THE SHINS "So Says I" (Legal MP3 Download)

Chutes Too Narrow, the Shins' heavily anticipated follow-up to "Know Your Onion", was recorded in James' basement home studio, with later mixing assistance from Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, David Cross, Les Savy Fav, etc.). And, with 10 songs, clocking in at just over 30 minutes, the new record is a brief yet entirely scintillating glimpse at chiming, reflective and perfectly skewed pop innovation. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MP3

Kingblind: News that you can use.

PETE TOWNSHEND and ROGER DALTREY are planning to demo new material before year's end and record an album next spring . . . RONALD SPAGNARDI, founder and publisher of Modern Drummer, died on Monday of cancer; he was sixty . . . MIKE WATT AND THE SECONDMEN will open eleven dates for the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, starting October 8th in Las Vegas . . . The reunited AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB will play a free show at Spaceland in Los Angeles every Monday night in December . . . BELLE AND SEBASTIAN will begin a fifteen-date tour on October 26th in Atlanta . . . JOHNNY CASH won Artist of the Year and his American IV: The Man Comes Around won Album of the Year at the 2003 Americana Awards in Nashville over the weekend. JOHN PRINE received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriter . . . WILCO, SPOON and BRIGHT EYES will contribute songs to The Amos House Collection, due in December . . . PAUL McCARTNEY told fans in a September 18th Webchat that he had started work on a new album but isn't likely to finish it until next year . . . STARSAILOR will release their new album, Silence Is Easy, on January 27th . . . Songs by the ROOTS, the DEAD, SONIC YOUTH and the FLAMING LIPS will be included on Live From Bonnaroo 2003, a two-CD set due September 30th. A DVD from the event will also be released . . . The YEAH YEAH YEAHS launch a twelve-date tour on November 8th in Washington, D.C. . . . AL GREEN has reunited with his old producer WILLIE MITCHELL to record a new album, I Can't Stop, due November 18th. With the album's release, Green's four-CD box, The Immortal Soul of... will be bumped to 2004 . . .

On the Bridge

WILCO, DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL, INCUBUS, WILLIE NELSON and CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH have joined the lineup for the seventeenth annual Bridge School Benefit concert. The acoustic event, which was founded by NEIL YOUNG and his wife PEGI, will be held on October 25th at the Shoreline Amphitheater in California. YOUNG and PEARL JAM will also perform. The Bridge School is a learning facility for children with speech and physical impairments . . .

Upcoming British singer-songwriter MATTHEW JAY has died.

The 24-year-old fell from a seventh-floor window and died from his injuries, according to his manager. Currently, there is no official cause of death. In a statement, his parents said: "Matthew Jay died late evening on Wednesday, 24th September 2003, killed in a fall from a seventh-storey window. It is understood that there was nobody with him in the room at the time and no note was left. His family loved him dearly, admired him greatly and wish Matthew and all who loved him peace and tranquility. "Matthew lived and died for his music. We hope that his music will live on and help fill the terrible void left in all those who loved him." Jay grew up around music. His parents were avid folk musicians and he joined the family band at a young age. Around the same time, Jay’s dad uprooted his family to move to Abergavenny, South Wales. Often compared to fellow British singer/songwriters such as Badly Drawn Boy and Nick Drake, his debut album ’Draw’ was a critical success following its release In 2001. During a fruitful period, Jay then supported the likes of Stereophonics, Dido and Doves. In the UK his highest profile gigs were supporting Starsailor. A spokesperson at Matthew's former record label said: "Everyone here who knew Matthew will remember him as such a lovely guy, and a very talented artist. We are deeply shocked and send our sympathy to his family and friends." His manager Martyn Watson added: "Matthew's genius was an inspiration. He brought light to all our lives and his songs will live on forever. All his friends will miss him so much." Jay was working on new material at the time of his death.

New Law Passed To Block Concert Suicide

The St. Petersburg, Fla., city council passed a law today (Sept. 30) designed to scuttle a rock group's plans to feature an onstage suicide. The hard rock band Hell On Earth had said that a suicide by a terminally ill person would take place during a concert Saturday to raise awareness of right-to-die issues. In response, the city council met today to unanimously approve an emergency ordinance making it illegal to conduct a suicide for commercial or entertainment purposes, and to host, promote and sell tickets for such an event. "While I still think it's a publicity stunt, we still couldn't sit idly by and let somebody lose their life," council member Bill Foster said. A Florida law already makes assisting in a suicide manslaughter, a second-degree felony. Tampa-based Hell Of Earth, known for such outrageous onstage stunts as chocolate syrup wrestling and grinding up live rats in a blender, created the furor by announcing the suicide would happen Saturday at the Palace Theater in downtown St. Petersburg. But the theater's owner, David Hundley, promptly canceled the band's show, and another venue also turned away the event. Band leader BillY Tourtelot has vowed that the concert and suicide will still take place at an undisclosed location in the city, and broadcast live on the band's Web site. "This show is far more than a typical Hell On Earth performance," Tourtelot said in a statement on the group's official Web site. "This is about standing up for what you believe in, and I am a strong supporter of physician-assisted suicide." A message left for Tourtelot was not immediately returned. Hell On Earth is playing clubs in support of its independently produced album, "All Things Disturbingly Sassy."

Kingblind.com gets named as one of the best blogs (weblogs) in the world !

The Australian news service SMH has name Kingblind.com as one of the best blogs in the world!! Check out the story right here. Wow.. First MSNBC.COM and now this.. COOL!!

Death Cab for Cutie: "The New Year" (Legal MP3 Download)

Like Noam Chomsky and Ted Williams before them, the bashful boys of Bellingham, WA powerhouse Death Cab for Cutie are stepping forward as their generation's renaissance men.” Their fourth studio album blends subtle songwriting, amazing production, boundless creativity, and thoughtful rock. Highly recommended. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MP3

Kings of Leon announce biggest UK tour EVER

KINGS OF LEON are coming to the UK in December for an NME PRESENTS... tour, which takes in their biggest UK and Irish shows ever. The tour starts at the 3,500 capacity London Brixton Academy, then visits Southampton, Birmingham, Dublin, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol and Glasgow. The band will be arriving fresh from a massive US tour that’s been star-studded and completely debauched. Currently on the road with Jet and the 22-20s, they are due to go out for more dates supporting The Strokes before coming to the UK. The full tour dates for NME Presents…Kings Of Leon are:
London Brixton Academy (December 11)
Southampton Guild Hall (13)
Birmingham Academy (14)
Dublin Olympia Theatre (16)
Manchester Academy (17)
Nottingham Rock City (18)
Bristol Academy (21)
Glasgow Academy (22)

Stereophonics sack drummer

The Stereophonics have fired their drummer Stuart Cable who hasn't been playing on the Welsh band's US dates due to ill health. Singer Kelly Jones said on the band's website that there had been "commitment issues" but Cable isn't taking this sitting down. He was apparently stunned by the decision and in a statement said, "I'm a founder member of the Stereophonics and I would like to stress that I did not leave nor ever had any intention of leaving the band. As has been published, I underwent a minor operation whilst in the US and was unable to play two of the gigs. My doctor subsequently told me I was able to continue the US tour. However, Kelly and Richard (Jones, bassist) suggested I return to the UK to recuperate for the forthcoming UK and European tours. Last Monday evening (9/22), Richard and Kelly telephoned me from the US and I was stunned to be told that they had decided to sack me. I still want to continue to be a part of the Stereophonics and play on the band's forthcoming UK and European tours. I am, and have always been, a fully committed member of the Stereophonics and am very upset that Kelly seems to be saying that I was not committed to the band." Although Kelly has stated that there will be no permanent replacement for his childhood friend, ex-Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman has been filling in for Cable on this tour and will continue to play with the band. Kelly for his part has written on the band's website: "Me and Stuart started a band when I was 12. Emotionally to me this is heartbreaking, I love him like a brother, but commitment-wise there have been issues since Just Enough Education to Perform." “No one member of the band is bigger than our songs,” continues Kelly. “It's a rock and roll band and the coming shows will be rocking." The band are currently on tour promoting their fourth album You've Got to Go There to Come Back.

New Strokes leaked onto internet

THE STROKES’ second album 'ROOM ON FIRE' has leaked onto the internet. According to fan websites, ten of the songs from the record were leaked onto the internet over the weekend. kingblind.com understands users of various unofficial message boards are now sharing MP3 files of the album. The record joins the list of hundreds that have appeared on the internet before its official release, despite a massive clampdown on file sharing by the music industry. Earlier this year, unmastered songs from Radiohead’s new album 'Hail To The Thief' turned up on the internet months before the record was due to hit the shops. 'Room On Fire' is officially released in the UK on October 20. The single, '12:51' comes out two weeks earlier on October 6.

New EP from Polyphonic Spree

The Polyphonic Spree's "Light & Day" will be the title track of a new EP, due Tuesday (Sept. 30) via Hollywood. The limited-edition disc will feature a re-recorded version of the song, which is prominently featured in a joint Volkswagen/iPod television commercial. Available at select U.S. independent record stores and the group's shows, the EP will be rounded out by the previously unreleased song "The March" and a Stereolab remix of "Soldier Girl" from the debut album, "The Beginning Stages Of... The Polyphonic Spree." As previously reported, the 20-plus member group is currently on tour in the U.S., and will play Birmingham, Ala., tonight. An appearance on NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" that was scotched due to the massive Aug. 15 blackout will be made up Nov. 5.

New Delay for Strokes record

The Strokes have bumped the release of their highly anticipated sophomore RCA album back a week. "Room on Fire" was originally due Oct. 21 but will now come out Oct. 28 "due to some unforeseen packaging problems," according to the group's official Web site. The group's fall tour begins Oct. 9 in Philadelphia, with a 10-date European trek set to kick off Dec. 1 in Glasgow. The new album's first single, "Supernova," is No. 27 in its second week on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Robert Palmer Dies At Age 54

Robert Palmer died today (Sept. 26) in Paris of a heart attack. He was 54. The singer was on a two-day break in Paris following a television recording session in Britain, his manager Mick Carter said from the French capital. In the 1980s, Palmer became a superstar with such singles as "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistible" - accompanied by slick videos featuring the smartly dressed Palmer with a back-up band of attractive women, all in black outfits and glossy makeup. A side project, Power Station, formed in 1985 with John Taylor and Andy Taylor of '80s supergroup Duran Duran, scored three top-10 hits on Billboard's Hot 100, including "Communication" and a cover of "Get it On (Bang a Gong)." The son of a British naval officer, Palmer was a member of several British rock bands before he hit the big time as a solo artist. He had lived in Switzerland for the past 16 years. Known for his GQ sense of style, Palmer was named best-dressed male artist by Rolling Stone in 1990. The "Addicted to Love" video, with its miniskirted models strumming guitars as Palmer sang, became one of MTV's most-played clips, and sparked protests from some feminists. "I'm not going to attach inappropriate significance to it because at the time it meant nothing. It's just happened to become an iconic look," Palmer once said of the video. He had his first hit album and single, "Sneakin' Sally through the Alley," in 1974. In his 20s, Palmer worked with a number of small-time bands including Dada, Vinegar Joe, and the Alan Bown Band, occasionally appearing in opening acts for big draw including The Who and Jimi Hendrix. Palmer once confessed that he was not attracted to the excesses of rock'n'roll stardom. "I loved the music, but the excesses of rock 'n' roll never really appealed to me at all," he said. "I couldn't see the point of getting up in front of a lot of people when you weren't in control of your wits."

LENNON'S LEGEND - ON DVD

A new JOHN LENNON DVD is set for release, compiled by the late legend’s wife YOKO ONO. ‘Lennon Legend’, a companion to the Lennon compilation of the same name, is set for release on October 27 and features a raft of exclusive features. The DVD is made up of highlights of Lennon’s solo career, including an all-new video for ‘Working Class Hero’ featuring footage of the star’s childhood, material from John and Yoko’s legendary ‘Bed In’ and a live version of ‘Imagine’ from Lennon’s last ever live performance. The DVD also features a set of new animations based on Lennon’s line-drawings, Yoko Ono said of the project, which she executive produced: "This is as definitive a collection as it is possible to be. John's life was an amazing one and one that I feel privileged to have been part of. Compiling this DVD has been a very emotional experience: unearthing rare footage, watching it increase in clarity before my eyes, reliving hundreds of memories that were part of our lives and which are now being passed on to a new generation. It is a film made with love and hope – my love for my husband and our hope that peace will prevail in the world. Give peace a chance!"

Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day (Album Review)

Here in the American south, decoration day refers to placing bouquets of flowers on loved ones' gravesites. A more fitting name couldn't be found for this brilliantly crafted collection of songs covering dour and depressing topics with southern boogie, insightful lyrics and country wisdom. Whether it's a song about an incestuous brother and sister ("The Deeper In"), an ode to a father and his advice to an unheeding son ("Outfit") or the reaction to a friend's suicide ("When The Pin Hits The Shell"), "Decoration Day" manages to flesh out its stories while never losing its dignity.

KAAZA TURNS THE TABLES.. AND SUES RECORD LABELS

Turning the tables on record labels, makers of the most popular file-sharing network are suing the companies for copyright infringement. Sharman Networks, the company behind the KaZaA file-sharing software, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday accusing the labels of using unauthorized versions of its software in their efforts to snoop out users. Sharman said the companies used KaZaA Lite, an ad-less replica of its software, to get onto the network. The lawsuit also claims efforts to combat piracy on KaZaA violated terms for using the network. Labels have allegedly offered bogus versions of copyrighted works and sent online messages to users. Sharman's lawsuit also revives its previous allegation that the labels violated antitrust laws by stopping Sharman and its partner from distributing authorized copies of music and movies through KaZaA. U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson rejected those claims in July but last week allowed Sharman to try again. Last year, the labels filed suit against Sharman, accusing it of providing free access to copyrighted music and films. The Recording Industry Association of America called Sharman's "newfound admiration for the importance of copyright law" ironic and "self-serving." Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group declined comment on the lawsuit. In related news, the software developers who wrote KaZaA have launched an Internet phone service they claim could put traditional phone companies out of business. The service, called Skype, purports to offer free, unlimited phone service between users -- with sound quality near to what its developers derisively dub "POTS" -- a Plain Old Telephone Service. Unlike KaZaA, which drew the wrath of the music industry, Skype shouldn't stir up a legal hornet's nest. "The goal here is that we want Skype to be the telephone company of the future," said Niklas Zennstrom, the firm's chief executive. "Traditional network technologies date back to the 1870s. They're inflexible and costly to maintain."

Ted Leo Hooks Back Up With Pharmacists For Fall Dates

Ted Leo's vocal cords seeming to be holding up fine, as he's been crusing through a set of solo dates. So while the Pharmacists have been sitting at home on Saturday nights, watching Law and Order reruns and flipping through their (very) little black books, ol' Teddy's been out having a ball. But now the situation's being rectified, and the Pharmacists will be joining Ted for a new set of dates around the U.S, starting a little under three weeks after he finishes up his own gigs in Cali. The Pharmacists dates start off with a bang in New York, with Lookout! Records' big phat CMJ paaaaartay. You get Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Small Brown Bike, The Washdown, Communique, The Reputation, and the Evening, all on one bill! All right! Sure, Ted Leo's the only one I've ever fucking heard of, but still, what a deal! As previously reported, Leo is releasing the solo-centric EP Tell Balgeary, Balgury Is Dead on October 7th via Lookout! and should have plenty available on the tour.

Damon Che Books Don Caballero Reunion, Forgets To Invite Rest Of Band

In a move that's unexpected but not so surprising (considering who we're dealing with here), Damon Che-- longtime drummer of the hilariously amazing Don Caballero-- will be re-forming the band for a number of shows starting in late October. Here's the catch: Damon's opted not to invite the rest of Don Cab to the reunion. But hey, weren't you bored with those same old geniuses that'd been an integral part of the band for the ten years of their existence anyway? It seems Che was. Members of his current project, Creta Bourzia, will be filling out the roles instead, leaving many to wonder what happened to Ian Williams, Mike Banfield, and the bevy of faceless bassists that might have been expected to take part in this glorified reunion. No word has been snatched up yet as to the original band member's reactions to the initiative (write us!), or if Che even approached any of them about participating. But you can be sure that while the new Don Cab won't be exactly the first thing you'd envision in a reunion, it will without a doubt be a spectacle of one stripe or another. So far the only official reunion dates are as follows:
10-23 Boston, MA - Middle East *
10-24 Philadelphia, PA - Khyber *
10-26 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *
10-29 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge *
10-31 Charlottesville, VA - Tokyo Rose *
11-01 Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Mellon (w/ Modey Lemon, Creta Bourzia, We Safari)
11-02 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
11-05 Detroit, MI - Lager House *
11-06 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
* with The Constantines
This kind of strange and perhaps questionable maneuvering has defined Damon Che for Don Caballero fans throughout his career, most recently in the drunken tantrum marking his departure from Bellini this time last year. In the meantime, those in need of witnessing the alien guitar work of Ian Williams can find him tapping and squelching out all sorts of melodic disorder in his new project, Battles. Who knows, if this trend catches on, perhaps next month we'll get news that Lou Barlow is bringing back Dinosaur Jr. with some other guy we've never heard of in the driver's seat. Or, uh, The Doors could reform without Jim Morrison. How about John Mellencamp and the E Street Band?

Liberines at Liberty soon?

THE LIBERTINES could reform as soon as co-frontman PETE DOHERTY comes out of prison. Sources close to the band say Doherty's songwriting partner Carl Barat wants his old pal back in the band as soon as he is freed - and a appeal against his sentence could see Doherty out by November. Insiders have even begun talking about a Christmas single. Doherty's lawyer Richard Locke has also spoken of his hopes for the appeal and on what grounds he is going to contest Judge Roger Davies' decision."We've launched an appeal," he said. "We just have to wait. The court hasn't notified us of the date of the hearing yet. I'd say between two or four weeks with any luck, depending on how busy the court lists are."Locke added: "I've got good legal argument for an appeal, in that the sentence ought to be reduced certainly and possibly that (Pete) should have received a community penalty and not gone to prison at all. "The best argument is that six months was an excessive sentence because he wasn't given any credit for pleading guilty. He ought to have given a third off. "As previously reported, Doherty pleaded guilty to burglary after breaking into Barat's flat on July 25, while The Libertines were touring in Japan. Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court heard Doherty admit to stealing an antique guitar, video recorder, a laptop, mouth organ, and a CD player. Whatever the outcome of the appeal, Doherty will only serve three months of the sentence behind bars. Locke said: "He's automatically released after three months but he'll be on licence which means if he gets into trouble or arrested he's brought straight back to serve the remainder of his sentence."

Four Tet Touring with Animal Collective, Prefuse 73

After a summer full of high-profile remix projects and a touring schedule that included an opening slot for the ubiquitous Radiohead, Kieran Hebden-- aka the ever-so-increasingly-in-magazines-like-Rolling-Stone Four Tet-- is preparing to release a new single off of Rounds, his most recent Domino soirée into acoustic glitchtronica. The record, "As Serious As Your Life," will be ready for consumption on October 20th, and according to online music marketing juggernaut AMP, comes backed with an incredible 23-minute (!!) live version as well as two self-done remixes that will leave you wondering whether it's really the same song at all. But the fun don't stop there, my little Hrvatski's and Fennesz's. Nope, Hebden has also recorded a music video for the track, which can presently be downloaded at the Four Tet AMP homepage. In other Tet news, Hebden will be lathering up his laptop and dusting off the sampler for a whirlwind tour of the UK and a flash-in-the-pan visit to the U.S. During the first part of October, the British half of the tour will wind its way through England, Wales, and Scotland, accompanied by the chaotic noises of Animal Collective, only to slide right back into England for a phat ass electro-blowout of sorts. I mean, it's gotta be a blowout when it includes both the minimal post-techno of Mouse On Mars and the saccharine patchwork of Max Tundra. The pond-hopping will then commence, finding Mr. Tet on club stages of the mid-sized variety with Hotlantan and previous tour buddy, Prefuse 73.

Win a Adam Franklin of Swervedriver tour poster

Head over to Swervedriver.com to win a tour poster for the Fall 2003 tour of Adam Franklin from Swervedriver. This tour is presented by Kingblind.com

Apples' Hilarie Sidney Teams with Oranger, Von Hemmling, Palermo Members For New Band

As any Elephant 6 aficionado knows, Apples In Stereo songwriter/vocalist/drummer Hilarie Sidney has suffered somewhat from the John Entwistle syndrome-- no, really, think her "Winter Must Be Cold" to Entwistle's "Boris the Spider." With her contributions usually limited to one or two tracks an album with the Apples, Sidney had been looking for an outlet for her songs, and found it when she met Per Ole Bratset, guitarist for Norwegian band Palermo. After meeting at an Apples show in Oslo, they began communicating via e-mail and writing songs by sending four-track recordings back and forth. Bratset has since moved to the U.S., and they've spent the last four months recording and playing some initial shows as The High Water Marks. In a phone interview, Sidney elaborated on the new band and her motivations: "I'm just really excited to be doing something new," Sidney told Pitchfork. "Per and I collaborate on pretty much all of the songs, and the whole process just goes really fast. With the Apples, everything seems to take a really long time-- that's just how it works with us-- but I've really been inspired to write more, now that I have an outlet for it. We're recording stuff all the time." The High Water Marks consist of Sidney on guitar and vocals, Bratset on guitar and vocals, Jim Lindsay (Oranger, Preston School of Industry) on drums, and Mike Snowden (Von Hemmling) on bass. They've already completed their first album, which is currently untitled, with plans to mix and master it with the Apples' Robert Schneider at Pet Sounds (his Lexington, KY home studio) this fall or winter. According to Sidney, The High Water Marks are currently in negotiations for their debut to be released on LA's Eenie Meenie Records, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, it'll be out around March 2004. They're also planning to record several more songs in October for an upcoming EP, and Sidney says they hope to make it out to CMJ next month for some live shows as well. Songs recorded for inclusion on the record include:
Good I Feel Bad
About the Ocean
Slow Hand (No, Not That One)
Five Thousand
Second Time
Feel Everything
High Water Marks
6th of July
National Time
Things to Do
The Leaves
Queen of Verlaine
Suicide
The High Water Marks is not Sidney's first side project-- in 1995, she teamed with friend Lisa Janssen to form Secret Square, whose self-titled debut single and EP were both released on Elephant 6 within a year of being recorded. However, the project proved to be short-lived and Sidney's songwriting continued to grace Apples albums and EP's with memorable tracks like "Silver Chain," "Questions and Answers," "20 Cases Suggestive Of..." and "I Want." As reported in yesterday's Kingblind, Schneider also has a new side project, Ulysses, and plans to issue seven-inch singles from both his own band and The High Water Marks on his new label Optical Records Mfg. in the coming year. The Apples In Stereo, though currently on hiatus and with members split between Denver, CO and Lexington, are also set to reconvene in early 2004 for a possible tour and to record tracks for their fifth full-length (already tentatively titled The Novelty of the Manor , according to unofficial fansite Elephant6.com).

Teenage Fanclub Retrospective Gets U.S. Release

Teenage Fanclub, purveyors of epic Scottish power pop (bet you never thought you'd see all of those words in the same sentence in that particular order) are releasing a career-spanning retrospective, Four Thousand, Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds: A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub on Jetset Records, due out on October 7th. The album will include an overview of the band's six-album oeuvre, along with three new tracks, "The World'll Be OK," "Empty Space," and "Did I Say." Tracklist:
01 The Concept
02 Ain't That Enough
03 The World'll Be OK
04 Everything Flows
05 Star Sign
06 Mellow Doubt
07 I Need Direction
08 About You
09 What You Do To Me
10 Empty Space
11 Sparky's Dream
12 I Don't Want Control Of You
13 Hang On
14 Did I Say
15 Don't Look Back
16 Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From
17 Neil Jung
18 Radio
19 Dumb Dumb Dumb
20 Planets
21 My Uptight Life
You will note that we are calling this a retrospective and not a greatest -hits album because, well, Teenage Fanclub haven't really had any hits, as such. In fact, some might say that they're one of the most criminally overlooked bands of our times. Beginning in 1990 with A Catholic Education , the Fanclub proceeded to pick up Big Star's mantle and run with it all the way to lamentable obscurity (although there was a brief flirtation with fame in the UK with Bandwagonesque and its subsequent releases), bouncing from label to label, major and minor, including Matador, Sony, Geffen, Thirsty Ear and Alternative Tentacles, to name but a handful. Among other things, Teenage Fanclub were notable for the presence of three equally gifted and timesharing singer/songwriters in Norman Blake, Gerard Love and Raymond McGinley. And while there were always more hooks and harmonies than you could shake a stick at, and an accompanying boatload of critical acclaim (Spin magazine called Bandwagonesque "the greatest album made by white people in ten years"), commercial breakthrough just never quite happened. It so never happened, in fact, that as recently as 2002 the band hooked up with Jad Fair and made a really weird album called Words of Wisdom and Hope that we're still scratching our heads about. And it looks like Jetset will also be just a temporary port-of-call, as label representatives tell us that they have no plans for Teenage Fanclub releases beyond this compilation. But there's a special place in rock 'n' roll heaven for the Fanclub, of that you can be sure.

KINGBLIND HEADS WEST

Kingblind.com is heading to the left coast for a week and we will be invading the scene and sending you the hottest news stories. So the updates will be a little less frequent. BUT.. When we come back there will be a ton to tell … Here is just a little taste of what we will be doing. As part of the West Coast trip Kingblind.com will be at the wrap party and screening for the new Coen Brothers film. Intolerable Cruelty US RELEASE DATE: October 10th, 2003: Intolerable Cruelty is the Coen's newest film. George Clooney stars along side Catherine Zeta-Jones. This film has a long history, most amazing is that doesn't appear to be an original script. The Coen's have yet to direct something they didn't conceive of on their own. Deakins will be behind the camera once again. Now here's the plot summary. "A slick Beverly Hills divorce lawyer (Clooney) frames the wife (Zeta-Jones) of a client to get him released from the marriage without a settlement. She vows to get revenge by marrying the attorney, aiming to take him to the cleaners in their own savage divorce, but what she doesn't expect is that she falls in love with him in the process..." Kingblind gets the inside scoop on the flick weeks before it hits the screens nationwide. So stay tuned. Oh.. And don’t worry we will tell George and Catherine you said hello.

QOTSA, Distillers Head Down Under

As tipped here, Queens Of The Stone Age will tour Australia early next year with the Distillers in tow. The trek begins Jan. 2 in Brisbane and wraps Jan. 10 in Perth; the two bands begin a North American run Sept. 28 in Montreal. The shows will mark QOTSA's second trip down under in less than a year, following the group's January 2003 appearances at the annual Big Day Out festival. QOTSA remains on the road in support of its second Interscope album, "Songs for the Deaf," which has sold 819,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. Although bassist Nick Oliveri recently said the group would likely return to the studio in February, guitarist/vocalist Josh Homme said last week QOTSA is in no hurry to make its next move. One reason: both artists are deluged with side project work, despite the fact that QOTSA has North American dates lined up through Nov. 2 in New Orleans, and has three shows left on a stint opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. "I enjoy opening for the Chili Peppers but I'm done opening up," Homme admitted. "We'll hit the studio as soon as I re-learn to appreciate it," he continued. "Whenever that is, you know? I want to love this and I'm a little burnt on it. I'm not appreciating it and I think that's a really bad attitude, personally." "Go With the Flow," the latest single from "Deaf," is No. 39 this week on Modern Rock Tracks chart. Homme said the group is considering a DVD release to help give the album one final push. "We have all this footage and we're trying to figure out if we should put out a DVD. It's not for certain but I hope it is coming." Before the year is out, Homme (on drums) will tour with Jesse "The Devil" Hughes in their side project the Eagles Of Death Metal, supporting Placebo. Oliveri will hit the road with his own band, Mondo Generator, beginning Nov. 6 in Phoenix. Homme and Polly Jean Harvey also recently shot a video for "Crawl Home," drawn from the upcoming album " Desert Sessions Vol. 9 & 10 ," due Oct. 7 via Ipecac. Hommeays select members of the lineup are planning to perform live on the U.K.'s "Later With Jools Holland" and NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" this fall. As for the Distillers, the group will on Oct. 14 release its Warner Bros. debut , "Coral Fang." After its North American dates with QOTSA end Oct. 30 in Santa Barbara, Calif., the group will play two weeks of shows in Europe, beginning Nov. 11 in Glasgow.

POLICE SAY SPECTOR SHOT ACTRESS

LOS ANGELES COUNTY sheriff's detectives have concluded that legendary producer PHIL SPECTOR was responsible for the shooting earlier this year that left actress LANA CLARKSON dead. The legendary producer was arrested in the early hours of February 3 after police responded to reports of a shooting at his Alhambra mansion. Clarkson , 40, was found dead in the foyer of his home and a handgun was retrieved from the scene. Spector posted $1 million bond the next day and was freed. He was initially scheduled to appear in court on August 4, six months after he posted bail, but prosecutors were still waiting for the evidence to be handed over by investigators. Police cite complex forensic tests and the thorough review of evidence as the cause for the lengthy lag time between Clarkson 's death and the conclusion of their investigation. Spector has maintained his innocence since the shooting occurred. He told Esquire this summer, "I didn't do anything wrong. If they had a case, I'd be in jail right now." The producer insists that Clarkson , whom he met for the first time on an evening out in LA the night before the shooting, shot and killed herself. Investigator Captain Frank Merriman disagreed, telling the LA Times : "It's not an accident, it's not a suicide. Phil Spector shot her." Last month Spector 's bail was extended to September 30. Prosecutors have not yet indicated their course of action. No charges have been filed yet, but the case has been turned over to the county's district attorney.

Kevin Shields: "City Girl" (Single Review)

For all My Bloody Valentine's innovations in sound, very little of their music could have survived cult status without the melodies. Twelve years after Loveless , it's apparent that though he may never scrape together enough inspiration to put together another album, Kevin Shields hasn't forgotten how to make beautiful, blissful pop. Of four Shields contributions to Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation , "City Girl" is the closest to an actual song, and though it's not quite as sonically ambitious as his MBV material, it's almost as gorgeous a trip. The spirit of the Beach Boys shines brightly from Shields' vocal, even without harmonies-- the densely layered solo vocal glides by, swimming through phrases effortlessly. "You're beautiful, I love you, I do, I do"-- the lyrics, like the singer, do their best not to disturb the churning, eternally strummed electric guitar or indie ballad propulsion. It's not exactly a revelation, but it is a welcome return.

Apples In Stereo / Elephant 6 Founder Robert Schneider Starts New Band, Label

Since the unofficial dissolution of the musical leviathan that is (or was) Elephant 6, one thing has become abundantly clear-- it doesn't necessarily mean all that much. All of the principals that founded the damn thing in the first place continue to make very similar music. The worship of Brian Wilson and '60s pastiche pop continues unabated, and bands influenced by, and related to E6, continue to form and develop around the same ethos championed by the original Elephant 6-ers. Such is the case with the latest entrants in the canon-- separate side projects from the Apples' Robert Schneider and Hilarie Sidney. Pitchfork spoke with both Schneider and Sidney about their new bands, the future of the Apples In Stereo, and the (California?) demise of Elephant 6. With The Apples on temporary hiatus, Schneider is putting his efforts into a new project, Ulysses, as well as launching a label, Optical Records Mfg., with good friend Amanda Burford. Schneider, who relocated to Lexington, KY last year, was impressed by local band Big Fresh and tapped two of its members for his latest project. "Big Fresh is really amazing, and these two kids just seemed like they'd be perfect for Ulysses. John [Ferguson, Ulysses' drummer] is a great singer, and he writes incredible harmonies. I'm kinda singing in a lower register, and John comes up with all these great parts." Ulysses' other member is Ben Fulton, who provides the synthesizers and bass. Schneider says the focus and sound of the band is significantly different from the Apples. "Without going into it too much, I had just been going through a lot in my life, and a lot of these songs come from that. It kind of forced me to dig deeper, emotionally, and it's really taken my lyrics to a new level." During the conversation, Schneider name-checks influences like The Velvet Underground, My Bloody Valentine (!), The Cars, and Pavement's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain -- not your typical Apples source material. "I got tired of writing songs with chords, and I was playing around with lots of open tunings, or just a couple of fingers on the guitar at a time, where the other strings ring out and create cool harmonics. The sound is a lot more sad, spacey, droney, and clean [than the Apples]-- it's new wave, basically. I'm trying to do everything differently with this band." Although Schneider writes the majority of songs for Ulysses, some are collaborative, and Ferguson has also contributed a couple of original songs. The band is concentrating on practicing right now, although they will be playing a few shows in New York to coincide with this October's CMJ festival. Schneider says they intend to track much of the album live-to-tape, possibly with Jason Falkner (Jellyfish, TV Eyes) at his home studio. Schneider hopes to have Ulysses' debut out by spring 2004, though at present he's not sure what label might be releasing it.

Iron & Wine -The Sea and The Rhythm (Legal MP3 Download)

More melancholy, bedroom country-pop songs from your favorite new Sub Popster. Softly strummed guitar, some slide, a sad banjo and tiny imperfections all arranged to break your heart. Fans of Nick Drake and vintage Sebadoh will adore this. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MP3

TOSHACK HIGHWAY "Thought I Saw My Ship A-Coming" (Legal MP3 Download)

Pronounced like Peter Tosh, Toshack Highway came about as the result of Adam Franklin's acquisition of an Italian analogue synthesizer and a borrowed Korg electric piano which led him to start dabbling in keyboard compositions. Recruiting his friend and engineer Charlie Francis (REM, High Llamas) to play keyboards (so that Adam could move over to guitar), the trio was then rounded out by Jeff Towsin (Submarine, Horsepower, Sophia) on drums and the three set about recording this album. Following up on Swervedriver's 1997 release, 99th Dream, Franklin has taken Toshack Highway into new territory while still maintaining elements of the Swervedriver sound. Using a variety of instruments, including analogue synthesizers, crackling acoustic guitars, drums, piano, samples, and beautiful melodies, the album represents a head-on collision between atmospheric instrumentals and conventional pop-rock songs. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MP3

Tracklist, Release Date For Flaming Lips EP

Warner Bros. have set a date of November 18th for the Flaming Lips EP Pitchfork reported on earlier this week, according to a report from Rolling Stone. The 'Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell' single will comprise eight tracks in all, including two Dave Fridmann remixes of the title track and Dntel's Jimmy Tamborello taking on 'Do You Realize' the way Uma Thurman takes on all those blindfolded samurais in that Quentin Tarantino trailer. As previously reported, the single will also sport new b-sides recorded with Fridmann last month including the Christmas anthem 'A Chance at Christmas (Say It Isn't So).' Tracklist:
01 Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell [album version]
02 Assassination of the Sun
03 I'm a Fly in a Sunbeam (Following the Funeral Procession of a Stranger)
04 Sunship Balloons
05 Do You Realize?? (Jimmy Tamborello Mix)
06 Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (Ego in Acceleration Mix)
07 Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell (Self-Administration with Blow-Up Mix)
08 A Chance at Christmas (Say It Isn't So)
At present, the plan we reported on earlier to back the single with DVD content appear to have been quashed. In related news, Warner Bros' Jennifer Bird reports on the official Flaming Lips site that the DVD-audio version of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots has encountered more mastering difficulties and will not be available before November 4th.And while we've got you, the group's collaboration with the Chemical Brothers, 'The Golden Path,' was released as a single in the UK earlier this week and should just... be... hitting... U.S. shops... NOW. The single is available on CD, DVD, and twelve-inch vinyl. So old school and new school all at the same time. So Lips."

Wilco, Spoon, SFA Give To Charity Album

Wilco, Super Furry Animals, Spoon, Bright Eyes and Elliott Smith are among the artists who will contribute rare material to the third volume of the charity compilation series "The Amos House Collection." The double-disc set will be released in early December on Wishing Tree Records. The Rhode Island-based label started the series to benefit Amos House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing food, shelter and health benefits to Rhode Island's homeless population. Other contributors to "The Amos House Collection, Vol. III" include Califone, Elf Power, James William Hindle, Her Space Holiday, Circulatory System, Archer Prewitt and Hayden. Most artists have donated non-album tracks or rare demo versions, including Super Furry Animals, who contributed an old B-side, "Foxy Music," and Wilco, who offered the unreleased track "Let Me Come Home."

VEGenergy.com
What is biodiesel? Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Why should I use biodiesel? Biodiesel is better for the environment because it is made from renewable resources and has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel. It is less toxic than table salt and bio degrades as fast as sugar. Since it is made in the USA from renewable resources such as soybeans, its use decreases our dependence on foreign oil and contributes to our own economy.

"U.K. Rock Legend Adam Franklin, Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist for Swervedriver is touring the east coast this November with his new FULL band. And the folks here at kingblind.com are proudly presenting the tour.

Here our the tour dates:
Nov 7th Atlanta, GA: The Echo Lounge BUY TICKETS
Nov 8th Athens, GA: Tasty World
Nov 9th Charlotte, N.C. Fat City Deli
Nov 10th Raleigh, N.C. King's Barcade
Nov 11th Philadelphia, PA: Khyber Pass
Nov 12th Washington D.C.: The Velvet Lounge
Nov 13th Baltimore, MD: The Ottobar BUY TICKETS
Nov 14th NYC, NY: The Knitting Factory BUY TICKETS
Nov 15th Boston, MA: The Plan @ Great Scott's
Nov 16th New Haven, CT: BAR
"The adam franklin of Swervedriver tour will be an ELECTRIC tour. Full band.. guitar, bass, drums and keys.. Supporting the tour is the Atlanta based supergroup The Roy Owens Jr. (mem. of Magnapop and Crooked Fingers)

Al Green Heads Back To Memphis

On his next studio album, soul legend Al Green is repeating history. Due Nov. 18 as the first in a new deal with Blue Note, "I Can't Stop" finds Green re-teamed with longtime collaborator Willie Mitchell. The set is being recorded at the pair's old stomping grounds, Memphis' Royal Studio. Green is even recording with the same microphone he used in the '70s. Green and Mitchell combined to produce some of the most enduring soul albums ever, including 1972's "Let's Stay Together" and "I'm Still in Love With You" and the following year's "Call Me." The pair has not made an album together since 1985's inspirational-themed "He is the Light." The impending arrival of "I Can't Stop" has pushed the release of the four-CD EMI package "Al Green: The Immortal Soul Of . . ." from this week to early 2004. As previously reported, the set features 75 tracks recorded between 1967-1978 for Hi Records. Each track has been remastered from the original analog tapes.

Circus Devils Plan Trip To Mars ; Guided By Voices Cover Cheap Trick

Robert Pollard side project Circus Devils are returning with a third album release, Pinball Mars , this coming Halloween (that's October 31st, ghoul) on Fading Captain. With a new sound straddling the fence between their two previous concept-y outings, 2001's Ringworm Interiors and 2002's The Harold Pig Memorial, Pinball Mars promises to be yet another a trip into Pollard's psychedelic limbic system. Tracklist, sir:
01 Are You Out With Me?
02 Gargoyle City
03 Pinball Mars
04 Sick Color
05 Don't Be Late
06 Inkster and the King
07 A Puritan for Storage
08 Alien
09 Plasma
10 Dragging the Medicine
11 Bow Before Your Champion
12 Glass Boots
13 No Hell for Humor
14 Raw Reaction
Considering the recent mysterioso departure of Circus Devil Tim Tobias from Guided By Voices, we're certain this one will have Postal Blowfishers and assorted GbV wingnuts with highlighters in hand, ready to yellow through the lyrical passages that, Nostradamus-like, portended the friction. Add to this drama the latest single from GbV on Matador Europe. Jill Hives finally gets some props with "The Best Of Jill Hives," augmented by a Cheap Trick cover and the Doug Gillard-authored "Free Of This World," out next week in the UK. Don't mind if I do:
01 The Best Of Jill Hives
02 Downed [Cheap Trick]
03 Free Of This World

Can coming to DVD

The birth mother of all art-rock bands, Can, is celebrating the October 13th release of a double DVD, according to the Can/Spoon Records website. Get out your psychotropics, because the new DVD includes both a new film by director Peter Pryzgodda (who, if you need pedigree, edited most of Wim Wenders' films) entitled Can Notes , as well as the classic Can Documentary . But that's not all-- the double set also includes footage from Can's free 1972 live performance in Cologne, Germany. The cherries on this Can sundae include a complete discography with tracklistings and release dates, a short film made by Brian Eno to mark Can's Echo Award for lifetime achievement, footage from the Echo Awards ceremony itself, an audio CD of Can solo recordings, new interviews with the band at the CAN Studio, and a weblink to an exclusive Can site where photos and interviews can be downloaded and printed out, all included in the package. Shit, baby. If you don't know, Can was the brilliantly inventive, always challenging, ever lineup-changing German-based rock group that disbanded in 1977; of course, this short history glosses over the massive impact Can had on generations of psychedelically-minded groups that have followed. Have you listened to This Nation's Saving Grace lately? Or Zaireeka ? Seen the Black Eyes recently? I think a little bit of Can can be discerned in all of the aforementioned ventures. And if you are lucky (?) enough to live in Minneapolis or Seattle, you can attend a screening of the new DVD between September 26th-29th, at the Sound Unseen film festival in Minneapolis and the Experience Music Project in Seattle. So go there and do that, then. The power of Krautrock compels you.

It's September 19th.. You know what that means don't you.. IT'S TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE INFORMATION

Yeah Yeah Yeah’s new video.. MAPS

View the new music video from The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.. mmmm Karen O. CLICK HERE TO VIEW Requires Quicktime 6.

New video from R.E.M.

The video for R.E.M.'s new song "Bad Day" will premiere tomorrow (Sept. 19) at 7 p.m. ET on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" show. In the Tim Hope-directed clip, group members Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills appear as newscasters. The track is drawn from R.E.M.'s upcoming hits collection, "In Time," due Oct. 28 via Warner Bros. It can also be viewed on a new R.E.M. Web site, Morningteam.com . "Literally, it's about a series of small weather [patterns] hitting a city -- in other words, people have hurricanes in their living room, or monsoons just in one room of their house," Mills tells Billboard.com. "But on a larger level .. with all the crap that's shoved into one TV channel, and the fact there are 10 or 12 of them all showing these little tidbits of information, how can you really get what you need? How do you find out what's news and what's entertainment and what's important and what isn't? We're just sort of reflecting a bit of that. And it's funny too." The group is in the midst of a North American tour, which hits Grand Prairie, Texas, tomorrow.

KAREN O AND HAR MAR GET IT ON!

YEAH YEAH YEAHS KAREN O is to go into the studio with HAR MAR SUPERSTAR . to record a sleazy R&B song. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are now back in the US where they are just about to go out on the road supporting The White Stripes . Speaking from her New Jersey home, Karen said she’s keen to work on other projects outside of Yeah Yeah Yeahs , as well as writing and recording for the band’s forthcoming second album. The first thing she wants to do is hook up with pal Har Mar , who she knows from way back. "Plans for a collaboration with Har Mar are in the making when we both find the time," she said. "I think it’ll be a little more R&B than the Yeah Yeah Yeahs usually are!"
Karen said that she felt lucky to even make it back to the US, after chaotic sets at the recent Carling Weekend festivals, where she almost broke her neck during a particularly riotous gig in Leeds ."The reception we got was just ridiculous," she said. "That was such a crazy show for me because I was breaking glass Iggy Pop style. I came really close to going head first off the stage. I nearly broke my neck." Things will hopefully be a little calmer for the band this winter, when they retire to the studio to work on new songs of their own. Karen said: "We’ve been banging out some new songs. We’re going to do that in the winter months and come back with a completely new set. There’s one thing that Yeah Yeah Yeahs used to do, that’s write two new songs for every show that we had. "We were ridiculously prolific. We’re ready to start pumping them out again. We’ve been playing a few on the last tour. There’s three – ‘Down Boy’ ,‘Rockers To Swallow’ and ‘Ten By Ten’ . When me and Nick (Zinner ) get together we never know what’s going to come out." Yeah Yeah Yeahs release a new single, ‘Maps’ , on Monday (September 22)

(Legal MP3 Download) From You’ve got your orders vol 1- MIKE GENT "Point a Finger"

LIMITED PRESSING! The idea was a simple one: Jason Ziemniak wrote up the musicians in his record collection and asked them if he gave them song titles would they write and perform songs based around the title. Those that said “yes” were: Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Mark Arm (Mudhoney), Mike Watt (Minutemen, Firehose), Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde), Neil Fallon (Clutch), Aaron Turner (Isis, Hydra Head Records), Bluebird, Nels Cline, Mike Gent (the Figgs, the Gentlemen), Bliss Blood (Pain Teens), Beehive & the Barracudas (Red Aunts, Rocket From The Crypt), Twink, Weasel Walter (the Flying Luttenbachers), IDX1274, Betty's Trash, Godstomper, Hella, Jed Parish (Gravel Pit), Greg (Lana Dagales, Brainoil, Lemur Mutation),and Chris Taylor (Pg.99, Mannequin). 22 songs, 74 minutes. Too damn cool not to own.. find it at a indie retailer near you. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MP3

Stripped ‘Let It Be’ to be released

Production effects removed from Beatles’ 1969 recording
LONDON, Sept. 18 — More than 30 years after they broke up, The Beatles are to go back to basics with a stripped down version of their classic “Let It Be” album. ‘This is the noise we made in the studio.’ —SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY “IT’S ALL EXACTLY as it was in the room. You’re right there now,” Paul McCartney said on Thursday of the album “Let It Be ... Naked.” After Abbey Road Studios put their 21st century digital technology to work on the original 1969 album, McCartney said of the no-frills result: “This is the noise we made in the studio.” Ringo Starr, the only other surviving member of the world’s most famous pop group, was equally re-assured by the new-look album. “When I first heard it, it was really uplifting,” the drummer said. “It took you back again to the times when we were this band, the Beatle band.” A statement from management company Apple Corps said the album will be released worldwide on November 17. It said the group had originally set out to make the 1969 album with no studio effects and no over-dubbing of voices and instruments. But the album was caught up in the turmoil of the band’s break-up. It was re-produced by Phil Spector and never released as the Beatles had originally intended. The track listing for the new album differs from the original with “Dig It” and Maggie Mae” taken out and replaced by “Don’t Let Me Down.” BONUS DISK Diehard Beatle fans with an inexhaustible appetite for nostalgic trivia will also be treated to a 20-minute bonus disc of the Beatles at work in rehearsal and in the studios. As their fame soared, the band stopped playing live and became more involved in elaborately produced albums that changed the face of pop. But John Lennon, killed by a crazed fan outside his New York apartment building in 1980, always argued: “In spite of all things, The Beatles could really play music together.” After three decades, Beatlemania shows no signs of fading, with their compilation album of number one hits selling 24 million copies worldwide. BBC viewers will be taken down memory lane on Saturday with the televising of lost footage that shows Lennon clowning around with his wife Yoko Ono and Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. The film was discovered in the archives of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) by a team making a documentary about Lennon. The footage was part of a project that Austrian film-maker Hans Preiner had been working on during the 1960s.

Warren Zevon- Dirty Life & Times. (Legal MP3 Download)

Legally download the first single from Warren Zevon's new record. Goodbye Warren ... You will be missed Dirty Life & Times MP3

Don't believe the hype- The true story behind the universal music price drop

Don't believe the hype. This is a pretty disgusting attempt by one of the majors to further stick it to the small retailers and the one-stop wholesalers who have helped to make these fuckers fat and rich over the years. Earlier this month Universal Music gave our independent record coalition an early look at this "great deal." The details are pretty offensive. They advertise a big cut in the list price and hype this great savings to consumers. In reality the actual cost to wholesalers is dropped a buck and a half or so. Retailers who aren't direct with the majors (95% of us) will still get stuff through a one-stop who will have to compensate for their own shrinking margin by adjusting prices to us. We may ultimately pay a buck less for discs and are now faced with an already cynical, downloading public who saw the news reports and now thinks they shouldn't have to pay more than $10 or $11.99 for a cd. Long story short: record stores end up looking even more like the bad guys. Best Buy will still sell stuff at or below the already unfair cost price they get from these fuckers. On top of all that, Universal plans to use this move as an excuse to cut program incentives and co-op advertising dollars to retailers. Now we can't even get some of the ad dollars that have been available to us. They even have the balls to make it sound like they are doing us a favor. "Our new pricing model will enable U.S. retailers to offer music at a much more appealing price point in comparison to other entertainment products," said Jim Urie, president of Universal Music & Video Distribution. "We are confident this pricing approach will drive music fans back into retail stores." I hate to get completely preachy here but...if you love music (and I know you guys do) you need to support record stores. These labels are evil bastards who would love nothing more than to completely eliminate us from the process. They could care less if the only place to buy music is Best Buy, Circuit City, Borders and through their own online methods. And half of these label reps are too stupid to realize that if this happens it's going to eliminate most of their jobs as well. No accounts to service means no need for account reps.If you only care about sitting at your computer and ordering from Amazon or think saving two bucks on a new release justifies shopping at Best Buy and Target (great music store), then ignore all this shit. But if you are at all like me and you love shopping in record stores, seriously reconsider your buying habits. I seriously believe that the erosion of real stores will ultimately mean the erosion of lots of the real music out there.

Outkast- Speakerboxx / The Love Below (Album Review)

You know we live in freakish times when two of pop's most outrageous characters, Andre ''3000'' Benjamin (a.k.a. Dre) and Antwan ''Big Boi'' Patton -- the duo called OutKast -- can walk on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards and be counted among the more understated participants. Of course, they could afford to be: They'd just finished Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, a long-awaited pair of solo CDs (out Sept. 23) that, if released separately, would each be a candidate for Hip-Hop Record of the Year. Packaged together, they make a twofer whose ambition flies so far beyond that of anyone doing rap right now (or pop, or rock, or R&B), awards shows may need to create a special category for it. Forgive the hyperbole, but it's been a while since artists adept at the nitrous-oxide head rush of radio hitmaking have also shown talent for the old-fashioned art of the album. Hip-hop's other reigning visionaries, Missy Elliott and Timbaland, have yet to make a great LP, despite devastating singles; ditto the Neptunes. You need to look back to vintage Prince, Funkadelic, and Sly & the Family Stone for a mix of funky pop and wide-screen aesthetic madness comparable to what you get on ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.'' In fact, the set winds down with an environmentalist warning that mirrors the opening of Funkadelic's 1971 mind melter, ''Maggot Brain.'' But there's much more here than recycled influences. In OutKast's yin and yang, Big Boi is the Everydude -- the neighbor you talk football with, who raises pit bulls and admits a fondness for both corny pop ballads and gangsta rap. So you'd expect ''Speakerboxxx,'' his half of the package, to be fairly straightforward. But it's surprising how far-reaching it is. It kicks off with ''GhettoMusick,'' a machine-gun-speed rap reclaiming '80s electrofunk from hipster ironists while targeting low-aiming rappers: ''You oughta be detained by the hip-hop sheriff/Locked up, no possibility of getting out/Because the s--- you make is killin' me/And my ears and my peers.'' ''Bowtie'' and ''The Rooster'' are good-time anthems with a brass-band swing; ''The Way You Move'' mates a Dirty South synth-drum bounce with a faux Phil Collins hook; and ''War'' gets grimly topical with a chorus of ''tick-tick-boom.'' Things lose some creative steam on posse cuts like ''Last Call'' (with Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz and Slimm Calhoun) and ''Tomb of the Boom'' (with Ludacris and others), but even the old-school tracks have a twist, whether it's Jay-Z rapping the hook of ''Flip Flop Rock,'' or ''Reset,'' with its dice-roll percussion and sermon by Big Boi's Georgia neighbor Cee-Lo. The tradition-minded moments also remind you where all this experimentation is rooted: hip-hop. And that's important because, judging from the swirling strings and Nat King Cole crooning that begin Dre's deliriously art-damaged ''The Love Below,'' hip-hop tradition is fairly low on the list -- at least until the Beatles-referencing finale, ''A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre (Incomplete),'' an autobiographical epistolary to an ex that lays deep rap testifying over a laptop-techno-beat blur. Between these poles is as strange and rich a trip as pop offers nowadays, a song cycle about love's battle against fear and (self-) deception that's frequently profound, hilarious, and very, very sexy. It's long -- okay, maybe overlong -- on skits and stylistic spelunking (see the John Coltrane-meets-Roni Size cover of ''My Favorite Things''). But it's filled with so many pure ass-moving pleasures, you're happy to indulge its excesses. ''Hey Ya!'' is the no-strings-sex-championing single, and maybe the two discs' catchiest moment. But ''Happy Valentine's Day'' comes close: a half-spoken, half-rapped soliloquy by Cupid, reimagined here as a pistol-packing gangster of love whose hand-clapping denouement should become as linked to its titular holiday as ''White Christmas.'' On ''Dracula's Wedding,'' Dre's a vampire -- or a rap star -- who's met his match (''I've cast my spell on millions, but I'm terrified of you''). And on ''Vibrate,'' a pitch to uplift the human race through music bobs alongside cool muted trumpets in a whirlpool of backward drumbeats. Dre sings more than raps here, which could be a problem, as his nasal drawl isn't the greatest instrument. But hip-hop, like punk, is about making magic with limited means through the sheer force of creative will, and whether he's cooing baby noises on the Goth-soul cha-cha ''Pink & Blue'' or scatting with multiplatinum siren Norah Jones on the interlude ''Take Off Your Cool,'' Dre's limitations read here like strengths. With ''Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,'' his lonely Day-Glo lothario and Big Boi's wise-thug MC have made an LP that offers an outsize artistic vision, not focus-group ''perfection,'' as the route to a mass audience. They may be wrong, but you'll be very glad to go along for the ride.

Pretty Girls Make Graves --The New Romance (Album Review)

How is that terrible musicians are able to write incredible songs? And why can't technically competent musicians write songs as well as they can play their instruments? There are bands like The Kinks who-- let's face it-- were far from the most technically adept in their field, yet have somehow left behind some of the most timelessly enjoyable and imminently relevant rock music artifacts. Then there's a guy like Yngwie Malmsteen, whose technical proficiency exceeds that of every rock musician ever to exist-- maybe combined. And how many Alcatrazz records do you own? All too often, it seems technically proficient artists are their own worst enemies. Titillated by their own prowess, they compose music that showcases their chops but masks their humanity. It's a schtick that impresses but rarely inspires. There is a point, though, when some mathematically complex set of chords stops being impressed with itself and becomes a truly inspiring song, when a bushel of mind-numbing guitar riffs transcends its sonic masturbation and reaches an emotionally satisfying stratosphere. No one knows exactly where that point is, but we know when it's reached, and more importantly, we feel it when it's crossed. Pretty Girls Make Graves' latest, The New Romance , crosses that point. The album exists in that scarcely inhabited rock-and-roll world where technical prowess coexists peacefully with clear and simple songcraft, the former never forgoing the latter. Contrasting with Good Health 's cut-to-the-chase opener "Speakers Push the Air", "Something Bigger, Something Brighter" opens deliberately and confidently. Nick DeWitt taps away at his snare rim, haunting its vague militancy with the cannon-like blast of his bass drum. Twin guitars trade high-strung lilts, panning from left to right with each call and response. For the sake of its title, the heretofore dark and subtle song does deliver something bigger and brighter: After an ominous dynamic increase, the band piles layers upon layers of beautiful, serpentine riffs. For all its tonal and rhythmic complexity, The New Romance breathes with healthy lungs and a muscular diaphragm. "The Grandmother Wolf" follows, a relentless parade of charged guitar lines that climax when DeWitt's drums go out with a whimper and vocalist Andrea Zollo sings an utterly breathtaking melody over sparse guitar punches. "Mr. Club" is a short transitional organ-and-drum piece that takes on immense significance with the entrance of a dark piano line that hints vaguely at what comes next. And what does come next is quite possibly the best rock song I've heard this year: "All Medicated Geniuses" is the pinnacle of Pretty Girls Make Graves' technical abilities and songwriting. Built upon a very subtle ring structure, each segment quadruples the intensity of the one before it. The guitars just scream here, trading lines back and forth across the pan. DeWitt proves well beyond doubt that he's one of indie rock's most talented drummers, and certainly one of only a handful these days who plays his kit as an instrument and not merely as a timepiece. "Blue Lights" adopts a post-rock approach, the band infusing more immediacy as the song builds to its climax. While it would be unfair to expect the lyrical charm of Dan Bejar or the clever wordplay of Colin Meloy from a band more interested in the aesthetics of rock than those of lyrics, it should be noted that "Blue Lights" sports unfortunately atrocious lyrics. Fortunately, "Chemical Chemical" quickly redeems the misstep, rivaling "All Medicated Geniuses" in intensity and structure, and maintaining the latter's visceral pull (if, perhaps, with less tonal depth). "Holy Names" is the closest of the album's songs that come to being classified a ballad. But while slower in tempo, there's certainly no lapse in intensity. The song builds for one part to a short-lived guitar scream reminiscent of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nic Zinner, and boasts one of album's most stunning moments. Soon after, the band jumps into the album's title track, prominently featuring a few fantastic organ lines and a killer B-part break, replete with Zollo's catchy vocal hook. The New Romance is immediately impressive and gratifying, each subsequent listen unearthing an increasing number of underlying subtleties. Each of Pretty Girls Make Graves' members have contributed 110% here, and their ambitious zeal, coupled with their remarkable technical depth, has made for a utterly breathtaking full-length. One could almost analyze The New Romance 's many layers to the death, if the desire to air-guitar wasn't so damn distracting.

CMJ Music Marathon

"My Morning Jacket, Black Box Recorder, Killing Joke, the New Deal, the Fever and VHS Or Beta will perform at the kick-off concert for the 2003 CMJ Music Marathon. The show will be held Oct. 22 on multiple floors at New York's Webster Hall and will feature additional bands to be announced. The 23rd edition of CMJ, which runs through Oct. 25, will feature performances throughout the New York area by the Rapture, the Shins, Superchunk, Death Cab For Cutie, Broken Social Scene and the Mars Volta, among hundreds of others."

Blues Explosion Offers New Cuts At Surprise Gig

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion previewed a slew of new songs during a surprise gig last night (Sept. 14) at the Mercury Lounge in New York. Among the tracks performed were "Hot Gossip," "Mars Arizona," "Don't Smile," "Been My Baby," "Help These Blues," "Grindin'" and "Halftime Loser" (all are working titles). The band also played oldies such as "Bell Bottoms" and "Afro," the latter delivered seconds after an audience member requested it. The show was a makeshift warm-up for a five-date European tour, which begins Sept. 17 in Tilburg, Holland. The band slipped onto the bill, which featured friends in the Flash Express, after the original headliner dropped off. The new songs constitute a fraction of the new material the band has been demoing in drummer Russell Simins' Manhattan studio. The songs played last night "were either the oldest [or] the ones that have been the most flushed out, but there's a bunch more material that we're focusing on over the next several months that's as important, if not more important to us," he said. "We just haven't gotten around to that point yet, where we're comfortable enough to play [them] out live yet." The upcoming album is the follow-up to 2002's "Plastic Fang" (Matador), which debuted at No. 14 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart. Producer Steve Jordan, who helmed "Plastic Fang," has been helping out with pre-production, but Simins notes that the band has yet to pick a final producer for the album. "With the last record, which I think he did an amazing job on, we became good friends, and he became almost like a part of the band, and we trust him a lot," Simins says of Jordan. "He's just been kind of helping us a lot. We really feel comfortable working with him the studio, [but] whether or not he's going to be the producer is still unsure. There's a bunch of other names that have been tossed around." It's also unclear at this point what label will issue the set. "We're not committed to anybody -- we've always done one-offs with Matador," says Simins. "We're not under contract to anybody so we're just keeping our options open. That's another thing we're in the process of figuring out."

Flaming Lips Plan New EP, Tour with Red Hot Chili Peppers (Sigh)

The Flaming Lips recently paid a visit to Dave Fridmann's Tarbox Studios to record b-sides for a forthcoming EP, according to a report on the band's official website. Among the items on the Lips' to-do list were "two songs connected with the Pink Robots theme," some remixes of Yoshimi album tracks (including one by Peaches), and "a Christmas-type song of some description." As previously reported, the Lips' Wayne Coyne and Dave Fridmann also remixed at least one song for Modest Mouse's forthcoming album in the August session as well. Although the plans are somewhat sketchy at this point, the current plan is to release a single for "Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell" on a double-sided disc, where one side would contain the single and new b-sides, and the other would include DVD content such as live footage. The EP may drop as soon as November. Eternally striving for musical congruity, the Lips are constructing a creaky wooden bridge connecting the really-mainstream with the kinda-mainstream one plank at a time. New Musical Express , contractually obligated by the prince of freaking darkness to make mind-bogglingly painful puns for every Lips-related headline (rejected titles include "The Lips Mouth Off: 'Multiple Sclerosis Is No Flaming Joke!'" and "The Flaming Lips Flame On And Give Lip Service To Actual