OXFORD COLLAPSE:: Bits (Album Review)

After graduating from Strokes-y newbies on "Some Wilderness" to Feelies-influenced art-rockers on "A Good Ground," Brooklyn's Oxford Collapse jumped to Sub Pop for 2006's immensely likable "Remember the Night Parties."

Album 4 finds them shelving that trademark tangle of guitar for noisier yet sharper anthem-making. Some songs rocket forward like vintage Buzzcocks or Superchunk, while others, such as the cello-kissed "A Wedding," are quieter and prettier. But the trio still traffics in grabby, half-shouted refrains — mostly coming from guitarist Michael Pace — starting with the memorable opener, "Electric Arc": "I can't remember things / I just don't know what to do."

Oxford Collapse reportedly wrote 30 songs for this record, keeping most of them short and not finishing the lyrics on many until right before they were put to tape. That would explain the more straightforward feel of "BITS," and why the band can't quite match the heady, smart-acre highs of "Remember the Night Parties." With that said, by this point Pace has an incredibly tight musical bond with bassist Adam Rizer and drummer Dan Fetherston — each of whom contribute to the songwriting — and it's hard not to smile at lyrics about a guy who "got jacked up playing leapfrog."

John Lennon movie coming together

LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - The story of John Lennon is headed for the big screen with "Nowhere Boy," which will focus on the former Beatle's troubled adolescence.

Screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh's script details the story of Lennon as a lonely teenager abandoned by his mother and raised by his authoritarian aunt. His only escape is music, art and his fateful friendship with Paul McCartney. The film will be directed by visual artist Sam Taylor-Wood, who will shoot on location in Lennon's hometown of Liverpool.

"The women in John's early life truly shaped who he became," Taylor-Wood said, "and the strengths and weaknesses of their relationships are central to this film."

Casting for the major roles "is under way," said producer Ecosse Films, which is developing the project with the U.K. Film Council.

Blogger Arrested Over Guns N' Roses Leaks

Federal authorities say they have arrested a blogger suspected of streaming songs from Guns N' Roses unreleased album, "Chinese Democracy," on his Web site.

FBI agents arrested 27-year-old Kevin Cogill this morning (Aug. 27) on suspicion of violating federal copyright laws. Federal authorities say Cogill posted nine unreleased Guns N' Roses songs on Antiquiet.com in June. The songs were later removed but spread quickly across the Internet.

According to an arrest affidavit, Cogill admitted to agents that he posted the songs on his Web site.

"Chinese Democracy" has been in the works for more than a decade, with frontman Axl Rose the only remaining original member of the once mighty group. Rumblings that the album may finally be out this fall, possibly as a Best Buy exclusive, have not been confirmed by Guns N' Roses or its management.

The Walkmen- In The New Year (Video)

Led Zeppelin back in the studio

Led Zeppelin could be on the brink of a 10th studio album after musicians Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham said they had been working on new songs.

Drummer Bonham told a radio station in Detroit that the new material may be recorded but added there was "lots of politics" to sort out first.

The three band members have been meeting to work on new ideas since Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion show last December.

But lead singer Robert Plant has not been involved in any of the sessions, Bonham told the radio station.

He said: "At the moment, all I know is I have the great pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and start work on some material.

"When I get there [in the studio] I never ask any questions. If I get a phone call to go and play, I enjoy every moment of it.

"Whatever it ends up as, to ever get a chance to jam with two people like that, it is a phenomenal thing for me. It's my life. It's what I've dreamed about doing."

He added: "Lots of politics [would need to] get ironed out [before an album could be made]."

Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years, in front of nearly 20,000 fans, at London's 02 arena in December.

Their two-hour set opened with Good Times Bad Times - the first track of their debut album.

Original band members Page, Plant and Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham - the son of their late drummer John.

Page recently performed Whole Lotta Love at the London Olympic handover ceremony in Beijing. The song was sung by X Factor winner Leona Lewis.

David Byrne and Brian Eno- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (Album Review)

Towards the end of David Byrne's sleevenotes for the recent reissue of My Life in the Bush of Ghosts - the album the former Talking Heads singer made with the band's producer and mentor, Brian Eno, in 1981 - he describes the duo encountering a novel problem. The vocals on the album had been taken from Arabic pop singles, ethnographic recordings and late-night talk-shows and evangelists' sermons they had taped from the radio. Now they had to get permission to use them, which proved to be an arduous task.

"No one knew what the hell we were doing," recalled Byrne. "The record sat on the shelf while the phone calls and faxes went back and forth." Some people refused to give their consent, which meant that tracks had to be changed. The album's release was postponed by a year. If the duo hadn't actually invented sampling - you could argue long into the night about whether innumerable earlier experiments with tape loops count - they certainly seem to have invented the idea of sample clearance.

It's perhaps pushing it to say that Byrne and Eno inadvertently changed the face of popular music with that album, but not much: whatever Steve Reich and Stockhausen got up to in the 60s, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' combination of jittery dub, Fela Kuti-influenced funk and borrowed voices sounds like the direct precursor to sampling as it has come to be known. So it's hard to stop a certain weight of expectation hanging heavy over the duo's first joint-effort in 27 years. Eno notes that their intentions in making Everything That Happens Will Happen Today were "quite different" - for one thing, it's a collection of what Byrne described as "proper songs", with Eno providing the music and Byrne the vocals and lyrics - but neither party has lost the capacity for the kind of unprecedented blue-sky thinking that fuelled their previous collaboration's most groundbreaking aspects. This is, after all, a collaboration between the Liberal Democrats' freshly-appointed adviser on youth affairs, aged 60, and a man who recently curated an event at which a choir of geriatrics performed a cover of Queen's Bicycle Race, and who designed a chair that looks like it has a Mohican haircut.

Eno has described one track, I Feel My Stuff, as "unlike any other song I've ever heard before", which suggests, a little improbably, that he has never heard any trip-hop. That's not to say that I Feel My Stuff isn't a good song, one that shifts constantly and intriguingly over six and a half minutes, from fluttering abstract piano and shuffling breakbeats made up of vocal samples, via a feedback-heavy guitar solo to a rather proggy final riff. It's just to suggest that anyone hoping for ground to be broken once more might consider gently downscaling their expectations. If they do, they'll find plenty to like about this album, which seems to be less about venturing boldly forth into the unknown than retreating gently into a less complicated and troubled past.

The primary influences on the songs are gospel and country (Byrne even starts yodelling towards the end of Life Is Long, perhaps the one moment on the album that you could describe as genuinely startling) albeit gospel and country given a characteristically strange shimmer by Eno's arrangements. The gentle acoustic strum of My Big Nurse ends with a weird solo that seems to be part organ, part feedback; the rhythm track on Home becomes gradually drowned in reverb and other electronic effects. The lyrics may be haunted by the Iraq war, but the tone is weirdly upbeat, much given to looking on the bright side and making the best of it. "We can use these storms to guide the way - this is not my fault," offers Byrne on the lovely One Fine Day.

Ironically, the record ETHWHT most resembles is not My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, nor any one of the three hugely ambitious albums Talking Heads made with Eno behind the production desk. It is most reminiscent of Little Creatures, the lunge for the pop mainstream they recorded long after their collaboration with Eno had ended. You could view that as a disappointment, or perhaps a rather modest achievement in light of Byrne and Eno being in the studio together, but you'd be hard-pushed to deny the affecting warmth of these songs. Everything That Happens Will Happen Today may be an album of subtle pleasures, but they are pleasures all the same.

Replacements Drummer Steve Foley Dies

Steve Foley, who played drums with the Replacements at the tail end of their career, died last weekend in Minneapolis. He was 49. According to local media reports, Foley died after accidentally overdosing on prescription medication.

The 1990 selection of Foley, who played in such Minneapolis bands as Curtiss A, Wheelo and Snaps, as the substitute for original Replacements drummer Steve Foley has become the stuff of legend.

According to Jim Walsh's oral history "All Over But the Shouting," frontman Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson bumped into Foley at a local bar and procured a ride from him to an audition. In the car was a copy of the brand new Replacements album "All Shook Down," prompting Westerberg and Stinson to look at each other and then exclaim to Foley, "You're already in."

Foley then toured with the band until its final show on July 4, 1991, in Chicago's Grant Park. Afterward, he and his brother Kevin joined Stinson's band Bash & Pop. Of late, he was working as a car salesman in Minneapolis.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, visitation will be held 11 a.m. Friday (Aug. 29) at Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapel in Edina, Minn., with burial to follow at Lakewood Cemetery.

Stereolab- Neon Beanbag (Music Video)

My Bloody Valentine Albums Go Digital

My Bloody Valentine's two full-length albums, "Isn't Anything" and "Loveless," will be re-released digitally today (Aug. 26). The releases had previously only been partially available online.

In addition, the newly reunited MBV is dusting off the "Tremolo" EP, which is making its debut in the digital format, as well as four vintage short-form videos for the songs "Only Shallow," "Soon," "Swallow" and "To Here Knows When."

In June, "Isn't Anything" and "Loveless" were remastered and reissued on CD in the U.K. A Japan-only boxed set featuring several unreleased tracks was also announced but has apparently been put on hold.

Following its first live appearances in 14 years this summer internationally, MBV will touch down in the United States Sept. 19 for the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Monticello, N.Y., which it curated.

Sonic Youth begin writing new 'indie' album

Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore has revealed that his band are in the process of writing a new studio album set to be released on an indie label.

The band's record deal with Geffen expired after the band released 2006's 'Rather Ripped'. They are set to hit the studio in November and release their next album in Spring 2009.

Moore told Rolling Stone that after feeling "compromised" by being on a major label, his band would release their next effort on an indie, although he did not specify which one.

"There's one label we are certainly going to go with at this point," he said. "But I don't think I’m allowed to disclose that right now. I don’t want to risk having a shit storm.

"I've written a half-dozen song ideas. I try not to complete them so much. Last time we got together, we were creating sort of new band-zone-vibe sort of things.

Speaking about releasing the album on and indie, Moore said: "It feels great. The last four or five records we did were just so compromised by that [major label] situation. But that's the way it goes."

Amazon.com's $2-5 Sweet Spot

Amazon.com's MP3 customers are showing $2 is a low enough price to pick up just about any album. Yesterday's $1.99 special was Classics by Aphex Twin. The collection of mostly fast and abrasive techno music is currently at #2 on the site's MP3 album chart (second only to a 30-track Beach Boys compilation selling for $5). OK, so a well known name (in electronic circles) can rise near the top of the chart with a near-giveaway price. But what about lesser known artists? Today's $1.99 special is Trouble in Mind by Hayes Carll. The album by the Houston-based artist was released on April 8 by Universal Music Group's alt-country imprint, Lost Highway. As the CD sits at #268, the low-priced MP3 album is at #13.

A look at the MP3 album chart shows Amazon.com customers' love of bargain hunting. The top eight titles are all on special -- five of them are priced at $5, two are going for $1.99 and one (by John Coltrane, currently a featured artist) is $5.99. Nine of the top 25 titles cost $5 or less.

Of course, the sweet spot varies according to demand. The Illusion of Progress by Staind, the highest non-sale title, has enough demand to merit a normal sale price. Same goes for the Mamma Mia! soundtrack that sits at #12 with a $9.49 price.

Such sale prices are probably (I'm guessing since I have no sales data to back me up) low enough to create incremental purchases that will not infringe upon the sales of popular new releases. A $2 album is practically a pack of gum at the check-out aisle. That's found money. Those prices are good for consumers' willingness to fill holes in their collections, good for labels to spur demand for a catalog title or raise awareness for a developing artist. And judging from the regularity by which I visit Amazon.com's MP3 page to see what's on sale, the store's pricing strategy can go a long way in getting repeat business.

Compare iTunes' and Amazon.com's best sellers and it's clear Amazon.com is the home of the deal. iTunes' current top 100 does not have a single album priced under $6.99 (it does contain three low-priced EPs). While Amazon.com is gaining unit market share through catalog sales and one-off specials, iTunes is doing brisk business selling titles are regular prices. That greater profit margin represents the value of loyal, practically locked-in customers who would rather pay full list price than shop around. I think Amazon.com will be able to grab the business of some frequent iTunes buyers who enjoy browsing through sale titles and looking for bargains. The larger question is if they can change the game by getting business from the more casual-yet-full price-paying iTunes customer.

Albert Hammond Jr to design own suit line

Albert Hammond, Jr. has revealed he is working on designing a line of men’s suits, to be sold initially in Los Angeles.

The Strokes guitarist-turned-solo-star is co-designing the clothes line with stylist Ilaria Urbinati, and the collection will be sold at the soon-to-be-opened Confederacy store, which she co-owns with actor/DJ Danny Masterson.

“I want to make suits that I’m going to have for myself,” Hammond told New York Magazine. “They’re for the person who needs his one suit for a wedding. He’d rather get something like this than go to Men’s Wearhouse, pay the same amount, and look like an out-of-date parent.”

Hammond said that he hopes initially to produce three styles of suit , branching out with new designs every season.

“The whole goal is to make this line and see what it does and if we can just break even to make the next set" he says "then every time we’ll do it we’ll add one new design and then we’ll add a few different things to the old designs so it’ll constantly be growing, it’ll constantly change.”

And he says he’s aiming to keep the suit line classic, with subtle changes added to existing styles every season.

“It’s kind of like the way cars slowly evolve ever year, you think they look the same but you look back and they’ve slowly changed over time. Sometimes there’s certain things that happen in fashion but what I’m trying make is something that’s a little more classic to do I feel like 20 years from you could wear. It’s not going to be like some flared suit that you’d wear now and look like it was Halloween.”

Queens Of The Stone Age Josh Homme To Produce New Arctic Monkeys Material

Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has confirmed that he is to produce material for the Arcitic Monkeys.

Homme said the Sheffield band would travel to the Californian dessert next month to “submerge themselves in something else and do some tracks.”

“That’s the sort of pressure-free ‘Lets do something cool’ environment that really pays musical dividends at the end,” the singer told the BBC.

“They’re a talented bunch of guys, its gonna be a lot of fun.”

It’s not clear whether the tracks will feature on the Arctic Monkeys as-yet-untitled third album.

Jack White + Alicia Keys = James Bond Theme

Jackwhite Jack White and Alicia Keys have recorded the theme song for the 22nd James Bond film “Quantum of Solace.” “Another Way to Die,” written and produced by White, is the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. White follows Chris Cornell who was the first male solo rock artist to perform a Bond theme. Over the 22 films, four rock bands have done themes (Paul McCartney & Wings, Duran Duran, Garbage and a-Ha) but only one woman rock singer, Sheryl Crow, has a Bond credit. Shirley Bassey has recorded the most Bond themes, three. J Records will release the soundtrack on Oct. 28. David Arnold will again compose the score, making it his fifth Bond project.

Bloc Party Says Download 'Definitely Working'

Bloc Party fans expecting a routine Web chat with their heroes got more than they bargained for Aug. 18, when the U.K. alt-rock band announced they would be able to download its new album, "Intimacy," in just 60 hours' time.

"They were very freaked out. It was really funny," frontman Kele Okereke says.

Bloc Party's London-based indie label, Wichita Recordings, could not be reached for comment, but Okereke jokes that executives had a similar initial reaction to the rush release, before adding that they were "really into this idea, just as much as we were."

The band also has the backing of Universal Music Group -- Wichita has a joint-venture marketing agreement with the major's V2 label for the album and an international licensing agreement with the Cooperative Music collective, which is financially supported by UMG. The advance download concept has also been "embraced completely" by U.S. label Atlantic, according to Okereke.

"Intimacy," the band's third album, became available yesterday exclusively from blocparty.com. CDs will be delivered Oct. 27, with the pre-order currently available in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. "It's going really well. It's definitely working," the singer says, while declining to reveal specific figures.

Okereke denied the move was about "foxing the critics" and downplayed suggestions in a press release that the move was in response to the leak of Bloc Party's 2007 album "A Weekend in the City," which he says did not markedly affect sales. That album has moved 148,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Instead, the band has taken inspiration from Radiohead. "We finished it a few months ago and we thought, 'Why do we need to sit on it for six months after it's done?' " Okereke says. "It seems that post-'In Rainbows' there are no rules about this sort of thing anymore."

Right now, Okereke says the band is "looking forward to working out how we're going to play these songs live" on its North American dates, which begin Sept. 5 in Detroit.

Although he anticipates the band's youthful fan base will initially be buying the record, he hopes it will pick up an older audience when it goes to retailers in the fall. "I don't want it to just be an Internet, cool thing," he adds. "I want it to have a presence."

RATATAT - MIRANDO (Video)

Made entirely w/ clips from the movie 'Predator'.. NICE!

The Walkmen:: You & Me (Album Review)

Earlier this year, the Walkmen recorded three Leonard Cohen covers for the online music site Daytrotter. Plenty of indie-rock kids have tried a similar trick and a few have done it pretty well, but what frontman Hamilton Leithauser brought to the role was a perfect alignment of doggedness: Like Cohen, Leithauser plays a man perpetually stuck in the gutter, stupid and stubborn enough to stare up at the stars.

"Oh, bad luck, bad luck, you've come for me," he yowls over the gut-shot groan of "Long Time Ahead of Us," the 10th track off the Walkmen's brilliant fifth album. "Tomorrow we'll rise/ And the sky will be bright." In the meantime, yeah, there's a "long time ahead of us."

Much has been made of Leithauser's voice, which often feels choked, but on "You & Me," could one imagine a more perfect instrument? The best songs here, like the clattering "On the Water," are songs of last-resorts: the sound of a band holed up in some dark room, whistling, wailing, banging on a busted drum set, and waiting for morning. "I miss you, I miss you," Leithauser admits, finally, on the elegiac "Red Moon." "There's no one else/ I do, I do." [Matthew Shaer]

"You & Me" will be officially released Aug. 19 on Gigantic Music, but it's available now exclusively at www.amiestreet.com/artist/the-walkmen as part of the website's Download to Make a Difference campaign. For a limited time, the album costs $5, with all proceeds benefiting cancer research and treatment. The Walkmen play at the Middle East Downstairs on Sept. 18.

Kingblind Downloads

Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines

31Knots - Compass Commands

The Dandy Warhols - The World Come On

The Gaslight Anthem - The ‘59 Sound

Robyn Hitchcock - Bad Case of History

Jaguar Love - Bats Over The Pacific Ocean

Jennifer O’Connor - Here With Me

Lee “Scratch” Perry - Pum Pum

Ra Ra Riot - Dying Is Fine

Stereolab - Three Women

The Stills - Being Here

The Verve To Continue On After Reunion Album

The Verve considers its forthcoming album "Forth," the reunited British group's first new set in 11 years, to be the beginning of its new era -- and the continuation of a career that's been interrupted by two previous break-ups.

"This definitely is an ongoing concern; it's not something that we're all just gonna chuck away again," bassist Simon Jones said. "Looking back I don't think we had to be so blunt and, 'Alright, we're splitting up!' really. We should've just chilled out for a bit and taken some time out, to be honest.

"But obviously we all had a deep yearning inside to get back to do this or it wouldn't have happened. I just hope we don't split up again, now ... 'cause it becomes a bit silly, doesn't it?' "

Since reuniting in 2007, the Verve has played dates in Great Britain, Europe and the U.S., and Jones says the quartet is chomping at the bit to get back to North America once "Forth" comes out on Tuesday.

"It's gonna be towards the end of this year or the beginning of the new one," he notes. "We've got such a good fan base over there. We did so much touring early on and did Lollapalooza (in 1994). We did six dates earlier this year, and it wasn't enough. I want to visit all those places we've been where we know we've got fans and breathe life into these new songs from ('Forth'). That's definitely on our list of things to do."

Jones confirms that Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft is contractually obligated to record another solo album, but says it will not interfere with whatever is next for the band.

"I don't think us being back together means we have to do a record every year," Jones says. "We'll do it on our own terms and at our own pace. But, definitely, all of us want to pursue this. It's something that means a lot to all of us. It's a bit of a shock to be doing it again, but a very nice shock, really.

Brian Wilson to premiere That Lucky Old Sun through newspaper websites

Capitol Records is partnering with Gannett for the exclusive premiere of Brian Wilson's new album "That Lucky Old Sun" from 8/22 to 9/1. More than 50 Gannett newspaper and TV station websites including USAToday will offer full streaming audio of Wilson's album before its September 2 release. The player will link to Amazon to pre-order the CD, limited edition CD/DVD and digital album.

While it is common for artists to offer promo pre-release web streaming, it's a unique arrangement to stream an album on newspaper and TV websites. For Gannett, it's an opportunity to deliver new music from a respected artist familiar to its core older news audience. Markets were chosen because of size or market, because they have a large Brian Wilson fan base.
(via Hypebot)

Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke on “Intimacy,” the Surprise Breakup Album “10 People Knew About”

You have to give Bloc Party this much: they can keep a secret. Just days after finishing a U.S. tour and releasing the apparently one-off single “Mercury,” the London post punks have trumped the Raconteurs and Radiohead by springing their new album Intimacy on the world with just three days’ notice. “There were lot of clandestine meetings in east London pubs,” laughs frontman Kele Okereke on the phone from England. “We referred to it as Plan ‘X.’ It was a bit of a giggle. I don’t think more than 10 people knew about the idea until the last few days. It was totally hush-hush but we didn’t want to go the whole In Rainbows route and give away for free. We live in a capitalist world and I do want to get paid and I do want to eat.”

If the release was unexpected, then the subject matter might prove to be even more so. Famously guarded about his private life, Okereke cagily admits that Intimacy finds the singer bearing his soul more than ever before, as its title implies. “I went through a breakup at the end of last year and I guess that’s what the record’s about really. I couldn’t help thinking about it or talking about it or writing about it. I wouldn’t want anyone to think it’s the clichéd breakup record but I haven’t written about true, personal experiences all that much in the past.” Okereke adds his favorite song on the album is “Ion Square” “because it evokes a really great time in a relationship when everything was going right.”

Fans that stump up $20 up front will be rewarded with the download and a physical release in October featuring extra material. But what? Even the band isn’t sure. “The CD will have extra songs but we haven’t decided on what they will be yet. We’re kind of just making it up as we can go along. You can do that these days and it’s pretty exciting I think.”

American teen quits school to play 'Guitar Hero'

An American teenager has dropped out of high school in order to become an expert at the video game Guitar Hero.

Blake Peebles, 16, quit his sophomore year at North Raleigh Christian Academy to concentrate on perfecting his game, which so far has seen him win prizes from gift certificates to gaming equipment and chicken sandwiches.

The Raleigh, North Carolina native’s parents hired a tutor and allowed their son to drop out of school after he wore them down with his complaints.

"We couldn't take the complaining anymore. He always told me that he thought school was a waste of time," his mother Hunter told The News & Observer.

Peebles hopes to get to professional-level gaming, which can see competitors earn from $25,000 to $80,000 per year, although the figure is usually at the lower end and sponsorship opportunities are rare for competitors who coming in any lower than first place.

Muxtape Shuts Down to Resolve RIAA Conflict

Online mixtape service Muxtape has temporarily closed its doors in order to resolve an undisclosed dispute with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

There's no reason or timing for the shutdown listed on the site, beyond a single, relatively hopeful sentence that reads, "Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA."

"No artists or labels have complained," Muxtape wrote on its Tumblr blog. "The site is not closed indefinitely. Stay tuned. Beta users of Muxtape For Bands: you are unaffected by this outage."

Friends, Family Pay Tribute To Isaac Hayes

The weight of soul singer Isaac Hayes' legacy in Memphis could be measured in a single remark at his memorial service today (Aug. 18).

"What would you say if you were flying into Memphis and they said you are about to land at Isaac Hayes International Airport," U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen asked, drawing a huge burst of applause during a four-hour service of music, speakers and video clips.

Cohen, who represented Hayes' area of Memphis, said the city should celebrate Hayes, an architect of the Memphis sound, as it celebrates Elvis Presley. "He is a world person who the world will miss," Cohen said.

The deep-voiced soul singer died Aug. 10 after he was found unconscious at his Memphis residence. No autopsy was performed, but paperwork filed by Hayes' family doctor, David Kraus, lists the cause of death as a stroke.

About 3,000 fans and friends attended the service. They remembered Hayes for his music and his movies and for his humanitarian work that included building a school in Ghana.

"He was a lovely man, always involved with causes," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said before the service. "Literacy, civil rights. He was always there, and that's why we're all here for him."

Jackson was among the speakers that included Al Sharpton and actresses and fellow scientologists Anne Archer and Kelly Preston.

Richard Roundtree, who starred in the 1971 movie "Shaft," whose theme song was penned and performed by Hayes, was there, as was David Porter, Hayes' co-writer from his Stax Records days.

Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise and Wesley Snipes attended a private service Sunday.

The Monday service began with a drum march through the sanctuary and a video clip of Hayes and Jackson on stage together at a concert in the Watts area of Los Angeles in 1972. Jackson pulled off Hayes' cap to reveal his signature shaved head, then Hayes slipped off his robe to show his red spandex pants and chain vest.

"Thank God for Isaac living 65 years and making a difference in our lives," Jackson said.

Sharpton said Hayes never forgot his Southern roots. He recalled a time when "Hollywood didn't send its stars to us, we sent our stars to them."

"Isaac came from our culture. He emanated our culture. That's why he never lost his authenticity, never lost his conviction," Sharpton said. "There is a difference between authentic and fabricated."

As for his music, Hayes hooked up with Stax in the early '60s and with Porter crafted songs that became cultural touchstones, including Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and "Hold On! I'm Comin'." Their sound was a gritty Southern counterpart to Motown hits coming from Detroit.

Later, his "Theme From Shaft" won both Academy and Grammy awards, and he was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared in a number of films, including "Escape from New York" and provided the voice for Chef in the TV comedy series "South Park."

"There would be no Isaac Hayes without Stax and no Stax without Isaac Hayes," Jackson remarked.

Sharpton contrasted today's rap music with Hayes' smooth soul, saying Hayes lifted up women while rap denigrates and "beats them down."

But Doug E. Fresh, a rapper and record producer, said outside the church that Hayes' music directly influenced rap and hip-hop. "Hip-hop wouldn't be what it is without Isaac Hayes," Fresh said.

Wilco Eyeing Spring '09 For New Album

Wilco hopes to have its seventh studio album out by spring 2009, frontman Jeff Tweedy told Albany, N.Y., radio station WAMC recently.

After opting for a highly performance-oriented recording approach on 2007's "Sky Blue Sky," Tweedy says he expects Wilco will "allow ourselves a little bit more leeway in terms of sculpting the sound in the studio and doing overdubs and using the studio as another instrument. Last time around, it was more of a document."

At recent live shows, Wilco has played two new songs: "One Wing" recalls the melancholy, slowly building "Sky Blue Sky" closer "On and On and On," while "Sunny Feeling" has a sly main riff in keeping with loose jams from the last album such as "Walken."

Tweedy told WAMC he's going through a phase where he "kinda hate[s]" all of Wilco's six prior albums, because "none of them are a statement that I would be comfortable making right now at this point in my life. They all served their purpose, and in that respect I'm proud of all of them.

"But as something that feels artistically in keeping with who I am today, I think that they are inevitably going to fall short of that as time goes on. I mean, they just don't continue to mean the same things to me, and a new record is kind of where it's at."

Prior to the release of "Sky Blue Sky," Tweedy said that a number of unfinished songs from those sessions would potentially form the basis for the next album, but it is unknown if they remain in consideration at this point.

Wilco wraps a summer North American tour this weekend at San Francisco's inaugural Outside Lands Festival. After a one-off Aug. 30 Wilco festival gig in Ireland, Tweedy plays four solo shows in Spain through Sept. 6 in Murcia.

Video Premiere: My Morning Jacket “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. II”

High royalty fees could cause Pandora to close its music box

Music discovery service and online radio station Pandora may have to shut down, thanks to high royalty fees imposed last year by the US Copyright Royalty Board. Pandora founder Tim Westergren says his company is currently paying 70% of its revenue to SoundExchange, the organization that collects royalties for artists.

While nobody is arguing that artists shouldn't be paid for their work, this Copyright Royalty Board decision has always seemed a bit shortsighted. First of all, artists don't make a penny for music broadcast on traditional radio, even though radio station owners bring in plenty of dollars through advertising. Second, since Pandora doesn't just stream audio, but determines a listener's musical tastes and streams music from artists they might like, the service is an amazing promotional tool for musicians who might otherwise not be heard. Why would an organization that says it's concerned with paying artists try to shoot that service in the foot?

Webcasters have to pay a fee every time they stream a song -- and that fee is rising from 8/100 of a cent per song last year to 19/100 of a cent per song by 2010. The new royalty rates are hitting Pandora especially hard because the company streams hundreds of thousands of songs to hundreds of thousands of listeners simultaneously. I assume similar services like Last.fm are also feeling the pinch, but Last.fm was recently purchased by media giant CBS, while Pandora is an independent company with shallower pockets.

natalie portman's shaved head - sophisticated side ponytail

Kingblind's Favorite Finds

This list at Amazon.com features over 3,000 free and legal mp3 music downloads (available to US only).

8 Best Free Music Apps for the iPhone

RIP, legendary producer and Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler

Mental Floss explains the musical genius of Miles Davis.

CMJ lineup. NYC, Oct. 21-25.

Blender: Obama and McCain pick their top 10 songs. Obama: Kanye, Sinatra, U2, Spingsteen; McCain: ABBA, Sinatra, Beach Boys, Louis Armstrong. Strangely interchangeable.

Gnarls Barkley - Live @ Astoria 2, London 08.07.2008
(Password: potq.cl)

Rock Art... R.I.P.?

GNR's 'Democracy' To Be Retail Exclusive?

The June leak of nine allegedly "mastered, finished" tracks from Guns N' Roses' long-delayed "Chinese Democracy" spurred a renewed round of chatter about whether the Axl Rose-led band will finally release the 14-years-in-the-making album.

But some concrete signs are finally emerging that the album's release could be imminent. That's because, according to sources, negotiations are underway for "Chinese Democracy" to come out as an exclusive at one of the big boxes -- either Wal-Mart or Best Buy.

Negotiations are also ongoing to have conventional record company distribution, another source says.

Guns N' Roses is now managed by Irving Azoff's Front Line Management, and Azoff is a well-known proponent of issuing albums exclusively through retailers. He released the Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" through Wal-Mart, much to the chagrin of other merchants.

Most recently, it became known that AC/DC's next album will come out exclusively through Wal-Mart. Merchants were particularly incensed that the deal was apparently struck with the blessing of Columbia.

It's unclear who initiated the Guns N' Roses exclusive negotiations -- Front Line or Interscope, the band's label.

Representatives at Front Line and Interscope with knowledge of the situation couldn't be reached for comment by deadline. A Wal-Mart representative says the chain couldn't confirm this fall's exclusives. Best Buy representatives couldn't be reached for comment by deadline.

Alan McGee brands My Bloody Valentine 'nostalgic cabaret'

Alan McGee, who recruited Kevin Shields band to his influential Creation label, attacked this year's dates in his MySpace blog.

"There is a beautiful irony that the 'nostalgic cabaret' that is My Bloody Valentine are throwing at people in 2008 gets critical acclaim in the easily pleased UK press with MBV still playing the exact same set they did 20 years ago," he wrote. "The only trick Kevin Shields has anymore in 2008 is actual volume and double extra PA to numb you and zero new songs."

Mogwai- Batcat (Video)

Directed by Dominic Hailstone — “Batcat” from the forthcoming Mogwai LP/CD ‘The Hawk Is Howling’, in stores and online on September 23.

The above video along with an animated version of the same song and a film about Mogwai directed by Vincent Moon & Teresa Eggers constitute the DVD portion of the CD/DVD edition of the new album.

New York hopes Rock'n'Roll museum annex will boost tourism

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City is hoping an annex of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opening this year will boost tourism, as well as commemorate the artists and music venues that formed the city's rock history.

The annex to Cleveland-based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is due to open in the art-and-fashion district of SoHo in November, and will feature such memorabilia as Bruce Springsteen's first car, a 1957 Chevy Convertible.

It will also house an original phone booth from the downtown music club CBGB where Patti Smith and Ramones played, and have interactive maps highlighting venues like Studio 54 and The Hotel Chelsea.

"There really isn't a more fitting spot for this museum than New York, the home town of Hall of Famers like the Velvet Underground, Paul Simon, and Blondie," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters on Wednesday.

The museum could help boost tourism to the city, creating jobs in hotels, restaurants and theaters, and cushioning the impact of downturns on Wall Street, Bloomberg said.

A record 46 million visited New York in 2007, and the city's tourism organization NYC & Company is expecting around 47.7 million this year, despite a slowing economy.

Singer-songwriter and New York-native Billy Joel, also at the news conference, gave his endorsement.

"I started playing in clubs in New York City at the Gaslight Cafe, The Bitter End, Max's Kansas City, and then had the good fortune to go on and play the other venues in this city," he said, citing Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and large sports stadiums.

"New York gave me my words and my music, and rock and roll gave me a place for that music to live."

Initial Bands Announced For CMJ 2008

Broken Social Scene, Deerhoof, They Might Be Giants and Lee "Scratch" Perry are among the first acts confirmed for the 2008 CMJ Music Marathon, to be held Oct. 21-25 in New York.

Also set to appear are the Virgins, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, A Place To Bury Strangers, Beach House, Cool Kids, Crystal Castles, Del McCoury Band, Donavon Frankenreiter, Gang Gang Dance, Jay Reatard, Lykke Li, Minus The Bear, Roisin Murphy, the Dears, Juliana Hatfield, Annuals and Yo Majesty.

Among the early confirmed panels are Essential Resources For Independent Labels, Internationally Licensing the Future, Artist Managers: The New Labels?, A New Media Fat Trimming Session and Bands As Brands.

Santogold- Light's Out (Video)

Gnarls Barkley release live iTunes EP

Gnarls Barkley put out a Live from Soho EP via iTunes. The 5 song set features soulful takes of the band’s hits like “Crazy,” “Run,” and “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul?”. The group was only accompanied a guitar, keyboards, an organ, and programmed beats, so the songs are a little slower and firm than the regular live versions that feature a live drummer.

Track listing:
01. Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)
02. Who's Gonna Save My Soul
03. Surprise
04. Crazy
05. A Little Better

Cash 'Folsom' Box Loaded With Unreleased Tracks

A new three-disc CD/DVD box set that features unreleased material from Johnny Cash's legendary 1968 concerts at Folsom State Prison in California will be released Oct. 14 via Columbia/Legacy.

Disc one of the forthcoming "Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition" features Cash's entire 65-minute first concert, with seven previously unreleased tracks, including "Blue Suede Shoes," "This Ole House," "I'm Here To Get My Baby Out of Jail," "I Got A Woman" and "June's Poems," among others.

Disc two contains the entire 75-minute second show, with 24 previously unreleased songs, including duets with his wife June Carter Cash and others.

The DVD component of "Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition" reveals footage from inside Folsom Prison, and contains interviews from country acts as Merle Haggard, Rosanne Cash and Marty Stuart, as well as former Folsom Prison inmates who witnessed the legendary concerts. The DVD also features unpublished photographs by Jim Marshall.

Additionally, the new box set includes a 4,000-word essay by Cash biographer Michael Streissguth, who penned such books as "Johnny Cash: The Biography" and "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of the Masterpiece." The booklet will also feature liner notes written by Cash and Steve Earle in 1999.

Originally released in 1968, "Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison" peaked at No. 13 on The Billboard 200, and spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.

Kingblind Downloads

Zach Hill - Dark Art

Bark Hide and Horn - Treasure of the Everglades

Portland Cello Project - Danza Del Fuego

Pierre de Reeder - That’s The Way That It Was

The Pack A.D. - Making Gestures

The Widow Babies - Mike Watt Created The Universe With A Bass Solo

Kanye West beats Timbaland to produce new Jay-Z album

Kanye West is now set to produce the whole of Jay-Z's forthcoming album, 'Blueprint 3'.

It has been claimed by influential DJ Mick Boogie that the rapper-producer has beaten Timbaland to the roll.

"Kanye will indeed be producing most, if not all, of the album," Boogie wrote on his blog. "Remember back in the day when an artist would do a whole album with one producer for cohesiveness? Think classic or with Primo...and fast forward it to 2008."

Timbaland had originally stated he would produce the album in its entirety, although Jay-Z later played down his involvement in the project.

Boogie also revealed that 'Jockin', the recently performed Noel Gallagher-baiting track, is likely to be leaked onto the net by Jay-Z shortly.

"Jay will be leaking the finished version of 'Jockin' as soon as he adds a new third verse to the song," he wrote.

'Blueprint 3' is rumoured to be set for release in December

Conor Oberst- S/T (Album Review)

The back story is preposterous: For his third solo album, Conor Oberst decamped to a villa near the mystical Mexican city of Tepoztlan, said to be the birthplace of the Aztec serpent god and a rallying point for UFOs.

While there, he wrote songs about Cape Canaveral, Sausalito, Calif., and New York City, and recorded them with his collaborators in what he dubbed the Mystic Valley Band.

Go ahead, roll your eyes. It's precious to the point of pomposity, and yet ... And yet "Conor Oberst" (Merge) is the richest collection of songs from Conor Oberst -- via Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, whatever -- in a long time.
Sometimes hailed as the Bob Dylan of his generation, Oberst, 28, seemed to believe the label long before he had come close to earning it. He's getting there, though.

Maybe it's a function of getting older -- he released his first album at 13 -- or maybe the tranquil setting helped, but Oberst seems at ease here. He sounds as if he's shrugged off any pressure to make a Grand Artistic Statement, resulting in songs that that play to his considerable strengths as a writer.

He spins a vivid tangle of Dylan-esque lyrics on "Get-Well-Cards," and sings with quiet, double-tracked precision on the mournful opening track, "Cape Canaveral."

There's a lilting country-rock inflection in the gently rolling rhythm of "Sausalito" and the trebly guitar licks on "Moab." Oberst turns to finger-picked acoustic guitar on the folky accusation "Lenders in the Temple" and ends the record with "Milk Thistle," a hushed solo-acoustic taking-stock song as vast in scope as the western sky.

"Help me go slow, I've been carrying on," he sings, and all the hype and expectations and ancillary rubbish recede, leaving only the sound of an earnest singer and songwriter fully coming into his own.

Music download site blocked by Italian authorities

The Pirate Bay – the index website that tracks which Torrent music files are available to download on the internet at any one time - has been blocked by major internet service providers (ISPs) in Italy.

The website, which many users utilise to download music files illegally, has been censored in the country – although the website is set to launch countermeasures to make it available again to users.

A deputy public prosecutor in Italy issued an "urgent decree" that the site should be blocked, reports TorrentFreak. Since then all Italian ISPs agreed to the blocking of the website.

However, Peter Sunder, who founded the site, told TorrentFreak he was working on ways around the block. "We're working on setting up a really annoying system for them to filter," he said.

The Pirate Bay's Swedish-based servers were raided in 2006, causing it to shut down for three days. It has been condemned by prosecutors in Sweden for "promoting other people's infringements of copyright laws.

Soul legend Isaac Hayes dies

(CNN) -- Soul singer and arranger Isaac Hayes, who won Grammy awards and an Oscar for the theme from the 1971 action film "Shaft," has died, sheriff's officials in Memphis, Tennessee, reported Sunday.

Singer Issac Hayes seen performing in the U.K. last year. Hayes was found dead Sunday at age 65.

Relatives found Hayes, 65, unconscious in his home next to a still-running treadmill, said Steve Shular, a spokesman for the Shelby County Sheriff's Department.

Paramedics attempted to revive him and took him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 2 p.m., the sheriff's department said.

No foul play is suspected, the agency said in a written statement.

Hayes was a longtime songwriter and arranger for Stax Records in Memphis, playing in the studio's backup band and crafting tunes for artists such as Otis Redding and Sam and Dave in the 1960s. See photos of singer Isaac Hayes »

He released his first solo album in 1967, and his 1969 follow-up, "Hot Buttered Soul," became a platinum hit.

In 1971, the theme from "Shaft" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and won an Academy Award for best original theme song. The song and the movie score also won Grammy awards for best original score and movie theme.

Hayes won a third Grammy for pop instrumental performance with the title track to his 1972 "Black Moses" album.

From the late 1990s through 2006, Hayes provided the voice of "Chef" for Comedy Central's raunchy animated series "South Park," as well as numerous songs.

The role introduced him to a new generation of fans, but he left after the show lampooned his own religion, the Church of Scientology.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. In a CNN interview at the time, Hayes credited his success to "adjusting and constantly evolving, expanding and trying to stay as young as I can."

The new generation of popular musicians, he said, "could use a little more substance like we had in the day."

"They're standing on our shoulders. Some of them don't realize [it] because they sample me so much," he said.

Hayes credited his role on "South Park" with expanding his fan base, and said that he had almost passed on the job.

"I started to walk out. I thought it was a Disney thing. I [had] never heard of this thing," he said. But his agent persuaded him to tape some episodes.

"Toward the opening I started having trepidations -- 'Oh my god, what have I done? I've ruined my career.' But when it aired, the ratings went through the roof," he said.

A 1992 visit to the royal family in Ghana was a life-changing experience for Hayes, he said.

"I went back on speaking engagements and encouraged African-Americans to go to Africa [to] interact socially, culturally and/or economically," he said.

Mogwai- Punk Rock (Video)

ALL audio from Mogwai's song entitled "Punk Rock" - from the album "Come On Die Young" in synch with video of the Iggy Pop Interview footage with Peter Gzowski (which the song samples)
Copyright: Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Mogwai announced tour dates

Glasgow's Mogwai will be showing the US some serious love. First, Matador will be releasing their Batcat EP (featuring a collaboration with Roky Erickson) on September 9th, then their sixth full length
The Hawk Is Howling on September 23rd! More info here: http://www.matadorrecords.com/mogwai/

All the while they will be TOURING THE STATES. They'll start off by headlining Music Fest NW, and then set out on a full tour, with F*ck Buttons supporting.

Look for a full review of the new Mogwai album shortly.

MOGWAI TOUR - September 2008

Sep 3-Portland, OR @ Music Fest NW (Mogwai headlining ; also appearing Del The Funkee Homosapien, Steel Pole Bathtub, Polvo, Jaguar Love and many more)
Sep 4-Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
Sep 5-Victoria, BC @ Sugar
Sep 6-Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Sep 8-San Francisco, CA @ The Grand Ballroom
Sep 9-Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
Sep 10-Tucson, AZ @ The Rialto
Sep 12-Austin, TX @ Stubb's Wailer Creek
Sep 13-Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
Sep 15-Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Sep 16-Richmond, VA @ The National
Sep 17-Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
Sep 18-New York, NY @ Terminal 5
Sep 19-Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
Sep 21-Monticello, NY @ ATP Festival
Sep 22-Boston, MA @ Wilbur Theatre
Sep 23-Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
Sep 24-Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Sep 25-Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
Sep 26-Chicago, IL @ Congress Theater
Sep 27-Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

Ladytron-Runaway (Video)

New website borrows Radiohead's 'pay what you want' plan

Radiohead's revolutionary 'pay what you want' scheme for their last album 'In Rainbows has been adopted by a new music website.

Aralie.com, which launched last month, is the first site of its kind to allow users to choose how much they pay - including nothing - to download songs from its library, claiming it is the best way to beat music piracy.

The site's founders say that it allows bands to "beat the old adage that 'They're only in it for the money'".

"We've taken what Radiohead did and made it mass market," founder Wyatt Ferguson told NME.COM.

KINGS OF LEON CONFIRM NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

FIRST SINGLE, "SEX ON FIRE," IMPACTS RADIO AUGUST 11TH; NOW FEATURED ON MYSPACE MUSIC AND KINGSOFLEON.COM

SERIES OF KINGS OF LEON HOME MOVIES
WILL START TO AIR SEPTEMBER 1ST
Kings of Leon have confirmed their first North American tour in support of the band's new record, ONLY BY THE NIGHT. The album will be released on September 23rd, and the tour kicks off on street date with an exclusive club show at New York's Webster Hall. It will continue through October and November, ending November 19th at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. A full itinerary is below.

Only By The Night's first single, the explosive and memorable "Sex On Fire," will be available on Itunes and impacts at radio next week. The song received its first public airing yesterday, Tuesday, August 5th, on MySpace Music, the band's MySpace page and kingsofleon.com The video is being shot in Los Angeles this week and is being directed by the renowned Sophie Muller.

Starting September 1st, the band is going to begin hosting a series of home movies that document the making of Only By The Night. Every day leading up to the release date, a new home movie will be featured on kingsofleon.com and the band's MySpace page. This Saturday, August 9, they will play the All Points West Festival in Liberty State Park, in Jersey City, NJ.

Only By The Night was recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, TN, and was produced by Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King. It is a bold and expansive sonic statement that looks set to solidify Kings of Leon's position as one of the most important international acts of 2008 and beyond. It follows rapidly in the footsteps of the band's previous albums, Youth And Young Manhood, Aha Shake Heartbreak and Because Of The Times, all of which have quickly established them as one of the most prolific and acclaimed acts around.

The tour dates are as follows:
September
23 New York, NY Webster Hall w/The Whigs

October (w/The Stills and We Are Scientists)
11 Las Vegas, NV The Joint
12 San Diego, CA House of Blues
15 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre
17 and 18 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
20 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
21 Portland, OR Schnitzer Hall
23 Denver, CO The Fillmore Auditorium
25 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
26 Oklahoma City, OK Bricktown Events Center
28 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
29 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom
31 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom

November (w/The Whigs and We Are Scientists)
1 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
3 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
5 Milwaukee, WI The Eagles Ballroom
7 Toronto, ONT Kool Haus
8 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
10 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
12 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
15 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Ballroom
18 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
19 Nashville, TN Nashville Municipal Auditorium

Be your own pet:: Becky (Video)

The Clash's Shea Stadium Gig Heading To CD

Long bootlegged and sought after by collectors, the Clash's Oct. 13, 1982, performance at New York's Shea Stadium will finally see official release Oct. 7 via Legacy.

The gig found the Clash opening for the Who on the latter band's "farewell" tour, and features a wealth of favorites, from "London Calling" and "Police on My Back" to "The Magnificent Seven" and "Clampdown."

The band, which at the time was touring in support of its recent album "Combat Rock," also offered up the singles from that effort, "Should I Stay or Should I Go" and "Rock the Casbah." According to Legacy, late guitarist Joe Strummer found the Shea tapes while preparing to move into a new house.

In other Clash news, a new biography culled from extensive band interviews, "The Clash by the Clash," will be released Nov. 4 via Grand Central Books.

Here is the track list for "Live at Shea Stadium":

Kosmo Vinyl Introduction
"London Calling"
"Police on My Back"
"Guns Of Brixton"
"Tommy Gun"
"The Magnificent Seven"
"Armagideon Time"
"The Magnificent Seven" (return)
"Rock the Casbah"
"Train in Vain"
"Career Opportunities"
"Spanish Bombs"
"Clampdown"
"English Civil War"
"Should I Stay or Should I Go"
"I Fought the Law"
(via billboard)

Wolfmother To Continue With New Members

Keyboardist/bassist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett have exited Australian rock act Wolfmother after "longstanding frictions," but frontman Andrew Stockdale says he will continue the group with new members.

"Please understand that in spite of their best efforts over a long period of time, they just could not find a harmonious way to work together," reads a statement from Universal Music Australia.

Wolfmother exploded onto the scene with its self-titled 2006 debut, which has sold 517,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It launched the rock radio hits "Woman" and "Joker and the Thief." The former song won a Grammy for best hard rock performance.

Following extensive touring in support of the album, Wolfmother went on hiatus late last year, emerging in April to roadtest new songs. But band member tensions remained, and following last weekend's appearance at the Australia's Splendour in the Grass festival, the decision was reached to split up.

Spiritualized: You Lie, You Cheat (Live on Letterman) (Video)

New Morrissey Album Pushed To Early 2009

Originally due in September, Morrissey's next album, "Years of Refusal," has been postponed until early 2009, according to the artist's publicist. No additional information was given about the date change.

The 12-track "Refusal" was produced by Jerry Finn, who helmed Morrissey's 2004 album "You are the Quarry." Last month, Finn suffered a severe brain hemorrhage and remains hospitalized in Los Angeles.

"Years of Refusal" will be Morrissey's first studio album since signing with Polydor last year. It's the follow-up to 2006's "Ringleader of the Tormentors," which has sold 98,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Plans are still in the works for Sony BMG to reissue Morrissey's 1995 album "Southpaw Grammar" with remastered audio, three previously unreleased tracks and new artwork, but no date has been set.

Iggy & The Stooges Gear Robbed In Montreal

Iggy and the Stooges had their gear stolen yesterday (Aug. 4) outside the Embassy Suites hotel in Montreal. According to the band, all the equipment was in a rented Penske 15-foot yellow truck with Michigan plates number AC46493. The theft happened in the morning, they say between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. EST.

Among the missing equipment is a red road case containing: a red Gibson 1963 EB-3 bass; a black road case containing a volcano black Reverend Flying V guitar; a black road case containing a Reverend orange guitar; two black road cases containing Marshall vintage amplifiers; several Marshall 4-by-12 cabinets; an orange Calzone road case containing guitar pedal board and pedals; a Gretsch silver sparkle Cata