Oct/090
Monday Newsmix: ODB’s son snags a single; plus The Strokes and more
Like father, like son?
It’s so hard to believe that it’s been five years since the untimely death of Wu-Tang member Ol’ Dirty Bastard. (But then, I tend to say that about a lot of things – maybe I’m just getting old, eh?) In fact, it’s been so long since then that now ODB’s own son is ready to take up his father’s mantle.
Barson Jones, AKA Boy Jones, will release his first single before the end of the year, according to reliable sources. The 21-year-old son of ODB, whose real name is Russell Jones, first appeared on stage at age 9 with his father, so he’s had a lot of time to hone his skills. Here’s hoping that the single lives up to its namesake.
Also, the linked article drops another interesting tidbit: ODB’s final posthumous album, A Son Unique, may be seeing a release before the end of the year. A fitting album name, all things considered, isn’t it?
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In other new album news, The Strokes are officially back in the studio. The five-piece indie group have been working on solo projects since the release of their 2006 album, First Impressions of Earth, but now they’ve collected once again to write and cut their long-awaited fourth album.
According to reports, the group have nearly finished writing the album, and frontman Julian Casablancas has compared the new songs to Thin Lizzy, as odd as that sounds. It’s good to hear that the band is taking their time, I suppose, but that description leaves me with a bit of apprehension. Here’s hoping that they can pull it off.
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I guess being behind bars doesn’t bar one from receiving accolades. Rapper T.I., whom you may know from his collaboration with Rihanna on the single “Live Your Life,” received two B.E.T. Hip-Hop Awards this past weekend while serving a year’s prison sentence for possessing illegal weapons. Hey, it is a pretty catchy single…
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So it looks like the new Animal Collective album is actually a five-track, half-hour-long EP. According to the description, it seems like it’ll be a bit harsher than the “springy, summery” Merriweather Post Pavillion. Okay, it’s not a new album, but it IS more AnCo. I’m certainly not complaining.
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As if you needed any further reason to avoid the next Good Charlotte record (other than the fact that it’s another Good Charlotte record), it looks like Pink will perform in some fashion on a song. Blech.
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See the track list for the upcoming Lego Rock Band video game here. Not a bad list, though I want to throttle the guy who thought that Vampire Weekend would be fun to play.
Oct/090
Thursday Newsmix: Oasis dries up, plus new Animal Collective and more
We're so British, we invented the Jaffa Cake.
After Noel Gallagher left the band over a month ago, the fate of Britpop superstars Oasis has been, for the most part, up in the air. Today, in an interview with The Times UK, estranged brother Liam Gallagher laid all rumors and speculation to rest: Oasis is no more.
In that interview, Liam spelled out the fate of the band in no uncertain terms: “Oasis is no longer. I think we all know that. So that’s done.” Instead, the younger Gallagher will be entering into the fashion business with a new line of clothing, with any further projects involving the remaining band members to be decided. Meanwhile, Noel is most likely going it solo, though details on any such venture are slim to nil at the moment.
While the demise of such a prolific band does tug a bit at my heartstrings – Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? having been, for better or worse, a major part of the soundtrack to my teenage years – the band has been mostly retreading well-worn ground for the past decade. The time was well past due to call it quits.
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My admiration for Animal Collective’s January release, Merriweather Post Pavillion, should be no secret by now. Hipster echo-chamber aside, MPP is a dynamic, exciting album packed to the brim not only with good musical ideas, but also a sense of melody and accessibility that the band’s earlier material lacked. So when the announcement of another album – slated for this year, too – comes out of nowhere, you must excuse me if I’m a little, er, excited.
Okay, that’s an understatement. This is going to be effing awesome.
The new album, to be titled Fall Be Kind, is slated to be released December 8 on Domino Records. We don’t really have any more info as of yet, but be sure to stay tuned as this exciting story develops.
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Are you the owner of some treasured piece of autographed Joy Division memorabilia? If so, you may want to check that certificate of authenticity. Ex-Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook has admitted to forging the signature of the late Ian Curtis on various JD-related items, thus calling into question the value (both monetary and otherwise) of pretty much every such piece. I think I just heard Curtis roll over in his grave.
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The Beastie Boys‘ Adam “MCA” Yausch is apparently really into Eastern medicine. After having been diagnosed with cancer, Yausch stated in an update released via Rolling Stone, he traveled to Tibet on a retreat, converted (temporarily) to veganism, and attended a seminar by the Dalai Lama. Whatever helps him feel better, I suppose.
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So it looks like Radiohead might be cutting a new album after all. Jeez, make your mind up already, will you guys?
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After initially snubbing an offer to have the band immortalized in a Rock Band game, arena-rockers U2 have stated that they would “definitely… like to be” involved with such a project. Too bad it won’t be nearly as good as The Beatles’ iteration.
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In other music-game news, view the entire tracklist for the upcoming DJ Hero video game here.
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Preview The Flaming Lips’ upcoming album, Embryonic, over at NPR.
Oct/090
Video: The Dead Weather – “I Cut Like a Buffalo”
Some really creepy stuff from Jack White’s latest band today. Many of the scenes give off that strange, surreal Inland Empire vibe.
Oct/090
Monday Newsmix: Glenn Beck and Muse; plus Method Man and more
I want YOU!! ...to subscribe to MY conspiracy theories.
I’m of the opinion that conservative/libertarian “commentator” Glenn Beck is one of the craziest political voices in the United States, between his religion-based warmongering, thinly-veiled racism, and general tin-foil-hattery. But at least he likes Muse – albeit for the wrong reasons (he erroneously associates the band with libertarianism).
Oh, and he’s also a dirty rotten liar. But we already knew that.
Recently, on his Fox News show, Beck claimed that a spokesperson for Muse insisted that he stop plugging the group on his show. Only, that never happened, according to a representative for Beck’s company. He was just joking. Right.
Regrettably, Muse declined to comment on the situation, thereby ensuring that this story doesn’t go much further than it already has. Otherwise, people might actually realize that Beck and his ilk are “fair and balanced” only because they jury-rigged the scale.
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Wu-Tang member Method Man, along with brother-in-arms Redman, released what’s thus far my favorite hip-hop album of the year back in May. But apparently not enough people bought it, as Meth needed to, uh, supplement his income with unpaid tax money.
This morning, Meth turned himself in for evading over $32,000 in taxes – and that’s not including the attorneys’ fees or punitive damages that any self-respecting judge will saddle the famed emcee with. If convicted – and it looks like he will be, due to the whole “turning himself in” thing – he could face up to four years in the slammer as well.
Any chance of a jailbird-recorded Blackout 3, Methy ol’ pal?
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NPR reports that a collaboration is in the works between David Byrne and Norman Cook, otherwise known as Fatboy Slim. The duo’s planned album, to be entitled Here Lies Love, will be based upon the life of former Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos, and will feature over 20 guest vocalists, including Cyndi Lauper, Santigold, and Tori friggin’ Amos. Hell. Yes.
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In completely silly news, reggae artist Major Mackerel claims that some guy in New York City slashed him up with a two-foot-long sword. A strange story – and even stranger if it somehow turns out to be true.
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View the tracklisting for the Foo Fighters’ upcoming Greatest Hits album here. Not a bad list, though woefully lacking in tracks from their excellent debut album.
Sep/090
Wednesday Newsmix: Lil’ Wayne & Weezer; plus DJ AM and more
The most wedgie-able man in modern rock.
If you needed any more proof that Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is a huge dork, then look no further than this news-bite. While speaking to MTV about his band’s forthcoming album, Raditude, Cuomo detailed how he got emcee Lil’ Wayne to “do a rap” on a track entitled, “Can’t Stop Partying.” Without directly coming out and saying that he knows absolutely nothing about hip-hop, Cuomo related that, “Any other rapper would’ve just done, ‘Yay, we’re partying! Let’s drink and have fun,’ but [Wayne] gave it the edge I was looking for.”
And the train-wreck doesn’t stop there. Cuomo continues: “It sounds so dark, like he was gonna get shot or something when he walks out of the studio.” [emphasis mine]
At first, I wasn’t sure whether the singer-songwriter sounded more like my eighty-year-old grandmother or a nerdy white guy with horn-rimmed glasses. But then I remembered that he is a nerdy white guy with horn-rimmed glasses, so I guess his almost total ignorance of an entire genre of music is justified. Sort of.
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Back on August 28, Adam Goldstein – known usually by his stage name, DJ AM – was found dead in his Manhattan apartment. Since then, rumors have circulated concerning Goldstein’s drug use and the possibility that the prolific club DJ died of an overdose. Yesterday, according to official police reports, those rumors have been confirmed.
According to those reports, Goldstein was found with a crack pipe and an array of prescription drugs nearby – most of which he had ingested to some degree. In addition to cocaine, he had taken, among other things, OxyContin, Vicodin, Ativan, and Klonopin before his death. As with other such cases, the combination of a cocktail of narcotics and a powerful stimulant likely put a terrible strain on his heart.
At the risk of sounding too preachy: Please be careful with drugs, guys and gals. All too often, “a little too much” can mean your last.
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In lighter news, drummer Frankie Rose has – unsurprisingly – left yet another band. After drumming for Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls, and – lately – Crystal Stilts, all in the span of a couple of years, Rose has departed the Stilts to form a new band, Frankie and the Outs. The five-piece, all-girl band will make their live debut November 7 at Brooklyn’s Woodser venue, with Rose herself taking up guitar and vocals.
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In line with their myriad previous grabs at nanny-statism, the European Union has announced plans to introduce a bill requiring manufacturers of MP3 players and other similar devices to keep the volume down. Amidst concerns about hearing damage due to loud personal music players, the EU will include in the bill a provision to limit such players to a maximum volume level of 89 decibels. While it’s completely reasonable to request that people keep their headphones turned down, isn’t this a little… you know… excessive?
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Stream Kurt Vile’s forthcoming album, Childish Prodigy, for free thanks to Pop Headwound.
Sep/090
Tueday Newsmix: Danger Mouse breaks bells; Jacko breaks records
Here he comes to save the day! And make some kickin' rad music.
Been wondering what multi-instrumentalist/producer Brian Burton, AKA Danger Mouse, is up to lately? You’re definitely not alone. As one of the busiest men in modern music, Burton always seems to be at work on one project or another, all of which tend toward competent at worst and ground-breaking at best. Take now, for example: a scant few months after the “non-release-release” of his collaboration with Sparklehorse, the mouse is back – and in good company.
Broken Bells is the (tentative) name of the new collaboration between Burton and James Mercer, the creative force behind indie rockers The Shins. Unlike Dark Night of the Soul, however, both parties are in this one for the long haul: the duo plan to release their debut album next year via Columbia Records, and they already have plans extending beyond that album. There’s no further details on the collaboration yet, but that’s a helluva lot of musical talent concentrated in two individuals.
Has Burton finally settled on a project that’ll extend beyond the two album mark? Does this mean that The Shins are on hiatus? Probably not on both counts, but either way, this one just shot up near the top of my “most anticipated of ‘10″ list.
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Even after his death, Michael Jackson continues to sell tickets. Thousands upon thousands of ‘em. Tickets for showings of the documentary This Is It, comprising footage of the last few months of the late pop star’s life, went on sale this past Sunday – and shattered records for advance ticket sales. In North America alone, Reuters estimates, hundreds of screenings for the documentary have sold out completely. Elsewhere, in Japan alone, advance sales made more than $1 million.
Frankly, I don’t know why people are so eager to see footage of creepy caucasian post-facial-surgery Jacko, as opposed to young suave Jacko, but maybe that’s just me. I just hope that this documentary lives up to the hype.
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In other new-band news, Thom Yorke of Radiohead announced late yesterday that he’s heading a new supergroup. His fellow partners-in-crime will be Flea (yes, that Flea), producer Nigel Godrich, session drummer Joey Waronker, and Brazilian musician Mauro Refusco. I’m no fan of Yorke’s, but with that lineup I’d go see them live anyway.
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Apparently, after nearly three dozen shows in Europe and America, U2 still have yet to make a profit off of their “360″ world tour. According to reports, the band needs to front about $750,000 per show. What a waste.
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Wondering when the next Sufjan Stevens album will hit? According to the man himself, it won’t be coming any time soon, as he “no longer [has] a deep desire to share [his] music with anyone.” Sigh.
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Yet another Omar Rodriguez-Lopez album, titled Xenophanes, will drop November 10th via his own independent record label.
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Preview Karen O’s Where the Wild Things Are movie soundtrack for free over at Stereogum.
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NPR is streaming the upcoming Roseanne Cash covers album, The List, via their Exclusive First Listen feature.
Sep/090
Video: Graham Coxon – “Dead Bees”
Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has had a nice little solo career after his former band’s breakup. This single, off of this year’s The Spinning Top, features the usual Coxon tropes – garagey riffs with a bit of folksy warmth – set to a montage of, er, interesting nature scenes and stop-motion animation. This one isn’t for the squeamish nor the motion-sick.
Sep/090
Monday Newsmix: Battle of the indie douches; plus Portishead and more
Don't you want to punch this guy, too?
When two relatively minor but abrasive personalities in the indie rock “community” duke it out, it seems that it’s always bound to generate at least a few rounds of whining and passive-aggressive jabs. So transpired the events of the past weekend, featuring emo-haired Wavves singer Nathan Williams in one corner and loudmouthed Black Lips bassist Jared Swilley in the other. This past Friday, after the two bands played separate shows in Brooklyn, the pair of musicians converged at Daddy’s bar in Williamsburg. Soon, the meeting became a confrontation, from which Jared walked away “bloody.” (Nathan was apparently unharmed.)
Now, the two parties involved have released conflicting stories as to what exactly happened. Nathan claims that Jared was “looking for a fight” and that the latter’s girlfriend was “spitting in the face of all [his] friends.” Jared claims that Nathan wasn’t involved (referring to him multiple times as [insert well-known slur for a homosexual person that I won't repeat here]), and that Wavves’ tour manager clobbered him over the head with a glass bottle.
Me? I don’t care what the truth is. All I want to know is when these two colossal jerkasses will shut the hell up and start acting like adults.
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After releasing last year’s critically acclaimed and universally beloved Third, Bristol trip-hop trio Portishead could have rested on their laurels for another ten years and let fans yearn for a follow-up. Thank Jebus they aren’t going to do so. NME reports that the band, consisting of singer Beth Gibbons and multi-instrumentalists Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley, are hard at work on new material – even though they aren’t signed to a record label.
According to the article, the band is currently “weighing up options” concerning how to release this new material – a strong hint that it won’t come in your typical album format. But, heck, it’s a new Portishead album – they could print it on friggin’ eight-track tapes for all I care and I’d still grab it day one, along with – I’d imagine – about a million other fans.
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R.I.P. Lucy O’Donnell, the “girl with kaleidoscope eyes” who inspired The Beatles’ classic tune, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
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Industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle have announced the release of “GRISTLEISM,” an industrial music generator that operates on two AA batteries. Looks like a neat little experiment, though I don’t know who would buy it.
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Stream Air’s latest album, Love 2, for free via the band’s website.
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Alt-rockers The Cranberries have announced their reunion tour, complete with dates.
Sep/090
Album Round^UP: Lost and Hallucinating
Every week I meticulously scour the week’s new releases to bring you the best of what’s coming. Note that any comments below are pure opinion based solely upon my impressions of any available previews. (When in doubt, don’t take my word for it – trust your own ears and nothing else!)
Here’s what’s on tap for this week:
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FEATURED ALBUMS – The weekly cream of the crop.
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Diablo Swing Orchestra – Sing-Along Songs for the Damned and Delirious
A couple of years back, after a session of heavy drinking and a Winamp loop of Devin Townsend’s “Bad Devil,” I first dreamed up the concept for a “swing-metal” band. The band’s sound, in theory, would combine the riffs of heavy metal with the groove of big-band swing and ragtime and the theatrics of a Broadway musical.
Unfortunately for me, however, it seems as though a sextet of Swedes have beaten me to the idea by about five years. Well, sort of. While Diablo Swing Orchestra’s first EP and subsequent full-length drew heavily from “traditional” prog- and speed-metal tropes (chugga-chugga riffs, double bass hammering, and so on), Sing-Along Songs… draws far more heavily on the band’s non-metal influences to wonderful results. There’s still the requisite heavy tracks (”Ricerca Dell Anima”) for you headbangers out there, but otherwise, these guys sound like nobody else on the market. (The closest comparison I can draw, aside from the aforementioned Devy track, is fellow avant-gardists Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.) Even if you have no interest in metal at all, you may find yourself drawn into DSO’s twisted world from the first note.
If there were ever an indie success story worth noting, it would be Bon Iver’s. The product of indie-folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, Bon Iver’s 2007 album For Emma, Forever Ago granted the band – and Vernon in particular – nigh-unchallenged reknown in the independent music community. So what do you do two years after your breakout album with nary a sophomore offering in sight? Why, release old material, of course!
Volcano Choir is the product of a collaboration between Vernon and members of Collections of Colonies of Bees dating back to the pre-For Emma days. Unlike Bon Iver, however, Unmap displays heavy ambient influence, often reminding me of a more folksy David Sylvian. In other words, there’s the requisite empty space punctuated by ethereal noise, but backing it all is the group’s keen eye for folksy warmth. A couple of the tracks (like the discordant And Gather) fall flat, but taken as a whole, I can see why Vernon and the boys decided to release this album. And if nothing else, it’ll tide everyone over until the next Bon Iver album.
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MORE FEATURED ALBUMS – Something about the previews for these albums struck me in a good way.
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Basement Jaxx – Scars (Deep house with lots of things to discover.)
Brother Ali – Us (Funky hip-hop with beats and production by Ant.)
Cave, Nick and Warren Ellis – White Lunar (Impressive collection of soundtrack tunes by two prolific artists.)
Claire Voyant – Lustre (Hybrid dreampop/synthpop; like a distortion-free Curve.)
Deadmau5 – For Lack of a Better Name (Electronica/synthpop, nice and danceable.)
Germano, Lisa – Magic Neighbor (Lovely dreampop. Reminds me a lot of Mazzy Star.)
Noisettes – Wild Young Hearts (Groovy retro pop-rock, heavy on the blues and jazz.)
One EskimO – One EskimO (Lush indie pop from Britain.)
Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The – Higher Than the Stars EP (Four warm shoegaze tracks, plus one remix.)
Wax Tailor – Hope and Sorrow (Sounds exactly like a DJ Shadow album, and that’s not a bad thing at all.)
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THE REST
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Assemblage 23 – Spark single (Futurepop.)
Big Pink, The – A Brief History of Love (Spotty attempt at a neo-shoegaze album.)
Chesnutt, Vic – At the Cut (Folk-rock. Basically the same as his last few albums.)
Fogelberg, Dan – Love in Time (A passable swan song by the late singer-songwriter.)
Girls – Album (Decent lo-fi indie pop.)
Gray, David – Draw the Line (Singer-songwriter.)
Hawley, Richard – True Love’s Gutter (Folk-rock.)
Kingston, Sean – Tomorrow (Reggae/pop.)
Krivit, Danny – 718 Sessions (House.)
Larson, Jeff – Heart of the Valley (Folk-rock.)
Le Loup – Family (Indie rock.)
Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much (Queen-esque power pop.)
Millan, Amy – Masters of the Burial (Indie-folk.)
Monsters of Folk, The – Monsters of Folk (Suffers from usual supergroup problems: Too many cooks spoil the soup.)
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The – Speed of Life (Outlaw country.)
Oh No – Oh No vs. Now Again (Funk/soul.)
Ono, Yoko – Between My Head and the Sky (As usual, experimental music that’s more annoying than anything else.)
Owen – New Leaves (Pleasant indie-folk.)
U2 – I’ll Go Crazy if I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight single (Dad-rock. Not one of their worthwhile singles.)