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Song Du Jour #12, Blur
In a livestreamed press conference on their Facebook page Thursday, Blur announced the release of a surprise new album on April 27, their first since Think Tank in 2003. Their eighth studio album will be called The Magic Whip and is set to include the following tracklist: The Magic Whip was partly recorded in Hong […]
UKRAINIAN FORCES PULL BACKUkraine’s government forces began withdrawing today from the eastern and key strategic city of Debaltseve, which has been under siege from pro-Russian separatists, Reuters reports. Semen Semenchenko, who heads the Ukrainian paramilitary battalion, wrote on Facebook that “the withdrawal of forces from Debaltseve is taking place in a planned and organized way.” […]
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Song Du Jour #8, Spice Girls
Four previously unreleased Spice Girls songs recorded in the late 90s have “leaked” online this week. Three of them were soon deleted but one ballad, “A Day In Your Life”, is still there.
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Song Du Jour #7, The Smiths
The Smiths’ second and most commercially successfull studio album Meat Is Murder was released exactly 30 years ago, on Feb. 11, 1985.
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Song Du Jour #1, Saturn’s Pattern
It’s only a snippet, but it’s a good way to start the week. Paul Weller has released a teaser of his upcoming album “Saturn’s Pattern”, which will be released next spring. The former frontman of The Jam said this album “is one of the best things I’ve done,” according to this month’s issue of Uncut. […]
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Song Du Jour #5, Gang Of Four
Gang of Four, the emblematic post-punks from Leeds, released a video yesterday featuring The Kills’ Alison Mosshart for their track “England’s In My Bones”. The song will appear on their upcoming 9th studio album What Happens Next, which will be released on Feb. 24 in the U.S. and on March 2 in Europe.
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Song Du Jour #2, McNulty’s Rap
This clip of Dominic West, a.k.a. Jimmy McNulty from the series The Wire, rapping last week with emcees Sinead, Bugsey and Jah Digga from Nottingham, UK., is priceless.
The Times, Jan. 28, 2015 A photo of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was allegedly used by Russian special forces for target practice, says The Times on Wednesday’s front page. An inquiry into the dissident’s death began in London Tuesday, with claims made by Ben Emmerson QC — the lawyer acting on behalf of Litvinenko’s […]
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Lucky Weather
Almost 60 years of travels, and hardly a drop of rain. Yes, even in Scotland, that’s how lucky we were. And what better proof than these Scots working on their tan in Princes Street Gardens, the charming public park in the centre of Edinburgh — or as we say in French, Édimbourg.
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Echolocation, How To See With Your Ears
Ever heard (no pun intended) of echolocation? It’s the ability of some animals, most famously dolphins and bats, to emit sound waves to determine the location and size of objects around them, which helps them “see.” Scientists have long known that some blind humans shared this skill and were able to also emit clicking sounds […]
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Playlist: 2014 Music Farewells
From rock’n’roll pioneers to soul legends and flamenco gods, here’s Worldcrunch’s tribute playlist to 16 of the great musicians who died in 2014. Joe Cocker — Night Calls Phil Everly, Everly Brothers — All I Have To Do Is Dream Paco de Lucia — Impetu & Panaderos Tommy Ramone, The Ramones — I Don’t Want […]
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Sea Foam, Beer Foam
Becici, a sea resort near Budva in western Montenegro, boasts one of the most beautiful beaches in the country — and the hotel from whose terrace I snapped this picture offered one of the best beers I’ve ever had.
As Pakistan began to bury its children Wednesday, the world reacted to one of the most horrifying terrorist acts in recent years: the Taliban’s methodical assault on a school in Peshawar. The death toll in Tuesday’s attack stands at 141 people, including 132 children, as survivors recounted point-blank-range elimination of one student after another. The […]
Madina, a British artist and designer, has launched a collection of stamps featuring hip hop artists of the golden era of the genre, in the 1980s-90s. All photos: Madina For a very long time — until 2005 in fact — stamps in the United Kingdom only depicted members of the Royal Family. Except for a […]
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2014: The Year In 57 Seconds
It was a year of far too much bad news for the history books, crunched here into one minute. And there’s more (not always so grim) history to cover. We are launching a daily video feature that squeezes all of world history — well, almost — into less than a minute each day.
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On This Day
Your 57-second shot of history.
LONDON — In London’s posh Mayfair district on Grafton Street, just around the corner from where international art dealers and high-end jewelry brands are clustered, the adage about not being fooled by appearances rings truer than ever. Here there is a branch store of the contemporary jewelry brand launched by the mining consortium Gemfields. The […]
Early on August 8, 1969, London police held up the traffic on Abbey Road for 10 minutes so the Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan could shoot the cover for the Beatles’ album that shares its name with the street. He took six photos of the Fab Four crossing the zebra stripes, one of which would later […]
When Grandmaster Flash wrote “The Message” and The Notorious B.I.G. turned out “Juicy,” it was not just a way to share a glimpse of everyday life in New York’s toughest neighborhoods, but also escape it. “It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from goin” under” Grandmaster Flash raps, urging himself […]
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Global Charts #8
It’s Friday AND it’s Halloween! Time to check out what the world has been listening to between spooky playlists this week. Worldcrunch Pick: King Horror, “Loch Ness Monster” France: David Guetta feat. Sam Martin, “Dangerous” Mexico: Calvin Harris feat. John Newman, “Blame” Uganda: Korede Bello, “Cold Outside” Lebanon: Marwan Khoury, “Law” Vietnam: Taylor Swift, “Shake […]
Smartphones and iPads, we all know, can be pretty cool. We also know they can suck. Take music concerts, when the other fans in front of you form a view-blocking field of little blue lights in their own private attempt to take home a digital souvenir of the show. Filming performances has even been encouraged […]
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The 6 Sexiest Sax Songs
Photo: Roy Anderson/Family handout A sad note in the music world today with news of the death of Raphael Ravenscroft, the British saxophonist who worked with some of the best artists of his generation. He died at age 60 after an apparent heart attack on Sunday in Exeter, UK. Ravenscroft is best known for penning […]
Nearly 40 years after the Sex Pistols’ first began transforming music forever, Johnny Rotten is still not ready to calm down: There’s the release of his memoir Anger is an Energy, the upcoming recording of a new album with PIL and a concert at London’s O2 arena in December. In between two book signings across […]
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The Global Village Has Become A Nightmare
Coined a half-century ago by Marshall McLuhan, the ‘global village’ had come to express hope in a connected world. Now, such plagues as ISIS and Ebola, show how that can turn against us.
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Global Charts #6
This week, people in Turkmenistan are dancing to Kiesza. In Uganda, they’re listening to Korede Bello. We’re looking forward to the weekend with this band from Birmigham: Worldcrunch: Black Sabbath, “War Pigs” Spain: Sia, “Chandelier” Panama: MAGIC!, “Rude” Uganda: Korede Bello, “Cold Outside” United Arab Emirates: John Legend, “All Of Me” Turkmenistan: Kiesza, “Hideaway” Source: […]
The number of wild animals living on our planet has drastically decreased over the past 40 years, according to research by scientists at the World Wildlife Foundation and the Zoological Society of London. “Unsustainable human consumption” is to blame — killing creatures for food, whilst polluting and destroying their habitats. The report suggests populations have […]
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Global Charts #5
It’s Friday! Why not check out what the world is listening to? Worldcrunch: The Human Beinz, “Nobody But Me” Bulgaria: Indila, “S.O.S.” Paraguay: Nicky Jam, “Travesuras” Botswana: Meghan Trainor – All About That Bass Bahrain: MAGIC!, “Rude” Papua New Guinea: Enrique Iglesias, “Bailando” (feat. Sean Paul, Descemer Bueno & Gente de Zona) Source: Hot Music […]
Images that captured the news around the world…
Scottish voters have handily rejected the independence referendum. Still, Scotland is destined to gain more autonomy and drift ever farther away from London, with consequences across the UK.
As Europe continues to be divvied up into smaller, ethnically homogenous nations, the burdern falls on larger countries, compromising the leverage and a united West.
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Global Charts #4
Well look at that: It’s Friday again! Time to check out some of the songs currently topping the charts around the world. Turkmenistan: Anna Sedokova – “Chto Ya Nadelala” Qatar: Nico & Vinz – “Am I Wrong” Argentina: Gustavo Cerati – “Crimen” Egypt: Hassan El Shafei feat. Abla Fahita – “Mayestahlushi” France: Lilly Wood & […]
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Global Charts #3
It’s Friday — time to check out some of the songs topping charts around the world: Portugal: Anselmo Ralph – “Unica Mulher” Venezuela: Enrique Iglesias feat. Descemer Bueno and Gente de Zona – “Bailando” Mozambique: Taylor Swift – “Shake It Off” Israel: Sia – “Chandelier” Sri Lanka: Troye Sivan – “The Fault In Our Stars” […]
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Global Charts #2
It’s Friday! Time to check out some of the songs topping charts around the world: Greece: Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off” Bahamas: Ariana Grande feat. Iggy Azalea, “Problem” Botswana: John Legend, “All Of Me” Bahrain: MAGIC!, “Rude” Taiwan: G.E.M., “Like You” Source: Hot Music Charts
The news, quantified.
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Global Charts #1
It’s Friday! Time to check out some of the songs currently topping the charts around the world: Finland: Cheek, “Äärirajoille” Colombia: Calvin Harris, “Summer” Burkina Faso: Floby, “My Lady” Lebanon: Maroon 5, “Maps” Russia: Lilly Wood & the Prick & Robin Schulz, “Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Radio Edit)” Source: Hot Music Charts
The news in quotes, and quotes making news…
Clychau Dibon is a one-of-a-kind album. The first collaboration between Welsh classical harpist Catrin Finch and Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita, the album brings to life an extraordinary combination. The two instruments have actually a lot in common. Originally from the same musical family, they play central roles both in Wales and Senegal, where oral […]
Ever dreamed of quoting a French protest song in the middle of a heated, high-brow debate? The University of Manchester — in a city that has always been forward-thinking, especially when on the music front — now offers a course called “Protest Music in France”. Every week, students will focus on three French artists: songwriter […]
Nashville is grand, New York is cool and London keeps calling. But music is happening everywhere in the world, and we’ll discover it together here.