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18 Aug 2023

HHW Gaming: ‘Madden NFL 24’ Sacked With Hilarious Bugs & Glitches

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Madden NFL 24

Source: EA Sports / Madden NFL 24

Most reviews for Madden NFL 24 have not arrived, but the game is already getting sacked by players who have had early access to the game.

Is Madden NFL 24 fumbling the ball already? The annual football video game franchise was already reportedly a “make or break” release for management, according to an Insider Gaming report, and it’s looking like the game is already letting some players down like Matt Ryan constantly did for Atlanta Falcons fans.

Type Madden NFL 24 in the X (formerly Twitter) search bar. In that case, you will be greeted with videos of insane glitches and what is becoming the usual dissatisfaction with the iconic sports video game.

In one clip, a player looks like he dies after celebrating a kick return for a touchdown.

In another hilarious video with the caption “MADDEN 24 JUST GOT RELEASED AND I ALREADY UNINSTALLED”, a player has his pass tipped, and it somehow bounces off the back of one of his offensive linemen leading to a pick 6.

In another video, a player can be seen spinning around in circles after his team scores a touchdown.

And this is supposed to be a more polished game this year.

What Are The Critics Saying?

As of this writing, there are only three reviews on Opencritic. Sam Watanuki of SVG gave Madden NFL 24 a 7 out of 10, writing, “Madden 24″ is an enjoyable, polished ride that will please newcomers and veterans alike, but it doesn’t necessarily deliver a transformative experience.”

XboxEra’s Genghis Husameddin gave the game a 6 out 10 writing in his review, “Madden NFL 24 is made for the returning fans,” adding, “But technical issues compounded with an unintuitive user experience and unhelpful tutorials make it difficult for someone new to the sport to really sink their teeth into American Football. Still, the core gameplay is solid and fun to play—I just wish it were easier to get to.”

So basically, it’s the same old Madden NFL.

Madden NFL 24 has a lot of making-up to do, especially after Madden NFL 23 players lost their connected franchise saves due to an update pushed out by EA Tiburon.

The game developer gave players a 50% discount to ensure no goodwill was strained. Based on these early reactions, it’s looking like Madden NFL 24 is more break than make.

We will be debating forever how to restore Madden to its championship form or if the NFL needs to let 2K get its hands on the NFL license, but as of right now, Madden NFL is all we got.

You can see more reactions to the latest installment in the Madden NFL franchise hit the gallery below.

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Photo: EA Sports / Madden NFL 24

2. Howling

3. Man wanted his money back.

4. What is this?

12.

18 Aug 2023

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Quavo, Hozier, Doechii, Addison Rae and More

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

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This week, Quavo pays homage while moving forward, Hozier takes us to church (and the Inferno), and Doechii wants you to dance at all costs. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Quavo, Rocket Power 

Quavo’s nephew and Migos co-leader, Takeoff, was nicknamed “The Rocket” — and less than a year after the rapper was killed at the age of 28, his family member and group mate is drawing upon his thoughts and instincts as inspiration for his new solo album. Parts of Rocket Power are racked with grief, including the soulful highlight “Hold Me” and the memory-flooded title track, although Quavo also makes ample room in the sprawling full-length to celebrate life, as on the Future-assisted hit “Turn Yo Clic Up” and the crackling “Stain” with BabyDrill; ultimately, the album depicts a long-running rap star in a more complex light, and immediately makes the case as Quavo’s best solo project.

Hozier, Unreal Unearth 

When Hozier revealed that his third studio album — which follows 2019’s Wasteland, Baby!, the first No. 1 album of his career — would be inspired by Dante’s Inferno and include passages sung in Irish Gaelic, fears that the “Take Me To Church” singer-songwriter was turning inscrutable were only natural. Yet Unreal Unearth not only showcases the strength of Hozier’s voice and songwriting, but also remains accessible to hardcore fans and casual alt-rock listeners, from the snappy single “Eat Your Young” to the gargantuan Brandi Carlile duet “Damage Gets Done” to the restrained grace of closer “First Light.”

Doechii, “Booty Drop” 

“Shawty, what it is? / Bring that ass to the club,” Doechii commands on “Booty Drop,” a late bid for the summer’s most kinetic dance song. The Tampa native has shown promise as a recording artist and performer over the past year — signing with TDE, scoring an opening spot on Doja Cat and Ice Spice’s upcoming tour, and mesmerizing audiences whenever she hits the stage — but her latest single, a gleefully explicit take on the Jersey club style that never stops moving, might be the moment where her appeal spills over into the mainstream once and for all.

Addison Rae, AR EP 

Although Addison Rae’s newly released EP rescues a handful of tracks intended for the influencer’s never-released debut album, AR does not sound like a collection of odds and ends: instead, the five songs engross the listener with fresh melodies and bursts of personality, showcasing the 22-year-old as a quick study within this brand of pop. “2 Die 4” with Charli XCX is the highlight — marvel at the mini-hooks jam-packed into that chorus! — but the whole project is worth bookmarking as the potential start of something big.

Anitta, Funk Generation: A Favela Love Story 

When Anitta released her single “Funk Rave” in June, the Latin music star hinted that a deeper dive into Brazilian funk music would be both a way to honor her roots and a rewarding sonic exploration; with Funk Generation: A Favela Love Story, a three-song project that follows up “Funk Rave” with two new heaters, Anitta has more or less confirmed her suggestions. “Casi Casi” and “Used to Be” adopt different approaches — the former a chattering sashay, the latter a slow-building reflection — but Anitta excels at both tempos, and has us hoping for even more to come.

Editor’s Pick: FIFTY FIFTY feat. Sabrina Carpenter, “Cupid Twin Ver.” 

Think of FIFTY FIFTY’s new version “Cupid,” featuring Sabrina Carpenter on the remix, as a well-earned victory lap for both artists: the K-pop group crashed the upper reaches of the Hot 100 chart with the undeniable sing-along, while Carpenter is a little over a year removed from Emails I Can’t Send, one of the strongest pop albums of 2022, and its viral hit “Nonsense.” Together, FIFTY FIFTY and Carpenter reinvent a rock-solid hit ever so slightly, as Carpenter slides into the second verse and handles that sugary “I gave a second chance to Cupiiiiiid!” hook with aplomb.

18 Aug 2023

In 1978, Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty Were the ‘Woman’ & ‘Man’ at No. 1: Chart Rewind

On Aug. 18, 1978, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty’s “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

A story of long-distance love with the Mississippi River in between, the hit was authored by Becki Bluefield and Jim Owen. It was released as the lead single from Lynn and Twitty’s same-named album, their first of four No. 1 sets as a twosome on the Top Country Albums chart.

The hit became Lynn’s 10th of 16 Hot Country Songs leaders and Twitty’s 12th of 40 No. 1s. It marked their third of five leaders as a duo, following “After the Fire Is Gone” and “Lead Me On,” both in 1971, and ahead of “As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone” (1974) and “Feelins’ ” (1975).

The stars shared 11 Hot Country Songs top 10s overall, from “After the Fire Is Gone” through “I Still Believe in Waltzes” in 1981.

Among their many accolades, Lynn and Twitty won the Country Music Association (CMA) Award for duo of the year four straight years (1972-75).

Lynn, who was born in Butcher Holler, Ky., on April 14, 1932, became the first woman to win the CMA’s entertainer of the year trophy (1972) and was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988. She passed away at age 90 last October at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.

Born Harold Jenkins on Sept. 1, 1933, in Friars Point, Miss., Twitty died from a stomach aneurysm in June 1993 at age 59. He joined the Country Music Hall of Fame posthumously in 1999.

18 Aug 2023

Executive Turntable: ‘Fix the Mix’ Nonprofit Looks to Skye Landgraf; WME London Calls Josh Javor

Skye Landgraf is the first director of partnerships and programs at We Are Moving the Needle, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering and supporting women and non-binary pros in the recording industry. The D.C.-based Landgraf will work to expand WAMTN’s core programs in higher education and oversee the org’s annual Fix the Mix report. (This year’s FtM found that women and non-binary people are drastically underrepresented in audio producing and engineering roles.) Landgraf is also tasked with growing WAMTN’s institutional partnerships to help drive meaningful change in the industry. Prior to joining WAMTN, Landgraf served as the director of institutional advancement at the American Association of University Women (AAUM), as well as the associate director of foundation relations at George Washington University.

“In just two short years, WAMTN has already made a difference in the careers of women and non-binary individuals pursuing careers behind the boards, but we still have much work to do,” We Are Moving the Needle founder Emily Lazar. “Bringing in Skye, whose decade of experience in the nonprofit world, deep knowledge of music, and commitment to gender inclusivity and equity, will allow us to make an even bigger impact on our industry.”

Josh Javor departed X-ray Touring and is now a partner at WME and co-head of the talent agency’s music department in London. Javor spent 17 years at X-ray, scoring a spot on last year’s Billboard International Power Players list for his handling of Coldplay’s massive world tour, and for a major partnership between X-ray and Artist Group International. Over the years, he has had a hand in guiding the UK live careers of such artists as Eminem, Phoebe Bridgers, Bright Eyes, Belle & Sebastian and many more. “Josh has not only built a roster of artists that shape music, he’s also been an integral part of building the international touring industry as we know it today,” said Lucy Dickins, WME’s global head of contemporary music and touring, who Javor will be reporting to. “With Josh coming on board, our London office is doubling down on being the leading team in the region and on the international stage.”

Arista Records vp of promotion Mark Neiter announced his departure from the label, effective Aug. 23. The radio promo veteran joined the Sony Music imprint in September 2021 and points to successful campaigns for Maneskin, Lola Brooke and Beach Weather among his top accomplishments. Prior to joining Arista, Neiter put in the work (21 years worth) at Interscope, where as vp of national top 40 promotion he collaborated with — and built airplay dominance for — artists ranging from Maroon 5, Lady Gaga, Imagine Dragons and Eminem. According to RAMP, Neither will continue to consult for Arista. “I want to thank Davi Massey, Nick Petropoulos and the whole Arista team for a great run here,” he said. “I am excited to learn about what future opportunities lay out there.” He can be reached at mneiter11@gmail.com.

RIP Two All-Timers: Clarence Avant and Jerry Moss

Craig Newman joined the loving embrace of Paladin Artists, where he’ll focus on expanding the agency’s performing arts, family, special attractions and comedy divisions. The veteran agent won’t stop rocking, however, and is bringing along his diverse roster of clients that includes Bachman-Turner Overdrive, WAR and former Monkee Micky Dolenz, among others. Based in Los Angeles, this is a reunion of sorts for Newman, who used to work with Paladin co-founders Steve Martin and Andy Somers, as well as Bruce Solar, during his time as head of performing arts at APA. Newman’s diverse client list also includes chef Robert Irvine, illusionist Rick Thomas, American Girl Live! In Concert and Mini Pop Kids. “Craig Newman — aka Craigie Fresh! Master of time, the Ukulele and Arts Centers,” said Martin. “Paladin is happy to welcome Craig and his indomitable spirit, taste in artists, perspective and work ethic.”

Big Machine Label Group advanced Brooke Nixon to director of streaming, while the label’s The Valory Music Co. imprint has named Chris Waters to succeed Nixon in her previous role as southeast director of promotion & marketing. Nixon joined Big Machine Label Group in 2015, serving as the Dot Records promotion coordinator, before to moving to The Valory Music Co. imprint. Waters most recently served as director of promotion at Pearl Records with Garth Brooks. His career has also included radio and record promotion roles with Show Dog Nashville, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Cumulus Nashville WSM Radio. –Jessica Nicholson

Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, a non-profit providing support services to school districts and musical instruments to underfunded music programs, named Tricia Williams as its next president and CEO in anticipation of the departure of Felice Mancini, who guided MHOF for a quarter century. Williams has been program director at the org since 1999 and is credited with creating a novel consulting service that districts use to more efficiently secure music and arts funding. Replacing Williams as program director is Todd Shipley, the former Director of Arts Education for the Tennessee Department of Education. Over Mancini’s tenure, MHOF has invested more than $34 million in musical instruments distributed to thousands of school music programs nationwide. “Felice has been instrumental in molding MHOF into the most admired music education foundation nationwide,” said Scott Holtzman, chairman of the board. “Our entire Board joins me in saying that we feel that Tricia has proven she is exceptionally qualified to lead MHOF at a critical time in the evolution of music and the arts in our public schools.”

ICYMI: Oak View Group (OVG) appointed Ade Patton as CFO … Elektra Entertainment promoted Jacob Fain to executive vp and head of A&R .. and the music team at TikTok was hit with layoffs. The cuts affected seven staff members, including senior product strategy & ops lead Kelly Chen and U.S. music partnerships and operations lead Marisa Jeffries.

Kobalt promoted Alaine Fulton to vice president of creative and clearance synch, putting her in charge of the London-based team that tackles strategy across how synchs are used, their clearance, and licensing administration. Fulton was previously director of UK creative and clearance synch and in the past year has negotiated and closed deals with the new Barbie movie, Samsung and Lexus, among others.

Various Artists Management hired Emily Thorpe-Jones as the London-based agency’s new head of brands and corporate. In her new role, which is effective immediately, Thorpe-Jones will work on all brand partnerships, commercial opportunities and corporate live bookings, and report jointly to Group CEO David Bianchi and Various Artists Management USA CEO Matt Luxon. She splits her time between Los Angeles and London. Prior to joining VAM, whose roster includes Melanie C, La Roux, The Libertines and Supergrass, among others, Thorpe-Jones worked extensively in radio PR before moving into the publishing sector, where she agency director at Hearst.

Too Lost, a music distribution and technology company, just added seven new employees — and a pair of promotions — within its office in Los Angeles. Up first at director of communications is Damien Ritter, formerly COO of BeatStars. Next up is Meghan Lyttle, who takes on the role of product manager following her time at Spotify and Peloton. Then its Jennifer Ferrer, a former senior manager at ADA Worldwide, who is Too Lost’s new senior product manager. Jake Selvey, previously with 300 Entertainment, steps into the role of A&R manager. Jheanelle Henry joined Too Lost’s Label Services department from MySeat. Ariana Slater and Carly Golisch round things out as new product and operations coordinators. And finally, Aldo Davalos was promoted to general manager and head of business development, while Buster Ross got bumped up to associate director of A&R. Too Lost offers distribution and publishing services that deliver, monetize and protect the songs of over 200,000 indie artists and labels.

Apple veteran Peter Stern joined Ford as president of the automaker’s new Ford Integrated Services unit. Up until January, Stern was vice president of services at Apple, where he was the driving force in launching non-music pillars including Apple TV+, iCloud and Apple Arcade. As part of his job, he headed up all marketing for Apple Music and Apple Podcasts.

UK-based marketing and digital consultancy agency Blackstar hired Dan Alani as head of creative. He’ll oversee Blackstar’s creative studio and work in tandem with the agency’s social and marketing teams on client campaigns. Alani was previously a senior producer at Able Media, working on campaigns for Harry Styles, Beyonce and others. Blackstar was launched in 2018 by former Universal Music Group marketing exec Olivia Hobbs, who is “beyond excited to be welcoming Dan… who brings with him 10 years of experience delivering creative campaigns for some of the world’s biggest icons.”

Dr. Moiya McTier joined the Human Artistry Campaign, a coalition of music and entertainment organizations that support ethical standards around AI, as an advisor and public communicator. The org describes Dr. McTier’s role as essentially “Explainer-in-Chief,” advising and educating policymakers and fellow creatives about the promise and the risks of AI. Since being announced at this year’s SXSW, the HAC’s efforts have been co-signed by music firms including Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), SoundExchange, ASCAP and BMI, among others.

Nashville Notes: Courtney Gregg launched Blue Sky Artist Management, with an artist roster that already includes Gaelic Storm, David Cook and John Baumann, among others. The former Carnival Music president (with previous stops at Billboard and ASCAP) is joined at Blue Sky with Kelsey Fitzgerald (Artist Management as Management Coordinator) and Corey Piper (Social Media and Tour Promotions Coordinator). Reach her at courtney@blueskyartistmgmt.com. … Bobby Bones renewed his affiliation with iHeartMedia. He will continue as an iHeart vp/creative director … Canada’s Corus Entertainment promoted Ronnie Stanton to vp of audio from vp of programming … Bad Blocks Music hired senior director of A&R Autumn Ledgin and creative coordinator Elizabeth Cook. Ledgin arrives from Good Company Entertainment. Cook joins following internships at Creative Nation and King Pen Music … Sarah Bennett joined The GreenRoom PR as senior publicist following a run in the same role at IVPR.

18 Aug 2023

Jerry Moss Fiercely Opposed CDs — But Then They Made Him (and A&M) Super Rich

Jerry Moss once spent a day in Athens, Greece, screaming at the heads of the world’s top electronics companies during a Billboard music-industry convention. It was 1981. Sony’s Norio Ohga and Philips’ Jan Timmer were trying to persuade record executives to switch from their beloved LP to this new, high-tech “compact disc,” and Moss, co-founder of storied indie A&M Records, which would break Janet Jackson, Sting, Soundgarden and Blues Traveler, led the opposition. 

Moss, who died Thursday at 88, believed CDs “would kill the industry because the perfect digital master would invite and facilitate piracy,” according to John Nathan‘s 1999 book, Sony.

As I was researching this subject for my own book, Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age, I had to verify this claim. Nathan described a mob of outraged record execs chanting, like soccer hooligans, a “slogan that sounded like a Madison Avenue nightmare”: “The truth is in the grooves!”

This was the generous and magnanimous sales expert who was endlessly patient with his artists, willing to lose money on an album to advance a long-term career, whom Sting would describe as an “elder brother, a wise head, a man’s man and a mensch”?

I was sure Moss would be too embarrassed to rehash this history, because, eventually, the CD helped him and his partner, trumpeter Herb Alpert, become super rich, selling A&M to PolyGram for $500 million in 1989. (That’s $1.23 billion in today’s dollars.) But the exec who co-founded A&M with Alpert in a garage in 1962, after selling the master for Alpert’s Tijuana Brass instrumental “Tell It to the Birds” for $750, quickly agreed to a phone interview – and a wonkier follow-up later.

“I made a bit of a small statement at the meeting,” understated Moss, who at the time of our interview was running his post-A&M label, Almo Sounds, which had signed Gillian Welch as well as Garbage and Imogen Heap. “I liked the hardware and the whole ease of the CD, and I generally applauded the idea that Sony and Philips were getting together on this one piece of machinery.

“But,” he added, “I thought they could have done something to stop piracy.”

On Second Thought…

What finally turned Moss around was the economics of the CD. The price of vinyl records was stuck at $8.98 — and after Tom Petty threatened to affix a huge “$8.98!” sticker on his 1981 album, Hard Promises, his own label, MCA, and the rest of the industry were blocked from raising prices. The CD allowed A&M to “charge a multiple for this thing,” Moss said. Also, retail stores were charging labels for advertising — a “mighty blow,” Moss called it. After disco crashed in 1979, LP sales plunged. “Retailing and selling became very pinched,” he added.

“The retailers wanted more and artists and producers wanted more for what they were doing. The record companies were getting squeezed further and further,” Moss went on. “And here comes the CD.”

 The shiny, futuristic format was in high demand, and retailers were willing to buy it from labels for $10 wholesale, far higher than the LP, then sell it to customers for $16.

“So A&M, after just a tiny bit of study, decided this was going to be our future,” Moss said.

Like the bigger labels, A&M had to find plants to manufacture the CD, quickly making a deal with a German company. And the CD, to which Moss had been so screamingly opposed in 1981, made A&M profitable beyond anything Alpert and Moss had once imagined: “The company was a different company from 1979 to 1989, certainly.” 

A Bittersweet Sale

Alongside Alpert and the late Gil Friesen, then the day-to-day operations exec who referred to himself as the ampersand in A&M, Moss decided they had no choice but to sell the company they loved. Music stars in the late ’80s and early ’90s were demanding multimillion-dollar advances, and, as an indie, A&M couldn’t compete with bigger labels for the up-front guarantees. The trio stayed on for a couple of years after the sale, but PolyGram had a mandatory retirement age of 61. In 1991, Moss found himself with a new boss, Alain Levy, who became PolyGram’s worldwide president and CEO, and, Moss recalled, “wasn’t laughing at my jokes.”

(In 1998, PolyGram was sold to Seagram, which merged it with Universal Music Group, today the world’s biggest label.)

“I don’t regret selling, because I felt we had nothing but to do that. There was no alternative. We would have had to have gotten a lot smaller, and gotten our investment in different, other ways,” Moss told me. “I can’t say I’m sorry I sold A&M. I will say I’m sorry I had to leave.”

18 Aug 2023

Wagakki Band Talks New ‘I vs I’ Album, Including ‘Baki Hanma’ Season 2 Theme: Interview

Wagakki Band recently released I vs I, its first album of original compositions in roughly three years. The album’s theme is battle, and it’s studded with songs that show the band’s distinctive style, fusing traditional Japanese music and rock. Songs range from tie-ups such as music created for the Baki Hanma Pickle Wars Saga, the full season of which is currently streaming on Netflix, and the TV anime MARS RED, whose story depicts the conflict between vampires and humans, to songs that focus on the aftermath of battle.

Wagakki Band’s previous album was TOKYO SINGING, released in August 2020. In the years since, the band has undergone several changes, but it’s never stopped playing live. We talked to Yuko Suzuhana (vocals), Kurona (wadaiko), Beni Ninagawa (Tsugaru-jamisen) and Machiya (guitar & vocals) about the spirit of this new album. 

The intro to “The Beast,” the first track of the album and the opening theme to the Baki Hanma Pickle Wars Saga, has a startlingly fresh feel to it. Machiya, I hear you’re a huge fan of the Baki series. I’m sure that this must have been a particular pleasure for you. You must have put a lot of thought into it.

Machiya: That’s right. I’d already read the comics that the new season is based on, so a concept immediately sprang to mind. The series’ main character is Pickle, so in writing the lyrics I focused on him. We used kecak, folk music from Bali, Indonesia, to give the song a more exotic Asian feel. The rough demo version had a fresh, raw feel, so we kept the track that we recorded for the demo.

Yuko Suzuhana: The song was written to be the anime’s opening theme, so we actually recorded it two years ago. The anime just exudes masculinity, so I consulted with Machiya about how to express the feel of the anime in the song. We arrived at the idea that we should use a pitch range that feels like it’s supporting the music from below, serving as its foundation, so I sang in a key that was really low for me. In singing, I tried to reflect what Machida was trying to express through the lyrics and the music, which he wrote. The English parts of the chorus, the nuances of the lyrics, and the power of the music made a really strong impression on me.

Beni Ninagawa: The new album has songs with the classic Wagakki Band sound but also songs that go in new directions, like “Starlight,” which has a more digital sound. The second half of the album has songs without any anime tie-ins, and I think they also have the distinctive Wagakki Band sound. In last year’s release, Vocalo Zanmai 2, we played covers of Vocaloid songs using traditional Japanese instruments, and there were parts in registers where I couldn’t really shred, making them hard to play. “The Beast” didn’t have any parts that presented as much difficulty. Instead, there are a lot of phrases that were very natural to play on a shamisen (a traditional Japanese stringed instrument)– that were possible precisely because they were played on shamisen — and I think you can really hear the instrument’s qualities in the song.

Kurona: One of what makes Wagakki Band special is our use of traditional Japanese instruments in rock music, and I think “The Beast” makes really good use of that. One of the highlights of this heavy song is the way the power of the wadaiko (traditional Japanese drums) synchronizes with and boosts the rock drums. My older brother is on the team that makes the incidental music for the Baki anime, so actually when you hear wadaiko in the show itself, that’s my brother. So since Wagakki Band was going to be creating the theme song, I was like “no way I’m going to let my brother beat me.” This is the first time my brother and I have ever crossed paths in our work, so it was a deeply emotional experience, but it also spurred a sense of competitiveness and a strong desire to make something cool.

I’d like to ask you a bit about “Flower of Dusk” which you wrote, Suzuhana.

Yuko Suzuhana: This album has a lot of battle songs, so I wanted to write a kind of energetic song with a feeling of ephemerality. I also wanted to make the main focus of the song about one’s inside world. Last year, I took a bit of a break, and I wrote the song when I was struggling internally, taking a long, hard look at myself. I wanted to express the borderland between dream and reality, between the world of pitched competition and Mother Earth. The song is about putting one’s life on the line and fighting, but it also conveys a sense of motherly love.

That feeling of ephemerality is also expressed in the album’s ninth song, “Road to Utopia” It and the 10th song, “Ark of Time” depict the aftermath of defeat in battle.

Yuko Suzuhana: These songs share a sense of unity with the rest of the album in depicting what comes after defeat. That time, when one finds oneself drowning in sorrow, is also a time of healing. I wanted to write a song that resonated with the feelings of modern listeners — a song that would encourage them. My father died when I was quite young, and my own view of life in death is that, while I can’t see him, he’s out there. I want to live my life to the fullest while I’m alive, and then when we meet again I’ll tell him all about it. That’s how I pick myself up again when I experience failure, and I often reflect that view of life in my lyrics.

Machiya: From the very start, I wanted “Ark of Time” to be a sparsely instrumented song, without a rhythm section — no drums, wadaiko, or bass. I wanted to include natural, ambient sounds, like looking over the world after a battle had drawn to a close. “Road to Utopia” is also a slow song, but it goes in a totally different direction, and I think it flows smoothly into “BRAVE.”

The first half of the album contains all the battle songs, and then the second half looks to the future with a feeling of optimism and hope. We wanted to end the album on a beautiful note, so pretty early on we decided that “BRAVE” would be the closing song.

The last number, “BRAVE,” is a live show anthem, right? Your last album, TOKYO SINGING, ended with “Singin’ for…” and you can feel how much you’ve changed over the past three years.

Beni Ninagawa: When we first played “Singin’ for…” live, all the audience could do was put their hands in the air. The ability for the audience to make some noise at shows is a big part of the live music experience, and we’re making “BRAVE” into a song that everyone can sing along with together. We all recorded the chorus together. It was like “We’ll finally be able to do this at our shows!”

What kind of stage show are you putting on in your current I vs I tour? 

Kurona: The audience finally doesn’t have to be silent anymore, and from the very start, one of the things that makes our shows great is the sense of unity, so it feels like the pieces are finally coming together — like we can finally put on our ideal show.

Yuko Suzuhana: Personally, I want to fully live up to everybody’s expectations. We’re singing about battle, so I want to be swinging around a sword.

The pandemic is finally winding down, and the number of overseas tourists is on the rise. When you think you’re ready, there will also probably be opportunities to play overseas, right?

Beni Ninagawa: I feel like now is the time for Wagakki Band to show what it’s truly capable of. We have a lot of fans in Taiwan and Indonesia, so I’d love to do an Asian tour. And in addition to doing shows for our fans outside Japan, I’d also like for us to express ourselves in lots of other ways, too.

After the pandemic hit, Wagakki Band was the first band in Japan to play an arena show with an audience, with restrictions, in August 2020. You’ve been putting on live shows ever since, without stopping, right?

Yuko Suzuhana: Even now, three years later, every time someone thanks us for putting on that first show I think about how putting on an arena show when we did created an unforgettable experience for me as an artist and as a person.

Beni Ninagawa: That’s just one of the ways that we’ve been keeping up the fight.

—This interview by Mariko Ikitake first appeared on Billboard Japan

18 Aug 2023

DannyLux on Being ‘Limitless’ With New Album ‘DLux’: ‘I Want to Show the World the Real Danny’


After hitting No. 1 Billboard‘s Latin Songwriters chart early on in his career, releasing back-to-back EPs and making his Coachella debut in April, DannyLux has built a confidence that’s allowed him to be limitless for his debut album. In a span of nine months, the música mexicana artist wrote DLux, an eclectic 17-track set that thrives on a collection of styles including bachata, EDM, pop and his signature guitar-driven sad sierreño sound.

The 19-year-old from Palm Springs winds through love and loss, singing ultra-melancholic songs with a glimmer of hope puncturing through. “I was going through a lot of things in relationships when I was writing this album,” he explains. “That’s why some of the songs are really sad and some are happy.” The heartbreak theme is what makes DLux so relatable, but it’s the sound — inspired by an array of genres — that DannyLux (real name Daniel Balderrama) hopes will strike a chord with his fans.

“I didn’t really put any limits on myself,” he explains. “I’ve always approached my music that way but I used to be kind of scared. Now, I want to show the world that I’m finding my style and the real Danny. That is why I called this album DLux because when you order a meal if you get the deluxe it usually means the better version. DLux is the better version of me. I started realizing the people just want to hear you and who you are authentically.”

And he didn’t shy away from featuring new collaborators. While he taps Eslabon Armado for their fourth collab together, “Me Cambiaste,” DannyLux also recruits emerging acts such as Argentine singer-songwriter Yami Safdie and Dominican-American Melvin War. There’s also Pablo Hurtado from the Mexican trio Camila (“Zafiro”) and indie star Cuco (“Decir Adiós: Oye Narrador),” two artists DannyLux has long admired.

“I put so many emotions into this album,” DannyLux says. “I hope fans will enjoy it. I love how they’ve always supported me even when I try out new styles or genres.” He’s already working on the deluxe version of DLux, which he teases will include five new songs.

In the meantime, DannyLux breaks down five tracks from DLux, out today (Aug. 18), in his own words:

“Decir Adios: Oye Narrador” (with Cuco)

We literally made that song the first time we met. It was two years ago when I had a session with Cuco and I was, like, peeing myself, because I’ve always looked up to him. He truly changed the Latin indie scene. He was one of those pioneers. I remember I showed up that day to the session, we were getting to know each other and we randomly started writing this song. We recorded the whole demo, we stayed in touch. He then told me he wanted to use a part I sing in the demo for his album.

That song on his project is called “Decir Adiós” — and in my head, I was like “D–n, I still really like that original idea of the one we recorded before, the demo.” So that’s why in my album, it’s that demo, but we made a few changes to it. Mine is called “Decir Adiós: Oye Narrador”, because it’s mostly talking like a narrator. It’s like in a movie, when an actor starts talking directly at a camera or to the audience. It’s basically like that but in a song.

“Ferxxo100”

I’ve always admired Feid and the way he writes. This song is so good, and then it turns into a reggaetón — I was like, “D–n.” I started thinking about it, and thought if I try to slow it down using the same lyrics and melodies but just slower, it might sound sick. I learned how to play it on the guitar, and I remember one day we were in Texas for a show and I was in the hotel room alone and I started playing it on the guitar — it sounded so cool. My engineer and producer was in the same hotel and I called him saying, “Bro, come to my room right now and bring your mics and your computer.”

We recorded the first demo just to see how it would sound, and it was sick. Later, when we were back home, we re-recorded it and put some final touches on it — like an electric guitar and literally the drums you hear in there, I recorded that part. I didn’t even know I knew how to play the drums. I actually just looked on YouTube quickly how to play a certain drums style, and that’s how that song came to be. I really admire how Feid writes. I hope he likes my version.

“Mi Hogar” with Maye

It’s crazy, because when I started making my own music, I’d listen to her songs, and I was such a huge fan, I still am. When we were in the studio together for a songwriting session, it was unreal. I felt the same way I did when I met Cuco. I love her voice, and I thought, “If she sings this part, it would be awesome.” She was so nice and so down to be part of it. It wasn’t even a bachata at first — it was kind of like a pop song — but I wanted to add more bachata to the album so it became a very tropical song.

When we were writing the lyrics we were kind of stuck at first, we didn’t know what to write. You know when your laptop kinda goes into your screensaver after not using it for a while? The engineer had his computer and it went to his screensaver, which was a bunch of houses on the beach. So, the opener became “una casa frente al mar (a house in front of the beach).” I’ve become a fan of bachata recently. I love that genre. So much goes into that style, and it just makes you want to dance.

“La Lluvia” (with Jordyn Shellheart)

I had a writing session with Jordyn in Tennessee — and, to be honest, I didn’t know what to expect, because it was country artists. I’m always open to anything, and I thought, what if a sick song comes out of this? I’ll just try my best. I met her and she’s such a nice person. I started with chords for that song, and I thought it would be a good interlude in the album — because it’s so soft and calm, just so people could take a break and relax after listening to the other songs. When I first heard her sing “La Lluvia,” it was a crazy thing. Her voice is sick. We finished it that same day and that song is probably one of my favorites on the album.

“House of Lux“

I’ve always listened to EDM and house music and I’ve always made random beats with that style. When I was making an album I was like low key I want an outro for it, instead of having an intro. And so I started making that beat and I thought I should add my vocals here and there. I just wanted to make a song that I would hear at a club, and I want this one to be played at a club with people singing and dancing to it. That’s my dream for this song.

18 Aug 2023

Guns N’ Roses Released Florid Piano Rocker ‘Perhaps’ a Week After it Leaked to Digital Jukeboxes

It’s been 15 years since Guns N’ Roses dropped their last album, so at this point the band’s fans are psyched to hear any new music from the hard-touring Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. And in typical Guns fashion, their new single, “Perhaps,” is actually pretty old, and it’s journey to our ears was circuitous, at best.

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The good news is that “Perhaps” has all the elements you want from a GNR song: it opens with a piano-pounding riff and singer Axl Rose’s signature howl and features a menacing, bluesy guitar underpinning a twisty, turgid ballad bisected by one of Slash’s classic hurricane solos.

It’s the first new song we’ve heard since Rose — who had been touring with an expansive cast of side players as GNR for years after the band’s slow-motion implosion in 1996 when Slash quit — reunited with Slash and bassist Duff McKagan in 2016. And, in a pointed about-face from the often pugnacious, no-apologies lyrical attack of the band’s classic catalog, the now-61-year-old Rose sounds downright contrite and apologetic at points in the song.

“Perhaps I was wrong/ When I didn’t see you/ Perhaps I was wrong/ When I didn’t believe you,” he sings in the opening lines. “Hey, my sense of rejection/ Hey, hey, is no excuse for my behavior/ You pulled the gun/ That shot and crucified my savior,” he continues on the track that reportedly was first recorded during the sessions for the band’s most recent album, 2008’s Chinese Democracy.

The latter was the first new music from GNR since the 1993 covers album The Spaghetti Incident? Democracy album took nearly 14 years to complete and featured more than a dozen contributors, with keyboardist Dizzy Reed representing the only link to the band’s classic lineup.

After poor-quality bootlegs of “Perhaps” began circulating when the band played it during soundcheck before a June 2023 Tel Aviv show — an unfinished demo version had been floating around the internet for years — Guns fans were surprised last week when “Perhaps” reportedly leaked via TouchTunes digital jukeboxes according to Blabbermouth.

Though there have been whispers of the revamped GNR recording new music, to date “Perhaps” falls in line with two other “new” songs the band has released recently, two other leftovers that dropped in 2021, “Absurd (aka Silkworms),” and “Hard Skool,” which are also both reportedly from the Chinese Democracy era.

The band also released an official video for the song that features footage of the three iconic members on stage playing to packed stadiums all around the world. Check it out below.

18 Aug 2023

Commemorative Jay-Z Library Cards Have Seriously Boosted Brooklyn Public Library Accounts

Jay-Z has told us before that he’s a business, man. And if you ask the folks at the Brooklyn Public Library business is good these days. According to CNN, since Jay’s career-spanning “The Book of Hov” exhibit opened on July 17 at the Library, a spokesperson tells the news outlet that it has resulted in 14,000 new library accounts.

“The community’s enthusiastic response to this exhibition is a testament to Jay-Z’s immense impact,” Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Public Library, told CNN of the reaction to the 40,000-square foot career retrospective. As part of the yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Jay’s Roc Nation and the Brooklyn Public Library released 13 limited-edition library cards featuring artwork from different Jigga albums as part of the exhibit that takes viewers on a deep-dive into Jay’s career via videos, rare photos, artifacts and original recordings.

The library cards — which will be available through the end of this month — were offered for free for New York State residents; only one can be activated at the library to check out resources. As you might expect, a library employee said some people have been trying to sell the limited-edition cards online, though they said that represented a small fraction of the thousands who’ve signed up for a new card so far.

Due to the overwhelming response, the “Book of Hov” was recently extended through October. If you can’t make it there in person, the interactive “Book” website has a chapter-by-chapter recap of the items in the exhibit, with New York radio legend Angie Martinez providing the narration for the collection whose name was inspired by a lyric from DJ Khaled’s 2022 Grammy-nominated anthem “God Did.”

Check out images of the cards below.

18 Aug 2023

Herb Alpert on Making His Grand Ole Opry Debut, Country Artists He Admires & Taylor Swift Tying His Six-Decade Record

At 88, Herb Alpert has had one of the most illustrious and celebrated careers in American popular music. As leader of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass and as a solo trumpeter, he has won 9 Grammys and sold more than 72 million albums. He co-founded A&M Records with the late Jerry Moss, bringing the work of Janet Jackson, the Carpenters, The Police, Peter Frampton, Cat Stevens and many more artists to the public. 

Until July when Taylor Swift tied his record, Alpert had been the most recent artist to have four albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart simultaneously, and on Sept. 15, he’ll release his 49th studio album, Wish Upon a Star. The album’s first single is “East Bound and Down,” an instrumental remake of the Jerry Reed hit that Reed took to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart in 1977 and then revived for the 1980 film Smokey and the Bandit. 

It would seem that Alpert has done it all, but there are still some firsts ahead of him. He’ll check off a big one tonight (Aug. 18), when he plays the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville for the first time. Also on the bill is Carrie Underwood. 

He may be making his Opry debut, but Alpert has some long relevant ties to Nashville and the country community that he shared with Billboard. He also admits that it took him some time to come around to Willie Nelson, and makes clear that he has nothing but kind words for Swift. The conversation, condensed and edited for space and clarity, took place Aug. 15, one day before Moss died. 

So here you are at 88, doing something that you have never done before by playing the Opry. Has this been on your checklist? 

I never thought about it. It just never crossed my mind. I did this tune from [1980 movie] Smokey and the Bandit that was written by Jerry Reed, who was in the movie as well, but I never got that tune out of my brain. I saw [the movie] maybe 20 years ago. And I always remember that melody, and I tried to see if I could play that melody in my style and make some sense out of it. And it seemed like the I had a favorable reaction.

So one thing led to another and I was asked to perform and they seem to be very excited. I’m going to not only do [“Eastbound”] with the Opry band, but I’m bringing my band and we’re going to do a Tijuana Brass medley. I don’t know what to expect, but I hear great things about being there. 

Have you ever been to the Grand Ole Opry? 

Not inside. I’ve been to Nashville many times. I had a show in the museum with my artwork. And we’ve played on various venues in Nashville.

All the artists are mingling and hanging out in the hallway instead of staying in their dressing rooms. It’s an incredibly friendly atmosphere. 

I have heard exactly what you just stated. I’m excited. You know, it’s not that easy for me because I’m an introvert, so I’ve got to lose my feeling of being uncomfortable around new people. I’m gonna be there.

In John Scheinfeld’s excellent 2020 documentary on you, the film talks about your picking up the trumpet when you were eight years old because you were so introverted. The trumpet is the way you communicate.

“That’s the way I communicate” is exactly right.

Since you’re headed to Nashville, let’s talk about some of your connections to country music. One of A&M’s first signings was Waylon Jennings in 1964, long before he became a country legend and in the early years of A&M.

We signed Waylon, and I used to go down to Arizona to record him. I did this one record called “Four Strong Winds.” [RCA label head and musician] Chet Atkins heard the record and he made some overtures to Waylon about, when he gets out of the contract with A&M he’d like to talk to him — which he shouldn’t have done, because Waylon was under contract to us. It seemed like he was jumping over our bones a bit. But I loved Chet. He was certainly a brilliant musician, as well as administrator.

Waylon really wanted to be a country artist. Waylon’s voice was really unusual, because he could sing just about anything and it sounded darn good — he had something in his voice that just resonated right into the heart. I wanted to take him a little more pop, and he really wanted to be a country artist. He told me confidentially about Chet Atkins wanting to see him. So my partner Jerry Moss and I decided to let Waylon out of his contract so he could go with Chad and RCA.

Waylon couldn’t believe that we were willing to do that. But I remember the day that Jerry and I signed his release. I looked at Jerry and I said, “Man, this guy’s going to be big star.” And Jerry said, “I know it.” I got goosebumps thinking that, “Man, if we could be that honest with people with our artists, we’re gonna be a big success.” It was really a pivotal moment for me and my feelings about A&M Records and what we were doing. 

What memories do you have of playing with the Tijuana Brass in Nashville? 

When I played in Nashville with the Brass in 1967, Johnny Cash came backstage and I had a nice conversation with him after, and he seemed to really love the music that I was making.

Any other memories from other times that you’ve played Nashville where country artists came to your shows?

I met Marty Stuart when I was exhibiting at the art museum. I don’t remember the year. The museum gave me 7,000 square feet, and I was putting up sculptures and paintings [one of Alpert’s sculptures is permanently installed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville]. Marty was a friend of David Conrad, who was running our publishing company Almo Irving. I like his artistry and just him in general.

A&M also signed the Flying Burrito Brothers, who were absolutely pivotal in the evolution of country rock. You released their 1969 album, The Gilded Palace of Sin. What did you see in them? 

Jerry signed up. When I heard them, I thought they were going to be much larger than what actually happened. They had something special, I felt, but nobody knows what a hit record sounds like or what the public is going to take to in a big way. 

In 1964, you and the Tijuana Brass has a hit album called South of the Border, which took its name and the title track from the Gene Autry country movie classic of the same name. How did that song influence you? 

Before A&M records, I was earning a living playing on weekends with various bands, and I had a little backlog of songs that I could just play out of the blue because I had the gift of if I hear a song on the radio, I can just about play it back. So “South of the Border” was probably one of those songs that I had in my stockpile. I tried to do songs when they’re known to others in a way they haven’t been done before. That’s one of my goals.

I’ve never tried to make a hit record. I always tried to make records that felt good. And the honest truth of it is, at 88 years old, I make records for myself. I make records that make me feel good. I’m not trying to make a record that’s going to trump somebody else. I feel like if they can touch me, and it can make me feel good, possibly. I worked with Sam Cooke. [Alpert co-wrote Cooke’s hit and now classic, “Wonderful World”.] He came out of the gospel field and just was so authentic as an artist, and as a person. Loved the guy. He taught me a lot. There was something about him that just gave me the feeling of “Man, you gotta be real. You can’t fake it. You can’t pretend you’re one thing and do another.” I always tried to make records that just really reflected who I was as an artist and I’ve been darn lucky.

In the ‘70s, there was a very successful act called Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass, which was a country version of the Tijuana Brass. They won the Grammy for best country instrumental performance in 1970 and snagged several CMA Awards. Did you hear them? 

I didn’t get it. I mean, that’s just that’s like trying to take advantage of what I did.

Were there country artists that you had admired?

Like everyone else, I love Dolly [Parton]. I love her as a person. I love her as an artist. I think Kris Kristofferson had a big mark, big effect, on country music. He was writing songs that really had provocative meaning and I think he took it to a different level. He was just really special.

Willie Nelson was also an influence on me. When I first heard Willie, it was probably 1959-1960. He was recording for Liberty Records. A friend of mine was working at Liberty and would send me his records. I was listening to him and thinking, like, “Wow, I don’t get why this guy is popular. I don’t get that voice of his.” And all of a sudden, through the years, I transitioned with him and I ended up really loving him. I think he’s a major artist. I think he’s like a jazz artist. He’s very spontaneous. He’s of the moment. And I’m so used to that voice now that it’s part of me. I really love what he does.

We most recently wrote about you last month when you posted a very sweet TikTok to Taylor Swift, congratulating her on tying your record for four albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. Did she respond to you?

Somebody that worked for her did, but that’s okay. I didn’t need a response [from her]. I mean, she’s good. I think she’s real good. She’s the real thing.