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We received more than 250 expert ballots. Explore some of them here.

First we polled hundreds of experts. Then Times critics spent weeks arguing about what constitutes greatness in American music.

Times critics, with the help of more than 250 experts, made their list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters. Now it’s your turn to choose.

Modest Mouse announced their first new album in five years, and their first album on Glacial Pace Recordings, the longtime imprint of lead singer Isaac Brock, after over two decades on Epic Records. An Eraser and a Maze will be released on June 5 and was produced by Brock with additional production by Jackknife Lee (U2, The Killers), Suzy Shinn (Weezer, panic at the disco), and Justin Raisin (Charli xcx, Kim Gordon, Lil Yachty). An Eraser And A Maze is available for pre-save and pre-order now. The album will be released on CD and 2LPs, with exclusive vinyl variants available at www.modestmouse.com and select retailers.

There’s a theory in physics — the idea that past, present, and future all exist simultaneously, and that the passage of time itself is an illusion. It’s also the best way to understand An Eraser and a Maze, because you can hear every era of Modest Mouse coexisting at once on it. It might mark the end of a timeline. Or the start of one. Or maybe both at once. Modest Mouse began working on this collection of songs immediately following 2021’s The Golden Casket. With six songs that could have formed an EP, he considered releasing them as his side project, Ugly Casanova, but ultimately decided to feature the expanded collection on the band’s Glacial Pace Recordings.

As for the thematic glue that holds it all together, while Brock is no fan of overexplaining or over intellectualising a record, what he will allow: With 2021’s The Golden Casket, he was trying to manufacture post-pandemic silver linings. “For this one, I turned off my filter and just let it all happen. Even though every goddamn musician says that when they put out a record. I mean, go ahead and listen to the three-minute mark of any interview between a musician and Terry Gross …” 

“Thoughts, emotions, feelings, all that stuff … you’re like the soup, and it’s not always easy to pick out the ingredients. I don’t dwell on things much. I don’t grieve much. I’m not sure I’m a person. I feel like I should have more feelings than I do. But then, you know, I’ll sing stuff. And I’m like, Oh, there it is. Oh — it’s in there.”

Modest Mouse also shared the opening track. ‘Picking Dragon’s Pockets‘ is a bombastic kickoff to the album with an anthemic chorus that’ll have you singing loudly about navigating a manipulative, self-destructive world. The album kicks off bombastically with the opening track, ‘Picking Dragon’s Pockets’. Featuring an anthemic chorus, this song will inspire loud singing about navigating a self-destructive and manipulative world.

Previously released song ‘Look How Far…‘ finds Isaac Brock’s signature blunt and sardonic tone remains intact, especially in the stark lyric that questions human progress: “Look how far we’ve come / oh my god we’re so fucking dumb.” 

Picking Dragon’s Pockets
Remember Yourself
Life’s A Dream
Third Side Of The Moon
Dogbed in Heaven/Give It A Skeleton
Interlude
I Can’t Talk Right Now
Speak ‘N Spell (Or Not)
Rotten Fruit (feat. Justin Raisin)
Knocked Down By Waves
Absolutely Necessary Never
Song About Nothing
Stoner Party
Look How Far
Impossible Somedays

The post MODEST MOUSE Announce New Album ‘An Eraser and a Maze’ appeared first on The Rockpit.

Megan Thee Stallion announced her split with the Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson over the weekend, and the rapper appeared emotional onstage during the curtain call of Moulin Rouge! that same night. Now, she announced she’s withdrawing from the Broadway musical.

The post Megan Thee Stallion Announces Split With Klay Thompson, Exit From <em>Moulin Rouge!</em> appeared first on Stereogum.

Crystal Lake are a powerhouse of modern metalcore, hailing from Tokyo, Japan. Since their formation in 2002, they have evolved from a local hardcore act into an international juggernaut, known for their relentless energy, technical precision, and a sound that seamlessly bridges the gap between crushing heavy riffs and soaring, melodic atmospheres. In the 6 […]

Test your knowledge of some of our songwriters’ biggest hits.

As clowns push death metal and black metal into pure repetition, death-doom rises, in one fiery instance with Consecration who take a Candlemass approach to Skepticism style funeral doom and make energetic but morbid havens of dark sound.

The hybrid origins of doom metal, going back to Black Sabbath and Saint Vitus, emerge in this release which combines upbeat heavy metal riffs with extended chromatic dirges with hints of melody, giving it a duality that powers its return to nihilistic confrontation with the empty side of life.

Songs are based around using the chorus like a weapon, building divergence in layers and then returning to a familiar them in a new context before eventually expanding it like a growing flower. In all of it, a funeral atmosphere persists and paradoxically, becomes comfortable.

A lot has changed in the six years since Liverpool based alternative quartet Loathe released their seismic sophomore album I Let It In And It Took Everything. An album that not only changed the course of their careers but changed the course of heavy music at large, its success has seen the band sell out tours globally both in arenas as support for legendary legacy acts and as demand-stealing headliners in their own right, alongside priority placements on festival stages worldwide. As a statement, the album drew a line in the sand as a forebearer for the wave of expansive, atmospheric heavy music that continues to permeate the mainstream to this day. Six years later, Loathe are ready to upend the conventions of contemporary metal once again with their long awaited third album, A Stranger To You.

Due for release on July 17th 2026, the album takes the formula that the band helped to build for modern alternative music and reshapes it; crafting a brand new world that integrates disparate global influences to confound listeners and sharpen the senses. Easily the band’s most sonically adventurous work to date, each moment has been designed to ensure that the six year space between releases has been more than worth the wait, with the familiar Loathe sonic palette expanded by hypnotic shades of psychedelia, immersive synth tapestries, genuinely unique percussive patterns, and an attitude to sound design that sets A Stranger To You apart from all contemporaries. With expectation and hope around the release reaching an all-time high, it would’ve been simple for Loathe to take the easy route and recreate the winning formula from their last release. Instead, A Stranger To You is 14 tracks of staggeringly complex, but rewarding beyond all measure alternative music that will leave the listener uncovering layers of artistic brilliance long after the first play.

Following on from last year’s epic single Gifted Every Strength, Loathe today unveil the second taste of A Stranger To You in the form of new single and video, Revenant. Already a live favourite that has caused devastation across multiple continents, Revenant opens to glistening waves of synth, before descending into a low-slung, rhythmic display of power. Vocalist Kadeem France’s vocals shred through the track’s shapeshifting arrangement; at one moment parallel with elements of funk, before metamorphosing into an exhibition of the band’s individual musical excellence that has the power to rewire the consciousness. Featuring NOWHERE2RUN and Code Orange’s Jami Morgan and Eric “Shade” Balderose, Revenant is a defiant, singular statement from one of global alternative music’s most uncategorisable bands – a band that’s ready to unleash one of the year’s most surprising and sonically enriching albums.

A Stranger To You is, in many ways, a rarity in today’s single-driven musical landscape, opting to return to the gold standard of a methodically laid out, interconnected track sequence that provides an experience best consumed from start to finish. That experience will be open to all from July 17th; a chance to delve headfirst into the artistic evolution and creative rebirth of Loathe on A Stranger To You, an album that is destined to take its place at the pinnacle of heavy music’s pantheon of generational works.

Loathe‘s first-ever Australian headline tour joined by special guests Static Dress kicks off on May 9. The Perth, Melbourne and Sydney shows are all sold out. Tickets are selling fast for the remainder shows.

A Stranger To You Track Listing:

01. Entrance
02. Block Of Flats
03. Fortress Down
04. Gemini
05. Nothing Like The Knife
06. Harder To Pretend
07. اثينا
08. Revenant
09. The Way It Breaks
10. Meet My Maker
11. Fangs
12. The Ladder
13. Gifted Every Strength
14. No Stranger To You…

A STRANGER TO YOU – OUT JULY 17
https://astrangertoyou.com/

The post LOATHE Announce Highly Anticipated New Album ‘A Stranger To You’ appeared first on The Rockpit.

Live Nation and Split Enz are thrilled to unveil the special guest openers on their eagerly awaited Forever Enz Tour this May.

Featuring across all Australian shows are Vika & Linda, the celebrated duo excited to perform alongside the band they have long held in such high esteem.  Fans can look forward to a string of their most loved songs and a preview of tracks from their forthcoming ninth studio album, Where Do you Come From? (out 5 June). Vika & Linda are revered by the biggest names in Australian music, praised by the likes of Paul Kelly, Mark Seymour, James Reyne, Kasey Chambers and many more – this is a very special opportunity to witness their live set on some of the biggest stages across Australia.

Taking the stage for all New Zealand shows is Wellington’s own Hans Pucket. 4-piece Hans Pucket has been performing their unique style of hook-laden indie rock for some years, with latest album release ‘No Drama’ the band’s most sparkling and confident collection of danceable, thoughtful tunes yet. However, Hans Pucket’s strength lies in their live performance which is all about bringing fun to the stage!

Split Enz featuring Tim Finn, Eddie Rayner, Neil Finn, and Noel Crombie will commence their six date New Zealand national tour in the city of Hamilton at Claudelands Arena on Saturday, May 2 which is only fitting given Tim and Neil Finn hail from nearby Te Awamutu. Then, following ongoing demand from their South Island fans after their Electric Avenue reunion performance in February, Split Enz will return to Christchurch to play a headline show on Monday, May 4 at Wolfbrook Arena, followed by multiple shows in Wellington and Auckland.

The Australian leg of the Forever Enz Tour will commence in Melbourne on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 May at Rod Laver Arena, followed by Saturday 16 May at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, then on to TikTok Entertainment Centre, Sydney on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 May, RAC Arena, Perth on Friday 22 May and concluding on Monday 25 May at Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Tickets are on sale now – for complete tour and ticket information, head to livenation.com.au and livenation.co.nz.

Performing their first show in 18 years, playing their 1,000th gig as a band in front of 45,000 ecstatic fans at the Electric Avenue Festival on February 27, Split Enz delivered an historic show that wowed the intergenerational crowd.

‘…The moment that will stay with me will be Neil and Tim Finn singing ‘Message to My Girl,’ their voices soaring across Hagley Park, uniting all those kids with all those adults, melting every single heart that was there. Put it all in a sack and bury it in a time capsule, because this was one for the history books.’ – The Boiler Room

‘Timeless glory – Split Enz still soar ‘– The Press

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to witness Split Enz live – with live line up featuring Tim Finn, Neil Finn, Eddie Rayner and Noel Crombie plus Matt Eccles on drums and James Milne on bass. 

SPLIT ENZ
FOREVER ENZ TOUR
New Zealand / Australia

Presented by Live Nation by arrangement with WME
With special guests Hans Pucket (NZ) + Vika & Linda (AU)

Saturday 2 May – Claudelands Arena, Hamilton – NEW SHOW
Monday 4 May – Wolfbrook Arena, Christchurch – NEW SHOW
Wednesday 6 May – TSB Arena, Wellington SOLD OUT
Thursday 7 May – TSB Arena, Wellington – LIMITED TICKETS
Saturday 9 May – Spark Arena, Auckland – SOLD OUT
Sunday 10 May – Spark Arena, Auckland – LIMITED TICKETS
Wednesday 13 May – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne SOLD OUT
Thursday 14 May – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Saturday 16 May – Entertainment Centre, Brisbane NEW SHOW
Monday 18 May – TikTok Entertainment Centre, Sydney SOLD OUT
Tuesday 19 May – TikTok Entertainment Centre, Sydney
Friday 22 May – RAC Arena, Perth
Monday 25 May – Entertainment Centre, Adelaide

For complete tour and ticket information, head to livenation.com.au and livenation.co.nz

The post SPLIT ENZ FOREVER ENZ TOUR, MAY 2026 – Band Confirms Special Guests for Australia & NZ Dates appeared first on The Rockpit.