This could either be really good or really bad, but according to an interview with the Guardian, Damian Albarn’s animated project Gorillaz next album, entitled Plastic Beach, will have a lengthy guest list that includes Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, Barry Gibb and Bobby Womack. You’ll have to use your imagination to figure out how they will all fit in, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Albarn, who calls the album his “most pop record [he's] ever made.” Look for Plastic Beach to be released sometime next year.
Now I understand that this is supposed to be a fun Christmas song and all of that, but listening to this brings to mind a certain scene from Love Actually (see here). It isn’t nearly as bad, but between Dylan looking like an ungainly hybrid of Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Willy Wonky and Tom Petty, and his rant-like delivery, you kind of wonder what the point of it all is. Call me a grinch if you want, but at the very least it’s an interesting way to spend three minutes of your time.
Nothing like some new Yeasayer to kick off the month of November. This single will be featured on their highly-anticipated 2010 release entitled Odd Blood, and it looks as though it’s been well worth the weight. For the cost of your email address you can download the single here, or if you’re into collecting additional swag, you can pony up $3.99 to get the full Single release which also includes some remixes by Memory Tapes & DJ/Rupture. If you want the limited edition treatment, you can opt for the 12″ Vinyl package for $8 or better yet the T-shirt, Vinyl, and MP3 bundle for $28. Not a bad way to start a return, no? Stream “Ambling Alp” below to see if it’s worth your dime.
So apparently working with Danger Mouse on Attack & Release was something of a gateway drug for the Akron, OH duo. Due out on November 27, the Black Keys worked with some of the best rappers around boasting a guest list that includes Q-Tip, Mos Def, RZA, Raekwon, Pharoahe Monch, and the late ODB. If the music matches the talent on paper, this should be a highly entertaining collaboration.
Blackroc (The Black Keys, Jim Jones, and Mos Def) – “Hoochie Coo”
Yo La Tengo’s highly anticipated release, Popular Songs, the 16th album of their illustrious 25-year career, has made its way to NPR’s webpage. The album won’t be released until September 8, so this will give fans some time to preview their latest effort.
In a tale of two ninties bands with potentially opposite outcomes (at least for the near future), Noel and Liam Gallagher, the infamous brother-brother duo of Oasis fame that continually piss each other off when not making music (and sometimes while making music). While it seems that after a decade plus of antics that the two would be used to each other, Noel apparently has had enough and quit the band after mounting confrontations. While his official statement doesn’t mention Liam by name, his earlier statement was quoted as saying that “[he] simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.“
On the opposite end of the spectrum, The Cranberries are back in action after a six year hiatus. Tour dates are expected to be announced soon, but look for the North American tour to begin in November, with the European tour to follow shortly after in 2010.
Well this is cool, just a week after Radiohead head dropped their Harry Patch-dedicated single, Radiohead comes back with this– a twisted jam of sorts that definitely has more of a Kid A/Amnesiac type of feel, albeit more organic (without the computer bits). Who knows what’s actually going to come of all this leaked music, but the latest reports point to a possible new EP called Wall of Ice released tomorrow (Monday 8/17). I suppose we’ll find out sooner or later. In the meantime, enjoy this:
Sondre Lerche returns with Heartbeat Radio on September 8.
Two years removed from his semi-big break of scoring and providing the soundtrack for the film Dan in Real Life, Sondre Lerche is back with something a bit more substantial. For those that found Phantom Punch a little too poppy will find some solace in that “Good Luck” sounds a bit more like his first two albums. The song also ends wonderfully with some fantastically arranged violin and cello parts. Lerche begins his worldwide tour on September 5 (and we will have a review for his Chicago show), but you can pick up your copy of Hearbeat Radio on September 8 via Rounder Records. The full list of tour dates are below:
Sept 5 @ Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
Sept 8 @ New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Sept 9 @ Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Sept 11 @ Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Sept 12 @ Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
Sept 13 @ Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
Sept 14 @ South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
Sept 15 @ Montreal, QC – Petit Campus
Sept 16 @ Toronto, ON – The Mod Club Theatre
Sept 18 @ Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
Sept 19 @ Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
Sept 19 @ Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern (late show)
Sept 20 @ Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Cafe
Sept 23 @ San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Sept 24 @ West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
Sept 26 @ Santa Barbara, CA – Soho Restaurant & Music Club
Sept 27 @ San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
Sept 28 @ Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Sept 29 @ Seattle, WA – Triple Door
Sept 30 @ Vancouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Known collectively as Them Crooked Vultures, the supergroup will debut in Chicago on August 9 at midnight. Tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 am via Metro’s webpage. If you can get tickets, you’d be hard pressed to find a better way to cap off Lollapalooza weekend. We’ve seen what great results can come from a Grohl/Homme pairing, so the sky’s the limit with Jones in tow.
The supergroup composed of the artist formerly known as Jim James, M. Ward, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis has added two new songs for your listening pleasure, and they are really quite good. How this will all come together on the album as a whole is anyone’s guess but “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)” and “The Sandman, The Brakeman, and Me” both highlight the songwriting talents of Jim James and M. Ward, respectively, as it’s clear that they are all pushing the envelope just a bit and not staying completely within their respective comfort zones.
You can hear both songs below and if you like them, you can buy them on iTunes.
Monsters of Folk “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)”
Monsters of Folk “The Sandman, The Brakeman, and Me”
Also, lest you forget, here are the tour dates scheduled for the Monsters of Folk:
10/13 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum
10/14 – Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
10/15 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
10/17 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
10/18 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre
10/20 – San Diego, CA @ Spreckels Theatre
10/21 – Phoenix, AZ @ Orpheum Theater
10/22 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
10/28 – Omaha, NE @ Holland Center
10/29 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
10/30 – Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre
10/31 – Louisville, KY @ Louisville Palace Theatre
11/02 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
11/03 – Boston, MA @ The Orpheum
11/06 – New York, NY @ United Palace
11/08 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theater
11/09 – Philadelphia, PA @ Academy of Music
11/12 – Stockholm, SE @ Philadelphia Church
11/14 – Berlin, DE @ Huxleys
11/15 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
11/17 – London, UK @ Troxy
11/18 – Paris, FR @ Elysee Montmartre
11/19 – Koln, DE @ E-Werk
11/21 – The Hague, NL @ Crossing Border
11/22 – Antwerp, BE @ Crossing Border
