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Arcade Fire cover "Roll Over Beethoven"

Continuing the cover trend that's become a fixture of their Reflektor Tour, Arcade Fire dove into a rock classic on Sunday night in St. Louis when the sextet took on Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven". Berry was born in St. Louis and continues to perform at the city's Blueberry Hill each month, so the move doesn't come as an Earth-shaking revelation. In fact the previous night in Kansas City, Arcade Fire performed a rendition of Kansas' "Dust in the Wind". That rendition though was "rudely" interrupted by lead-singer Win Butler, who reminded the group: "that’s a Kansas song and we’re in f***in’ Missouri. You f***ed up," he said. "That’s gonna kill when we play Lawrence, though."

While the covers may come as no surprise, the band's escalation of their "deadmau5 beef" raises a few eyebrows. The "feud" began during Arcade Fire's set when Win Butler flippantly praised "All the bands still playing actual instruments," which led to deadmau5 proclaiming "Arcade Fire needs to settle down." As though that weren't enough, deadmau5 barbarously declared "If I wanna watch real artists perform, I'd pick the opera before wasting a f***ing minute of my life with Arcade Fire." In St. Louis, Arcade Fire struck back by flashing deadmau5's trademark mask on-screen during "Normal Person". And if that weren't enough former Missouri Congressman Todd Akin made an appearance, a person you generally won't want to be associated with circa 2014. 

Rather than dive into any "beef" further, just enjoy the clip of Arcade Fire's playing some good "rock and roll music."

 

The Roots release new track "Tomorrow"

 

An idea that's been floating around about The Roots' upcoming 11th LP And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is that it's a violent record. Not necessarily that it commits violent acts, but the world it inhabits is one of extreme violence. "When the People Cheer", the first sampling of the album, proved this with an unflinching portrayal of rapper Black Thought permanently stuck in the trap and knowing there's nowhere to go.

 

New single "Tomorrow" heads in an entirely different direction. Bolstered by a ringing piano, the Raheem DeVaughan feature is "thankful to be alive." In a soft-croon, DeVaughan stops to "smell the flowers" and appreciate the small things. "9-5 jobs" no longer sound like hellish nightmares, but welcome escapes. "It's free to be yourself," DeVaughan testifies. However "violent" And Then You Shoot Your Cousin ultimately is, "Tomorrow" will offer a brief moment of tranquility. 

 

And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is out May 13 through Def Jam and you can hear "Tomorrow" now on 1200 Squad.

 

 

 

 

Stream tUnE-yArDs' Nikki Nack now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tUnE-yArDs' third studio-album, Nikki Nack, doesn't drop until May 6 in the U.S. but that doesn't mean you can't hear Merrill Garbus' latest effort now. Courtesy of The Guardian, Nikki Nack is currently streaming ahead of its release date and my initial impression of the LP is that its every bit as strong and infectious as Garbus' previous two albums.

tUnE-yArDs are currently touring the U.S. with the aforementioned Arcade Fire, but will also be logging stage-time with the National and Sylvan Esso before the summer is over. You can find the dates below along with the Pee-wee's Playhouse inspired video for the clamorous first-single "Water Fountain".

 

Tour Dates:
4/29 Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center (w. Arcade Fire)
5/1 Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena (w. Arcade Fire)
5/2 Atlanta, GA - Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood (w. Arcade Fire)
5/5 Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
5/7 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade
5/12 London, England - Village Underground (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/14 Berlin, Germany - Berghain (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/15 Hamburg, Germany - Nochtspeicher (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/16 Brussels, Belgium - Les Nuits-Cirque Royal
5/18 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Bitterzoet (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/19 Paris, France - Cafe de La Danse (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/23 Bend, OR - Les Schwab Ampitheater (w. The National)
5/25 George, WA - Sasquatch Festival
5/26 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert House (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/27 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge (w. Sylvan Esso)
5/30 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/1 Houston, TX - Free Press Summerfest
6/3 Phoenix, AZ - The Crescent Ballroom (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/5 Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/6 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/13 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/15 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/16 Boston, MA - Royale Boston (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/18 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/19 Toronto, Ontario - NXNE, Massey Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/21 Dover, DE - Firefly Festival
6/22 New York, NY - Webster Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/23 New York, NY - Webster Hall (w. Sylvan Esso)
6/26 Brighton, England - Concorde 2
6/30 Manchester, England - Gorilla
7/1 Leeds, England - Cockpit
7/2 Bristol, England - Trinity
7/17 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
7/19 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
7/20 Louisville, KY - Forecastle Festival
9/3 London, England - Brixton Electric 

 

 

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