Liv teamed up with fellow pop star friend, Conan Gray, for a great rendition of Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away.” And, of course, Olivia has been covering her very obvious predecessor and influence, Avril Lavigne, mainly doing the hit “Complicated” during her set. (And no, she hasn’t been covering Paramore, that’s just how similar “Good 4 U” sounds to Hayley Williams’ biggest song, “Misery Business.”)
But during tonight’s tour stop in Toronto, fans got a real treat when Avril herself took a break from her engagement to Mod Sun and and her new Love Sux era, and decided to join Olivia on stage to help her pull off “Complicated.” Needless to say, having the OG performer of the track involved made this the best rendition of the song Olivia has ever done. Check out the clip up above.
Often, when you hear of an artist working on new music, there are stories of them retreating to some off-the-grid destination, experiencing the environment as they pour all their creativity into their craft, and then bringing the results of that process back to society. For his new performance, though, Pink Sweat$ took the opposite approach, bringing his songs off the beaten path for some wooded live renditions.
The performance, which is part of Uproxx and T-Mobile’s “Way Way Out Live” series, sees Sweat$ retreating to Staten Island’s Walker Pond (40.58°N 74.112°W, in case you wanted the exact coordinates). Once there, Sweat$, flanked only by a keyboardist and audio equipment, starts with “Nothing Feels Better,” stripping the track down to its core elements, which has the benefit of creating a simplistic, more organic arrangement, as well as letting Sweat$’ exemplary vocals dominate even more than they typically do.
From there, he busted out “Spiritual” before wrapping with the platinum-certified “Honesty,” both with the same impactful aesthetic as the first performance.
Also included in the video is a bit of Sweat$’ journey to make it out to his earthy venue. During that segment, he dives into what creativity means to him, saying, “Innovating as an artist means to me that you’re being conscious about your creativity, to the point where you leave a mark on someone’s heart, someone’s soul, someone’s journey in their own life. For me, it’s super important to feel life, you know, things moving and happening around you. It’s a part of the journey to the song.”
Check out Pink Sweat$’ performances in the video above.
Pink Sweat$ is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Baby Tate has been slowly but steadily rising, and her latest single “Dancing Queen” is another brick in that wall. No, it’s not an Abba cover or reference, for those who might be wondering, this is a different kind of dancing. Tate and her crew make their way into a dark, deserted warehouse, where they have lots of room for gravity-defying moves and Tate’s unstoppable flow. The Harlem Shake gets brought up, but mostly Tate and her crew are happy to engage in regionless moves that run the gamut from ballet to twerking, to everything in between. There’s also a bit of drama between dance crews that’s played out in the end of the clip, so make sure to watch until the end to get your fill of rap skit vibes.
Of course, it wouldn’t be an ominous rap video if there wasn’t also a kidnapping involved, and a run-in with the police, who are completely floored by what they walk into in this warehouse. Check out that clip up top, and if you’re looking for more from Tate, check out her recent appearance on Uproxx Sessions, where she performs her “S.H.O.” track, an explicit song that you just might want to get your headphones out to listen to — it’s that raunchy.
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 April below.
El-P — Fantastic Damage (20th Anniversary Reissue), I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (15th Anniversary Reissue), Cancer 4 Cure (10th Anniversary Reissue)
While El-P is best known today as half of Run The Jewels alongside Killer Mike, he had previously made a name for himself with his own material. He put out three solo albums between 2002 and 2012, with each one of them celebrating a milestone anniversary here in 2022. So, now, El has made those albums available on vinyl for the first time in years, all getting special colored pressings.
Wet Leg has Dave Grohl’s attention and they should have yours, too. The Isle Of Wight duo is fresh off releasing their beloved self-titled debut album, which went No. 1 in the UK and Australia. The album has a lot going on besides viral hit “Chaise Longue,” all of which are sure to be delightful when experienced on a turntable.
Sixth time was the charm for French group M83, as their sixth album, 2012’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming, was their most iconic release and biggest success so far. It’s been a decade since the release of the Grammy-nominated album, which has prompted an anniversary reissue, pressed on vibrant orange vinyl and emblazoned with alternate cover art.
Terror Twilight is a truly classic Pavement release and now it’s being given a reissue so in-depth that it necessitates a new title: Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal. This edition of the album has a ton of extras, most notably 28 previously unreleased tracks, consisting of the remastered original album, B-sides, home demos, rehearsal tapes, live recordings, and even the rough tracks from a scrapped session.
Vile recently told Uproxx of his new album, “Basically, I just want it to be as honest as possible. I want the songs to creep up to me. In the older days, I used to think too much. ‘Oh, why am I not writing? Am I going to write a good song?’ None of that matters, because now I like when I’m not writing. I like to be present in whatever I’m doing and then the music comes through inspiration. If you just go about your day, inspiration’s going to strike. I’m not too worried about anything really. I feel like I’ve proved a lot on this album, to be honest. But at the same time, I have nothing to prove.”
Marvin Gaye — What’s Going On (50th Anniversary Reissue)
Motown/UMe
What’s Going On has been at or near the top of so many “best albums of all time” lists that it truly justifies the cliche of needing no introduction. The album is 50 years old now and a new reissue in honor of that milestone is full of treats. Included here are four rare cuts making their vinyl debut, including a previously unreleased “stripped” version of the title track.
Queen is of course Brian May’s biggest claim to fame, but he also had a handful of solo albums following Freddie Mercury’s death. Now, 1998’s Another World has been given new life via a fresh reissue, which, among other goodies, includes Another Disc, a collection of alternative versions, B-sides, and live recordings.
Jack White, perhaps the music industry’s biggest supporter of vinyl, has a new album out, so it’s only natural to pick it up in LP form. Furthermore, Target has an exclusive “moon glow white” pressing of it, which pairs gorgeously with the cover art.
A Tribe Called Quest — The Low End Theory (Vinyl Me, Please reissue)
Vinyl Me, Please
Speaking of prominent figures in the vinyl community, Vinyl Me, Please has been up to a lot lately: Aside from announcing a new pressing plant in Denver, one of the latest albums of the month is a reissue of A Tribe Called Quest’s classic album The Low End Theory, a 2-LP release that is pressed on aesthetically simple and perfect red and green vinyl.
VMP’s monthly album selections are their main attraction, but they have other sorts of exclusive pressings available, too. For example, they’re currently offering an edition of Toro y Moi’s new album Mahal, pressed on “blue jay and white” vinyl. To even further connect this specific pressing with the aesthetics of the album cover, VMP references the bus on the cover by offering a bumper sticker, the sort of clever nod that helps make VMP the best at what they do.
Today is a major day for Kehlani, as it marks the release of her third album, Blue Water Road. To mark the occasion, she released a video for “Everything,” a smooth and tranquil tune that sees Kehlani infatuated with a well-rounded special someone.
“Everything” is a solo cut, but the new album sees Kehlani collaborating with Justin Bieber, Blxst, Syd, Jessie Reyez, Ambré, and Thundercat, as well as getting songwriting contributions from Anthony Clemons Jr., Ravyn Lenae, and Jacob Collier.
Kehlani previously said of the new album, “Blue Water Road is a destination in my mind. I’m giving everyone access. It’s an emotional journey, a sexual journey, and a spiritual journey. To me, the album is like a glass house. It’s light, transparent, and the sun is shining right through it.”
Noel Gallagher is pretty well-known for being one of rock’s grumpiest grumpy old men, often making condescending remarks about everyone from Jay-Z to his own brother and former Oasis bandmate, Liam Gallagher. Most recently, he directed his disdain toward Harry Styles, calling the pop star’s music “worthless” and positing that he doesn’t write his own songs — an opinion likely born from Styles’ origins as a member of X Factor-launched boy band, One Direction.
Normally, given Noel’s crotchety reputation, the majority of music’s stars dismiss or ignore him (although Jay-Z got in an awesome, subtle shot in 2008 at Glastonbury, pretending to play a guitar and covering “Wonderwall”), but one self-declared Harry Styles fan decided to stand up for him in a recent interview. Appearing on NME’s latest cover, Kehlani addressed the situation in the accompanying feature promoting their new album, Blue Water Road.
“That person – whoever that is – can kiss my ass,” they said. “They might as well call me inauthentic and I’m about as authentic as it gets. [Styles] worked his ass off to make people fall in love with him on national TV and be lumped in with a group of boys and still had to stand out from an entire group of people. That’s as authentic as it gets! I’m a Harry Styles fan, clearly, but watching the transformation that he’s taken to find his own songs and his own voice, own persona, own fluidity and image – I think he’s been brave and epic. He’s f*cking tight.”
We’re sure Gallagher will be just delighted someone finally responded back to him, but if nothing else, let’s all hope we get a ripping Harry Styles/Kehlani collaboration out of this.
Yesterday was a big day in Barbados, as April 28 marks National Heroes Day, during which the island nation honors a select group of people who have been declared National Heroes. Rihanna earned that distinction last November, meaning this year’s National Heroes Day was Rihanna’s first as an honoree, about which she was thrilled.
Rihanna shared some photos from the celebration and wrote, “My very first #NationalHeroesDay as a National Hero of my country Barbados! [Barbados flag emojis] What an absolute honor to be amongst such great men and women who have come before me and held this title in commitment to our nation! I will forever cherish these memories and continue to represent the Bajan people and my home Barbados to the fullest!! Love and gratitude to both The Prime Minister, The Honorable Mia Amor Mottley and our President, Her Excellency The Most Honorable Dame Sandra Mason for trusting me with this honor!”
The first National Heroes Day was celebrated on April 28, 1998, 100 years after the birth of Sir Grantley Herbert Adams, Barbados’ first prime minister (a position then called “premier”). The holiday has been observed annually since then.
The National Hero distinction is a big deal, as Rihanna is just one of 11 people to ever be given the title and the first one since the inaugural ten-person class in 1998. Rihanna is one of only two living National Heroes of Barbados, alongside legendary cricket player Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers. She’s also one of just two women to ever receive the honor, the other being Sarah Ann Gill, a social and religious leader in the 1800s.
