YouTuber creates ‘new’ Iron Maiden song ‘Power Gravy’ using artificial intelligence
Iron Maiden might not have released original music for half a decade, but YouTuber Funk Turkey has employed artificial intelligence to create a track in imitation of the band entitled ‘Power Gravy’.
Read More: All the rock songs written by AI bots – ranked and rated in order of… greatness?
The YouTuber, real name Kirk Connor, collected all of Iron Maiden’s lyrics from the Genius Lyrics Database and used them to write a new song using the Markov chain mathematical system. He then performed all the vocals and instrumentals himself.
The generated lyrics open: “8 and 40 souls became the number of the Moon / when you’re debating witches and the clouds In His Majesty’s Craft“, while the chorus concerns the titular ‘Power Gravy’.
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“Vocals are… hard,” Connor wrote on YouTube. “Bruce Dickinson is very hard to emulate/impersonate, so I just did the best I could and hope it’s not awful. That man has golden pipes. It sounds like a South Park parody, but then again, it is a parody, so… uhhhh… don’t take it too seriously.”
The track is not Connor’s first, with the YouTuber previously sharing tracks imitating Metallica, AC/DC, Nickelback, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Metallica. Last month, he uploaded a fake Nirvana song entitled ‘Smother’, which was also generated with artificial intelligence.
Speaking about programming the drums using ‘Superior Drummer 2’, Connor added: “I know Dave Grohl hates computer drums but it’s the best thing I got, soooo… Sorry Dave. I still love you.”
Meanwhile, fans are hopeful that a new album by the real Iron Maiden might be on its way. With the band claiming they’re “never going to fucking retire,” in January, drummer Nicko McBrain told fans to “keep their eyes peeled” for new music.
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Roger & Brian Eno announce deluxe edition of ‘Mixing Colours’ and share new track ‘Manganese’
Brian Eno and his younger brother Roger Eno have announced an extended version of their collaborative album ‘Mixing Colours’.
The original edition of the record arrived back in March, serving as Brian Eno’s first record since 2017’s ‘Reflection’.
On July 17 the Eno brothers will release ‘Mixing Colours Expanded’, which will contain seven new tracks including ‘Moss’, ‘Violet’, ‘Vermilion’, ‘Marble’ and ‘Malachite’. A cut titled ‘Pewter’ will also appear, having previously been available as a bonus track in Japan.
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Today (July 1), Roger & Brian Eno have shared the piece ‘Manganese’ – tune in below.
As well as its digital release, the new material will be pressed onto a 12″ vinyl record, ‘Luminous’. This will arrive on August 14, with a 2-CD version following in October – you can pre-order your copy here.
Though Brian Eno is well known as a pioneer of ambient music, his brother Roger has worked in the same genre, collaborating with the likes of Lou Reed, Beck and Jarvis Cocker throughout his career.
The Eno brothers have worked together before, notably on soundtracks for David Lynch’s Dune as well as Apollo.
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Back in May, it was suggested that Brian Eno was “keen to exchange ideas” with The 1975 by the band’s manager Jamie Oborne. He explained that Eno has been “a massive influence” on Matty Healy and co.
Eno had previously taken part in Healy’s In Conversation podcast series, where the former discussed a negative review of his ‘Ambient 1: Music for Airports’ album received back in 1978.
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Watch the animated video for 67’s LD’s new track ‘Free Smoke’
67 member LD has dropped the video for his latest solo track ‘Free Smoke’ — you can watch the animated clip below.
The song, which features S Loud, was first released last week. It serves as the first preview of the drill artist’s upcoming new project ‘Who’s Watching’, which is set for release in August and will feature “some heavyweight guests”, according to a press release.
Read more: The best drill songs… ever!
The animated video for ‘Free Smoke’ has also been released, and features animated versions of Wiley, Headie One, Unknown T, Russ Millions and more. You can check out the clip below.
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Speaking to NME back in 2018 with 67, LD expanded on the difficulties the group have encountered with touring in the UK by contrasting it with the relative ease with which they have been able to book shows in Europe.
“They respect our music all over Europe, except from here,” he said. “We see way more love travelling all over Europe we receive here. Don’t get it twisted – the UK gives us love, but the hate here is crazy, too. In other countries, you look at their platforms and they are all together – they all build together.
“Here, it’s not like that. There’s favouritism. It’s weird here. Like, the UK is nuts. If someone jumps someone in America, everybody is posting it.”
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Peter Frampton launches new ‘Frampton Stays Inside!’ coronavirus-themed merch
Peter Frampton has launched a new coronavirus-themed t-shirt on his merch store which plays on the title of his classic 1976 live double-album ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’.
The new t-shirt displays a doctored version of the live album’s original artwork — now showing the guitarist wearing a blue face mask — and bears the words “Frampton Stays Inside!”.
On the back of the t-shirt the words ‘Shelter In Place House Tour 2020’ are printed in the style of a normal tour t-shirt, with a monthly schedule of rooms to visit in the home — February: Living Room, March: Kitchen, April: Laundry Room, May: Backyard — also included.
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I’m helping raise money for Second Harvest Food Bank with this fun tee! Available at store.frampton.com – link in stories.
A post shared by Peter Frampton (@mrpeterframpton) on
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As well as the t-shirt, Frampton’s merch store have also been stocking special face masks. A portion of the proceeds from sales of this new merch line will be donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank.
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Official Peter Frampton face masks available now with logo or Premonition inspired print! Get yours now – links in stories. A portion of proceeds benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.
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Frampton had been due to embark on his farewell tour in the UK and Europe in May, but the coronavirus pandemic meant that the tour was cancelled in April.
“I am so sorry to have to announce that, at this time because of the COVID-19 virus, my UK/EU tour has now been cancelled,” Frampton told fans on social media. “All ticket holders should be in touch with their point of purchase for refunds. I couldn’t be more disappointed. My apologies to all.”
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Back in April, Frampton recalled how David Bowie once picked him up and carried him out of the smoke-filled cabin of his private plane.
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Maroon 5’s Mickey Madden arrested on domestic violence charge
Maroon 5 bassist Michael ‘Mickey’ Madden was arrested in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 27 after an allegation of domestic violence.
Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Page Six that the musician was charged with a wilful infliction of “a traumatic injury on a spouse or cohabitant”, which is a felony charge in California.
Madden, 41, resides in Los Angeles and is not married, and the identity of the alleged victim is not yet clear. The bassist’s bail was reportedly posted at US$50,000 and he was released the same afternoon. He is scheduled to appear in court on September 29.
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A spokesperson for Maroon 5 told Page Six: “We are deeply devastated by this disappointing news. As we learn more, we are looking at this very seriously. For now, we are allowing all of the individuals involved the space to work things through.”
In 2016, Madden was arrested on possession charges after allegedly passing James ‘Bingo’ Gubelmann – an ex-boyfriend of Ivanka Trump – a vial of cocaine outside a bar in New York’s East Village precinct.
In court, Madden accepted a conditional dismissal offer on those charges in exchange for one day of community service.
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Clairo announces plans to prevent assault and harassment at future concerts
Clairo took to Twitter yesterday (June 30) announcing her intention to hire “a specific group of people” to help mitigate sexual assault and harassment at future shows.
In a Twitter thread, Clairo – real name Claire Cottrill – said she had been left “completely disgusted” after “reading a lot about all of these recent sexual assault allegations within the ‘indie’ scene”.
She added: “there’s no excuse, the alternative/indie/whatever you wanna call it scene is not exempt from these extremely real problems.”
hope y'all are okay. reading a lot about all of these recent sexual assault allegations within the "indie" scene and i'm just completely disgusted. there's no excuse, the alternative/indie/whatever you wanna call it scene is not exempt from these extremely real problems
— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
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Cottrill went on to encourage fans who have faced similar situations to speak out and let her know.
“I realize i was late to hear about a lot of these [allegations],” she wrote in a follow-up tweet. “and i still am- so if i’m following anyone who has hurt you, let me know.
“I want nothing more than to create a safe and inclusive environment at shows, online and within the music.”
“I have experienced a fair amount of uncomfortable moments from men in music, and odds are I probably will never feel strong enough to talk about them. & people who ARE strong enough to say something deserve to be heard.”
i have experienced a fair amount of uncomfortable moments from men in music, and odds are I probably will never feel strong enough to talk about them. & people who ARE strong enough to say something deserve to be heard please let me know, and i'm sorry for not knowing sooner. ?
— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
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Clairo then mentioned that she and “a few bands” had been working on the prospect of “hiring a specific group of people to look out for assault, harassment, any uncomfortable situation that happens at shows.”
“we want this to be a new normal, and my headline shows will be doing this from now on.”
If any friends are interested in being one of these people when shows pick back up, let me know. shows need to be inclusive and i won't accept anything but that
— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
The singer-songwriter also floated the idea of giving wristbands to those who may feel uncomfortable at concerts.
“I saw @rinasawayama did something like this before,” she wrote. In 2018, Rina Sawayama introduced a wristband system which allowed solo concertgoers to stick together at shows.
“how would you guys feel about having wristbands available to you at the venue if you felt like you needed to be looked out for?” Cottrill asked her followers. “could be a way to find protection within the crowd, or find other people feeling the same way about shows.”
In a final tweet, she summed up what she took away from fans’ responses to her query: “Yes and no. This could potentially work but we’d need to make sure it’s not putting people in danger as well. We’ll keep working on it.”
could be a way to find protection within the crowd, or find other people feeling the same way about shows
— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
soooo .. yes and no. this could potentially work but we'd need to make sure it's not putting people in danger as well. we'll keep working on it
— claire cottrill (@clairo) June 30, 2020
After a busy 2019, Cottrill is yet to release new music this year. She released her debut album, ‘Immunity’, in August 2019 to popular and critical acclaim.
NME gave the album a five-star review, calling Clairo “a master at penning lyrics that make you feel like you’re listening to hushed secrets from a friend”.
The review concluded that ‘Immunity’ “is also a great big gleaming signpost that its creator is one of the smartest, subtlest young musicians around, and someone with plenty more tricks up her sleeve.”
Earlier this year, Clairo was crowned Best New Act In The World at the 2020 NME Awards. She beat out Fontaines D.C., Jade Bird, Celeste and others to claim the prize.
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Rammstein drummer Christoph ‘Doom’ Schneider says there were two spies in his early East German band
Rammstein drummer Christoph ‘Doom’ Schneider has claimed that his early band Die Firma featured two spies in its line-up.
Read more: Fire, fireworks and flaming babies: the five hottest moments in Rammstein’s stunning Milton Keynes show
In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, the musician spoke of his experiences of being part of the East Berlin music scene back in the 1980s.
Discussing the style of his “new wave punk band” Die Firma, Schneider told the outlet they were “a little dark, with gothic influences”, while having “lyrics that protested against the system”.
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“This was not permitted, of course – we were an underground band,” he said. “All the other Rammstein guys were in underground bands, too. We used to play in small clubs with all kinds of fans: freaks, goths, punks.”
Rammstein live
He continued: “The government had their people everywhere, though: Secret Service spies. What was funny was that I couldn’t imagine any harder band than mine at the time, and we had two people actually in the band who were spies – the singer and the keyboard player! Ha ha! Incredible.
“They weren’t professionals: They were hired spies who received a little payment and every once in a while had to report about the music scene.”
Government restrictions at that time meant that bands and artists had to obtain a certificate to prove their legitimacy in order to perform at live events.
Read More: Rammstein – ‘Untitled’ album review
“To get your certificate you had to play in front of a commission, like a jury, who decided if you had the right songs… you were only allowed to play 40 per cent cover versions in your set, the rest had to be your own music,” Schneider explained.
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“Actually it wasn’t that bad an idea, because bands had to come up with their own stuff, and so there were a lot of interesting bands at that time.”
Meanwhile, Schneider has revealed that Rammstein have been working on new music during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown. “We still have so many ideas lying around, so many unfinished songs,” he said.
Rammstein’s UK and European stadium tour was set to be taking place this month, but has now been moved to next summer.
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Cardi B hits back at accusations of homophobia and transphobia: “I support the LGBT community”
Cardi B has hit back at accusations that she is homophobic and transphobic, having previously revealed that she identifies as bisexual.
The rapper, who is married to Migos‘ Offset, previously said that she is a “whole bisexual” after having past relationships with women.
But she has since defended herself after a Twitter user accused her of both homophobia and transphobia.
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“How the fuck am i homophobic or transphobic? have you been to a Caribbean island where you really see homophobia! Have you dealt with a parent that can’t accept you for your sexuality? I said some ignorant things b4 that apologised for & educated myself on it don’t mean I’m homo [sic],” Cardi replied on Twitter.
Ya keep using that same 1 video that I apologize for over & over again to call me homophobic & transphobic 1 but never post about the ones where I support the LGBT community which are multiples and the multiple tweets I posted in support https://t.co/wkl8QmUPjU
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) June 29, 2020
And I don’t support the LGBT community because I have “gay fans” I support because of the confused feelings I had growing up on is it normal to like girls? I support because I know how hard it was for my gay cousin to come out to his very strict Dominican family https://t.co/wkl8QmUPjU
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) June 29, 2020
She added: “Ya keep using that same 1 video that I apologise for over & over again to call me homophobic & transphobic 1 but never post about the ones where I support the LGBT community which are multiples and the multiple tweets I posted in support [sic].”
The rapper, real name Belcalis Almanzar, went on to explain how other family members have previously struggled with their sexuality, including her sister.
“And I don’t support the LGBT community because I have “gay fans” I support because of the confused feelings I had growing up on is it normal to like girls?,” she said.
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“I support because I know how hard it was for my gay cousin to come out to his very strict Dominican family [sic],’ she said. ‘I support because I know the pain my cousin from my mom side which is a Tran “ have a fucked up relationship with her dad for years ! I support because I seen the transitions & the feelings my glam team having during their time with they body transition & my sister.”
Earlier this month, Cardi told her fans that she’ll be releasing new music soon, saying “it’s going to hit, too!”
The Bronx rapper’s last solo single release was ‘Press’, which came out over a year ago. She told fans just last month that her next single would be arriving “very, very soon”.
Silverstein have today (June 30) announced a live stream event to celebrate the band’s 20th anniversary.
A livestreamed in-studio performance will take place on Sunday July 19, and will feature songs from the Candian post-hardcore outfit’s ten album discography, including the latest album ‘A Beautiful Place To Drown’, released in March.
Silverstein have also shared an alternate version of ‘Where Are you’, recorded during in-house sessions for the album. Listen to it below:
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In March, Silverstein released album track ‘Madness’, featuring guest vocal from Princess Nokia, and followed up with an official music video in April. “Princess Nokia was a little different though because she’s in such a different world,” Silverstein said of the collaboration at the time.
Though worldwide tour plans in celebration of the landmark have been postponed due to coronavirus restrictions, the band have been busy and recently shared ‘Quaranstein’, a webisode detailing the band’s daily lives and featuring performances of five classic songs and showcasing special guests.
The band released the webisode performances on an EP on June 12, with 100 per cent of profits being donated to NAACP and Black Legal Action Centre.
Tickets and details for Silverstein: Celebrating 20 Years are available here.
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Their new album ‘A Beautiful Place To Drown’ is out now via UNFD.
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Watch the first episode of The Libertines’ new puppet show ‘Skint And Minted’
The Libertines have launched their own online puppet show – watch the first episode of Skint And Minted below.
In the new show, Pete Doherty and Carl Barat tell the story of how the band formed and when they signed their first record deal with Rough Trade.
The five-minute episode, complete with canned laughter and voiceovers from the band, begins with drummer Gary Powell, self-described as “the main one from The Libertines,” introducing the show.
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After Barat says he quits the puppet show, Powell assures the audience that “quitting is some of us Libertines’ favourite hobbies,” adding: “Luckily, our second favourite hobby is reforming.”
The show, which sees the band developing a deep affection for, uh, sausages, goes on to see Carl and Pete waking up in The Albion Rooms with hangovers before deciding to form a band and writing the song ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’. “We could call the band… Babyshambles!” Doherty says.
The pair then receive a phone call from Rough Trade Records to offer them “a billion pound record deal”.
“This is perfect,” Barat says. “We’re gonna be in a band with Gary and John, and we’ll always be friends and never ever argue or split up or steal each other’s things.”
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The Libertines have been sharing archival footage from across their career to keep fans entertained during lockdown.
Last week, they unearthed footage of a London performance from 1999, three years before they signed to Rough Trade and released their debut album ‘Up The Bracket’. The gig sees them playing an early version of ‘Music When The Lights Go Out’, which would end up appearing on their 2004 self-titled album.
