"Big Wheel" comin' at ya right here, courtesy of Yahoo Music. The track is the lead single off Tori Amos' upcoming album, "American Doll Posse," due May 1. Hey lookie here, Amazon has a special edition available for pre-order, but is that as cool as iTunes, which has set up a special ticket pre-sale if you pre-order the album through them? I'll leave that for you to decide, but since it's Tori, how could you go wrong?
If you have a sharp attention span and have been following us here at Above The Din for a long time, you may remember Slanted Spotlight. I return almost sheepishly with the intent of reviving this feature after its hibernation period.
It's an overcast day in Northern New Jersey, and the air is grazed with a chill that makes the rain more severe. I don't want to leave the room very much, and it's one of those days that reminds me of Winterpills. Their rich brooding melodies seem to seep into the laid-back, reflective atmosphere of the day.
These guys (and girl) were entirely unknown to me until a trusty copy of Paste Magazine came with a CD that featured "Pills For Sara," from their first and then-only self-titled album. It was haunting. It told a fragment of a bitter story, it was literary, with striking lines such as "Biting hard and crushing flowers, sleeping through my superpowers". I was intrigued.
And then, after a hibernation period in my appreciation for them, RyTunes and I explored 2005's "Winterpills" only to find a plethora of interestingly written and textured songs. "Laughing" has a nice cruising melody, "Found Weekend" is artsy cafe waltz meets epic insistence in the repeated "You will live forever." "Looking Down" is melancholy in a thoughtful, understated way. "Portrait" paints a scene we can visualize and contains the deliciously descriptive line "There's honey in my chemicals." The band uses both acoustic and electric guitars, both male and female vocals, and "Winterpills" is an album for days when time stands still. It feels like folk, and like music that doesn't take itself too seriously while at the same time having brilliant lyrical and melodic moments. Some of this may have to do with its humble origins in the home of singer/keyboardist Flora Reeds.
“Our original idea for the first album was to casually record some demos at my house, but before we knew it we were making a full-length record,” says Reed."The Light Divides," Winterpills' latest album, was just released on February 27, and I've heard sporadic bits so far, thanks to their official site and their MySpace posting two songs. "Handkerchiefs" is precious, with Reed's voice carrying crystal-clear and the calm-endearing "We need a place where we can talk." I'm reminded of Jewel's early work, with an indie edge and more maturity. "Broken Arm" is more direct and straightforward, accusatory even. The raw start, marching tempo, and profanity (is this their first time?) shows they took it up a notch. It's different, but it's fun.
"I was thinking how, in the dark, we’re all one unrevealed event, a miasma. It's only when we are hit with light that we are separate. In a way, perhaps this collection of songs is my way of cursing the light and, for better or for worse, avoiding lighting any candles."Worth delving into on any given rain-day.
This is it. Trent has unveiled his concept album magnum opus for public consumption (at least, until you can buy it for yourselves on April 17, which you should all do of course, because for fuck's sake this deserves it).
Check out the goods at yearzero.nin.com.
Meanwhile, Gigwise has this unhinged interview with the man himself discussing his personal demons, his passions, and the inspiration behind and relevance of Year Zero:
“As I’ve watched this unfold so far,” he confesses. “It’s been rewarding to me as the author and artist to see some interesting dialogue and discussions going on between the community out there of, not only the concepts but also how they are rooted in what’s happening today. At the end of the day I think a nice benefit of making a record like this is, morally, I think if a handful of people pay attention to what’s happening right now I think that’s a good thing.”Amen.
The unfading Linkin Park are ready to sell another 5 million records and the initial vehicle this time around is "What I've Done," available streaming from the band's MySpace. The fivesome's next album, the follow-up to 2003's "Meteora," is called "Minutes to Midnight" and bows May 15.
She has recently released an album called "The Calling," which is available now.
Her next few tour dates:
Mar 23, 2007 Paramount Center for the Arts Peekskill, New York
Mar 24, 2007 Calvin Theater Northampton, MA
Mar 25, 2007 Music Hall Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Mar 27, 2007 Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, New Jersey
Mar 29, 2007 American Music Theatre Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Mar 30, 2007 Lebanon Opera House Lebanon, New Hampshire
Mar 31, 2007 Flynn Center for the Performing Arts Burlington, Vermont
Apr 1, 2007 Stone Mountain Arts Center Brownfield Maine
April 10, 2007 McCarter Theatre Princeton New Jersey
April 11, 2007 The Concert Hall @ N.Y.S.E.C. New York New York
The young Brits who like gambling about your ballroom appearances finally have a U.S. release date for their next album (from Billboard):
Indie label Domino has linked with Warner Bros. for the April 24 release of breakthrough U.K. rock act the Arctic Monkeys' sophomore album, "Favourite Worst Nightmare."The dance-rockers are also taking their act on the road across North America (from their official site):
April 27, 2007 Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music FestivalFinally, catch the video for the lead single from "Favourite Worst Nightmare," "Brainstorm," here. (Hint: Scroll down on this page for pre-sale and regular on-sale dates for the North American tour).
May 1, 2007 San Francisco, CA @ Warfield Theatre
May 2, 2007 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
May 3, 2007 Seattle, OR @ The Showbox
May 4, 2007 Vancouver BC @ Commodore Ballroom
May 7, 2007 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
May 8, 2007 Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
May 9, 2007 Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo's
May 11, 2007 Toronto, ONT @ Kool Haus
May 12, 2007 Montreal, QUE @ Theatre Olympia
May 13, 2007 Boston, MA @ Avalon
May 15, 2007 New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
May 16, 2007 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
May 17, 2007 Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
May 19, 2007 Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
May 20, 2007 Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
All via the magic, the wonder, the shadiness which is MySpace (ironically named social networking site, due to the lack of personal space which is respected on the mega site).
First up, the Johnny Marr (formerly of The Smiths) powered new Modest Mouse album. "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank" hits shelves on March 20.
Then there's the debut solo set from the Strokes' Albert Hammond, Jr. More delicious retro riffs from the New York native adorn this highly acclaimed effort. "Yours to Keep" is available now.
After reading this preview of the forthcoming Monkeys album "Favourite Worst Nightmare," it seems the buzz is already in high gear for the lads from Sheffield. Add to that their recent honor at the Shockwaves NME Awards for best album, and it's fair to say that the band is doing quite well for itself indeed.
Now you can get in on a little bit of all this greatness. Tune your browser of choice here to get a lick of "Brainstorm," the first single from the new disc. It's such a "ferocious" good time that Zane Lowe plays it twice!
It's definitely the same band from the "Whatever I Say I Am" days, but they seemingly found a way to be even edgier.
Check it out and post your own thoughts.
MTV2 proudly presents a stripped-down, intimate performance from Jonathan Davis and company featuring special guests Amy Lee (on "Freak On A Leash") and Robert Smith of The Cure (on "Make Me Bad/In Between Days"). Other highlights include a cover of Radiohead's pre-weird era "Creep" and orchestrations by music producer Richard Gibbs. Some of the instrumentation featured in said orchestra consists of trombone, cello, glass harmonica, choir bells, and Japanese taiko drums. Be on the lookout for the television debut of the big night this Friday on MTV2. Korn MTV Unplugged hits shelves on March 6.
Listen/Watch/Share this unique experience by a band not known for their inviting warmth.
But why stop there? MTV2, in a generous double shot of new album streams, offers up the Finger Eleven effort "Them vs. You vs. Me," including the video for lead single "Paralyzer". MTV refers to this new work as dance rock (territory usually reserved for the likes of Arctic Monkeys or Franz Ferdinand), which would be an unusual but intriguing turn for the Canadian hard rockers. Judge for yourself here.
And since we're all about threesomes here at AtD (hey, who isn't?), why not rock out your day just a little bit more with the music video for Modest Mouse's "Dashboard". The first single from their highly anticipated new record, "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank," the video was directed by Motion Theory (Matisyahu, Beck, Velvet Revolver) and the scene shows a drunken argument involving sailors. Modest Mouse's new album drops March 20.
NIN have posted two songs off their upcoming effort, "Year Zero," on their MySpace. "Survivalism," the first single, which is currently making the rounds on radio, and "My Violent Heart" can be streamed via the ultra-popular socia-networking website.
Meanwhile, a tracklist can be seen by clicking here. Assumably, more content will follow on this page as well. "Year Zero" is due in April.
In other NIN news, this mini-site has been setup to preview their upcoming DVD, "Beside You In Time," due on February 27th.
And even more NIN, because you know you gotta have it (from The NIN Hotline):
This Danish article and a French article are reporting that Trent Reznor, as well as Julian Casablancas of the Strokes and Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees, will perform guest vocals on Queens of the Stone Age's upcoming June release Era Vulgaris.
Queens of the Stone Age (read: Josh Homme plus an assorted backing band of his choosing) have unveiled some tidbits about their next album, Billboard.com reports:
Queens Of The Stone Age are eyeing a June release for their next Interscope album, which is dubbed "Era Vulgaris," according to a post on the group's Web site. Purported song titles include "Into the Hollow," "Misfit Love," "Battery Acid" and "Sick, Sick, Sick."But then Mr. Homme teases us that these may or may not be real, just a playful taunt from his sick mind, no doubt.
Travis are set to release their next studio album, "The Boy With No Name," on May 7 in the U.K., with a North American release date pending. First single "Closer," which arrives in the U.K. on April 23, can be heard on the band's MySpace, as can another new track, "Big Chair."
The album was produced by longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.
"The Boy With No Name" will be the successor to "12 Memories," released in 2003.
At this time, Travis have one road appearance scheduled on April 28th at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
NME has a great deal more:
Of the new album, frontman Fran Healy said: "After a time of feeling stuck we feel we can do anything. We've come through the dark places and it feels like we've found our muse once more..."
The tracklisting for the album is:
'3 Times And You Lose'
'Selfish Jean'
'Closer'
'Big Chair'
'Battleships'
'Eyes Wide Open'
'My Eyes'
'One Night'
'Out In Space'
'Colder'
'New Amsterdam'
Linkin Park are getting ready to reveal to the world their next studio album, due in May (Warner Bros.) and produced by legendary producer Rick Rubin. Billboard reports that the band are mixing the as-yet-untitled album now, with the as-yet-unnamed first single due sometime next month. As for the sound of the new material:
"These are really beautiful songs," producer Rick Rubin told Billboard in December of Linkin Park's first album in four years, which was delayed by a now-settled dispute with Warner Bros. "They've outdone themselves." Rubin steered the band toward recordings by Pink Floyd, Elton John, King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer as reference points for different emotions.Mike Shinoda has previously said that the Moog synthesizer is collecting dust in the studio.
In a statement, dual frontman Chester Bennington has described the album as "dark and spooky, poppy and very melodic... We're straying away from a lot of the predictable sounds we've had in the past. But there's no question in your mind when you hear it that it's Linkin Park".It's always intriguing to see how bands evolve, despite the inevitable shit storm it creates within the 'traditional' fan community. Only time can tell what will happen with this more mature Linkin Park, but with Rubin on the knobs and the artistic gusto of Shinoda, Bennington, and DJ Hahn, it's hard to imagine the band falling flat.
On working with Rubin, Bennington said: "Rick has brought more of a stripped down, classic-rock and hip-hop kind of feel. We're using vintage guitars and drums made out of wood and skin for a more tribal sound. It's definitely not nu-metal."
In this new series on AtD, we will explore up-and-coming artists who are ready for their day in the sun. It should be carefully noted that when we talk about an "imminent explosion" we don't necessarily mean that in terms of record sales or mainstream success. Instead, the explosive part is more about highlighting those artists who are ready to make a significant impact on their particular scene or on a new scene altogether. It's similar to our "Slanted Spotlight" feature, except here we're specifically dealing with the potential next big thing (as opposed to simply highlighting those acts missed along the way).
Swedish pop trio Peter Bjorn and John recently made an appearance on January 29th's Late Night with Conan O'Brien with current single "Young Folks," which can also be heard on MTV2's Subterranean. The delicate, light, whistling pop track fills it's airy spaces with the vocal massages of The Concrete's Victoria Bergsman, sounding at once polite and eerie.
Check out the comic-themed video here and a few other tracks on their MySpace. Their latest album, "Writer's Block," will be released February 6 in the U.S. Assuredly a piece of work of which NME has said, "every new band should be automatically issued with this album," has got to have something special going on. And that's not all, the record is garnering critical acclaim from all over the place. Plus, how can a band whose initials are PB & J be bad?
Forget about! While we're on a roll with reunions and comebacks, why not add the original Shaolin monks of hip-hop to the fold? The Wu is storming back:
After years of false starts and delays, the Wu-Tang Clan will release a new studio album, "8 Diagram," this summer via SRC Records. According to principal member RZA, the album will include an unreleased performance from the late Ol' Dirty Bastard and a long-in-the-works tribute to the artist dubbed "Life Changes."So what took so long? Economics, it appears, played a fairly large role. Then again, for the Clan, cash rules everything around (them). And just in case you're wondering, I can go all day on the W puns. But really, I wasn't kidding about the money:
"I know everybody has a lifestyle they have to maintain," he told Billboard.com in February 2005. "Let's just say a Wu-Tang Clan album is worth a couple million dollars. Once 10 guys get on it, it's still worth a couple hundred grand. Some guys' lifestyles require them to make five or six hundred thousand dollars a year regardless. Maybe doing Wu-Tang will make you that much money, but doing it by yourself could you make you a million, because there aren't so many hands involved. But for the legacy, I think we should be willing to make that sacrifice and get it cracking."Isn't that big of them? Sacrificing a few million down to a few hundred thousand, all for the sake of art. It almost brings a tear to my eye, almost, but not quite. But as for what to expect, RZA gives us the lowdown on the showdown (ya know, since there are all those martial arts references):
People want something that gives them an adrenaline rush," RZA said in a statement. "We're here to supply that fix. How could hip-hop be dead if Wu-Tang is forever? We're here to revive the spirit and the economics and bring in a wave of energy that has lately dissipated."Ain't that the truth? Wu-Tang is forever and you really can't disagree with that statement...so far. After all, their debut LP "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" is easily in the top 3 definitive rap albums of the 90's (I'd say it fights out with the "Chronic" by Dre for #1, with Snoop's "Doggystyle" at #3). And as their official site is reporting, there's even some hope for future projects. And naturally a new album also means a big ass tour. And I mean literally big, as Wu-Tang has eight members. For the money (and by money we mean pride here) can you name all of them? No cheating now. Go have fun in the comments and see how much love you have for Wu.
Here is a resource list of notable bands releasing albums over the next 6 months, in release date order (with links to news stories):
Explosions In The Sky - "All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone" (Feb. 20)
Albert Hammond, Jr. (of the Strokes) - "Yours to Keep" (March 6)
Korn - "MTV Unplugged" (featuring Amy Lee and Robert Smith) (March 6)
Joss Stone - "Introducing Joss Stone" (March 20)
Patti Smith - [as yet untitled covers album] (Late March/Early April)
Fountains of Wayne - "Traffic and Weather" (April 3)
Chevelle - "Vena Sera" (April 3)
Bright Eyes - "Cassadega" (April 9)
Dinosaur Jr. - "Beyond" (May 1)
Rufus Wainwright - "Release The Stars" (May)
Satellite Party (Perry Farrell's new band) - "Ultra Payloaded" (May 15)
Wilco - "Sky Blue Sky" (May 15)
Bjork - [as yet untitled] (Late Spring) Note: The album was produced by the ever prolific Timbaland and features the previously featured Toumani Diabate on kora)
Smashing Pumpkins - [as yet untitled] (Late Spring/Early Summer)
Jimmy Eat World - [as yet untitled] (Early Summer)
And all of this, of course, is in addition to new efforts from Bloc Party, The Arcade Fire, NIN et al, already featured on the site. And even this is just a sampling of the crop of what can be expected by the summer of '07. These simply happen to be a bunch of the ones we're all looking forward too.
We know your ears are...crying? thirsting? Whatever it is ears do in uncontrolled anticipation of something, so let us have it! What are we missing here that is sure to make your year-end top 10 list? What sure-to-be fine artistic achievement will you be swaggering to in just a matter of months?
U.K. rock outfit Maximo Park has announced the details for their next album, "Our Earthly Pleasures," due April 3 via Warp in the U.S. and a day earlier in international markets. The first single, "Our Velocity," will be readied for a March 19 release. The set was produced by Gil Norton (Foo Fighters, The Pixies) and features a few songs from the period of the band's first effort, "A Certain Trigger."
NME reports on the singer's take on the soon-to-be unveiled work:
Singer Paul Smith said of the record: "Thanks to two years of touring the world and with the contribution of Gil Norton, 'Our Earthly Pleasures' is a heavy, eye-opening record. It's rock music without the clichés, dealing with the world on an emotional level. Ultimately we want to reach as many people as possible because we feel this record has the ability to inspire and affect people."The tracklisting for the album is as follows:
'Girls Who Play Guitars'
'Our Velocity'
'Books From Boxes'
'Russian Literature'
'Karaoke Plays'
'Your Urge'
'The Unshockable'
'By The Monument'
'Nosebleed'
'A Fortnight's Time'
'Sandblasted And Set Free'
'Parisian Skies'
Soft-spoken singer, songwriter, and pianist Norah Jones will be releasing her latest album, "Not Too Late," on Blue Note Records on January 29th. Known for her sweep of the 2003 Grammys but having somewhat faded since, Jones played 12 tracks from the 13-track release on BBC's Radio 2 this past Saturday. She addressed the audience with a fair bit of charisma and gave them a taste of something new.
The Independent reports:
For the soulful new single "Thinking About You", Jones switched to a Fender Rhodes electric piano and proved just as entrancing and bewitching, delivering the lyrics with just the right amount of yearning.As for the album, it's wholly made up of her original compositions and looks to contain a few surprises from an artist who we can all-too-easily pigeonhole as predictable "after-dinner music."
the vocalist and her partner Lee Alexander have broadened the palette further still, as demonstrated by the dreamy, drifting, lap steel sonics he added to "Not My Friend" and the upright bass loops on "Broken". ... Media attention will no doubt focus on "My Dear Country", written two years ago, and its recurring motif of "Nothing is as scary as election day" and lines such as "Who knows, maybe he's not deranged". It's nice to see Jones moving into protest-singer territory and picking up the Bush-bating baton from Neil Young and Pearl Jam.Will these evolutions be enough to stir up some attention for Jones, or is she fine where she is, down-to-earth and true to her bluesy, mellow self? It's not too late to speculate.
In a recent interview with England's Kerrang! magazine, Reznor described the upcoming album's as "a collage of sound type of thing, not heavy in a metal guitar kind of way." He added, "With this record I feel a lot less concerned about what people think about it — especially the dying record industry. I couldn't care less about that right now." Reznor also revealed that the new effort is a concept album and "part of a bigger picture of a number of things I'm working on. Essentially I wrote the soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist."And even more from Rolling Stone:
Reznor said that most of the album was recorded "in hotel rooms around the world on laptops," with very few musicians beside himself and "maybe some surprise vocalists that pop up here and there."
"I’ve got my confidence back. I feel stronger about what I have to say as an artist and I feel a lot less concerned about what people think about it…my best work’s ahead of me."Reznor then goes on to rant some hate towards emo and finishes with this philosophical quip:
"I wonder about the person that’s in a band, the young kid who just got signed or is trying to get signed - why is he doing it? Is he trying to change the world and do something different and express himself…or is it because they want to fuck Paris Hilton and be photographed outside trendy restaurants?"Deep thoughts from the mastermind of raging electro-metal. One thing is certain, Trent is fired up and we get to see the fuel behind the flames in just a few short months. I for one cannot wait.
Indie poppers Apples In Stereo have been busy of late, recording a new album, their first in 5 years, and singing the praises of late night funnyman Stephen Colbert. In fact, as Harp Magazine reported on after the initial airing of the Decemberists/Shred-Off episode of "The Colbert Report," Apples In Stereo front-man Robert Schneider is a big time supporter of the Comedy Central satirist:
Speaking of Schneider, though, he was probably the evening’s real winner. Apparently a huge fan of “The Colbert Report,” some time earlier Schneider, upon hearing of the Colbert-Decemberists beef, penned a tune in praise of Colbert and sent it to the talk-show host along with a note that read as follows:
“Dear Stephen, Because we are so affronted by the lawless attacks on your green screen priority, as well as by the fierceness of grizzly bears, black bears, brown bears, and the like; and because we are grateful for your efforts to alert the public to the dangers of these terrifying creatures (of course I mean The Decembrists); we have written this song "STEPHEN, STEPHEN" for your enjoyment. Your humble servants, The Apples in Stereo.”
Who's the television host
Understands what matters most?
Stephen, Stephen
He's a handsome man his name is Stephen-- Woh oh Number one TV show.
Stephen, Stephen
He's a dashing man his name is Stephen-- Woh oh He's taking on the status quo.
Don't stop believin' Stephen, Stephen.
Don't stop transceivin' Stephen, Stephen.
He's calling out the bears in their evil lairs.
He's calling out the press in their fancy dress.
Don't stop believin' Stephen, Stephen.
Don't stop transceivin' Stephen, Stephen.
He's calling out the bears in their evil lairs.
He's calling out the press in their fancy dress.
He's calling out the Decemberists and their green screen contests.
Who's the television host
Understands what matters most?
