Kingblind Thanksgiving Mixed Tape (Mp3′s)

Enjoy our collection of Thanksgiving themed tunes, See you next week!

Poi Dog Pondering- Thanksgiving

Adam Sandler – The Thanksgiving Song

Graham Parker – Almost Thanksgiving Day

William S. Burroughs – A Thanksgiving Prayer

Arlo Guthrie – Alice’s Restaurant Thanksgiving Massacre

Loudon Wainwright III – Thanksgiving (live)

DM Stith: “Thanksgiving Moon (demo)”

George Winston – Thanksgiving

THE JESUS LIZARD TO REUNITE, FOUR SEMINAL ALBUMS REMASTERED AND REISSUED

In what has to rank as one of the most unlikely developments in rock, the awe-inspiring primal force of the Jesus Lizard will return, briefly, in 2009. The original lineup of David Yow, Duane Denison, David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly will reform for a very limited series of live dates in 2009, starting with the All Tomorrow’s Parties event dubbed The Fans Strike Back in Minehead, UK on May 9 and 10 and ending with a final appearance in Chicago in late November. These shows will be the Jesus Lizard’s first since disbanding in 1999 and the first in twelve years to feature the original storied quartet. As anyone who has experienced the Jesus Lizard live can attest, they are one of the most intense and visceral musical assemblies to ever stalk a stage. This fleeting reunion offers an incredible opportunity to either be blown away all over again or to immerse yourself in the sweaty power and driving mayhem for the very first time.

In celebration of this event, Touch and Go Records will reissue four full-length releases from the Jesus Lizard in May 2009. Remastered recordings of Head, Goat, Liar, and Down will be available on both LP and CD, all with expanded packaging and liner notes. Bob Weston is heading up the remastering process with Steve Albini, the original session engineer, sitting in.

Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

BRODY DALLE RETURNS WITH SPINNERETTE

New York, NY – Brody Dalle, lead singer and songwriter of the
influential punk band The Distillers, is marking the next step in her
career with her new band Spinnerette. The band will release their first
new music, Ghetto Love, a digital EP available only at
www.SpinneretteMusic.com beginning December 11th. The 4 song EP will
include brand new Spinnerette songs all penned by Brody Dalle and
produced by Alain Johannes. On December 16th, the Spinnerette Ghetto
Love EP will also be available on iTunes.

After disbanding The Distillers in 2006, Brody took the last few years
to regroup and start a family with husband Joshua Homme. During this
time, she began focusing on a new direction to take her music and
mapping out the path to calling her own shots for her new project. The 4
new songs on the Ghetto Love EP – ‘Ghetto Love,’ ‘Valium Knights,’
‘Distorting A Code,’ ‘Bury My Heart,’ represent the first songs written
by Dalle for Spinnerette and are inspired by the birth of her daughter
and death of her father. They touch upon themes of redemption, salvation
and religion.

“The profound joys and deep sadness in that period couldn’t help but
come out in my art, as with all experiences worth exploring further.
Having such extremes occur in a compacted period ensured that they all
appear in this collection of Spinnerette songs,” Dalle reveals.

Brody has always been the keeper of her own destiny and that spirit is
front and center in this new chapter in her life. Not being one to jump
through hoops for anyone and caring passionately about her art, Brody is
firmly at the helm of releasing her music independently and preserving
complete creative control. “I can’t conform my art to fit someone
else’s expectations. So, in this crazy world of the ‘music business’ -
I’m focused on finding a way to ensure I get to keep doing it for a
living,” adds Dalle.

The fire among Brody Dalle devotees remains ignited as Spinnerette
recently previewed new material at three sold-out shows in Southern
California to captivated audiences of both old and new fans. The blaze
for Dalle has also hit Indie 103 and KROQ in LA, BBC Radio 1 in the UK,
Triple J radio in Australia, and 102.1 The Edge and George
Stroumboulopoulos’ radio show in Canada who have all spun new
Spinnerette music for their listeners.

Ghetto Love was recorded at PinkDuck and 11AD studios in Los Angeles.
Additional musicians on the ep include Alain Johannes (Queens of the
Stone Age, Eleven), Tony Bevilacqua (The Distillers), and Jack Irons
(Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers).

Fountains Of Wayne Get Busy On New Album

It’s been a busy year for Fountains Of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger. After nabbing a nomination for best original score for the songs he co-wrote for the Broadway adaptation of Cry-Baby, he was asked by writing partner David Javerbaum to help pen the lyrics for “A Colbert Christmas Special,” which began airing this week on Comedy Central.

Now, things are back in motion for Fountains Of Wayne’s next record, which Schlesinger hopes to have out in 2009.

“We still have a ways to go, but we have eight songs that are relatively close to complete now. We’re looking to regroup after the New Year and do the second batch,” Schlesinger said. “I think we’re trying some different things on this record, but we’re still the same band, to me. It’s kind of too early to say what direction it’s going to as a whole.”

Schlesinger’s also in the midst of recording with Ivy, originally his main band but overshadowed in recent years by the success of Fountains Of Wayne. “That one’s been slow going for many reasons,” he reports. “But we have a record that is halfway done as well. Two other members had babies recently.”

Fountains Of Wayne will take to the road this winter for a short acoustic tour, which Schlesinger promises will showcase a handful of new tunes.

Here are Fountains Of Wayne’s tour dates:

Jan. 14: Bellingham, Wash. (Walton Theater)
Jan. 15: Seattle (Triple Door)
Jan. 16: Portland, Ore. (Wonder Ballroom)
Jan. 18-19: San Francisco (Cafe Du Nord)
Jan. 21-22: Los Angeles (Largo)
Jan. 23: San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (Coach House)
Jan. 24: San Diego (Anthology)
Feb. 19: Alexandria, Va. (Birchmere)
Feb. 20: Annapolis, Md. (Ramshead)
Feb. 21: Philadelphia (Tin Angel)
Feb. 25-26: New York (Joe’s Pub)
Feb. 28: Boston (Paradise Rock Club)
Marc 1: Northampton, Mass. (Iron Horse Music Hall)

Damon Albarn: ‘Blur are reforming for rehearsals’

Damon Albarn has confirmed that Blur will be reuniting next year.

The singer revealed his old band, including guitarist Graham Coxon, will be working together just before a special one-off performance of his opera ‘Monkey: Journey To The West’ at the BBC Radio Theatre in London this afternoon (November 25).

Before playing his composition that has been specially rearranged for the stripped-down performance, Albarn was asked by the host Janice Long whether Blur will be playing next year.

“Blur are certainly going to rehearse and see if we’re into it,” he said.

The band’s last album was 2003′s ‘Think Tank’, though guitarist Coxon only appeared on one track, having left the group a year earlier.

After the Blur news was confirmed, the live reworking of the ‘Monkey’ then took place, with the hour-long show featuring a huge string section, plus five male and female singers at the front of the stage.

Albarn sat among the performers for the performance, though apart from briefly directing the lighting took a back seat for most of the gig.

However, towards the end he joined in on a hand-held organ and guitar for a couple of tracks.

The gig will be going out live on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday (November 29) evening.

Beatles’ John Lennon ‘forgiven’ for ‘Jesus’ claim

Semi-official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano has run an article forgiving the late Beatle John Lennon for a controversial statement he made in 1966, when he claimed that his band were “more popular than Jesus”.

The article in the newspaper, which normally reports on the comings and goings of the Pope, said that Lennon had just been showing off and praised the band.

The article said that Lennon’s comments had been “showing off, bragging by a young English working-class musician who had grown up in the age of Elvis Presley and rock and roll and had enjoyed unexpected success”.

The newspaper was marking the 40th anniversary of the band’s self-titled album known as ‘The White Album’.

Lennon’s 1966 comments, made in an interview with the London Evening Standard, had criticised religion.

“Christianity will go,” he said. “It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right.

“We’re more popular than Jesus now. I don’t know which will go first – rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

Paul McCartney: ‘Beatles and EMI ‘stalled’ over iTunes plan’

The Beatles’ back catalogue isn’t set to be available for legal download on iTunes any time soon, as Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that negotiations are “stalled” between Apple Corps and EMI.

McCartney said that despite having been involved in negotiations with the Liverpool legends’ label, no satisfactory outcome was likely to come about soon.

“When it’s something as big as The Beatles, it’s heavy negotiations,” he said in a London press conference this afternoon (November 24). “We’re [the band members and their estates] very for it, but there are a couple of sticking points.

“It’s stalled – there are a couple of sticking points between EMI and The Beatles. No change there then!”

The news on the updated situation follows reports in March that The Beatles and EMI were set to agree on a deal that would see the band’s music become available on iTunes.

A deal has, however, been struck that will see a Beatles version of the ‘Rock Band’ computer game released.

McCartney was speaking as he launched his side project with producer Youth. The pair record under the name The Fireman, so kicked things off at the Fire Station pub in Waterloo, south London.

The pair’s album, ‘Electric Arguments’, is released today (November 24).

Guns and Roses: Chinese Democracy (Album Review)

In their heyday, Guns N’ Roses were remarkable for their ability to ride catastrophe. Following Use Your Illusion I and II, however, in 1991, huge fissures developed in the band, which even they couldn’t endure. One by one, the original band members left, most fatefully guitarist Slash, apparently unable to endure the “dictatorial” tendencies of singer Axl Rose

Work on this, their first album proper since then, actually began in the mid-90s. However, it’s been made in such fits and starts, with such a liquid line-up (even Brian May dropped in at one point) that it would be a miracle of Sistine proportions if it amounted to anything coherent and consistent.
Such worries are, sadly, not without foundation. Soundwise, Chinese Democracy is all over the place. Tracks actually vary in volume according to their disparate ages, with the likes of “I.R.S.” (around on bootleg for years) quite clearly having been cut and finished years before the track that precedes it.

A similarly tangled story accompanies the music. Chinese Democracy is evidently the work of a man becoming progressively more interested in avant-rock forms: virtually every track on Chinese Democracy starts out sounding like it might amount to something that extends GNR’s parameters in truly unexpected directions (noir-ish ambient, electronic, even brass band on “Madagascar”). However, Rose’s experimental hankerings generally give out after about 10 seconds. Oh Slash, where art thou?

Scouring the album for redeeming moments, one could cite the steely, futurist angst of “Shackler’s Revenge” and the pianistic “This I Love”, which in making Elton John and Freddie Mercury sound like Chas N’ Dave, must at least merit some kind of high camp award. And in “Prostitute” Rose offers a hint of atonement which excites fleeting sympathy. What kind of surreal pass has your life come to, after all, when you get involved in a fistfight with Tommy Hilfiger?
With rumours that the original G N’R are set to reform next year, and mega metal currently in the ascendancy, the insanity looks set to carry on regardless.

Rolling Stone gave this thing 4 stars? Give me a break.. Just because you put lipstick on a pig.. Well, you know the rest.

Chinese Democracy WTF?
After 14 years of waiting, 14 tracks, 14 studios, 14 million dollars, 12 guitarists, nine producers and one chicken coop, Guns n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy is finally hitting the shelves at your local Best Buy store on Sunday.

“Daily Fix” is breaking down the numbers of one of rock’s most anticipated albums, including the 305,687,295 Dr. Pepper cans the soda company promises to giveaway in celebration of the release.

Jeremy Enigk Rocks Out On New Album

Former Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk returns to the heavier rock sound of his old band on his third solo album, tentatively titled “OK Bear” and due in February via his own Lewis Hollow label.

The album was recorded outside Barcelona with a group of musicians introduced to Enigk by a mutual friend from Seattle and produced by Santi Garcia and Standstill’s Ricky Falkner. “These guys are Sunny Day Real Estate fans and the moment they got their hands on my songs, whether they were mellow or not, they turned them into heavy rockers,” Enigk said.

“OK Bear,” whose title comes from a phrase Enigk accidentally said while stringing together what he thought were nonexistent Spanish words, includes rockers like “Late of Camera” and “Find Idea,” alongside “April Storm” (“That’s on a Ryan Adams/”Love Is Hell”-type of kick,” Enigk says) and the Gram Parsons-inspired “Same Side Imaginary.”

“This is probably the first time I’ve ever dabbled with a country feel. Because it’s me, it doesn’t sound like a country song too much, but you can hear the influence,” Enigk says of the latter.

The artist is playing a handful of new songs on a just-started U.S. tour, which also features a second guitarist. Fans can expect a mix of solo tracks, including the rarely played “Call Me Steam” and “Burn,” alongside precious few Sunny Day Real Estate tunes.

Some songs were written on piano, like ‘Canons’ and ‘Burn,’ and although the arrangements are the same, I’m playing the piano lines on guitar,” Enigk says. “I’m also using distortion on an acoustic guitar. There are moments where it sounds like a band, minus drums. It has that intensity.”

Enigk is hoping to tour with a full band next year, but concedes the cost may be prohibitive in the States. “I think I can do a full band in Europe, because the guys who played on the album are willing to go,” he says. “I wouldn’t have to fly them out. We could start in Spain and go from there. My goal is to tour as much as possible. In what incarnation, I have no idea.”

As for his musical past, Enigk has resisted offers to reunite Sunny Day Real Estate, whose influence over the so-called “emo” subgenre of rock seems to grow with each passing year. Also on ice is the Fire Theft, his post-SDRE band with bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith.

“We never really broke up — we just said we’d take a break and that we’ll get back to it when we’re ready,” Enigk says. “But we’ve just not talked about it since. It may happen one day.”

Simmons Sounds Off At Touring Conf. Keynote

Having recently completed a 30-plus-date European tour, Kiss will “eventually when we’re ready tour America,” co-founder Gene Simmons said during a keynote address today (Nov. 20) at the fifth annual Billboard Touring Conference, held at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York.

Referring to Kiss as the “juggernaut of all rock’n'roll brands,” Simmons said the band is currently working out future tour details. “We’ve been talking with [manager Doc McGhee] about Europe and then doing a year-long tour maybe this coming summer, but we’ll see,” Simmons said. “Kiss and Queen, that would be a smash. That would kill. So far (it’s) 50/50.”

During the address, Simmons, who is also a reality TV star and entrepreneur, stressed the duties of being a live performer. “I don’t care if you’re Axl Rose, forgot to tie your shoelaces or your father molested you when you were three — you’re a bitch if you don’t show up onstage when it says 9 o’clock,” he said, drawing loud applause from the audience.

“You need to have the integrity and self-respect to respect the promoter who paid you the money in advance, the hall and the people who makes all our lives possible,” he continued.

Speaking to an audience of primarily concert promoters, venue officials and booking agents, Simmons warned those in the live entertainment industry that it wouldn’t be wise to lower concert ticket prices. “Don’t do that, you’re training an entire generation of people to pay less for something and then more for something else,” he said. “They won’t know what the value is and they’d rather pay less every time.”

Simmons stressed that the touring business needs to quickly think about the future of its model. “Thank God you’re the last vestiges of a dying breed, because the record industry is already dead, because we trained the people [that] they don’t have to pay for stuff that they used to pay for,” he said. “The record industry allowed that and people are shocked they’re out of business.”

Meanwhile, Simmons expressed his discontent with the fact that Kiss, which he co-founded in 1972, has not yet been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “A lot of those guys on the board can go and get my sandwich when I want, and I mean that in the nicest way,” he said. “There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but not Kiss. I believe we have more gold records in America than any other group, but it’s OK.”

Billboard executive director of content and programming for touring and live entertainment Ray Waddell conducted today’s Q&A with Simmons. The keynote address was filmed for an episode of his A&E reality show “Gene Simmons Family Jewels,” currently in its third season.
(via billboard online)

ISOBEL CAMPBELL & MARK LANEGAN:: Sunday at Devil Dirt (Album Review)

They may be duet partners, but Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan occupy different plains of existence. On the duo’s second collection of stark, thematically archetypal blues and folk songs, Lanegan plays the role of doomed man, shuffling from one calamity to the next, hopeless and heartbroken. The former Screaming Trees front man is a hair less hoarse than Tom Waits, but he has the same hobo’s heart and air of romantic resignation.

Campbell, meanwhile, is the angel on his shoulder — a breathy voice that, by echoing his woes, eases his mind. The Scottish singer and former Belle and Sebastian member wrote or co-wrote all but one of the 12 tunes, and as with her previous collaboration with Lanegan, she proves that even pretty girls think ugly thoughts.

She’s in love with the mythology of early American music, and her songs reference fire, rivers, and wayfaring ships — clichés she handles with care, if limited imagination. For his part, Lanegan burrows into the material, too committed to the album’s mood to worry much about melody.

Though world-weary tone is about all some songs have to offer — “The Raven” and “Salvation” are more style than substance — much of the album wears its pain like stylish black duds. Lanegan and Campbell are different creatures, but they have the same concept of cool.
(- Kenneth Partridge)

Radiohead Planning 2009 Tour

That one band Radiohead has been trickling out 2009 dates for a minute now, at roughly the rate of one new confirmation per week. Today the number of official gigs rose to three, which seems a magic enough quantity to warrant a news story and a few lame jokes on the matter, no?

So there you have it: Radiohead, rather good band, will make their way to Mexico and South America in March of 2009. The three confirmed dates right now include two in Mexico City and one in Santiago, Chile (their first performance in the country), with engagements in Argentina and Brazil planned but not yet finalized. At Ease points us to another fansite report that suggests a third Mexico City date (March 17) may arise as well.

In other news, Radiohead members Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway are due to turn up on Neil Finn’s new record, while Thom Yorke can be heard on Björk’s good cause-boosting “Náttúra” single, out now.

Oh right, lame joke. Uh, here’s a good one.

Cabeza del Radio:

03-15 Mexico City, Mexico – Foro Sol
03-16 Mexico City, Mexico – Foro Sol
03-27 Santiago, Chile – San Carlos de Apoquindo Stadium (Cristal en Vivo Festival)

Eagles of Death Metal- Bowery Ballroom NYC 11/17/08 (Concert Review)

Eagles Of Death Metal stormed into NYC’s Bowery Ballroom on Monday ready to party. The fans, many of whom had seen them the night before in Brooklyn were ready to party. So party they did.

The show started strong with The Duke Spirit. The British band was eating up the crowd, and they received a much warmer welcome than many openers do when the crowd is rabid for the headliners.

The Eagles played a similar set to the show they played one night earlier, but the repeat crowd didn’t mind one bit. Most of the audience up front was on a first name basis with Jesse and his face lit up when he saw a familiar crowd and he kissed the hands of a number of young ladies, several of them wearing fake mustaches.

They rocked through the set at breakneck speed, brought Liela Moss from the Duke Spirit out for a song, played a four song encore, and left the crowd wanting more. Perhaps that is why the fans keep coming back every night.

(View the Eagles of Death Metal photos HERE)

(Review and Photos by Kurt Christensen)

Lou Reed- Berlin: Live At St. Ann’s Warehouse (Album Review)

The release of an audio version of Lou Reed’s 2006 reappraisal of Berlin, which was staged at St. Ann’s in collaboration with Julian Schnabel as a film documentary, might seem like an odd move unless you’ve seen the painfully dull results – Schnabel desperately trying to inject some excitement into the performance with quick cuts and arty camera angles.
I’d say Reed’s Berlin rerun is better off without the ghastly visuals but not at all an improvement on the original version.

Back in 1973, Reed seemed to totally give himself over to the emotional brutality of the material, whereas by 2006 he was a few lives removed from the characters he’s portraying. Even though he’s become a much more expressive musician, the updated Berlin is no more powerful or gripping than the original commercial flop. It is, however, much more consumer-friendly, especially the sweet encore duet with Antony on Candy Says tacked on at the end.

Hot Chip’s Al Doyle: ‘LCD Soundsystem haven’t disbanded’

Hot Chip’s Al Doyle, who has played as part of James Murphy’s band LCD Soundsystem, has made a clarification about an interview he recently gave, suggesting that the collective may have disbanded.

In the clarification Doyle confirmed that the band were not winding down, referring to a recent article in which James Murphy confirmed a new LCD Soundsystem album was on the way.

Writing on Hot Chip’s website, Hotchip.co.uk, Doyle wrote, “A news article has appeared, quoting me as saying that LCD Soundsystem is over, or that they have split up.

“I would like to clarify that LCD have not disbanded, nor could the entity be disbanded in the sense that it has always had a revolving cast of players – it would be like saying that The Fall had disbanded, or Prince has split up.

“LCD Soundsystem is James Murphy, and he’s allowed to take time off, do other things, and come back, or not come back. And he doesn’t have to tell you or anyone else about it.

“I didn’t know if anything was going on with LCD next year, which is the truth, and that’s all I should have said, but I gabbled on a bit because that’s the way I am…

“Anyway, I should probably stop doing interviews after this, which is already my second chance. But the main point to take away is that more LCD music is in the pipeline, which is surely good news for everybody.”

New LCD Soundsystem album on the way

LCD Soundsystem mainman James Murphy has revealed he has written the band’s next album, quashing rumours that the band were unlikely to return following the release of 2007′s ‘Sound Of Silver’.

The producer/solo artist said that he has penned eight songs for the album, which will be the third LCD effort, and is keeping the tracks under lock and key – in his head.

“I write all my music in my head, I never demo,” Murphy said. “I get to a point where there are too many songs and I have to get them recorded. I recently felt that. I’ve got eight in my head – that’s critical mass.”

Murphy said he was unsure when he would begin recording the new album, but said that when he did, he wouldn’t tell anyone.

“When I start recording I don’t tell anyone not even my manager,” he said, possibly explaining some recent reports where live LCD Soundsystem guitarist Al Doyle claimed the group were finished. “I’ll go away for a month to a studio outside the city [New York] and do it.”

Prince Sued Over Perfume Deal

A perfume company that went into business with Prince to make a “3121″ fragrance — named after his 2006 album — sued him yesterday (Nov. 17) for $100,000 for failing to help promote the perfume.

According to the lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court, Prince and his music publisher Universal Music Publishing Group reached a licensing agreement with perfume company Revelations in December 2006 to use Prince’s name and likeness and the name “3121″ to market two fragrances.

The first fragrance was released in 2007 and a second is due out in 2009, the lawsuit said.

According to the agreement, Universal would earn 50 percent of the net profits from the sale of the fragrances. In exchange the label would arrange the cooperation of Prince for marketing opportunities, the lawsuit said.

“Since July 2007, despite repeated attempts by Revelations there have been virtually no communications from anyone who could commit to or coordinate any promotional efforts by Prince,” the breach of contract lawsuit said.

Representatives for Prince were not immediately available for comment.

“Although we have not seen the complaint, we are familiar with the claims being asserted by Revelations, and they are completely without merit,” Universal Music Publishing Group, which was also named in the lawsuit, said in a statement.

The Roots to Retire from Touring, Join Late Night Show

The Roots will take a break from their non-stop touring schedule beginning next March. The band will be trading in its tour bus to join comedian Jimmy Fallon’s new late night talk show as his full-time house band.

Roots’ frontman ?uestlove broke the news during an interview at the group’s show in Chicago last week. A YouTube video with the announcement has since been pulled off the Internet.

Fallon’s show replaces Conan O’Brien’s “Late Night” on NBC next year, while Conan takes over for Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show.”

The Who Looks Back To ’77 On Live DVD

A December 1977 concert from Kilburn, London, considered a holy grail by Who fans, was a somewhat ambivalent experience for the band, according to frontman Roger Daltrey.

“I just remember it was kind of a weird day,” Daltrey said about the Gaumont State Theatre show, which was filmed for Jeff Stein’s documentary “The Kids Are Alright” and is being released in its entirety tomorrow (Nov. 18) on the DVD “The Who at Kilburn 1977. “We did the show in the afternoon, which is not the best time of day to be on form, especially for (drummer) Keith Moon.”

Though Who biographer Johnny Black has called the concert “disastrous,” Daltrey says the he “always thought it was quite a good show, but I remember that Pete (Townshend) at the time wasn’t very happy with it, and I never quite figured why. I’ll have to buy the DVD and find out, I guess.” During the concert a clearly upset Townshend tells the somewhat unruly crowd that, “There’s a guitar up here if any big mouth f*cking little git wants to take it from me.”

The Kilburn show was the second to last the Who played with Moon before his death on Sept. 7, 1978. The group played another London show, on May 25 of that year, at Shepperton Studios, also for the “The Kids are Alright.” Daltrey has said that Moon was not in good shape for either taping and that seeing the footage while the documentary was being assembled had a profound effect on the drummer.

In addition the Kilburn show, the new DVD also includes a never-before-seen Dec. 14, 1969, concert from the London Coliseum, which purports to be the first-ever officially recorded live performance of the rock opera “Tommy.”

Daltrey and Townshend, meanwhile, are gearing up to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors, which will take place Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C. “It really is an honor indeed,” Daltrey says. “Coming from where we come from, being totally inspired by American music at such a young age and now being honored by the country that inspired me, it’s unbelievable.”

Black Keys’ Auerbach Unveils Solo Debut

Black Keys vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach will take time off from his primary band to release his solo debut early next year and will also tour in support of the project.

The 14-track “Keep It Hid” is due Feb. 10 via Nonesuch. Auerbach will hit the road for an 11-date solo tour beginning Feb. 28 in Washington, D.C., with Texas rockers Hacienda serving as his backing band as well as opening act. Murfreesboro, Tenn.-based Those Darlings will also support.

“It’s all over the map,” Auerbach said of the music, which he’s been stockpiling for several years. “I write songs for the Black Keys, so some of them sound like they could be Black Keys songs. But some songs are just acoustic guitar. There’s some real dark tunes and some psychedelic rumbas. It’s all that stuff I grew up playing — all those bluegrass harmonies. I experimented a little bit with instrumentation.”

Recorded at Auerbach’s Akron, Ohio, studio “Keep It Hid” is something of a family affair; the artist’s father Chuck wrote the song “Whispered Words,” while his uncle, James Quine, sings and plays electric guitar on “Street Walkin’.” Auerbach’s protege, Jessica Lea Mayfield, appears on “When the Night Comes.”

Musically, “Keep It Hid” runs the gamut from the sparse, drum-less opener “Trouble Weighs a Ton” and the genial acoustic closer “Goin’ Home” to raw, swaggering rockers like “Heartbroken, In Disrepair” (with the trademark vibrato guitar effect from the Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now”) and “The Prowl.” Other highlights include the British Invasion-style “My Last Mistake” and the late night lament “When the Night Comes.”

Auerbach says the solo shows will be “a totally separate thing from the Black Keys, so there will definitely no Black Keys songs. You’ll hear anything I feel like playing.”

There’s plenty of activity in the Black Keys camp in the run-up to “Keep It Hid.” Having recently completed a writing session with ZZ Top’s Billy F. Gibbons and producer Rick Rubin, the group plays Bristol, England, tonight (Nov. 17), and releases a Lance Bangs-directed concert DVD, “Live at Crystal Ballroom,” tomorrow.

After early January dates in Australia, the Keys will play a handful of North American shows through mid-February.

Here are Dan Auerbach’s solo tour dates:

Feb. 28: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
March 1: Boston (Paradise)
March 2: Brooklyn, N.Y. (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
March 3: New York (Bowery Ballroom)
March 5: Cleveland (Beachland Ballroom)
March 6: Chicago (Metro)
March 7: Minneapolis (First Avenue)
March 10: Seattle (Showbox)
March 11: Portland, Ore. (Wonder Ballroom)
March 13: San Francisco (Bimbo’s)
March 14: Los Angeles (El Rey Theatre)

The Smiths: The Sounds of The Smiths (Album Review)

For one of Britain’s greatest groups, the Smiths’ back catalogue is astonishingly ill-served, with no remastered albums or box set. With limited input from Morrissey (the title) and Johnny Marr (remastering), The Sound of the Smiths’ first disc tracks the singles’ fantastic voyage from maudlin eloquence to black humour and back again, adding a few extra tracks (Still Ill, There Is a Light That Never Goes Out) to 1995′s Singles collection. The deluxe edition’s extra disc at least tiptoes into a goldmine, allowing rarities such as a live Handsome Devil and Pretty Girls Make Graves (produced by Troy Tate) on to CD for the first time. There are some stellar B-sides – the misfit anthem Half a Person, the chilling suicide hymn Asleep, the mandolin-drenched Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want- but these have all appeared on previous compilations, and I Keep Mine Hidden is notable by its absence. This is no treasure trove, but it works well as a definitive overview.

Beatles rare White Album for sale on eBay

One of the earliest pressed copies of The Beatles ‘White Album’ has just gone for sale on eBay.

Copy number 0000005 is on for sale on the site, following on from the seminal record being given the Number One position in the ’200 Rarest Records of All Time’ by Record Collector magazine.

Copies numbered from 0000001 to 0000004 were given to the members
of The Beatles themselves, and have not yet emerged onto the market.

On November 22 it will be forty years since the 19 times platinum- selling album, which is actually officially called ‘The Beatles’, was released.

To have a look at the auction go to ebay.co.uk.

Outkast To Deliver Two Solo Albums And Another Group Effort in 2009

ATLANTA — Big Boi is getting his second solo album, Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty, back on the good foot. The street-embedded member of Outkast says that despite a delay, his record is still coming.

“The South got something to say, and we gonna keep on talking,” he told us recently in Atlanta. The roll-out plan for his LP seems to coincide once again with that of his partner, Andre 3000, and the ‘Kast have been putting their heads together in preparations.

“Me and ‘Dre were on the conference call [recently],” Big explained. “He’s working on his album; my album is done. We’re gonna wait until the top of the year — January or February — to put it out. Then ‘Dre is gonna come hit y’all, and [then] we’re gonna do the Outkast album. So y’all gonna get three records from the ‘Kast next year.”

Besides being holed up in the studio working on these records, Daddy Fat Sacks has also been spending time on the set — he’s due to appear on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” next Tuesday, November 25. He plays a rapper — Gots Money — who gets greedy. Instead of just relying on the loot he gets as an artist, he decides to get involved with an animal-smuggling ring — when the cops catch him, he turns sides and works undercover for the authorities.

Now, we have heard about the ‘Kast pulling a trifecta of albums before, and it hasn’t materialized — but it might actually happen this time. Andre 3000 told MTV News’ Mixtape Monday in September he had finally started work on his album.

“To be honest, I work best when people doubt me,” ‘Dre explained. “Our whole Outkast career has been built on people doubting us. [Hip-hop fans] up North hated on us from the get-go. We wouldn’t be Outkast if people didn’t understand what people would call weird. You know, none of that would’ve happened. Actually, if you see me, tell me I’m wack. That’s the best thing you can do for me. You know, if you want a greater album, say that. Say that!”
(via mtv news)

Fleet Foxes – A Take Away Show
Fleet Foxes play “Blue Ridge Mountain” in an abandoned Grand Palais, which serves as the perfect reverb chamber for their uncanny soaring harmonies.

Jimi Hendrix Drummer Mitch Mitchell Dies

Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell was found dead early yesterday morning (Nov. 12) in a Portland, Ore., hotel room, according to representatives for the Hendrix estate. He was 62.

After completing the Experience Hendrix tour in Portland with one-time bandmate Billy Cox and a host of notable musicians on Nov. 7, Mitchell was spending some down time in the city before returning to his native England. He likely died of natural causes, according to the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s office.

“We’re all devastated to hear of Mitch’s passing,” says Experience Hendrix CEO Janie Hendrix. “He was a wonderful man, a brilliant musician and a true friend. His role in shaping the sound of the Jimi Hendrix Experience cannot be underestimated.”

Mitchell joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966, and with late bassist Noel Redding, staffed the formidable rhythm section supporting Hendrix’s era-defining guitar work. He remained with Hendrix through the Experience’s first breakup in mid-1969, playing with him during the artist’s iconic Woodstock performance.

By year’s end, Hendrix had formed Band Of Gypsys with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles, although that band split in early 1970, giving way to a brief reunion of the original Experience. Hendrix died on Sept. 18, 1970, before his future plans could be made clear.

Afterward, Mitchell helped producer Eddie Kramer assemble the albums “Cry of Love” and “Rainbow Bridge,” featuring unfinished Hendrix material. He played occasional gigs with Terry Reid, Jeff Bruce and Jeff Beck, but he rarely recorded as his career went on.

Mitchell artist got his start in show business as a child actor on the TV series “Jennings At School.” He is survived by his mother, his wife, a daughter and two grandchildren.

Beggars Group, Matador Pact With Imeem

Social music service imeem today announced a worldwide licensing and marketing partnership with indie labels Beggars Group and Matador Records.

Beggars Group and Matador Records’ entire digital music and video catalog
will now be available for free streaming on imeem. The labels will also feature imeem’s embeddable music and video playlists across its artists’ Web sites.

Beggars Group labels include 4AD, Beggars Banquet, Matador, Rough Trade, XL Recordings, Too Pure, Abeano, Merok, Salvia, and Young Turks. Its catalogue includes music from Bauhaus, Cat Power, Cocteau Twins, P.J. Harvey, Love And Rockets, Mission of Burma, The Pixies, Sigur Ros, TV on the Radio and Vampire Weekend.

Antony And The Johnsons Returns With New Album

Antony And The Johnsons will release the follow-up to 2005′s Mercury Music Prize-winning “I Am A Bird Now” (Rough Trade) on Jan. 19 2009.

Entitled “The Crying Light,” the album will be the New York-based group’s third full-length offering. It will be released by Rough Trade in the U.K. and Secretly Canadian in the U.S. on Jan. 21.

“I Am A Bird Now” has sold 73,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Last month, the band performed with orchestras in L.A., New York and London.

Travis: Ode to J. Smith (Album Review)

After Travis shifted 2.7m units of 1999′s The Man Who, drummer Neil Primrose broke his neck, and the band bore the blame for guitar AOR. This back-to-basics effort turns up the guitars as high as their 1996 debut, All I Want to Do Is Rock. Where that Travis pointed a way out of Britpop, this one seeks the comfort of how guitar bands sounded before then, the bristling energy recalling early REM, the Chills and even occasionally Nirvana. The album’s most experimental track, J Smith, straps on a dramatic choir. Less convincing are Friends’ Gimme Shelter guitar steals and Long Way Down, which owes much to Oasis’s The Importance of Being Idle. Confusion among fans may be sated by Last Words, their catchiest track since Sing. That being said unless you are a Travis fan this album overall is a pass. Better luck next time lads.

Flea, Johnny Marr On New Frusciante Album

Guitarist Johnny Marr and bassist Flea are among the guests on Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante’s new album, “The Empyrean,” due Jan. 20 via Record Collection.

The Sonus Quartet and the New Dimension Singers also make appearances on the follow-up to 2005′s “Curtains.” Frusciante has released seven solo albums since rejoining the Chili Peppers in 1998.

In related news, Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis is developing an HBO series based on his rock’n'roll upbringing, tentatively titled “Scar Tissue.” According to Variety, the series is not based on Kiedis’ book of the same name,
Which was devoted more to his time in the Chili Peppers.

Kiedis is said to be considering narrating the show and making occasional cameo appearances. Meanwhile, drummer Chad Smith is making an album with a new band comprised of vocalist Sammy Hagar, bassist Michael Anthony and guitarist Joe Satriani.

As for the Chili Peppers, the band is on a hiatus of unknown length, following marathon touring in support of 2006′s “Stadium Arcadium.”

Bloc Party: Intimacy (Album Review)

We all knew the electronic experimentation was coming; the only surprise is that it didn’t happen on last year’s noble failure, A Weekend In The City.

Bloc Party get it out of their system early with the whirling sirens and drum machines of opener Ares; then comes the dreadfully over-sampled and jarring Mercury. And just as you’re about to write off Intimacy for self-indulgence, along comes Halo, a track equal to any hit from their respected Silent Alarm debut.

Intimacy requires patience and understanding. Patience for the new territory Bloc Party feel compelled to explore, win or lose, and understanding that Kele Okereke needed to make a relationship record to honour a loved one’s memory, even if the lyrics suffer from his absorption. The rewards are there – it just takes some work.

TV on the Radio: Dancing Choose (The Tonight Show)

Arcade Fire return to studio

Arcade Fire, indie darlings for these past few years, are about to make fans swoon and enemies angry as they begin work on their next album. This news comes almost offhandedly from David Byrne’s online journal. (Byrne, you may recall, took the stage with the band in 2006, when they were covering the Talking Head’s “Naive Melody” on tour.) Arcade Fire’s manager, however, is quick to clarify Byrne’s report by stating the band is just demoing songs at home. If you were already patrolling the internet looking for leaked cuts, you’re going to have to put it on hold for the time being.
(kexp)

Pretenders plan 2009 tour

Though a couple dates are on the books for December, the Pretenders plan to mount a full-scale tour in 2009 to promote their latest album, “Break Up the Concrete.”

“We’ll probably be touring most of the year, I think; that’s what we’re hoping for, at least,” group leader Chrissie Hynde said. “Even to me it sounds like, why would I want to get on a tour coach and sleep in a bunk with a bunch of guys, but that’s where we feel comfortable. That’s my trade-off for … not having to wait tables.”

The last major Pretenders tour was the group’s 2007 summer jaunt with ZZ Top and the Stray Cats, but Hynde says that so far “there haven’t been any suggestions” for another package, which is just fine with her.

“I would love to headline something, ’cause then I don’t have to share the catering with meat eaters,” explains Hynde, a vegan who operates a restaurant, VegiTerranean, in her hometown of Akron, Ohio. “I love working with other bands, and I certainly don’t mind supporting another band. I don’t have to be the headliner; that’s never been an issue for me at all. I’m just more concerned about sharing the catering.”

When the Pretenders do start playing live again, beginning with the Wreck the Halls radio concert Dec. 10 in Los Angeles and a Dec. 12 show in Portland, Ore., Hynde says founding member Martin Chambers will be back on the drum throne even though Jim Keltner played on “Break Up the Concrete.”

“I think Martin’s one of the greatest rock drummers of all time,” Hynde explains, “but he has a very signature sound and I wanted to get in some different feels on (the album). I knew I needed to work with a different drummer on this record. I just needed that extra input. And Martin was cool with that. He always defers. I mean, I am the band leader. I have to make these decisions. But Martin’s playing (the new songs) now and really enjoying them, and we’re having a ball playing the songs.”

“Break Up the Concrete” is the Pretenders’ first new album in six years, but Hynde — who’s become active in Akron’s downtown revival — does not see accelerating her pace of work and, in fact, can see an end for the band, though there’s not a plan in stone for that, either.

“I can’t think it would be much longer,” she says. “Thirty years seems like already wearing out your welcome in rock’n'roll. But I have no plans, one way or the other. It’s not really the sort of thing you can plan.”

New Yo La Tengo Album Due in March?

For a band that makes such (relatively) sober music, Yo La Tengo sure like to kid around. From the Hanukkah shows to the radio covers bonanzas (and resulting Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics disc) to an album called I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass to the “Fun” section of their website, the Jersey vets know well that a little levity goes a long way.

…which brings us to Fuckbook, the forthcoming album from Condo Fucks, due March 10 from Matador. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury:

Exhibit A: Members of Yo La Tengo have previously performed under the Condo Fucks banner (alongside members of Brooklyn garage rockers the A-Bones). They’ve also employed secret identities for side projects in the past, such as Sleeping Pill (aka Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley), who played Terrastock 7 this year.

Exhibit B: The album is called Fuckbook, which sounds suspiciously similar to a certain 1990 Yo La Tengo long-player.

Exhibit C: “What’cha Gonna Do About It?”, a song from Fuckbook that Matador recently included on the label’s fall Intended Play MP3 sampler. YLT in garage mode…?

Exhibit D: Matador is neither confirming nor denying anything right now.

We’ll let you reach your own verdict. While you weigh the evidence, check out the real, un-disguised Yo La Tengo’s live itinerary below.

Yo La Tengo:

12-21 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s (Hanukkah show)
12-22 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s (Hanukkah show)
12-23 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s (Hanukkah show)
12-24 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s (Hanukkah show)
12-25 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s (Hanukkah show)
12-26 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s (Hanukkah show)
12-27 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s (Hanukkah show)
12-28 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s (Hanukkah show)
12-31 Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre *

* with the Feelies, Vivian Girls
(via pfmedia)

Kaiser Chiefs:: Off With Their Heads (Album Review)

If you were hoping that Kaiser Chiefs’ hiring Mark Ronson to produce their third studio disc would result in a vintage-soul overhaul of their jittery new-wave sound — hey, what can’t the Dap-Kings’ horns improve? — prepare to be let down.

Beyond a couple of guest-vocal spots from fellow Ronson client Lily Allen and an out-of-place rap from English MC Sway, Off with Their Heads covers pretty much the same territory as the Chiefs’ first two discs. (Add another “post-” to XTC’s supermelodic post-punk attack and you’re there.)

Yet if Heads reveals little creative growth, it at least finds singer Ricky Wilson in a better mood than he was on last year’s Yours Truly, Angry Mob, where his peeved pouting threatened to sink his bandmates’ bubbly tunes. “Sticks and stones and animal bones can’t stop me from having a good day on a bad day,” he crows over jangly dance-rock guitars in “Good Days Bad Days.” Is he being sarcastic? Perhaps. But I’m willing to be fooled.

Gnarls Barkley- Mystery Man (Music Video)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuR55VoLCPg&hl=en&fs=1]

Orange Juice reform

Edwyn Collins’ legendary 1980s band Orange Juice are reported to have reformed.

The band are understood to have reunited for the 2008 Tartan Clef Music Awards, according to Music Week UK.

Claiming to celebrate the best in Scottish music, the awards take place in Glasgow on November 22.

The band, who had hits such as ‘Rip It Up’ and ‘L.O.V.E.’, disbanded in 1985. Their song ‘Blue Boy’ was featured on C81.

Since they split, Edwyn Collins has gone on to have considerable success both as a solo artist and as a producer, having worked with the likes of The Cribs and Little Barrie. In 2005, he suffered two brain haemorrhages, but has now made a recovery and last year returned to performing.

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke releases Barack Obama celebration song

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has made a new remix of his solo song ‘Harrowdown Hill’ available as a free download, in celebration of Barack Obama’s win in the US presidential election.

The song, the original of which appeared on Yorke’s 2006 solo album ‘The Eraser’, is available to download now from Radiohead.com.

Yorke wrote on the website: “In celebration of November 5, Jonny’s [Greenwood, guitarist] birthday amid bonfire and fireworks in the UK and the dawn of a new era in politics in the USA, I humbly donate a remix of ‘Harrowdown Hill’ that was finished ages ago during the band webcasts, a small reminder of the dark days of Bush’s.”

Radiohead completed their world tour last month after playing a series of dates in Japan.

DEERHUNTER:: Microcastle (Album Review)

So many shoegaze bands rely on fog and thunder to coolly obscure what they’re doing underneath, but when Deerhunter digs into its impressive collection of spacey effects, it acts as a warm blanket for leader Bradford Cox’s tender missives.

“Cover me / comfort me,” he pleads over snappy backing not long into the band’s long-awaited follow-up to 2006′s “Cryptograms.” Fresh off overnight indie-rock stardom and a magnificent solo debut as Atlas Sound, Cox here makes that hype look almost like understatement as he and Deerhunter compete with TV On The Radio for the title of the most dreamy and adventurous yet poppy and accessible band in America. Unlike TVOTR’s new “Dear Science,” though, “Microcastle” doesn’t fuse genres as much as settle into its own niche somewhere between fuzzy ambient, heartfelt pop, and arty rock. It’s a very consistent record, with lots of wide-open spaces and quivering quietness, and just about every sound seems to fit perfectly exactly where it sits.

If there’s a flaw here, it’s that the album is less immediate than it could be, largely unfolding in late-night whisper and tiptoes. But as hinted at by song titles like “Agoraphobia,” that approach fits Cox’s introversion to a tee. Essential download: “Cover Me (Slowly)”

– Doug Wallen

Kings of Leon – Use Somebody

Ray Davies: Kinks Writing New Material

The Kinks are writing songs for a potential reunion album, frontman Ray Davies told BBC News. “We’ve started a little bit of this and that,” he said. But it is too early to judge the quality.

“It depends if there’s good music. We want good new music. I’d like to do it as a more collaborative thing than we used to do.”

The Kinks disbanded in 1996 after a 30-plus year reign as one of the most influential bands in rock history. Davies’ brother/Kinks guitarist Dave Davies suffered a stroke in 2004 but has returned to music in recent years, opening the door for Kinks activity.

The problem: Dave Davies seems to want no part of a reunion, having posted on his Web site earlier this year that “it would be like a poor remake of ‘Night of the Livin (sic) Dead’ ” and declaring that Ray has been doing “Karaoke Kinks shows since 1996.” Ray’s response at the time: “He’s getting well enough to shout at me. That’s a good sign.”

According to the BBC, Davies has several other projects on tap, including an album with a choir and another album he hopes will include collaborations with members of Snow Patrol, Razorlight and … Chuck Berry.

“I’ve never met the man but he was one of my heroes as a lyricist,” he said. We’ll see how it works out — a mixture of Snow Patrol and Chuck Berry. It should be an interesting record.”

Barack Obama for President

Looking for a change this year? Then look no further than Barack Obama (Nov. 4; Free). A graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, and a compassionate community organizer, state senator and U.S. senator, this insanely awesome presidential candidate features sound judgment, off-the-chart leadership skills, and the ability to repair our standing with the world and bridge a super-divided America. In addition to intellect that we’ve sorely lacked the last eight years, Obama also comes with a tremendously competent vice presidential nominee (you betcha!), and tons of hope. Other features include tax cuts for 95% of Americans, a smart economic recovery plan, a health care plan that actually helps families, much-needed open dialog with our adversaries, non-grumpy grandpa temperament, and a green energy plan that will create tons of jobs. There’s simply no better choice for the 44th president of the United States. Vote.

(via uncrate)

Seattle Becomes “City of Music”

After years of Seattle and music going hand in hand, the city has now made it official. During a celebration Wednesday (October 29) night at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, the city’s mayor, Greg Nickels, helped launch Seattle City of Music, a citywide initiative that aims to “enhance music as an economic, educational and recreational force in meeting the needs of the city, and to build Seattle’s role in music nationally and internationally,” says the press release.

“Seattle has long enjoyed a reputation as a distinctive city that embraces the inspiration and innovation of its music scene,” Nickels said in the release. “Music of all genres, whether classical or hip-hop, rock or jazz, thrives in our city. We don’t just make or listen to music, we live it.”

“To solidify Seattle as a home to music business, musicians and live music,” the Seattle City of Music initiative has laid out a 12-year strategy, which includes improving musicians’ standard of living, establishing more music education programs, ensuring venues and festivals flourish, creating new music-related jobs and strengthening the music community overall.

To help run the project, the city has formed a formal commission dedicated exclusively to music and commissioned a new economic impact study to help guide its future efforts.

“The economic impact study reveals once again that music is more than just entertainment, it is a vital part of Seattle’s economy and cultural identity,” said Ben London, local musician and director of the Recording Academy Pacific Northwest Chapter, in the news release. “The City of Music effort is an exceptional way to celebrate our success and leverage it to create a music community and industry for the future.”

Along with several representatives from Seattle record stores, labels, studios, radio stations, venues and other music-related businesses, also on board for the project is Sup Pop, whose annual $13,000 Loser Scholarship will now run in conjunction with Seattle City of Music.

“This is a proud day for the city and those businesses, musicians and live music venues that make Seattle their home,” Nickels said. “Music is a part of Seattle’s identity; it gives our city soul.”

MASTODON Reveal New Album Details

Atlanta-based heavy rock masters MASTODON have confirmed details behind their upcoming Reprise Records album scheduled for release in early 2009. The seven-song strong, 50 minute tour de force entitled CRACK THE SKYE, was recorded at Southern Tracks Studios in Atlanta and produced/mixed by Brendan O’Brien (Rage Against The Machine, Springsteen, Pearl Jam, AC/DC, etc.). CRACK THE SKYE follows their massively acclaimed 2006 epic BLOOD MOUNTAIN, which was voted the #9 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Top 50 Album’s of 2007″ and the #1 Album of The Year in Decibel Magazine. Greater accolades were bestowed upon them last year when MASTODON were named “Best Metal Band” in Rolling Stone Magazine’s Annual poll, and “Best Band On The Planet” by the UK’s Kerrang! Magazine.
Tracklisting for CRACK THE SKYE is as follows:

1. Oblivion
2. Divinations
3. Quintessence
4. The Czar
(I) Usurper
(II) Escape
(III) Martyr
(IV) Spiral
5. Ghost of Karelia
6. Crack The Skye
7. The Last Baron

As with each of their previous releases, the packaging for the new album will be as bold and breathtaking and the music contained within. Multiple packaging formats are expected. Details to be revealed in the near future. Until then, MASTODON has been asked to support label-mates Metallica in Europe this coming Summer 2009. Confirmed dates are as follows:

June 14 Hartwall Arena Helsinki, FIN
June 15 Hartwall Arena Helsinki, FIN
June 17 Spektrum Oslo, NOR
June 22 Datch Forum Milan, ITA
June 24 Palalottomatica Rome, ITA
July 13 Palacio de Deportes Madrid, Spain
July 16 Hallenstadion Zurich, SWITZ
July 20 Copenhagen Forum Copenhagen, DEN
July 22 Copenhagen Forum Copenhagen, DEN
July 23 Copenhagen Forum Copenhagen, DEN
July 27 Copenhagen Forum Copenhagen, DEN

Additional dates to be announced
As previously announced MASTODON are about to begin an extensive tour of the UK and Europe between October 27 through December 7. Additional details on CRACK THE SKYE to be unveiled soon.