the music is dead. long live the music.
It’s finally happening. Taylor Swift will release her sixth full-length album titled Reputation on November 10, just over three years after dropping 1989. Swift made the announcement via Instagram this morning, ending speculation after her social media accounts went blank late last week. Swift also announced that a new single with drop tomorrow.
Take a look at the artwork for Reputation below:
What do you expect from Taylor Swift’s new album? Let us know in the replies!
Posted by Kiel Hauck
You know that feeling you get when you hear a band with a fresh sound that sounds both completely new and familiar? That’s the feeling that Newcastle, Australia five-piece Eat Your Heart out provide. After signing with Fearless Records earlier this year, the band released their brand new EP Carried Away.
The up-and-coming alt-rock act combines crisp, melodic pop sounds with grungy guitars, courtesy of Andrew Anderson and Will Moore, and a powerful rhythm section featuring Dom Cant on bass and Jake Cronin on drums. Vocalist Caitlin Henry pushes things over the top with her emotive delivery – think All We Know is Falling-era Paramore combined with the edgier side of Armor for Sleep.
In addition to Carried Away, the band recently showcased their knack for melody by covering Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” for the latest Punk Goes Pop compilation. If those opening guitars don’t grab your attention, just wait until Henry tears into the track’s chorus.
If you like what you hear, you can buy the Carried Away EP on iTunes as we await a full-length debut album announcement from the band. Stay up to date by following the Eat Your Heart Out on Facebook and Twitter.
Posted by Kiel Hauck
Well, it’s finally happening. Today, Brand New tweeted out a link to preorder their fifth full length album on vinyl, along with some new tour dates to support the new record. The rest of the details remain fairly fuzzy to this point, but the already-sold-out vinyl is set to ship in October.
Last year, Brand New released a new single titled “I Am a Nightmare”, but no further information regarding an upcoming album ever surfaced. For a few years, fans have speculated that the band’s next album might be their last. For now, though, we’ll excitedly anticipated what will certainly be one of the most talked about albums of the year. Check out the tour dates below:
While we await more news, you can take a listen to “I Am a Nightmare” below.
Posted by Kiel Hauck
American rock band Hey Violet have released a music video for their new single, titled “Hoodie”, which you can view below. The track is the third single from their latest full length album, From the Outside.
The new video was directed by Jessie Hill and is sure to add additional fuel to Hey Violet’s rapid breakout. “Hoodie” showcases the band’s EDM influences and melodic sensibilities, capped by a killer hook from vocalist Rena Lovelis. Take a look:
Like what you hear? You can buy From the Outside on iTunes and learn more at Hey Violet’s website.
Posted by Kiel Hauck
Phoenix metalcore act The Word Alive have mutually parted ways with bassist Daniel Shapiro, ending a seven year relationship. Shapiro joined the band shortly after the release of their debut album, Deceiver, and contributed to Life Cycles, Real., and Dark Matter. You can read a message from the band below:
Dear TWA family,
The Dark Matter cycle has been the greatest ride of our lives. Because of your support, we’ve reached so many goals we never thought would be possible 9 years into our career. We’ve sold thousands of albums, streamed millions more and toured all over the world. All because of you.As we move into this next chapter of our career, creatively we have come to a decision to continue The Word Alive with Tony, Telle, and Zack. Moving into the creation of our newest album, Daniel and us mutually agreed that this would be the best decision for the band. Daniel is an extremely talented musician that we have called our brother for the last 7 years. We continue to do so and wish him the best in his future endeavors. The Word Alive has always been a family, past present and future members will always support each other.
We’re extremely excited for the new chapter that is yet to come and look forward to sharing all of our plans for the rest of the year. As always, we appreciate your support on and off tour. We will be all over the world soon enough to continue this journey together.
Telle, Tony, and Zack
Additionally, Shapiro shared a few words on his departure from the band:
Over the last 7 years, I was fortunate enough to tour the world with some of my best friends in The Word Alive. As of today, I will be heading off on a new musical adventure and I am excited to share with you where the road will take me.
The guys and I will continue to support each other. I’m grateful for the time I had with this family and will always consider myself a part of this band.
Thank you all for the love and support from all the fans, friends, family and crew!
-Danielson
Last year, drummer Luke Holland departed the band as well and was replaced by Matt Horn. The Word Alive released a new single titled “Misery” earlier this year.
Posted by Kiel Hauck
To the best of my memory, my first real feelings of depression surfaced sometime in early high school. By the time a friend handed me a burned copy of Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory during my junior year, I had already acted upon impulses to harm myself. It was a strange and very lonely feeling – a presumed weakness in myself that I didn’t want anyone to know about. Words like “mental illness” and “depression” had never crossed my mind.
I share this because Chester Bennington’s lyrics on Hybrid Theory were the first to vocalize what I was feeling at the time. Maybe I wasn’t weird. Maybe I wasn’t crazy. Maybe I wasn’t alone.
The memory of this turning point made the news of Chester Bennington’s suicide all the more devastating. Depression is not biased and is not deterred by fame or status. It is a crushingly cruel disease that is far too often too easily hidden.
Like many others, I’ve been listening to a lot of Linkin Park lately, finding reminders of how deeply those early albums impacted me. In some ways, it’s odd that Chester’s voice became so meaningful to me. As an avid hip hop listener, I was initially attracted to the band because of Mike Shinoda’s rapping. While Shinoda’s voice gets the most airtime on those early albums, it’s Bennington’s painful howls that deliver the greatest impact.
Linkin Park would prove to be a gateway for me into heavy rock music. Chester’s screams weren’t grating – they were comforting in their familiarity. Those words and that voice encapsulated feelings that I hadn’t been able to vocalize. A few years later, I cried in my car on a campus parking lot after purchasing Meteora from a local Wal-Mart on the day of its release. I can still vividly remember hearing Chester’s cries on the chorus of “Somewhere I Belong” for the first time that day:
“I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I’ve felt so long
(Erase all the pain ’til it’s gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real
I wanna find something I’ve wanted all along
Somewhere I belong”
My interest in Linkin Park faded after Meteora as I began discovering a variety of new bands that also spoke my language. Having not paid the band much mind for several years, I attended one of their shows in Indianapolis in 2012 with a few friends who were big fans. That night, standing at the front of the stage with my camera, I was in awe of the band’s performance and reminded of how much Chester’s words had meant to me.
Listening to those songs over the past week have resulted in complicated feelings. I’m pained by the loss of someone whose struggle is so near to my own and many others. I’m frustrated in my lack of progress in my own battle with depression. I’m hopeful that, just maybe, there’s still light at the end of this dark tunnel. I’m thankful that Hybrid Theory was placed in my hands that day back in 2000.
Each time these kinds of tragedies strike, it’s a stark reminder to love those around us and talk to each other, even when it’s painful and uncomfortable. Remembering the music is easy. Reaching out for help or offering an ear can often be much harder.
So many of us were impacted by the words and songs of Chester Bennington – it is truly a tragedy to lose him so soon. Rest in peace, Chester.
by Kiel Hauck
Kiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter.
With the release of 4:44, Jay-Z has added to an impressive second half of his career. On our latest podcast, Kiel Hauck and Brock Benefiel discuss Jay-Z’s career since the release of The Black Album and how he has maintained massive cultural relevance and fame despite his missteps. The discussion also includes Jay’s best albums and songs and how current artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole have been impacted by Jay-Z’s legacy. Listen in!
Subscribe to our podcast here.
What is your favorite Jay-Z album? Share in the replies!
Posted by Kiel Hauck
In the summer of 1997, I purchased an album with my own money. As a kid who was about to enter his 8th grade year, this was a big deal, considering that my income consisted of earnings from mowing lawns. In those days, I was lucky to have the nearly $20 required to purchase a compact disc from Sam Goody.
I purchased Third Eye Blind’s debut self-titled album because, like everyone else that summer, I heard “Semi-Charmed Life” endlessly on the radio and fell in love with a song filled with content far beyond my understanding. I loved the melody. I loved Stephan Jenkins’ offhand delivery. And most importantly, I loved that my mom wasn’t really into it.
Two decades later, Third Eye Blind is still one of my favorite records, even though my innocence has worn away and I rarely find myself enchanted with the carefree “doo doo doos” of life. In the time since the summer before 8th grade, songs like “Losing a Whole Year” and “Narcolepsy” have come to hold actual, painful meaning.
Needless to say, the feelings are complicated when the lights go up and Jenkins croons, “Losing a whole year” just before the guitars spill out of the monitors at White River State Park in Indianapolis.
Silversun Pickups
Jenkins and drummer Brad Hargreaves are the only remaining members from those early days of the band, as the past 20 years have brought their share of turmoil. Regardless, it’s hard not to be impressed with Third Eye Blind’s resilience and relevance, especially when considering the fate of so many of their peers. The Summer Gods Tour is a celebration the band’s debut, but also feels like a victory lap for Jenkins.
Silversun Pickups are along for the ride this summer, serving as a shining example of where indie rock has exceled in the wake of the 90s. In fact, you could argue the success of bands like Silversun Pickups as offering a platform for Third Eye Blind’s revival in the latter part of the last decade. Their set offers the perfect bridge to the night’s main act.
Summer Gods is a reference from the song “Weightless” from last year’s We Are Drugs EP and opens the set with Third Eye Blind occupying a stage at the back of the actual stage. It’s a Jenkins move, to be sure, but on this night, photographers are invited to spend the entire set in the pit, dispelling any fear of getting a good shot. By the time the band’s six-song intro is finished, Jenkins stands alone at the front of the stage. We watch with our cameras down as he gives a slightly hyperbolic but heartfelt speech about the impact of his debut.
Third Eye Blind
Until you witness these songs in this setting, it’s easy to forget the magnitude of this album. Every damn song is a hit, but not in a mindless sense. Many of us can remember the real conversations we had about the meaning of “Jumper” and how it impacted the way we treated those around us. We shouted along to “Graduate”, eager to move on to a new stage of life. “Motorcycle Drive By” became a bleeding-heart anthem for first breakups in the pre-Chris Carrabba days.
Each song pulsing into the summer night is another reminder of just how good this album is. It’s also a reminder of how hard it is to craft timeless music. The late 90s were littered with pop songs that sounded hollow in the years that followed. Jenkins, with his Gen-X indifference, drug references, and knack for flipping the light on dark subject matter in unexpected ways, has shrugged away the harsh reality of time, against nearly all odds.
In 1997, I didn’t expect to be listening to Third Eye Blind 20 years later. My foresight rarely expanded beyond the upcoming weekend. Nevertheless, it’s always nice when you can look back at a moment of your youth and be proud of your judgment, even if it was mostly superficial – 8th grade Kiel spent his $20 well.
by Kiel Hauck
Following a brief hiatus last year while vocalist Anthony Green reunited with Saosin for their first album and tour in seven years, Circa Survive has announced their return. The progressive rock act will release their fifth full length album, The Amulet, on September 22 via Hopeless Records.
One of the most original and creative bands in the scene, Circa Survive has consistently released solid, challenging material, including their last album, 2014’s Descensus. To prepare us for The Amulet, the band has released the album’s first single, “Lustration”, which you can hear below:
You can also check out the album’s artwork, created once again by artist Esao Andrews.
If you like what you hear, be sure to pre-order The Amulet from the band’s webstore. What are your thoughts on the new song? Share in the replies!
Posted by Kiel Hauck
Today marks the first day of summer, and you know what that means – time to sing along to the Song of the Summer! But wait, where did that term come from? And what does it even mean? And does any of this even matter?
Richard Clark joins Kiel Hauck to discuss the history of the “Song of the Summer” and reflect on some of their favorite summertime tracks. They also break down the elements that make a summer song successful and even offer up some guesses for 2017’s song of the summer. Listen in!
Subscribe to our podcast here.
What is your favorite song of the summer memory? Share in the replies!
Posted by Kiel Hauck
