Yeah Yeah Yeahs Launch a Whole New Chapter With the Towering ‘Cool It Down’: Album Review

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor It’s such a great idea, and so seemingly obvious, that it’s hard to believe no one had already thought of it: A line of horror and rock-themed pet products bearing the name Freak on a Leash, one of the most popular songs by long-running nu-metal pioneers Korn. “These premium products are created for all, paying homage to the horror and rock music we love,” singer Jonathan Davis, who created the line in partnership with promoter Danny Wimmer Presents and the non-profit animal rescue Take Me Home, wrote in an Instagram post. The series, announced last week, launches on Oct. 28 but had a preview at a special tent at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento. As the photos below show, the line runs from classy but low-key collars and leashes bearing just the logo, to items that more fully live up to the name, such as severed-hand or eyeball plushies.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Grammy and Oscar winning singer-songwriter Sam Smith has announced their fourth studio album, “Gloria,” will be released on January 27, 2023 via Capitol Records. Made with longtime collaborators Jimmy Napes, Stargate and Max Martin stablemate Ilya, the album is described in the announcement as “not only a creative revelation but something of a personal revolution for the celebrated artist. Lyrically, the subjects dive deep and wide, into contemporary narratives around sex, lies, passion, self-expression and imperfection.” Smith says, “It feels like emotional, sexual and spiritual liberation. It was beautiful, with this album, to sing freely again. Oddly, it feels like my first-ever record. And it feels like a coming of age.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Sault, the intentionally shadowy British R&B outfit led by Little Simz/ Michael Kiwanuka/ Adele producer Inflo, are back with a new EP called “Angel” — which is actually a single 10-minute song that is more like three different songs and a spoken-word passage combined into one. While details on the release are slim (as always with this group), presumably an album is not far behind. Not surprisingly, the new release is different from virtually everything the innovative R&B group has released in the past. “Angel” starts off like a power-trio version of a Bob Marley song, with a male reggae vocalist — apparently Jamaican singer Chronixx, who is credited on the song along with Inflo and British singer Jack Penate — singing over a jazzy drumbeat and a repetitive lead guitar hook. But after three minutes, the song stops and shifts into a piano-led ballad, with Chronixx continuing on theme about Zion, but with a gorgeous soulful chorus backing him. A spoken word passage then follows, and the song concludes with what is basically a third song, a gentle acoustic song that fades out with a “Soul Rebel” chorus.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor One of the new honors the Grammy Awards will introduce at their next ceremony is song for social change — a special-merit award that “recognizes creators of message-driven music that responds to the social issues of our time and has the potential for positive global impact.” While the honor is “curated by a blue-ribbon committee,” there’s little question that the number of submissions will have an impact — and according to the Recording Academy, 95,000 of the 115,000 submissions received have been for Iranian musician Shervin Hajipour’s song, “Baraye,” a protest song about 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after being arrested and beaten by Iran’s so-called morality police for not wearing a proper head covering, in line with the country’s Islamic law.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Fiona Apple has dropped a new song as part of the season finale of Amazon Studios’ series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” With vocals by Apple and music by Bear McCreary, the song is titled “Where the Shadows Lie” and is from a J.R.R. Tolkien poem that appeared in the original books — the song appears only on Amazon Music but a link and excerpt is below. “The musical legacy of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ brings to mind ethereal vocals carrying lyrical melodies over evocative harmonies, so it was my natural inclination to compose such a song for ‘The Rings of Power,’” said McCreary. “Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic ‘Ring Poem’ text, I wrote the song ‘Where the Shadows Lie’ as a theme for the titular Rings of Power, for the magic of mithril, for the sinister machinations of Sauron, and for his land of Mordor.”

‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’, the documentary based on Lizzy Goodman’s book of the same name. Watch the preview of the film below.‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’, Goodman’s 600-page oral history detailing the 00’s New York music scene was released back in 2017.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Back in the day (“the day” being the 1990s), Pavement became so typecast as a cliché-lambasting, anti-rock band that they never really got credit for what a great rock band they were — and, as their ongoing 30th-ish anniversary tour shows, still are. The stereotypical scrawny, bookish, indie vibe and image of the group’s early records had become so cemented that few seemed to notice how tight and accomplished they became after drummer Steve West joined the group in 1993. Although they always downplayed their ability to “rock out” and still do, when the band locks in on hypnotic grooves while singer-guitarist Stephen Malkmus plays solos with a Lou Reed-ish combination of soaring melodies and brittle squall (usually finishing with some self-mocking gesture), they can hold their own with virtually any rock band. On their later albums, that seasoning carried over to their songwriting, as Malkmus’ almost run-on melodies were delivered in a cleaner, sharper manner, as if he were no longer quite so embarrassed by how pretty or catchy they can be.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Drake, arguably the biggest rapper in the world, will play a special concert at the legenday Apollo Theater in New York’s Harlem neighborhood that will be broadcast on SiriusXM, he and the network announced on Tuesday. Details on the show were slim — “Drake will perform at the world-famous Apollo Theater in New York. The exclusive SiriusXM concert marks the first time that Drake will perform at the iconic theater,” the announcement reads — but the concert will be the latest in a long series of special, intimate gigs the network has staged at the 1,500-capacity venue. Fans should head here to score tickets, but act fast.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor While there’s been no official word, Pink Floyd has been shopping its recorded-music catalog and other assets for several months, seeking as much as $500 million, according to the Financial Times, with both major music companies and investment firms as the top bidders. But sources say an explosive new interview with founding member, main songwriter and stakeholder Roger Waters — in which he makes extensive remarks about Israel, Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and other political matters that one could politely characterize as controversial — is giving at least one potential buyer cold feet and seems likely to lead others to rethink their positions. For years Waters has sounded off about politics in the press and at his concerts, most controversially Israel’s policies. But the new interview in Rolling Stone raises (or lowers) the bar considerably. While interviewer James Ball does his best to challenge some of Waters’ more far-fetched statements, the former Pink Floyd singer argues emphatically that some Jewish people in the U.S. and U.K. bear responsibility for the actions of Israel “because they pay for everything”; that well-documented accounts of Russian war crimes in Ukraine are “lies, lies, lies”; that the United States is “the most evil [country in the world] of all by a factor of at least 10 times”; that Russia’s brutal military involvement in Syria is justified because “they were there at the invitation of the Syrian government” (which is led by one of the world’s most murderous dictators, Bashar Assad), and more. (See a 12,000-word transcript of the interview here).

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor U2 singer Bono will undertake a 14-city book tour in support of his forthcoming memoir “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story,” which is published on Nov. 1. Full dates appear below. The book tour, titled “Stories of Surrender” and produced by Live Nation, is billed as “An evening of words, music and some mischief…” The tour kicks off at New York’s Beacon Theatre on Nov. 2, the day after the book is released, and continues across the U.S. and Europe before concluding in Madrid, Spain on Nov. 28. Tickets will go on sale Friday, October 7 at 10 a.m. (local time); every ticket sold includes a copy of the book. All tickets purchased online will be delivered as secure mobile tickets. There will be a two-ticket limit per person.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Jack Harlow Partners With American Express to Present ‘Louisville by Jack Harlow’ Jack Harlow has partnered with American Express to present “Louisville by Jack Harlow,” a special concert taking place at Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday, October 12. According to the announcement, the show, which is part of the company’s Member Week and is exclusively for card members, “will transport fans deep into Harlow’s world, paying homage to the rapper’s hometown of Louisville, KY and give fans an up-close-and-personal taste of Harlow’s favorite small businesses, artists, and restaurants.”
 The show will be livestreamed on Amazon Music’s Twitch channel and Card Members will have exclusive access to a custom merchandise collection from Louisville illustrator, Bri Bowers, known for her depictions of Louisville’s neighborhoods & landmarks. Her “Jack Harlow x American Express” collection will be sold IRL and online; all other merch items will be sold online.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor With lead vocals by Springsteen, “Only The Strong Survive” features songs from the catalogs of Motown and Stax Records, the songwriting duo of Gamble and Huff and more. This album, Springsteen’s 21st studio outing, will also feature guest vocals by soul great Sam Moore, as well as contributions from the E Street Horns, string arrangements by Rob Mathes, and backing vocals by Soozie Tyrell, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Curtis King Jr., Dennis Collins and Fonzi Thornton. Bruce Springsteen commented: “I wanted to make an album where I just sang. And what better music to work with than the great American songbook of the Sixties and Seventies? I’ve taken my inspiration from Levi Stubbs, David Ruffin, Jimmy Ruffin, the Iceman Jerry Butler, Diana Ross, Dobie Gray, and Scott Walker, among many others. I’ve tried to do justice to them all—and to the fabulous writers of this glorious music. My goal is for the modern audience to experience its beauty and joy, just as I have since I first heard it. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Columbia Records has entered into a joint venture with former Capitol Records chairman-CEO Jeff Vaughn to launch Signal Records, the company announced Wednesday. The Los Angeles-based imprint will operate as a new label with Columbia Records of Sony Music Entertainment and begin operations immediately, with an artist roster to be announced in the coming weeks. As founder and CEO, Vaughn will lead the company’s creative direction and business development while utilizing Columbia’s marketing, promotion, and label services. Ron Perry, Chairman & CEO of Columbia Records, said, “I’ve admired Jeff’s work from afar for a while. He has incredible musical instincts, an infectious work ethic, and great passion. I’m looking forward to working together on this new chapter.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Metallica have announced that they will perform a special tribute concert on Nov. 6 to honor Jonny and Marsha Zazula, the founders of their original label, Megaforce Records. The group, which will be joined by fellow Megaforce alums Raven, will perform songs from their early career, dating from 1983 and ’84. The concert will take place at the 7,000-capacity Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. — an unusually small venue for the band. The Zazulas, for decades an influential and well-respected power couple on the metal scene, passed away within a year of each other in 2021 and 2022.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor In recent years, artists have created a booming business out of essentially putting their archives on tour — the “David Bowie Is” and “Rolling Stones Exhibitionism” — traveling exhibitions of their wardrobes, instruments and multiple other artifacts from their long careers. Well look out, because here comes “Pavements 1933-2022: A Pavement Museum” — a semi-jokingly titled international museum exhibition from the legendary indie-rock band featuring “previously unseen imagery, artwork and ephemera, commendations and commemorations, alongside rumored relics of the band’s real and imagined history (as well as exclusive merchandise and classic museum souvenirs),” according to the announcement. (The “1933” part is a deep reference to Pavement’s debut EP, “Slay Tracks 1933-1969,” which of course was released in 1989.)

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor The Temple of Dendur in the Egyptian art wing of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most unique and visually arresting places in a city filled with them, containing the 2,000-year-old Temple itself along with other sculptures and pieces of art, a large reflecting pool and a giant, 25-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling window that extends the entire length of the hall and overlooks Central Park. It also may be the most unique and visually arresting music venue in the city. Over the years the room has hosted concerts by everyone from Interpol to the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, but it’s hard to think of a more fitting artist for such a setting than Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab, who won a Grammy earlier this year for her song “Mohabbat” from her latest album “Vulture Prince,” and was also nominated for Best New Artist.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor There’s been no shortage of neo-R&B albums over the past few years, but so many of them are led by breathy female singers who feel like they’re singing in your ear — very few have had full-voiced singers at the forefront. And although Muni Long isn’t a belter and does put on the bedroom voice on a couple of tracks, her first full-length album is a blast of vintage ‘90s R&B that isn’t trying to be cute: It’s filled with frank lyrics about of love and sex from an artist who’s been around for more than a minute. Working under the name of Priscilla Renea, Muni has long been a songwriter whose soul and pop smarts helped forge hits such as Ariana Grande’s “Imagine,” Fifth Harmony’s “Worth It,” Rihanna’s “California King Bed,” along with tracks for Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Miranda Lambert, Selena Gomez and more.She released strong albums under that name too — 2009’s “Jukebox” and 2018’s “Coloured” — but neither of those records had the sparkle, innovation and warmth that her songwriting catalog contained. A change of name, an independently-released EP featuring the haunting, quirky hit “Hrs and Hrs,” and suddenly, Muni Long is a new artist with a remarkably seasoned and strong debut album.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Compton-based house-music producer-singer Channel Tres has inked a deal that sees him joining RCA Records in partnership with L.A. indie Godmode. The partnership kicks off tonight with the release of the new single “No Limit,” with his debut full-length album “Real Cultural Shit” arriving later this fall. The album will also feature his singles from earlier this year, “Acid in my Blood,” “Ganzfeld Experiment” and “Just Can’t Get Enough.” Channel Tres, who has toured with Robyn, Vince Staples, Disclosure and Toro y Moi and performed at Coachella and New York’s Gov Ball, calls his style of dance music “Compton house”; it meshes the rhythms of Chicago house and Detroit techno with the bite of West Coast rap.

Ziwe is back with another round of her eponymous late-night variety series. The host and comedian will return to Showtime with six new episodes of season 2, digging into topics surrounding cultural appropriation, politics and celebrity culture.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs played a small show in Chicago earlier this week, where the trio debuted a new song from soon-to-be-released fifth album ‘Cool It Down’.The show was announced earlier this month and took place at the Metro in Chicago on Monday night (September 19). The band played unreleased song ‘Lovebomb’ – a slow-burner built around shimmery, atmospheric synths – and four other cuts from the band’s first album in nearly a decade, which is set to arrive next week.Other ‘Cool It Down’ tracks on the setlist included the album’s lead single – the Perfume Genius-assisted ‘Spitting Off The Edge of The World’ – and last month’s ‘Burning’, along with the unreleased ‘Fleez’ and ‘Blacktop’, both of which the band have been previewing on tour in recent months.