Legendary songwriter Bob Dylan has been announced as the surprise recipient of the 2016 Nobel prize in literature. The longstanding Swedish institution awarded the folk icon with the prestigious prize “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. Widely considered the greatest living songwriter, his selection has been met with divided opinion with some praising the choice and others questioning the bold move to award the prize to a songwriter for the first time in the institution’s history. Regardless of what it means for the Nobel prize there is no doubting Bob Dylan’s incredible impact to the world of music and there can surely be no other songsmith more worthy of such praise.
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Spotify has teamed up with Tinder
Yes, you read that correctly! Popular “dating” app tinder has worked with music streaming giants Spotify to incorporate new music related features. Users can now add their own personal ‘anthem’ to their profile as well as choose to display their all time favourite artists or current crazes. Users can also combine their Tinder and Spotify profiles to search for potential matches based on music tastes. You don’t need to have read High Fidelity to know that music can make or break a relationship and the new features show that Tinder clearly have their priorities in order.
Skepta wins 2016 Mercury Prize
In a shock result London grime MC Skepta has won this year’s Mercury Music Prize for his album Konnichiwa. The rapper has unfortunately beaten bookies (and public) favourite Blackstar by the late David Bowie. The final shortlist also included deserving finalists: Laura Mvula’s The Dreaming Room, Michael Kiwanuka’s Love & Hate and A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead, who are still yet to win despite being the most nominated act in the prize’s history. Despite thoroughly disagreeing with the final result we can take solace in the fact that this year’s shortlist contained a varied and plentiful wealth of British talent… and y’know, at least it didn’t go to The 1975!
The Maccabees are breaking up
London based indie band The Maccabees have announced that they are breaking up after 4 albums and 14 years together. They were one of the most prominent bands in London’s indie scene and earned a nomination for the 2012 Mercury Prize for their album Given to the Wild. In the band’s parting message to their fans they stated that they were parting on good terms and that there would be farewell shows in the near future.
Mercury Prize 2016 shortlist announced
The most prestigious prize in British music has released it’s shortlist for album of the year. The list includes a posthumous nomination for David Bowie for his final album Blackstar, as well for Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool making them the most nominated act in the award’s history. The final awards show will take place on 15th September where the list will be whittled down to a final 6 albums before the overall winner will be announced. For the first time the prize will include a public vote to decide one of the finalists. This year’s nominations are:
Anohni – Hopelessness
Bat For Lashes – The Bride
David Bowie – Blackstar
Jamie Woon – Making Time
Kano – Made in the Manor
Laura Mvula – The Dreaming Room
Michael Kiwanuka – Love & Hate
Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool
Savages – Adore Life
Skepta – Konnichiwa
The 1975 – I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it
The Comet Is Coming – Channel the Spirits
Jack White plays the first vinyl record in space
Space …the vinyl frontier. Musical mad scientist Jack White has completed his mission to play the first ever vinyl record in space. A gold plated 12-inch master of Carl Sagan’s ‘A Glorious Dawn’ was played by the specially designed Icarus Craft, which consisted of a specially engineered turntable attached to a high altitude balloon to take it to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere. The world first came about thanks to former NASA member Kevin Carrico and the SATINS program who worked in collaboration with Jack White’s innovative label Third Man Records
The first Glastonbury live album announced
The world’s most famous festival has announced that it will be releasing it’s first ever companion live album entitled Stand As One. The compilation of performances from the 2016 festival is dedicated to the memory of the late Jo Cox MP and proceeds will go to Oxfam’s Refugee Crisis Appeal. It will be released digitally on 5th August, as a hard copy on 19th August and is available to pre-order now. The tracklisting is as follows:
- Coldplay – Birds
- Foals – What Went Down
- The Last Shadow Puppets – The Dream Synopsis
- Jeff Lynne’s ELO – Showdown
- Chvrches – Bury It
- New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle
- Years & Years – Eyes Shut
- Jess Glynne – Right Here
- Muse – Starlight
- Wolf Alice – Giant Peach
- Editors – Munich
- Sigur Rós- Sæglópur
- John Grant – Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
- Richard Hawley – Tonight the Streets Are Ours
- Jack Garratt – Worry
- Laura Mvula – People
- Madness – My Girl
- Baaba Maal – Fulani Rock
- Jamie Lawson – Someone For Everyone
Bomb attack outside German music festival
Twelve people have been injured after an attacker detonated a nail bomb outside an open air music festival in the Bavarian town of Ansbach. The attacker was a 27 year old Syrian man who was denied asylum and faced deportation. He detonated the device after being denied entry to the festival for not having a ticket. Following the blast the public were evacuated from the area. Details are yet to emerge about the man’s motives and intentions, but this has been the latest in a string of attacks that have taken place in Germany and across western Europe.
Temple Of The Dog reunite for first ever tour
Grunge supergroup Temple Of The Dog, composed of members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, have announced that they will tour for the very first time to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of their one-off eponymous album. The project originally came about to honour the memory of Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone who was a close friend and collaborator who died of a heroin overdose in 1990. As well as a five stop tour of the US the band will also be releasing a reissue of their album.
Polaris Prize shortlist announced
The Polaris Music Prize, Canada’s equivalent of the Mercury Prize, has announced it’s shortlist of the best albums of the year from Canadian artists. The winner of the award and the $50000 prize will be decided by a panel of 196 music journalists and announced during the award gala on 19th September. The shortlist is as follows:
- Black Mountain’s IV
- Basia Bulat’s Good Advice
- Grimes’ Art Angels
- Carly Rae Jepsen’s E•MO•TION
- Kaytranada’s 99.9%
- Jessy Lanza’s Oh No
- PUP’s The Dream Is Over
- Andy Shauf’s The Party
- U.S. Girls’ Half Free
- White Lung’s Paradise
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