Weekly Music News: Florence + the Machine, Grammys and more

(Photo: courtesy of the artist)

Bob Dylan denounces critics in lengthy speech for MusiCares award

While accepting the MusiCares Person of the Year award last week, Bob Dylan gave a 30-minute speech. Among the wide variety of topics the singer-songwriter covered was his belief that critics have been unfair to him throughout his long-running career: 

Critics have said that I've made a career out of confounding expectations. Really? Because that's all I do? That's how I think about it. Confounding expectations. Like I stay up late at night thinking about how to do it. "What do you do for a living, man?" "Oh, I confound expectations."

Read the entire speech via Rolling Stone.

Beck, Sam Smith, St. Vincent win Grammys 

The 57th annual Grammy award ceremony took place on Sunday. Big winners included Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" for Song of the Year, Beck's "Morning Phase" for Album of the Year and St. Vincent's self-titled record for "Best Alternative Music Album."

Read more about the winners.

New releases announced this week

• Florence + the Machine's new album "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful" is out June 2 via Republic Records, in time for the band's headlining gig at this year's Bonnaroo Festival.
• Welsh punk rockers Joanna Gruesome will release "Peanut Butter," the follow-up to 2013's "Weird Sister," on June 2.
• Alabama Shakes will release sophomore album "Sound and Color" on April 21. The band plays at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Aug. 16. 
• Hot Chip's sixth studio album, "Why Make Sense?," is out May 18 via Domino.
• Swedish folk singer The Tallest Man on Earth returns with the new album "Dark Bird is Home" on May 12 via Dead Oceans.