In The Alternative Number Ones, I’m reviewing every #1 single in the history of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks/Alternative Songs, starting with the moment that the chart launched in 1988. This column is a companion piece to The Number Ones, and it’s for members only. Thank you to everyone who’s helping to keep Stereogum afloat.
fish narc kicked off the year with the release of his latest album frog song, which was impressive enough to land on our list of the best albums of the year so far. Lucky for us, the indie rocker and GothBoiClique member is already back with a new tune called “make it softer.”
A Wizard Of Oz remake called Dorothy is in development at Prime Video, and Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are producers. Per Deadline, the series is directed by Gina Matthews and will be a modern, music-infused version.
Over the weekend, Cradle Of Filth vocalist and keyboardist Zoë M. Federoff announced she was leaving the band in the middle of their tour. Today, her husband/the group’s guitarist Marek “Ashok” Šmerda exited as well.
New Geese, baby! In exactly one month, the berserk New York band will follow up their 2023 album 3D Country with a rabidly anticipated new one called Getting Killed. People are fired up for this one, with good reason. Frontman Cameron Winter’s solo album Heavy Metal was a cult sensation last year, and the advance singles “Taxes” and “Trinidad” have been absolute fucking wild and wooly bangers. The same is true of “100 Horses,” the new Geese track that hits the internet today.
Some believe we’re put on this Earth to do God’s work. If you’re Portuguese priest and DJ Guilherme Peixoto, that comes in the form of a giant bass drop. Peixoto uses his powers as a DJ and experience as a priest to spread faith and love. Recently, he’s gone viral for transforming the Super Mario Bros. soundtrack with a gummy bass drop at the Medusa Festival in Cullera, Valencia earlier this month.
Addison Rae is playing live shows now. Earlier this year, the TikTok star released her debut album Addison, completing an unlikely transition in grand fashion. Around the same time that the LP dropped, Rae announced her first-ever headlining tour. She played a couple of tiny club shows around the time of the LP release, and she opened for and sang with Lana Del Rey at Wembley Stadium in London, but those things are different from playing a proper headlining set in front of the general public. Rae’s tour kicked off Monday night at Dublin’s 3Arena, which means we are just now getting our first look at what a proper Addison Rae live show might be.
Traditionally, veteran rock bands wait until they’ve finished a whole new album to release music from that album. They often do it as part of a coordinated campaign, doling out advance tracks little by little leading up to a strategically determined release date in an attempt to pique interest. Spoon have decided to diverge from that template today.
Radiohead is finally getting the recognition they deserve: They have gone viral on TikTok. As a result, “Let Down,” off of their 1997 third album OK Computer, has entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #91. 28 years after its release, “Let Down” marks the fourth track of theirs to enter the Hot 100 after “Creep” in 1993, “High And Dry” in 1996, and “Nude” in 2008.
Minus The Bear’s opus Menos El Oso turned 20 years old last Saturday. We already knew the Seattle rockers were gearing up for a big reunion tour this fall, but hometown fans got a special treat on Saturday with a small surprise pop-up show, marking Minus The Bear’s first performance since 2018.