Minnesota natives Joshua Norton and Luke Polipnick have recorded an improvised sci-fi jazz record, and are seeking Kickstarter contributions to fund the vinyl pressings. The two have been collaborating and producing this album as a companion to novelist H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, and the album will be aptly titled Hideous Monolith: Cthulhu Interpretations. Polipnick, now based in Omaha, does…

The Current is proud to present a track from Koo Koo Kanga Roo‘s album Whoopty Woop. On “Shake It Well,” a paean to the joys of orange juice, Bryan and Neil are joined by very special guest P.O.S. “In 2006 Bryan and I were sophomores in college,” explains Neil, “and also roommates. P.O.S’s second album Audition had just…

We’d already seen a promotional photo and behind-the-scenes footage from the “FourFiveSeconds” video shoot featuring Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney. Now the video itself has been released; as expected, it’s a simple black-and-white affair with Ri-Ri and Kanye singing while Sir Paul strums the acoustic guitar that powers the song. As Pitchfork observes, “there’s…

Saturday Night Live will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a three-hour show on Feb. 15. In addition to numerous past cast members and hosts, the show will feature musical guests including Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, and Paul Simon. (Billboard) Speaking of Sir Paul and Kanye, they have a new music video—with Rihanna. (Local Current) For just $20,000, you can…

“What do you think?” I asked a friend this past weekend when one of Bob Dylan’s new Frank Sinatra covers came on The Current. “I think,” she said, “it sounds like Bob Dylan is just singing whatever the hell he wants.” She probably wasn’t the only one to be struck by the impression that Dylan’s…

A Taste of Minnesota, the celebration of food and music held each Independence Day weekend, will return this summer to the Carver County Fairgrounds in Waconia—where the festival took place last summer after being displaced from Harriet Island due to flooding. A press release from festival organizers says they settled on a return to Waconia…

Today we're thinking about Punxatawney Phil, who saw his shadow and thus ensured six more weeks of winter. Groundhog Day isn't a holiday where banks and post offices are closed, but what songs do you think would be appropriate for a Groundhog Day set? Let us know for today's 9:30 Coffee Break.

It’s been a stellar couple of years for Nile Rodgers, the producer and Chic guitarist whose trademark playing buoyed Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” our listeners’ favorite song of 2013. Now, SPIN reports that Rodgers’s seminal 70s group are staging a comeback: in June, Chic will release their first studio album since Chic-ism, which came out in…

Jamie Hewlett, the comic artist who co-created Gorillaz with Damon Albarn, posted new artwork on Instagram and confirmed that the virtual band will soon return, as Albarn indicated last fall. Gorillaz’ most recent album, The Fall, was released in 2011. (Billboard) Katy Perry satisfied fans with a Super Bowl halftime performance that included several of her hits. Perry was accompanied…

Bjork has described 'Vulnicura' as an account of pain that simply had to be given expression. Such a statement may be thought grandiose if spoken by a lesser artist; for Bjork, however, it rings as completely genuine. This is an artist who may have earned a position as musical spokesperson for humanity to the universe.