Big Boi- “She Said OK” (Music Video)

Big Boi’s much-anticipated followup to 2010′s Sir Lucious Left Foot, titled Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, is apparently out November 13. He’s now shared the video for “She Said OK”, featuring Theophilus London and Tre Luce, via WorldStar. Directed by Alexi Papalexopoulos.

Although there are a couple of freshly recorded covers floating around and a new original song in the set, Greg Dulli remains non-committal about whether the reunited Afghan Whigs will be a going concern after the group’s current U.S. tour wraps up in early November.

“The group is a going concern as it’s going,” Dulli said. “I am being utterly honest when I tell you we haven’t really talked about anything other than what we’re doing right now. It’s kind of cool that it’s happened that way because it’s very much in the moment, and appreciating the moment is something that sometimes gets lost in everyday life. Everything that’s happening now is happening in its own inimitable, organic way. So right now I’m surfing this wave. If the way continues on I’ll know it, and if it’s time to hop off the wave, I’ll know that, too. But I don’t know the answer yet.”

Dulli and company hopped into the studio for a pair of covers — Mary “Queenie” Lyons’ “See and Don’t See” and Frank Ocean’s “Lovecrime” — that it’s distributed for free via the Internet. Dulli says the band has also “recorded a couple more things. We’ll see if they pop out at an appropriate time.” Meanwhile, Afghan Whigs have one brand new song in the set, “Into the Floor,” but Dulli says distributing it now would be premature..

“It’s not available because the words change to it every night,” he explains. “(The song) just sort of started happening and started to evolve, and then we honed it in the sound checks. Now it’s got a couple different ways it’s played — that’s mostly between me and the drummer (Cully Symington). I have signals that indicate which version of the song we’re gonna play so the drummer knows which version of the song is going to happen.”

On the whole, Dulli says he’s happy he decided to put the group back together for this year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals in London and New Jersey, and that it decided to add more shows in both Europe and the U.S. “I’m not going to put a band together for two gigs, especially five months apart,” Dulli explains. “So I turned loose the booking agents, and I’m glad I did. It’s been really fun to play and see everything. It’s a great rock band, great rock songs. As a rock ‘n’ roller, that’s kind of what you want to have when you get up on stage — good people to play with, good songs to play.”

He adds that Afghan Whigs “drove (the band) ’til the wheels fell off” leading up to its 2001 breakup, but he never believed the group was over and done with. “As soon as you break up or as soon as you stop doing something, everybody wants to know when you’re going to do it again,” he says. “So the easiest way to handle that was to completely set it down, (and say it’s) never going to happen — maybe I believed that for a time, but here we are.”

Dulli adds that he’s focused on nothing but Afghan Whigs until the tour winds down Nov. 10 in Los Angeles, so his other projects — including the Twilight Singers (whose lineup has featured current Whigs members Dave Rosser and Rick Nelson) and the Gutter Twins (who Symington plays for) — are on hold. “Right now I’m sort of playing everything by ear,” Dulli says. “I have no idea what’s going to happen next. And I like that.”
by Taboola

Sometimes it’s hard to know what to make of Dan Deacon. There’s a youthful, unfettered exuberance throughout his catalogue that makes itself known via repetitive and chaotic but extremely tightly composed excursions of percussion and electronic tones. But just what is it? Is it pop, electronic, punk, post-rock, drone-wave, or maybe all of the above? Deacon’s occasionally lengthy songs often unfold like post-punk gamelan compositions, with multiple tones, rhythmic patterns, repeating melody lines, and vocals clashing and colliding, but resulting in some very listenable experimental rock. His latest release, America, is the most fully formed and thought-out of his albums, perfectly joining his concept of a free-form punk mentality with classically influenced structure and arrangement.

America is divided into two parts. The first part consists of several individual songs, the best of which is the lush “True Thrush,” a track formed by whirling guitars and drum patterns and glued together by Deacon’s actually very well sung vocals, backed by an epic chorus of “ah’s” and “oh’s.” “Lots” is a harsh and abrasive tune, awash in fuzz that coats vocals and instruments alike. Deacon settles down for some appealing, tinkling ambient-style drones on the aptly titled “Prettyboy,” a track that offers a moment of clarity before the driving “Crash Jam.” The second part of the album is a song in four movements called “USA,” which references the band USAISAMONSTER. It is tempting to dismiss this as grandiose overreaching for undeserved importance, but Deacon has a well-formulated plan here. The movements segue into each other and range from inspiring horn and string heralding to electronic dance-floor bumping to meandering blips, bleeps and static. This section of the album is best listened to as a whole in order to really get the full picture of Deacon’s unconventional musical vision.

Deacon is clearly full of ideas jostling around in his bearded head, and America seems to be a fine way to work them all out. At times the songs drag and seem to over extend their welcome, but those moments are infrequent. Mostly Deacon knows when to quit and when to change a tempo or add a new sound to the mix. Though at times his music may be difficult to sink your teeth into, it only takes a few listens to hear that, despite his unorthodox approach, Deacon is creating experimental music that is actually based on some basic pop principles….

The Rolling Stones have announced details of a new documentary titled Crossfire Hurricane.

Directed by Brett Morgen, the film documents the band’s career from their early road trips and gigs in the 1960s, via the release of 1972′s seminal ‘Exile On Main Street’ right up to present day.

It will also feature stacks of unseen footage of the band, including commentaries from Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ronnie Wood and former Stones Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor. In one early interview when asked what sets the Rolling Stones apart from other bands, Jagger says: ” A chemical reaction seems to have happened”. Richards added: ” You can’t really stop the Rolling Stones, you know when that sort of avalanche is facing you, you just get out of the way”.

Director Brett Morgen said: “Crossfire Hurricane invites the audience to experience firsthand the Stones’ nearly mythical journey from outsiders to rock and roll royalty. This is not an academic history lesson. Crossfire Hurricane allows the viewer to experience the Stones’ journey from a unique vantage point. It’s an aural and visual roller coaster ride.”

‘Crossfile Hurricane’ will premiere in cinemas in October and will go on general release in November.

Earlier Mick Jagger revealed that The Rolling Stones have been back in the studio in Paris..

Full story at The Wrap:

Seth MacFarlane will host the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” as it begins its 38th season Sept. 15, while Frank Ocean will be the musical guest..

A trio comprised of Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Wolf Parade’s Dan Boeckner and Sam Brown of the New Bomb Turks could hardly be called a supergroup, even by indie rock standards. But the threesome, along with veteran ’80s producer Nick Launay, have crafted a recording that is certainly super and one of the few meetings of the minds that finds all the members at the peak of their musical powers. Launay brings a full, crisp but never slick sound along with a slight retro approach wholly in keeping with the band’s edgy pop. Brown’s thumping drums create a firm bottom, providing a throbbing heartbeat for melodies that are slightly skewed but always hummable. There are no guitar solos to interrupt the song based vibe that ranges from the occasional acoustic moment on “Civilian Stripes” to the pulsating beats and synth washes of the following “For Your Heart.” Oldsters will hear echoes of Roxy Music’s romantic glam along with flashes of the Church, Talking Heads and INXS (the latter three are previous Launay clients), but this is a striking, exciting debut crafted with a confident, crackling urgency that makes this music leap out of the speakers..
(Review by H.H.)

Pop music has become more depressing over the last over the last five decades, according to a new scientific study.

Shortly after scientists claimed to have proved that modern music is louder and more boring than it was 50 years ago, a new study published in the Psychology Of Aesthetics, Creativity, And The Arts journal suggests that songs have become increasingly sadder and more melancholy.

According to The AV Club the study, which was conducted by Glenn Schellenberg and Christian von Scheve, analysed the tempo and mode of the most popular 1,010 songs from between 1965 and 2009 taken from Billboard’s annual Top 40 lists of each year’s best tracks. They claim that happy sounding songs are usually fast in tempo and in major mode, while sadder tracks are slower and use minor modes.

According to their findings, the number of songs recorded in minor-mode has almost doubled over the last 50 years, while the number of slower tracks has also increased after reaching a peak in the ’90s. They also claim that in addition to a drop in the number of happy, fast-mode songs as well as a rise in the number of emotionally ambiguous tracks, pop songs have become longer and there has been an increase in the number of compositions from female artists..

Writing in their study, the pair state: “We examined whether emotional cues in American popular music have changed over time, predicting that music has become progressively more sad-sounding and emotionally ambiguous. Our sample comprised over 1,000 Top 40 recordings from 25 years spanning five decades.” He added:Over the years, popular recordings became longer in duration and the proportion of female artists increased,” they continue. “In line with our principal hypotheses, there was also an increase in the use of minor mode and a decrease in average tempo, confirming that popular music became more sad-sounding over time. Decreases in tempo were also more pronounced for songs in major than in minor mode, highlighting a progressive increase of mixed emotional cues in popular music.Schellenberg and von Scheve also propose several theories as to why pop music has become sadder, citing increasing consumerism and cultural individualism which “produces a demand for more choice”. They also suggest that consumers are more eager to show-off the “sophistication in their taste”, ensuing that traditionally jovial songs such as Abba’s ‘Waterloo’ have fallen out of fashion for sounding “naïve and slightly juvenile”.

Sleigh Bells’ “End of the Line” from Reign of Terror has an appropriately melancholy music video, directed by the band’s Derek Miller along with Gregory Kohn. In it, moody footage of Alexis Krauss is juxtaposed with clips of she and Miller riding bikes..

Tom Waits is set to appear on The Simpsons. The wry, croaky singer will play himself on an upcoming episode, introducing Homer to a group of survivalists who are preparing for a technological apocalypse.

Airing in December, Homer Goes to Prep School follows The Simpsons patriarch as he encounters a group of so-called “preppers”. These are people “convinced that some horrible catastrophe – like an electromagnetic pulse – is going to occur, and that [they] will have to survive without the grid,” executive producer Al Jean told TV Line. Inevitably, Homer becomes a prepper”.

Waits is apparently the person who introduces Homer to the preppers. Although he doesn’t sing in the episode, fans will recognise the musician’s voice “in a second”, Jean said. Waits, who is well-known as an actor, has previously lent his growl to the CGI short The Monster of Nix, playing a “terrifying swallow”. He is notoriously protective of his voice and singing style, suing several advertisers who have mimicked the gravelly croon. “It’s part of an artist’s odyssey, discovering your own voice and struggling to find the combination of qualities that makes you unique,” he told the New York Times in 2006. “It’s kind of like your face, your identity. Now I’ve got these unscrupulous doppelgängers out there – my evil twin who is undermining every move I make.”

Justin Bieber, Zooey Deschanel and Benedict Cumberbatch will also voice characters on upcoming episodes of The Simpsons. The animated series begins its 24th season on 30 September..

Probably a smart move. Full story at the Guardian:

Two members of Russia’s anti-Kremlin punk band Pussy Riot have fled the country to avoid prosecution for staging a protest against Vladimir Putin at a church altar, the band said on Sunday.

“In regard to the pursuit, two of our members have successfully fled the country! They are recruiting foreign feminists to prepare new actions!,” a Twitter account called Pussy Riot Group said…

Blood Red Shoes have always been something of a conflicted band. Over the course of their 2008 debut Box Of Secrets and 2010’s follow up Fire Like This the duo of guitarist Laura-Mary Carter and drummer Steven Ansell have appeared torn between the desire to make heavy and uncompromising rock and their inherent ability to write hook filled pop melodies. Third album In Time To Voices sees them abandoning such conflicts and delivering their most focused and developed set of songs yet, while clearly progressing and evolving their sound.

The Brighton based duo have stated that they intended to make this album their most ambitious record and it is immediately clear that on In Time To Voices they are working from a far broader musical palette. The opening title track has a nervy, icy pulse uncommon with their earlier work with Laura Mary Carter’s voice floatingly wispily over the top; it is a taut, strident sound that exemplifies the groups more musically dextrous developments. Cold is the albums lead single and it is perhaps the most striking track here. In Time To Voices is the first Blood Red Shoes album to really have a sense of the dance floor and Cold’s off beat, almost hip hop style groove gives it a thrilling rhythmic dynamic. Ansell’s gloriously inventive drums combine with Carter’s crunching guitar riff to perfect effect and, coupled with a growled chorus; it makes for a truly powerful single. A perfect mix of a heavy sound and a sexy danceable groove.

Blood Red Shoes appear to have moved their sound forward by stripping things back. Excesses are eschewed completely on an album free of any stodge. The songwriting as a result is much more lucid and focused and Silence And The Drones and the appositely named lullaby like Night Light are excellent pieces of melodic rock. The duo have finally grasped and worked out the perfect balance between quiet and loud. There are, however, welcome blasts of their old punk rock aggression namely on the 90-second punk thrash Je Me Perds.

The album was co-produced by the duo and Mike Crossey and sonically it is certainly their most accomplished album. Each defined instrument and sound is clear and direct and their ambition shines through throughout. Stop Kicking is surely a candidate for a future single and is probably the albums best melody, treading just on the right line of anthemic rock it is a lovely piece of yearning guitar pop.

Down Here In The Dark is a perfect companion piece to Cold and it is another track that shows the duo’s development. Again taking its cues from a hip hop beat it is carried along on some gloriously detached and insouciant Oh, Oh, Oh, Ohs. It is another track that swings rather than rocks and the heaviness of the guitars complements its grinding beat. A real step forward.

The album ends with the hypnotic new wavey 7 Years, and it is a track that you could not imagine the duo making previously. A wonderful lightness prevails here and it is a widescreen sweeping sound that suits them. There is no need to embellish the song with extra crunching guitars; they are instead content to let the melodies seep through. An approach which has served them very well throughout a record that frequently surprises and enthrals.

It is always refreshing when a band show a real desire to progress and attempt to do something a little different. Blood Red Shoes have shown that they are more than a rock band with a few good pop melodies, and have developed into a band of real ambition and invention. In Time To Voices is an extremely impressive and clever modern rock record.

Back in June, New York post-hardcore warriors Quicksand, broken up since 1999, played staged a surprise reunion at the Revelation Records 25th anniversary show. They’ve got some more reunion shows coming up, and last night, they appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Between the show itself and the online-bonus portion, they played two songs from their 1993 debut Slip, “Fazer” and “Omission.” And on both, they sound absolutely locked in, plugging right back into their furious groove-chemistry. Watch both below…

Sleigh Bells are the latest musical guests to guest on Anthony Bourdain’s traveling food show “No Reservations”. Bourdain joins them at their rented SXSW home in Austin, where he roasts a pig, drinks avocado margaritas and gets a tattoo (!) from the band’s touring guitarist Jason Boyer. They appear to have a supremely fun time together.
The episode– which kicks off a new season of the show– airs on September 3 on the Travel Channel. Watch a two-minute episode teaser below…

Available as both a limited-edition six-disc box set and a two-CD collection (listed, left), this ambitious undertaking traces the marriage of two great British institutions over the space of 30 years.

Expanding upon studio sessions and live recordings previously available on BBC Sessions: 1964-77 and the epic Picture Book box set, it’s the first time that every surviving Kinks performance has been officially compiled from the BBC archive..

Discs one and two, which chronicle their evolution from raucous proto-punks to sly social satirists, also provide fascinating insight into the rapid maturation, not only of Ray Davies’ remarkable craft, but also of pop as it was in the process of inventing itself.

The sheer number of sessions and – by turn stilted and hilarious – studio interviews with the likes of genial Saturday Club host Brian Matthew illustrate the astonishing, non-stop pressure that the biggest 60s bands were under. This was era when, if you hadn’t had a hit in six months, you were considered passé. No wonder Ray sounds exhausted.

Discs three and four focus on their unfairly overlooked 70s work, when the hits had indeed dried up, but their cult remained healthy. Compiling John Peel sessions and two rapturously received live performances (one, for The Old Grey Whistle Test, can also be viewed on the stellar bonus DVD), they provide vital evidence of a band that never lost confidence in their unique, eccentric character, despite wider indifference.

The 80s are represented on the DVD only (their final Top of the Pops appearance, performing freak hit Come Dancing), leaving disc five to mop up one last BBC session from 1994, and a slew of unnecessary off-air bootleg recordings of dubious quality.

Nevertheless, this is a completist’s dream, sharply remastered by redoubtable reissue producer Andrew Sandoval, and beautifully packaged in the style of a vintage issue of Radio Times, complete with illustrated hard-bound booklet and informative liner notes from music journalist and author Peter Doggett.

It’s a vast, revealing monument to the genius of Ray Davies and one of the greatest British bands of all time.

Shortly after receiving their sentence and sharing the song “Putin Lights Up the Fires”, Reuters reports that Russian police are searching for more members of Pussy Riot involved in the February protest. Last Friday, three members were convicted of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” and sentenced to two years in prison. It’s unknown how many members of the band the Kremlin are hunting for; Pussy Riot’s roster includes more than 10 people..

“The probe is currently ongoing, search activities are being conducted,” a spokesperson for the Moscow police told AFP (via Business Insider). Police have yet to identify the suspects in question. Pussy Riot lawyer Mark Feigin said that could potentially mean anyone “in a balaclava” could get arrested and put on trial (via Reuters).

Watch The Guardian’s video montage that accompanies “Putin Lights Up the Fires” below

It’s a familiar story: girl falls for boy from the wrong side of the tracks, girl loves Dinosaur Jr., girl loses boy, and Tim Heidecker is girl’s gold-chained single dad with a butt cut who makes his breakfast in a towel, paints model airplanes as a hobby and cannot bear the heartbreak of his baby.

Funny Or Die premiered their poignant and hilarious music video for “Watch the Corners” today starring Tim Heidecker of Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and the R. Alverson film The Comedy. “Watch the Corners” was directed by The Director Brothers and produced by Sean Boyle and also stars Olivia Crocicchia, Jordan Martin, and Melanie Hawkins.

Queens Of The Stone Age are currently recording their sixth studio album.

Writing on their official Facebook page, at Facebook.com/QOTSA, the band simply updated their status with the word “Recording”, receiving tens of thousands of ‘likes’ in minutes.

Late last year the band revealed that they had started initial work on a new album. Again, they posted on their Facebook page, with frontman Josh Homme saying that they were “deep into makin’ new album,”.

In December 2011, he wrote: “Locked away in the desert. & shit yeah. it. sounds. fuckin. killer.”

Talking earlier in 2011, the QOTSA frontman said the long-awaited sixth studio album would be done by the end of 2011, however, the album still hasn’t seen the light of day.

“We’re at a weird moment where we really don’t feel like we have anything to prove,” he told Radio 1. “We just want to play to the people that are into us and we want to play right at them.”

Queens guitarist Dean Fertita had previously said sessions for the follow-up to 2007′s ‘Era Vulgaris’ were going well. “We’ve got so many ideas started already,” he said. “I guess we’ll see what turns out to be everybody’s favourite. It’s very much still Homme’s band, but I think all of us really feel like we’ve found our space in it and can contribute to it as well.”

Deerhunter/Atlas Sound’s Bradford Cox and Black Lips’ Cole Alexander have revived their collaborative Ghetto Cross project, which they began in January 2008 with a new track called “Still”. The band now also includes bassist Asha Lakra and drummer Frankie Broyles, formerly of Balkans.

According to Cox, “Still” “is about the relationship that develops between two young boys, one of whom is autistic and cannot talk, and the other who is an outcast and beaten by his emotionally manipulative father.”

Ghetto Cross released one track, “Dog Years”, in 2008. Alexander also appeared on the Deerhunter song “Saved by Old Times” from Microcastle. (Cole contributed the spoken bridge via iChat video, as documented by Pitchfork.tv, below). Also, Cox guest Tweets via Black Lips’ account.

According to Cox, “We recorded an album of songs around the time of Rainwater Cassette Exchange. We are revisiting them now as a fall project for fun.”

The band will make their live debut on Tuesday, August 21, with a free show at Atlanta’s Club 529. Both Cox and Alexander will also perform solo sets, as Atlas Sound and Old King Cole Younger, respectively.

All three women have been sentenced to two years in prison, starting from the date of arrest in March. Shouts of “shame! shame!” could be heard in the courtroom.

The three long-detained members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot have been found guilty of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred,” following a five-month case in Moscow that had become both controversial and inspiring around the world.

A number of people have been arrested outside of the courtroom, including chess champion-turned-political activist Garry Kasparov, according to the Guardian, who are live-blogging the verdict.

Pussy Riot were jailed in March on grounds of “hooliganism,” after a February 21 flash-performance at Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral, wherein the group shouted an anti-Putin “punk prayer”.

Amnesty International declared Pussy Riot “prisoners of conscience” and noted they faced the danger of being sent to labor camps where they would be at risk of physical and sexual abuse.

Watch Pussy Riot’s performance at Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral:

(via pitchfork)

The Billy Corgan/Soundgarden beef has been going on at least since that falling out at Lolla ’94, and the Corgan/Pavement beef has had legs since the “Range Life” dig that same year. And man, nobody holds a grudge like BC. In an interview given prior to a show in the Philippines last week, Corgan took shots at both those recently reunited bands:

“There are those bands that are essentially coming back only to make money — playing their old albums, and maybe somewhere in the back of their minds they’re thinking there might be a future. I am not in that business, obviously. I condemn anybody who’s in that business but doesn’t admit [he's] in that business. When Soundgarden came back and they just played their old songs, great. I was a fan of Soundgarden, but call it for what it is. They’re just out there to have one more round at the till; same with Pavement and these other bands.”

Perhaps Soundgarden was spurred by Corgan’s harsh words to announce their own new album news today? Say what you will about Billy, but the dude knows how to give an interview. Some more choice quotes:

“I saw in the last 10 years as the record sales went down for everybody, so did the connection — the emotional connection to the music. And here comes the rise of music made by people who don’t really care about music … They want to be famous. They want to be on American Idol. They want to be in the spotlight. They have no respect for the people that came before them. They have no respect for the tradition of music, they have no respect for the blood and tears that have been spilt by great musicians all over the world — many of whom will never even know their name.”

“Music has been hijacked by business, much like the American spirit has been hijacked by corporate interest. You know it’s a reflection of our greater culture where our value systems are been hollowed out by the glamour of fame, the glamour of power, the glamour of control — and none of these things matter in the eyes of God, in my opinion.”

“The music business essentially operates on a dumbing down principle. How dumb do we have to go to sell this record to the most amount of people? And the more intelligent and articulate it gets, you lose a certain degree of audience.”

“Radiohead’s an example — very high arc, very high message and still very popular. But for the most part, the charts are dominated by music that’s essentially dumbed down — repetitive melody, style, tone, texture and message because it reaches the most [number] of people. So it’s amazing if you let people be with you on a deeper journey — they’ll actually figure it out because most people are deep.”

Does that last one count as pissing on Radiohead? I’m not so sure…

Mitt Romney has been using Silversun Pickups’ “Panic Switch” during official rallies lately, but here’s the big problem — he didn’t get permission from the band. So, the Pickups gang slapped him with a cease-and-desist yesterday. Here’s Silversun Pickups lead singer Brian Aubert:

“We don’t like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don’t like the Romney campaign,” frontman Brian Aubert wrote. “We’re nice, approachable people. We won’t bite. Unless you’re Mitt Romney! We were very close to just letting this go because the irony was too good. While he is inadvertently playing a song that describes his whole campaign, we doubt that “Panic Switch’ really sends the message he intends.”

(via AP)

Romney’s camp issued a statement:

The song was inadvertently played during event set-up before Gov. Romney arrived at the location. As anyone who attends Gov. Romney’s events knows, this is not a song we would have played intentionally. That said, it was covered under the campaign’s regular blanket license, but we will not play it again.

Luckily enough, DEVO came through in the clutch! They dropped a song for Romney yesterday. One song in, one song out..

ITV reports that Baroness’ bus crashed near Bath, England today, falling thirty feet over a viaduct. Nine passengers were on the bus; two were brought to Bristol’s Frenchay Hospital with “serious” injuries according to ITV, while seven sustained minor injuries and were brought to Bath’s Royal United Hospital.

According to the BBC, two were trapped and had to be removed by firefighters. The circumstances for the accident are still unclear, but “heavy rain in the area reduced visibility and it was not possible for the air ambulance to land,” according to the BBC.

The band were en route to Southampton, England after a show in Bristol last night.

Update: August 14 11:19 a.m.: Relapse Records has issued the following statement:
Baroness have been involved in a motor coach accident in the Bath area of England. All band members and personnel on board are currently receiving medical treatment. The band had performed in Bristol last night and were traveling to Southampton for a performance at Talking Heads this evening. All remaining dates on the band’s European tour have been canceled. Additional details to come as more information is available.

Here is Baroness’ current tour itinerary. As of now, their U.S. shows are still on:

08-15 Southampton, England – Talking Heads
08-17 Hasselt, Belgium – Pukkelpop
08-18 Leipzig, Germany – Highfield Festival
08-19 Ludinghausen, Germany – Area4 Festival
08-29 Brooklyn, NY – House of Vans
09-01-02 Los Angeles, CA – FYF Fest
09-06 Raleigh, NC – Hopscotch Music Festival
09-21 Lexington, KY – Boomslang
10-27 Gainesville, FL – The Fest 11
11-02-04 Austin, TX – Fun Fun Fun Fest

Veteran producer Roy Thomas Baker has filed a lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment claiming $1 million in unpaid royalties from 21 Journey songs.

Baker is perhaps most famous for producing Queen hit Bohemian Rhapsody but also has a number of iconic rock albums from the likes of Journey, Guns N’ Roses, Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne to his name.

Barker’s lawsuit claims that Sony was supposed to pay him royalties for production work on the master recordings for 21 Journey songs released over their Infinity and Evolution albums and later compiled on a Greatest Hits album, which sold more than 80 million worldwide.

According to the claim, an audit of Sony’s accounts showed that Baker’s royalties had been underreported by more than $475,000 for the period audited.

It also claims that Sony is refusing to release documents that could uncover further underreporting since the audit. Baker estimates that more than $500,000 in royalties may have been underreported before the audit.

The lawsuit states: “There was no way for plaintiff to know of this fraud by Sony because of its concealment, and plaintiff reasonably relied to his detriment.”

Baker also claims that Sony charged deductions on CDs and foreign digital downloads that were either not allowed or not in the original producer agreement. He further claims that Sony has not paid him royalties for Journey’s Departure album and Greatest Hits DVD 1978-1997 as well as music and ringtones downloaded from major digital music services.

Overall, Baker and his company RTB Audio Visual Productions have demanded that Sony Music Entertainment (Sony Music ex-Japan) pays $1 million and half of its net receipts from leasing the master recordings.

In April, Questlove performed a medley of Beastie Boys tracks at this year’s annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony in celebration of the life of Adam Yauch. Recently, Questlove let loose an MP3 of the demo he sent around beforehand to folks involved with the ceremony, a demo that gave them a taste of what was to come. Questlove explains it all, in his usual rambling, but endearing, manner. You can hear it below.

(via Stereogum)

It has been revealed that Surfer Blood frontman John Paul Pitts was arrested for domestic battery earlier this year…

Pitts was arrested after allegedly attacking his girlfriend of one year on March 31 in Lake Worth, Florida. He pleaded not guilty on May 4, but Pitchfork reports that Pitts obtained a ‘plea and pass’ order on July 13, meaning that if he complies fully with the court’s orders and their suggested program, his charges and guilty plea will be dismissed in April of next year.

Pitchfork has published the incident report from the day of the attack, which saw Pitts’ girlfriend with “abrasions and bruises” on her arms and a bruise above her right eye. It reads: “The victim stated on today’s date, Pitts and herself returned from an evening out. An argument pursued because she called a friend, stating she might need a place to stay. Pitts went into the bathroom and stated he was going to harm himself. When she knocked on the door, Pitts came out, they went into the bedroom, and the arguing continued.”

The report goes on to say: “The victim stated Pitts grabbed her and flipped her over her shoulder, he then pinned her down by climbing on top of her. The defendant then proceeded to shove his fingers inside of her mouth. In return, she attempted to bite him and he pushed his fingers away. He continued to press his weight against her so she bit him on his chest. The victim stated this has occurred before. She told Pitts on numerous occasions she was going to call the police, but he just laughed. Advised she is not trying to ruin his life.”

It continues: “Pitts advised he did not harm his girlfriend. She always threatens to call the police on him. He was present with scratches and bruises to his chest. A bite mark was observed on the middle portion of his chest.”

For one summer 38 years ago, I picked apples on the family farm to earn money to buy albums. A bushel of apples roughly bought one album. Needless to say, this was an exciting way to earn money for a kid going on 12 years old, a kid hitting puberty excited to be going to a new school – junior high – in the fall.

Some of these albums now live in infamy and some live in obscurity. Among the infamous are the New York Dolls first two records, Iggy Pop and the Stooges Raw Power, David Bowie Diamond Dogs, and Sparks Kimono My House. The ones languishing in obscurity include White Witch Spiritual Greeting, Epitaph Outside the Law, Lucifer’s Friend’s 1st (including the Lucifer’s Friend theme song and ‘In the Time of Job when Mammoth was a Yippie’,) and Jobriath Creatures of the Night.

Most of these albums, I bought at a store that appeared as if by magic in downtown Bartlesville that summer – Larceny Whipsnake’s Music Parlour (Parlour was spelled with a ‘u’ to give it that Old England pizzazz). Sadly, this oasis was only there for four or five months. It later became Small World, an arcade and then it became nothing.

Larceny Whipsnake’s was in an old storefront with beat up wood floors and pealing plaster walls. Sandalwood incense perpetually burned in the mouth of the head of a porcelain clown next to the ramshackle cash register on the front desk. The owner – who I think was named Vance but I am not sure because I never asked him his name; I was too shy to ask – seemed to love every album in the store. Looking back though, he seemed especially gravitate towards those albums that never found an audience in the USA, records like Groundhogs Split, UFO Phenomenon, Budgie In for the Kill and the aforementioned White Witch Spiritual Greeting.

The Jobriath records were stocked but I never paid gave them much attention. They were never on the Now Playing nails that were perched over the turntable. Nevertheless, the covers to both records were intriguing. Walking up and down the rows of records, records placed from floor to ceiling on two by fours on nails, certain records always caught my eyes – Aladin Sane, Stranded, Here Come the Warm Jets, and Creatures of the Night.

Most of the time, I bought albums based on the cover art because that was the only way I had to judge the music inside. Sometimes Vance would recommend albums like White Witch or Groundhogs. Other times, I saw the bands on Midnight Special or Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert or I would read about them in Rock Scene Magazine. Rock Scene Magazine I discovered at Bill’s Thrifywise Grocery that same summer.

The Creatures of the Night cover intrigued me. Often, I picked it up and put it down. This seemingly effeminate space alien who had just landed in my hometown seemed to be a sign or some new promise. After all, I was in Oklahoma where sightings of cigar-shaped UFOs were not uncommon. Everyone seemed to have a UFO story. Jobriath perhaps was there to announce the arrival of said space aliens arriving in taffeta, glitter, platforms and lycra. He naturally had to be their ambassador. They were coming to earth at last.

The promise of the cover held the promise of an Aladin Sane. From the cover, I knew it would not bring the ragged assault of the Stooges or the Dolls. The presentation was formal and foreign and would be more sophisticated. There was something angelic but devilish about the cover, something was beckoning me. Finally, I bought the album Whenever I bought any record, the 25-minute ride out to my house in the county was torture. Riding shotgun in my mom’s VW baby blue Bug, I was always excited beyond belief to get home to hear my latest purchase. Would I discover another Dolls or Sparks or Stooges?

Curve by curve, hill by hill, the ride took forever. I prayed that we did not get behind a dumb dump truck. When we arrived home finally, I jumped out of the car and ran to my room and put the record on my cheap plastic stereo, the kind of stereo that was bought for $75 at Montgomery Wards. I waited for sheer bliss to come out of the speakers.

What I got was not what I expected. I would love to say that I loved it and was immediately swept away to another planet but I wasn’t. I would like to say that it was the best record I had ever heard but it wasn’t. In fact at one point a month or two later, Vance told me that if there was ever a record I did not really like I could bring it back. I brought back the Jobriath record.

Hence we have the Jobriath documentary now, which explains exactly what happened to Jobriath. It is a sad story. There are many sad stories in the music business. He had a ton of promotion behind him but that made no difference. That probably hurt more than helped him because he did not build up any kind of following. Some say that no one wanted such a flamboyant gay man as a pop star. Yes, those were different times. We are much more liberated now (I hope!) There are arguments why he did not become a superstar but if you listen to his two studio albums. It is fairly apparent.

With that being said a few years ago, I spent the whole summer looking for CDs by Jobriath and/or Atomic Rooster. I was thinking maybe I had not given Jo a fair shake in my youth. IN Shanghai at a flea market in a plumbing supply warehouse, I found a Jobriath retrospective. I was quite excited to find it. I took it home and put it on. Yes, I was pleasantly surprised; some of the songs with age were much better. But really what does all of this have to do with the documentary? That, I can’t tell you.
(Review by: Tyson Meade)

Lawyers for the Beastie Boys, including the estate of Adam “MCA” Yauch, are currently suing Monster Energy Drink, as SPIN noted yesterday. The lawsuit, according to Variety, alleges that the beverage manufacturers violated copyright law by using the trio’s music in promos and three-minute-plus videos for an event called Ruckus in the Rockies. The Beaties also claim Monster used their likenesses in a video on their website and in a social-media campaign, which linked to a 23-minute “mega mix” made by DJ Z-Trip of songs like “So What’cha Want,” “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun,” “Make Some Noise,” “Paul Revere,” and “Sabotage” (26 total songs are named in the suit). This mix was also posted to websites like snowboardmag.com. The material is alleged to have gone up around May 9, five days after Yauch’s death.

One part of the suit reads, “The text accompanying Monster’s internet postings, video and MP3 conveyed to consumers the impression that Beastie Boys permitted the use of their name and intellectual property, and participated in connection with Monster’s promotion of its products and events.” Moreover, it says, the Beastie Boys believe and allege Monster infringed on their copyrights “with a willful disregard of the harm to” the group and it did it “willfully, maliciously, and oppressively.” (You can read a full PDF of the suit here).

The Beasties claim Monster violated the Latham Act, which addresses trademarks and endorsements, as well as civil rights laws in New York. The Beastie Boys are seeking an injunction and statutory damages of $150,000 for each infringement. In an ironic twist, the trio were hit with a sampling lawsuit themselves on the eve of MCA’s death.

As reported yesterday, in a particularly badass move, Adam Yauch’s will states that he does not want his likeness or art used in conjunction with advertising. It’s likely that piece of information came to light as a result of this legal filing, stamped August 8. One point in the suit states, “On information and belief, text contained in the Video includes the name ‘Beastie Boys’ and the legal or professional name of Yauch.”

A statement posted on Coleman’s official Facebook page yesterday afternoon (via the Guardian):

Jaz Coleman, alive and kicking in the Western Sahara

To the relief of family and friends, Killing Joke Frontman Jaz Coleman appeared today from his retreat in the Western Sahara bemused by all the fuss of his disappearance. “I’ve been finishing my book and writing the score for my new project – (The Nirvana Symphonic) – (laughs), what’s all the fuss about then?”

Coleman had apparently been living a nomadic existence for the last month in the desert in order to concentrate on finishing his two current projects. Nirvana looks like becoming a TV show and a concert in Seattle in 2013 and the book and an exclusive Coleman album will be packaged together and available for order as early as next week.

International media picked up on the story last week, sending it global, from the press release announced by the band on the Killing Joke Official Facebook site questioning his whereabouts. Fans from around the world have been more than proactive in their opinions – from random sightings in Christchurch New Zealand, to past recollections of his elusive behaviors in Iceland.

Yet mystery still surrounds the message on Facebook regarding The Cult and The Mission Shows of which Coleman claims no knowledge. ‘Looks like this has caused a right ding dong and feel its impossible to continue this tour under the circumstances’. His comments were to wish both The Cult and The Mission the best of luck on the tour, and to find out who has been impersonating him.

Earlier this summer, the LCD Soundsystem documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits screened around the U.S. for one night only. But if you missed a screening, don’t sweat it– Consequence of Sound reports that the film is being released on DVD and Blue-ray via Oscilloscope on October 9. It comes as a three-disc package, including the documentary and footage of the final concert in its entirety. It’s available to pre-order now via DFA.

Here’s a clip from the documentary:

(via pitchfork)

Blood Red Shoes have always been something of a conflicted band. Over the course of their 2008 debut Box Of Secrets and 2010’s follow up Fire Like This the duo of guitarist Laura-Mary Carter and drummer Steven Ansell have appeared torn between the desire to make heavy and uncompromising rock and their inherent ability to write hook filled pop melodies. Third album In Time To Voices sees them abandoning such conflicts and delivering their most focused and developed set of songs yet, while clearly progressing and evolving their sound.

The Brighton based duo have stated that they intended to make this album their most ambitious record and it is immediately clear that on In Time To Voices they are working from a far broader musical palette. The opening title track has a nervy, icy pulse uncommon with their earlier work with Laura Mary Carter’s voice floatingly wispily over the top; it is a taut, strident sound that exemplifies the groups more musically dextrous developments. Cold is the albums lead single and it is perhaps the most striking track here. In Time To Voices is the first Blood Red Shoes album to really have a sense of the dance floor and Cold’s off beat, almost hip hop style groove gives it a thrilling rhythmic dynamic. Ansell’s gloriously inventive drums combine with Carter’s crunching guitar riff to perfect effect and, coupled with a growled chorus; it makes for a truly powerful single. A perfect mix of a heavy sound and a sexy danceable groove.

Blood Red Shoes appear to have moved their sound forward by stripping things back. Excesses are eschewed completely on an album free of any stodge. The songwriting as a result is much more lucid and focused and Silence And The Drones and the appositely named lullaby like Night Light are excellent pieces of melodic rock. The duo have finally grasped and worked out the perfect balance between quiet and loud. There are, however, welcome blasts of their old punk rock aggression namely on the 90-second punk thrash Je Me Perds.

The album was co-produced by the duo and Mike Crossey and sonically it is certainly their most accomplished album. Each defined instrument and sound is clear and direct and their ambition shines through throughout. Stop Kicking is surely a candidate for a future single and is probably the albums best melody, treading just on the right line of anthemic rock it is a lovely piece of yearning guitar pop.

Down Here In The Dark is a perfect companion piece to Cold and it is another track that shows the duo’s development. Again taking its cues from a hip hop beat it is carried along on some gloriously detached and insouciant Oh, Oh, Oh, Ohs. It is another track that swings rather than rocks and the heaviness of the guitars complements its grinding beat. A real step forward.

The album ends with the hypnotic new wavey 7 Years, and it is a track that you could not imagine the duo making previously. A wonderful lightness prevails here and it is a widescreen sweeping sound that suits them. There is no need to embellish the song with extra crunching guitars; they are instead content to let the melodies seep through. An approach which has served them very well throughout a record that frequently surprises and enthrals.

It is always refreshing when a band show a real desire to progress and attempt to do something a little different. Blood Red Shoes have shown that they are more than a rock band with a few good pop melodies, and have developed into a band of real ambition and invention. In Time To Voices is an extremely impressive and clever modern rock record.

Kenny Vasoli’s (The Starting Line) new project Vacationer recently released a music video for their single, “Trip.” The video was shot on Oahu’s North Shore by surf cult cinematographer Dave Homcy, on a unique 35mm movie camera, giving the video a warm vintage look that’s perfect for the end of the summer season.

My Morning Jacket released a new track and video for “Outta My System” and it features Zach Galifianakis. Because that makes sense. Watch it below…

On July 31, Tom Waits posted to his website a very strange image of himself dressed as a pirate, with the note: “Coming August 7.” Following two additional cryptic clues– “I Breathe Better Underwater” and “Never Bring a Gun to a Spoonfight”– he’s revealed the new cinematic clip for his wartime track “Hell Broke Luce” off 2011′s Bad as Me. It’s directed by Matt Mahurin and pictures Waits dragging a house over his shoulder and wearing a gas mask, as well as some menacing eagles and other bits of curiously stunning imagery.

Of the clip, Waits offered the following statement in a press release, poking fun at those who assumed he would announce a tour:

As most of you guessed, it’s a tour…a tour de force!

Matt Mahurin has created an apocalyptic war dream to accompany the song HELL BROKE LUCE. Kathleen and I envisioned it as an enlightened drill sergeant yelling the hard truths of war to a brand new batch of recruits. The video grew from the gnawing image of a soldier pulling his home, through a battlefield, at the end of a rope.

I think you will agree, it’s uplifting and fun.

The title track from Antony’s new, live and symphonic release Cut The World is a previously unreleased track coming from the stage show The Life and Death of Marina Abramović. Fittingly, the famed performance artist brings her iconic mug to this stark, chilling, short filmic Nabil-directed clip’s conclusion, but not before Carice Van Houten (of Game Of Thrones) and Willem Dafoe (of Game Of Cheekbones) work their way through a little secretary/boss disagreement. That is, Willem’s character seems to feel he is entitled to keep living, while Carice takes the opposite position. It’s a literal take on the title, and comes with a “viewer discretion is advised” tag. (NSFW) Enjoy:

Gibson Guitar – the company which became House Speaker John Boehner’s symbol of the Obama administration’s overreach – has agreed to pay a $300,000 penalty and surrender wood seized during a criminal investigation, the Justice Department announced Monday.

The agreement defers prosecution of Gibson Guitar’s alleged violations of the Lacey Act. DOJ believed the company was illegally purchasing and importing ebany wood from Madagascar and rosewood and ebony from India. From a press release:

The criminal enforcement agreement defers prosecution for criminal violations of the Lacey Act and requires Gibson to pay a penalty amount of $300,000. The agreement further provides for a community service payment of $50,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to be used to promote the conservation, identification and propagation of protected tree species used in the musical instrument industry and the forests where those species are found. Gibson will also implement a compliance program designed to strengthen its compliance controls and procedures. In related civil forfeiture actions, Gibson will withdraw its claims to the wood seized in the course of the criminal investigation, including Madagascar ebony from shipments with a total invoice value of $261,844.

Boehner invited CEO Henry Juszkiewicz to the State of the Union last year…

Grizzly Bear’s new album now has a title, Shields, and second track online to preview. Following the LP’s excellent opening cut, “Sleeping Ute,” is today’s premiere of “Yet Again,” in which five minutes flies by thanks to a tight, technicolor arrangement and the quartet’s signature gorgeous harmonies. Yet again, expectations have been exceeded. Hear it above.

The follow-up to Veckatimest arrives on September 18th.
(via 24bit)

Digital is important, gang. Full story at the Telegraph:

“Some of our catalogue artists earn more from streams than downloads of individual tracks [or] any other format,” he said. “If we didn’t have digital we wouldn’t have a business. Physical is still important to us but the lesson we learned over last few years is that you have to strike a balance between giving people what they want on the one hand and actually being a business [and charging for content].”
(via daily swarm)

Jumper Productions was on-hand to record The Black Keys at Emo’s in Austin, TX on October 24, 2003. The DVD was officially released on September 7, 2004 and instantly sold-out around the world. The DVD did not feature the entire set. Here’s your chance to check out the entire show, uncut.

Set List:
Hard Row, Thickfreakness, Busted, Them Eyes, Breaks, Set You Free, Do The Rump, I’ll Be Your Man, Have Love Will Travel, No Trust, & No Fun.
Encore:
Everywhere I Go & Heavy Soul.

Enjoy. Play it loud.

Laetitia Sadier’s first solo album, The Trip, centered around accepting the loss of her sister, but Silencio’s focus is more global, and yet more intimate. Inspired by a profound moment of silence Sadier experienced in a Spanish village filled with churches, the album finds her slowly but surely evolving Stereolab’s style into her own thoughtful version of singer/songwriter pop. There’s a newfound directness and intimacy on the largely spoken word “Moi Sans Zach” and the other songs in Sadier’s native tongue, but most strikingly on Silencio’s many political moments. While it was fairly easy to tune out the Marxist leanings of Stereolab’s songs if one wanted, there’s no missing Sadier’s intelligent outrage on “The Rule of the Game,” where she sings, “The ruling class neglects again responsibility/Overindulged children drawn to cruel games” or “Ascultation to the Nation”‘s takedown of the G20: “What do we care about these self-proclaimed authorities?…They are politically illegitimate” or the enough-said song title “There Is a Price to Pay for Freedom (And It Isn’t Security).” Her protests may be cerebral instead of fiery, but the passion behind them is unmistakable; indeed, Silencio’s righteous anger is sometimes a more immediate hook than the subtle music surrounding it. While there is a definite lounge-pop feel to these songs, the tenor is understandably more serious and sophisticated, stripped of much of the musical irony that Stereolab played with as deftly as any Moog. Despite its stardust synths, “Between Earth and Heaven” tilts further toward jazz than any of Sadier’s previous music, and the larger parts that guitar, piano, and strings play on songs such as “Silent Spot” and “Fragment pour Le Future de L’Homme” reflect an increasingly mature style that flatters her distinctive and timeless vocals. While she allows a few light-hearted moments among Silencio’s heady concerns — including the lovely “Find Me the Pulse of the Universe” and “Next Time You See Me,” a tiny burst of pop sunshine that reunites her with Tim Gane — the album’s heart resides in its final track. A whispered-word meditation in French and English, “Invitation Au Silence,” culminates with Sadier urging listeners to “return to ourselves” in reverberating stillness recorded in a church in southwest France. It’s a fitting ending to an album that begins as a one-woman cabaret show discussing humanity’s past and future and remains the work of a singular voice, one that recognizes that silence is just as vital as music.

Feist and Mastodon’s (AKA Feistodon’s) collaborative “A Commotion”/”Black Tongue” split was one of the highlights of this year’s Record Store Day exclusives. Five thousand copies of the 7″ sold out, but starting today you can buy it digitally from Feist’s and Mastodon’s official sites. The artists have also unleashed an interactive HTML5 video for “A Commotion,” directed by Vice Cooler, featuring Leslie smashing instruments and generally tearing shit up. The interactive part is that you can toggle the audio between the Mastodon version and the Metals original. Check it out at above…