The 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees have been named: the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Green Day, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Kraftwerk, the Marvellettes, N.W.A., Nine Inch Nails, Lou Reed (as a solo artist, having previously been inducted as a member of the Velvet Underground), the Smiths, the Spinners, Sting (also as a solo artist, having been inducted with the Police), and Stevie Ray Vaughan. (Despite the buzz surrounding their continued reunion gigs, the Replacements have again been snubbed.) To be eligible, artists must have released their debut single or album at least 25 years ago. Voting is now open, with fan votes factoring into the final list of inductees that will be announced in December. (Pitchfork)

Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth has quite a story to tell, and she'll tell it in book form on Feb. 24, when her memoir Girl in a Band is published. (Pitchfork)

For five straight weeks, the top five spots on Billboard's Hot 100 have been occupied exclusively by female artists: Meghan Trainor, Taylor Swift, Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora, Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj. That's a record stretch, breaking the four-week top five domination achieved by female artists including Monica, Britney Spears, and Deborah Cox in 1999. (Billboard)

Thom Yorke has the "utmost respect" for you (quotation marks ours) if you don't use "social media" (quotation marks his)—even if that means it took you longer to find out about his new album. (Billboard)

Revered local group 12 Rods have announced a reunion gig—their first since breaking up ten years ago. The band will play First Avenue on Jan. 20 to celebrate the reissue of their final album, Lost  Time, on Justin Vernon's Chigliak Records. (Local Current)

Charli XCX is set to release a much-anticipated new solo record later this year, but at the moment she's best-known for two songs she co-wrote and guested on: Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" and Icona Pop's "I Love It." What does Charli XCX do when she has to perform "Fancy" without Azalea's help? Just raps her way through it herself, apparently. (Billboard) Now we'll see how Azalea handles the song when she plays TCF Bank Stadium for the University of Minnesota Homecoming Concert on Oct. 17.