New York Post — Truly livin' on a prayer. more info

Stereogum — This past summer, Mastodon and Lamb Of God, two of the giants of American metal in this century, headed out on a massive co-headlining tour. Both bands had things to celebrate, as the tour was pegged to the 20th anniversaries of Mastodon’s Leviathan and Lamb Of God’s Ashes Of The Wake. The tour wrapped up last month, but now the two bands have joined forces on a one-off single that captures some of the fury of those early records. more info

Stereogum — That boy Billy Strings is everywhere! Now the prolific bluegrass star has popped up on “Too Stoned To Cry,” a new ballad from alt-country mainstay Margo Price. The song is billed as the start of a new era for Price, and indeed, its classic country twang is a big departure from the psych-tinged country-rock she’s been releasing in recent years. It’s working for her big time, too. more info

Stereogum — On many of the Melvins’ greatest songs, drummer Dale Crover is really the soloist. Listen to the opening drum clatter on “Hooch” that kicks off their landmark 1993 album Houdini, ham-fisted but hyper-precise, a weird architectural construction that takes mere seconds for Crover to build and then topple spectacularly before our eyes. Listen to those woodblock thunks on “Lizzy,” which glint like distant lights in a dark, dismal swamp. The Melvins’ lyrics are famously inscrutable, and there’s the sense in their best music that the drum part is as likely to carry the song’s “meaning” as the words. Crover is such a marvelously expressive drummer that his decision to go kit-to-kit with Big Business’s Coady Willis during the band’s acclaimed late-2000s run scanned as an enormous risk — but taking enormous risks is something the Melvins have been great at for their entire career, from their origins as the slowest band in Montesano, WA to their current status as a beloved cult band whose entire career feels like a wilderness period. more info

New York Post — Katy Perry got a real rise out of the audience. more info

New York Post — Katy Perry's speech at the 2024 VMAs definitely spoke to Taylor Swift. more info

Stereogum — The avalanche of Charli XCX remixes continues! For months now, Charli has been dropping new versions of her Brat tracks with various guest-stars: Addison Rae, Robyn and Yung Lean, Lorde, Billie Eilish. Now, two days before Charli and Troye Sivan’s Sweat Tour is scheduled to kick off in Detroit, Charli and Sivan have shared the “Talk Talk” remix that Charli previewed a few days ago, and she’s also announced that her Brat remix album is coming out next month. more info

New York Post — Eminem is up for eight awards and played material off his latest 12th studio album, "The Death of Slim Shady," at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday. more info