Liz Phair Signs With Chrysalis Records, New Album Due Next Year

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorK-pop titans BTS have announced the release of their new album “BE (Deluxe Edition)” slated for November 20.According to the announcement, “The new album imparts a message of healing to the world by declaring, ‘Even in the face of this new normality, our life goes on.’”It also notes that “For this album in particular, the septet took a step further and was involved not only in the music making process, but also in the overall production: concept, composition,

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRapper Tory Lanez, who Megan Thee Stallion has accused of shooting her in the foot in an unexplained incident in July, dropped a 17-track album Thursday night in which nearly every song addresses the incident and its fallout, and what Lanez apparently perceives as betrayal from nearly all quarters.The new album, “Daystar,” may forever remain most famous for asking the musical question: “How the f— you get shot in your foot, don’t hit no bones or tendons?”The album

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWhen you love something — a person, a dessert, a hat, or in this case, an album — you tend to want more of it. Usually, in the case of albums, there are some leftover songs that are not-quite-as-good as the ones that made the cut, and occasionally there are great ones.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBruce Springsteen has released “Ghosts” from his new album, “Letter to You,” which is out October 23 on Columbia Records.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTomorrow — Tuesday, Sept. 22 — is National Voter Registration Day and the HeadCount non-profit organization is leading a coordinated music industry effort involving hundreds of artists, concert venues, and digital platforms.For starters, more than 300 notable musicians will post messages and photos on their social media wearing “VOTE” masks and a call for followers to register to vote or check their voter registration status.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSomehow, the mysterious British R&B/electronic-ish combo Sault has managed to drop four richly diverse, socially confrontational albums, all of them good and two of them absolutely great, in just 18 months.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAlt-rock veterans the Smashing have announced a new double album, “Cyr,” is dropping on November 27.The 20-track album was recorded in the band’s home base of Chicago with frontman and chief songwriter Billy Corgan producing.The group has also created a new five-part animated series called “In Ashes,” the first two episodes of which will including music from the album and will premiere on September 25 — watch the trailer below.“ ‘Cyr’ is dystopic folly,” Corgan has

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOn Tuesday, October 13, legendary jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders will perform at a special concert livestreamed from Zebulon in Los Angeles to celebrate his 80th birthday. Called “Another Trip Around the Sun,” the concert will see Sanders joined by Azar Lawrence on sax, John Beasley on keyboards, Tony Austin on drums and Sekou Bunch on bass.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter a pandemic-induced delay and several production shutdowns and rescheduling, singer-songwriter and “Power” star Rotimi presents his official video for “In My Bed,” featuring Wale. The clip is steamy but reps assure that safety protocols for talent and crew were strictly followed.“This record has been a blessing for me and I felt like the fans deserved a classic visual to tell the story,” Rotimi says.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorNew York City venue (Le) Poisson Rouge is launching LPR.tv, a subscription-based service through which they will livestream concerts held in their downtown venue (without an audience) in high-definition video with full production and soundboard audio.The venue has booked an impressive array of indie-leaning artists for LPR.tv’s inaugural lineup, including Cults, Kimbra, Sunflower Bean, !!! (Chk Chk Chk), San Fermin,  Kevin Devine, Son Little, Laraaji, Too Many

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorGrammy-winning DJ-producer Tiesto has signed a worldwide deal with Atlantic and Big Beat Records and will drop a new single called (fittingly enough) “The Business” next Friday (Sept. 25) — hear a preview of the song below.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAlicia Keys has finally announced a release date for her latest studio album, “Alicia,” which was scheduled for March 20 but delayed due to coronavirus until May 15, and then delayed indefinitely: It’s coming on Friday, she said in a brief social media post that features fans typing questions about the album’s release date, concluding with her saying simply, “September 18 th, oh, oh, oh!”Save the date 9.18.20 ✨

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn celebration of her career-spanning new album, “An Evening of New York Songs and Stories,” Suzanne Vega will play two globally livestreamed concerts from New York City’s iconic Blue Note Jazz Club in Greenwich Village. The first will go live on October 7 at 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time for North American fans and the second will go live on October 8 at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, to accommodate U.K.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBruce Springsteen has dropped a new song and video called “Letter to You,” the first track from his new album of the same name, which is arriving on Oct. 23.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMatthew Caws of Nada Surf, Neal Francis, Say Hi, Pink Mountaintops, The Long Ryders, a new project featuring Kurt Wagner of Lambchop and Mac McCaughan of Superchunk, and many more independent artists have banded together for a 58-track compilation album to benefit voters’ rights called “Talk – Action = Zero Vol.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUnless you’ve been in the right place in Los Angeles at the right time over the past several years, Fiona Apple performances have been as rare as Bigfoot sightings.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDowntown Music Publishing announced the signing of global publishing administration agreements with Wu-Tang Productions and Diggs Family Music, and owners Robert “RZA” Diggs and Mitchell “Divine” Diggs, to represent the iconic hip-hop group’s interest in songs from its back catalog of classic albums, as well as select works co-written or produced by individual Wu-Tang Clan members for solo releases, affiliates and other artists.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWhen veteran music producer Hal Willner passed away due to complications believed to be associated with Covid-19 on April 7, a day after his 64th birthday, the music community in New York and beyond was devastated.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWith the exception of the psychedelic misadventure “Their Satanic Majesties Request,” the Rolling Stones’ “Goats Head Soup” is probably the most maligned album of the group’s first 20 years. Released in 1973, it arrived as most of the bandmembers were entering their 30s and the group was entering its second decade (unheard-of for a rock band at the time), and it found them moving awkwardly into both.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFor today only — Friday, Sept.