Music reviews: Last News

“The Tortured Poets Department,” which dropped Friday, the pop star, 34, seemingly admits that she was more emotionally wounded from her breakup with British actor Joe Alwyn than it seemed at the time. In her song “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” the 13th track on the album, Swift says that she was only pretending to be happy following their split, which took place just before she started her Eras tour last year.Lyrics supposedly about the “Conversations With Friends” star include: “Cause I’m a real tough kid, I can handle my s—t / They said, ‘Baby, gotta fake it till you make it,’ and I did / Lights, camera, bitch, smile, even when you wanna die / He said he’d love me all his life.”Swift, who has since moved on to NFL player Travis Kelce, 34, also says in the song that she was “shattered” while crowds chanted “more” from her. Swift dated Alwyn, 33, for six years, from 2016 to 2023.

Taylor Swift surprised fans once more as she dropped a surprise second batch of songs at 2 a.m. on Friday, making “The Tortured Poets Department” a secret double album.In one song, “thanK you aIMee,” Swifties were quick to point out that the capitalized letters spelled out a certain name — Kim.The 34-year-old musician often hides Easter eggs in her lyrics via capitalization, and this tune in particular slams a certain person that she compares to a high school bully.

Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” is here — so let the lyric breakdown begin.In her highly anticipated 11th studio album, Swift dropped 17 tracks at midnight Friday, and then surprised fans with an extra 15 — making it a secret double album. And she didn’t waste any time getting personal on the first single, “Fortnight.”“I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she sings.

Taylor Swift has a long history of writing about her exes on her albums — or so we think — from John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhaal to Joe Jonas and Harry Styles.But it’s Joe Alwyn, the British actor who the singer dated from 2016 to 2023, who is the object of the 34-year-old pop superstar’s wicked wordplay for a good — or for him, not so good — part of “The Tortured Poets Department,” which dropped on Friday.There’s even one song called “So Long, London” — a goodbye to the city where they once lived together. And just to show you how deep those Swift Easter eggs can be hidden, that track is 9 minutes and 28 seconds — which happens to line up with when the exes are rumored to have started dating on Sept.

Taylor Swift album.And, of course, that’s Travis Kelce — the Super Bowl champ sweetheart of the pop superstar.In fact, getting love from the 34-year-old singer on her highly anticipated 11th studio LP — “The Tortured Poets Department,” which dropped on Friday — might be an even bigger win than getting that Super Bowl ring.“The Alchemy” is a sexy slow dance that is unabashedly about Kelce, with Swift staking claim to her stud.“So when I touch down all that matters/Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team/Ditch the clowns, get the crown/Baby I’m the one to beat/’Cause the sign on your heart said it’s still reserved for me.”All right now, Miss Tay.As if there was doubt about just who she was putting on lock, the Swift — who famously dashed into her boo’s arms for an iconic smooch when his Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers in February — later adds, “Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me.”The couple began dating last summer and went public with their relationship in September 2023.Swift has not been shy about her romance with Kelce, ratcheting up the TV ratings for the NFL when she cheered on her boyfriend from the stands at multiple games.“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Swift told Time in December, when she was named the magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year.“The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone,” she added.

new Taylor Swift album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”There are the exes: British actor Joe Alwyn, with whom the singer was in a six-year relationship until 2023, as well as the 1975 frontman Matty Healy, who Swift briefly dated last year.And the 34-year-old superstar used her powerhouse pen to mark her territory on her gridiron guy, Travis Kelce.But in addition to her current beau, there is another man who gets big love from Swift on “TTPD,” which dropped on Friday.That would be singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, who gets the ultimate co-sign from Swift on the title track.“You smoked and ate seven bars of chocolate / we declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist / I scratch your head, you fall asleep / Like a tattooed Golden Retriever,” she sings.The quote seemingly references her and Healy bonding over their mutual appreciation for the “See You Again” singer during their romance.Puth, for his part, appears to be a major Swiftie. In 2022, a video of him playing her breakthrough hit “Teardrops on My Guitar” for a New York City crowd circulated on TikTok.Healy, however, seems to be the target of more pen venom elsewhere on “The Tortured Poets Department.”Healy — who, before their summer split, was a rebound romance for the pop superstar following her breakup with Alwyn — appears to be the subject of the vicious takedown “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”“And I don’t even want oil back/If just want to know/If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal,” sings Swift, who caught some flak after Healy made some controversial comments — including racist remarks about the singer’s now BFF Ice Spice.“And I don’t miss what we had,” she continues.

Taylor Swift from seemingly unleashing a wrath of words against 1975 frontman Matty Healy on her highly anticipated 11th studio album “The Tortured Poets Department,” which arrived on Friday.In fact, Healy — who, before their summer split, was a rebound romance for the pop superstar following her breakup with British actor Joe Alwyn after six years — appears to be the subject of the vicious takedown “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”“And I don’t even want oil back/If just want to know/If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal,” sings Swift, who caught flak after Healy made some controversial comments — including racist remarks about the singer’s now BFF Ice Spice.“And I don’t miss what we had,” she continues. “But could someone give a message/To the smallest man who ever lived.”Ouch.Other fans, however, may speculate the “sparkling summer” line is about Alwyn, as the pair split right before her Eras Tour and “Bejeweled” on her “Midnights” album is seemingly about the actor.There are also hints that “I Can Fix Him” (No Really I Can)” — gotta love that title — might be about 35-year-old Healy.“The smoke cloud billows out his mouth/Like a freight train through a small town/The jokes that he told across the bar were revolting/And far too loud/They shake their heads saying ‘God help her’ when I tell ‘em he’s my man/But your good Lord doesn’t need to/I can fix him/No, really I can,” she sings.Even more, Swifties could assume “Fortnight” might be about Healy as the title is a British English term defined as “a period of two weeks,” which could refer to their short-lived romance.

So decreed Queen B in a rare lengthy Instagram post about “Cowboy Carter,” which is “Act II” in her “Renaissance” trilogy that began with the underground house beats of her 2022 album that had us buzzing and bopping to “Break My Soul,” “Cuff It” and “Alien Superstar.”And while it may seem like a hair-whipping flip to take it from the ballroom to the barnyard on her latest, it is not as radical of a departure as it may seem for Bey herself, who hails from Houston, Texas, and is as Southern as any hummingbird could be.“They used to say I spoke ‘too country’/And the rejection came, said I wasn’t ‘country ’nough’/Said I wouldn’t saddle up/But if that ain’t country, tell me, what is?” she sings with a snarl in her twang on “Ameriican Requiem,” the autobiographical manifesto that opens the album.This is Bey unplugged, raw and rootsy, two-stepping across the color lines that took “Texas Hold ’Em” — the banjo-picking bluegrass stomper that previewed “Cowboy Carter” last month — all the way to No.

Sheryl Crow’s crystalline vocals all night long, but her opening set was not why I trekked to Newark, NJ’s Prudential Center on a Thursday night, with work looming large the next morning. The rest of the impatient crowd seemed to feel the same, pining for Zach Bryan to fall out of the sky and onto center stage to cure our aching for his raspy voice and gut-wrenching lyrics.In true country music fashion, the makeup of the crowd was somewhat jarring.

Zamna sign and step into the underbelly of Quintana Roo’s jungle. We’ve timed our arrival at the venue around Rufus Du Sol’s ambiguous promise to play until sunrise.The alternative Australian dance group is made up of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt, and while the trio is known for their Deep House hits like “Innerbloom,” “You Were Right,” and “Next To Me,” everyone in our group is more excited to see them perform an anything goes DJ set — a rare opportunity to freely express their uncapped musical genius.But “concert” does nothing to describe what happens at Zamna, aka Tulum’s premiere electronic music festival. As seasoned ravers and first-time ticket holders trek into the rainforest, they’re transported into a temporary universe unbeknownst to them.

The 1975 is no less relevant in 2023 than they were in 2013 and the band’s performance at Madison Square Garden was a testament to their continued musical gifts. Fans poured in with cult-like rage for a Tuesday night, some bearing rectangular tattoos of the band’s album cover, others still half-dressed in work clothes, taking no chance of missing the man who teased a “indefinite hiatus” after they wrap their ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour.The crowd – a hodgepodge of teenage girls, married couples, and some likely single wannabe-groupies – was certainly buzzing. Healy’s closest followers live for his controversies.

the Pixies I was 12 and crowded around a desktop computer. A friend played a fan-made “Debaser” music video intercut with Luis Buñuel’s iconic surrealist short film “Un Chien Andalou,” referenced in the song. If you aren’t familiar: the quick flick is most famous for exactly the image that Black Francis seizes on.

Metallica hasn’t lost a step.The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group stopped by East Rutherford, NJ’s MetLife Stadium for a pair of concerts on Friday, Aug. 4 and Sunday, Aug.

Osheaga Music and Arts Festival on Aug. 4-6 to join the masses for three days of non-stop music with over 50 artists performing over the long weekend.Here are just a few of our biggest takeaways from the multi-day extravaganza.Our favorite moment was easily Billie Eilish’s Saturday night headlining set that came with quite the surprise.Mid-show, the 21-year-old pop star paused to ask fans if they knew of a certain song…one that went something like, “Glock tucked, big t-shirt, Billie Eilish?”Enter Armani White.The rapper behind the mega single, “Billie Eilish,” joined Billie on stage to sing the iconic song together.Fans began screaming once White appeared out of seemingly thin air.

Dead and Company have just eight concerts left on their massive 2023 Farewell Tour with John Mayer before hanging it up for good.And if you missed Bobby Weir, Mickey Hart and the boys at Citi Field on June 21-22, we’re here to fill you in with a full account of the show courtesy of the New York Post’s resident Deadhead, Ryan Murphy.Murphy attended night two at Citi Field on June 22 and said the Mets stadium was “crazy packed.”He had floor seats and a “great side view.”At his show, there were no guest artists — besides Mayer of course — and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band played two sets which included covers of Traffic’s “De›ar Mr. Fantasy” and The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” along with Ryan’s favorite, the 1978 classic “Fire On The Mountain” from their “Shakedown Street” album wailed by bassist Oteil Burbridge.He added that Weir’s best that evening was “Mama Tried” and Mayer peaked with “Alabama Getaway.”“That’s just my opinion though,” he was quick to note.Over the course of the nearly four-hour set (!), the band kept their banter to a minimum; according to Ryan “they kept it all about the music and their farewell.”Murphy, 31, was also excited to see fans of all ages including “older people jamming out” and “people in the 25-35 age range.”If you’re planning on attending one of the final gigs at Boulder, CO’s Folsom Field Stadium, George, WA’s Gorge Amphitheater or San Francisco, CA’s Oracle Park (where they got their start), Murphy has a few tips.“Definitely arrive early,” he said.

Sparks that hasn’t already been expounded upon in great detail in Edgar Wright’s excellent Netflix documentary “The Sparks Brothers.”Yet, you haven’t really experienced Sparks until you’e caught them live.The Mael brothers — Russell is the buoyant 74-year-old frontman and Ron, the 77-year-old, deadpan keyboardist with an acidic sense of humor — rocked New York City’s Beacon Theatre with their no-frills, no-fat power pop for approximately 90 minutes on Tuesday, June 27.Their show, comprised of catchy hits “The Number One Song In Heaven” and “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us,” as well as goofy crowd pleasers like “Balls” and “Beaver O’Lindy” and select tracks from their 2023 album “The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte” was exquisitely arranged; no moment felt extraneous.Of course, the six-piece band “started” with their hook-y piano confection “So May We Start” which set the tone; this would be a cheeky, self-referential evening.They maintained that ironic yet inspired high-wire act for the remainder of the gig (the song “Nothing Is as Good as They Say It Is” told from the perspective of a 22-hour-old baby that’s “seen it all” is an ace example), certainly an impressive feat for a group that’s been performing in some capacity since 1968.Plus, Ron’s stoic, mustachioed face behind the keys, only breaking when absolutely necessary, is one of music’s greatest running gags.More than anything though, Russell’s soaring Freddie Mercury-like pipes — why isn’t he fronting Queen instead of Adam Lambert for the group’s 2023 ‘Rhapsody Tour?’ — was reminiscent of the glam rock of the ’70s.At 74, he hasn’t lost a step and sounds just as powerful, unhinged and controlled as he does on Sparks’ 26 (!) studio records.That being said,

Goth Babe is not what you’re expecting based on the tongue-in-cheek band name.No, there isn’t an eyeliner-laden beauty grabbing your attention onstage at a Goth Babe show; rather, front and center is scruffy, charismatic frontman 25-year-old Griff Washburn.And he, along with his solid backing band, put on a rousing show.Goth Babe — really the moniker of bedroom pop wunderkind Washburn, along with a tight 2-piece touring band — sounds a little like if Beirut met Odesza, and the two of them downloaded LCD Soundsystem’s synth presets.On a brisk Cinco de Mayo evening, the three-piece outfit performed a loose yet energetic 15-song set at New York City’s Rooftop at Pier 17 inspiring an audience made up of college-age Gen Z’ers, elder Millennials and everything in between to bliss out to the group’s mellow yet melodic dream pop.To kick the evening off, Goth Babe got the crowd’s attention with arguably their most goosebump-inducing track.The trick worked like a charm.“New Born Worlds,” easily Goth Babe’s most ethereal bop, turned heads.What was this mythical sound taking over the rooftop?As soon as the the ensemble’s thumping drum launched mid-track, toes were tapping, heads were nodding, smiles were washing over faces.This is what we came for — this is why you see your favorite bands live.Following the otherworldly opening number, Washburn addressed the crowd.His boyish voice didn’t quite match the assured, deep timbre of his vocals much to my surprise  — he was much more playful, friendly, ready to chat with the crowd, which he did.In between songs, Washburn and audience members bantered.Yes, crowd surfing came up.

Sade with her own royal title: Bow down to the Queen of Quarantine and Chill.It’s been 10 years since Sade Adu — who doesn’t need a last name any more than Cher, Bono or Prince — released her last album with her namesake band, 2010’s Grammy-winning “Soldier of Love.” But the sultry soul-pop siren behind such timeless torchiness as “Paradise”, “The Sweetest Taboo” and “No Ordinary Love” has been my smooth comforter during the quarantine.Now, with the arrival of “This Far” — a career-spanning vinyl box set of all six of Sade’s studio albums — she is, to quote “Your Love Is King”, the ruler of my heart.Yes, Sade is my boo.How else to explain how she has wrapped me up in her tender, tranquilizing embrace when I desperately needed a hug — but

known as the Dixie Chicks, lit a forest fire with an offhand insult about George W. Bush in 2003.

It feels like Fiona Apple really got a big head start on us with this whole quarantining thing. Fans do not need to be reminded that it’s been eight years since her previous album, “The Idler Wheel…” (though they probably will require a refresher on its full 23-word title, which once might have been committed to memory). Anybody else who disappeared as a recording artist for that long would have been out flogging the catalog, something that is assuredly not her bag; even the intermittent cameos she used to do at L.A.’s Largo club halted as she retreated ever inward. That seemed just as it should be, up to a point: In four scant previous albums over a quarter-century, Apple had become pop music’s queen of extremely interior designs.

Childish Gambino’s No. 1 hit “This is America,” only two years old — and released long before the coronavirus pandemic took over life as we know it — feels like another lifetime ago.