Zappagram #57: The long-awaited return of Queens Of The Stone Age

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Hey folks,

First, and most importantly, I want to wish all the moms out there a belated Happy Mother’s Day. Secondly, there’s a lot of QOTSA in this edition which makes my little heart very happy to be reporting on new music from one of my favorite bands of all time.

Lastly, if you’re enjoying the podcast and/or the newsletter, please tell your friends and enemies or anyone else who will listen. Let’s stop wasting time and get right into things, shall we?

Ground control to reader: Take your protein pills. Put your helmet on.

This music newsletter ain’t gonna read itself.

“Authority is supposedly grounded in wisdom, but I could see from a very early age that authority was only a system of control. And it didn't have any inherent wisdom. I quickly realized that you either became a power or you were crushed.
—Joe Strummer

ROCK THE VOTE

:: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD

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WEEKLY PLAYLIST #57

:: NEW MUSIC EVERY WEEK

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Featuring: Sonic Youth, The Cramps, The Dead Weather, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mother Leopard, Bonny Doon, Madeline Kenney, Kali Uchis, Cliffdiver

Spotify • Apple Music

MASTER PLAYLIST (ALL WEEKS)

Spotify • Apple Music

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MUSIC NEWS

:: WHAT’S GOING ON

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MTV News Is Shutting Down
The company endured major layoffs and shuttered operations after 36 years [Pitchfork]

Frank Kozik, Artist Behind Queens of the Stone Age and Melvins Album Covers, Dies at 61
The prolific poster artist and creative director of Kidrobot created the album covers for Queens of the Stone Age, Melvins’ Houdini, and the Offspring’s Americana [Pitchfork]

Queens of the Stone Age Announce New Album In Times New Roman…
The new album is their first since 2017’s Villains. The LP is out June 16th via Matador Records, while the lead single “Emotion Sickness” is out now [Consequence]

Fishbone Officially Announce Fat Mike-Produced EP, Share “Estranged Fruit”
The EP is their first new release in nearly a decade. It comes out May 26 via Fat Mike's new label Bottles to the Ground [BrooklynVegan]

Local Natives Announce New Album and Tour
Time Will Wait For No One is out July 7. Check out their new song “NYE,” as well as their album artwork and forthcoming tour dates [Pitchfork]

Building Costs for MSG’s Las Vegas Sphere Keep Going Up
The company reported costs increased another $125 million, bringing the total now to $2.3 billion [Billboard]

Taylor Swift Announces New Re-Recorded Album Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
The news arrived during an Eras Tour stop in her former home city of Nashville [Pitchfork]

Joni Mitchell’s Surprise Newport Folk Concert to Be Released as Live Album
Due out July 28, the all-star Joni Jam marked the legendary singer-songwriter's first full show in over 20 years [RollingStone]

Pretenders Announce New Album, Share New Song
“Let the Sun Come In” leads Relentless—the band’s first album in three years [Pitchfork]

Dolly Parton’s ‘Rockstar’ Has a Feature by Literally Every Rock Star
The country legend's long-promised rock album features Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, Rob Halford, Elton John, Lizzo, and 30-plus other guests [RollingStone]

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OTHER NEWS

:: MAY OR MAY NOT BE MUSIC-RELATED

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Black Thought Announces New Memoir, ‘The Upcycled Self’
The Roots rapper's upcoming book will tell the story of "four powerful relationships that shaped him — community, friends, art, and family" [RollingStone]

Mystery Book Is About BTS, Not Taylor Swift
Fervent fan speculation over the past few days fueled rumors that a Taylor Swift book was in the works [RollingStone]

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Z-REX

:: ZAPPA’S RECOMMENDATIONS

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+ Jack Hamilton, writing for The Atlantic, published a piece titled “Surrender To Steely Dan: How the insufferably perfectionist duo captured the hearts of a new generation of listeners” which is worth the read.

+ Alex Pappademas and Joan LeMay explore Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's knotty relationship with sampling, and higher artistic ties to rap, in this chapter from their book, Quantum Criminals.

+ One of my favorite bands of all time, Queens Of The Stone Age, is back after a six-year hiatus with brand new music. Their new single “Emotion Sickness” is out now (official video below) and the new album In Times New Roman… drops June 16th.

This live performance from Düsseldorf, Germany in 2013 is but one example of why they kick so much ass.

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NEW RELEASES

:: RECENTLY DROPPED MUSIC

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Alison Goldfrapp: The Love Invention [listen]
Daft Punk: Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition) [listen]
Dropkick Murphys: Okemah Rising [listen]
Esben & The Witch: Hold Sacred [listen]
Madison McFerrin: I Hope You Can Forgive Me [listen]
Moby: Resound NYC [listen]
Queens Of The Stone Age: “Emotional Sickness” (single) [listen]

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RELEASE RADAR

:: UPCOMING RELEASES

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- MAY 19 -

Dave Matthews Band: Walk Around the Moon
Graham Nash: Now
Lewis Capaldi: Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent
Paul Simon: Seven Psalms
Raul Malo: Say Less
Sufjan Stevens, Timo Andres & Conor Hanick: Reflections

- MAY 26 -

Arlo Parks: My Soft Machine
The Exploding Hearts: Guitar Romantic
Simply Red: Time
Sparks: The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte

- MAY 29 -

Khruangbin: Live at Stubb’s

- JUNE 2 -

Ben Folds: What Matters Most
Ben Harper: Wide Open Light
Bob Dylan: Shadow Kingdom
Cowboy Junkies: Such Ferocious Beauty
Foo Fighters: But Here We Are
Half Moon Run: Salt
John Mellencamp: Orpheus Descending
Louise Post (of Veruca Salt): Sleepwalker
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats: What If I EP
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds: Council Skies
Rancid: Tomorrow Never Comes
Rufus Wainwright: Folkocracy

- JUNE 9 -

The Boo Radleys: Eight
Christine and the Queens: Paranoia, Angels, True Love
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit: Weathervanes
Jenny Lewis: Joy’All
Love and Rockets: My Sweet Twin
My Morning Jacket: MMJ Live Vol. 3: Bonnaroo 2004
Youth Lagoon: Heaven Is a Junkyard

- JUNE 16 -

Balmorhea: Pendant World
Drive-By Truckers: The Complete Dirty South
The Flaming Lips: Hypnotist EP
Hand Habits: Sugar the Bruise EP
Mötörhead: Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival ’07
Queens Of The Stone Age: In Times New Roman…
Son Volt: Day of the Doug
The Teskey Brothers: The Winding Way

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ON THIS DATE

:: MUSICAL HAPPENINGS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

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- MAY 15 -

English musician, composer, record producer Brian Eno was born in Suffolk, England. (1948) ♯ Ahmet Zappa was born in Los Angeles. (1974) ♯ June Carter Cash died in Nashville of complications following heart surgery, aged 73. (2003)

- MAY 16 -

Nirvana bassist, Krist Novoselic, was born in Compton, California. (1965) ♯ Jonathan Richman of The Modern Lovers was born in Natick, Massachusetts. (1951) Ronnie James Dio died after a six-month battle with cancer. (2010) The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds. (1966)

- MAY 17 -

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails was born in Mercer, Pennsylvania. (1965) ♯ Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age was born in Joshua Tree, California. (1973) ♯ A fire destroyed Tom Petty's house in Los Angeles. (1987) ♯ Daft Punk released Random Access Memories. (2013)

- MAY 18 -

Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo was born in Akron, Ohio. (1950) ♯ Ian Curtis of Joy Division hung himself in the kitchen of his house in Macclesfield, England at the age of 23. At the time of his death, Curtis had Iggy Pop’s album The Idiot playing on his stereo. (1980) ♯ Chris Cornell died by suicide in Detroit, Michigan. (2017)

- MAY 19 -

Phil Rudd, drummer for AC/DC was born in Melbourne, Australia. (1954) ♯ Joey Ramone was born in Queens, New York. (1951) ♯ Keith Richards crashed his car after falling asleep behind the wheel. (1976) ♯ Ringo Starr was involved in a car crash less than half a mile from where Marc Bolan was killed in a crash three years earlier. (1980) Note: Maybe rock stars should avoid driving entirely on May 19?

- MAY 20 -

Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, England. (1944) ♯ Jane Wiedlin of The Go Go’s was born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. (1958) ♯Dan Wilson of Semisonic was born in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. (1961) ♯ Ray Manzarek, founding member of The Doors, died in Rosenheim, Germany, aged 74. (2013)

- MAY 21 -

Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. (1941) ♯ Marvin Gaye released his classic album What's Going On. (1971) ♯ The Notorious B.I.G. was born in Brooklyn, NY. (1972) ♯ Gotye was born in Bruges, Belgium. (1980) ♯ Joe Strummer of The Clash was arrested at a gig in Hamburg after smashing his guitar over an audience member’s head. (1980) ♯ David Bowie went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with “Let's Dance” featuring blues guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughan. (1983)

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Be excellent to each other,
CZ 🤘🏻