Happy Halloween from the folks at Kingblind.com

Be An Extra in Ween Movie, Tour

"Sharpen your boot, and bludgeon your eye" because Ween are running off with their Blarney Stone to Ireland, as they have announced their European tour. T'would bring a tear to me eye except for this additional news. Having ignored the city of Chicago for awhile now, Ween has decided to add a third night in the windy city. Plus, according to Dean Ween "there is a very good chance that all three nights in Chicago will be professionally filmed and recorded for a DVD to be released on Sanctuary." Also in Chicago, Ween will make an in-store appearance on Nov. 8 at Tower Records on Clark Street. "We're trying to make up for the fact that we haven't been to Chicago in years by playing four shows in three days. We're bound to have at least one or two good ones," Deaner said. There are chances galore to see Ween back their new release Quebec (on Santuary Records) and perhaps be part of the first ever live Ween concert movie. Oh yeah, they request that "movie extras" not sing along with "Freedom of '76" unless they can hit all the high notes. Please don't ruin Ween's movie. Or my ears. And don't stand in front of me acting all tall. I hate that. Oh, sorry, you wanted tour dates:
11.07.03 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
11.08.03 - Chicago, IL - Tower Records/Vic Theatre
11.09.03 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
11.27.03 - Stockholm, Sweden - Kagelbanan
11.28.03 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
11.30.03 - Hamburg, Germany - Grosse Freiheit 36
12.01.03 - Berlin, Germany - The Maria
12.02.03 - Prague, Czech Republic - Palace Akropolis
12.04.03 - Vienna, Austria - WUK
12.05.03 - Munich, Germany - Elserhalle
12.06.03 - Zurich, Switzerland - Volkhaus
12.07.03 - Darmstatd, Germany - Centralisation
12.09.03 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
12.10.03 - Ghent, Belgium- Handelsbeurs
12.11.03 - Koln, Germany - Live Music Hall
12.13.03 - Paris, France - Maroquineries
12.15.03 - London, England - Forum
12.16.03 - Dublin, Ireland - Ambassador

Beta band using Radiohead producer for new record

THE BETA BAND have revealed that RADIOHEAD producer NIGEL GODRICH will work on their new album. In a message posted on the band's website, singer Steve Mason explained that the band are happy with the results. "He's ( Godrich ) working at Mayfair Studios in London . Me and Rich (Greentree , bass) went down at the weekend to see what he's doing to our LP and its all good! "Looks like 12 tracks will go on the record out of the 17 we recorded," he explained. "Mixing will be done in two weeks and the LP will be out in February." "The making of the record, which started over a year ago, has been filmed for us by Pete Rankin who did the Old Jock Radio stuff for us," he said. "He's now loading it all for editing. This will come out as a DVD sometime next year." Mason ,Greentree , and Robin Jones (drums), are all currently working on solo projects. Mason 's personal project, King Biscuit 's new album, is reported to be 60% complete.

Saturday Looks Good To Me Plot East Coast Run

Polyvinyl Records' superb conglomerate Saturday Looks Good To Me have decided on a brief jaunt across the East. The band, the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and all-around wonderful guy Fred Thomas, constantly changes line-ups based on Fred's moods and song-choice. Sometimes you'll get just Fred, sometimes you'll get some nice duets, or occasionally a full band hell-bent on grooving. SLGTM recently finished up massive touring with label comrades Mates of State as well as shows with Victory At Sea, Palomar, and Death Cab For Cutie. The band released the incredible All Your Summer Songs this past spring as their first record for Polyvinyl and also quietly put out a tour EP filled with songs that didn't make the final album cut. So do yourself a favor and go check Fred and the kids out, it's money well spent.
Tourdates:
11.08.03 - Sat Hamilton, NY - Donovan's Pub (Colgate University) w/ Rainer Maria
11.10.03 - Mon Buffalo, NY - Mohawk
11.12.03 - Wed Ithaca, NY - Castaways
11.13.03 - Thu Portland, ME - Space Gallery
11.14.03 - Fri Alfred, NY - Knight Club at Alfred University w. The Gifted Children. All Ages.
11.15.03 - Sat Brooklyn, NY - Northsix w/ Tara Jane O'Neil, The Billy Nayer Show
11.16.03 - Sun New Haven, CT - Sundazed at Bar w/ Roy Owens Jr., Adam Franklin (of Swervedriver) FREE
11.17.03 - Mon Trenton, NJ - Conduit
11.18.03 - Tue Baltimore, MD - Ottobar w/ Mates of State, Palomar

"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 are the tour dates:
Nov 7th Atlanta, GA: The Echo Lounge BUY TICKETS
Nov 8th Athens, GA: Tasty World- LINK
Nov 9th Charlotte, N.C. The Room-- LINK
Nov 10th Raleigh, N.C. King's Barcade-- LINK
Nov 11th Philadelphia, PA: Khyber Pass-- LINK
Nov 12th Washington D.C.: The Velvet Lounge-- LINK
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-- LINK
Nov 16th New Haven, CT: BAR-- LINK
"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, The X-Impossibles and Crooked Fingers)
For Information on Swervedriver GO HERE
For Information on The Roy Owens Jr. GO HERE

Weller to Cover it

Wanting to take a break from songwriting for a while, Paul Weller said that his next album will be a covers set featuring songs by Tim Hardin and Sister Sledge. The disc, he says, will be dubbed "Forty Days and Forty Nights" after the Muddy Waters song. The former Jam/Style Council frontman has already recorded a few songs in Amsterdam; he is to continue working on the set through the fall and winter. Last night (Oct. 29), Weller wrapped his U.S. tour in support of his latest studio album, "Illumination," issued earlier this year by Yep Roc. He ended the acoustic trek, on which Oasis guitarist Gem Archer accompanied him, with a pair of gigs in New York. He's also supporting a pair of DVDs. Earlier this year, Yep Roc issued "Two Classic Performances," a DVD that pairs a recent full-band gig in London's Hyde Park with a solo acoustic gig featuring most of the songs from his 2001 live acoustic disc, "Days of Speed" (Epic). Last month, Sanctuary issued "Live at Braehead," a collection of 30 songs that, like the sets featured on the "Two Classic Performances," span his entire career. Clocking in at more than two hours, the DVD was culled from Weller's two shows at Scotland's Braehead Arena in October 2002

Chemical Brothers “The Golden Path” (Music Video)

Catch the Chemical Brothers in collaboration with the Flaming Lips. CLICK HERE TO VIEW Requires Quicktime

Remembering Jam Master Jay

A candlelight vigil will be held tomorrow (Oct. 30) at New York's Queens Central Public Library to mark the one-year anniversary of the murder of Run-D.M.C. DJ Jam Master Jay (real name: Jason Mizell). The event will provide his family and friends an opportunity to remember the artist, as well as update ardent fans on the progress of various projects -- including a biography, a feature film and a scholarship fund. Jay was shot dead at his recording studio in the Jamaica section of Queens, N.Y. No arrests have been made in the case.

The Distillers- Coral Fang (Album Review)

Fang's for the memories. The major-label debut by this group of punks sounds a lot like a breakup--like frontwoman Brody Armstrong's separation from hubby and Rancid dude Tim Armstrong, maybe? In any case, the Distillers like their music raw, so the imagery is soaked in blood, guts and all sorts of body parts that have been torn out and left for dead. Picking up the pieces, however, rarely sounded so good. Armstrong's fast and furious wail anchors tracks such as "Drain the Blood" and "The Hunger" with a combo of rebellion and catchiness that hasn't been snagged by a female-fronted band since Hole's heyday. So what if the clean-ish production elicits screams of "Sellout!" from longtime fans? This is good stuff. Somewhere, Courtney Love is wishing she made this album. But you know what.. She hasn't and she won't. Those days for Ms. Love are long gone. All hail Brody ! Long live the queen.

DJ Format Featuring Abdominal- Vicious Battle Raps (Music Video)

There is a LOT of crap hip hop and rap out there.. And in the giant sea of dull.. Sometimes you can find a pearl... Another winner from DJ Format.. Enjoy..
Click Here to view Requires Quicktime

The Dismemberment Plan- Time Bomb (Music Video)

Excellent video from the D.C. band. The Dismemberment Plan. CLICK HERE TO VIEW Requires Quicktime

Beck, Grandaddy, Bright Eyes Headline Sold-Out Elliott Smith Memorial Concert

In what must be the biggest here's-something-really-cool-you-unfortunately-can't-enjoy story of the month, Beck, Grandaddy, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Beth Orton, Rilo Kiley, Radar Bros and Future Pigeon have all signed on for a memorial concert to be held next Monday, November 3rd, at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. Each artist will perform at least one of Smith's songs, and the program will also include a screening of Steve Hanft's bizarro short Strange Parallel , which features the late singer obsessed with an infomercial where he can purchase a robotic hand that will make him the world's greatest guitar player (I know, you just have to see it). All proceeds will benefit the Elliott Smith Foundation for Abused Children, a charity fund that Smith had set up before his untimely death. Unfortunately, you can't go: the event completely sold out within a few hours of being announced late yesterday. However, the foundation has set up an address where fans can send donations in Smith's memory: The Elliott Smith Foundation, 2658 Griffith Park Blvd #195, Los Angeles, CA 90039.

Aesop Rock Expands Fall Tour

In September, Definitive Jux MC Aesop Rock left New York like a bat outta hell-- or like a bat into hell, if we're talking about some kind of crazy hell-bat that loves hell-- to tour in support of his smokin' new platter of politically conscious hip-hop, Bazooka Tooth . Accompanied by fellow Def Juxers El-P, DJ Wiz, Mr. Lif, MURS, and DJ Fakts One, Aesop has extended his tour through December and picked up a few more road warriors to augment his "fabled" (sorry) live sets, including S.A. Smash, C-Rayz Walz and Akrobatik. It's tough to get that many rappers together at once-- how many times have you gone to see a show by the Wu-Tang Clan, only for Cappadonna to show up alone with a broken turntable and a head cold? Def Jux is more reliable (umm, at least where Cannibal Ox isn't involved). The new dates include a stop at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, where, unless it's a very misleadingly named club, Aesop and company will rock the cipher with snake handlers, thinly-veiled atheists and people who worship fire hydrants. The last leg of the gargantuan tour also seems to include a series of stops at some franchised venue called TBA; I wonder if we'll get one here in the south soon? Marvel at the amazing, expanding tour schedule, as per the official Definitive Jux webjoint (all dates with Mr. Lif and DJ Fakts One):
10-28 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *
10-29 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *
10-31 Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase *
11-01 Worcester, MA - The Grind *
11-02 Boston, MA - Middle East *
11-13 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge #
11-14 Athens, GA - 40 Watt #
11-15 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle #
11-17 Orlando, FL - Social #
11-18 Miami, FL - I/O #
11-19 Tampa, FL - State Theater #
11-20 Gainesville, FL - Common Ground #
11-21 New Orleans, LA - Tulane University #
11-22 Houston, TX - Rhythm Room #
11-23 Austin, TX - Emo's #
11-24 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room #
12-04 Ft. Collins, CO - Aggie Theater $
12-05 Boulder, CO - Fox Theater $
12-06 Salt Lake City, UT - TBA $
12-08 Seattle, WA - TBA $
12-09 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richards on Richards $
12-10 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater $
12-12 San Francisco, CA - Slim's $
12-13 Los Angeles, CA - TBA $
12-14 San Diego, CA - TBA $
12-15 Las Vegas, NV - TBA $
12-16 Phoenix, AZ - Bash on Ash $
12-17 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater $
* with MURS, S.A. Smash
# with C-Rayz Walz
$ with Akrobatik

Guided By Voices-- Drinker's Peace (Legal MP3 Download)

(full band version) Live in Carboro, NC 10/26/02 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

SONIC YOUTH- TOUCH ME I'M SICK (Legal MP3 Download)

Sonic Youth covering classic Mudhoney.. Makes me so happy I wanna cry. And to return the favor Mudhoney did the same.. But that's for another day.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Pedro The Lion Cover Low On Christmas Single

Continuing the limited but growing tradition of independent artists getting in the holiday spirit, Suicide Squeeze will be releasing the second in a series of Pedro The Lion Christmas singles this November. Last years seven-inch offering featured somberizations of the standards "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." This time around, Pedro's David Bazan continues the traditionwith "The First Noel" on the a-side, and a cover of Low's Christmas original "Long Way Around the Sea" on the flip. I know that last song is a Christmas song, see, 'cause it was originally found on Low's 1999 holiday album, entitled Christmas . The single will be a limited release of 3000 copies pressed on Christmasy snow-white vinyl-- not that coal-black shit all the bad kids have to listen to.

A Foo to Jackson

Foo Fighter Chris Shiflett has a new band and the name is Jackson. The new three piece band also features Chris' brother Scott on bass and Pete Parada on drums. Chris is guitarist and lead singer. Both Scott and Pete are both members of the band Face To Face. While Chris gets out and plays with the new band, Foo Fighters stays very much intact as does his cover act Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Shock Records has picked up the self titled E.P. and already the track 'All The Way' has found itself added to radio playlists around Australia. A Jackson album is expected early 2004.

THE THRILLS- "Santa Cruz" (Music Video)

Dublin, Ireland has produced a fair number of bands that make music with a universal appeal to many far beyond the banks of the Emerald Isle. The Thrills join that roster with this debut album "So much for the city". Their sound though may be a bit surprising to the uninitiated as it is unabashedly rooted in the California sounds of Brian Wilson mixed with a fair amount of The Beatles and 70's pop bands as well. But does this album work ?...YES.. and quite well, thank you very much. EMI are so proud of these guys that they were ushered into Abbey Road to record the album on much of the same equipment as many of their heroes. You can now hear the results on this sparkling initial bow to the world.. CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THEIR NEW VIDEO Requires Real Player.

M. Ward “Vincent O'Brien” (Legal MP3 Download)

M. Ward is a Portland, Oregon based songwriter whose music seems to occupy a place that is uniquely "out of time". A place that bridges the gaps between the roots of various American musical traditions folk, country, blues and rock. Armed with a guitar, harmonica, sparse percussion and a tin-pan alley-esque piano, Ward spins timeless classics that seem to flow effortlessly; simple yet eloquent talesalive with metaphor and imagery, told in a raspy, sepia-toned croon."
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD MP3

Electric Six- "Dance Commander" (Music Video)

Electric Six release their third single from Fire this week, and in their honour, we are pleased to present the video for "Dance Commander" which has been giving us nightmares... View the Video Requires Quicktime

Fate Of Unreleased Elliott Smith Album To Be Decided By Family

The unreleased album that Elliott Smith had been preparing for an early 2004 release might see release on a label other than Dreamworks, according to comments on an hour-long tribute broadcast last weekend on the syndicated radio program New Ground . Host Chris Douridas assembled the tribute from interviews with Kill Rock Stars' Slim Moon, Smith's friend and one-time manager Margaret Mittleman, producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, Dreamworks head Lenny Waronker, and Smith's A&R rep, Luke Wood. Of the unreleased album, known by its working title From A Basement On The Hill , Wood said that Smith probably had more than 30 songs tracked for the record. "I think there's definitely enough of that record that his family will be able to finish it up," Wood told New Ground . "They're gonna decide where it comes out, because that record was his record-- Dreamworks gave it back to him, and it was gonna come out on an independent label of his choosing, and now that'll be the family's choice. So, you know, hopefully next year we'll all get to hear it." In the interview, Wood also expressed his surprise at Smith's apparent suicide last Tuesday: "As someone who's spent time with Elliott in the last few months, who saw him... he was really clean, and focused... I really thought that the worst days were behind him, and I felt like his drive to get this record out, you know, was what was keeping him looking forward to the next day." Wood confirmed on the program that Smith's work-in-progress was meant to be a double album that reconciles the hushed intimacy of his earlier home-recorded albums with the ambitious, layered production that characterized XO and Figure 8 . Wood called the album, as Smith envisioned it, a "true summary of all of his records" that veered from the "intimate, brutally honest two-track guitar/vocal-- you know, that certainly signified the earlier records-- to these bizarre, lush, beautiful, hectic, you know, really pushing-the-envelope sort of stereo, spectral, soundscape, multi-track drum songs... [like] something you'd hear off of Pet Sounds , but in the most, you know, creative, pushing-the-envelope moments of Pet Sounds ."Producers Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock remembered Smith's creative drive and an often jovial atmosphere in the studio. "People've been asking me, like, well, was, you know... was [Smith] just a miserable person?" Schnapf said. "And, uh, no... we had a lot of fun making these records. For example, XO , a lot of it was made in a wig... you know, we were wearing wigs... we weren't all depressed, we weren't shoegazing the whole time... it was fun, it was really rewarding." Rothrock fondly shared stories of recording with Smith at Abbey Road, and shared an unreleased instrumental from the Figure 8 sessions, the Beatlesque "Tiny Time Machine," on the program. The tribute is archived by NPR affiliate KCRW on their website linked below. Elliott Smith: http://www.sweetadeline.net ---- New Ground :KCRW

KINGBLIND RECOMMENDS

Here's what's on the Kingblind stereo this week:
(Teenage Fanclub: Howdy)--(The Roy Owens Jr.: This is an Illusion)--(Kid Koala: Some of my best friends are Dj's)--(The White Stripes: Elephant)--(Iron Maiden: Piece of Mind)

Shellac To Play Hawaii This Weekend

Further proof that some bands just don't wanna tour anymore is brought to you this week by your good pals at Shellac. It seems the highly-competent, amazingly agressive, technically-perfect trio of Steve Albini, Todd Trainer, and Bob Weston are playing two very special shows this weekend -- in Hawaii. Now you may ask yourself, "who in their right mind is gonna go see Shellac in Hawaii?" They've got Don Ho and shit! But apparently the band has decided to spend the weekend at the Galaxy Room of the Club Pauhai in sunny Honolulu. Now this isn't a completely unprecedented move. Albini and Weston are both known to be a little nuts, and Trainer is currently doing some amazingly odd shit as Brick Layer Cake. Shellac hardly tours (I think the last was a series of shows in Chicago with The Ex and Fugazi last spring, damned good nonetheless), but when they do, the shows are usually few and far between. So this seems odd. But upon reflection, if there wasn't the whole thing about flying to Hawaii, I'd be there in a heartbeat. Damn you, Hawaii. You can go join Texas on my list of states I wish I lived near so I could go see good bands play a handful of shows, only to have them then disappear into a studio for months immediately afterward. Damn you.

The Strokes- Room on Fire (Album Review)

OK. First, the good news. The first ten seconds of this, the most anticipated Difficult Second Album since '(What's The Story) Morning Glory?', are absolutely ace. In fact, they sound like an unholy fusion of 'Eye Of The Tiger' and 'Independent Women', and if the rest of 'Room On Fire' could sound that much as if the most exciting thing you ever heard was about to happen then we'd be dancing naked round the office and flinging fragrant flowers from the rooftops. Instead, though, as you might've guessed, we're sat here, hardly au naturel, and typing with a heavy heart. They had the world, they changed everything more than anyone else has this millennium yet, and now, with a 33-minute suicide note, The Strokes have thrown it all away. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Really, boys, where did it all go wrong? We've really tried, for your sakes. And yes, we have heard worse records in our time and this is undeniably a grower. But, honestly, if it wasn't for their legacy we doubt we'd've given it much of a chance. '12:51' was a worry, for starters; nobody needs a flimsy retread of 'Hard To Explain' when the original was so great, especially when it's augmented by the year's most unattractive cheap keyboard - Kylie's excellent 'Slow' sounds like expensive decadence itself by comparison - and some vocals that Kevin Shields would object to the production on, which does at least make it one of those rare instances when the radio keeps broadcasting the f-word without realising. Still, we thought, never mind, they've had the best part of three years to write a few more of those classic tunes we went more than slightly stupid over, so there must be better on the album. Hmm. 'Meet Me In The Bathroom''s something of a glance at previous form, but then again it is the first one they wrote after taking off, so that's to be expected. 'Reptilia''s got a touch of life about it, and should make for a decent second single, and 'The Way It Is' even shows signs of moving forward. Oh, alright then, it seems to be using a drum machine (pah! like they can afford to lose Fab!). That's as good as it gets, mind. Which leaves seven tracks we're, at best, indifferent to, and some of which, like 'Under Control' or its closely-cousined closing 'I Can't Win' are downright leadenly dreadful. There's little of the pop sparkle that shone through the likes of 'The Modern Age' and 'Last Nite' even when - as with 'You Talk Way Too Much' - they're rewriting old material, and Julian's vocals are, to be blunt, awful, sounding uncomfortable to record and rather complacently nasal, which doesn't exactly equal drop-dead cool by anyone's reckoning. And how grumpy are those lyrics? "I'm not your friend, I never was" ('Automatic Stop'). "I don't want to do it your way" ('Under Control'). "You don't make me sorry - now I know that you never listened" ('Between Love & Hate'). Ow! Who rattled your cage, Casaablancas? Desperation. Indulgence. No damn tunes. Hell, they even look rubbish on the inner sleeve. All we really wanted from The Strokes was for them to release an album that'd carry on their good works and consolidate their position as the most important, influential force we've seen in years. But you know what? This isn't it.

Boss offers to help save Bottom Line Nightclub

Springsteen pledges big money to keep Greenwich Village club open.. The sides told a New York court Thursday they had failed to reach a settlement during a 30-day recess to the eviction action granted last month by Judge Donna Recant. The judge is now expected to issue a ruling on eviction within 30 days. Springsteen, who rocked the nightspot with a memorable week of shows in 1975, earlier this week posted some comments on savethebottomline.com, saluting the club as “a central part of New York City culture.”

Stereolab's Margerine Eclipse Due In January

Stereolab have released the tracklist for their upcoming album, Margerine Eclipse . This will be Stereolab's first full-length album since the accidental death of guitarist Mary Hansen last year. It is set for a release date of January 27th, 2004 in these United States via Elektra (plus a double vinyl release on Duophonic UHF Disks). The news comes right on the heels of the release of Instant 0 in the Universe EP, Stereolab's most recent offering. The tracklist:
01 Vonal Declosion [accent on the 'e']
02 Need to Be
03 "...sudden stars"
04 Cosmic Country Noir
05 La Demeure
06 Margerine Rock
07 The Man with 100 Cells
08 Margerine Melodie
09 Hillbilly Motobike
10 Feel and Triple
11 Bop Scotch
12 Dear Marge
There will be a bonus track, "La Spirale," on the Japanese release. Stereolab is already in preparation to begin touring in support of the new album: the official Stereolab website mentions that "live dates are [currently] being discussed." We'll keep you posted.

Radiohead Looking To The Future

Already notorious for reinventing its sound with each of its six albums, Radiohead is preparing for yet another metamorphosis. Whatever comes next "needs to be more conducive to moving on musically because that's kind of what we've always done," singer and frontman Thom Yorke says. "We feel that after [recent album] 'Hail to the Thief' we want to definitely disappear into a black hole of the unknown rather than carrying on where we left off." Yorke says he's delighted the band has just fulfilled its contract with Parlophone, a division of EMI Records. "It's always been album, album, album," he says, adding that he believes the music business will be forced to change because the way people listen to music is changing. "Things like iTunes and people splitting up tracks," he says. "I kind of think that's good. I listen to music on random all the time." With the freedom to do anything, Yorke says he's unsure what the band will try next although it's unlikely to pound out another album. EPs are more likely. Having just wrapped a North American tour in support of Hail to the Thief," the group is now is taking a break before resuming activity Nov. 10 in Oberhausen, Germany. A commercial single for "2+2=5" is due Nov. 10 internationally in CD, DVD and 12-inch vinyl forms, augmented by remixes, a video for "Sit Down. Stand Up" and a demo for "There There." Radiohead has also begun confirming dates for Australia and Japan in April

Mark Kozelek tours solo

Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek will embark on a short solo acoustic tour this winter. The trek begins Dec. 5 in Chicago and thus far includes six dates through Jan. 22 in Kozelek's San Francisco homebase. Sun Kil Moon's Jetset debut, "Ghosts of the Great Highway," will be released Nov. 4, with a full band tour to follow next spring. Kozelek said he is looking forward to touring with a different group of musicians than his longtime Red House Painters mates. "It's going to be interesting," he continues, "because I've been playing with the same guys for close to 15 years. It's going to be a different experience."

Unwound--LIVE (Legal MP3 Download)

live in toulouse, france - at the dollar pub -june 1st, 1999--CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

MORE JOE STRUMMER MATERIAL ON THE WAY?

JOE STRUMMER could be the subject of numerous posthumous releases, it has emerged. This week, ‘Streetcore’ , an album made from the deceased Clash hero’s last recordings with The Mescaleroes , was released. But according to bandmate Martin Slattery , that is by no means the bottom of the Strummer vault. He said: "There’s loads of reels that haven’t been listened to properly yet, all these tapes that he kind of doodled around on. We’ve listened to bits of it and found some kind of stuff that relates to what The Mescaleroes were doing, but nothing totally new. But I’m not sure whether they’ve all been completely listened to." However, there are no plans as yet for any of the material and much of it is believed to pre-date the formation of The Mescaleroes . Strummer died in December last year of a heart attack.

WHOLE LOTTA ROCK!

THE DATSUNS have confirmed LED ZEPPELIN’s JOHN PAUL JONES will produce their second album. The band have been writing new material after finishing their massive world tour this summer. The band will now start recording the follow up to their 2002 eponymous debut with the star in the coming months. Speaking previously, Dolf said: "It's going really well considering that we've been on the road for two years and had no time to write or rehearse. "We've got eight songs written. It's a pretty much a rock and roll record but there's going to be songs on the new record that are actually older than the ones on the first album. We're ready to try out some of the old songs that we maybe didn't think worked live so we'll try and work on those in the studio."

The David Lynch plan for peace

David Lynch, the director behind Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and most recently, Mulholland Drive, is attempting to raise $1 billion to build a network of ‘peace palaces' across the globe. The enigmatic Lynch has been a devoted follower of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation for thirty years, and is promoting the guru's wish for the establishment of meditation sanctuaries in three thousand of the world's largest cities. The 57-year-old explained the necessity of the retreats to the New York Post, “This group is a peace-creating group. It saturates the atmosphere. This is all about establishing peace. Right now, we gotta get peace back in the world. Peace is a real thing.” Interesting words from a man whose one movie had the tag line, ‘In heaven, everything is fine.' It seems that Lynch, also the creator of the disturbing TV series, Twin Peaks has recruited some stars to the peace cause, with both Laura Dern and Heather Graham pledging their support for a $4 million center in Los Angeles. With Lynch's fascination with the macabre and the downright freaky, it comes as some surprise that this acclaimed director is spearheading a drive for greater spirituality. Even so, the havens will hold daily group sessions involving, among other things, ‘yogic flying,' a practice that supposedly reduces stress and crime by projecting positive vibrations. Allegedly there are also classes that help explain Lynch's movies; rumor has it they have already been filled.

"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, The X-Impossibles and Crooked Fingers)

Teenbeat's Mark Robinson Releasing Two Different Versions Of Latest Album ?!?

When last we left him in 2001, Mark Robinson (Unrest, Air Miami) was touring Canada's green highways, and although with many artists two years might not seem that long, anyone acquainted with Robinson's usual release schedule might be a little surprised at the dearth of new product. Well, worry no more, cause he's on a mission to tie up your record buying budget for the foreseeable future. If, well, you're really poor. Hyperbole, people-- get on board! First up is a new proper solo album to follow-up 2000's Tiger Banana , and 2001's Canada's Green Highways (and yes, sort of 1996's Olympic Death Squad , but this could get confusing pretty quick, so settle down-- we know the man's catalog). So that makes Origami and Urbanism , due November 10th on Teenbeat, Robinson's third (or fourth) solo LP since the demise of Air Miami. We spoke to Robinson via the magic of e-mail, and he dished a bit on the sound of the new record: " Origami and Urbanism is close in sound to the two previous albums, but implements a big organ with a Leslie speaker." The album was produced by K Records founder/Halo Bender/deer avoider Calvin Johnson, and features onetime K Records staple Lois Maffeo on guest vocals (where ya been?). The tracklist, mon ami:
01 Origami
02 Bye-Bye Bunny Smith Sq.
03 Almond Dainties
04 Rewind, Welcome Back
05 Hospital Bruiser
06 Hair Messer-Upper
07 Telephone Diary Talker
08 Whippany Parsippany
09 Spoo-Kay
10 F.U.S.A.
11 Sashimi Sashay
12 Urbanism
Now, that tracklist came from the man himself. However, the official site of Tomlab Records, which is handling the European and Japanese release of Origami , as well as the vinyl, has an almost completely different tracklist-- not to mention that it's out already. We're confused too, but if you order the album from Tomlab, here's the tracklist:
01 Lake District
02 Spray On The Fixative
03 Blinking Lights
04 Sashimi Sashay
05 Goodbye Bunny Smith Square
06 The Whippany Elks
07 Perks and Presents
08 Welcome Back, Eject
09 Shut My Mouth
10 She Was Precise
11 New York License Plate
So, what's better than two Mark Robinson solo albums? Why, three Mark Robinson solo albums. That's right, he's already writing songs for the next outing, to be produced by Trevor Holland (who also helmed Canada's Green Highways ). Before that, though, Robinson will be putting out a seven-inch single on Tomlab Records, and releasing the long-delayed second release in his experimental series of EP's. Proposal features guest spots by Juliet Swango (Rondelles), Jeff Gramm (Aden), and Melissa Farris (Tuscadero). No official release date for that one, but we'll keep you posted. Finally, Robinson's other project, Flin Flon, is still alive and kicking, and more specifically, writing songs for their next album, which Robinson says they hope to have out next year. Isn't that enough?

Foos Go "Everywhere" on DVD

The Foo Fighters will release their first DVD, Everywhere But Home in late November. Everywhere But Home contains more than three hours of music, including footage from four shows on the band's One by One tour, ranging from an acoustic club performance to the Foos' August 23rd gig at Ireland's Slane Castle in front of 90,000 fans. The DVD will also feature behind-the-scenes and backstage footage in addition to tour and studio photo galleries. Among the twenty-plus tracks on the DVD are "All My Life," "Everlong" (full-band and acoustic), "Times Like These," "Monkey Wrench," "Breakout," "Stacked Actors," "Aurora," "Hey Johnny Park!," "The One," "For All the Cows," "All My Life," "Learn to Fly," "My Hero" and "Low." Also on the DVD is an audio-only recording of the full August 26th set from the Foo Fighters' first show in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Rachel's-- Systems/Layers (Album Review)

Spliced with field recordings, answering machine messages and the sounds of a Japanese musical garbage truck, Rachel's sixth album, System/Layers , is a stunning concept-piece about modern urban life. The neo-classical compositions like "Water From the Same Source" and "Unclear Channel" embody restraint and intellect. Beautifully crafted sonic portraits (created primarily with bass, cello, viola and piano) pull fragmented images from the recesses of the brain, as recordings of airport boarding calls sit alongside chirping birds. Where bands like Sigur Ros wrap the ambient and ethereal into blankets of warming detachment, Rachel's are not afraid to assault the listener with cacophonous clamoring of our noisy world reveling in the spectrum of their sound and jolting those who think it's possible to passively engage their music. As they wander through contemporary society with an acute ear, Rachel's translate the commonplace and overlooked music of existence into subtle, minimalist art that is unclassifiable and enigmatic.

Kraftwerk LIVE

KRAFTWERK will be making their first and only TV appearance anywhere in the world at this year's MTV EUROPE MUSIC AWARDS which take place on November 6 in EDINBURGH The legendary electronic music pioneers be following the success of their reworking of 'Tour de France' as a soundtrack album. The band also plan to embark on a world tour in 2004. The Flaming Lips and The Chemical Brothers will also play a live outside broadcast at 'MTV in The Gardens' which will be beamed live from Edinburgh 's Princes Street Gardens into the awards ceremony.

ELLIOTT SMITH 1969-2003

Singer-songwriter ELLIOTT SMITH has died - with suicide the suspected cause. Fan websites and various radio stations claim that the singer passed away yesterday (October 21) at the age of 34. MTV news reports that his body was discovered by a friend in his Los Angeles apartment. He had a single knife wound to the body. Smith was then taken to Los Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center at approximately 12.18pm yesterday (October 21), where he was pronounced dead an hour later. Born in 1969, Smith loved music from an early age. He released five albums, the most critically acclaimed in the mid-90s, titled ’Either/Or’ and ’XO’. His most mainstream success however came when his song ’Miss Misery’ from the film Good Will Hunting’ was nominated for an Academy Award in 1997. At the time of his death Smith was working on a new album, which had a working title of ’From A Basement On The Hill’ , which was set for completion later this year. This is a very sad day.. Here is a sweet little song, A free and legal MP3 of an Elliott Smith Demo CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Joe Strummer: "Get Down Moses" (Legal MP3 Download)

Streetcore: In Joe's words, "A distillation thru the mind bending coil..."
In November of 2002 Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros had been on an extensive UK tour and were blending new songs into their set, which were recorded in December before Joe passed away and now appear on Streetcore. Streetcore is a collection of new material, which reflected the Mescaleros' life on the road together, combined with distilling their collective vast knowledge of musical genres. His final gig with his newfound cohorts was a controversial benefit for the British Fire Brigades Union.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Grandpaboy: "MPLS" (Legal MP3 Download)

Dead Man Shake is Grandpaboy's (aka Paul Westerberg of The Replacements) blues-laden follow-up to "Mono," which came out in 2001. A collection of new blues-rock-country tunes with a smattering of well chosen covers scattered in including songs by John Prine and Hank Williams Sr., Dead Man Shake is a pick me up and a put down rolled into one, like a well mixed cocktail. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Jack and Renee Split?

A White Stripes insider said that Jack White's relationship with actress Renee Zellweger is "definitely over", though a source close to Zellweger insists that the couple are "totally fine." Zellweger is currently in London filming 'Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason' while Jack is on tour in Australia. Well, I guess only time will tell.

Beck added to L.A. radio beneit

Beck has been added to Los Angeles public radio station KCRW's "A Sounds Eclectic Evening" benefit show, to be held Nov. 22 at L.A.'s Universal Amphitheater. The artist will perform a solo acoustic set, joining previously announced performers Damien Rice, the Polyphonic Spree, Jurassic 5, Jem and Gary Jules. Cut Chemist and Felix Da Housecat will perform at an after party for KCRW subscribers. KCRW music director Nic Harcourt built the lineup from artists who have released critically acclaimed albums or EPs during the past year. Tickets are on sale to the public via Ticketmaster ; for more information, visit KCRW's official Web site. In related news, MTV2 will on Friday (Oct. 24) broadcast an hour-long special from the recent Shortlist Music Prize ceremony, won by Rice for his Vector Records album, "O."

kid koala - skanky panky (legal Mp3 download)

taken from his second full-length album this track tries to give you a short impression of kid koala's new turntablised soundtrack called 'some of my best friends are djs' on ninja-tune records... download or listen to this track/ 3.1mb / for free

Radiohead hit the far east and more

Radiohead has announced its first dates for 2004. The group will play April 14-15 at INTEX in Osaka, Japan, and April 17-18 at Tokyo's Makuhari Messe. Tickets go on sale Dec. 20 in Japan; members of the group's W.A.S.T.E. fan organization will also be able to purchase tickets around that date. Having just wrapped a North American tour in support of this summer's "Hail to the Thief" (Capitol), Radiohead is taking a break before resuming activity Nov. 10 in Oberhausen, Germany. A commercial single for "2+2=5" is due Nov. 10 internationally in CD, DVD and 12-inch vinyl forms, augmented by remixes, a video for "Sit Down. Stand Up" and a demo for "There There."

LOW- Live on the John Peel show- November 2000 (legal mp3 download)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW DOWNLOADS

PULL A TOUR!

THE KILLS have postponed their UK tour due to exhaustion. The duo were set to hit the road at the end of October. However, after returning from their third US tour this year, the schedule took its toll on the band and the decision was made to postpone the dates until the New Year. Original tickets will remain valid. The band will, however, appear at London Astoria tomorrow (October 21) as part of their label Domino ’s tenth anniversary celebrations. A new single, ‘Pull A U’ was released today on seven-inch vinyl only. The really funny thing is this about 3rd time we have heard this excuse in the states.. What exactly are they exhausted from? My guess is it’s NOT just the touring.

FISCHERSPOONER 'EMERGE' AGAIN

FISCHERSPOONER have almost finished their second album and their comeback single is likely to be titled ’NEVER YOUNG’. The New York electroclash group have almost finished recording their second album, with the band putting down up to 25 different ideas for songs. Warren Fischer told Rolling Stone that song titles include ’Never Young’ ‘Reverb Funk’ ,’Squirm’ ,‘Los Angeles’ ,'SS Stone' and ’Downup’ He said: "We don't want an album that goes pop song to pop song. This will be an album with themes that flow from one to another. Pink Floyd is a reference, but it's not as down and introspective, though it takes you on a journey. It's the record I always wanted to make as a kid, something that feels substantial."

Ludacris- "STAND UP"- (Music Video)

Watch the new video from Ludacris.. From his latest record, Chicken and Beer CLICK HERE TO VIEW Requires Quicktime.

The Dirtbombs- Dangerous Magical Noise (Album Review)

So you say you're sick of garage. You've had enough of fuzzy, sloppy, three-chord songs. You want more from lyrics than girls and cars and beer. How about a little subtlety, you say -- a little finesse? Well, fuck you -- what you are is sick of rock and roll. You don't deserve The Dirtbombs. Go ahead. Moan along to Radiohead and Broken Social Scene. It suits you. Me, I'm gonna put on my boots and jeans and belly-button tee-shirt and get shit-faced to Dangerous Magical Noise , the party album of the year. Don't bother to wait up. The Dirtbombs are maybe THE Detroit band, putting punk aggression behind Motown riffs, taunting every band that's ever experienced line-up problems with two basses and two drummers. They are led by Mick Collins, DIY guitarist and soul singer extraordinaire, and Jim Diamond, who has produced every "The" band you can think of. They have a deep knowledge of musical history -- see the band's excellent, eccentric choice of soul covers on 2001's Ultraglide in Black -- but there's nothing museum quality about their sound. For all you kids who think garage started with The Strokes and is now irrevocably over, The Dirtbombs bring back the living ghosts of MC5, Motown and The Stooges, give them a case of beer and get them dancing again. Dangerous Magical Noise falls somewhere in between The Dirtbombs' two previous albums; it's neither as punk sloppy as Horndog Fest , nor as Motown smooth as Ultraglide in Black . Not that there aren't examples of both. On the punk side, "Start the Party" nearly drives the CD over the embankment right from the start. The drums push, the guitars lag, and the "live" applause at the end sounds improbably like the Beatles at Shea. It's a mess, but a wonderful mess, saved by the same driving energy that nearly tears it apart. At the other end of the spectrum, "Sun Is Shining" is a slow Stax lament, Collins doing Otis and the band taking on Booker T. From there, it churns into an explosive chorus with that fuzzy, staticky Dirtbombs guitar on top. It is followed by the excellent "Earthquake Heart", which melds Bo Diddley guitar licks with Nuggets -era boy band singing. "Thunder in the Sky" shows why it's good to have two drummers, its tom-tom beat exploding like a ruptured heart. Same goes for "Motor City Baby", the bluesy boogie that lays high vocals against the deep, deep pound of drums. It's an album highlight, a track that will have you running back for your MC5 records. Following it, "Stuck in Thee Garage" rants against genre classification, references Dirtbombs compatriot Billy Childish and rocks as hard as it can go. "One more," somebody says at the end, and hell yes, here it comes, "Stuck in thee garage." The album's three best songs come next. First there's the drum-fueled fury of "I'm Through with White Girls" (which also appeared on Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit in 2001). I love the percolating bass line; try to play it on the piano and you'll find that it can't be done. The second note falls between B and C, and if you play them together, it almost sounds right. Still, this is clearly not a keyboard song. It's all muscular bass and driving percussion and shouted "heys". There's a great moment early on where the band stops dead, Collins breathes into the mike, then the band kicks in again. It's an almost perfect instance of expectation, wait, payoff, except that the band comes in in a splat, not quite together after. Sloppy, yes, but that's part of the deal and part of what you have to love about The Dirtbombs. "Stop" (which appears to have been switched with "21st Century Fox" too late in the game to change the track listing) reveals the band's punk roots, putting a Pixies bassline under a very fluid vocal. Then it's on to the rocking "21st Century Fox", with its heavy, Stonesy riff, extended guitar solo and shouted lustful lyrics. The album closes with "F.I.D.O.", its most sweeping and graceful track, which takes you off into the sunset in a glorious, hazy chorus. The Dirtbombs are a great band at the top of their game. Dangerous Magical Noise is rock and roll at its pure, shaggy best. If you're tired of that, you're tired of life. (JK)

Kingblind news that you can use:

Jack Bruce, Cream's lead singer and bassist, underwent a liver transplant last month and developed a severe infection. But he reportedly has turned a corner and is doing better.--Pete Townshed recently went back into the studio to remaster the Tommy tapes. A deluxe 2 CD will be out on October 28th. The first CD will feature the original album, while the second will feature alternated takes, demos, and outtakes.--Ray Davies of The Kinks is working on a solo CD. A Kinks box set is also in the works.

Long story short.

After putting out Nevermind and making their label a bunker full of cash, Kurt Cobain tells management he wants to earn back his indie cred - make his own Surfer Rosa . Label laughs at him, but tells the band to do whatever they want. Deciding that the best way to record your own Surfer Rosa is to get the guy who actually recorded the disc in the first place, Cobain gets in touch with Steve Albini. Albini and management eventually strike a deal where he gets a $100k to record the album, but any major changes are to go through him. Nirvana records the disc. Shows it to the label. Label freaks out. Hates it. With very little resistance from Nirvana, they hire Scot Litt (R.E.M., Indigo Girls) to remix the disc and make it radio cuddly. The original Steve Albini mix disappears. Albini and Cobain never speak again. On April 5th, 1994 Courtney drops Kurt off at Baskin and Shotguns, then steals all of his royalty checks. Years later, this UK label gets their hands on the original In Utero Albini mix. They release the full album as some microscopically small vinyl run. One would think that obtaining a copy of this album would be near impossible, but thanks to the miracle of the internet and suckers who don't know shit about how much rare vinyl is worth. Here it is.. Or a little sample of it anyways. Listen to the original, abrasive, Albini-ified mix of "All Apologies". (slatch)

Kingblind Recommends

Here's what's on the Kingblind stereo this week:
(Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism)--(White Stripes: Elephant)--(The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds)--(Peaches: Fatherf*cker)--(Outkast: The Love Below/Speakerboxxx)

Calvin Johnson in car crash

The members of veteran independent rock act Dub Narcotic Sound System were involved in a car accident Wednesday (Oct. 15), forcing the hospitalization of frontman Calvin Johnson and bassist Chris Sutton. "It is already anticipated that there will be some major hospital bills to pay," says a post on the official Web site for the Johnson-run K Records. The label is planning a series of benefit shows to help cover the expense; fans can make donations via the K Web site. Dub Narcotic will halt its in-progress North American tour, which was set to wrap next week in New York. The group's next studio album, "Degenerate Introduction," is due Jan. 20. Two 12-inch singles ("Blood Flow"/"Blood Flow pt. 2" and "You F*** Me Up"/"Cowboy Coffee") will be released Tuesday (Oct. 21) and Nov. 4, respectively.

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

The Polyphonic Spree Re-Record Hit Song, Get Remixed By Stereolab

It's not exactly a well-kept secret that shilling for the big boys can give you a big break-- although The Polyphonic Spree seem to be receiving a lot more attention than Low or Red House Painters ever saw from those Gap commercials. I guess in marketing hierarchy, cars (or was it iPods?) rate higher than painter jeans. In any case, a twenty-three-member symphonic pop group performing in choir robes must have seemed, in retrospect, a bit unlikely to languish in obscurity, commercial placement or no. But now that the cat's out of the bag, the Spree is apparently set on making sure we remember them. They've just released a limited edition EP, have almost finished their second album and are reportedly in negotiations with a new UK label, and they're touring this fine country of ours in their fleet of vans (hey, you try jamming twenty-three people and all those robes into a Volkswagen). Their U.S. label, Hollywood Records, which recently re-issued The Beginning Stages Of... , has just released a limited-edition EP, Light & Day . Being that the titular song is the track featured in the Volkswagen/Apple commercial, the EP seems an odd attempt to cash in on its popularity while establishing an indie cred of sorts, as it's only available in select independent record stores and on the road. The Light & Day EP features a re-recorded version of the title track, a non-LP track, and a Stereolab remix of the album track "Soldier Girl." Tracklist:
01 Light & Day [new single version]
02 The March
03 Soldier Girl [Stereolab remix]
Tim DeLaughter (can that seriously be his real name?) recently spoke to New Musical Express about the new album: "I want people to know that we're not a novelty act. We've got some great new stuff-- the album's almost finished being mixed. Shoot, man! I love the whole record! I'm really proud of it. It's the best thing I_ve ever been part of." You go ahead and make fun of a man that exuberantly happy-- I'm just not up to it. The band is currently mixing the as-yet-untitled album with producer/engineer Rich Costey (Fiona Apple, Audioslave), and aiming at an early 2004 release date. Following mixing, the Spree is headed back out on the road for a series of November dates, which you can find in our previous story linked below. On October 22nd, they'll join Jurassic 5 and Shortlist Award winner Damien Rice for the Sounds Eclectic Evening benefiting Los Angeles-area station KCRW, and dropping in on Late Night With Conan O'Brien November 5th to make up for a gig postponed due to the NYC blackout. In December, they'll be headlining the fourth annual Holiday Extravaganza at the Lakewood Theater in Dallas, where you can pretty much walk the city streets in white robes without anyone paying too much mind (don't try in South Dallas).

Matador, Kill Rock Stars, SpinART Bring Indie Rock To iTunes

Matador Records (As already reported), Kill Rock Stars, and SpinART all announced partnerships with Apple's iTunes Music Store this week, suddenly inundating indie-rock fans with hundreds upon hundreds of legally available downloads, with thousands more songs on the way. Apple had been courting indie labels since June, according to one label source: "Apple wasn't taking on any indies earlier because they weren't set up to handle lots of small deals-- they just wanted to launch with the big five [BMG, EMI, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros.], whom they also assumed (wrongly) would all be better set up to deliver them metadata and content." The timing is also fortuitous as Apple just launched its long-awaited Windows version of iTunes yesterday-- the first Apple-authored application for the Windows operating system. Early reports indicate that the Windows version of iTunes works pretty much exactly as it would on a Mac, even slavishly imitating the Mac OS X graphics and overall feel. Users must download and run the application in order to access the iTunes Music Store service, which uses the app's interface as a combination of library manager, digital file player, CD mixer, and browser. Apple has also adjusted their pricing policy, allowing users to download either individual tracks for 99 cents, or entire albums for $9.99-- thus avoiding the snafu of charging, say, $28 for Alien Lanes. Some of Matador's early offerings include recent releases from Interpol, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Stephen Malkmus, Mogwai, Guided By Voices, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Pavement, Pizzicato Five, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Belle and Sebastian, Cornelius, Arab Strap, Matmos, Bardo Pond, Mark Eitzel, Richard Hell, Tommy Keene, Arsonists, and Preston School Of Industry. "In the months ahead, we hope to make exclusive materials available via the iTunes Music Store such as previews from forthcoming studio albums, outtakes, live tracks [and] demo versions," Matador posted in an announcement on the label's website. Kill Rock Stars also jumped onto the iTunes train this week, with additions from Sleater-Kinney, Cadallaca, and Ronnie Spector among the early offerings. "Very soon the most of the KRS and 5RC catalog will be available this way," Kill Rock Stars enthused on their website. "If you are already an iTunes addict (like all of us here are) you know how psyched we are to be up there." Our search for "Decemberists" came back, "Did you mean 'Remembering'?" but hopefully more will be available soon. SpinART already has albums from Frank Black, The Pixies, Apples In Stereo, Clem Snide, Echo and the Bunnymen, Richard Thompson, Kaito UK, and Bis on the iTunes service, with more releases being added in the coming weeks. Indies' rush to align with iTunes coincides with a massive fee shakeup at the popular eMusic service, which has provided indie-rock fans with their MP3 fix for a $10 monthly fee for several years. Last week, subscribers were told that future downloading will be restricted to 40 files, unless users step up to a premium service which would afford 300 monthly downloads for $50. Though the price hike has many eMusic users crying foul, indie labels are expected to continue offering downloads through eMusic and any other popular service that offers a legal alternative to peer-to-peer networks like Gnutella and Kazaa. "This is [a] good opportunity to reach people who may have heard of the bands on Matador and Beggars but haven't had a chance to actually hear them, or prefer to shop for music online [rather] than in stores," Matador spokesman Ben Goldberg said. "As with any label, we want to be as available as possible-- so any chance we have to have our releases more accessible, we'll take."

PRODIGY'S SEVEN YEAR ITCH OVER!

PRODIGY’s long awaited new album will be released next spring, according to LIAM HOWLETT. Following the release of the single 'Baby's Got A Temper' in early 2002, Prodigy have been attempting to finish the long-awaited follow-up to 1997's 'The Fat Of The Land'. The record, which has a working title of ‘Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned’, will now be released next year according to main man Liam Howlett. a statement issued to the US press, Liam said: "Recording of the album started about four months ago. Intentions are to deliver the new album shortly after the New Year. Single release will precede a spring/summer album release date."

Virgin Preps Boatload Of Bowie Reissues

Virgin Records will this winter reissue a number of David Bowie releases, including "Black Tie White Noise," the 1989 box set "Sound + Vision" and remastered versions of "Scary Monsters," "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" and "Let's Dance." Additionally, the label will re-release last year's "Best of Bowie" with a bonus DVD. A DVD will also be added to the repackaged "Black Tie White Noise.""Black Tie White Noise," which marked a return to Bowie's solo career after having a go with ill-fated rock combo Tin Machine, was originally released in 1993. Due Jan. 13, the reissue will come with an added CD and DVD. The 12-track CD will contain remixes by Jack Dangers and Leftfield, as well as the B-side "Lucy Can't Dance." The DVD will feature all of the album's videos and selected live performances. The DVD packaged with the "Best of Bowie" reissue, due Dec. 2, will contain videos for "Let's Dance," "Heroes" and "Black Tie White Noise." The rest of the DVD will be filled out with six audio tracks, all of them remixes of Bowie hits. The "Sound + Vision" four-CD set was released in 1989 and collects Bowie's early singles, as well as his career through 1993. Due Dec. 2, the set will feature an additional 23 tracks of singles, B-sides and rarities. The added cuts are taken from the recording sessions for Bowie's two releases with Tin Machine, and his solo albums "Let's Dance," "Tonight," "Black Tie White Noise" and "Buddha of Suburbia." Finally, Virgin is re-releasing "Scary Monsters," "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" and "Let's Dance" in the super-audio CD (SACD) format. The three will be in stores Tuesday (Oct. 21), and will be playable on regular CDs as well as SACD-specific players. As previously reported , Bowie will launch a North American tour in early December. The outing is in support of his recent ISO/Columbia album "Reality," which debuted at No. 29 on The Billboard 200.

What a wild week !!

Well it's been the week of shows at the Echo Lounge in Atlanta..My god their schedule is just nuts.. Monday kicked things off with Peaches.. Totally crazy show.. most excellent. Then on to Tuesday with John Doe from X (Check out the great photos from Matteblack) Thursday was banging again with Calexico and The Frames and tonight.. My god.. It's Jesco the Dancing Outlaw. Who is Jesco you ask? well click here and find out for yourself. My god my liver is killing me. A good portion of the weekend is the 2nd annual IG Fest in the East Atlanta Village. It's kind of like the DIY version of SXSW.. It's been fun. Click here for more info

Country Feedback

EVAN DANDO, ED HARCOURT and JIM LAUDERDALE are to headline 'STANDING IN THE SHADOW OF THE GRIEVOUS ANGEL' on November 15 in a tribute concert to country-rock legend GRAM PARSONS. Taking place at London's Islington Union Chapel as part of the Barbican's 'Way Beyond Nashville' season, the intimate gig will mark the 30th anniversary of Parsons’ death - aged just 26 - which fell on September 19. The line-up will also include Grand Drive, The Coal Porters, Adam Masterson and Gram Parson's only child Polly Parsons. The Sin City All Stars , featuring BJ Cole, will be the house band for the event. Parsons found fame through The International Submarine Band, The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers as well as through his solo work, though tragically died on September 19, 1973 when he overdosed on morphine and tequila at The Joshua Tree Inn in the Californian desert. His death also took a bizarre twist when road manager Phil Kaufman stole Gram's body, took it back to the desert, doused it in petrol and burned it. For event information visit: www.barbican.org.uk/beyondnashville

John Lennon Musical Heads To Broadway

Imagine a Broadway musical based on songs by John Lennon -- Yoko Ono has, and today (Oct. 16), producers announced she has given the go-ahead for a show using her late husband's work. Tentatively titled "The Lennon Project," the stage musical will explore the turbulent times of the 1960s and 1970s with some 30 songs drawn from more than 200 Lennon wrote after the Beatles break-up. The legendary band released their last album, "Let It Be," in 1970 but had already dissolved as a act. "Over the past two decades, I have been experiencing the feedback from the world to John's life, statements and music," Ono said in a statement. "I realized what John had meant to the world. He was a catalyst who brought down the hypocrisy and the old world establishments by saying 'Gimme Some Truth.'" "What we present on stage should again give people insight, encouragement, inspiration and fun, so they can go on with their lives with some assurance and hope," she continued. The show, which is planned for the 2004-2005 season, will be produced by Edgar Lansbury and Don Scardino. Scardino will also direct the show with a script he plans to write with Eric Overmyer. The Lennon show follows several recent Broadway shows based on preexisting songs by a composer. The long-running "Mamma Mia" is based on music by ABBA; the Tony-winning, rock-ballet "Movin' Out" is performed to Billy Joel's music; and this season marks the opening of "The Boy From Oz," a musical biography of Australian cabaret singer Peter Allen. As previously reported, Capitol will on Nov. 18 release the "Lennon Legend" DVD, featuring rare newsreel and private footage from the Lennon/Ono archive, 15 new and remastered music video clips, newly created animations of Lennon's drawings and an extensive photo gallery.

Ludacris Scores First No. 1 Album

Ludacris earns his first No. 1 album on The Billboard 200 with his third Def Jam set, "Chicken & Beer." U.S. sales of the album topped 429,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, easily placing it ahead of OutKast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" (Arista), which had a two-week run at the top. In late 2001, Ludacris reached the No. 3 post on The Billboard 200 with "Word of Mouf." The album entered with sales of 282,000 copies, and has since sold about 3.3 million. The rapper's latest single, "Stand Up" featuring Shawnna, hops 3-1 this week on Billboard's Hot Rap Tracks chart. Despite falling to No. 2, OutKast's two-CD set continues to perform well. Sales of "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" fell only 20% to 187,000 copies, giving it a three-week total of 931,000 copies. While the hip-hop duo's "The Way You Move" has already become a solid hit in urban markets, companion single "Hey Ya!" is starting to gain at crossover radio.

"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, The X-Impossibles and Crooked Fingers)

Punk Rock Riot

Angered by the cancellation of a punk rock concert, dozens of young people smashed windows and overturned cars, setting them ablaze on Tuesday night. The young people, many sporting spiked-hair and cutoff jean jackets, rioted after they were told that the groups Total Chaos and The Exploited wouldn't be performing. Some members of The Exploited were refused entry into the country by Canada Customs, the French-language TV channel LCN reported. "At 10 after 8 one of the organizers decided to come out and tell the crowd that was here that the concert was cancelled. At that point the crowd turned crazy and turned into a riot," Yannick Ouimet, a Montreal police spokesman, told Global Television. It wasn't immediately clear how long the cancellation was known by the Medley hall before it was announced. Hundreds of young people were waiting on the street for about 45 minutes before the violence began. Several then picked up material from a nearby construction site and hurled the items at cars and windows, said a witness. Minutes later, at least four cars were overturned and set on fire, flames shooting out the side windows as firemen directed streams of water at them. A one block area was littered with 24 cars that had their windows smashed. Some of the rioters grabbed a computer from one of the stores and hurled it at a car. The windows of at least six stores, including a large music store, a clothing shop and a printer were smashed. A frightened Philippe Yeung, who lives above the copy shop next to the concert hall, said he called police five or six times before they arrived after more than a half hour. "When the police came, the cars were already on fire, they were already overturned and (the rioters) were moving up the street," he said, noting that the windows to his store weren't insured. Once riot police with helmets and shields arrived, they blocked off a several block area as the young people fled, smashing store windows along the way. Several people were arrested along city streets, with some placed into police cars whose windows had been smashed. Several people were reportedly arrested trying to steal from the Archambault Music store after its windows and door glass were smashed. "A riot isn't easy for anybody," said Archambault spokeswoman Natalie Lariviere. "We will do the work to ensure that everything is repaired for tomorrow." A student at a nearby university told reporters that security people wouldn't let her and fellow students out of the building because of what was happening on the street. When she was finally let out, she found that her car was one of those damaged. The back and side windows of her station wagon had been smashed. "What can you do?" she shrugged. A woman who watched the melee said she was shocked by the violence. "I couldn't believe it was Montreal," an unidentified woman told Montreal television station CFCF. "It's supposed to be a quiet, tranquil city and it's not." Two police officers sustained minor injuries and workers at the concert hall were apparently injured by broken glass. The injuries were not serious, said police.

Peaches: "Don't Give A..." (Legal MP3 Download)

How do you surpass momentous tracks such as 'Fuck the Pain Away', 'Set it off' and 'Lovertits'? Easy you release an album called 'Father Fucker' and stick two fingers up at any one who questions it. Peaches is back after her debut album 'Teaches of Peaches' took the music industry by storm. No review could do justice to this being a brilliant album or for Peaches being the best electro clash punk princess that she is. Her 'no holds barred approach' to not only her music but image as well has brought her the respect she deserves within the industry. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

American Music Club To Play Free Shows In December

Apparently, American Music Club has a little more giddy-up left in the old caboose than their contemporaries in the Pixies and Whiskeytown. As we reported reported back in August, Mark Eitzel has reformed American Music Club to record a new album, You Better Watch What You Say , and play a show or two in California. Like any meeting of old lovers, once is never enough for these veterans of the jangle and weep. Mark Eitzel has posted welcome news of more reunion shows on his website, so you sad sacks will have reason to leave the house this winter, even in the Southern California chill. Come December, American Music Club will play a month-long residency at Spaceland in Los Angeles, CA, with a free show every Monday. As added incentive, the band will be selling a live album from their August 21st reunion show at San Francisco's Make Out Club, which will soon also be available in streaming audio on the group's website.

Jimi Hendrix the Toy?

In time for the holiday season, a collectable Jimi Hendrix figure will be produced and marketed by McFarlane Toys, which has in the past created similar replicas of Jerry Garcia, Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, among others. Dressed in blue velvet pants, white shirt and scarves, the six-inch action figure, authorized by Experience Hendrix, will be accompanied by a stage base, guitar, amplifiers, effects pedals, microphone and stand. A deluxe box set will boast a stage base reminiscent of that at the original Woodstock festival. The figurine will be shown in between two amplifier stacks, his hand raised in a peace sign. The standard figure is expected to retail for $12-15, and the deluxe box for about $20. More information can be found at the McFarlane Toys Web site.

R.E.M. Tour Ends With A Bang

R.E.M. wrapped its fall North American tour Saturday (Oct. 11) with a show at Atlanta's Phillips Arena. Friday's penultimate concert in Raleigh, N.C., featured a surprise guest appearance by former drummer Bill Berry, who sat behind the kit for a run-through of the non-album track "Permanent Vacation" and offered backing vocals on "Radio Free Europe." Berry had not played with the band since his 1998 retirement, but did appear on stage with R.E.M. during an August 1999 show at Atlanta's Chastain Park Amphitheatre. Saturday's finale was the longest show of the tour, featuring 28 songs and such rarities as "Gardening at Night," "Wolves, Lower," "Siting Still" and "You are the Everything." R.E.M. now heads to Europe for a two-week promotional tour that will include appearances on "Top of the Pops" and "Later...with Jools Holland." Meanwhile, videos for "I'll Take the Rain," "Electrolite," "Nightswimming," "Orange Crush" and "Bittersweet Me" are among those set for the band's upcoming greatest-hits DVD, "In View: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003" (Warner Bros.). As previously reported , the DVD is part of a three-pronged "greatest-hits" release that also includes the single-CD "In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003" as well as a double-CD version with a rarities disc. The DVD will also include videos for "All the Way to Reno (You're Gonna Be a Star)," "Imitation of Life," "The Great Beyond," "At My Most Beautiful," "Daysleeper," "E-Bow the Letter," "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?," "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite," "Everybody Hurts," "Man on the Moon," "Losing My Religion," "Stand," "Tongue," "How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us," "New Test Leper," "Bittersweet Me" and "Lotus." Finally, the release will boast live performances of three songs -- "Imitation of Life," "Losing My Religion" and "Man on the Moon" -- recorded in 2001 at London's Trafalgar Square as part of a South African Freedom Day concert.

Matador Records signs with iTunes Music Store

Matador Records, an independent label, has announced that 'major chunks of its extensive catalog, as well as new releases' are now being offered at the iTunes Music Store. You can now download AAC files of tracks by such artists as Interpol, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, Stephen Malkmus, Mogwai, Guided By Voices, Pretty Girls Make Graves and others. More new releases and catalog titles will be added every week. The record company also says that 'in the months ahead, we hope to make exclusive materials available via the iTunes Music Store, such as previews from forthcoming studio albums, outtakes, live tracks, demo versions, etc.' Matador Records is a New York-based independent label that's been around since 1989. Part of the Beggars Group family of labels, Matador's catalog includes titles from the previously mentioned artists as well as Pavement, Pizzicato Five, Spencer Blues Explosion, Belle and Sebastian, Cornelius, Arab Strap, Matmos, Bardo Pond, Mark Eitzel, Richard Hell, Tommy Keene, Arsonists, Preston School Of Industry and others. Matador's metadata and encoded content will be delivered to iTunes via Consolidated Independent (CI), a UK-based company specializing in centralizing and delivering all forms of data for independent labels." The very popular iTunes music store is available to Macintosh users and as of October 16th Windows users.

NEW MUSIC MONDAY
Well I thought I would make it nice for everyone and have my new music video roundup on Mondays. So here you are .. The best of the bunch! Enjoy.

The White Stripes- Hardest Button to Button (Music Video)

Check out the new video from The White Stripes for their new single Hardest Button to Button. CLICK HERE FOR MPEG VIDEO----35.3mb

Kid606 - The Illness (Music Video)

The video for the first single from kid606's new album on Ipecac Recordings called "kill sound before sound kills you".
DOWNLOAD QUICKTIME VIDEO

Plaid vs Beach Boys (Music Video)

Dig this video mash-up with plaid's "new family" and beach boys "surfer girl".
15mb Quicktime Movie.

U.N.K.L.E. feat. Thom Yorke - Rabbit in Your Headlights (music video)

Download (7.5 MB) REAL Video

Indie Vets Team Up In Champions Of Sound

Former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega, former model Sibyl Buck and former Chamberlain/Split Lip drummer Charlie Walker have teamed up in Champions Of Sound. The New York group, rounded out by keyboardist Lindsay Jones, is selling a four-song EP via its official Web site and is in talks with labels for the release of its debut album. Champions has just begun playing live in New York, but is eyeing some November shows in Los Angeles with Oslo, a band led by No Doubt keyboardist Gabriel McNair. Walker previously served as the drummer on Oslo's demos and would likely play with both bands during the shows. Following Quicksand's dissolution, Vega in 2000 released an EP, "The Ray Martin Sessions," via GrapeOS. Walker and Buck (on bass) came into the picture on the subsequent tour in support of it, as did Helmet guitarist Chris Traynor, whom Buck later married. Champions Of Sound may surprise fans of Vega's work with hardcore mainstay Quicksand, as the group's sound has more in common with the upbeat pop/rock of the Cars and Prince. A new version of "Come Home Soon," first released on "The Ray Martin Sessions," can be sampled on the group's Web site. CLICK HERE for the official website

The Strokes 12:51 (Music Video)

You have seen the alternate version... Now watch the official new Tron-esque video from The Strokes CLICK HERE TO VIEW Requires Quicktime 6

KINGBLIND RECOMMENDS

Here is what's on the Kingblind stereo this week:
(Mogwai: Happy Music for Happy People)--(The Dirtbombs: Dangerous, Magical Noise)--(Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever to Tell)--(The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds)--(Part Chimp: Chart Pimp)

FEVER TO FELL

YEAH YEAH YEAHS played a triumphant set at the SYDNEY leg of Australia’s LIVID FESTIVAL over the weekend (October 11), despite singer KAREN O falling offstage earlier in the week and being treated for concussion. As reported on Kingblind.com, Karen fell headfirst in to the photo pit of a gig at the Sydney Metro Theatre last Thursday. After being helped back onstage by road crew and boyfriend Angus Andrew - whose band The Liars are supporting Yeah Yeah Yeahs during their current Australian tour - Oinsisted on finishing the set with an icepack held to her head. But the band only made it through one song before she said she had "to go to hospital” and left the stage. She was then rushed to a nearby emergency ward. “We played the other night and I had a pretty bad fall,“ she told the Livid crowd in the Triple J tent, after being brought onstage by Andrew in a wheelchair. “I had to go the emergency room and so tonight … we’re starting where we left off!” The band then played ‘Maps’ - with a grinning Karen standing up to deafening applause mid-way through the song. Yeah Yeah Yeahs made it through an eight-song set before Karen - sporting a bandage above her left elbow and visibly subdued from the bands previous notoriously frenzied stage shows - was again ushered offstage by road crew and Andrew. She also joked about the dance of death that “almost killed me” and thanked the crowd for their support. Earlier, Melbourne -born Andrew had called her “an Aussie battler", saying; “She’s going to come out and play songs for you but please be gentle on her. It‘s like she‘s been in a car accident. Would you want to play after that? I don‘t think so!” Around 25,000 fans braved freezing temperatures to attend the festival, which also included The White Stripes, Linkin Park, BRMC, Turbonegro and The Bumblebeez.

The Handsome Family-- Singing Bones (Album Review)

After hearing six unfailingly incredible albums from the Handsome Family, I was looking forward to Singing Bones as yet another enjoyable collection of songs. Rennie Sparks' ever-imaginative mind is, of course, dead on with the interesting subject matter and her interesting way of stringing words together. Seriously, how many artists are going to write songs about sailing down a bottomless hole in a rusty old bathtub? Did you ever suspect that your 24 hour Wal-Mart is haunted? Rennie concurs and wrote a song about it: "Late, late at night, 24-hour store/ Ghosts fly up the aisles/ Across the shining floor/ Opening and closing automatic doors." There are TWO songs that speculate about the end of the world, one about the possibility of the world ending in ice, the other about it ending in fire. Both of these songs feature one Brett, two Brett, three Brett, four, singing a capella in harmony with himself, impressively so, I might say. I love it so much I don' t know what to do! The vocals on this album surpass all of the Handsome Family's previous efforts. Rennie joins in more often, refining the stronger tracks with gentle, floating harmonies. Prime examples are "The Forgotten Lake" and "Whitehaven," two delicious tracks with haunted fairy tale imagery. Singing Bones casts a spell - it's a walk through a mythical forest filled with foggy mysteries and intriguing supernatural events. So you must listen immediately and quit griping about how nobody makes good music anymore.

Twink

A toy piano purchase at a flea market inspired the creator of this site to start collecting musical toys for kids. Accumulating everything from a Fisher Price Grand Piano to something called a Pling Plong, he began to compose tunes using these toys as the main instruments. The resulting music is both whimsical and entrancing. For example, "Shy Violet" progresses at a mournful pace, while the jaunty "Hoppity Jones" and the breakbeat-heavy "Catnip" will have you bobbing your head. After you listen to the MP3s, we recommend browsing through the extensive gallery to gaze with wonder at the toys behind Twink. CLICK HERE TO THE VISIT SITE

World's Greatest Halloween Costumes

With Halloween right around the corner, it's time for those in the holiday spirit to focus on the eternal question of what to wear. The right blend of creativity and design always wows your pals, but the old-school costumes on this site definitely pack a pumpkin-laced punch. Thanks to Retrocrush and collector Bruce Zalkin, you can feast your eyes on some of the most horrific pop-culture costume choices ever manufactured. Doors may slam on a child dressed as Boss Hog, but Father Murphy will likely charm the candy right out of granny's hand. With sections devoted to always-popular comic book characters and creepily rendered famous folks , this campy collection may even inspire you in time for this year's festivities. We pity the fool who goes trick or treating as Mr. T. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COSTUMES

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: Transatlanticism (Record Review)

Individually, the members of Death Cab For Cutie have had a stellar 2003. Vocalist/guitarist Ben Gibbard is also the mouthpiece behind the Postal Service's love songs for robots, while producer/guitarist Chris Walla had a musical or technical hand in albums by underground faves Nada Surf, the Thermals and the Long Winters. The quartet still shines brightest when pooling their talents in Death Cab, however, as its gorgeous fourth album, "Transatlanticism," reveals. Retaining the naked simplicity of 2000's "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes" while continuing to hone the more lush, hi-fi sound found on 2001's "The Photo Album," the fantastic "Transatlanticism" is full of the lovely melancholy for which Death Cab is known. Gentle waves of restrained guitar and Gibbard's gloomy, earnest croon mark midtempo songs "Tiny Vessels" and the slow-building title track, while fierce bursts of noise mark the slo-core sparseness of "Title and Registration" and intense chordstorm "We Looked Like Giants." Nevertheless, the inspiration of the Smiths heavily informs "Transatlanticism." "Death of an Interior Decorator" sounds as polished as that group's "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out," while a jaunty, conspicuous bass line and chiming chords mark the two-minute pop burst "The Sound of Settling." And like the Smiths, Death Cab's lyrics can border on the precious, but overall these nuggets are intelligent and insightful. Of particular note is "Vessels," which documents the moment a relationship crumbles ("You touch her skin and then you think/ That she is beautiful but she don't mean a thing to me") or "The New Year," whose glum resignation ("This is the new year and I don't feel any different") is oddly comforting. Overall another gem from our friends in the Northwest.

"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)

The Desert Sessions 9 & 10 - Various Artists (Album Review)

Is it a Queens of the Stone Age album or a PJ Harvey album? Sort of both, really. Josh Homme from QOTSA brings a bunch of people out to the desert, records insane music, and releases it into the world. This time around he brought along a bunch of interesting guests, ranging from Miss Polly to Dean Ween. The results are fantastic, making it a must have for fans of QOTSA, PJ Harvey, and those who just like good music. You know who you are..

90 Day Men Cancel Tour, Band Member Hospitalized

In what can only be described as the worst possible timing, Southern Records has announced that one of its most promising acts will close up shop for the forseeable future. According to a glaring notice on the official Southern site, a member of 90 Day Men was hospitalized after becoming seriously ill this past weekend, forcing the band to cancel their October and November tours. Little-to-no information about what actually happened is being revealed, but the band anticipates being back in action by next year. 90 Day Men made a name for themselves with last year's incredible To Everybody , which single-handedly proved that a rock band can play lotsa piano and not sound like Ben Folds or Ben Folds Five. They had just shipped this week the single from their fothcoming full-length Panda Park , which is due for release in early 2004. Titled "Too Late Or Too Dead," the track once again brings the piano to the forefront and rocks like no one's fucking business. It also provides two other brilliant songs that showcase the ever-changing face of the band's music. I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing two/fourths of the band before a festival appearance in Chicago this summer, and they were both giddy and anxious about the new album and upcoming tour. I wish the band nothing but the best and sincerely hope to see them back in action this spring. If you would like to send the band a message or good wishes you can e-mail info@southern.com and they will forward it on for you.

New Preston School of Industry LP Due In January

The Preston School of Industry's second full-length album will be released early next year, according to frontman Scott Kannberg. Titled Monsoon , the ten-track disc features cameos from the Minus 5's Scott McCaughey, "who did an amazing Lindisfarne mandolin part," and all of the members of Wilco, who played assorted instruments found in the basement "while high on my BBQ chicken," Kannberg said. The Preston School's sophomore effort is Kannberg's first since moving to the Seattle area and features an almost completely different lineup than 2001's All This Sounds Gas . Oranger's Matt Harris played the drum tracks live and engineered the basement recording; Dan Carr (Creeper Lagoon) and Chris Heinrich (David Dondero) flew up "while on a sugar high from Top Pot donuts [and] played their little hearts out" on bass and pedal steel, respectively, Kannberg reports. Hmmm, that's the second time he mentioned that his band was high. Got it! "Fucking rad drummer" Lara Scudder rounds out the new lineup. Monsoon also represents a change in direction for the Preston School since it's the first album for which Kannberg had to consciously create new material.

Jawbreaker reissues on the way

A long-in-the-works reissue of late underground rock act Jawbreaker's "Dear You" will arrive in February on drummer Adam Pfahler's Blackball imprint. As previously reported , Pfahler spent five years wrangling with Geffen and its parent, Universal Music Group, to re-release the album, which has long been out of print. The new edition of "Dear You," originally released in 1995, will include four additional tracks (the Psychedelic Furs cover "Into You Like a Train," "Sister," "Friendly Fire" and "Boxcar"), plus the previously unreleased "Shirt," which was recently mixed by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines). The video for album track "Fireman" and a 24-page booklet round out the package.

Karen O Hospitalized

YEAH YEAH YEAHS singer KAREN O has been hospitalised in AUSTRALIA after hurting herself during a gig. The band are Down Under playing a warm-up show in anticipation of their gig at the Livid festival in Sydney on Saturday (October 11). At the Sydney Metro show Karen fell off the stage after four songs. She climbed back onstage, performed 'Maps', but complaining of pains the show ended, and she was taken to the local hospital accident and emergency. Her boyfriend Angus Andrew, frontman in support band The Liars, went with her. it was unclear to the extent of her injuries. However, a spokesperson for the band confirmed the singer had been for a check-up. Before visiting Australia the group played a number of shows supporting White Stripes, and then embarked on a tour of Japan. Following their trip to Australia the trio will head back to their native North American tour for one last tour before the end of the year.

Television “Marquee Moon” (Remastered Album)

Hear their classic guitar-dueling debut with five bonus tracks. Listen to the complete album via streaming quicktime.. SWEET!! CLICK HERE to listen Requires Quicktime 6.

The Return of the Descendents

Legendary punk act the Descendents will release a new, as-yet-untitled studio album in March 2004, to be preceded by a January EP, both via Fat Wreck Chords. The band -- singer Milo Aukerman, drummer Bill Stephenson, bassist Karl Alvarez and guitarist Stephen Egerton -- has recorded and mixed about 20 songs, but it is unknown how many will make the final cut. Among those recorded is a new version of the song "Lucky," originally released as the B-side of the band's 1996 single "I'm the One." The latter appeared on that year's Epitaph album "Everything Sucks," the band's last studio release. The new album puts plans for an All/Descendents instrumental album on the back burner. Formed in the late '80s, All includes three-quarters of the Descendents lineup and singer Chad Price. All's last studio set was 2000's "Problematic" (Epitaph). In 2001, the label released the two-disc "Live Plus One," which boasts a disc culled from two All shows that year and a compilation of Descendents live performances from 1996.

New singles from Radiohead on the way

RADIOHEAD are to release alternative versions of songs from their new album ’HAIL TO THE THIEF’. The band plan to release their new single ’2+2=5’ on November 10 to coincide with their forthcoming UK tour. According to unofficial website www.ateaseweb.com, the single will be backed a Christian Vogel remix of ’Myxomatosis’, a Four Tet remix of ’Scatterbrain’, a demo version of ’There There’ and an alternative mix of ’I Will’, made at the legendary Ocean Way studio in LA. Radiohead are in the closing stages of a massive North American tour, which ends in Toronto next week (October 15).

Outkast remains #1

OutKast staves off four top-10 debuts on The Billboard 200 to remain at No. 1 for a second week with "Speakerboxx/The Love Below" (Arista). Despite a 54% drop from its first-week total, the album sold just shy of 234,900 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, bringing its overall sales to 744,500.

Smith's Guitar for sale

The bass guitar on which SMITHS bass player ANDY ROURKE played on all the bands records is being sold. The 20-year-old Yamaha bb200 is currently listed on ebay for a starting bid of USD$2,400 (approximately £1,444). According to the item description, Rourke bought the bass guitar in 1983 and subsequently used it on all the Smiths recorded output, as well as on session work for artists including The Pretenders, Badly Drawn Boy and Sinead O'Connor. It also appeared on the gatefold cover of the Smiths 1984 rarities compilation Hatful Of Hollow. The bass, which comes in its original case with a letter from Rourke, is up for bids until 2pm on Friday (October 10). To bid, click here.

Dramarama Take Aim at Arnold-- California band recasts Dead Kennedy's classic

Dramarama, who earlier this year reunited after a nine-year break, have re-recorded the Dead Kennedy's politically-charged classic "California Uber Alles," with a new set of anti-Arnold Schwartzenegger lyrics reflecting the group's embarrassment at the state of affairs in their adopted home of California. The new song is available to download as an MP3 on Dramarama frontman John Easdale's Web site (johneasdale.com) and includes lyrics penned by Easdale both mocking the circus that the state's gubernatorial race has become as well as Schwartzenegger's alleged history of sexual misconduct and making comments of admiration about Adolf Hitler. Easdale says that the song was a last-minute project, written and recorded on the fly on Sunday. "It's funny, that same day we got a phone call from the pre-recorded robot Arnold reminding us to vote," he says. "It was surreal, but I guess most everything about this election has been that way, like why he's a more viable candidate than Gary Coleman. It's like you see this hero on TV, therefore he must be the hero that can save our state." In addition to providing a catchy platform for Easdale's thoughts on the election, the song also speaks to the resilience of the Kennedys' original, which sounds as urgent as it did when it was recorded twenty years ago. "I tried to soften it as much as possible," Easdale says. "And I hope we didn't offend anybody, but mostly we did it for the love of rock & roll, the power and the strength of it. And who knows, if he wins, if we become the laughing stock of the nation, it might have something of a shelf life." As for the band, which formed in New Jersey in the early-Eighties, Easdale says that there's a good chance that the reunited Dramarama will convene to record a new album that he had initially plotted as a solo release. The reunion was actually prompted by VH1, which contacted the band for a show about unsung musical talent from the Eighties and Nineties. "They showed up and it was like an ambush," Easdale says. "They asked, 'Do you want to play some with your old bandmates?' And the cameras are rolling. So we did it. I think ego wants me to be a solo artiste [ laughs ], but if there are people out there who want us to play and who would support it, it would be stupid not to. I've seen the power that's in a name."
Lyrics to Dramarama's "California Uber Alles":
Vote for me on Tuesday
I am Governor Arnold S.
I'll soon clean up this mess
I have inherited
I'm jingling all the way
from the Southland to the Bay
I'll govern all of you
Your kids will all lift weights in school
The Golden State is getting worse
Need Mr. Universe
I am a movie star
and drive the biggest, dumbest car
This hero always wins
Conveniently forgets his sins
Jumpin from the master race
and always wears a happy face
Here comes 2004
Knock knock on your front door
It's my very own secret police
come to pick up your ugly niece
March quietly to the camp
You'd make a lovely lamp
Don't worry it's just a shower
for your clothes here's a pretty flower
Body builder's in control
100 percent natural
Say goodbye you lousy pest
if you mess with Governor S.

ROTTEN NEWS

JOHN LYDON is adapting his classic autobiography for the big screen. As ‘Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs’ returns to print, the former Sex Pistols frontman is working with director Penelope Spheeris – whose credits include ‘Wayne’s World’ and ‘Senseless’ – and production company Panacea Entertainment. Although there is no news as yet on release dates or casting details, interest in the project has led to the book being reissued. The new edition will be published in January 2004, ten years after the book first came out. Regarded widely as the definitive account of the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols ,‘Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs’ includes contributions from former Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook , plus key figures such as Chrissie Hynde and Don Letts. The book’s controversial title comes from a sign outside a hotel at which the band once stayed.

Court Not Fun Fun Fun for Beach Boy

Ex- Beach Boy Al Jardine got nothing but bad vibrations from the U.S. Supreme Court Monday. The guitarist and backup vocalist, a founding member of the seminal surf band, was fighting a court order prohibiting him from using the term "Beach Boys" when he tours. The High Court justices refused to hear his appeal. The Beach Boys name is owned by Brother Records, the corporation formed to hold the band's trademark, and jointly held by Jardine, Mike Love, Brian Wilson and the estate of Carl Wilson. Though Jardine owns a quarter of the corporation, he is not licensed to perform as a Beach Boy--that honor is reserved for Love, who continues as frontman of today's Beach Boys--which contains not a single Wilson. Brother Records denied Jardine use of the name, claiming he "did not agree to abide by terms of a proposed license."

Supergrass cancel U.S. Tour due to family illness.

The group have been on the road supporting Radiohead on their current US dates, and were due to play two nights at the Madision Square Garden this week (October 9-10). Last night (Atlanta, GA) Radiohead singer Thom Yorke announced from the stage that Supergrass would not be able to play the dates. A spokesperson for the band said they are coming back to the UK due to illness in one of the band member’s family. Radiohead end their massive North American tour over the next week. They will then take a short break before embarking on another tour of Europe, which includes UK dates at the end of the year.

Peaches-- FatherF**ker (Record Review)

That Peaches is mad , she is. To prove it the artwork on her new album 'Fatherfucker' features a picture of her with a long beard, actually sprouting from her face, rather than her genitals this time. She resembles some kind of werewolf rabbi, with a face that is at best peculiarly alluring. It's verging on being funny, though perhaps more disturbing on a preliminary glance, and it serves as proof that she can still sell herself in whichever way she sees fit. Opener 'Bad Reputation' involves her screaming the words "I Don't Give a Fuck" very loudly over Joan Jett's 'Bad Reputation'. It's crap, frankly, and we fear the rest of album may be lowgrade, guttermouth nonsense. There's no excuse whether she gives a fuck or not. And what of the lyrics throughout? 'Shake Yer Dix' is as puerile as a record can be. "Shake your dicks, shake yer tits," Peaches implores us. It's hardly revolutionary stuff, but oddly, add a bottle of vodka, and you will be doing just that, and shaking whatever it is you are in possession of, whether it be a pair of breasts, or a big knob. Damn, this puerility malarkey really rubs off... and so do the tunes. You see, there are so many great things about Peaches, the main thing being that the music is made by a woman who is possibly more emancipated than any other artist in rock and pop, and her vulgarity is empowering because of it. And the grooves: oh, they're good. 'I'm The Kinda' is sparse, and fabulous; "I'm the kinda bitch you wanna get with," she sings throughout, dual voices used to great effect, and as the track unfolds it develops into something more sinister, but still alarmingly sexy, like Helen Mirren with a machine gun. It's good Prince without the pretentiousness, that's what it is. "I U She Together / Come on baby let's go," she commands on 'I U She'. Whatever could she mean? "I don't have to make the choice, I like the girls and I like the boys". Oh riiiight! Lucky thing. It sounds cheap, fittingly, but it's extraordinarily contagious. In fact, it seems every track is more infectious than the last: 'Operate' steals heavily from Tone-Loc which is a good thing, 'Rock 'n' Roll' steals heavily from Frank Butcher ('Runaround!'), and 'Back It Up' sounds like 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone' on 78, all with a healthy dollop of Peaches and cream. The low point is the duet with Iggy Pop, which has the old fella shouting to Peaches "I used to slash myself up" and Peaches screaming back "I like to play it tough". Oh dear. It's beyond naff, and coupled with the opener the reason this album is not quite worthy of maximum marks. But 'Fatherfucker' is one motherfucker of an album. If Peaches was the Princess of Perversion, she's now the Queen of the Obscene. Long live the fucking Queen.

NEW VIDEO FROM THE STROKES (MUSIC VIDEO)

Check out the new (ALTERNATE ) video for 12:51 from The Strokes.. Forget the official 'Tron' -esque video. We've got backstage and rehearsal footage... .. Right here, right now from Kingblind.com Click Here to view it REQUIRES REAL PLAYER.. And a broadband connection.

Tobin Sprout to Rejoin Guided By Voices?

We already knew October would be a kick-ass month, what with Sebadoh's Lou Barlow and Jason Loewenstein skippin' the pond to reunite for Domino's Worlds of Possibility festival and Don Caballero touring the U.S. in some incarnation, but nobody coulda seen this one comin'. Goaded by a semi-cryptic post from Guided By Voices webmaster Rich Turiel on fanboard Disarm The Settlers, indie-rock fans are abuzz at the prospect of prodigal collaborator Tobin Sprout teaming with his former band (live, anyway) for a pair of shows on GbV's current fall tour. "[It's] not official but it looks like Toby might open a couple (meaning two) of shows in November," Turiel posted on Friday. "Looking at the [GbV.com tour page] it might be easy to figure which ones." A quick scan of the tour page on the band's official website narrowed the possible dates to two: the 22nd and 23rd of November, at the Abbey Pub in Chicago, were the only dates left with no announced opener. Sprout played the Abbey Pub just last spring as part of the Indie Pop Festival . We attempted to contact both the venue and Sprout for further illumination without much luck, so this all remains fairly unofficial. However, Turiel says any Sprout-GbV pairing, should it actually come to pass, would strictly be on an opener-headliner basis: "He's not playing with GbV," Turiel writes. "It would be purely opening for. That's all I know and that's all I can say for now." Sprout left Guided By Voices almost seven years ago following Under The Bushes, Under The Stars . A collection of unreleased Pollard-Sprout compositions was released in 1996 under the name Tonics and Twisted Chasers ; lately the pair have collaborated only by postal service, recording two albums and two singles for Fading Captain under the name Airport 5. In other GbV-related news, the previously announced third album from Pollard side project Circus Devils, Pinball Mars , has been scaled back considerably. The Fading Captain release, still due October 31st, will now be limited to vinyl-only-- and 500 copies at that. After Circus Devils principal Tim Tobias' sudden (and still unexplained) departure from Guided By Voices, there had been speculation as to whether the project would continue at all: apparently it will, but in smaller doses.

Jim O'Rourke Records, Reissues, Tours, Tinkers

Renaissance man, Sonic Youth draft pick and my favorite genius Jim O'Rourke is up to a lot, per usual. According to Drag City's website, O'Rourke is simultaneously hard at work on a solo full-length as well as a second helping of Loose Fur, his ongoing collaboration with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche. As we reported back in January, O'Rourke has described his forthcoming solo opus as "ridiculously elaborate" and has mentioned that it features a full orchestra. As for the second Loose Fur outing, the mention on Drag City's site is actually the first we've heard of it-- and despite the wealth of unreleased Tweedy/O'Rourke material performed in various live settings, the project appears to still be in the writing/planning stages. We're told we can expect both albums next year. Also on the horizon are a steady diet of O'Rourke reissues, beginning with Scend , a "tape composition" from 1992 that was recently given new life by Three Poplars Records. In 2004, expect re-ups of 1990's Two Organs on the Streamline label and Fey , a "rather noisy affair" from around 1987, on an as-yet undetermined label. O'Rourke has also booked a few dates this month, including an appearance at last week's Freedom From Festival and these upcoming gigs: 10-07 New York, NY - Tonic
10-10 New York, NY - Kenny Schachter ConTEMPorary
10-14 New York, NY - Tonic (John Fahey Tribute w/ Lee Ranaldo, Alan Licht)

Rice Nabs Shortlist Music Prize

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice collected the third annual Shortlist Music Prize last night (Oct. 5), climaxing a four-and-a-half hour concert featuring Rice and seven of the nine nominees at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Styled as a U.S. equivalent to Britain's Mercury Prize, the Shortlist Prize honors cutting-edge performers whose latest albums have sold less than 500,000 copies at the time of their nomination. The nominees and winner were selected by a panel of "listmakers," which this year included Dave Matthews, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Erykah Badu, Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, Chris Martin of Coldplay and directors Cameron Crowe and Spike Jonze. Rice, who succeeded Icelandic band Sigur Ros (also among this year's nominees) and hip-hop act N.E.R.D. as a winner, received a $5,000 cash prize presented by Sirius Satellite Radio. His four-song set of material from his Vector debut "O" was the most rapturously received of the evening. This year's heavily attended ceremony at the cavernous Wiltern was a strong indicator of the burgeoning interest in the left-of-center talents feted by the Shortlist. Two years ago, the show was held at the Hollywood club the Knitting Factory; in 2002, it moved to the roomier Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre. The show, which was taped by MTV2 for an Oct. 25 telecast that will boast interviews as well as performances, featured wall-to-wall music and sported none of the more tiresome trappings of other awards evenings. But the succession of 20-minute sets by eight acts made for a needlessly elongated evening, for both audience members and performers alike. Introducing female duo Floetry not long before the show's conclusion at 12:45 a.m., Macy Gray quipped, "I don't think you can call it the Shortlist anymore, 'cause we've all been here for four f***ing hours now." Still, the evening held some compelling music. Singer Cat Power waded deep into the crowd as she sang a medley of soul standards by James Brown and Otis Redding. In back-to-back performances, 13-piece Omaha band Bright Eyes and two-member Akron-based blues-rock unit the Black Keys charted the extremes of rock expansiveness and economy. England's the Streets and Floetry delineated new frontiers in rap, while Cody Chestnutt offered his unique brand of spiritual soul-rock. Interpol wrapped the evening with an expansive set of Anglified post-punk. New York's Yeah Yeah Yeahs rounded out the list of nominees.

Part Chimp 'Chart Pimp' - (Record Review)

They want loud, we’ll give ‘em loud. “B1” starts the party as the only thing that could be described as having a pop sensibility, with teasing guitars and crumbling drum breaks, and even that only lasts for a verse and a chorus. Tim Cedar’s voice (often powerless against the rest of the band) airs its concerns distorted over the implosive foot-stomping drums. Noisy delirium and opposable guitars, duelling as if they were fabled banjos at every opportune moment (“SS Mannkuntt” for instance), coalesce into a punk rock Mogwai wet dream. While the band may harken a garage influence – this isn’t the garage revival that’s been regurgitated on every advert and fashion magazine cover of the past year. Think more along the lines of “garage” like where you put your car, honest and filthy and where you start bands because there’s nowhere else to go, it’s punk rock. “Chimp Happy?” with it’s “Little Drummer Boy” intro may make Bing Crosby turn in his grave, but with the volume turned up to 11, who would hear him rolling? Haven't heard Part Chimp? Do yourself a favor and get it now.

Ikara Colt lose bassist

Ikara Colt today announced the departure of their founding bassist Jon Ball. No more details are available about the split apart from that his replacement has already been recruited, unknown Tracy Bellaires will take his place. In other Ikara Colt news the band are currently in the studio with producer Alex Newport (At the Drive In/Mars Volta/ The Locust and The Icarus Line) recording their second album. A new single is heading our way in January and the new album expected sometime in the Spring. (Photo: Matteblack)

My Morning Jacket-"Behind the scenes"

Watch this REAL Player version of this excellent behind the scenes footage of My Morning Jacket. CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT

Kingblind Recommends:

Here is what's on the Kingblind stereo this week:
(Iron & Wine: EP)--(The Strokes: Room On Fire)--(The Dirtbombs: Dangerous, Magical Noise PLUS)--(Mogwai: Happy music for happy people)--(Pretty Girls Make Graves: The new romance)

FATBOY THE FOURTH

NORMAN COOK has almost completed the new FATBOY SLIM album featuring DAMON ALBARN of Blur. Cook has spent the last six months in the studio working on the follow-up to 2000's 'Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars' , which he says the record will take a more hip-hop direction. Cook said: "I've been locked in the studio for six months working on Fatboy Slim 4 and it's going really good. It's quite different from the last few because music has moved on a lot in the last few years. Basically, I'm just experimenting with different sounds and trying not to sound like classic Fatboy .Damon Albarn sings on one track, Bootsy Collins sings on another and Lateef from Blackalicious has done some great stuff. The last album had a lot of house on it and this is getting back to my hip-hop roots more. Basically, I'm just not turned on by house music much at the moment. It's going through a fallow period and I think we need another Daft Punk ." Cook , who has this year suffered media intrusion into his personal life, has pledged to take a more relaxed approach to his career from now on. "I haven't got a working title or release date yet because I really rushed finishing the last album to get it out before Woody was born. So I'm trying to take it easy this time and not give myself a time limit. In fact, It might do me good to wait a bit as I can't imagine any of the tracks being played on Radio 1 at the moment. The climate just isn't receptive to the stuff I'm making. I don't mind. I've just turned 40, I don't need to beat myself up anymore. I'll just put it out when it's ready."

IDLEWILD TO PLAY AMNESTY BENEFIT

IDLEWILD are among the latest additions to AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL's week of activity. As previously reported, Amnesrty are taking over the ICA venue for the 'DJ Saved My Life' event between October 14-18, with a different figure curating each night of music, films and debate. Idlewild and the Scissor Sisters now join The Thrills at Jo Whiley 's night on October 17, with films 'Jamaica: Communities in the Crossfire' and a preview of Jonas Akerlund 's movie 'Spun' .Meanwhile, Snow Patrol join Hundred Reasons and The Nextmen for Zane Lowe 's selection on October 14. Former Factory records boss and newsreader Tony Wilson will hold an A&R question and answer session and screen 'Woodstock: The Lost Performances' on October 15.

Slim Moon: Kill Rock Stars Is NOT Shutting Down

In a recent and widely-cogitated interview with online zine/radio program Babes in Boyland , Sleater-Kinney singer/guitarist Corin Tucker lamented that the band's record label, Kill Rock Stars, might soon be closing its doors. While discussing the consequences that arise from releasing music for independent record labels, Tucker also said that she believes One Beat (Sleater-Kinney's sixth full-length, which ranked at #14 on our list of the top 50 albums of '02) might be their last record released on Kill Rock Stars. "It is partly because of financial demands, and partly because Slim [Moon], who runs the label, doesn't really want to do the label anymore", Tucker remarked. "I do not think we will be signing onto a major label any time soon, but it is really difficult, it has got much leaner in the States. I mean the whole economy is going down the tubes, but the music industry is very much like you're either on a major label or you're really struggling." But Kill Rock Stars owner Slim Moon, who's run the label since 1991, tells us another story entirely: "I absolutely and categorically deny that KRS has any plans to shut down, or that I have any lack of interest in doing the label," Moon declared to us via electronic post. "I plan to do this until I die. I'll bet you a thousand dollars that KRS is still going long after Sleater-Kinney has broken up and Corin has lost interest in being in a band. Hell, we've signed six new bands in the last six months, and just signed a five-year lease in a new office/warehouse. My bet is that Corin was misquoted." Sleater-Kinney is currently on hiatus following extensive touring and the release of One Beat , and drummer Janet Weiss' quirky pop duo Quasi have recently released their fourth full-length, Hot Shit.

KILL BILL: The 4th film from Quentin Tarantino (Movie Trailer)

Watch Quicktime Trailer

White Stripes, Flaming Lips Team Up For New Years Gig; Flaming Lips Remix Chumbawamba

So let me see if I can get this story straight: Jack White gives the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne a plastic fiber-optic Jesus figurine-- which, let's face it, is a fine gift-- and Coyne immortalizes said appliance-slash-messiah in a perfectly passable b-side on the group's otherwise lacking-sorely-for-new-material Fight Test EP. Then, White goes and bends his finger waaaaaaaaaaaaay further back than that freaky kid in your third-grade class who had no bones in his left hand, and the next thing you know, the good ol' Lips are subbing for the Stripes at festivals in Scotland and Ireland, dutifully covering "Seven Nation Army" and replacing the sexual tension between Jack and Meg with sexual tension between Coyne and a boxing-nun puppet. White then goes and posts some really digusting video of his surgery on the Stripes' website accompanied by the ubiquitous riff from his own hit single. Is that Lips or what? I mean, get a room! Well, apparently they have: at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom on December 31st, the Flaming Lips and White Stripes will join forces for what undoubtedly will be a very lively evening of animal costumes, disturbing medical footage, and guitars strummed viciously with bloodied hands-- and that's just the White Stripes section of the evening! We predict: (a) the same basic setlist the Lips have been playing since 1998; (b) a 'surprise' duet between Coyne and White on either "We're Going To Be Friends" or "It's True That We Love One Another" (homos!); and (c) at least a half-pound of confetti down the front of Meg White's peasant blouse:
12-31 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
In other Lips news, it is my supreme pleasure to report-- hold on to your monocles, folks-- that the Flaming Lips have completed a remix of Chumbawamba's hit single of 1997, "Tubthumping," which will appear on the awkwardly monikered group's new album, Readymades and Then Some . Yes, that is the song you're thinking of. The one about the knocking down and the getting back up again. It's supposedly a very downtempo interpretation of the baby shower classic, and the Lips reportedly took on the project because they 'know what it's like to be a one-hit wonder band' because "She Don't Use Jelly" was their only calling card for so long. They better not mess up my #1 jam with their lame symphonics, or I'm going soccer hooligan on their asses. Readymades and Then Some is set to be released, accompanied by a bonus DVD, on October 21st. As previously reported, the Flaming Lips are currently doing a whole bunch of other ridiculous crap.

Weller gets a Gem of a Guitarist

OASIS guitarist GEM ARCHER is set to team up with PAUL WELLER on the Modfather's acoustic tour of America later this month. With Gem and drummer Steve White, Paul Weller will play 13 dates, starting in LA and finishing in New York. Also planned along the way are two nights at the Chicago House of Blues and a performance on the Late Show With David Letterman. Weller will then go on to play a string of European acoustic dates in November. Meanwhile, it has been announced Weller is adding an extra date to his UK full-band tour later this year, playing a one-off date at London Shepherds Bush Empire on December 16 in support of the homeless charity Shelter.

Nuff Said.

Pedro The Lion To Record In November, Preview New Material On Fall Mini-Tour

When you're getting ready to record your next album, sometimes you need to get in front of the kids and work out the kinks. And so it is with Pedro the Lion, who, according to frontman (and really only man) David Bazan, are not so much going on tour as just playing some fall shows to "make money, work out new songs, and blow off steam." No word on whether there'll be a suggestion box by the merch table (dude, speed up the third song, and move the break up after the first verse!). Following the majority of the shows, Bazan says he'll be heading into the studio with Tim Walsh and Control engineer/collaborator Casey Foubert to record the next Pedro the Lion full-length in November and December, for release in 2004. In the meantime, they'll be plying their trade at colleges and select venues in a decidedly odd collection of cities. But hey, if you're lucky enough to live in one of the ten cities they're hitting, you'll be treated to new material, so bring your minidisc recorder and photographic memory. The shows:
10-10 Lexington, KY - University of Kentucky
10-11 Greenville, IL - Greenville College
10-12 Murray, KY - Murray State University
11-08 Seattle, WA - Graceland
11-09 Seattle, WA - Graceland
11-13 Notre Dame, IN - Notre Dame
11-14 Galesburg, IL - Knox College
11-15 St. Paul, MN - University of St. Thomas
11-16 Madison, WI - Catacombs Coffee House
12-12 Cincinnati, OH - TBA (w/ Over the Rhine)
12-13 Grantham, PA - Messiah College

NEW DRUMMER FOR THE OFFSPRING

THE OFFSPRING have announced the addition of a new drummer to their line-up, following the departure of RON WELTY earlier this year. Former Rocket From The Crypt sticksman Atom Willard will be touring with the punk pioneers this autumn in support of their forthcoming album 'Splinter'. Willard has also recently been playing with the The Alkaline Trio, Moth and Melissa Auf Der Maur. Willard will take over drum duties from temporary member Josh Freese, better known for his work with A Perfect Circle, Guns N’Roses and The Vandals. 'Splinter' is scheduled for release on December 2 in the US.

Sonic Youth- Little Trouble Girl (Music Video)

Check out the new Sonic Youth video.. Too Cool. CLICK HERE TO VIEW Requires Quicktime 6

Rockabilly Legend Ronnie Dawson has died

Rockabilly singer/guitarist Ronnie Dawson died Tuesday at his East Dallas home after a year-long fight with throat cancer. He was 64. As a teenage rock'n'roll guitar prodigy in the '50s, Dawson recorded under the handle "Rockin' Ronnie D." for the Big D label in Dallas. His best-known numbers include "Rockin' Bones" (later covered by the Cramps) and "Action Packed." In the late '80s, Dawson, who was lionized by English rockabilly fans, revived his career with a series of albums for the U.K.'s No Hit Records. He later recorded for the Crystal Clear, Upstart and Yep Roc labels.

King of the Hill gets a little help from KISS and Sum 41

KISS star Gene Simmons has lended his voice to the November 9th episode of Fox's 'King Of The Hill', titled 'Reborn To Be Wild'. Simmons will play the role of Jessie. Also featured in the episode are members of Sum 41, who play a gang of Christian youths who express their religious passion through punk rock and skateboarding. Young Bobby Hill falls in with the punks, gets his ear pierced and family strife ensues.

"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)

PHIL SPECTOR HAS BAIL EXTENDED

PHIL SPECTOR, who is currently under investigation for the murder of actress LANA CLARKSON, has had his $1 million bail extended until November 3. Spector has been on a $1 million bail after Clarkson was found shot dead inside his mansion in Los Angeles on February 3. "He is still free on bail and we have the case under review," Los Angeles District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said. "I'm hoping we'll make a filing decision prior to the next scheduled bail review." The producer has always maintained his innocence.

The only real choice for Governor of California

Jack Grisham Lead Singer of the L.A. Punk Band TSOL http://www.grishamforgovernor.com

I can't say enough nice things about Lost in Translation.

I think the BB gun the bartender used in the movie was made by Tokyo Marui. They shoot like 800 rounds a minute. I want one. There's a really nice, limited edition version of the Lost in Translation soundtrack coming out towards the end of October on Emperor Norton. It comes packaged in a hardcover book, featuring a bunch of stills from the movie and words by Sofia Coppola. (thx slatch.)

CORNELIUS GETS TO THE POINT - AGAIN

Japan favorite pop star and matador recording artist: CORNELIUS has announced details of a new remix CD and DVD. The double package comes as a companion to the 'Point' album released last year by the artist – aka Keigo Oyamada. The DVD, entitled 'Five Point One' is a collection of short films made to accompany the tracks on 'Point' at the Cornelius live show. It will be accompanied by 'PM' , a collection of remixes created by fans. Tracks were made available for download via the official Cornelius website and, out of 400 submissions, 12 have made the final cut. The DVD and CD will be released as a single package in January next year.

RADIOHEAD GUITARIST COMES OUT WITH SOLO ALBUM

RADIOHEAD guitarist JONNY GREENWOOD has announced details of his solo album. The record, which is the soundtrack to the film 'Bodysong', is released on October 27. The film, written and directed by Simon Pummell, is due to be released on December 5. Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood performs on one track, '24 Hour Charleston'.
The full tracklisting runs:
'Moon Trills'
'Moon Mall'
'Trench'
'Iron Swallow'
'Clockwork Tin Soldiers'
'Convergence'
'Nudnik Headache'
'Peartree'
'Splitter'
'Bode Radio/Glass Light/Broken Hearts'
'24 Hour Charleston'
'Milky Drops From Heaven'
'Tehellet'

Jack White records new single.. But it's not for the White Stripes ...

JACK WHITE plays guitar on the new single by BLANCHE, 'Who's To Say...' is released on October 13 via Loose. White is pals with the Detroit quintet, and covered the song on the B-side of The White Stripes's own single 'I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself'. Blanche’s version is produced by Brendan Benson , who also features on backing vocals. The debut album by Blanche, titled 'If You Can't Trust The Doctors...' and which is also set to feature Jack White, is due out in January 2004.

The Fall return with new LP

Manchester post-punk icons The Fall are about to release their latest platter of throbbing rhythms and ranting, Tristan Tzara-like lyrics on Action Records in the UK. Entitled The Real New Fall L.P. (Formerly Country On The Click) , the album will be released on October 27th, to the delight of modern punk fetishists, obsessive record collectors and original scenesters who remember hanging out with Fall singer Mark E. Smith at the Rough Trade shop in Kensington Gardens in '79. When reached for comment, the notoriously crotchety Smith reportedly muttered, "Sod off you monkey-racheting elastic carbuncles!" We have no idea what that means either. Gullible readers should be aware that the preceding quote is fake, and also should ponder this question: how do you keep a gullible person in suspense? I'll tell you tomorrow. In the meantime, here's the tracklist for the new record:
01 Theme From Sparta F.C.
02 Protein Protection
03 Mountain Energei
04 Contraflow
05 Green-Eyed Loco Man
06 Last Commands of XYRALOTHEP Via M.E.S.
07 Boxotosis
08 Ho(e)uston
09 The Past
10 Recovery Kit
11 Mike's Love Xexagon
12 Susan Vs. Youth Club
The Fall have been plying their trade without cease since the mid '70s, through countless albums, labels and line-up changes. The only true constant has been the obsessive and inimitable mien of Mark E. Smith, whose deadpan, unspooling vocals paint dystopic portraits of the malaise of the Manchester working class, and backing music that emphasizes accentuated dissonance more than melody. They also have several live dates scheduled. My advice? Ingest many dangerous, illegal drugs first, and try not to look like a bloody yuppie, all right? Put the cell phone on vibrate, at least. The dates:
10-01 Manchester, England - Bierkeller (w/ The Public Fringe)
10-02 Manchester, England - Bierkeller (w/ Dr. Freak's Padded Cell)
10-08 Leeds, England - Irish Center
12-07 London, England - Carling Academy

Von Bondies Sign to Sire

Detroit's hottest garage rockers who aren't White or Striped, The Von Bondies, have signed with Sire/Warner Bros. to release their second full-length, Pawn Shoppe Heart, according to a report from Business Wire . Actually, it'll be their third if you count their live recording Raw and Rare , or their fourth if you count their long-lost gangsta rap record, entitled The Von Bondies Posse , which Jason Stollsteimer recorded on a busted karaoke machine during his brief yet intense obsession with the music of the Wu-Tang Clan in the late '90s-- although I'm not sure that one actually exists outside of a really fucked up dream I had. The album is slated for release in 2004 and is being produced by legendary knob-twister Jerry Harrison, who has been associated with bands you may have heard of such as Talking Heads (for whom he played guitar) and the Modern Lovers. Tracklist:
01 No Regrets
02 Broken Man
03 C'mon C'mon
04 Tell Me What You See
05 Been Swank
06 Mairead
07 Not That Social
08 Crawl Through the Darkness
09 The Fever
10 I've Got the Right of Way
11 Love is Like a Drug
12 Pawn Shoppe Heart

New Outkast Tops U.S. Charts

In a massive week for new releases, OutKast's two-CD set "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" muscles out tough competition from Dave Matthews and Limp Bizkit to bow atop The Billboard 200. The Arista album sells a whopping 509,600 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, to lead nine albums into the top-20