Latest news with #Pavement
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Westside Cowboy's ramshackle Americana – plus the week's best new tracks
From ManchesterRecommended if you like Pavement, Ezra Furman, Guided By Voices Up next Debut EP out 8 August Westside Cowboy describe their sound as Britainicana. You get what they mean. The winners of this year's Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition are the product of a burgeoning new Manchester underground scene but started out performing Hank Williams and Bob Dylan covers in drummer Paddy Murphy's bedroom. While the vocals locate them firmly in the UK, there's a distinct country/rockabilly undertow to their sound. But equally, Britainicana feels like a slightly ungainly term for music that seems so natural and spontaneous. Recent single Alright Alright Alright rattles along at high speed, its influences buried under a layer of fuzz and feedback and punky vigour, the guitar lurching from the central riff into bursts of noisy abstraction: it sounds like a snatched recording of a band playing live, complete with the thrilling sense that their performance is seconds away from collapsing. The quartet's debut EP is forthcoming, and the first tastes of This Better Be Something Great are more sedate. I've Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You) lopes in time-honoured slacker style; Shells starts out as a hushed ballad before unexpectedly bursting into life 90 seconds in. But they're equally marked by a mood of ramshackle invention at odds with the studied, polished air of a lot of current alt-rock. The name, incidentally, comes from the horse riders employed to ensure trains didn't exceed a certain speed in 19th century America: another weird choice, given the velocity Westside Cowboy currently seem to be travelling at. Alexis Petridis Flock of Dimes – Long After Midnight'People say it's not my problem / They say that actions have a consequence,' Bon Iver collaborator Jenn Wasner sings on a beautiful acoustic meditation about offering help against your better judgement. Kieran Hebden + William Tyler – Spider BalladFour Tet shatters the Nashville guitarist's arid playing into kaleidoscopic fragments, creating a tense, near-breathless strobing effect that evokes glimpsing horror in half light. Confidence Man x Jade – GossipGossip's delicious, destructive power is brandished like a weapon on this icy double threat, decorated with enjoyably unexpected acoustic guitar and Jade spitting a very rude word in pure South Shields. Joanne Robertson – GownThe sometime-Dean Blunt collaborator leads her new album with a song that evokes Sinéad O'Connor's Celtic hymnals heard through Grouper's damp-forest haze – with stirring cello by Oliver Coates. John Also Bennett – Ston ElaiónaFar from his formative years in the Ohio noise scene, Bennett channels the stillness and swoop of the view from his new Athens home, in gorgeous, consciousness-tweaking ambient bass flute oscillations. Daniel Avery – Rapture in Blue ft Cecile BelieveThe wildly underrated Canadian singer – and former Sophie collaborator – gets a deserved showcase leading this anguished, expansive and surprisingly pop turn by the British producer. Chuquimamani-Condori – LRC with Pueblo De Dios Capo E DJ edit One half of one of 2025's best records – Los Thuthanaka – blesses us with a 24-track collection of edits. On this highlight, whistles and heartfelt chanted vocals fight against hypnotic pile-driver production. [Not on Spotify: listen here] Subscribe to the Guardian's rolling Add to Playlist selections on Spotify.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Pavements' director Alex Ross Perry spins fiction into one of the year's most fun and must-watch music films
We've seen music documentaries parodied in then past, but nothing's like Alex Ross Perry's Pavements (on Mubi). Part mockumentary, part parody and part biopic, with a jukebox musical production thrown into the mix, it's a particularly fitting execution to reflect the band Pavement. Perry blends different real, fake and satirical elements about the band for this brilliantly chaotic and satisfying film. The Pavement biopic "Rage Life," starring Joe Keery as Stephen Malkmus, isn't real. The stage musical "Slanted! Enchanted!" isn't either. But it also makes for one of the most riveting music films, honouring the legacy of the '90s indie band with a witty intro presenting Pavement as the "most important" band in the world. While it all feels like quite a lofty undertaking, this was the first and only idea Perry presented for Pavements. "There wasn't a version of this before the maximalist version and there was never going to be, ... it was as simple as that," Ross told Yahoo Canada. "My approach was, immediately, it's a documentary that takes place in a fictional world where Pavement are the most successful band of their generation, which is borrowing an opinion shared by their fans, but turning that into a fact." "And in this world, the band is so successful that every form of ancillary legacy storytelling and financial investment in building a museum or making a movie is theirs, and that will be the movie, and that was kind of just a fully formed ... idea." An absolute highlight is Keery, who we see going through method acting-style preparation to play Malkmus. "His work is just undeniable," Ross said. "He's so charming and funny and self-effacing and satirical and committed, and it's risky. He's putting his own name on the line to play this version of himself in a kind of outlandish way. And I found that his agreeing to do the movie and his willingness to play along and f—k around, for lack of a better term, was just so inspiring." "It just felt like this guy who probably gets asked a thousand things just had a lot of trust in me and in this strange project to do something entirely unique. And actors tend to want to do things that are entirely unique." The power of editing In order to a balance each moving piece of the puzzle, Ross credits editor and producer Robert Greene. "Robert Greene, who's the film's editor, and this is our fifth movie together, edited this movie in a way that no one else could have," Ross said. "His ability to both make something that is alive and playful and dynamic, also telling what we feel in a cohesive story, in two hours, and also doing all of this about his favourite band of all time. They're so close to his heart that he's the best and worst person to make something like this, because he loves every single thing about them, and somewhere out of that emerged exactly what we got." But with Greene's skill also came the ability for Pavements to appeal to both Pavement fans and those who have never even heard of the band, something proved at a screening in Toronto during the Departure festival where you saw Pavement newbie getting increasingly invested in this band. "Something that is simply for die-hard fans, it's just not enough," Ross said. "Oftentimes when I watch something about a subject that I am a die-hard fan of, it is clearly only made for me, and it's not the kind of thing I can, for example, convince my wife to watch." "It's just very clear to people when a movie is going to invite you in versus keep you at arm's length as an audience member who may or may not have the correct prior knowledge to really get everything out of the film. And all we ever talked about was that is the only goal we need to be reaching for. ... Maybe you've never heard of them at all and the movie just is its own thing."
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Flume Teams With Emma Louise for New Collaborative Album, ‘DUMB'
Grammy-winning Australian electronic musician Flume (a.k.a. Harley Streten) has joined forces with multi-hyphenate artist Emma Louise to craft a new collaborative album, DUMB. The forthcoming record is set for release on Aug. 22, with its release being previewed by way of the first single, 'Easy Goodbye.' More from Billboard K-pop Rules as Netflix's 'KPop Demon Hunters' Soundtrack Holds ARIA No. 1 Max McNown Expands 'Night Diving' With 11 New Songs: Stream It Now Soccer Mommy Covers Pavement's 'Gold Soundz' for 'Like a Version' 'The title DUMB is loaded with weight for me,' Louise says. 'Growing up undiagnosed neurodivergent, I often felt dumb—struggling at school, forgetting things, silencing myself to fit in. In the studio, whenever we got stuck, Harley and I would laugh and say 'make it dumb' to stop overthinking. It worked every time. 'At first, naming the album DUMB felt irreverent and freeing, but later I realised how deeply it connected to my own fear of being seen as stupid and unworthy,' she continued. 'This album is me reclaiming that word, letting go of shame, and promising myself I'll never abandon my voice again.' Louise first rose to fame in 2011 with her debut single 'Jungle,' which received airplay thanks to Australian radio station triple j's Unearthed platform, which uncovers unsigned talent. That same year, Flume uploaded his first songs to the same platform, with his self-titled 2013 debut winning three of his eight nominations at that year's ARIA Awards – which also saw Louise nominated for best female artist. While Flume would hit No. 8 on the Billboard 200 with 2016's Skin (which also saw him win best dance/electronic album at the 2017 Grammys), the pair would not work together formally until 2022, when Louise appeared on the track 'Hollow' from Flume's Palaces LP. Flume ended a two-year musical hiatus in May, releasing the We Live in a Society EP with JPEGMafia, and is currently working on his fourth studio album. Louise, meanwhile, has not released a full studio album 2018's Lilac Everything, though she has collaborated with the likes of Flight Facilities before her debut single received viral attention on TikTok. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Soccer Mommy Covers Pavement's ‘Gold Soundz' for ‘Like a Version'
Soccer Mommy (a.k.a. Sophie Allison) has shared a stellar rendition of Pavement's 'Gold Soundz' as part of her recent appearance on Like a Version, the long-running covers segment from Australian radio station triple j. Recorded during Allison's recent Australian tour in June, the two-song set began with a standard original, which in this case was 'Abigail,' the final single from Soccer Mommy's 2024 album Evergreen. More from Billboard Connie Francis, 'Who's Sorry Now' Singer, Dies at 87 Five Years Post-Rehab, $uicideboy$ Are 'Grateful to be Alive' - And Maybe Even Happy Jelly Roll Celebrated His 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' Hosting Gig By Chokeslamming Logan Paul Through His Desk The cover portion of the set saw Allison and her band turn their attention to 1994, sharing a bittersweet version of 'Gold Soundz' – the second single from Pavement's second LP, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. 'I chose this song 'cause I love Pavement,' Allison said in a post-performance interview. 'I'm a huge Pavement fan. I've actually covered another Pavement song before, but I just always really liked this one and I thought it fit my voice nicely. 'I think it's just really catchy. It gets stuck in your head,' she added. 'It has a nice melody and nice guitar parts. I really like the jangliness of the guitars in this song. I think that's what drew me to it.' Indeed, Allison has certainly shown her love of Pavement in the past. In 2022, Soccer Mommy was invited to perform at Pavements 1933 to 2022, the indie rock outfit's New York City pop-up museum, where she shared covers of 'Here,' 'Gold Soundz,' and 'Spit on a Stranger.' The following year, Soccer Mommy's Karaoke Night EP featured covers of Taylor Swift, Slowdive, Sheryl Crow, and R.E.M., while opening with a recorded rendition of Pavement's 'Here.' 'I do love Pavement,' Allison continued. 'I really, really love Pavement. I first discovered Pavement when I was in high school, and that's kind of when I got really into them, and especially Slanted and Enchanted was my favorite album. But I've just always really liked them. 'It was one of those bands that I got into in high school and never grew out of, and particularly there's a little bit of a renaissance right now with them kind of touring again and doing stuff together. So I think that's why it's fresh in the mind.' Pavement have been sporadically active since their 2022 reunion, with a run of international tour dates taking place since. More recently, they've also been the subject of the aptly-titled Pavements, an experimental semi-fictional biopic directed by Alex Ross Perry which was officially released in June. For his part, Perry has expressed his love of Soccer Mommy's nascent cover, commenting on triple j's Instagram post of the track, 'I extremely support this.' Having first launched in 2004, the Like a Version series has gone from being a near-impromptu acoustic affair to featuring larger studio productions. Numerous artists have taken part over the past two decades, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, and more reinventing classic tracks in the process. View Soccer Mommy's cover of Pavement's 'Gold Soundz' below. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
ABC News
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Behind Soccer Mommy's cover of Pavement's 'Gold Soundz' for Like A Version
It's mind-bending to think about covering your favourite band from high school in any space, let alone in the Like A Version studio. Soccer Mommy has done just that with her take on Pavement's 'Gold Soundz'. "I first discovered Pavement when I was in high school and that's when I really got into them," she said. "Especially Slanted and Enchanted was my favourite album. I've just always really liked them, it's one of those bands that I got into in high school and just never grew out of. "Particularly there's a little bit of a renaissance right now with them kind of touring again and doing stuff together so I think that's why it's fresh in the mind." Soccer Mommy specifically chose 'Gold Soundz' because she felt it would sit nicely with her vocal style (it does!). She also found she didn't have to change too much with the song to fit it into the Soccer Mommy vibe. "I just wanted it to be a little bit lighter and janglier," she said. "And a little bit softer for me from the vocal point of view, because that's just how my voice is. I just wanted it to have a little bit more dreaminess, I guess." Mission accomplished – this really is like a wonderful dream. Posted 43m ago 43 minutes ago Thu 17 Jul 2025 at 10:30pm
