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Exploring The Rock Field

Go inside the nominations in the rock categories for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards

GRAMMYs/Dec 3, 2014 - 05:06 am

You've seen the list of nominees, now take a closer look at the artists nominated in the Rock Field for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

The list of nominees in the Rock Field seems even more eclectic than usual, with bands representing the broadest range of rock subgenres to date, including funk, folk and progressive rock, punk/emo, alt-country, electronica, Americana, and heavy metal. There's even a classic rock stalwart: British guitar virtuoso and eight-time GRAMMY winner Jeff Beck. And there's plenty of new blood represented in the field, with folky upstarts Mumford & Sons and the Decemberists squaring off against heavy metal renegades Mastodon and GRAMMY-winning crowd-pleasers such as Coldplay, Foo Fighters and Radiohead.

Best Rock Performance
A resurgence of folk rock is reflected in the nominations for Mumford & Sons' "The Cave" and the Decemberists' Dylanesque "Down By The Water." Mumford & Sons earned their first GRAMMY nominations in 2010 for Best New Artist and Best Rock Song for "Little Lion Man," while the Decemberists are making their GRAMMY debut. Alternative rockers Radiohead return to the nominees circle with their snake-charming dance track "Lotus Flower," while GRAMMY winners Foo Fighters make the competition stiffer with their introspective rocker "Walk." Rounding out the category are GRAMMY winners Coldplay, whose rousing single "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall" introduced their latest album Mylo Xyloto.



Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance
Living up to the title of their 2011 album, A Dramatic Turn Of Events, East Coast progressive metal stalwarts Dream Theater earned their first GRAMMY nomination for their track "On The Backs Of Angels." Also making their first GRAMMY bow is Sum 41 for their hellfire love song "Blood In My Eyes." Atlanta-based heavy metalists Mastodon scored their second career GRAMMY nomination for their bottom-heavy rocker "Curl Of The Burl." The band earned their first nomination in 2006 for Best Metal Performance for "Colony Of Birchmen." Six-time GRAMMY winners Foo Fighters are nominated for their punk-influenced track "White Limo," while thrash metal pioneers Megadeth rack up their 10th career nomination for their tooth-gnashing ode to corruption, "Public Enemy No. 1."

Best Rock Song
In the Best Rock Song category the competition is a virtual clone of the Best Rock Performance race. The category finds folk-rockers Mumford & Sons and the Decemberists hoping to stake claims on their first GRAMMY for "The Cave" (written by band members Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford, and Country Winston) and "Down By The Water" (penned by frontman Colin Meloy), respectively. Foo Fighters hope to stroll off with yet another trophy for their group-penned "Walk," while seven-time GRAMMY winners Coldplay look to add to their GRAMMY collection for their appropriately torrential single "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall," co-written by bandmates Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris Martin. Three-time GRAMMY winners Radiohead are up for their mysterious dance track "Lotus Flower," co-written by the band's Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway, and Thom Yorke.

Best Rock Album
Pitting a classic rocker against his disciples, the Best Rock Album contest finds influential British guitarist Jeff Beck competing for his ninth GRAMMY with his '50s-styled album, Rock 'N' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul. Newfangled Southern rockers Kings Of Leon are looking to lock down their fourth GRAMMY win for their acclaimed 2010 album, Come Around Sundown. Multiple nominees Foo Fighters snagged yet another nod for Wasting Light, which is also an Album Of The Year contender, while funk-rock trailblazers the Red Hot Chili Peppers are up for their latest album, I'm With You. Looking to earn their second GRAMMY win is the ever unclassifiable Wilco, who capture a nomination for their delectably experimental 2011 masterwork, The Whole Love.

Who will take home the awards in the Rock Field categories? Tune in to the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 12, taking place at Staples Center in Los Angeles and airing live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

(Note: The videos embedded reflect official videos available through official artist and record label Web channels.)

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Jeff Tweedy & Cheryl Pawelski Sit Down For "Up Close & Personal" Chat: 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,' Writing One Song & More
Cheryl Pawelski and Jeff Tweedy

Photo: Daniel Boczarski

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Jeff Tweedy & Cheryl Pawelski Sit Down For "Up Close & Personal" Chat: 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,' Writing One Song & More

Cheryl Pawelski is the producer and curator of 'Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)', which won a GRAMMY in 2023 for Best Historical Album. On Feb. 27, she sat down with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy about all manner of creativities.

GRAMMYs/Mar 11, 2024 - 02:48 pm

"We don't get the applause. That's later."

That was an offhand comment from Sarah Jensen, the Senior Executive Director for the Recording Academy's Midwest Chapter — ahead of a conversation between Cheryl Pawelski and Jeff Tweedy. But given the nature of the ensuing chat, it's oddly apropos.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Wilco's seminal Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, four-time GRAMMY winners Tweedy and Pawelski chatted before a hometown audience at the Rhapsody Theater in Chicago. Pawelski produced and curated Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition), which won Best Historical Album at the 2024 GRAMMYs; Pawelski accepted the golden gramophone on their behalf.

Today, 2002's ambitious, deconstructionist Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is just about universally revered as a watershed for alternative music. But in a David-and-Goliath story told and retold since its release — especially in the documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, Yankee was rejected by its label, Reprise.

Wilco left their label, published Yankee on their own website, and it became a tremendous hit. Nonesuch — which, like Reprise, operates through Warner Records — picked them up, meaning the same record company, in effect, paid Wilco twice.

Ever since, the applause for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot — the one with the immortal "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," "Jesus, Etc." and "Ashes of American Flags" on it — has been unceasing. And, naturally, a hefty chunk of Pawelski and Tweedy's conversation — for the Recording Academy's "Up Close & Personal" interview series, and MCed by Chicagoan family music artist Justin Roberts — revolved around it.

According to Tweedy, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was a pivot point, where they decided to move away from any sort of pastiche.

"There are a lot of things on the boxed set," he said — referring to the plethora of alternate versions of well-known tracks — "where I would listen to them now and go, 'That was good enough.' But it wasn't satisfying… Rock and roll was built on that thing, above all else… be yourself, without any apology, and on purpose."

The "Up Close & Personal" session didn't start with Yankee, though; it started with How to Write One Song, Tweedy's 2020 treatise on the process of… well, writing one song. Which gets as psychologically and spiritually incisive as Tweedy fans would expect.

"I think music in general is a safe place to fail," the prolific songwriter stated. "When you take your ego out of it and you look at it as a daily practice of spending time with yourself in your imagination… once you do it for a long time, it really makes the notion of failure almost quaint or something."

When it comes to songwriting, the 11-time nominee said "nothing's really ever lost. You learn something about yourself writing terrible songs. I know myself better because of the songs that you've never heard."

Tweedy offered other helpful concepts and strategies, like accumulating enough voice memo ideas — for so long — that you can treat them like the work of a stranger. "I'll go through and listen through a bunch of stuff like that," Tweedy quipped, "and go, 'Who wrote this?'"

Pawelski went on to elucidate her rich legacy in the music business — including her fight to get the Band's deep cuts, like Stage Fright, included in Capitol's music budget. (She's worked on archival projects by everyone from the Beach Boys to Big Star to Willie Nelson across her decades-long career.)

Read More: Jeff Tweedy's Blurred Emotions: Wilco's Leader On Cruel Country & Songwriting As Discovery

Tweedy also discussed the magic of collaboration. "I've gotten really good at being alone with people. So I think that facilitates collaboration to some degree," he said. "What I mean is being as forgiving of myself with other people in the room as I am with myself alone."

What was one of his favorites, Roberts inquired?

"The one that probably will always be the most proud of is getting to work with Mavis Staples and contributing something to her catalog, to her body of work that seems to have resonated not just with her audience or a new audience, but with her that she likes to sing, that means something to her. I think that would've satisfied me without it winning a GRAMMY [in 2011]."

When the conversation drifted to Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Pawelsky discussed the foreboding process of digging through the sessions' flotsam and jetsam.

"The world kind of changed during the making of this. The band certainly changed, and also, technology changed," she explained. "So we had everything — we had DATs, we had ADATs, we had tape, we had cassettes, we had CD-Rs."

About her process: "I go backwards and try to reconstruct how things happen, and it's always incomplete and I don't know what I'm missing, so it's extra fun. But this particular record was done and undone in a lot of ways… some of the latter recordings sound like they're earlier recordings."

As Pawelski admits, the prospect of stewarding Yankee was "kind of terrifying" because of how meaningful the record is. "It really was a Rubik's cube. I would get the orange side done and I'd turn it over."

As the talk wound down, the subject of Wilco's latest album, Cousin, came up — as well as Wilco's rare use of an outside producer, in Cate Le Bon.

"I thought that it would be really a catalyst for getting something different out of the songs that I write," Tweedy explained. "I like the idea of working with a woman, which I felt like has not happened that much in rock and roll, from my perspective

"So that felt like an inspired bit of lateral thinking," he continued. "that felt so right to me to get to — and that she wanted to do it, and that we were friends, and it did."

To go "Up Close & Personal" with Tweedy is unlike most interviews; his brain simply works different than most, and you walk away pleasantly scrambled and transformed.

Which is what the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot sessions were like — and thank goodness for Pawelski, who shows it's not merely a masterpiece: in all its alien transmissions, vulnerable one-liners and shattered poetry, Yankee continues to engender GRAMMY glory.

Songbook: A Guide To Wilco's Discography, From Alt-Country To Boundary-Shattering Experiments

15 Must-Hear Albums In March 2024: Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Shakira & More
(Clockwise) Sheryl Crow, Deryck Whibley, Tierra Whack, Justin Timberlake, Schoolboy Q, Kasey Musgraves, Kim Gordon, Tyla, Beyoncé, Dua Lipa

Photos: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; RICHARD THIGPEN; Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for WIRED; Owen Schatz; Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; KELLY CHRISTINE SUTTON; Jason Squires/FilmMagic; JASON ARMOND / LOS ANGELES TIMES VIA GETTY IMAGES; KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES FOR THE RECORDING ACADEMY; Araya Doheny/FilmMagic

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15 Must-Hear Albums In March 2024: Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Shakira & More

From the debuts of Tyla and rapper Tierra Whack, to a new salvo from Kim Gordon, women dominate the list of releases for March. While it may be Women's History Month, there are a few major releases from male artists, including Justin Timberlake.

GRAMMYs/Mar 1, 2024 - 04:02 pm

March is Women’s History Month, and women in music are more powerful than ever. 

The month begins with the comeback of several queens, starting with Kim Gordon’s The Collective and Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine. Later, country darling Kacey Musgraves will unveil Deeper Well, and Shakira will drop the empowering Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran. Long-awaited debuts by GRAMMY-winning singer Tyla and singer/bassist Blu DeTiger will also join the lineup, with their respective Tyla and All I Ever Want Is Everything. Wrapping up March on a high note, Beyoncé will drop her highly-anticipated Act II on the 29th.

Men will release music in March as well: Expect new releases by Justin Timberlake, Bleachers, the last record from pop-punk band Sum 41, and (allegedly) Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 2.

To make the most of this prolific time, GRAMMY.com compiled all the must-hear albums dropping March 2024.

Schoolboy Q - Blue Lips

Release date: March 1

On Feb. 1, Schoolboy Q’s website was updated with a mysterious countdown and a 37-second video. In it, the rapper finally unveiled the setlist and title of his much-awaited sixth studio album, Blue Lips, as well as its release date — March 1.

Blue Lips is Q’s first full record since 2019’s Crash Talk, although he had been teasing the album since 2020. Hopefully, it was worth the wait: Blue Lips holds 18 tracks and participations by Rico Nasty, Freddie Gibbs, and more. Q has also started a new vlog series on social media called "wHy not?," where he takes the viewers behind the scenes of making the album and previews snippets of the songs.

So far, the rapper shared tracks "Blueslides," "Back n Love" with Devin Malik, "Cooties" and "Love Birds" with Devin Malik and Lance Skiiwalker, as well as lead single "Yeern 101."

Bleachers - Bleachers

Release date: March 8

Fronted by 10-time GRAMMY winner and 2024 Producer Of The Year Jack Antonoff, rock band Bleachers will release its eponymous fourth studio album on March 8.

In a press release, Bleachers is described as Antonoff’s "distinctly New Jersey take on the bizarre sensory contradictions of modern life." The self-titled record will blend sadness and joy into "music for driving on the highway to, for crying to and for dancing to at weddings."

The band shared four singles so far: lead track "Modern Girl," "Alma Mater" featuring Lana del Rey, "Tiny Moves" and "Me Before You." Through serendipitous melodies and soulful writing, Bleachers commit to "exist in crazy times but remember what counts." 

Bleachers will tour the U.K. in March and the U.S. in May and June.

Kim Gordon - The Collective

Release date: March 8

Former Sonic Youth vocalist Kim Gordon will release her sophomore LP, The Collective, on March 8. The album is a follow-up to her 2019 debut No Home Record, and furthers her collaboration with producer Justin Raisen, as well as additional producing from Anthony Paul Lopez.

"On this record, I wanted to express the absolute craziness I feel around me right now," said Gordon in a press statement. "This is a moment when nobody really knows what truth is, when facts don’t necessarily sway people, when everyone has their own side, creating a general sense of paranoia. To soothe, to dream, escape with drugs, TV shows, shopping, the internet, everything is easy, smooth, convenient, branded. It made me want to disrupt, to follow something unknown, maybe even to fail."

Back in January, the singer unveiled the album’s moody first single, "Bye Bye," and a music video starring her daughter, Coco Gordon Moore. The second single, "I’m A Man," came out in February. Gordon will play six concerts in support of The Collective, starting March 21 in Burlington, Vermont.

Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine

Release date: March 8

It’s been almost four years since Ariana Grande’s last studio album, 2020’s Positions. The starlet spent the past few years filming Wicked, an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, and declared that she wouldn’t be releasing any new records until it was done.

The wait is finally over, as Grande announced her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine. The album’s first and only single, "Yes, And?," dropped in January, followed by an Instagram video of the soprano singer explaining the concept of the album to her Republic Records team. 

"It’s kind of a concept album ’cause it’s all different heightened pieces of the same story, of the same experience," she said. "Some of [the songs] are really vulnerable, some of them are like playing the part of what people kind of expect me to be sometimes and having fun with it."

"I think this one may be your favorite," Grande wrote of Eternal Sunshine on her Instagram Story. "It is mine." The 13-song collection will reportedly explore house and R&B, and will have only one feature: Grande’s grandmother, who appears on the last track, "Ordinary Things."

Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign -Vultures 2

Release date: March 8

After a series of delays, Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s first collaborative album, Vultures 1, ultimately dropped on Feb. 10, 2024. Set to be the first installment of a trilogy, the album was released independently through West’s YZY label, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with all of its 16 tracks also charting on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Billed as ¥$, the duo plans to release Vultures 2 on March 8, and follow up with Vultures 3 on April 5. Although any other info about the upcoming volumes is still unclear, Timbaland recently shared on X (formerly Twitter) that Vultures 2 is "OTW." (Timbaland produced Vultures 1’s "Keys to My Life" and "Fuk Sumn" with Playboi Carti and Travis Scott.)

In the past month, West and $ign held a few listening parties for the album in the U.S. and Europe, but additional schedules are yet to be revealed.

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes

Release date: March 8

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, alt-rock band the Jesus and Mary Chain will release their eighth studio album, Glasgow Eyes, on March 8.

As it can be seen on lead single "Jamcod," the Scottish group still runs strong on the distorted synths and electrifying guitars that shaped their sound. "People should expect a Jesus and Mary Chain record, and that’s certainly what Glasgow Eyes is," vocalist Jim Reid said in a statement. "Our creative approach is remarkably the same as it was in 1984, just hit the studio and see what happens. We went in with a bunch of songs and let it take its course. There are no rules, you just do whatever it takes."

Glasgow Eyes also mends a six-year gap since the Jesus and Mary Chain’s latest album, 2017’s Damage and Joy. To further commemorate, the band will also release an autobiography and embark on a European tour throughout March and April.

Justin Timberlake - Everything I Thought It Was

Release date: March 15

Justin Timberlake is back with his first studio album since 2018’s Man of the Woods. The new record, Everything I Thought It Was,  is spearheaded by singles "Selfish" and "Drown."

"I worked for a long time on this album, and I ended up with 100 songs. So, narrowing them down to 18 was a thing," said Timberlake in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1. "I’m really excited about this album. I think every artist probably says this, but it is my best work." The Memphis singer also shared that there are "incredibly honest" moments in the album, but also "a lot of f—ng fun."

To celebrate his return, Timberlake announced his Forget Tomorrow World Tour. Set to kick off on April 29 in Vancouver, the tour will cross through North America and Europe until its final date on Dec. 16 in Indianapolis.

Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well

Release date: March 15

Fresh off winning Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 2024 GRAMMYs for the Zach Bryan duet "I Remember Everything," Kacey Musgraves announced her fifth studio album, Deeper Well..

"My Saturn has returned/ When I turned 27/ Everything started to change," she sings in the contemplative title track, exploring how she changed over the last few years. The single sets the tone for the rest of the record, which was co-produced by longtime collaborators Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian

Featuring 14 tracks, Deeper Well was mostly recorded at the legendary Electric Lady studios in New York City. "I was seeking some different environmental energy, and Electric Lady has the best mojo. Great ghosts," the country star noted in a press release.

On social media, Musgraves wrote: "it’s a collection of songs I hold very dear to my heart. I hope it makes a home in all of your hearts, too." Deeper Well follows 2021’s star-crossed

Tierra Whack - World Wide Whack

Release date: March 15

When rapper Tierra Whack released her first album, 2018’s Whack World, she quickly garnered the admiration of both critics and fans. Comprising 15 one-minute tracks and music videos for each, the release was a refreshing introduction to a groundbreaking artist.

In 2024, the Philadelphia-born star is preparing to release World Wide Whack, labeled her official debut album in a press release. The cover artwork, created by Alex Da Corte, was inspired by theater character Pierrot, fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli and Donna Summer, and represents "the first reveal of the World Wide Whack character, an alter ego both untouchable and vulnerable, superhuman and painfully human, whose surprising story will unfold in images and video over the course of the album’s visual rollout."

The album follows Whack’s 2021 EP trilogy — Rap?, Pop? and R&B? — and is foreshadowed by the poignant "27 Club" and the eccentric "Shower Song."

Tyla - Tyla

Release date: March 22

After a glowing 2023 with viral hit "Water," South African newcomer Tyla started 2024 with a blast. Last month, she became the first person to win a GRAMMY for Best African Music Performance, and the youngest-ever African singer to win a GRAMMY Award at 22 years old.

Next month is poised to be even better: Tyla’s eponymous debut LP drops on March 22, featuring "Water" and other hits like  "Truth or Dare," "Butterflies" and "On and On," as well as a guest appearance by labelmate Travis Scott.

"African music is going global and I’m so blessed to be one of the artists pushing the culture," Tyla shared on Instagram. Her unique blend of amapiano, pop and R&B is making waves around the world, and the star will rightfully celebrate by touring Europe and North America throughout this spring.

Shakira - Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran

Release date: March 22

The title of Shakira’s new album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, is a nod to her 2023 hit "Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53" with Argentine DJ Bizarrap. In the lyrics, she states that "las mujeres ya no lloran, las mujeres facturan" — "women don’t cry anymore, they make money."

The single is a diss to Shakira’s ex-partner, footballer Gerard Piqué, and, like the rest of the record, served as a healing experience after their separation. "Making this body of work has been an alchemical process," the Colombian star said in a statement. "While writing each song I was rebuilding myself. While singing them, my tears transformed into diamonds, and my vulnerability into strength."

Las Mujeres will feature 16 songs, including her Bizarrap collaboration and singles "Te Felicito" with Rauw Alejandro, "Copa Vacía" with Manuel Turizo, "Acróstico," "Monotonía" with Ozuna, "El Jefe" with Mexican band Fuerza Regida, and "TQG" with fellow Colombian Karol G.

Back in 2018, Sheryl Crow said that the LP Threads would be her last — fortunately, she changed her mind. "I said I’d never make another record, though there was no point to it," the singer shared in a statement about her upcoming album, Evolution. "This music comes from my soul. And I hope whoever hears this record can feel that."

According to the same statement, "Evolution is Sheryl Crow at her most authentically human self," and its music and lyrics "came from sitting in the quiet and writing from a deep soul place." 

The entire album was written in a month, starting with the title track, which expresses Crow’s anxieties about artificial intelligence and the future of humans. From then on, Crow and producer Mike Elizondo found bliss. "The songs just kept flowing out of me, four songs turned into nine and it was pretty obvious this was an album," she said.

In addition to the album's title track, Crow also shared singles "Do It Again" and "Alarm Clock."

Sum 41 - Heaven :x: Hell

Release date: March 29

After nearly three decades together, punk-metal mavericks Sum 41 are parting ways. Their final release will be a double album. Heaven :x: Hell, set to drop on March 29.

Heaven is composed of 10 pop-punk tracks reminiscent of the band’s early years, while Hell is 10 tracks of pure heavy metal, reflecting the direction they took more recently. "Once I heard the music, I was confident enough to say, ‘This is the record I’d like to go out on,'" frontman Deryck Whibley said in a statement. "We’ve made a double album of pop punk and metal, and it makes sense. It took a long time for us to pave this lane for ourselves, but we did, and it’s unique to us."

The band shared singles "Landmines," "Rise Up" and "Waiting on a Twist of Fate," and proved that they’re leaving on top of their game. "I love Sum 41, what we’ve achieved, endured, and stuck together through, which is why I want to call it quits," Whibley added. "It’s the right time to walk away from it. I’m putting all of my energy into what’s ahead."

But before embarking on new ventures, Sum 41 will spend the rest of the year touring throughout Asia, North America, and Europe.

Blu DeTiger - All I Ever Want Is Everything

Release date: March 29

At only 26 years old, Blu DeTiger has already toured with Caroline Polachek, played bass for Jack Antonoff’s band Bleachers, partnered with Fender, and appeared on the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30’s music list.

Now, she prepares to release her debut studio album, All I Ever Want Is Everything. "This album is about growing and becoming, settling into yourself and learning to love where you’re at through it all. It’s about learning how to be your own best friend," the bassist and singer wrote on Instagram.

"Dangerous Game," the lead single off the album, showcases DeTiger’s effervescent energy and potential for pop stardom. Starting April, she will also headline a U.S. tour across Boston, Washington D.C., New York, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Beyoncé - Act II

Release date: March 29

What better event to announce a new album than the most-watched TV program ever? That’s what Beyoncé did during Super Bowl LVIII, on Feb. 11. At the end of a Verizon commercial, the singer declared "Okay, they ready. Drop the new music," while simultaneously releasing Act II’s lead singles, "16 Carriages" and "Texas Hold 'Em," on social media and streaming platforms.

Coming out March 29, Act II is the second part of Beyoncé’s ongoing trilogy, which was written and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The album is preceded by 2022’s acclaimed Act I: Renaissance, but instead of house and disco, the singer will reportedly take a deep dive into country music.

This isn’t Queen Bey’s first foray into the genre — in 2016, she released Lemonade’s "Daddy Lessons," and her 2021 IVY PARK Rodeo collection was inspired by "the overlooked history of the American Black cowboy," as she told Harper’s Bazaar. It was just a question of time for Beyoncé to enter her country era, and it is finally upon us.

17 Love Songs That Have Won GRAMMYs: "I Will Always Love You," "Drunk In Love" & More

Ahead Of The Smile's 'Wall Of Eyes,' Explore 10 Radiohead Side Projects
Thom Yorke performs with The Smile in London

Photo: C Brandon / Redferns / GettyImages

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Ahead Of The Smile's 'Wall Of Eyes,' Explore 10 Radiohead Side Projects

Radiohead may not have official plans to reunite, but its five members have been active with a slew of successful and sonically pleasing side projects. Among them is The Smile, which will release their second album on Jan. 26.

GRAMMYs/Jan 25, 2024 - 02:09 pm

It’s been more than seven years since Radiohead released their last album, A Moon Shaped Pool, and the band continues to make no promises about what — if anything — will be next for the quintet.

But that doesn't mean its members haven't been busy. In fact, the musicians behind the GRAMMY-winning English alt-rock band have been active outside of it since the mid ’00s. 

One of these notable projects is The Smile, formed in 2021 by Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke and lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. The group will release their second studio album, Wall of Eyes, on Jan. 26 before touring Europe this spring and summer. 

Other independent endeavors have also been critically celebrated: Beyond The Smile, Jonny Greenwood composed soundtracks for films including Daniel Day Lewis’ romance/thriller Phantom Thread. Bassist Colin Greenwood (Jonny’s older brother) was recently part of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' touring band. Drummer Phil Selway released a solo album, Strange Dance, in Feb. 2023, while guitarist Ed O’Brien made his first foray into writing and recording during the early days of the pandemic on his album, Earth

Selway believes these other pursuits are vital to Radiohead's reputation as one of the most innovative bands in history. "It’s such a healthy process when we step outside of Radiohead and reach beyond that," Selway told SPIN in 2023.

Still, there is a glimmer of hope Radiohead will soon return to the studio — perhaps encouraged by the success of 2021's KID A MNESIA, a reissue of their albums "Kid A" and "Amnesiac" along with previously unreleased material.

During a recent livestream with Crow Hill Company, as reported by NME, Selway said, "We’re all coming back around to that point now of thinking, Right, we’ve had a break — this is it. This feels like something to dive back into and really explore and see what other directions it can take us in." 

No matter how the future unfolds for Radiohead, their dedication to maintaining everything in its right place remains certain. 

Ahead of The Smile's new album, press play on 10 releases from Radiohead members' catalogs that showcase their affinity for musical exploration.

Thom Yorke - The Eraser

Though the title of Thom Yorke’s first solo album is The Eraser, he didn’t erase his esteemed musical legacy. Rather, he took it even further into his exploration of electronic styles on the 2006 album. Where collaborative instrumentals were prominent with Radiohead's melodic rock sound, Yorke leaned hard on synthy sounds and techno beats. 

Through his solo work, Yorke had complete freedom to develop comprehensive digital backdrops for his shuddering croon with longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. The band worked with Godrich to incorporate electronics on their albums Kid A (2000), Amnesiac (2001), Hail To the Thief (2003), and In Rainbows (2007). 

The title track opens with a looping piano hook, teasing a familiar instrumentalism. But Yorke quickly takes things in a more synthetic direction with affected drums and mechanical arps. "Cymbal Rush," the album’s closer, features a jittery low-frequency rhythm section alongside haunting ambient washes. The track "Atoms for Peace" utilizes a similar underlying jitteriness, but with the warm and optimistic energy of bright pads and an uplifting synth bassline. 

Atoms For Peace - Amok

Amok is the only studio album from Atoms For Peace, the band Yorke originally established to tour The Eraser as a full live experience. The group features Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass, Godrich on keys and programming, and seasoned session players Joey Waronker on drums and Mauro Refosco on Latin percussion. 

Unlike The Eraser, Atoms For Peace made the music for Amok together with Yorke who described himself as the band's "conductor" in a Rolling Stone interview. After producing music on his computer, Yorke would bring it to the other band members to reimagine for production in a live space.

This collaborative edge is immediately apparent on Amok, released in 2013. Album opener "Before Your Very Eyes" implements the nonconventional rhythmic layering that Yorke applied throughout The Eraser, but the individual voice of each instrument shines through. Refosco’s percussion taps complement Waronker’s light cymbal play while the quickfire intro guitar line from Yorke shares that percussive quality. Interplay between Flea’s affected bass and Godrich’s programmed melodies, like a call and response, infuses the music with a human touch.  

There Will Be Blood 

Even when Radiohead is active, Jonny Greenwood moonlights as a film composer. The guitarist made his first foray into film scoring with the 2003 documentary, Bodysong. 2007's There Will Be Blood was his second score, launching his (and the rest of the band’s) persistent, fortuitous relationship with director Paul Thomas Anderson

Greenwood has composed the soundtrack for four of Anderson’s last five films. Beginning with There Will Be Blood in 2007, then The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), and Phantom Thread (2017). Anderson returned the favor, directing many works for Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool, including the music video for "Daydreaming," and live recordings of "The Numbers," and "Present Tense." 

Greenwood’s score for There Will Be Blood demonstrates the fruitful nature of his relationship with Anderson. Matching the emotional dread of star Daniel Day-Lewis’s descent into madness, Greenwood weaves hauntingly tense string arrangements throughout the film, including the use of string bows as percussion instruments to shift the mood from melancholic to one of frenzy and discombobulation. 

Philip Selway - Strange Dance

Phil Selway releases his music under his full name, and plays an entirely different role on his independent work than he does with Radiohead. As a solo artist, he writes all the songs and serves as the singer and guitarist instead of drumming. Released in February 2023, his third album, Strange Dance, features Portishead's Adrian Utley and electronics-focused multi-instrumentalist Hannah Peel.  

On Strange Dance, Selway takes what he learned honing his writing skills as a film composer and applies it to a pop-infused setting with producer Marta Salogni. He adeptly layers guitar parts with opposing rhythms to build the foundation on notable tracks like "Picking Up The Pieces." The title track uses expressive alternative percussion instruments and Selway’s airy voice as a perimeter, contrasting with expansive string and horn passages. 

Selway similarly ventured into film scores, composing the music for Polly Steele’s 2017 drama, Let Me Go

Thom Yorke - ANIMA

Yorke transformed the electronic sounds of his third album, 2019's ANIMA, into a soundtrack for a music film of the same name, produced with Paul Thomas Anderson. Yorke is the film’s protagonist, and the film focuses on movement as much as it does the music. Dozens of dancers (including Yorke) engage in choreography that matches the unconventional sounds and rhythms throughout three songs from the album: "Not the News," "Traffic," and "Dawn Chorus."

During "Not the News," dancers cycle around Yorke, responding to his own movement as he stumbles his way from a subway station into an underground cavern. His steps follow the song's breakbeat kick while eerie squeals at the peak of the frequency range hang above his falsetto. 

Eventually, he makes it back to the surface with the sun rising over an unnamed European city. When the melodious song, "Dawn Chorus" fades in, he is reunited with a woman he saw on the train earlier. He glides through the city alongside the song’s electronic backdrop while he states his lyrics with grounded confidence.

Dudu Tassa & Jonny Greenwood - Jarak Qaribak

Israel was one of the earliest countries to embrace Radiohead. The country's audience was the catalyst for the explosion of their now-mythical song, "Creep," when DJ Yoav Kutner frequently played it on his radio show. Since, the band has performed in Israel multiple times and brought Israeli artists on tour with them.

One of the Israeli artists who joined Radiohead on tour is Dudu Tassa, a celebrated rock musician and film composer. He and Jonny Greenwood first worked together on Tassa’s 2009 album Basof Mitraglim Le'Hakol, and in 2023, they recorded Jarak Qaribak, an album of nine Middle Eastern love songs.

The musical chemistry between them is palpable, enriched by their shared experience in both pop and film composition. Yet the songs also gracefully maintain harmony between their individual heritages. For example, Tassa produces sweeping strings and other Middle Eastern sonic hallmarks on "Taq ou-Dub," while Greenwood programs synthesized drums that could be spliced into a Radiohead song with ease.

EOB - Earth

Released in 2020 under his initials EOB, Earth was the first time Ed O’Brien wrote lyrics and recorded his own voice. He had been playing around with solo ideas since the days of OK Computer, and an extended trip to Brazil with his family in 2012 inspired him to create full songs. 

O’Brien initially thought about bringing those songs to Radiohead or having Yorke provide vocals with different musicians. He was also concerned with what the rest of the band would think of his solo effort, but he didn’t let that deter him:

"Of course you want the approval of your bandmates but it’s not the be-all and end-all. This is my own thing. It’s different to Radiohead," O’Brien told Noise11 in April 2021. 

O’Brien’s own thing is more guitar-driven than other side projects from Radiohead, but still features a wide range of influences. The album’s opener, "Shangri-La," is a hard rock tune built off heavy chords. The next track, "Brasil," is an eight-minute suite of organic house music. Serving as an homage to his inspiring trip there, this song contains a multitude of colors and soundscapes that flow in and out in perfect balance.

The Smile - A Light For Attracting Attention

The Smile is the first side project that includes two members of Radiohead: Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are joined by Tom Skinner, previously the drummer for the now-defunct modern jazz ensemble, Sons of Kemet. With The Smile, Yorke and Greenwood once again return to their primary instruments: guitar and vocals 

The group's debut album, A Light For Attracting Attention, was released in 2022 to critical acclaim and spawned a world tour. Following two guitar-light Radiohead albums — King of Limbs (2011) and A Moon-Shaped Pool (2016) — Jonny doubles down on his expert fretwork on A Light For Attracting Attention. Thom’s vocals fuel the sharpness of the guitar with pointed consonants and a noticeable lack of rhymes. 

On "The Smoke," Jonny’s dialed-in guitar picking is the foundation, but he quickly begins playing with the meter, making 4/4 feel like something completely different (comparable to the intense syncopation of the Radiohead song "Myxmatosis"). Yorke and Skinner match this minimalism, creating space for an ensemble of horns and strings, a byproduct of Greenwood’s time as a composer.

"You Will Never Work In Television" sees Jonny and Thom rock harder than they have since In Rainbows. Open hi-hats from Skinner complement Jonny’s cruising, distorted strums that back Yorke's angsty cursing vocals.

Colin Greenwood's Myriad Bass Work

Colin Greenwood is the only member of Radiohead who doesn’t have a solo album to his name. Like plenty of bass players throughout time, Colin’s career mirrors that of his instrument: He’s rarely in the foreground, but his band members and musicians around the world respect his skills to the highest degree. It's no surprise Far Out Magazine describes Colin as "Radiohead’s secret weapon."

Within the Radiohead universe, Colin recorded bass for the EOB album, Earth, and Jonny Greenwood’s soundtrack for Inherent Vice. He is also electronically talented, providing beat programming on Yorke’s second solo album, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes.

Outside of Radiohead, Colin played on two albums from the Belgian-Egyptian singer Tamino: Amir (2018) and Sahar (2022). One standout track from Colin’s work with Tamino is the single "Indigo Night," which he performed with Tamino at SXSW in 2019. Colin proves his versatility in this romantic R&B song by serving as the vehicle moving the chord changes forward with skillful runs. 

The Weird Sisters

This Radiohead side project has a minimal catalog of just three songs; they only convened for one performance, and they will probably never play live again. Yet millions of people have seen their one performance, because it took place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Weird Sisters is the band that performs at the Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In the 2005 film, Jonny Greenwood plays the role of lead guitarist Kirley Duke, providing pick-heavy riffs on the song "This is the Night," while the drummer Orsino Thurston (played by Phil Selway) helms a four-on-the-floor beat.

Greenwood and Selway weren’t the only members of major UK bands to convene for a bit of magical fun. Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey of Pulp joined the Weird Sisters on vocals and bass, respectively. To kick off the night, Cocker beckons the students to be "ready for some real music" before launching into the hard rock banger, "Do The Hippogriff."

For The Record: Let's Disappear Completely Into Radiohead's GRAMMY-Winning 'Kid A'

GRAMMY Rewind: Foo Fighters Win A GRAMMY For "Walk," The Song They Recorded In Dave Grohl's Garage
Foo Fighters at the 2012 GRAMMYs.

Photo: John Shearer/WireImage

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GRAMMY Rewind: Foo Fighters Win A GRAMMY For "Walk," The Song They Recorded In Dave Grohl's Garage

Relive one of the Foo Fighters' two wins for "Walk" at the 2012 GRAMMYs, where they ended up taking home five golden gramophones altogether.

GRAMMYs/Dec 15, 2023 - 06:09 pm

The 2012 GRAMMYs were a huge night for the Foo Fighters. Walking in as six-time winners already, the rock band nearly doubled their GRAMMY count with five more golden gramophones that night.

Their two wins for Wasting Light single "Walk," Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song, may have been the most exciting for Dave Grohl and co. Not because it's their biggest hit, but because it's perhaps their grungiest — literally.

"This was a special record for our band," Grohl said as the band accepted their Best Rock Performance GRAMMY. "Rather than go to the best studio down the street in Hollywood, rather than using all the fanciest computers you can buy, we made this one in my garage with microphones and a tape machine."

Grohl went on to praise producer Butch Vig; the making of "Walk" and the acceptance speech reunited the pair, who hadn't worked together since Nirvana.

"To me, this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of making music is what's most important," Grohl explained. "Singing into a microphone, learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft is the most important thing. It's not about being perfect … It's about what goes on in [your heart] and what goes on in [your head]."

Press play on the video above to watch Foo Fighters' complete acceptance speech for Best Rock Performance at the 2012 GRAMMY Awards, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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