Trent Reznor Wins Oscar for ‘The Social Network’ Score

Trent Reznor is having a highly successful year thus far. After earning a Golden Globe last month, the Nine Inch Nails frontman, along with collaborator Atticus Ross, took home the Academy Award for Best Original Score Sunday night (Feb. 27) for their work on David Fincher’s ‘The Social Network,’ which was also up for seven other Oscars.

After beating out composers John Powell for ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ Hans Zimmer for ‘Inception,’ Alexandre Desplat for ‘The King’s Speech’ and A.R. Rahman for ’127 Hours,’ the musician posted a note on Twitter similar to the one he made after landing a Golden Glob win. “HOLY S[---] doesn’t seem enough…” he tweeted.

Reznor’s win comes on the heels of landing another high-profile scoring gig. The 45-year-old Pennsylvania native is writing and recording the music for ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’ based on the best-selling novel by Stieg Larsson. The film is also directed by David Fincher and is scheduled for release in December.

Queen’s years from the band’s arrival in the early ’70s to the middle of that decade were the focus of a new exhibit, ‘Stormtroopers in Stilettos,’ which debuted Thursday evening (Feb. 24) at London’s Truman Brewery. Surviving Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor attended the event with guests such as Ronnie Wood, Mika and the Foo Fighters.

“It’s quite shocking for us to suddenly bring back what happened all those years ago in such vivid detail,” said Taylor, as reported by BBC News.

‘Stormtroopers in Stilettos’–which is on view through March 12–covers the band’s beginnings through 1976 and features photographs and other items from that era. There are also drawings by Queen’s late singer Freddie Mercury when he was an Ealing College student.

“Once you come into this exhibition you realize that we were just boys and we got together with a dream,” May told BBC News. “We worked night and day for many years and we were very lucky.”

According to Queen’s Web site, a 90-second snippet of the famous “Bohemian Rhapsody” video rendered in 3-D was also presented at the exhibit.

The band had announced their imminent single, ‘Stormtroopers in Stillettos,’ which is an alternate take of ‘Keep Yourself Alive,’ originally on Queen’s 1973 debut record, and a remastered version of ‘Stone Cold Crazy,’ from 1974′s ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ album. May told the BBC: “These are tracks recorded before we even had a recording deal, just the four of us and an engineer at De Lane Lea studios.”

‘Stormtroopers in Stilettos’ arrives as Queen celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. Next month, the band’s albums from 1973 to 1976–’Queen,’ ‘Queen II,’ ‘Sheer Heart Attack,’ ‘A Night at the Opera’ and ‘A Day the Races’–will be re-released with additional songs. Also in the 40th anniversary year is a new film being produced about Freddie Mercury, who will be portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen.

On Thursday, the band’s musical, ‘We Will Rock You,’ was issued on a British postage stamp as part of Royal Mail’s ‘Musicals’ set, along with ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’ and Billy ‘Elliot.’

It’s been nearly four years since post-rock animals Battles released Mirrored, their beloved debut album. And after plenty of speculation and intra-band drama, the band is finally set to release follow-up Gloss Drop on June 7 in North America and a day earlier in the rest of the world via Warp.

It’s Battles’ first album as a trio, following the departure of big-haired multi-instrumentalist Tyondai Braxton last year. And, this time around, they’ve recruited a few guests to fill in on vocals: synthpop hero Gary Numan, Boredoms cult leader Yamantaka Eye, Blonde Redhead singer Kazu Makino, and Kompakt Records disco dude Matias Aguayo. The Gloss Drop tracklist is below:

Gloss Drop:

01 Africastle
02 Ice Cream [ft. Matias Aguayo]
03 Futura
04 Inchworm
05 Wall Street
06 My Machines [ft. Gary Numan]
07 Dominican Fade
08 Sweetie & Shag [ft. Kazu Makino]
09 Toddler
10.Rolls Bayce
11 White Electric
12 Sundome [ft. Yamantaka Eye]

Beastie Boys have finally set a release date for their ‘Hot Sauce Committee Pt 2′ album.

The record will come out in the US on April 19, suggesting the UK release date will most likely be April 18.

The album, originally named ‘Hot Sauce Committee Pt 1′, was supposed to come out in September 2009 but was delayed while rapper Adam Yauch was treated for cancer.

Nas and Santigold are among the acts who have recorded guest spots on the album.

Last month band member Mike D said the band are “open” to touring the new record, although he added: “We’re still going to have to see how he’s [Yauch] doing.”

X-Ray Spex singer Poly Styrene has revealed that she has been diagnosed with cancer.

The punk icon, real name Marian Joan Elliott-Said, made the announcement via her official website, Poly-styrene.com.

A message on the site explained that the she was undergoing treatment for the illness and as such couldn’t commit to playing live this year. She is set to release a new solo album, ‘Generation Indigo’, next month.

A message on the site read: “She is devastated that she cannot commit to any live dates at this stage, but her album remains a very positive force in her current journey.”

The singer left a personal note to fans on the site too. “It’s been a bit of a battle fighting this cancer but hey ho I’m still alive,” she wrote. “Luv Poly.”

Following a successful collaboration with Mika in 2010, soft drink giant Coca-Cola partners up with another major act in 2011 as they introduce the Daft Punk x Coca-Cola “Club Coke”. Produced in two distinctive colorways, mimicking the helmets worn by the French duo, the gold and silver bottles will see a limited production run beginning in March 2011…

Serious Fans First
– The new music business model axiom says access over ownership…except in this case. If you want Radiohead’s “The King of Limbs” you’ll have to legally or illegally download it. None of the subscription services, from Spotify to MOG, will have the album until its commercial release on March 29.

This is a hint of things to come. Over time more artists will decide to self-release music in this fashion, thus creating long, staggered release windows that place serious fans first and more casual fans further back in line. Traditional retail must wait in line, too. That means service companies that provide the tools and expertise for the online self-release of albums will benefit from this self-release strategy while the second wave of consumers are left to retailers.

Beating The Pirates
– Did you notice that “The King of Limbs” — as well as its predecessor “In Rainbows” — did not suffer from pre-release leaks? The traditional marketing and promotional effort for a label release is inherently leaky. Promotional and advance copies are everywhere.

Self-released Radiohead albums, on the other hand, are not heard before they are legally downloaded by the first eager fans. In fact, word of the February 14th pre-order didn’t even leak. That’s golden for an artist who wants to stick to a release strategy. Turns out the best way to stop leaks is to leave your record label.

Interesting, too, that “King of Limbs” went out a day ahead of its originally-announced release dates keeping fans, press and especially pirates on their heels.

Social Media Surge
– With Radiohead’s latest announcement and album release, the band got Grammy-like social media buzz comparable to Lady Gaga or Arcade Fire. Their social activity surged after they announced “The King of Limbs”‘s Feb. 14 pre-release.

Its total number of social media followers rose 105% in the week ending Feb. 19, according to Next Big Sound. The band’s weekly Facebook friend additions rose 55%, new Twitter followers rose 643%, new YouTube channel subscribers jumped 1,242% (helped by the concurrent release of a video) and new MySpace friends rose 34%. In all, the band added 125,000 fans (compared to 56,000 the previous week).

Radiohead’s social media gains were comparable to those of Lady Gaga and Arcade Fire in the week after their Grammys appearances. In the week ending Feb. 19, Lady Gaga’s new social media followers jumped 42% while Arcade Fire’s jumped 299%.

All This For Just 8 Songs?
– Would people have pre-ordered the album if they knew it had just eight songs? Most buyers probably would have, but maybe not everyone. Now, there’s nothing wrong with an eight-song album. Quality over quantity, right? “The King of Limbs” does deliver quality. But these days it’s hard to find an album that doesn’t have at least ten songs. Eight songs is a long EP (even if it does run nearly 38 minutes). It all comes down to this: the fact that (an unknown number of) people would pre-order the album with no knowledge of its contents speaks to the high level of trust the band commands with its fans.
(via billboard)

Today’s devastating magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch has disrupted the tours of visiting international bands and artists.

American hard rockers Queens of The Stone Age were forced to postpone today’s sold out show at Wellington’s Town Hall after being stranded at Auckland airport. The show will go ahead tomorrow and all tickets remain valid. Their Christchurch show, scheduled for Thursday, has been cancelled.

US rockers The Melvins and High On Fire were in Christchurch when the earthquake hit and are unharmed.

“The Melvins and High On Fire tour party were one minute into checking in for our flight to Wellington when the earthquake struck,” their manager said.

They have tried to get to Wellington but were unsuccessful as all domestic flights are stopped and the bands now face spending the night at Christchurch airport, he said.

He was trying to re-schedule Wellington’s show for tomorrow and Auckland’s for Thursday, but couldn’t confirm anything at this point.

US singer Amanda Palmer was scheduled to play in Christchurch tonight but had to cancel her show after being stuck at Napier airport when the earthquake struck. Her Auckland show tomorrow night is going ahead.

Riding high off of last year’s surprisingly successful LP Brothers (as well as their recent Grammy grabs), the Black Keys are gearing up for a month-long North American tour. It will kick off in June, following the band’s scheduled Coachella and Bonnaroo appearances. We’ve got the dates for you below, as well as the funny (and violent) clip for the band’s Brothers single “Tighten Up”.

The Black Keys:

03-15 Paris, France – Olympia
03-16 Nantes, France – L’Olympic
03-18 Amsterdam, Holland – Heineken Music Hall
03-19 Cologne, Germany – Essigfabrik
03-20 Hamburg, Germany – Grunspan
03-22 Berlin, Germany – Astra
03-23 Munich, Germany – Backstage Werk
03-24 Zurich, Switzerland – Rote Fabrik – Aktionshalle
03-25 Lille, France – L’Aeronef
04-14 Mesa, AZ – Mesa Amphitheatre &
04-15 Indio, CA – Coachella
05-22 Mobile, AL – The Hangout Festival
06-10 Indianapolis, IN – The Lawn at White River State Park †
06-11 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
06-27 Vancouver, British Columbia – Deer Lake Park &
06-28 Calgary, Alberta – Stampede Corral &
06-29 Edmonton, Alberta – Rexall Place &
06-30 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – TCU Place &
07-02 Winnipeg, Manitoba – MTS Centre &
07-03 Minneapolis, MN – Roy Wilkins Auditorium &
07-05 Council Bluffs, IA – Stir Cove Amphitheatre &
07-07 Toronto, Ontario – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre &
07-10 Quebec City, Quebec – Festival D’Ete &
07-11 Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre &
07-12 London, Ontario – John Labatt Centre &
07-13 Buffalo, NY – Artpark &

& with Cage The Elephant
† with Booker T. Jones, Nicole Atkins & The Black Sea

Jack White is expanding the Third Man Records family with the addition of up-and-comers Pokey and the South City Three and We Are Hex to the fold.

White will release singles from both groups in March as part of the label’s ‘Blue Series,’ a move which should cheer up fans still upset about the White Stripes’ official demise.

According to Third Man Records’ site, “everything from jazz, string ragtime, country blues, and western swing” is promised from St. Louis’ Pokey and the South City Three, which is led by 26-year-old songwriter Pokey LaFerge, heralded by the label as “a traditional American music purist.”

The single, which was produced by White, features the tracks: ‘Chittlin’ Cookin’ Time in Cheatham County’ and ‘Pack It Up.’

As for the seven-inch on the way from Indianapolis’ We Are Hex, the label describes their sound as “refreshingly raw, honest and urgent.”

Featuring ‘Twist the Witch’s Titty’ and ‘Through the Doldrums to the Dum Dums,’ We Are Hex’s single also has the distinction of having “perhaps the best song titles on Third Man so far,” according to the label.

Third Man has posted 30-second teasers from both of the singles on its site. Limited-edition tri-colour versions of each record will be available.

As suggested by the folks at Exclaim, if you happen to visit Third Man headquarters in Nashville, TN, you can preview these new tracks as performed by the Third Man Monkey Band.

And of course thanks to the internet. Thom Yorke and been remixed to boogie to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’

Yorke’s B&W gyrating and Bob Fosse-esque bowler hat take on a whole different feel. We like it, and we’d totally put a ring on it.

Less than a week after they unexpectedly, awesomely took home the Grammy for Album of the Year, Arcade Fire have announced a massive world tour. Along the way, they’ll play a few giant festivals, as well as their own headlining shows with some choice openers: the National, Explosions in the Sky, Local Natives, Okkervil River. When that’s done, they’ll hit Europe, head back to Canada for one show with U2, and wrap it with two more gigs in the UK. We’ve got the dates below.

Arcade Fire:

04-09 Broomfield, CO – 1st Bank Center ^
04-11 Orem, UT – The UCCU Center ^
04-13 Phoenix, AZ – Comerica Theatre ^
04-14 Las Vegas, NV – The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel ^
04-16 Indio, CA – Coachella
04-18 Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Convention Center
04-20 Kansas City, MO – Starlight Amphitheatre *
04-22 Chicago, IL – UIC Pavilion *
04-24 Chicago, IL – UIC Pavilion *
04-25 Chicago, IL – UIC Pavilion *
04-27 Indianapolis, IN – The Lawn at White River State Park *
04-28 Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre
04-30 Dallas, TX – Gexa Energy Pavilion #
05-03 Austin, TX – The Backyard %
05-04 The Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion %
05-06 New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
06-09-12 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Festival
06-17 Scheesel, Germany – Hurricane Festival
06-18 Neuhausen, Germany – Southside Festival
06-21 Zagreb, Croatia – T Mobile InMusic Festival
06-22 Burgenland, Austria – Festivalgelände Wiesen
06-26 Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Rock-A-Field Festival
06-30 London, England – Hyde Park
07-02 Arras, France – Main Square Festival
07-03 Belfort, France – Les Eurockeenes
07-05 Milan, Italy – Milano Jazzin’ Festival
07-07 Novi Sad, Serbia – Exit Festival
07-09 Lucca, Italy – Lucca Summer Festival
07-15 Lisbon, Portugal – Super Bock Super Rock Festival
07-17 Bennicassim, Spain – Benicassim Festival
07-30 Moncton, New Brunswick – Magnetic Hill @
08-31 Manchester, England – MEN Arena
09-01 Edinburgh, Scotland – Edinburgh Castle

^ with Local Natives
* with the National
# with Okkevil River
% with Explosions in the Sky
@ with U2

Amazing performance from So. Cal based “The Soft Pack” from last year.. So good!

It’s getting closer: Spotify has finalized a U.S. distribution deal with EMI Music, multiple sources tell me.

Both EMI and Spotify declined to comment.

Coupled with last month’s Sony deal, Spotify now has the approval from two of the four major music labels for an American launch. But that still doesn’t guarantee you’ll see the streaming music subscription service in America anytime soon.

In order to make a credible offer to U.S. users, Spotify will need to at least get Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest label, on board, and it’s not there yet.

It would also be nice if Spotify could land Warner Music Group, which now seems more doable than in the past, given Warner CEO Edgar Bronfman’s increasingly positive comments about the company.

If and/or when Spotify does come to the U.S., it will also have to contend with new rules from Apple, which will require a 30 percent cut of any subscriptions the service sells through Apple’s iTunes platform. That tariff is going to be a significant problem for many of Spotify’s peers, who are working on slim margins to begin with; I don’t know how Spotify plans to address this one.

Radiohead have tweeted details of a mysterious Tokyo location and time ahead of the release of their new album on Saturday (February 19).

The band posted the message in Japanese on their official Twitter.com page, Twitter.com/radiohead, this morning (17).

It roughly translates as: “Hachiko Square Shibuya, 59 minutes at 18 Friday”. The square is one of the notoriously busy ‘pedestrian roads’ in Tokyo.

Fans are now speculating that the band may appear at the square at 18:59 (JST) tomorrow, which would be 4:59am UK time on Saturday morning. Radiohead have so far not elaborated on what the message means, and their spokesperson said they would not be commenting on the tweet.

Their new album ‘The King Of Limbs’ is tipped to feature eight songs, although the band have said that they will not release tracklisting details ahead of its release.

Rock darlings My Morning Jacket are primed and ready to return to both the stage and your living room speakers this year. But now the band has upped the ante by planning to do both at the same time — the group will appear on VH1′s revived ‘VH1 Storytellers’ series later this season. With filming for the episode scheduled to take place on Feb. 24, My Morning Jacket have unveiled something of an open casting call for their true blue fans who wish to attend the taping.

If you’re going to be in the New York area on that date, feel free to send an email to Tickets@GothamCasting.com with the subject header ‘My Morning Jacket Storytellers,’ and include the following: name, age, phone number, city, state and guest name. Additionally, entrants MUST include answers to the following questions: 1.) What makes you such a big fan of My Morning Jacket and 2.) Three questions you would like to ask the band.

Only diehard fans need apply.

Today, All Tomorrow’s Parties announced that Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) will be performing and curating one of the two festival weekends of their December festivities at Butlins, Minehead. In addition to ATP, Jeff will also be playing select dates on the east coast this fall.

As well as headlining ATP, Mangum will choose around 40 acts to play across the weekend on three indoor stages with a total festival capacity of around 5500 people. Mangum will perform more than once in the more intimate Centre Stage venue, although entry to only one show is guaranteed – he will be performing a solo acoustic set.

After releasing what is now one of the most loved and critically acclaimed albums of the 1990s (In The Aeroplane Over The Sea), Neutral Milk Hotel disbanded before many of those who now love their albums had a chance to see the songs performed live, so Jeff’s much anticipated return to the live stage this year will no doubt be a very special occasion for fans throughout the UK and worldwide.

Here’s a first look at the line-up as chosen by Jeff Mangum which already features a number of much loved performers/groups:

JEFF MANGUM (Neutral Milk Hotel)
SUPERCHUNK
THE OLIVIA TREMOR CONTROL
YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS
THE MAGIC BAND
THE RAINCOATS performing The Raincoats (debut LP)
A HAWK AND A HACKSAW
TINARIWEN
THE APPLES IN STEREO

Tickets for ATP Curated by Jeff Mangum are priced at £170.00pp for room only and £180.00pp for self catering and go on sale this Friday 18th February at 9am GMT from THIS LINK. On sale dates for the east coast dates are included below.

Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) on tour:
Aug 12 Toronto, ON Trinity St. Paul’s United Church – on sale 2/25
Aug 13 Toronto, ON Trinity St. Paul’s United Church – on sale 2/25
Sept 09 Cambridge, MA TBA
Sept 10 Boston, MA Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory – on sale 2/25
Sept 30 Asbury Park, NJ Paramount Theatre – Sold Out
Oct 03 Asbury Park, NJ Paramount Theatre – Sold Out
Oct 29 New York, NY Town Hall – on sale TBA
Nov 06 Jersey City, NJ Loew’s Theatre – on sale TBA
Dec 02 Somerset, UK All Tomorrow’s Parties Curated by Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel) – on sale 2/18

“Fuck you, scalpers”–James Murphy

LCD Soundsystem has confirmed a run of four shows at New York City’s Terminal 5 to precede its instantly sold out April 2 Long Goodbye farewell event at Madison Square Garden.

The Terminal 5 dates will take place March 28, 29, 30 and 31 and were booked with the intent of making sure every LCD fan possible will have his/her chance bid the band adieu-as well as deflating the prices of tickets being scalped for the MSG show (despite the band’s best efforts to keep these tickets off the secondary market, which included a no-surcharge presale earlier this week).

Reached for comment, LCD’s James Murphy said (in part), “… We were more than taken aback and surprised about the speed of ticket sales for the April 2nd MSG gig, as well as the effectiveness of scalper pieces of fucking shit at getting their hands on said tickets before fans could, and it’s knocked us on our asses… We never dreamed some shitbags would try to get THOUSANDS for our show. It’s insane…

So to the point. You can’t make everyone happy… But we’ve come up with the best solution I can think of, as quickly as possible so as to deflate the market for those scalping scumfucks: We’re going to play 4 shows at Terminal 5 in NYC leading up to the MSG show, and they will include most if not all of the songs we play at MSG. The farewell run-up to the last dance… OBVIOUSLY we’re going to look seriously at the way we sell these tickets… (though it’ll take a minute to get folks in the door)…

We’re announcing all the shows at once, and if they don’t sell out, I don’t care. I just want to give people who actually want to see us a chance to see us. For a reasonable ticket price. And I want to drop the price of the MSG tickets being sold by piece of shit scalpers.

Oh, and a small thing to scalpers: ‘It’s legal’ is what people say when they don’t have ethics. The law is there to set the LIMIT of what is PUNISHABLE (aka where the state needs to intervene) but we are supposed to have ethics, and that should be the primary guiding force in our actions…

And to everyone else: Thank you. You rule. Don’t let the shitbags win.”

(For James’ statement in full, go to LCDSoundsystem.com)

Behold! Radiohead announced this morning that their eighth album, The King of Limbs, will arrive digitally on February 19, followed by an elaborate physical release — dubbed “the world’s first Newspaper Album” on their new Website — set for May.

MP3 copies of their In Rainbows follow-up are priced at $9 (WAV are $14), as Radiohead have moved on from their 2007 pay-what-you-want model, asking this time for $48 for the physical + digital bundle, which includes two 10” clear vinyl records, “many large sheets of artwork, 625 tiny pieces of artwork, and a full-colour piece of oxo-degradeable plastic to hold it all together.”

Check out the link and head here to pre-order The King of Limbs.

Interview

I Can Change

Suburbs, it was a wonderful long-shot moment. But tonight, they actually won, beating Grammy-night juggernauts Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Lady Antebellum. The first thing Win Butler said from the podium: “What the hell?” That about sums it up.

The band won immediately after raging through “Month of May” on the Grammy stage in a blistering, strobe-heavy performance marred only by the inexplicable presence of guys on BMX bikes doing tricks onstage. And as they accepted the award, Butler said, “We’re going to play another song because we like music,” and the band cranked through “Ready to Start”. Great moment. Watch it below..

Arcade Fire just Tweeted, OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. Thank you EVERYONE.

Kanye West Tweeted, #Arcade fire!!!!!!!!!! There is hope!!! I feel like we all won when something like this happens! FUCKING AWESOME!

Arcade Fire were actually nominated for two other awards, neither part of the Grammy telecast, and they lost both (Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocals) to the Black Keys. That Stephen Colbert vote must’ve really helped the Keys out. (via pitchfork)

Acceptance speech and “Ready to Start”:

“Month of May”

It’s business as (un)usual over at Jack White’s Third Man Records. The latest idea to come from a label that recently brought us a animatronic music-playing monkey band? A pair of bizarre spoken-word 7″ releases, naturally.

Consequence of Sound points out that on February 22, Third Man will release the latest installment in its spoken word/instructional-focused “Green Series” (which previously included that Conan O’Brien single): a 7″ from impersonator and human meme Amy Walker, whose exactly-what-it-sounds-like YouTube clip “21 Accents” is currently running at over five million views.

According to the Third Man site, the A-side will feature Walker running through a selection of her accents; the B-side will feature her and White discussing “overuse of the word ‘like’ by modern teenagers, offending people by speaking in their accents and a wide-range of other topical subjects in an exploration of accents and dialects and how they relate to peoples preconceptions, and influence prejudices.” The label will issue the single in 30(!) different sleeves, each documenting a different persona of Walker’s. (That’s one of the sleeves above, on the left-hand side; check out the rest of them here.)

Also on February 22, Third Man will release another Green Series 7″, featuring the North Carolina auctioneer Jerry King (the right-hand picture above is the single art). The A-side will feature a dialogue between him and White on “the history, cadence, rhythm and speed of Jerry’s auctioneering;” the B-side, on the other hand, will contain two separate grooves, each featuring a mock auction– specifically, an automobile auction and a “tobacco/chocolate cake” auction. OK!
(via pitchfork)

Talks about playing next year’s Super Bowl half time show with their original line-up are apparently underway.

Singer Axl Rose refuted speculation this week (February 8) that he would agree to any kind of reunion with his former bandmates. But despite this US sports website Kentsterling.com claims that a source has given information that talks are ongoing.

According to the report, “Preliminary talks have already taken place to reconvene the most popular line up of ” for the event next year.

However, the site acknowledges that discussions are in “very early stages” and that it “may turn into nothing”.

If the reunion were to happen it would be the first time the line-up that recorded the band’s acclaimed 1987 debut album ‘Appetite For Destruction’ had played live together since 1990, the year drummer Steven Adler was sacked.

Guitarist Slash recently said he’d be up for talking to Rose about a reunion – but only if the singer apologised to him. The pair are not thought to have spoken since Slash left the band in 1996.

LCD Soundsystem have launched a scathing attack on touts selling overpriced tickets for their last ever gig.

The band, who have seemingly been winding down their career — or their live career, at least — play their final show together at Madison Square Garden on April 2.

But, as Gigwise reports, touts have apparently already been listing tickets for sale — some priced at $1,500 (£934) — and LCD Soundsystem have taken to Twitter to express their outrage.

They label the touts as “parasites” and admit it is “not worth that kind of money to see us.”

They said: “1500 for a single ticket? F— you, scalpers. You are parasites. I HATE you.”

“I will try to figure a way out to f— these f—ers. NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, IT IS NOT WORTH THAT KIND OF MONEY TO SEE US!”

As previously reported, LCD Soundsystem mainman James Murphy admitted in December last year that his band are done playing live — but might continue to release music. “LCD Soundsystem as a band is not gonna tour anymore after next year. It doesn’t mean we won’t make an album per se, but the process will be very different. We’re done being just a pro rock ensemble,” he said.

Broadcast’s Trish Keenan, who passed away on January 14, will make a posthumous appearance on the new album from electronica producer Prefuse 73.

She will feature alongside Zola Jesus and Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond on ‘The Only She Chapters’, set for release on April 25.

Keenan sings on a song called ‘The Only Trial Of 9000 Suns’, while Zola Jesus appears on ‘The Only Direction In Concrete’, reports Exclaim.ca.

“The process features all women vocalists and voices and the music was recorded very differently from how I normally work,” Guillermo Scott Herren, aka Prefuse 73, said of the album. “This can be seen as a departure from other albums but it’s not a departure intended to leave people feeling alienated or baffled.”

Enjoy a Stop-motion Playmobil Cover of Joy Division’s ‘Transmission’ They look a little too happy to be Joy Division, but otherwise: Rock on, indie Legos.

Joy Division: “Transmission” (original performance on “Something Else”)

“Despite rumours to the contrary, Gorillaz are alive and well and misbehaving in London W10.” That’s the word we have just received from representatives for Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s cartoon band. So, breathe easy everybody.

As Consequence of Sound points out, the rumors in question started with a People magazine report that quotes a source as saying, “There’s been a massive argument that has basically ended things. Jamie’s gone abroad to be with his girlfriend, while Damon is busy with his opera and with the return of Blur. For now, it looks like it could be the end of Gorillaz.” But, thankfully, that isn’t true.

A Flaming Lips live show is a glorious thing. Even if you think you’ll be immune to all the billowing confetti and costumed dancers and giant-bubble crowd-walks, it’s pretty overwhelming to actually stand there and let this massive spectacle swallow you up. And this spring and summer, the band will give audiences a few more chances to get swept up in all of it. They’ve announced North American and European live shows, including sets at festivals like Primavera and Sasquatch. At a few of those shows, they’ll play their 1999 masterpiece The Soft Bulletin in full. We’ve got their dates below.

Last month, we reported that the band planed to release a vinyl box set called Heady Nuggs: The First 5 Warner Bros. Records, 1992-2002, which they were hoping to release on Record Store Day. Well, they made the deadline; the limited-edition Heady Nuggs will drop on the April 16 retail holiday. The set will include the following albums: 1992′s Hit to Death in the Future Head, 1993′s Transmissions From the Satellite Heart, 1995′s Clouds Taste Metallic, 1999′s The Soft Bulletin, and 2002′s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. At independent record retailers, the set will be available on 140-gram vinyl. And there will also be a special edition of the set, with all five discs pressed on five different colors of vinyl, only available from the band’s website.

Back in January, we also reported that the band was planning a collaboration with chillwaver Neon Indian. The joint recording session went down at the end of January, and Neon Indian, as well as the Lips’ Wayne Coyne and Steven Drozd, Tweeted videos of their work in the studio. From what those videos show, the final product should be heavy on vintage synth blares.

The Flaming Lips:

03-03 New York, NY – Carnegie Hall (Tibert House U.S. Benefit)
03-06 Avon, CO – Snow Ball Fest
05-13 Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
05-14 Nelsonville, OH – Nelsonville Music Festival
05-15 Richmond, VA – The National
05-20 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle *
05-21 Gulf Shores, AL – Hangout Festival
05-26 Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound Festival
05-29 George, WA – Sasquatch Festival *
07-01 London, England – ATP *
07-07 Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom *

* performing The Soft Bulletin
(via pitchfork)

Pulp have been confirmed to headline Norwegian festival Øya in August.

The Sheffield band, who announced that they were reuniting last November, will play the event on August 12. Øya runs from August 9 -13.

Also on the bill for Øya are Bring Me The Horizon, Fleet Foxes, Warpaint, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Explosions In The Sky.

See Oyafestivalen.com for more details.

Pulp are also confirmed to play London’s Wireless and the Isle Of Wight Festival in the UK this summer.

Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner has announced details of his forthcoming soundtrack record.

The singer has written soundtrack songs for Submarine, a Richard Ayoade-directed British film which was recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Turner will release a six-track EP featuring his songs from the film on March 14.

The songs featured are ‘Stuck On The Puzzle (Intro)’, ‘Hiding Tonight’, ‘Glass In The Park’, ‘It’s Hard To Get Around The Wind’, ‘Stuck On The Puzzle’ and ‘Piledriver Waltz’.

Submarine is based on the debut novel of the same name by Joe Dunthorne, and follows the story of a 15 year-old boy who is struggling to lose his virginity while struggling to keep his parents together. It hits UK cinemas on March 18.

Turner previously worked with Ayoade on Arctic Monkeys’ 2008 live music DVD At The Apollo. The IT Crowd actor also directed the music videos for the band’s ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’, ‘Crying Lightning’ and ‘Cornerstone’ singles.

Arctic Monkeys are currently finishing off their new album with producer James Ford in Los Angeles.

Sasquatch Festival:

Foo Fighters, Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse , Wilco, The Flaming Lips (performing The Soft Bulletin & more), The Decemberists, Bright Eyes, Iron & Wine, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Bassnectar, Robyn, Flogging Molly, Death From Above 1979, Pink Martini, Cold War Kids, Old 97’s, Ratatat, Wolf Parade, Chromeo, Guided By Voices, Yeasayer, Beach House, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Local Natives, Matt & Kim, Deerhunter, Mstrkrft, Trailer Park Boys, Sleigh Bells, Major Lazer, Flying Lotus, Skrillex, Tokyo Police Club, Fitz & The Tantrums, !!!, Archers of Loaf, Against Me!, The Thermals, Best Coast, CSS, Surfer Blood, Jenny & Johnny, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Head & The Heart, Bonobo (DJ Set), City and Colour, Reggie Watts, K-Os, Gayngs, Tim Minchin, The Drums, The Radio Dept, Young the Giant, The Antlers, Sharon Van Etten, Villagers, Stornoway, Aloe Blacc, Black Mountain, Moondoggies, Noah & The Whale, Sam Roberts Band, Secret Sisters, Twin Shadow, Das Racist, Wye Oak, Tig Notaro, Wheedle’s Groove, Smith Westerns, Rival Schools, Foster the People, Alberta Cross, S. Carey, White Denim, Washed Out, Gold Panda, Dan Mangan, Axis of Awesome, The Globes, Cotton Jones, Jaill, Mad Rad, Basia Bulat, Other Lives, The Bronx, White Arrows, Pepper Rabbit, Talkdemonic, Rebecca Gates and The Consortium, The Young Evils, and more!

We expect this list to grow, We will update you with any changes
Official Sasquatch Festival Blog

THREE-HOUR FAREWELL EXTRAVAGANZA APRIL 2 AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

It’s the end of an era as lcd soundsystem confirms an april 2 extravaganza at new york city’s madison square garden that will be both its first time headlining the storied arena and the final, definitive and ultimate lcd live show.

billed as lcd soundsystem: the long goodbye, this three-hour farewell performance will be the lengthiest most career-spanning set the band has ever played. those attending can expect the return of long dormant deep cuts to the lcd setlist as well as the first (and last) live performances of a number of never-before-played music spanning lcd soundsystem’s decade-defining albums lcd soundsystem, sound of silver, this is happening, the acclaimed 45:33, and more.

lcd soundsystem: the long goodbye will see james murphy and company going out both on top and on their own terms: as the ultimate lcd live performance in both senses of the word, the show will see the lcd core live band of murphy, pat mahoney, nancy whang, al doyle, gavin russom, tyler pope and matt thornley augmented by a choir, string and horn sections plus contributions and collaborations from both one-time-only special guests and many of the musicians with whom the band has worked over the years.

lcd soundsystem: the long goodbye will cap a banner touring cycle that has seen the band play historic headlining sets at the hollywood bowl, pitchfork, V, wireless and more, from their native nyc to korea to the stretch of south american dates currently underway.

the members of lcd soundsystem will be observing a black and white clothing only dress code for the long goodbye. They respectfully request that the audience do the same.

nyc post-rock pioneers liquid liquid will open the show. further details and special guests will be announced as they are confirmed (or maybe they’ll just show up that night).

tickets for lcd soundsystem: the long goodbye will be on sale february 11th at bowerypresents.com and ticketmaster.com

Bill Callahan’s follow-up to Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle will arrive on April 19 via his longtime label Drag City. Unfortunately, other details are scarce at this time, aside from the Old West-inspired flier which reveals Callahan’s intriguingly bold album title: Apocalypse.

In other Callahan news, he recently shared a bill with Jeff Tweedy, Danielson Famile, Steve Albini, and others for a benefit concert at Chicago’s Second City. While we wait for the first signs of the Apocalypse, enjoy a video of Callahan performing his 2005 Smog tune “The Well,” live at that show, below.

Back in 2004 and hot off the successes of White Blood Cells and Elephant, alt-rock hero/guitar god/man of the decade Jack White reached out to his longtime idol, country legend Loretta Lynn, in the hopes of bringing her out of retirement to record new material. The result was one of the most acclaimed albums of the year, Van Lear Rose, on which White handled all production and guitar duties. White’s indie-cred helped propel Lynn’s legend to new heights and introduce her vast catalog to a new generation of listeners and fans, as was evidenced by the release of last year’s Coal Miner’s Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn, a tribute album that featured pop acts of all kinds, from Paramore and Kid Rock to Jack White’s own White Stripes. White proved to be the perfect candidate for the job; his inherent devotion to Lynn’s musical style of old kept the album from veering off into hackneyed attempts at updating a very established artist’s sound, while his carefully added touches here and there made Lynn sound simultaneously hip and as much her old self as ever.

So when the news of White’s plans to cut an LP with another one of his idols, rockabilly/country legend Wanda Jackson, surfaced, comparisons were inevitable. Here was White, again at the helm of another revered country singer’s career reboot attempt–one whose music and image has left an indelible mark on White’s own. But from the blasts of horns that herald the start of the record on Jackson’s splendid album-opening cover of the classic “Shakin’ All Over”, it’s clear that things couldn’t be more different this time around: The Party Ain’t Over is less an attempt at career revival and more like a celebration of Jackson’s storied career. Where Loretta Lynn rediscovered her songwriting abilities on Van Lear Rose, Jackson tries her hand at reinterpreting a carefully picked mix of old standards and contemporary tunes, to great effect. Even the most recent of the covers on the record, Bob Dylan’s “Thunder on the Mountain” and Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good”, were originally written with a lean to the retro side of things that, with White’s huge arrangements, suit Jackson perfectly.

Her signature rasp is as intact as ever and she lets loose on a number of tracks, perhaps no more than she does on the aforementioned “Shakin’ All Over”. Jackson sounds most at home on the 50s-esque rave-up of “Rip It Up” and the swinging blues of “Busted”, made famous by Little Richard and Johnny Cash respectively. The surprisingly tender “Teach Me Tonight” sees the singer try on an affectionate croon that meshes perfectly with the dreamy keys and backing vocals. Her stirring rendition of Bob Dylan’s 2006 instant classic, “Thunder on the Mountain”, is another highlight. Jackson isn’t afraid to turn the tune on its head, changing the lyrical subject from Dylan’s puzzling ramblings about Alicia Keys to that of a certain Jerry Lee, while White adds a couple of fiery solos in between verses for good measure. Of course, the most talked about of the album’s song choices is Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good”. Packed to the brim with sexual tension, the sultry tune would be a tough sell for anyone, let alone a 73-year-old country singer. But her charm and snarling take on the racy verses win out in the end, easily making for one of the record’s most memorable songs.

It’s interesting to hear White, who’s been a noted minimalist on his past records, embrace a much more bombastic sound on The Party Ain’t Over and make good use of the amazing musicians at his disposal. The star-studded Third Man House Band (which includes Jack Lawrence [The Dead Weather/The Raconteurs], Carl Broemel [My Morning Jacket], Patrick Keeler [The Raconteurs], and Jack White, among others) provides the perfect backing to Jackson’s rugged voice, allowing her to showcase her talents in a variety of styles; the Caribbean-styled “Rum and Coca-Cola” and the organ-tinged gospel of “Dust on the Bible” highlight her range as well as her band’s. A spare take on blues standard “Blue Yodel #9″, which sees Jackson yodeling her heart out and trims the accompaniment to just Jack White on acoustic guitar, closes things out in interesting fashion.

All in all, The Party Ain’t Over proves to be a bold success. Most musicians Wanda Jackson’s age are content with resting on the laurels and acclaim they’ve collected over their career, putting out boxset after boxset of remastered and rereleased material. Rather than going the tired “return-to-roots”/”back to basics” route, Jack White manages to cast the legend in a new light, showcasing her skill as a performer and storyteller with his dynamic approach to analog recording. To be fair, The Party Ain’t Over wouldn’t have gotten half the attention it deserved if White didn’t opt to feature on, produce, and tour it, and in all honesty, it’d hardly be as interesting. That said (and despite his efforts to take a step out of the spotlight), it’s about as much his record as it is hers.

A Statement from The White Stripes

The White Stripes would like to announce that today, February 2nd, 2011, their band has officially ended and will make no further new recordings or perform live.

The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue, nor any health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health.

It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way.

Meg and Jack want to thank every one of their fans and admirers for the incredible support they have given throughout the 13 plus years of The White Stripes’ intense and incredible career.

Third Man Records will continue to put out unreleased live and studio recordings from The White Stripes in their Vault subscription record club, as well as through regular channels.

Both Meg and Jack hope this decision isn’t met with sorrow by their fans but that it is seen as a positive move done out of respect for the art and music that the band has created. It is also done with the utmost respect to those fans who’ve shared in those creations, with their feelings considered greatly.

With that in mind the band have this to say:

“The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”

Sincerely,
Meg and Jack White

Billboard:

Citigroup has acquired EMI Group and has recapitalized the major label group in a debt-for-equity swap, the two sides announced Tuesday.

As a result, the company’s debt has been reduced by 65% from £3.4 billion to £1.2 billion, and the company has in excess of £300 million of cash available, EMI said in a press release.

Following the appointment of Peter Spratt and Tony Lomas of PwC as administrators to Maltby Investments Limited, the administrators sold EMI and its immediate holding company Maltby Acquisitions Limited to Citi. Immediately following the transfer in ownership, Citi effected a debt-for-equity swap to recapitalize EMI, the press release continues. The EMI Group continues under the same management and is now separate from MIL, which remains in administration…

Music Week:

No music major now remains in British hands following the sale of EMI to US bank Citigroup.

The move immediately opened questions about a possible sell off of parts or the whole of the company.

Following the acquisition of the debt-laden major, which had been widely expected to take place later this year, Citi announced a recapitalisation of the company. As a result, the company’s debt has been reduced by 65% from £3.4bn to £1.2bn and the company now has in excess of £300m in cash available.

Citi said the new capital structure provided EMI with the financial strength and flexibility to deliver on its strategy to maximise value for its artists and songwriters.

EMI CEO Roger Faxon said this is “an extremely positive step for the company”…

The Guardian:

The US bank took 100% ownership and immediately wrote-off £2.2bn from its borrowings – ending an acrimonious battle with Hands who had been fighting to retain control of the debt-laden music major.

EMI owes Citigroup more than £3bn. The bank supplied Hands with the debt to fund his £4.2bn acquisition of EMI in 2007, in what was seen as one of the most ambitious leveraged buyouts before the financial markets collapsed.

Under Hands, EMI initially struggled to retain marquee artists – losing both the Rolling Stones and Sir Paul McCartney – while senior executives came and went rapidly. Both Elio Leoni-Sceti and Charles Allen briefly ran its recorded music division – before turning over control to long-time insider Roger Faxon…

There are theoretically an infinite number of ways to start an album, but several patterns have become standbys in the rock ‘n’ roll playbook. There’s the faux rehearsal (the muffled chatter and amp heartbeat flickering in Radiohead’s “2+2=5”), and then the pretty acoustic guitar strum (Neutral Milk Hotel’s “The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. One”). Probably most mysterious of all when it really shouldn’t be, there’s the naked drum beat. It is the skeleton of any song, but alone it’s capable of kicking up suspense for what muscle and skin will surround it. Personal favorite drum-starters range from R.E.M.‘s Best-Album-By-Anyone-Ever New Adventures In Hi-Fi, DJ Clue’s The Professional 2 and Weezer’s new dark horse since Pinkerton got the corner office, Maladroit. All were fresh-air detours in their respective genres, and now we graciously lay another brick in the wall.

The Dirtbombs, meanwhile, are tearing theirs down. This is the rare band that instantly snagged the ears on first listen, but the honeymoon period was about one LP side long, and then it started to sound like they worshipped tested rock ‘n’ roll patterns with a little too much bowed-head devotion. Naked drum beat aside, suspense was already part of the game plan on Party Store, as it’s been a while since we last heard the Dirtbombs. From the low-slung growl in Mike Collins’ voice, it sounds like the first time he’s heard himself in a while. On opener “Cosmic Cars”, his vocals creak in tune like well-trodden floorboards, a far cry from the wiggly soul man of 2003. If any of Party Store is about doing what’s expected by covering this selection of early Detroit techno songs, it’s over and done before you can say “beer me”.

The party this unsung Detroit band have in store is a strange one, to be clear, but how they work around convention to make it strange is the album’s true delight. The boney garage-funk of “Sharivari” sounds like a noirish Beat Happening, just worried enough about repeating themselves that they’ve tightened the screws, locked the doors and painted the walls black for motivation. Where previous albums like Ultraglide in Black rocked with a somewhat lighthearted vigor, Party Store takes the control and precision to post-punk levels (with a serious tone to match). Paradoxically, by buckling down and making music that simply sounds more focused on artistry, the Dirtbombs have allowed themselves to get looser, and by extension, closer to the feel of a crack live band. Indeed, it is Party Store‘s urge to not merely push but violently shove the envelope, to joyously erase whatever parameters critics have ascribed to them, that makes it such a wondrous listen.

Guaranteed those listens won’t be numbered, with one hairy mole of an exception for the spacey intermission “Bug in the Bass Bin”. A three-note bass motif is the constant thread weaving together military march drums, wobbly feedback and mercurial sci-fi keyboards. You’ll likely sit through all 21 minutes slack-jawed but face forevermore the temptation to hit “skip” (unless sprinkling angel dust on ‘shrooms is your idea of a second date). Yet, this is as essential to Party Store‘s identity as the rubbery art-punk in “Alleys of Your Mind” or the Japanese characters comprising the final title. The wordlessness continues for the remaining four songs, but the relief track—the DFA-worthy “Jaguar”—can’t be discounted just because James Murphy isn’t loudly taking the piss out of himself.

As the bad moon rises, “Tear The Club Up” isn’t as apeshit insane as might be expected, but the studious repetition and slurred vocal slap-back make it seem like there’s a place in this world for a poor man’s Sleigh Bells—and then, like a sweaty dance at a club, it’s over as quickly as it started. Jay-Z may have been first to put out a song called “On to the Next One”, but in redrawing their own blueprint, Dirtbombs wait for no one. Just try to keep up.

In retrospect, some entries in the Dirtbombs’ fine catalogue were too on-the-nose, obviously fun but not too fun to be obvious. After releasing one-off covers of INXS and Suicide, Collins and his chain gang turned themselves into ghost riders, screaming off into oblivion in search of a new new start. Turns out the Dirtbombs have some mystery in them yet, as they stop sounding like a first rate cover band and instead discover the first rate freeek lurking inside; now that’s reason to celebrate.

Seattle harmonizers Fleet Foxes are back with album number two. On May 3 in the U.S., Sub Pop will release Helplessness Blues, the band’s new 12-song LP. (Bella Union will release it May 2 in the UK.) Phil Ek, who produced the first album, co-produced and mixed this one. And down below, you can stream and download the album’s title track.

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues by subpop

Fleet Foxes:
04-30 Vancouver, British Columbia – The Vogue Theatre
05-01 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
05-03 Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
05-05 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
05-06 San Diego, CA – Spreckels Theatre
05-07 Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Palladium
05-08 Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
05-10 Austin, TX – Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater
05-11 Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom
05-13 Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
05-14 Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle
05-15 Washington, DC – DAR Constitution Hall
05-17 Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
05-18 New York, NY – The United Palace Theatre
05-21 Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
05-25 Berlin, Germany – Astra
05-26 Munich, Germany – Dachau Summer of Music
05-28 Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound
05-30 Paris, France – Bataclan
05-31 London, England – Hammersmith Apollo