Music

John Prine died on April 7 of COVID-19 complications. He was 73. Tributes have been pouring in from the music world in the days following his passing. Today, Roger Waters of Pink Floyd shared a cover of “Paradise” from Prine’s debut self-titled album. “Miss you, brother.” Watch it happen below. Following Prine’s death, countless genre-spanning

Bonnie Raitt has shared a new video paying tribute to the late John Prine, who passed away on April 8 from COVID-19 complications. In the video, Raitt performs “Home,” originally written by Karla Bonoff and covered by Raitt on her 1977 album Sweet Forgiveness. “For those who aren’t blessed to have a secure and safe

Sturgill Simspon has tested positive for COVID-19, as the singer revealed via a post to his Instagram account earlier today. Simpson said he first sought medical attention on March 13, when he began to experience “chest pains, fever, and pre-stroke blood pressure levels,” but was unable to be tested for coronavirus until April 6. He

Caroline Polachek has released the instrumentals for her most recent album Pang. You can purchase them over on her Bandcamp page. Check out the alternate cover artwork for the new instrumental album below. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Polachek was scheduled to perform shows in Austin and Dallas that have since been postponed. Waxahatchee recently

Travis Nelsen, longtime drummer in Austin indie rock group Okkervil River, has died. Okkervil River announced the news in a statement on their Instagram account on April 9. “Travis Nelsen, Okkervil River’s drummer from 2003-2010, passed away on Tuesday,” the band wrote. “He was a radiant, hilarious, charismatic, generous, passionate human being with a heart

Consequence of Sound has announced Angel from Maywood: A Livestream Tribute to John Prine. The homage to Prine, who died earlier this week, will feature performances by the Decemberists’ Colin Meloy, Kevin Morby, the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle, Grace Potter, Norah Jones, the Head and the Heart, Lake Street Dive, and more. The tribute will

Swathed between two flutes and a mesmerizing piano, the new instrumental song “Liama” is a lovely reminder to slow things down and listen to the music. Ensconced in an imaginative song for the listener’s taking, the duo behind “Liama” are New Jersey’s Steve Markoff and Patricia Lazzara, with Allison Brewster Franzetti helming the piano. As

Iggy Pop has announced new 2xCD reissues of his classic albums The Idiot and Lust for Life. In addition to remastered versions of the original albums, the reissues feature bonus live discs: Live at The Rainbow Theatre, recorded at London’s Finsbury Park in 1977, and TV Eye Live, respectively. The Stooges founder is also releasing

Usher, Lil Jon, and Ludacris have released a new song. The latest track from the team behind “Yeah!” is called “SexBeat.” That’s it below. Usher’s song “Climax” recently came up in an interview with the Weeknd, which then led to social media challenges and subtweets. (Here’s a summary, if you’re interested.) Ludacris’ most recent album

The Weeknd was featured on the latest cover of Variety following the recent release of his new album, After Hours. In the interview with Variety’s Jem Aswad published yesterday (April 8), the singer talks about the new album at length. Amid all the relatively typical album-cycle conversation about influences and what individual songs are about,

Hayley Williams has unveiled another track from her solo debut PETALS FOR ARMOR. The latest song is titled “My Friend.” Watch its lyric video below. “My Friend” is the eighth offering from the Paramore frontwoman’s solo debut. In February, she shared PETALS FOR ARMOR I, which featured five songs from her album, including “Simmer” and

Philadelphia rapper Chynna Rogers died today at age 25. Following the news of her passing, tributes poured in from her peers and friends. “I don’t like doing this when my people go but I think everybody needs to know that you were special,” Vince Staples wrote. “Too special for words. Stay outta trouble lil cuh.”

Cindy Lee, the project of former Women frontperson Patrick Flegel, has released a new album called Cat O’ Nine Tails. Check out a preview collage of the record and a video for one song, “I Don’t Want to Fall in Love Again,” below. Cat O’ Nine Tails is available by digital order through a Geocities

Omar Apollo is back with a new single called “Imagine U.” Take a listen to the new song, co-produced by Kenny Beats, below. “I’m all about the feeling when it comes to music,” Apollo said in a statement. “The lyrics and melody came to me so naturally and I feel like free thinking is what’s

The music world is reacting to the death of John Prine, who died today (April 7) of COVID-19 complications at the age of 73. “A simple majority of who I am as a person, let alone a musician, is because of John Prine,” Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon tweeted. “He is my number 1.” Amber Coffman

Apple Music has launched a $50 million advance royalty fund to ensure that artists will get paid and label operations can continue during the coronavirus pandemic, Rolling Stone reports. The streaming giant confirmed the news in a letter to labels (obtained by Rolling Stone). Eligible labels must have a direct Apple Music distribution deal and