Watch Queens of the Stone Age’s Like Clockwork 15-Minute-Long Short Film

Queens of the Stone Age have capped their series of creepy animated videos with a 15-minute short film. It’s made of cryptic cartoon images by Boneface (who designed their new album cover) with animation by Liam Brazier and compiles their previously shared …Like Clockwork videos.
The band has released individual videos for Clockwork tracks “I Appear Missing”, “Kalopsia”, “If I Had a Tail”, “Keep Your Eyes Peeled”, and “My God Is the Sun”.

…Like Clockwork, the new Queens of the Stone Age LP, is out on June 4 through Matador.

In a recent episode, the Simpsons traveled to Iceland and ran into Sigur Rós and Björk. Not only that, but Sigur Rós also contributed their version of The Simpsons theme song. Via NME:

Speaking about their involvement with the show previously, Sigur Ros said in a statement: “The band’s music scores Homer’s visit to Iceland, make an unprecedented musical collaboration between the show and a band; with this episode, Sigur Ros have written and performed more original music for The Simpsons than any other outside band in the show’s history.”

If ever there was a sonic wail that could compete with Jim Morrison’s haunting vocals, it was the piercing, throbbing wail of Doors’ keyboardist Ray Manzarek’s Vox Continental organ.

That sound has been silenced with Manzarek’s death Monday in Rosenheim, Germany, where, according to the band’s Facebook page, the 74-year-old co-founder of one of the 1960s’ most influential bands had been hospitalized as he battled bile duct cancer.

“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate,” said Doors guitarist Robby Krieger in a statement. “Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him.”

Manzarek and Krieger had toured together for the past 10 years; drummer John Densmore’s relationship with his former bandmates has been more fractured, mainly because of disagreements over how the band’s legacy should be treated financially.

The iconic rock band famously had its 1965 genesis when Manzarek and Morrison, who were both students at the University of California at Los Angeles, met up at the beach and Morrison recited some of his poetry for his friend.

It was the iconoclastic makeup of The Doors that helped make them a success from the monster debut of the group’s self-titled 1967 album.

There was Morrison’s otherworldly howl, Krieger’s Spanish-influenced guitar work, Densmore’s subtle, jazz-infused drumming and perhaps most striking of all, Manzarek’s keyboard, which did triple-duty as lead instrument, accompanying instrument and the band’s lone bass sound. Together, the group recorded five multiplatinum albums and had hits with L.A. Woman, Break On Through to the Other Side, The End and the Manzarek showcase, Light My Fire.

“You just can’t imagine Light My Fire without Manzarek’s organ,” says Andy Greene, associate editor of Rolling Stone. “He was unquestionably one of the best rock keyboardists ever. But more than that, he was proud of the band’s legacy (after Morrison’s 1971 death in Paris). The Doors came back in a big way in the ’80s and Ray was mainly the one carrying the flame.”

Greg Harris, CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, of which Manzarek was an inductee and at whose ceremonies he was a frequent performer, said the organist was “instrumental in shaping one of the most influential, controversial and revolutionary groups of the ’60s, (which owes) much to Manzarek’s innovative playing.”

For many fans and musicians alike, The Doors’ brooding and sometimes dark sound crystallized the experimental rock music emanating from Los Angeles, which stood in stark contrast to the lighter, soaring sound coming out of the San Francisco Bay Area that was typified by the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.

“The Doors represent the L.A. sound for me,” tweeted rock guitar legend Slash, whose own debut band, Guns N’ Roses, came to define the raw Hollywood-bred music of the late ’80s and early ’90s. “RIP Ray Manzarek. Words cannot express.”

Fans are being asked to donate in Manzarek’s name to standup2cancer.org.

Tame Impala’s bassist, Nick Allbrook, has left the band. He played his last show with them at Perth’s Belvoir Amphitheatre on Saturday night, and will be replaced by Cam Avery, who plays in Pond, a band fronted by Allbrook.

A post on Tame Impala’s website stated that Allbrook was “hopping off the Tame Impala band wagon so that he can try and screw his head back on, and make an attempt to assimilate back into society. A task the rest of us fear we will one day have to perform….”
Allbrook told NME, “All bands and projects and stuff will keep going, it’s just hard to keep them all going if you’re touring all the time. The only bad part will be not seeing my mates every day. I love them more than anything.”

Tame Impala continue to tour last year’s Lonerism, and will play this weekend’s Primavera Sound Festival. Check out their tour dates below, followed by a Pitchfork.tv film of the band performing “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”.

Tame Impala:
05-23 Barcelona, Spain – Primavera
05-25 The Gorge, WA – Sasquatch Festival
05-26 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
05-27 Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
05-29 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
06-17 Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
06-18 Richmond, VA – The National
06-19 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
06-25 London, England – Hammersmith Apollo
06-26 Paris, France – Olympia Hall
07-03 Berlin, Germany – Astra
07-04 Gdynia, Poland – Open’er
07-11 Toulouse, France – Le Bikini
07-13 Madrid, Spain – La Riviera
07-14 Lisbon, Portugal – Optimus Alive

Pogues guitarist Phillip Chevron has been diagnosed with terminal head and neck cancer. Chevron fought the same disease in 2007. Via Exclaim:

The head and neck cancer for which he received treatment in 2007 and a clean bill of health in April 2012 has in fact returned. In August 2012, Philip and his doctors noticed a new tumour and this one is in a position whereby treatment is seriously ill-advised and would almost certainly cause a stroke or worse. The cancer is, in short, inoperable and will prove fatal in time, though it is at present impossible to measure life expectancy. Chevron, who was last year part of the releases The Pogues In Paris and The Radiators’ Sound City Beat, is currently taking a break from both bands. The Pogues are on a prolonged time out, emerging only in support of matters relating to their 30th anniversary this year, while the Radiators From Space have formed a splinter group, The Trouble Pilgrims, in which Chevron plays no part. In recent times, Chevron has accepted several theatre music commissions, including the Old Vic Theatre in London and Galway’s Druid Theatre.

Philip thanks his friends, colleagues, family and management team for their enduring support and hopes to make some notable musical contributions before, as he puts it, the cancer becomes “lethal.

Chevron played in Irish punk band Radiators from Space prior to joining The Pogues in the mid-’80s.

“Burn It All Down”

If I Had A Tail

The Flaming Lips brought the weird to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. A near-naked Wayne Coyne, draped in lights, tubing, and whatever else was lying around his basement, covered David Bowie’s 1977 classic “Heroes”. The band also supported their Top Star-earning album The Terror with “Try To Explain”.

Prior to all that, however, Coyne put his epic doodling skills to use for a game of Pictionary with Julie Bowen and Demi Lovato.

“A Man Walks Into A Bar…”
Keep Your Eyes Peeled

LIKE CLOCKWORK OUT JUNE 4th on Matador Records

Iggy has his rock-hard abs. Henry Rollins has his opinions on everything. Shane MacGowan has his teeth. In what may be the most telling sing ‘o the times, the Pogues frontman is looking for a dentist to fix his infamous chompers. Girlfriend Victoria Mary Clarke asked tweeted that MacGowan wants someone who’s up to the challenge; with MacGowan offering free advertising to anyone who can pull it off. Via Brooklyn Vegan:

According to a tweet by the girlfriend of the legendary Pogues vocalist with one of the most unintelligible accents this side of Mark E Smith, Shane MacGowan is currently looking for new dentist to help shape up his mangled mouth of snaggleteeth “so he can star in Hollywood film.” Interested dentists can apply by responding on twitter, with word that “Shane promises to do advertising campaign for the winning dentist” if chosen. You have your work cut out for you, whoever you are. McGowan’s choppers are legendary, and onetime tourmate Mojo Nixon once wrote a song about his dentist who may or may not have existed at the time.

The New York Times says that Google may announce their own music streaming service at Google I/O, which literally just started right now. (Google I/O is the company’s annual gathering of software developers.) Via NME:

It is thought that Google, who will rival the likes of Spotify, Rdio and Rhapsody if they do launch their own streaming programme, have already reached licensing agreements with Sony, Warner and Universal, although there has been no official confirmation of any agreed deals.

The New York Times also suggests that negotiations have been protracted due to the music industry’s frustration at Google’s perceived failure to help combat music piracy – in November 2011, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) accused them of making money from file-sharing and said they needed to take firmer action to stop illegal downloading.

The announcement is expected to take place between the unveiling of Google Knee, which sends data directly to your kneecap, and the annual swimming Scrooge McDuck-style in a pool full of money.

UPDATE: Google to take on Spotify !!

In 1952 a record label started in a bustling Tennessee town. They were fond of acoustic tile, storefronts, the color yellow, the owner producing recording sessions and music that generally moved people. Their output couldn’t be pigeonholed to any one genre. They released everything….country, rock and roll, gospel, bluegrass, rockabilly, blues. If there’s an American musical form that came to fruition in the early 20th century, bet your bottom dollar that some outstanding examples of it were recorded and released by Sun Records.

Sixty-one years later, Third Man Records, in a similarly-bustling Tennessee town and believing in many of the same ideas mentioned above, has entered into partnership with the legendary Sun Records to reissue titles from their catalog on the format they were best known…45rpm 7″ singles.

The initial three releases highlight three disparate, yet engaging releases from the Sun catalog.

Originally released in 1953, “Bear Cat” by Rufus Thomas is as certifiable a primitive R’n'B smoker that’s ever existed. Complete with the inimitable Joe Hill Louis on guitar, the future “Funky Chicken” Thomas gives his male-perspective answer record to Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog.” In the process, the legal powers behind “Hound Dog” writers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller won a lawsuit claiming “Bear Cat” infringed on the duo’s copyright. Ever since the writing credits have been Leiber/Stoller, but what has not changed is the unbeatable groove that moves the song. “Bear Cat” is as fresh today as it was when it was originally released sixty years ago.

Also released in 1953, “Just Walking in the Rain” by the Prisonaires was Sun’s first certifiable hit. Penned Johnny Bragg and Robert Riley, both inmates at Tennessee State Prison, the solemn, haunting doo wop vibes were enough to garner the group, all incarcerated inmates, frequent day passes out of prison walls to perform across the state…including numerous engagements at the governor’s mansion. The vocal prowess and good behavior on day trips would be enough for most group members to be pardoned by the governor. Elvis Presley often said the Prisonaires were his favorite vocal group and even covered “Just Walking in the Rain” on occasion. The proof is in the pudding on this one.

Released in 1956, “Get Rhythm” is an upbeat number by Johnny Cash with positive lyrics speaking of a happy shoe-shine boy. While the song is classic, inimitable Cash, it would quickly become overshadowed by its b-side, “I Walk the Line.” A peculiar song that changes key between each verse and has no chorus, “I Walk the Line” would become the song Cash is best known for, a tale of pledged fidelity with lyrical undertones implying even deeper meaning. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song at #30 in their 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Each release remains faithful to its original issue on Sun, replicating the classic logo and label design coupled with a striking Sun company sleeve that dutifully employs the rooster Sam Philips lamented losing as labels switched from 78′s to 45′s.

This will be an ongoing partnership between Sun and Third Man and future releases are already in the works. Pre-orders for all three initial release (available for purchase individually or as part of a bundle) begin today, with an official release date of May 21st.

The limited edition versions of these singles will be an eye-catching yellow and black splatter configuration we’re lovingly calling sun-ray vinyl. They will be limited to 150 copies per title. 100 copies of each of the limited versions will be sold from the Rolling Record store on May 28, 29, and 30th. The 28th we will sell the lmtd Johnny Cash single at Sun Records in Memphis TN, 29th will be Rufus Thomas in Louisville KY at Please & Thank You, and on the 30th we will sell The Prisonaires Sun Ray vinyl at Luna Records in Indianapolis. As always 50 copies of each limited edition record will go in random mail orders for the standard edition vinyl through the Third Man website. Please stay tuned to the Rolling Record Store twitter account for updates on these sales.

American Express UNSTAGED Presents Vampire Weekend Live at Roseland Ballroom Directed by Steve Buscemi: Watch Vampire Weekend’s amazing Steve Buscemi-directed concert film from their performance at Roseland Ballroom on 4/28/13

If you’ve had your head in the sand, 2013 is officially the year of the comeback. Not only are we being treated to new albums by electronic music mainstays Daft Punk and Boards of Canada, but there’s also new work from D’Angelo, David Bowie and (gasp!) possibly a new tour from Trent Reznor and NIN. There must be some Stephen King-esque force affecting the musical atmosphere this year because it seems that all of our favorite acts are coming back from the brink. Via FACT:

The French and Scottish duos may have dominated April’s news, but they weren’t the only returns to the fray: Black Sabbath announced their first album with Ozzy Osbourne since 1978, crate-diggers rejoiced as Madlib revived his Quasimoto alias, albeit only for a rarities collection, and one of indie’s most mythologised groups, Neutral Milk Hotel, announced a reunion tour. Not enough for you? April also saw De La Soul’s first single for almost a decade, Mike Paradinas reviving his uZiq alias, a new EP by underground kings Cannibal Ox, the first Chris and Cosey single in 20 years, Matias Aguayo’s first album in four, and Parris Mitchell revealing to FACT that he would be restoring one of dance music’s greatest labels, Dance Mania.

Not to mention, for all heads concerned – we may soon get to hear new Aphex Twin in the near-future. It’s been two years since Richard D. James revealed that he has six albums in the pipeline. Hows about you just give us one? Please?

While the Universal Music Group has come to an agreement with Apple for their “iRadio” streaming service, Sony is holding out for a better deal. While negotiations are still ongoing, Sony and Apple have yet to budge. Via FMQB:

According to The Financial Times, UMG and Apple have come to a licensing agreement, which reportedly pays UMG the same 0.125 cent rate-per-streamed-song that Pandora pays out. Apple had reportedly been attempting to negotiate a lower royalty rate with the major labels, in exchange for a piece of any advertising Apple sells on its new service.

Apple Insider reports that many industry executives feel that Apple should pay a higher rate due to their extensive financial resources and the impending huge success of iRadio.