Few bands have straddled the divide between indie and mainstream quite like Arcade Fire — eclectic in tastes and cerebral in views, yet enjoying rock-star recognition in the industry. Releasing its first album in four years, the Montreal-based group — which has always cast its net wide on instrumentation — steps away from the rugged … Read more
The Who’s rock opera “Quadrophenia” will take an orchestral turn as songwriter Pete Townshend on Tuesday announced a four-date tour of mostly classical venues in the United States. The orchestral “Quadrophenia” will feature vocals by Billy Idol — the rocker behind 1980s hits such as “White Wedding” and “Eyes Without a Face” — as well … Read more
On his first album in 25 years, Roger Waters has brought back the tense mood of isolation that characterized Pink Floyd. But this time the nemesis isn’t abstract — it’s Donald Trump. The rock legend Friday released “Is This the Life We Really Want?”, his first studio album since 1992, accompanied by an extensive tour … Read more
CNN caught up with Tip “T. I.” Harris at the SXSW festival last month, where the Grammy-winning rapper and actor premiered his latest passion project, “Us or Else” — a short film that examines the relationship between police and the black community. “Police brutality is really just a tentacle to a larger problem — the … Read more
Kendrick Lamar has pulled off the biggest US album debut this year with “DAMN.,” an introspective work of hip-hop storytelling that features Rihanna and U2. “DAMN.” sold 603,000 copies or the equivalent in streaming and downloads in the week since its April 14 release, tracking service Nielsen Music said late Saturday. Entering at number one … Read more
Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar is set to release a new album next week with rock veterans U2 on the credits. Lamar recently put out a song in which he boasted about himself and warned rival rappers: “You all got ’til April the 7th to get y’all shit together.” They will apparently have another week. Lamar … Read more
Virtual rockers Gorillaz on Thursday announced a new album and previewed it with a track that merges rock, hip-hop and reggae alongside a trippy sci-fi video. The experimental side project of Damon Albarn of Blur fame — which consists of a fictional band lineup represented by cartoons — said that “Humanz,” the group’s first album … Read more
Facing the task of summing up his 50 years on Earth through songs, Stephin Merritt has revealed unorthodox living arrangements, disdain for surfing and his knack for catching “weird diseases.” And he says almost nothing about The Magnetic Fields, the pop band that made him a counterculture icon. Merritt, known for his bitingly sardonic lyricism … Read more
“After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul’s indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer “ – William R. Alger The first Friday of October each year marks World Smile Day, a day to do one act of kindness and make someone crack a smile! … Read more
I am pretty sure you are wondering what the word Lux has to do with a smile. For those of us studying engineering and other fields that require analysis of light, we may have come across it and understand it as regards light. Yet I’m pretty sure the only time most of us came across … Read more