ROBYN HITCHCOCK nad RAY DAVIES are among those with new albums streaming on Spotify.

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT streams a self-titled sophomore LP.

WILSEN is streaming  I Go Missing In My Sleep.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN made a surprise cameo at  at the Asbury Park Music And Film Festival.

PHOENIX debuted new songs in Antwerp.

BLONDIE shares a new non-album B-side, "The Breaks."

PRINCE: Five albums from the vault that should be released ASAP, according to Variety.

BRITISH SEA POWER is profiled Under The Radar.

ST VINCENT: Annie Clark shares the soundtrack of her life at Entertainment Weekly.

IGGY POP talks to Rolling Stone about singing jazz and turning 70.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Fate of the Furious repeats atop the chart with 38.7MM, even with a 61 percent drop on a slow weekend.  That drop is marginally better than the last couple of installments of the franchise, though holidays and the death of Paul Walker may have accounted for those larger drops. Yuge overseas grosses bring the worldwide total to over 900MM is just 2 weekends.  The Boss Baby places again with 12.8MM on a leggy 20 percent drop.  Beauty and the Beast again shows with 10MM on a 27 percent drop.  The debut of Born in China takes the fourth slot with 5.1MM.  The Going In Style remake rounds out the Top Five with 5MM on a slight bounce that could make the difference between profit and loss in theaters.  All the rest of the new releases opened below the fold.  I have to say this old article in The New Yorker has me interested in The Lost City of Z.

ERIN MORAN, best known for her role as Joanie Cunningham on the sitcoms Happy Days and its spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi, has died. She was 56.

THE FAST & FURIOUS FRANCHISE may get a spinoff with Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Charlize Theron.

CHRIS PRATT tells Men's Fitness "the voice of the average, blue-collar American isn't necessarily represented in Hollywood."

KURT RUSSELL & GOLDIE HAWN were caught in the act by police on their first date.

BILL MURRAY is releasing a chamber music LP. Because of course he is.

JAMES  BOND is the target of a five-studio bidding war.

DEADPOOL 2 is scheduled for June 1, 2018. 

THE AVATAR SEQUELS have a new release schedule. Again.

FRANCE (or do you say Fronce): Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen will fight for the French presidency after the country's two main parties crashed out of the first round for the first time since the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958.

SAUDI ARABIA was elected to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

A DRUNK MONKEY crashes a boat party, drinks the vodka, and escapes underwater.

WHEN PYTHON HUNTING IN FLORIDA, it helps to dance like a monkey. And bring a sledgehammer.

A BABY POLAR BEAR in Columbus is the next likely target of a naming contest.

RED-EYED MUTANT WASPS have been brought into the world by a team of scientists. What could go wrong?

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with PRINCE! Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mark the first anniversary of Life After Prince. Regular readers here may have noticed that unresolved questions remain in the ivestigation of his death from opiod overdose.  I cannot pretend to have been a rabid fan of his work, but liked quite a bit of it and respected his enormous talent.  Indeed, for Generation X, it would be hard not to; he bestrode the radio landscape during the 1980s and 1990s in a way only rivaled by Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and Madonna.  Accordingly, I'll focus on this period. For a deep dive into Prince's career through this period, check out this epic tweetstorm from Jeff Blehar.  As Jeff notes, Prince was diligent in keeping his music off the internet, minus a few items like this terrific 1982 concert at the Capitol Theater, which includes the bracing "Controversy."  Although Prince's estate has cut deals with major streaming services, the best place to go for his videos may still be...Portugal. Accordingly, we can revisit a cross-section of tracks like "When You Were Mine," "Let's Pretend We're Married," "Little Red Corvette," "Let's Go Crazy," a joyful, rocking take on "Take Me With U," "I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm A Star," "Raspberry Beret," "Kiss," "Sign O' the Times," "If I Was Your Girlfriend," and "I Could Never Take the Place of Ur Man."  That last may be my fave Prince track, if only because he could've written it for The Replacements. I don't think he did, tho in his heyday, Prince handed hits like "Manic Monday" to The Bangles, "Nothing Compares 2 U" to Sinead O'Connor, "I Feel For You" to Chaka Khan, "Stand Back" to Stevie Nicks, "Sugar Walls" to Sheena Easton, and "The Glamorous Life" to Shiela E (who also played in Prince's band and -according to her - was his fiancee for a while). The beautiful ones we always seem to lose.  BONUS: "Partyman," because of course.  DOUBLE BONUS: Prince's guitar gently weeps...and steals the show.

WILLIE NELSON advance streams God's Problem Child.

COTILLION streams The Afternoons.

COLIN STETSON advance streams All This I Do For Glory.

PETER BRADLEY ADAMS streams A Face Like Mine.

OKKERVIL RIVER shares a cover of a gospel song composed by Washington Phillips called “Denomination Blues.”

AFGHAN WHIGS shared "Arabian Heights" from their forthcoming album In Spades.

CUBA GOODING, SR, the father of an Oscar-winning actor and a chart-topping R&B singer with the Main Ingredient, was found dead in his car in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, according to multiple law enforcement sources. He would have turned 73 next Thursday on April 27. "Everybody Plays the Fool," sometimes.

WIRE: Colin Newman and Graham Lewis gave Drowned In Sound a track-by-track tour of Silver/Lead.

THURSTON MOORE does an hour-long podcast with The Quietus.

LANA DEL REY, interviewed by Courtney Love.

U2: Ten of Their Best.

NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases include Unforgettable, which is currently scoring 32 percent on the ol' Tomatometer; The Promise which is currently scoring 40 percent; Born In China, scoring 78 percent; and Free Fire, scoring 69 percent.  The Lost City of Z also opens on 750 screens, scoring 88 percent.

THE MUMMY reboot has an international trailer online.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: SALAZAR'S REVENGE dropped a new international trailer with a second of Keira Knightley.

SPIDER-MAN will feature in the fourth Avengers movie, Marvel's boss has confirmed.

RHONDA ROUSEY is engaged to her UFC fighter boyfriend, Travis Browne.

CLINT EASTWOOD will direct a movie adapatation of The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes.

VENEZUELA: At least three people were killed in Venezuela when clashes broke out during anti-government protests described by opposition leaders as the "mother of all marches." General Motors said Wednesday it has been forced to stop operating in Venezuela after one of its plants was illegally seized by local authorities.

SYRIA: International chemical weapons inspectors have found "incontrovertible" evidence that Sarin gas, or a similar substance, was used in a chemical attack in Syria earlier this month that killed 89 people.

THOUSANDS OF SPIDERS blanketed an entire field with a web.

NAKED MOLE-RATS can survive periods of oxygen deprivation, so they've got that going for them, which is nice.

CRAYFISH who live in groups get drunk more easily than loners.

AN ALLIGATOR snarls traffic along Veterans Expressway.

CAR SEAT HEADREST played their new single version of "Unforgiving Girl" on Conan.

THE NEW PRONOGRAPHERS play a stripped-down mini-set at The Current.

CLOSE TALKER advance streams Lens.

TARA JANE O'NEIL advance streams a self-ittled LP.

WOODS share "Hit That Drum" ahead of Love Is Love.

BLONDIE drops a video for "Long Time," the song they co-wrote with Dev Hynes.

PRINCE's estate and Paisley Park are looking to block the release of an EP with 6 previously unreleased songs.

FEIST talks to Stereogum about writing to her future self, Broken Social Scene's return, and her new album, Pleasure.

JAWBREAKER is reuniting for Chicago's Riot Fest.

LAURA NYRO is essayed at The Guardian, 20 years after her death.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2 announced its soundtrack, including a Hasselfoff original.

BRANGELEXIT: Brad Pitt is dating a bit.

THE KARDASHIANS are upset over Caitlyn Jenner's new memoir.

RICHARD SIMMONS is speaking out to fans for the first time since he stepped out of the spotlight three years ago.

SERENA WILLIAMS is five months pregnant.

CAPTAIN MARVEL will be directed by Mississippi Grind helmers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.

JULIA ROBERTS is People's 2017 World's Most Beautiful Woman.

RICHARD GERE's political stands are actually brave insofar as they cost him job opportunities.

AARON HERNANDEZ, former NFL star and convicted murderer, was found hanged in his jail cell.

MARK ZUCKERBERG has been experimenting with mind-reading technology for several months. What could go wrong?

FRANCE: Two men were arrested in southern France on Tuesday on suspicion of preparing an attack to disrupt campaigning before the first round of the country's presidential elections on Sunday, the authorities said.

A RUSSIAN government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin developed a plan to swing the 2016 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump and undermine voters' faith in the American electoral system, three current and four former U.S. officials told Reuters.

IRAQ: Many say that as Iraqi forces close in on the remaining ISIS-held neighborhoods, ISIS has become increasingly brutal toward the civilians they are using as human shields.

GEESE: Don't cross 'em.

DINGOES win a contest for the Most Interesting Genome.

AN EEL is not a good cure for constipation. The More You Know. Swoosh.

FROG SNOT, otoh, may be a cure for the flu?

HURRAY FORTHE RIFF-RAFF recreates The Ronettes' "Be My Baby."

SLOWDIVE, live in session on BBC Radio 6.

JESCA HOOP stopped by WFUV for a session.

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: New tracks from Weed, Ratboys, GEMS and more highlight the latest edition.

THE THE shares its first song in 15 years, "We Can't Stop What's Coming."

FATHER JOHN MISTY and JONATHAN RADO both cover Velvet Underground songs on the soundtrack for Shangri-La Suite.

CENDE, featuring members of Porches and LVL UP, share "What I Want."

SMOKEY & THE MIRACLES: "Going to a Go-Go."

GUIDED BY VOICES: Robert Pollard, interviewed by Mike Watt.

PRINCE: An investigation reveals opioid painkillers, many prescribed not to Prince, were found throughout the artist's home.

DAVE DAVIES: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview.

LOVE SONGS, Reimagined as Horror Books.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 has hot early reviews and four post-credit scenes.

CAPTAIN MARVEL: Vanity Fair is monitoring her costume and hairstyle.

ALEC BALDWIN will host TCM's The Essentials following the death of Robert Osbourne.

KENDALL JENNER says she's not as girly as her Kardashian sisters: 'I get that from my dad.' Hmm.

KEVIN SPACEY is hosting the Tony Awards.

HOLLYWOOD has become so entangled with China that the movie industry can’t run without it.

THE UNITED KINGDOM: British Prime Minister Theresa May has stunned the political world by calling for an early general election, seeking a stronger mandate in talks over leaving the European Union.

TURKEY's main opposition party filed a formal request seeking the referendum empowering Erdogan be annulled over voting irregularities.

COWS in Saskatchewan are fascinated by a beaver.

APRIL THE GIRAFFE suffered an injury, putting an end to her live stream.

A DRUG-SNIFFING BEARDED DRAGON joins the police force in Avondale, AZ.

MASSIVE, SULFUR-EATING "HELL" CLAMS were discovered in the Philippines.

JIMMY FALLON, backed by NILE RODGERS  in a performance of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.”

SON VOLT, Live at the Bowery Ballroom, April 7, 2017.

KRISTIN HERSH stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set.

SINKANE played a Tiny Desk Concert.

THE BLACK LIPS share “Squatting in Heaven.”

IGGY POP shares "Assh*le Blues."  Do you need the NSFW flag here?

FEIST tals to Pitchfork about inding the past in the present, wrestling between depression and resiliency, and chasing a kind of sublime austerity with her first new album in six years.

THE DAMNED: At Rolling Stone, Dave Vanian and Captain Sensible reflect on gigging with Lemmy, hanging with Led Zeppelin and their constantly evolving sound.

BRUCE LANGHORNE, the inspiration for the song "Mr. Tambourine Man," has died at age 78.

ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, who performed with Yes and Soft Machine, died unexpectedly on April 16. He was 70.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 3 will be written and directed by James Gunn.

PRINCE HARRY sought counselling after enduring two years of “total chaos” when Princess Di died.

ORLANDO BLOOM & NINA DOBREV are hanging out romantically.

CARMELO & LA LA ANTHONY are now living separately.

JENNIDER GARNER & BEN AFFLECK have not even started the process of figuring out who gets what in the divorce, because they made a real attempt during their separation to work things out rather than just end things.

JUSTIN BIEBER is officially in the clear for allegedly headbutting a guy at a pre-Grammy party after his attorneys effectively stonewalled cops.

ARNIE HAMMER says a Man from U.N.C.L.E. sequel is in the works?

ROMAN POLANSKI's lawyer is upset. Poor baby.

NORTH KOREA will continue to test missiles, a senior official has told the BBC in Pyongyang.

TURKEY: Turkish citizens who did not want to give more powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a very hard Monday. The referendum to abolish the post of the Prime Minister and to create an executive-led rather than parliamentary system had passed a few hours earlier, albeit by a narrow margin.

A CROCODILE leaps from the water to attack an elephant in Malawi.

A GIANT EGG, containing an egg.

TOBY THE WHIPPET sets a new dog balloon-popping world record.

A WANDERING BEAVER shut down part of highway in Cambridge, Ont.  Hey, nice beaver!