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Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus / Old Town Road Remix
When Billboard told Lil Nas X his song "Old Town Road" wasn't country enough, he went and got the most country feature possible — Billy Ray Cyrus. The song originally went viral at the end of 2018 after the #YeeHawChallenge on TikTok. It climbed both the Top 100 and the Hot Country Songs charts until it was eventually removed from the latter, sparking some serious debates. Supporting the young rapper, the country legend sings about Fendi sports bras and Maseratis for the genre-bending song's new remix. Now, they've consummated their collaboration with a music video.
The Black Keys / Go
The Black Keys are back. After a five-year hiatus, the band has returned with a new music video. In the visuals for the track "Go," Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney go on a spiritual journey to forgiveness, taking jabs at rumors that the duo aren't on speaking terms. Their ninth album Let's Rock will be released June 28, 2019.
Adam Sandler / Chris Farley Song
Over the weekend, Adam Sandler made his return to Saturday Night Live. He played host for the first time and brought back a few vintage characters and some SNL alum, but the real highlight of the night was the final sketch. Sandler closed out the show with a musical tribute to friend and fellow castmate Chris Farley.
The National / Hairpin Turns
The National drops another single from their upcoming album. Directed by Mike Mills, the black-and-white visuals are free of frills and theatrics, featuring individual shots of the band and vocalists while Sharon Eyal dances along to the track. Their eighth studio album, I Am Easy to Find, is due out May 17, 2019.
Florence + The Machine / Jenny of Oldstones
The second episode of the last season of Game of Thrones might go down as being best remembered for nothing that happened in the show. Florence + The Machine's song "Jenny of Oldstones" became an overnight sensation after playing over the ending credits. One line of the song appears in the novels, and Florence + The Machine wrote the rest of the lyrics and haunting music.
Lil Dicky / Earth
It's Earth Day. To remind everyone how terrible we treat our planet, Lil Dicky rounded up just about every celebrity artist for a feature on his climate change anthem. Voices from Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Adam Levine, Lil Jon and many more sing along as animated apes and fungi to help save our home. Proceeds will go to aid the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.
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Sonic Editions Prints
In collaboration with some of the world's best photographers and picture archives, Sonic Editions makes limited, high-quality framed photo prints of some of the greatest musicians, film stars, and cultural icons the world has known. Using the same printing techniques as fine art galleries, each photo is hand printed to order on Fuji crystal archive paper, numbered and certified, and comes encased inside a hand-made solid wooden frame that's ready to hang.
Tactica Multi-Tool
In 2016, the Tactica Talon became the highest funded multitool in crowdfunding history. Using the feedback from thousands of backers, it's since been improved and rechristened the Tactica Original. Packed into its 3.1-inch case that can be attached to a key ring are a multitude of tools, including more than a dozen wrenches (imperial and metric), a bottle opener, a package opener, a ruler, hex sockets, and both Phillips and flathead bits. It's TSA compliant, so you can leave it in your pocket while flying, and its hardened steel core is wrapped in a lightweight composite that won't scratch your phone's screen.
As seen in Uncrate Issue 04.
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Lullatone
Inspired by Japan, Lullatone's simple stripped-down melodies combine the best of Far East and West. Sean met his wife Yoshimi at college in the US and moved back to her native Japan. Together, they create music that sounds much bigger than its simplicity would imply.
Weezer Tiny Desk Concert
No stranger to un-electrified music, Rivers Cuomo and Weezer take the "stage" behind NPR's tiny desk for an all-acoustic concert. Mixing some vintage tracks like "Longtime Sunshine" and "Across the Sea" with new material off of the "Black Album", Weezer proves they don't need an elaborate stage to make good music.
Echo in the Canyon
Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, California, became the epicenter of the "California Sound". Bob Dylan went electric in 1965 and the Beatles were the biggest band in the world, accompanied by the rest of the British Invasion. Folk music was going electric, and bands like the Beach Boys, the Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield turned a sleepy hollow in the city into an explosion of pop music. Featuring Jakob Dylan, Echo in the Canyon recounts the halcyon days of the LA music scene.
Chemical Brothers / We've Got To Try
In a top-secret facility in an undisclosed location, a group of dedicated scientists is attempting the impossible — turning the bestest girl into Formula One's top driver. In a collaboration between F1 and UK electronic legends Chemical Brothers, the video for "We've Got To Try" proves that anything is possible.
Cage the Elephant ft. Beck / Night Running
Cage the Elephant is on the verge of releasing their latest studio album Social Cues due out on April 19th. One track from the album has already dropped, "Ready to Let Go", and they've followed that up with the Night Running", featuring a collaboration with Beck.
Vampire Weekend / Sunflower Live
Vampire Weekend just released a video for their own song "Sunflower", but at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge played a different song by the same name. The band covered Post Malone and Swae Lee's "Sunflower", bringing their own quirky style to the duo's hit song.
How Music Affects Your Brain
Music is something that cuts across culture — it's an essential part of what makes us human. It's nearly hardwired into us, and the way it pricks our senses and affects our brain is remarkable. WIRED's Peter Rubin looks at why music moves us so deeply in interviews with scientists and musicians in the first episode of Tech Effects.
Vampire Weekend / Sunflower
It might look like a music video, but what it really is is a foodie's tour of NYC's Upper West Side. Directed by Jonah Hill, "Sunflower" takes you around some of the best places to eat in New York, and even has a cameo from Jerry Seinfeld, in case it wasn't authentic enough.
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Topographical Rendering Map Prints
Based in Brooklyn, New York, graphic designer Scott Reinhard combines vintage maps with elevation data to create stunning pieces of art. Reinhard uses a chromogenic process to create each print, which takes traditional color photography development and integrates 3-dimensional data with paper maps for a result that is so visually appealing, you'll be tempted to reach out and feel what looks like 3D texture. The process brings the maps to life, creating a 2D print that is vibrant and detailed giving you a unique work of art that blends history and modern technology. In addition to the topographic maps, Reinhard creates compelling digitally rendered maps and has even adopted his technique to the surface of the moon.
Choose from map prints of Death Valley, Rocky Mountain National Park, Glacier National Park, Joshua Tree, Marfa, Texas, Hudson, New York, or a digital rendering of all the buildings in New York City.
Made In Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan
A staple in professional kitchens, this frying pan fuses the best things about cast iron and stainless steel into one do-it-all frying pan. The pan has the same heat retention, seasoning, and non-stick properties that make cast iron famous, along with the heat control and speed that make stainless steel essential. It's light enough to maneuver, flip, or saute, and is made with high-quality French carbon steel by a 3rd generation steelmaker. It can stand up to 1200 degree temps and is perfect for searing steaks, charring vegetables, and stays slick when making eggs and pancakes for breakfast.
Presented by Made In Cookware.
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The Black Keys / Lo/Hi
The Black Keys are back. After a five-year hiatus, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney reunite for a new single and from the sound of it, they haven't missed a beat.
Weezer / High As A Kite
Welcome to Mr. Rivers' Neighborhood. Eschewing the heavy guitars and pop-indie stylings of their previous releases, Weezer and frontman Rivers Cuomo have gone back to the piano, striking a far more singer-songwriter vibe. The video for "High As A Kite" off their upcoming Black Album puts Rivers as a faux Fred Rogers in a land of make-believe.
Vampire Weekend / Harmony Hall
The wait is over. After a six-year hiatus, Vampire Weekend finally returns with a new album Father of the Bride. The Modern Vampires Of The City follow-up features 18 fresh tracks including the lead single "Harmony Hall" and a second release entitled "2021." Both songs are available now while the remaining album is due out this spring.
Denzel Curry Covers Rage Against The Machine
Australian radio network Triple J's segment Like A Version gives artists the chance to cover their favorite songs. For the latest edition, Florida rapper Denzel Curry crosses over into the rock realm to put his spin on Rage Against The Machine's 1996 classic "Bulls On Parade."
Weezer / Take On Me
Following the success of their cover of Toto's "Africa," Weezer released the Teal Album — an entire collection of '80s remakes. The first video from the album features Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard and his band Calpurnia, rocking out as a young Rivers Cuomo to A-ha's "Take On Me." While most of the visuals are of a vintage Weezer jam session, some pencil-sketch animation pays homage to the original music video.
Interpol / Fine Mess
Hot on the heels of their 2018 album Marauder, Interpol released a new video for the single "Fine Mess" along with tour dates for 2019. The worldwide event kicks off in Vancouver on the 31st of January and finishes up in July in France.
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Electric Light Orchestra / Mr. Blue Sky
41 years ago, Electric Light Orchestra's second single for their Out of the Blue double album hit the airwaves and made the metallic clang of a fire extinguisher a musical instrument. Out of the Blue, with its classic '70s artwork and Jeff Lynne at his best, would sell over 10 million copies and solidify the band as one of the biggest groups of the biggest era in rock 'n' roll. Celebrating just over four decades, ELO released this trippy animated video to commemorate the occasion and one of Lynne's favorite songs.
Beatles Rooftop Concert 50th Anniversary
50 years ago today, the biggest band in the world put on their final public performance. On the roof of Apple Records' office at 3 Savile Row in London, the Fab Four went out with as big a bang as they came in, putting on an impromptu performance that was one for the ages. This track from the concert is one of their best, from a band that was at their absolute peak.
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Weezer / Teal Album
Weezer surprised fans with the release of the Teal Album, a record that's entirely covers and inspired by then-14-year-old Mary's plea for the band to cover "Africa" by Toto. That cover is included on the record — along with another Toto song and a range of 80s hits like "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". The album is available for streaming now.
The Most Sampled Loop in Music History
It's the six seconds that helped launch hip hop, made the beat of over 3,000 songs, and brought the idea of sampling to the masses — the Amen break by a band called the The Winstons. The six-second break was first sampled by Lou Flores on his first The Ultimate Breaks and Beats compilation in 1986 — and music was never the same.
Thom Yorke / Suspirium
For his first film score, Thom Yorke took on Luca Guadagnino's reboot of the horror film Suspiria. The Radiohead frontman performs songs from the soundtrack solo during a set of Live from Electric Lady Studios, including this piano rendition of "Suspirium." While the full album is already available, a B-side of unreleased material from the movie is coming out February 22nd.
A Tour of Beatles Lyrics
From the town where they were born to barbershops and a now-famous orphanage, a sense of place has been central to Beatles lyrics. Many of the places we know from John and Paul's lyrics are real places and make a for a good walking tour in various places around the UK. Vanity Fair mapped out some of the locations in a few of the Beatles most memorable songs adding another dimension to these beloved favorites.
Wu-Tang Clan Tiny Desk Concert
This Tiny Desk concert is 25 years in the making. To celebrate the anniversary of the release of their album "Enter The Wu-Tang," the original Clan members — with Young Dirty Bastard stepping in for his father — gather in the NPR offices to perform a 20-minute retrospective mashup of their classics.
Weezer / Zombie Bastards
Weezer has just dropped the second track from their long-awaited Black Album. Composed entirely on piano by frontman Rivers Cuomo, the Black Album is produced by TV on the Radio's David Sitek. You'll still have to wait until March 1, 2019 for the full release of the band's 12th studio record, but this should keep fans satisfied until next spring.
