KINGBLIND: Music, Art & Entertainment

2009-07-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

Kingblind.com is celebrating the 4th of July.. See you Monday!!

2009-07-01T09:33:00.001-07:00

Jay-Z Confirms Roc Nation Deals With Sony, Atlantic

As previously reported, Jay-Z has inked a distribution deal with Sony for his Roc Nation label, the Brooklyn-born rapper confirmed to Billboard last week.

"Sony is Roc Nation. That's where Roc Nation's going through," Jay-Z told Billboard.com on Friday (June 29).

As for the deal he recently signed with Atlantic, he clarifies that it is a one-off situation for his upcoming album, "Blueprint 3," slated for a September 11th release.

"That's pretty much just for this specific album. Roc Nation -- we're experts in marketing and making records. But we do distribution deals," he says. "On this one, we're working directly with the Atlantic staff, which is Julie [Greenwald], Lyor [Cohen], Kevin [Liles] and Kyse [Mike Kyser]. For the rest of the Roc Nation artists, we did a distribution deal with Sony."

Jay-Z also said he originally approached Def Jam with the same distribution deal idea four years ago, but was shut down. "You have to figure, this is like four years ago, and to them it was just like, 'Are you crazy? No! Make a song!'" he said. "To me it was like, I've sold companies for huge amounts of money. I'm an entrepreneur -- that's what I've been all my life. I can't just sit here and make records and not do anything else. Why wouldn't you want to do this with me? I felt under-utilized."

When his Def Jam contract was nearing expiration and he had one last album to release with the label (in this case, "Blueprint 3"), Jay-Z opted to buy himself out of the contract for a reportedly $5 million price tag.

In related news, Jay-Z, who performed during this year's BET Awards on Sunday (June 28) released the video to his "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune)" video after the show, as part of BET's post show. The clip features guest appearances from Lyor Cohen, head of Warner Music Group which houses Atlantic Records, basketball player Lebron James and actor Harvey Keitel.

2009-07-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson Breaks Billboard Charts Records

As predicted, Michael Jackson is once again the King of the Pop charts.

Based on preliminary sales numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the entire top nine positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart will house Jackson-related titles when the tally is released in the early morning on Wednesday (July 1). Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week ended at the close of business on Sunday (June 28) night.

Jackson himself has a record eight out of the top 10, while a Jackson 5 compilation also finds its way into the upper tier.

The King of Pop's "Number Ones" will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with 108,000 (an increase of 2,340%) while "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" are in the Nos. 2 and 3 slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week "Number Ones" was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both "Essential" and "Thriller" re-enter the tally this week.

Additionally, his classic 1979 studio set "Off the Wall" re-enters at No. 4 with 33,000 while his 1987 album "Bad" returns at No. 6 with 17,000. At No. 5, the Jackson 5's "The Ultimate Collection" debuts with 18,000. Jackson's fourth studio album for Epic Records, 1991's "Dangerous," re-enters at No. 7 with 14,000 while his 2001 compilation "Greatest Hits: HIStory -- Volume 1" also comes back to the list at No. 8 with 12,000. Finally, Jackson's 2004 box set "The Ultimate Collection" charts its first week on the Pop Catalog chart, arriving at No. 9 with 11,000.

The lone non-Jackson-related set in the top 10 is a reissue of the "Woodstock" movie soundtrack, which bows at No. 10 with 8,000.

Collectively, Jackson's solo albums sold 415,000 this past week. That's extraordinary, since his titles sold a combined 10,000 in the week that ended June 21. Of the 415,000 total, 58% were digital downloads.

Additionally, the 415,000 albums sold just last week is nearly 40% more than what Jackson's catalog had sold the the entire year up through June 21 (297,000).

Speaking of digital albums, on the Top Digital Albums chart, Jackson has a record six out of the top 10 slots, including the entire top four. "The Essential Michael Jackson" leads the Top Digital Albums list with 80,000 downloads sold, while "Thriller" is No. 2 with 57,000.

With the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." moving back to the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 chart with 88,000, this week marks the first time that a catalog album has sold more than the No. 1 current set on the Billboard 200 albums chart. (All three of Jackson's top sellers on the Pop Catalog chart outsell "The E.N.D.")

Ironically, the feat almost occurred when Jackson re-issued "Thriller" in February 2008. The set relaunched with 166,000, re-entering at No. 1 on the Top Pop Catalog chart. That week, Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" led the Billboard 200 chart with 180,000 while Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" was at No. 2 with 115,000.

Catalog albums are ineligible to appear on the Billboard 200 albums chart, though they can chart on the all-encompassing Top Comprehensive Albums list. On the latter chart, Jackson's "Number Ones," "Essential" and "Thriller" are at Nos. 1-3, followed by the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." at No. 4.

Jackson places a record 25 songs on the 75-position Hot Digital Songs chart (21 solo hits and four with his siblings), smashing the mark of 14 charting titles established by David Cook in the June 7, 2008 issue. Jackson's Halloween radio staple, "Thriller," moves 167,000, which is good for second place on the chart behind the 203,000 shifted by the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling."

"Thriller" was also Jackson's best seller in the week before his death with 5,000 downloads, which translates to a 3,551% jump. Jackson's total volume of downloads this week -- including his tracks with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons -- account for 2.6 million downloads, a remarkable number considering last week's cumulative sum was 48,000. Moreover, Jackson becomes the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in a week.

Besides "Thriller," Jackson places five other songs in the top 10 including "Man In The Mirror" (No. 3, 165,000), "Billie Jean" (No. 4, 158,000), "The Way You Make Me Feel" (No. 6, 136,000), "Beat It" (No. 7, 134,000) and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (No. 8, 125,000).

Not surprisingly, each of the tracks in the top 10 of Hot Digital Songs were among the top 10 most-played Jackson selections at radio following his passing. According to research provided by Nielsen BDS of monitored airplay from over 1,600 terrestrial and satellite radio stations and cable music channels, "Billie Jean" was the Jackson track with the most spins for the week ending June 28 with 4,540 -- 97% of which occurred after news of his death became public. The track posted only 318 plays in the prior week.

2009-06-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

Licensing Issues Shut Down Pandora Outside US

"I'm in France for the summer and have been listening to Pandora at work. I tried logging on tonight and was greeted with a surprising message: 'We are deeply, deeply sorry to say that due to licensing constraints, we can no longer allow access to Pandora for listeners located outside of the US. We will continue to work diligently to realize the vision of a truly global Pandora, but for the time being we are required to restrict its use. We are very sad to have to do this, but there is no other alternative. ... The pace of global licensing is hard to predict, but we have the ultimate goal of being able to offer our service everywhere.' I'm not sure what the deal is or what licensing requirements suddenly changed, but Pandora in France is no more..." (via Slashdot)

2009-06-30T08:30:00.001-07:00

Pirate Bay Sold To Swedish Company for $8M... Wants To Go Legit... What Does This Mean For the Site?...

Reuters:

Global Gaming Factory X AB, which operates internet cafes and provides software, said on Tuesday that it had agreed to buy Pirate Bay for 60 million Swedish crowns ($7.7 million).

Global Gaming said it believed the website was a viable business with its plans for a new, legal business model.

�We would like to introduce (business) models which entail that content providers and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the site,� the company said in a statement.

Digital Music News:

The acquisition is expected to close in August, though Global Gaming is stepping into a messy pile of legal problems. But Global is planning to introduce a more copyright-friendly model, usually a death-sentence for free-riding users. �The Pirate Bay is a site that is among the top 100 most visited internet sites in the world,� said Hans Pandeya, CEO of GGF. �However, in order to live on, the Pirate Bay requires a new business model, which satisfies the requirements and needs of all parties, content providers, broadband operators, end users, and the judiciary.�

Boing Boing:

Sounds more or less what the VCs who backed the original Napster were hoping for: buy the music industry�s most hated, most successful enemy, then shop around to the industry and see if they�ll give it a license and help it go legit. Ten years ago, the industry figured it would get a better deal by suing Napster into oblivion (they even tried to sue for the assets of the pension funds that backed the VCs that backed Napster!) and then buy it at firesale prices and run it themselves (except they ended up running it into obscurity by larding it with a bunch of junk that reflected wishful thinking about what the market would bear; meanwhile, competing rogue services took off and filled and expanded the niche Napster had occupied).

So here�s the question: will Big Content learn from the Great Stupidity of 1999, or are they so emboldened by their domination of the legislative and judicial arms of the world�s governments that they�ll once again kill the most successful rogue operation and leave yet another niche for yet another group of even-less-cooperative rogues to fill?

Pirate Bay blog:

If the new owners will screw around with the site, nobody will keep using it. That�s the biggest insurance one can have that the site will be run in the way that we all want to. And � you can now not only share files but shares with people. Everybody can indeed be the owner of The Pirate Bay now. That�s awesome and will take the heat of us.

2009-06-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse:: Dark Night of the Soul (Album Review)

Dark Night of the Soul is a collaboration between Sparklehorse and Danger Mouse, with David Lynch adding musical contributions as well as a complementary 100-page book of original photography. It features appearances, vocally and otherwise, from the Flaming Lips, Jason Lytle (formerly of Grandaddy), Suzanne Vega, Iggy Pop, Black Francis, Vic Chesnutt, James Mercer of the Shins, Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals, and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes.

That�s the good news. The bad news? It isn�t available in stores or online due to a copyright beef on the part of EMI. As a nose-thumbing stopgap, the trio is releasing Lynch�s book of photography (meant to provide a visual narrative for the music) with a blank CD-R and the message, �For legal reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.�

The album is streaming at NPR.org here, and is available for download on various file-sharing web sites. While buying the blank CD-R may seem silly, it includes a full-color book of Lynch�s haunting accompanying photography�thus the $50 price tag.

The copyright issues that have blocked the album�s release have gotten it a fair amount of press, but Dark Night of the Soul deserves the attention based on the merit of the music alone. The all-star cast, which rivals that which appears on this year�s much ballyhooed (and spookily similarly titled) Dark Was the Night compilation, turns in nearly universally stellar performances. But the real star here is Sparklehorse�s Mark Linkous. His first full-length since 2006�s Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain (which also featured contributions from Danger Mouse), Dark Night of the Soul is easily the most cohesive and consistent product of his heretofore only occasionally brilliant career.

Much has been written about Linkous�s 1996 overdose on Valium, anti-depressants, and alcohol (and the several-minute �death� that followed when his heart stopped) while on tour with Radiohead. There�s no need to recount the sordid details here. But it�s impossible to separate Linkous�s artistic output from his troubled past when it so often deals in such dark subject matter. That�s what makes David Lynch such an interesting foil for Linkous. While Lynch has spent his career creating a freakishly dark world, Linkous has spent much of his living in one.

Not to be forgotten in the equation is Danger Mouse, who also has a history of imbuing his projects with a weird, sometimes sinister atmosphere�most famously in Gnarls Barkley, but also with the Gorillaz, MF Doom, and others. On Dark Night of the Soul, he does far more than just supplement the soundtrack with his signature trippy laptop wizardry. He has a preternatural ability to play to the strengths of the contributors, who, it must be said, bring far more to the table than their voices. It�s clear most, if not all, were involved in the songwriting process, and many of these songs could easily be mistaken for works by other bands. Jason Lytle�s two contributions��Jaykub� and the show-stealing �Every Time I�m with You��sound like cuts from a lost Grandaddy album. Likewise, album-opener �Revenge�, featuring the Flaming Lips, hearkens back to their Soft Bulletin days. �Little Girl�, featuring a intoxicating turn by a self-deprecating Julian Casablancas, echoes a more electronic-sounding Strokes, all the way down to the noodly guitar solo.

It�s tempting to credit the greatness of Dark Night of the Soul (and it is unequivocally great; a shoe-in candidate for best album of the year) to the excellence of its contributors. But longtime Sparklehorse fans will hear Linkous�s fingerprints all over it. Tonally and thematically, its a tall glass of the same emotional cocktail of world-weary depression and wide-eyed wonder that Linkous has been serving up since he recorded the song that best sums up his ethos, �It�s a Sad and Beautiful World�, for his 1995 debut, Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot.

What sets Dark Night of the Soul apart from prior Sparklehorse albums�aside from the superlative collaborators and contributors�is its narrative ambition. It�s not exactly a concept album; it�s too impressionistic, and doesn�t follow a traditional narrative arc. But its goal is obviously to lead the listener on a moody, existential journey. From meditative monologues about romantic angst (the Wayne Coyne-sung �Revenge"), to fuzzed out rave-ups about self-loathing and misanthropy (the Iggy Pop-crooned �Pain"), the songs all either describe, confront, bemoan, or reflect on the deep spiritual crisis the album title suggests.

But it�s not all necessarily depressing. Linkous�s biggest strength is his uncanny way of viewing even the bleakest circumstances with a whimsical detachment, and, in fleeting moments, to transform them into something joyful. This is exhibited late in the album on two consecutive female-sung tracks: �Daddy�s Gone�, featuring Nina Persson, and �The Man Who Played God�, featuring Suzanne Vega, both of which strongly resemble Linkous�s finest earlier work. They�re effervescent little pop gems strummed out on crunchy guitars that beguile the listener with their radio-ready melodies.

But the pop pleasantries don�t last for long. Linkous and Danger Mouse close out the affair with two mercilessly dark tracks featuring a ghoulish-sounding Vic Chesnutt and an eerily distorted David Lynch, respectively. The album�s coda is also its title track, a funereal dirge on which Chesnutt sings in a despondent howl�a reminder of the inevitable encounter with mortality that awaits us all, and the primal despair that�ll accompany the moment.

Few contemporary pop albums have spoken to the human condition so eloquently, and given the listener so much pleasure in the process, than Dark Night of the Soul. It�s no exaggeration to say Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse have crafted a near-masterpiece. Its only real blemish is the plodding, misguided �Angel�s Harp�, on which Black Francis�s talents are sadly wasted. But Linkous would be be the first to concede that nothing�s perfect�and if it was, it wouldn�t be nearly as beautiful.

2009-06-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson's First Moonwalk, Billie Jean

2009-06-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

AEG Facing $85 Million Refund For Michael Jackson Shows

The O2 Arena in London, operated by AEG, has informed Michael Jackson fans that details of how to obtain refunds will be revealed "in due course."

Billboard understands AEG Live will hold a meeting at 9am L.A. time to discuss the situation regarding the 50 dates. As reported yesterday, the promoter and its ticketing partners will have the cost and logistical challenge of refunding more than $85 million on 750,000 ticket sales.

"At this moment our thoughts are with Michael's children, family and friends. We will announce ticketing details in due course," said a statement on the O2 Arena Web site.

It also published the following UCLA Medical Center statement, which revealed that attempts were made to resuscitate Jackson for more than an hour.

"The legendary King of Pop, Michael Jackson, passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2009, at 2:26 p.m. It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However, the cause of his death is uncertain until results of the autopsy are known," said the statement.

"His personal physician, who was with him at the time, attempted to resuscitate Jackson, as did paramedics who transported him to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Upon arriving at the hospital at approximately 1:14 p.m., a team of doctors, including emergency physicians and cardiologists, attempted to resuscitate him for a period of more than one hour but were unsuccessful."

Ticketmaster's customer service line played a recorded message advising customers to "await communication" from the company regarding refunds.

It continued: "We understand this is an upsetting time for all Michael Jackson fans and we want to thank you for your patience in this matter."

Seatwave, the official secondary ticketing partner for the O2 residency, assured fans they would get a full refund.

"We are all saddened by the news of Michael Jackson's death," said CEO and founder Joe Cohen in a statement. "All customers who purchased tickets for his O2 shows from Seatwave are covered by our TicketCover guarantee and will get a full refund. Full information on how to do this is on our Web site at www.seatwave.com. We advise customers to use the Web site rather than our phone lines to obtain this information."

However, fans who bought tickets from unofficial sources, such as from sellers on auction sites or agencies, may lose their money.

2009-06-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson�s Lawyer Blames "Abuse of Medications" For Death

After the mourning comes the inquisition. According to reports, doctors tried to resuscitate Michael Jackson for over an hour yesterday (June 25). Jackson was taken to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he died at 2:26pm (PST) after suffering what is believed to be a cardiac arrest.

The center has issued the following statement:

"His personal physician, who was with him at the time, attempted to resuscitate Jackson, as did paramedics who transported him to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Upon arriving at the hospital at approximately 1:14 pm, a team of doctors, including emergency physicians and cardiologists, attempted to resuscitate him for a period of more than one hour but were unsuccessful. Jackson's family requests that the media respect their privacy during this tragic period of time."

Meanwhile, Jackson�s lawyer, Brian Oxman, believes the singer may have been abusing his medication. In an interview with CNN, Oxman said: "I do not know the extent of the medications he was taking but the reports that we have been receiving in the family is that it was extensive. This was something that I feared and warned about.�

Oxman believes some of the people surrounding Jackson should take responsibility for their actions. "The people who have surrounded him have been enabling him,� he said. "We warned people that this was what was going to happen, then it happens. Where there is smoked there is fire, this was a case of abuse of medications, unless there was something else involved."

Michael Jackson�s autopsy is due to be conducted later today (June 26).

2009-06-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

Wilco: "You Never Know" (Live on Conan) (Video)

2009-06-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Patterson Hood: Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs) (Album Review)

Patterson Hood, the leader of the Drive-By Truckers, recorded his first solo album in 2001 as a series of rough four-track demos, and when Killers and Stars finally received an official release in 2004, it sounded like a set of songs too eccentric and too personal to fit in with the Truckers' hard-driving approach, even though the quality of the material was certainly consistent with what he'd created with the group. In many respects, Hood's second solo set, 2009's Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs), is also dominated by songs a little too odd and close to the vest to make it onto a DBT album, but if Killers and Stars sounded heartfelt but tentative, Murdering Oscar is confident and full-bodied, and not just because most of these songs include a full band rather than just Hood and his guitar. With each album, the Drive-By Truckers have shown a willingness to reach for deeper themes, and Murdering Oscar consistently cuts closer to the bone than Killers and Stars; the post-9/11 malaise of "Pride of the Yankees," the wasted but honest romantic plea of "Back of a Bible," and the title tune's tale of a morally elastic hitman are all trickier, more complex, and more satisfying than anything on Hood's solo debut, and even the relatively lightweight numbers like "Walking Around Sense" (addressed to the daughter of a seriously dysfunctional rock star) and "Foolish Young Bastard" show an impressive amount of weight and muscle. Hood may not have a silky-smooth voice, but he's learned to work wonders with the smoky texture of his instrument, and Hood has rarely been in better form as a singer than he is on this album, conjuring a beautifully rough-hewn blue-eyed soul. And with a band featuring DBT drummer Brad Morgan, Scott Danbom and Will Johnson from Centro-Matic, and Patterson's father, David Hood (longtime bassist with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section), and sympathetic production assistance from David Barbe, Murdering Oscar has a sound that's not entirely removed from the Drive-By Truckers, but possesses a personality and feel that sets it apart and well suits this set of dark but compassionate character studies. Presumably it's not enough for Patterson Hood that he fronts one of the best rock bands in America -- Murdering Oscar shows him stepping into an equally impressive solo career, but when the songs he's set aside for himself are this good, you can't blame the man for wanting to share.

2009-06-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Sunny Day Real Estate Classic Lineup Reunites For Tour

Pioneering Seattle rock band Sunny Day Real Estate will return to the road with its four original members this fall and will reissue its first two Sub Pop albums on Sept. 15. These will be the band's first shows of any kind since November 2000, and the first with its classic lineup since 1998.

Dates begin Sept. 17 in Vancouver and run through Oct. 16 in Seattle. The reissues of 1994's "Diary" and the following year's untitled follow-up (commonly known as "LP2" or "The Pink Album") will include as-yet-unspecified bonus tracks and new liner notes.

Sunny Day Real Estate's bracing blend of emotionally resonant hardcore struck an immediate chord with listeners on "Diary," which was produced by Brad Wood. A second full-length record with Wood arrived in 1995, but internal tensions, including frontman Jeremy Enigk's conversion to Christianity, had already broken up the group by the time the disc was released.

A three-year hiatus followed, during which time Enigk released a heavily orchestrated, pop-leaning solo album, "Return of the Frog Queen," while drummer William Goldsmith and guitarist Nate Mendel joined Foo Fighters. But in 1998, the band suddenly regrouped -- minus Mendel, who remained with Foo Fighters and was replaced in SDRE by a succession of bassists -- to record the acclaimed album "How It Feels to Be Something On."

That set was supported with several tours, as well as the 1999 concert document "Live." But Sunny Day imploded again following the release of the 2000 album "The Rising Tide," although Enigk, Mendel and Goldsmith regrouped shortly thereafter minus SDRE guitarist Dan Hoerner in a similar sounding new band, the Fire Theft. That group released a lone self-titled album in 2003 on Rykodisc.

Enigk has since released two solo albums and an EP, the latest of which, "OK Bear," came out May 12 on his own Lewis Hollow label and features a return to a heavier, Sunny Day-ish rock sound.

The band reconvened in March for rehearsals, and decided to give a full tour a go. The set lists will largely stick to material from the first two albums that were written and recorded by the original lineup.

"Some songs make me cringe, and some still blow me away," Enigk told Billboard in 2003 about the legacy of Sunny Day Real Estate. "Some songs that made me cringe once, blow me away now. I think it's best to realize that these albums were documenting a certain time in our lives -- where we were then, emotionally, spiritually. Ultimately, I feel we wrote some pretty timeless music, and that's just fine with me.

Here are Sunny Day Real Estate's tour dates:

Sept. 17: Vancouver (Commodore Ballroom)
Sept. 18: Portland, Ore. (Crystal Ballroom)
Sept. 20: Salt Lake City (Murray Theatre)
Sept. 21: Denver (Ogden Theatre)
Sept. 23: Minneapolis (First Avenue)
Sept. 24: Chicago (Metro)
Sept. 25: Detroit (St. Andrews Hall)
Sept. 27: New York (Terminal 5)
Sept. 28: Boston (House of Blues)
Sept. 30: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
Oct. 1: Philadelphia (Trocadero)
Oct. 3: Atlanta (CW Center Stage)
Oct. 5: Dallas (Granada Theatre)
Oct. 6: Houston (Warehouse Live)
Oct. 7: Austin (La Zona Rosa)
Oct. 9: Tempe, Ariz. (Marquee)
Oct. 10: Anaheim, Calif. (House of Blues)
Oct. 11: Los Angeles (Fonda Theatre)
Oct. 13: San Francisco (Fillmore)
Oct. 15: Spokane, Wash. (Knitting Factory)
Oct. 16: Seattle (Paramount Theatre)

2009-06-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Beastie Boys' 'Hot Sauce' Due Sept. 15

The Beastie Boys have confirmed that their eighth studio album, " Hot Sauce Committee Part 1," will be released Sept. 15 by Capitol. The set will include 17 tracks, including "Don�t Play No Game That I Can�t Win" featuring Santigold and "Too Many Rappers" featuring Nas, which the artists performed together at the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tenn. on June 12. The album will be available in multiple configurations, including a 5.1 surround mix.

The first Beastie Boys headline date confirmed to follow the album's release, Sept. 24 at Hollywood Bowl, has sold out. Further dates will be announced as they are confirmed.

Meanwhile, the band has a busy summer ahead on the U.S. festival circuit, with headlining slots at events including Lollapalooza, All Points West, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. Prior to the Lollapalooza appearance, the Beastie Boys will perform at Chicago�s Congress Theater on August 6.

The Beasties have also announced they will release a remastered and expanded version of 1998 album "Hello Nasty," available as a 2-CD/vinyl box set beginning with an August 17 pre-order/digital release. The set will be in stores August 25.

A deluxe edition of 1994�s "Ill Communication" will be available for pre-order on July 6, with physical release on July 14.

Here is the "Hot Sauce Committee Part 1" track list:

1. Tadlock's Glasses
2. B-Boys In The Cut
3. Make Some Noise
4. Nonstop Disco Powerpack
5. OK
6. Too Many Rappers (featuring NAS)
7. Say It
8. The Bill Harper Collection
9. Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (featuring Santigold)
10. Long Burn The Fire
11. Bundt Cake
12. Funky Donkey
13. Lee Majors Come Again
14. Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
15. Pop Your Balloon
16. Crazy Ass Shit
17. Here's A Little Something For Ya

2009-06-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

Jay Bennett Autopsy: An Accident

Musician Jay Bennett's death last month was caused by an apparent accidental overdose of a common prescription pain-relief medication.

Bennett was found dead last month in bed at his home. Duane Northrup, the Champaign County Coroner, said that tests show the 45-year-old musician died from an overdose of Fentanyl, a drug commonly found in patches and prescribed to treat chronic pain.

Bennett for years suffered from pain caused by a stage dive back when he was with the band Titanic Love Affair. He had recently learned that hip-replacement surgery would relieve his pain, and was preparing for surgery.

2009-06-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Spinal Tap: Back from the Dead (Album Review)

These mock-rockers spent spring on tour, revisiting Spinal Tap's pair of real-world albums and other material. The nostalgia continues on Back From the Dead with reworked versions of tunes from the Rob Reiner flick that started it all; six so-so new tracks reveal why the throwback vibe was probably a good idea. More amusing is the commentary on a bonus DVD, where David St. Hubbins unpacks the concept of animal husbandry vis-�-vis ''Sex Farm.

2009-06-23T08:37:00.000-07:00

Flaming Lips Offer 'Embryonic' Sneak Peek

Fans who use the Internet to purchase concert tickets to the Flaming Lips' forthcoming U.S. summer tour will receive a sneak peek of the alternative-psychedelic band's new double-album, "Embryonic," scheduled for release later this year on Warner Bros.

The Flaming Lips will perform at a handful of music festivals in Europe, the United States and Japan through mid-August before beginning a brief stateside amphitheater trek. The 10-date stint begins with an appearance at the Del Mar Summer Concert Series near San Diego, and wraps Aug. 30 at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston.

Concertgoers who buy Flaming Lips tickets online will receive a digital EP with new songs "Convinced of the Hex," "The Impulse" and "Silver Trembling Hands." Those ticket-buyers will also be given three digital B-side tracks that the band members will handpick from its vault of rare material. Additionally, fans will be sent a digital download bootleg of the concert they attended.

Following the online ticket purchase, concertgoers will receive a unique code that leads them back to the Flaming Lips' Web site, where fans can download the music. One code will be sent for each ticket purchased. Since music is involved, concert tickets purchased online will cost about $4 more than buying at them at the box office, according to band representatives.

The ticket promotion does not apply to the band's appearance at the Del Mar Summer Concert Series, according to a news release. Tickets for select shows have already gone on sale.

The Flaming Lips are also schedule to appear at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago on July 19, where the band will perform select songs from its extensive catalog voted on by fans who are attending the festival.

In May, Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne said about the concept of writing a double-album. "Somewhere along the way it occurred to me that we should do a double album," he said. "Just this idea that you can kind of weave a couple of themes into there and you can sort of sprawl a little bit. Our past couple of records we've always had this little dilemma, like how many songs do you put on? How many instruments do you put on? What's the focus?

"And some of my favorite records � thinking Beatles 'White Album,' Zeppelin's 'Physical Graffiti' and even some of the longer things that the Clash have done � part of the reason I like them is that they're not focused. They're kind of like a free-for-all and go everywhere. It's not necessarily because we're prolific, I think we always stay in a sort of
perpetual panic of like we never have more songs than we need and we always wonder if any of them are any good to begin with. I do think we probably work best in a panic, so maybe it's best that I planned it this way."

"Embryonic" follows the Flaming Lips' 2006 effort "At War with the Mystics," which has sold 216,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. A specific release date for the new album has not yet been announced.

2009-06-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW + BLACK LIPS RELEASE SELF-TITLED ALBUM ON SEPTEMBER 22nd

When the Black Lips had to flee India after almost getting arrested (long story) and getting their passports confiscated (longer story), they fled to Berlin to hole up with their old pal and label-mate King Khan. Mark Sultan (aka BBQ, one half of King Khan & BBQ Show) also happened to be there, and it happened to be freezing in Berlin that week so no one really wanted to leave the house. So what do a bunch of garage-rock all-stars (and international refugees) do in the middle of winter in cramped conditions? They give birth to an album and band of the same name, The Almighty Defenders. The guys went to Moon Studios and recorded these tracks, brimming with soul, earnest shouts, cries and hand-claps over post-modern gospel-rock anthems.

This album is being released on LP and digitally on Vice Records on September 22nd

2009-06-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

Art Brut: "Summer Job" (Live on KEXP) (Video)

2009-06-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

British Sea Power: Man of Aran OST (Album Review)

British Sea Power's third, Mercury-nominated album Do You Like Rock Music? undoubtedly gave the Brighton quintet a higher profile, though concerned a few long term fans in its stylistic move towards the stadium, even if the lyrics themselves still dealt with familiar band topics such as the environment.

Man Of Aran, to some extent, reminds us that the 'Rock' in that album's title was more about an island than a style of music. For this is a soundtrack to a 1934 black and white film, recently performed live by the band at the National Film Theatre as part of Ether 09. The film itself is available here on an accompanying DVD, which is important - as without the images the music itself is at times inconsequential.

That said, as far as setting a mood goes it is extremely effective, and often poignant. Spearing The Sunfish is a stark evocation of an animal's pain, and is all the more remarkable in the way it starts, through the voice of a single, distorted guitar. The rolling drums that follow come from the depths of the earth itself, as if the planet itself is gathered in protest.

It's an illustration of the potential power of wordless music, as the band manipulate the textures available to them. They create a sort of weather system as they describe the island of Aran in its rugged beauty. The listener feels the spray of salt water on the face, the wind in their hair, and watches gulls circling overhead as the clouds race by behind.

The portrait is ushered in beautifully with the softly undulating piano arpeggios of the title track, while the personality of the island itself, and its inhabitants, is explored through the stuttering waltz of The Currach. Come Wander With Me, the only track to feature a fully fledged vocal, is restrained but moving in its folk-inflected melody.

In some ways Man Of Aran is everything 'Rock Music' wasn't, save that album's instrumental The Great Skua, which has been practically lifted on to closing track No Man Is An Archipelago. Throughout the band show commendable restraint, even in the faster numbers such as The South Sound. It means that when they do fully cut loose, as they do in response to the pain of the sunfish, the effect is all the more powerful.

Yet while this is good mood music, like a lot of soundtrack material it requires the element inspiring it - the visuals. Happily with those supplied on the accompanying DVD the work is complete, though it is difficult to view this as a British Sea Power album proper; Man Of Aran is, rather, an enjoyable diversion into different waters.
- Ben Hogwood

2009-06-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

The Dead Weather - "Hang You From The Heavens" on Live on Conan 6/18 (Video)

2009-06-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Punk pioneers New York Dolls get it right this time

In January, the New York Dolls arrived in Hawaii to record their new album, "'Cause I Sez So" (Atco), with producer Todd Rundgren. The producer, who has a setup on the island of Kauai, assured the band that the weather would be beautiful.

Not quite.

"It rained every day," said guitarist and singer David Johansen in Atlanta's Center Stage theater Friday, where the band was scheduled to play later that day.

"It rained just enough to disrupt our recording plans," added guitarist Steve Conte. "Todd has this house with one wall open to the elements, and I said, 'What happens when it rains, Todd?' and he said, 'It never rains here.' Well, the next day, all our gear got soaked, so we had to move to another house."

That kind of timing is a familiar subject to the Dolls, which formed amid the grit and grind of early '70s New York but broke up before they could take advantage of the success of followers such as the Ramones, Blondie, the Sex Pistols and Talking Heads.

The band "created punk rock before there was a term for it," writes Allmusic.com's Stephen Thomas Erlewine.

The original band, made up of Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, Johnny Thunders, Arthur Kane and Jerry Nolan, were known for ferocious live performances that blended elements of the Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground, glam and girl groups -- down to the occasional wearing of drag.

"We came out of the era of stadium rock ... when rock 'n' roll was put together by the industry," Sylvain recalled. "We take like a Little Rascals approach to show business -- 'We're bored! What are we gonna do? Well, let's start a show!' And that's basically how the Dolls came about."

Sylvain, with Johansen one of the two survivors of the old Dolls (Thunders and Nolan died in the early '90s, and Kane died of leukemia in 2004), is philosophical about the band's inability to break through. "It's what happened to us," he said, adding, "once we did break up, unlike other bands, we were actually successful individually."
Cold to 'Hot Hot Hot'
It's been on commercials for car dealers, featured in movies and makes regular appearances at wedding receptions.

But David Johansen has mixed feelings about his big hit as nightclub singer Buster Poindexter, "Hot Hot Hot."

It's not so much the song, he says, but the reaction it inspires.

"Some guy will come up to me, and say, 'You Poindexter'? And I'll say, 'Well, I used to be,' " he said.

"And he'll say, 'You had that record "Hot Hot Hot"?' I'll say, 'Yeah.' "

"He'll say, 'They played that song at my sister's wedding, and that bum she married ran off with a chorus girl.' And I'll say, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute! I wasn't even there!' "

Indeed, the musicians worked regularly through the ensuing decades, notably Johansen, who became perhaps better known for his good-time nightclub singer character Buster Poindexter and the hit "Hot Hot Hot."

The band came back together at the request of Dolls fan Morrissey, who was overseeing a festival in London, England. "He asked us to do a night for him. And we decided that that would be a lot of fun," said Johansen. "We actually came into this thing just to do one show. It wasn't like we said, 'We're going to have some kind of re-uuuunion thing,' " he adds, mockingly slurring "reunion."

But one thing led to another, and before long the Dolls were a working band again. In 2006 they released "One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This." "'Cause I Sez So" came out in May.

It's a familiar mix of hard rock -- the bitter lashing of the title cut, the ecstatic grunge of "Exorcism of Despair" -- with Johansen playfulness ("Nobody Got No Bizness"), classic pop ("Lonely So Long") and even a reggae remake of the first album's "Trash."

Johansen -- who regularly hosts "David Johansen's Mansion of Fun," a Sirius radio show reveling in his broad musical tastes -- is proud of the band's agility.

"When we get together to play, it's not like we're punching a clock and doing a recreation of yesterday," he said. "We go on every day with a fresh attitude and just start playing. The music can go everywhere."

"We don't really think about [being pigeonholed]," added Sylvain. "We just kind of fly by the seat of our pants. It's for everybody else to see it whatever which way they do. ... Call it punk, call it whatever you want, but it's rock 'n' roll to us."

The new album came together in about a month -- half as long as the first album, also produced by Rundgren, back in 1973.

"We're mad professional now," said Johansen.

Johansen, Sylvain and the rest of the band -- Conte, bassist Sam Yaffa and drummer Brian Delaney -- interact as much like a comedy act as a rock band, with frequent pauses for deadpan jokes. It's a vibe that's apparent on " 'Cause I Sez So," which has earned a number of positive reviews.

"The unlikely resurrection of the New York Dolls is solidified by this second recent album, an output that now matches in quantity and mirrors in quality their epic early-'70s sprint," wrote Billboard's Wayne Robins.

The group is touring the United States and Canada throughout June before leaving for Europe in mid-July. The audiences, Sylvain said, have been appreciative -- and broader than in their downtown New York past.

"We've had some great audiences. And of all ages, actually," he said.

Johansen interrupted. "When the kids come, we give them a balloon."

Sylvain smiled. "And earplugs," he said
(cnn)

2009-06-19T08:16:00.001-07:00

Beck: "Sunday Morning" (Velvet Underground Cover) (Music Video)

2009-06-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

Os Mutantes to release first album for 35 years

Brazilian band Os Mutantes are to release their first album in 35 years.

'Haih', the belated follow-up to 1974's 'Tudo Foi Feito Pelo Sol', will be out on September 7.

The band, who reformed in 2006, will release 'Haih' on the independent label ANTI- record label.

Of the new album, frontman and founding member of the band, Sergio Dias Baptista has said in a statement: "Living the conception and birth of this album was the most intense experience, for it was as if time has ceased to exist, and I was bouncing from life to life, decades through decades, revisiting myself as a 16 year-old boy playing guitar and feeling so free and indestructible."

Os Mutantes' 1968 single 'A Minha Menina' was famously covered by The Bees on their 2002 debut album 'Sunshine Hit Me'.

2009-06-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Air Brings Out the 'Love'

French electronic-pop act Air will return October 6 with the release of their fifth studio album entitled "Love 2." The twelve song set is the first album to utilize the duo's new Paris-based recording facility, Atlas Studio. In the past, Air has worked with producers such as Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Paul McCartney) and Tony Hoffer (Beck, Supergrass), but "Love 2" marks the first time the group wrote, recorded and produced everything on the album.

In gearing up for "Love 2", two singles will precede the release. On July 7, opening track "Do The Joy" will be hit digital retailers, followed by "Sing Sang Sung" on August 25.

Air's 1998 debut, "Moon Safari," set the stage for the budding "downtempo" electronic music style, and has sold 364,000 according to Nielson SoundScan. Air's first four albums have a combined for a total of 733,000 sales. They also wrote the score for the 2000 film "The Virgin Suicides," which has sold 158,000. Over the years, they've ventured away from the lush orchestration of "Moon Safari" and explored melding those sounds with dark, synth pop.

But on "Love 2," fans can look forward to a wide mix of sounds and arrangements that have sprung up in Air's work over the years. They explore more jazzy grooves during "Love" and "Tropical Disease," while creating a warmth and sensuality during the instrumentals "Be A Bee" and "Eat My Beat." But the colder electronic approaches that the group first displayed on "10,000HZ Legend" surface with the robotic vocals of "Missing The Light Of The Day" and on the swirling psychedelia of "Night Hunter."

And it wouldn't be an Air album with out some straight-forward takes on French pop: "Heaven's Light," "Sing Sang Sung" and "You Can Tell It To Everybody" continue the duo's work in this tradition.

Air is planning on touring Europe and North America, beginning in early 2010. They will kick things off with a hometown show at the Casino de Paris.

Here is the track list for "Love 2":

"Do The Joy"
"Love"
"So Light Is Her Footfall"
"Be A Bee"
"Missing The Light Of The Day"
"Tropical Disease"
" Heaven's Light"
"Night Hunter"
"Sing Sang Sung"
"Eat My Beat"
"You Can Tell It To Everybody"
"African Velvet"

2009-06-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

Blur reveal plans for new material

Blur have spoken about the possibility of writing new material - and have revealed that they have already been jamming original music with each other since reuniting.

The four-piece, who will be closing Glastonbury with a headline set on June 28, haven't written together the sessions for 2003's 'Think Tank', when Graham Coxon, who left the band during the recording, only contributed to one song - 'Battery In Your Leg'.

However, bassist Alex James has told BBC 6music that the band have been experimenting with fresh ideas in recent rehearsal sessions.

"Damon [Albarn, frontman] will be jangling along with some chords and I'll start banging along and you'll [Coxon] join," he said. "Our musical cup overflow-eth at the moment. It�s all good."

Coxon added that the band weren't attempting to play any complete new songs yet, despite the jam sessions.

"I think it's giving it time and doing justice to it really," he said. "We wouldn't want to just sling stuff together to play this summer [at gigs including shows in Manchester and London's Hyde Park]. It wouldn�t be right.

�We really don't want to put ourselves under any pressure. I think we want to have fun with these gigs and then we'll think about that really."

Blur played a surprise instore gig in London on Monday (June 15) after making their live comeback in Colchester on Saturday (June 13).