Do You Remember the Verve?

Because I do. According to NME.com The Verve are getting back together to go on tour. Lead Singer Richard Ashcroft has written a few new ditties and plans on showing them off around the beginning of November.

Alas, those old American fans won't be able to see him. No tour dates have become available for a trip to the States. So Englanders, get your chance in while you can. I mean, you can't beat a couple of old Nineties songs with a reunion tour.

Amy Winehouse's New Song

My Tears Dry on Their Own. It sounds like a woman standing up for the rights she deserves; which are basically ruing the day. However, for Amy Winehouse it seems the man walks out on her and not vice versa. But that doesn't matter, because she's stronger than that.

Well, that's the illusion I get from the song, however, it's not what I get from the video. A very Sex and the City -esque creation from David LaChapelle on Winehouse walking down non-descript streets and hanging out in bedrooms waiting for her man. What does that remind me of Carrie Bradshaw?

That's because most of the show was about her waiting for one man. She roams the streets for new men, but end up alone. Her tears will definitely dry on their own.

The Go! Team has got some new moves

There was always something about The Go! Team that always brings me back to them. I could go on months without hearing them for a while, then I can stick them on my ipod and immediately be transformed into this dancing machine.

Thankfully, I don't have to listen to the same Thunder, Lightning, Strike over and over again. Now, with their new album Proof of Youth coming out in the UK in September I can dance even more. Yeah, September is a long ways away, but until then I can listen to their new single Grip Like A Vice pretty much everyday. That is, until they come out with another single. Then I'll listen to that one.

It pretty much sounds like the anthem for women everywhere. It's almost like a ritual calling sound to the ladies to join together against the evil predator called THE MALE. Ha. Either way, it's got that funky beat their known for from their last album and it's got some new tricks here and there. Just another brand new song from the dance moguls, The Go! Team.

Radiohead leaks...sort of

In an ingenius way to sample their new album, Radiohead puts up a youtube video where they play bits and pieces of their new songs.

According to NME.com, the band has not released anything new since 2003's Hail to the Thief. I'm trying to play this youtube post and damn, I can't make ends of anything. Instead of playing a streaming 30-second sample, the band decides to take clips from here and there within the song. You really can't get anything much out of this leak except for the faint sounds of Thom Yorke's voice and some techno stuff.

It is up on youtube under the description

"...bits of tape which have been chopped out of the mixes when they were edited..."

I think that means that what we're listening to is stuff not even on the album. Either way, I'm confused and thrilled to actually hear the entire thing.

Geez.

2007 Shortlist Winner

Out of all the numerous award shows I watch, I think I enjoy the Shortlist Award. Ok, so it's not really an award show with multiple prizes given in various categories, but it is when some of my favorite bands who are never recognized by MTV can perform a song or two and win a coveted prize.

I remember the first time I watched the performance. Funny, it was on MTV. Anyway, I didn't even know they were still giving out the prize over some dispute with the founders. All I remember hearing last was that TV On the Radio won last year.

This year, however, was a tough call. Out of nine nominees, Cat Power wins for The Greatest. According to Billboard.com, she won this coveted award against the likes of Band of Horses, Beirut, Bonnie Prince Billy, Girl Talk, Hot Chip, Joanna Newsom, Regina Spektor, Spank Rock and Tom Waits. TOM WAITS! He was one of the nominees and he still didn't win. What a close call. I could never make a decision like that against such a variety of sound. Not to mention that all these musicians are so talented and hardworking, you could never make a single choice.

Way to go, Cat Power. You finally stop singing about how depressed you are and now you're winning stuff.

Courtney Love, you are so funny

Courtney Love announced on her website that she is putting her band back together.

On NME.com, Love's latest blog entry includes news that one of her new members looks exactly like Kurt Cobain, her ex-husband.

She quotes:

Another (guy) I found out later models on the side...but I'll admit it, I really hired him 'cos he looks so much like Kurt. It's weird, and he can play really well. He didn't kill me but he swore if I gave him a week he'd learn everything. He's blonde and soooooooo beautiful and his guitar playing is great.

I wonder if her new man will become her new husband and father to Francis Bean. But then again, having a member of your band look like your late husband could come off as either 1) disrespectful or 2) fucking creepy.

My second reason comes from the fact that the guy is dead. What if you were on stage and your boyfriend/husband who had died a decade ago plays right next to you. Wouldn't you have a freak out and completely forget it's not him? I would.

But Love also admits to him playing pretty decently, so she has other reasons for hiring him. Maybe she'll just put him behind the drummer or wearing a KFC bucket for a hat.

M.I.A.'s comeback includes a lot of "Boyz"

M.I.A. has just released her first video off her latest album Kala.

I haven't heard M.I.A. in a while and listening to this song makes me fall in love with her music all over again. It's got like this Carribean beat with the Southern marching band quality of drumming and the classic M.I.A. whininess. You can never get enough nasal sounding whines especially from the tiniest girl in East London.

Besides her whiny voice, you can't leave out the fact that you can barely understand what she's saying most of the time. That's boss. Her wardrobe also changed a lot from the baggy t-shirts to some nylon and body suits.

The other songs on her album are:

1. Bamboo Banga
2. BirdFlu
3. Boyz
4. Jimmy
5. Hussel (featuring Afrikan Boy)
6. Mango Pickle Down River (with The Wilcannia Mob)
7. 20 Dollar
8. World Town
9. The Turn
10. XR2
11. Paper Planes
12. Come Around (featuring Timbaland)

Secrets Secrets are no fun

Last night, Sir Paul McCartney played a secret show in London for a crowd of celebrities. NME.com has the scoop on the show with pictures and everything.

What I'm concerned about is the "secrecy" going on here. I thought musicians and fans had a mutual agreement. We go out to see your show and you play for us. It's like we're the kings and queens and you're the musical court. Your goal is to entertain, not keep things private.

Anyway, I'm not mad at any musician in particular. I'm just upset that Paul McCartney didn't give me enough time to get plane tickets to fly out to London so I can hear him play. Because it will definitely be a longshot for me to ever see him live.

Here's the playlist from last night:

Drive My Car
Only Mama Knows
Dance Tonight
C Moon
The Long And Winding Road
I'll Follow The Sun
Calico Skies
That Was Me
Blackbird
Here Today
Back In The USSR
Nod Your Head
House Of Wax
I've Got A Feeling
Matchbox
Get Back
Hey Jude
Let It Be
Lady Madonna
I Saw Her Standing There

Is It Really Selling Out If You Drive a VW?

Yesterday on Billboard.com, it covered the many aspects of featuring a band's music in a car commercial. Who may the band be, you ask? None other than Wilco.

One member believes:

"This is a subject we've discussed internally many times over the years regarding movies, TV shows and even the odd advertisement," the band says. "With the commercial radio airplay route getting more difficult for many bands (including Wilco), we see this as another way to get the music out there. As with most of the above (with the debatable exception of radio) the band gets paid for this. And we feel okay about VWs. Several of us even drive them."

I remember when a band would get tried and persecuted for acts like letting their music play in commercial. I mean, look what happened to The Beatles. You can listen to their music in everything from a car commercial to the Target ads, Gap ads, etc. There is no end.

True, they make a point of saying that radio play is so rare for bands like Wilco or anything out of the mainstream and you do make money everytime that car commercial plays. It's good publicity. It will get people to go out and buy the damn thing.

June Greetings and Franz Ferdinand

I love when you start off the month with good news. It's like starting with a clean slate. What good news could I be talking about? Perhaps it's the recent capture of known villain Paris Hilton. Her tyranny over the people of Beverly Hills has finally come to an end.

But enough about Paris. Let's talk about Glasgow. According to NME.com, Franz Ferdinand is making a blip on the radar. While the band was away on hiatus, I don't remember the world in dire need of the band. Personally, I haven't listened to them since "Take Me Out."

Franz Ferdinand played their top secret gig in Glasgow revealing five new songs called 'Anyone In Love', 'New Thrill', 'An English Goodbye', 'Favourite Lie' and 'Turn It On.'

Of the new material, 'New Thrill' received the warmest reaction from the fans, while old favourites 'Matinee' and '40' were lapped up by the screaming crowd.

I guess the blip will get bigger with a new album, a touring session, and miles and miles of publicity up the ass on MTV. It probably was a good idea to take a hiatus with such extreme amounts of celebrity approaching the band. Paris should have thought of that before getting in a car drunk.

Give It Up, Billy, The Nineties Are Over

According to NME.com, The Smashing Pumpkins will be playing their first comeback show since 2000 in Paris.

I remember there being a lot of hype about the final curtain call for The Smashing Pumpkins. I think I even wanted to go to one of their farewell shows, but alas my youth was too...youthful? In other words, I was too young to go. However, I knew people back then who actually attempted to go to the final performance of one of the 90's most influential grunge bands. Let's just say it included a lot of flowers and a lot of drugs.

Well, seven years later, The Smashing Pumpkins have returned with a new album called Zeitgeist which I have problems pronouncing. I wonder, though. How well is this album going to do? Yeah of course, the hardcore Pumpkins fans will shave their heads and call themselves Corganites once they hear this album, but what about those disappointed fans who threw flowers at the band at the end of their farewell show?

They now can dish out the $20 (that's right) to go see the Pumpkins in all their old regalia. Maybe they'll spare a few plaid shirts here and there for those "underdressed" fans. I don't think those fans will ever get over the painful realization that the Smashing Pumpkins broke up. However, I don't think these fans realize that Kurt Cobain is dead.

You're trying to reattach broken hearts, Smashing Pumpkins! I ought to wham you one in the jaw!

Do I have to instate a retraction?

I was reading NME.com, and this headline came up.

Sum 41 name new album
Their first new material since 2004

Now if you remember in my Avril Lavigne article, I wrote about how Avril's husband's, Deryck of Sum 41, band sucked and they weren't making any music. Well, I was wrong. Apparently, they are releasing it in July 23. The album is called Underclass Hero. Now, is that a reference to the underclassmen students or just an underclassmen of the world.

You know, underclass. Oh wait, maybe I mean the lowerclass. Either way, some sort of underdog effect is probably going to ensue and we will have to listen to an entire album filled with teenage angst. I mean, if Sum 41 isn't fueling the generations of acne-faced teeangers, then who will? Blink 182? Are they going to get back together and record a studio album? I hope to God they don't.

The self-produced effort was recorded in Los Angeles at Ocean Way, and is the band's first new material since the departure of guitarist Dave Baksh.

So they're also getting rid of the one minority in the group. So it's like Buddy Holly. All white people. Woot Canada!!

Radiohead reissue and a rant about piracy

On NME.com, Radiohead has announced the release of their reissue Com Lag (2+2=5).

The EP was originally released in Japane and Australia in 2004. It will be reissued in the UK on April 16 and the US on May 8.

If you're a good Radiohead fan, then you've probably downloaded a copy on some illegal pirating site. Sadly, we (or more I) don't promote that type of thing on supercoolawesomeradyeah. I think music should be physical. None of that "mystical jukebox" bullcrap. I think it's all baloney that music only exists in the form of an mp3. What about albums? What about cds? Hell, what about cassettes?

I feel sort of like a hypocrite since I do download my music online, but it's legitimate. I'm paying a percentage to those lonely musicians who have dreamed since childhood to make music their careers. If they can't make a profit, then it's like you working for your pathetic retail job you hate so much for free. Now, do you want that?

Music should be a source fo collection. Like books or dvds, we should collect music like that. I have to hand it to iTunes and the Apple corporation for creating a product that will reduce the number of cds you carry in your bag drastically, but being able to go home and pop a cd into your stereo and blasting the music sounds so much better than listening to it through your mp3 player.

I don't know. That's just me. Let's get back to Radiohead. Here's the tracklisting for their reissue of Com Lag (2+2=5):

'2+2=5'
'Remyxmomatosis (Cristian Vogel RMX)'
'I Will (Los Angeles Version)'
'Paperbag Writer'
'I Am A Wicked Child'
'I Am Citizen Insane'
'Skttrbrain (Four Tet Remix)
'Gagging Order'
'Fog (Again) (Live)'
'Where Bluebirds Fly'
'2+2=5 (Live At Belfort Festival)'

Enjoy!

M.I.A: Why Am I Not Surprised?

On NME.com, MIA has just released information about her new album due in June. It will be produced with the help of Diplo and (you guessed it) Timbaland.

Why does Timbaland keep on getting gigs. First, it was the United States. Now he's infiltrating the United Kingdom?

I don't get it. Either way, MIA is doing pretty well with a new single called Bird Flu. I haven't heard it yet, but you can check it out on her myspace page.

NOTE: If you're prone to seizures, then you'll definitely get one looking at either her myspace or her webpage.

Bumbershoot: Only in Seattle

Bumbershoot, a three-day festival of music and art in Seattle, has just released a new bunch of performers for the 2007 season. The list of acts can be officially found on the Bumbershoot website, but Billboard.com has an exclusive to the number of add-ons to the festival:

The Shins
The Wu-Tang Clan
Panic! At The Disco
The reformed Crowded House
Lupe Fiasco
Steve Earle
Devotchka
Devendra Banhart
Roky Erickson
Allison Moorer
Magnolia Electric Company
Gogol Bordello
Kill Hannah
Norma Jean
Plain White T's
the Gourds
Lyrics Born
the Holmes Brothers.

This is a small list of bands that are going to perform. I think it will get bigger once it gets closer to the dates. What's really interesting is that it's a mixture of hip-hop, rock, metal, and jew rock? I'm surprised they don't have Matisyahu or Balkan Beatbox on the menu as well.

There can't be a better way to end the summer with some really good music at a large festival in Seattle. Hell, I'll probably go.

Let's Start A Rock Band

If you suck at playing instruments but always wished to be in a rock band, now you can. The creators of Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II are coming out with a new game called, you guessed it, Rock Band.

In the game, you and your friends can start up your own virtual band. This includes guitar, the drums, keyboards, lead vocals, and bass guitar. The game will be released on XBox 360 and PlayStation 3. That means, Blue-Ray Disc or whatever it is.

If you want to read more about the article click here.

Holy Cow: Spin Magazine Got Some News

In SPIN news, EMI and Apple iTunes are teaming up bring the masses copyright-free music.

Do you know what that means? It means you can share! Instead of having to authorize computers to listen to the music, digital rights mangement (DRM) is completely gone. Of course, this makes the individual songs a little more expensive, but if you and your friends get together and put some change together, you can share a song.

How funny that a post before I just wrote about Trent Reznor promoting his new album by releasing mp3s for fans to download for free? Now the world is going to be able to share music to each other through iTunes and they won't have that little prompt to tell them they can't. Good job, Apple.

I wonder what the artists will think about this, since they're not benefiting from this. They're probably downloading and sharing their favorite music too. They're humans, after all.

Trent Reznor's Gonna Make it Happen

According to Billboard Online, Trent Reznor has been leaking music from his newest album Year Zero through various websites, flash drives in men's bathrooms, and secret messages sent out to the fans. Of course, this is old news. If you're one of those crazy hardcore NIN fans, then you've known for quite some time that Reznor has been leaking his own music online.

I guess he's a big supporter of pirating music. Then again, this is Trent Reznor. If anyone is going to fight the system, it's going to be him. After years of living an unstable lifestyle, I think Reznor has finally gotten his head screwed on right. He's definitely no Lars Ulrich and fight against the demonic music traders, but he's probably got some fancy training in publicity.

Not only did Reznor approve of the songs being leaked, but he also thought up the idea of putting flash drives in mens' bathrooms at various concert venues. Think about it, what more would you want than a stick of memory while you're taking a piss in an arena-size urinal? The clever frontman can do it all.

And this gets me to the topic of the post: piracy. People search endlessly online for leaks of albums that won't release for another month or so. Some people just stumble upon them and grab them that way while others search every possible Google combination of words.

Then there are artists like Trent Reznor who believe that music should be free. Not completely free, but on a song-by-song basis. I think more artists should follow along in his example. Rather than having an entire album release, why not try a song or two. Not even the songs that will eventually become singles, but a random choice off the list. Not only does it gives the fans a taste of the album, it promotes the artist to becoming superstars. See, Lars, pirates are cool (if you didn't get that from those Johnny Depp movies).

When the Rapture Come Out to Play

The Rapture has released a set of tour dates for the Spring/Summer. I took the liberty of only choosing the dates that occur in the United States. All you foreigners can go search for your dates on the website.

4/15, Gainesville, FL (Abbey Road)
4/16, Athens, GA (40 Watt)
4/18, Tampa, FL (USF Sun Dome)
4/19, Hollywood, FL (Seminole Hard Rock Hotel)
4/20, Orlando, FL (UCF Arena)
4/21, Hattiesburg, MS (The Bottling Company)
4/22, Austin, TX (The Backyard)
4/24, Tempe, AZ (Marquee Theatre)
4/25, Las Vegas, NV (House of Blues)
4/28, Indio, CA (Empire Polo Field/Coachella)
4/29, Reno, NV (Club Underground)
4/30, Eugene, OR (WOW Hall)
5/2, Salt Lake City, UT (The Venue)
5/3, Aspen, CO (Belly Up)
5/4, Colorado Springs, CO (The Black Sheep)
5/7, Minneapolis, MN (Fine Line Music Café)
5/8, Madison, WI (Orpheum Theatre)
5/9, Cleveland, OH (House of Blues)
5/10, Sauget, IL (Pop's)
5/15, New Orleans, LA (House of Blues)
5/16, Houston, TX (Warehouse Live)
5/17, Dallas, TX (Granada Theater)
5/21, Philadelphia, PA (Theater of Living Arts)
5/22, Hartford, CT (Webster Theatre)
5/23, Burlington, VT (Higher Ground)
7/27, Berkeley, CA (Greek Theatre) #
7/29, Seattle, WA (WAMU Center) #
7/31, Denver, CO (Red Rocks) #
8/5, Toronto, ON (Arrow Hall) #
8/7, Montreal, QE (Bell Center) #
8/9, New York, NY (Keyspan Park) #


(# w/Daft Punk)



What really blows is that they're playing New York at the end of summer at Keyspan Park. With Daft Punk. Great...

Village Ultragrrrl

I just finished reading an article about Ultragrrrl on the Village Voice Website. She's the cover for the past week and this week she will be replaced by something depressing like the war in Iraq. But for this week, she's the witch of the west burned at the stake.

I don't think she's worthy enough to get the treatment of a Salem witch, but perhaps it's suiting for her. If you know Ultragrrrl then you know about her scandalous job: she's into music. For the first time in the history of rock (I'm making this up), a girl with no musical background, no writing background, no nothing, is praised for having the greatest ears in music today. She can hear a band and instantly know if they're any good. If she's into them, then the whole country will be? I find that to be a little bit absurd. Perhaps it's my bitterness that's getting the better of me, but I have been working my ASS off to get recognition not only as a music critic, but as a musician as well. So my musician days are over, at least I still keep the dream alive to be involved with music in any way possible: I chose to be a critic.

And Ultragrrrl could probably stir a crowd of less-than-average hipsters. I'm surprised that all it took for her to become someone who record execs listen to was for her to say "this is bullshit" or something like that. Here's a quote from her ever-coveted-but-people-think-she's-a-poser-to-have-a-blog blog:

i'm back from south by south west (aka sxsw), and boy is my body aching me. let me explain something to you about sxsw -- it's basically a ton of people in the music industry, converging onto austin like ants to a pile of shit. in this case, the shit is replaced by free booze, bbq, and band... we're all still fucking ants though. little, creepy, crawling ants pissing in a port-a-potty and making out in a back alley.

Words of wisdom. These are fucking pearls right here. Unfortunately, my stance with Ultragrrrl is flip-flopping like Kerry in the 2004 elections. I'm not really sure what to think of this girl. Yeah, she's cool to introduce all these bands into the music scene, but she is also a menace to society for a lot of people.

So in summation: I think she's alright in my book. Don't mind my wish-washy conditions.

Ultragrrrl's (aka Sarah's) online blog can be found here:

sarah's so boring ever since she stopped drinking