Led Zeppelin back in the studio

Led Zeppelin could be on the brink of a 10th studio album after musicians Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham said they had been working on new songs.

Drummer Bonham told a radio station in Detroit that the new material may be recorded but added there was "lots of politics" to sort out first.

The three band members have been meeting to work on new ideas since Led Zeppelin's one-off reunion show last December.

But lead singer Robert Plant has not been involved in any of the sessions, Bonham told the radio station.

He said: "At the moment, all I know is I have the great pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and start work on some material.

"When I get there [in the studio] I never ask any questions. If I get a phone call to go and play, I enjoy every moment of it.

"Whatever it ends up as, to ever get a chance to jam with two people like that, it is a phenomenal thing for me. It's my life. It's what I've dreamed about doing."

He added: "Lots of politics [would need to] get ironed out [before an album could be made]."

Led Zeppelin played their first concert in 19 years, in front of nearly 20,000 fans, at London's 02 arena in December.

Their two-hour set opened with Good Times Bad Times - the first track of their debut album.

Original band members Page, Plant and Jones were joined on stage by Jason Bonham - the son of their late drummer John.

Page recently performed Whole Lotta Love at the London Olympic handover ceremony in Beijing. The song was sung by X Factor winner Leona Lewis.

David Byrne and Brian Eno- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (Album Review)

Towards the end of David Byrne's sleevenotes for the recent reissue of My Life in the Bush of Ghosts - the album the former Talking Heads singer made with the band's producer and mentor, Brian Eno, in 1981 - he describes the duo encountering a novel problem. The vocals on the album had been taken from Arabic pop singles, ethnographic recordings and late-night talk-shows and evangelists' sermons they had taped from the radio. Now they had to get permission to use them, which proved to be an arduous task.

"No one knew what the hell we were doing," recalled Byrne. "The record sat on the shelf while the phone calls and faxes went back and forth." Some people refused to give their consent, which meant that tracks had to be changed. The album's release was postponed by a year. If the duo hadn't actually invented sampling - you could argue long into the night about whether innumerable earlier experiments with tape loops count - they certainly seem to have invented the idea of sample clearance.

It's perhaps pushing it to say that Byrne and Eno inadvertently changed the face of popular music with that album, but not much: whatever Steve Reich and Stockhausen got up to in the 60s, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts' combination of jittery dub, Fela Kuti-influenced funk and borrowed voices sounds like the direct precursor to sampling as it has come to be known. So it's hard to stop a certain weight of expectation hanging heavy over the duo's first joint-effort in 27 years. Eno notes that their intentions in making Everything That Happens Will Happen Today were "quite different" - for one thing, it's a collection of what Byrne described as "proper songs", with Eno providing the music and Byrne the vocals and lyrics - but neither party has lost the capacity for the kind of unprecedented blue-sky thinking that fuelled their previous collaboration's most groundbreaking aspects. This is, after all, a collaboration between the Liberal Democrats' freshly-appointed adviser on youth affairs, aged 60, and a man who recently curated an event at which a choir of geriatrics performed a cover of Queen's Bicycle Race, and who designed a chair that looks like it has a Mohican haircut.

Eno has described one track, I Feel My Stuff, as "unlike any other song I've ever heard before", which suggests, a little improbably, that he has never heard any trip-hop. That's not to say that I Feel My Stuff isn't a good song, one that shifts constantly and intriguingly over six and a half minutes, from fluttering abstract piano and shuffling breakbeats made up of vocal samples, via a feedback-heavy guitar solo to a rather proggy final riff. It's just to suggest that anyone hoping for ground to be broken once more might consider gently downscaling their expectations. If they do, they'll find plenty to like about this album, which seems to be less about venturing boldly forth into the unknown than retreating gently into a less complicated and troubled past.

The primary influences on the songs are gospel and country (Byrne even starts yodelling towards the end of Life Is Long, perhaps the one moment on the album that you could describe as genuinely startling) albeit gospel and country given a characteristically strange shimmer by Eno's arrangements. The gentle acoustic strum of My Big Nurse ends with a weird solo that seems to be part organ, part feedback; the rhythm track on Home becomes gradually drowned in reverb and other electronic effects. The lyrics may be haunted by the Iraq war, but the tone is weirdly upbeat, much given to looking on the bright side and making the best of it. "We can use these storms to guide the way - this is not my fault," offers Byrne on the lovely One Fine Day.

Ironically, the record ETHWHT most resembles is not My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, nor any one of the three hugely ambitious albums Talking Heads made with Eno behind the production desk. It is most reminiscent of Little Creatures, the lunge for the pop mainstream they recorded long after their collaboration with Eno had ended. You could view that as a disappointment, or perhaps a rather modest achievement in light of Byrne and Eno being in the studio together, but you'd be hard-pushed to deny the affecting warmth of these songs. Everything That Happens Will Happen Today may be an album of subtle pleasures, but they are pleasures all the same.

Replacements Drummer Steve Foley Dies

Steve Foley, who played drums with the Replacements at the tail end of their career, died last weekend in Minneapolis. He was 49. According to local media reports, Foley died after accidentally overdosing on prescription medication.

The 1990 selection of Foley, who played in such Minneapolis bands as Curtiss A, Wheelo and Snaps, as the substitute for original Replacements drummer Steve Foley has become the stuff of legend.

According to Jim Walsh's oral history "All Over But the Shouting," frontman Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson bumped into Foley at a local bar and procured a ride from him to an audition. In the car was a copy of the brand new Replacements album "All Shook Down," prompting Westerberg and Stinson to look at each other and then exclaim to Foley, "You're already in."

Foley then toured with the band until its final show on July 4, 1991, in Chicago's Grant Park. Afterward, he and his brother Kevin joined Stinson's band Bash & Pop. Of late, he was working as a car salesman in Minneapolis.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, visitation will be held 11 a.m. Friday (Aug. 29) at Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapel in Edina, Minn., with burial to follow at Lakewood Cemetery.

Stereolab- Neon Beanbag (Music Video)

My Bloody Valentine Albums Go Digital

My Bloody Valentine's two full-length albums, "Isn't Anything" and "Loveless," will be re-released digitally today (Aug. 26). The releases had previously only been partially available online.

In addition, the newly reunited MBV is dusting off the "Tremolo" EP, which is making its debut in the digital format, as well as four vintage short-form videos for the songs "Only Shallow," "Soon," "Swallow" and "To Here Knows When."

In June, "Isn't Anything" and "Loveless" were remastered and reissued on CD in the U.K. A Japan-only boxed set featuring several unreleased tracks was also announced but has apparently been put on hold.

Following its first live appearances in 14 years this summer internationally, MBV will touch down in the United States Sept. 19 for the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in Monticello, N.Y., which it curated.

Sonic Youth begin writing new 'indie' album

Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore has revealed that his band are in the process of writing a new studio album set to be released on an indie label.

The band's record deal with Geffen expired after the band released 2006's 'Rather Ripped'. They are set to hit the studio in November and release their next album in Spring 2009.

Moore told Rolling Stone that after feeling "compromised" by being on a major label, his band would release their next effort on an indie, although he did not specify which one.

"There's one label we are certainly going to go with at this point," he said. "But I don't think I’m allowed to disclose that right now. I don’t want to risk having a shit storm.

"I've written a half-dozen song ideas. I try not to complete them so much. Last time we got together, we were creating sort of new band-zone-vibe sort of things.

Speaking about releasing the album on and indie, Moore said: "It feels great. The last four or five records we did were just so compromised by that [major label] situation. But that's the way it goes."

Amazon.com's $2-5 Sweet Spot

Amazon.com's MP3 customers are showing $2 is a low enough price to pick up just about any album. Yesterday's $1.99 special was Classics by Aphex Twin. The collection of mostly fast and abrasive techno music is currently at #2 on the site's MP3 album chart (second only to a 30-track Beach Boys compilation selling for $5). OK, so a well known name (in electronic circles) can rise near the top of the chart with a near-giveaway price. But what about lesser known artists? Today's $1.99 special is Trouble in Mind by Hayes Carll. The album by the Houston-based artist was released on April 8 by Universal Music Group's alt-country imprint, Lost Highway. As the CD sits at #268, the low-priced MP3 album is at #13.

A look at the MP3 album chart shows Amazon.com customers' love of bargain hunting. The top eight titles are all on special -- five of them are priced at $5, two are going for $1.99 and one (by John Coltrane, currently a featured artist) is $5.99. Nine of the top 25 titles cost $5 or less.

Of course, the sweet spot varies according to demand. The Illusion of Progress by Staind, the highest non-sale title, has enough demand to merit a normal sale price. Same goes for the Mamma Mia! soundtrack that sits at #12 with a $9.49 price.

Such sale prices are probably (I'm guessing since I have no sales data to back me up) low enough to create incremental purchases that will not infringe upon the sales of popular new releases. A $2 album is practically a pack of gum at the check-out aisle. That's found money. Those prices are good for consumers' willingness to fill holes in their collections, good for labels to spur demand for a catalog title or raise awareness for a developing artist. And judging from the regularity by which I visit Amazon.com's MP3 page to see what's on sale, the store's pricing strategy can go a long way in getting repeat business.

Compare iTunes' and Amazon.com's best sellers and it's clear Amazon.com is the home of the deal. iTunes' current top 100 does not have a single album priced under $6.99 (it does contain three low-priced EPs). While Amazon.com is gaining unit market share through catalog sales and one-off specials, iTunes is doing brisk business selling titles are regular prices. That greater profit margin represents the value of loyal, practically locked-in customers who would rather pay full list price than shop around. I think Amazon.com will be able to grab the business of some frequent iTunes buyers who enjoy browsing through sale titles and looking for bargains. The larger question is if they can change the game by getting business from the more casual-yet-full price-paying iTunes customer.

Albert Hammond Jr to design own suit line

Albert Hammond, Jr. has revealed he is working on designing a line of men’s suits, to be sold initially in Los Angeles.

The Strokes guitarist-turned-solo-star is co-designing the clothes line with stylist Ilaria Urbinati, and the collection will be sold at the soon-to-be-opened Confederacy store, which she co-owns with actor/DJ Danny Masterson.

“I want to make suits that I’m going to have for myself,” Hammond told New York Magazine. “They’re for the person who needs his one suit for a wedding. He’d rather get something like this than go to Men’s Wearhouse, pay the same amount, and look like an out-of-date parent.”

Hammond said that he hopes initially to produce three styles of suit , branching out with new designs every season.

“The whole goal is to make this line and see what it does and if we can just break even to make the next set" he says "then every time we’ll do it we’ll add one new design and then we’ll add a few different things to the old designs so it’ll constantly be growing, it’ll constantly change.”

And he says he’s aiming to keep the suit line classic, with subtle changes added to existing styles every season.

“It’s kind of like the way cars slowly evolve ever year, you think they look the same but you look back and they’ve slowly changed over time. Sometimes there’s certain things that happen in fashion but what I’m trying make is something that’s a little more classic to do I feel like 20 years from you could wear. It’s not going to be like some flared suit that you’d wear now and look like it was Halloween.”

Queens Of The Stone Age Josh Homme To Produce New Arctic Monkeys Material

Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has confirmed that he is to produce material for the Arcitic Monkeys.

Homme said the Sheffield band would travel to the Californian dessert next month to “submerge themselves in something else and do some tracks.”

“That’s the sort of pressure-free ‘Lets do something cool’ environment that really pays musical dividends at the end,” the singer told the BBC.

“They’re a talented bunch of guys, its gonna be a lot of fun.”

It’s not clear whether the tracks will feature on the Arctic Monkeys as-yet-untitled third album.

Jack White + Alicia Keys = James Bond Theme

Jackwhite Jack White and Alicia Keys have recorded the theme song for the 22nd James Bond film “Quantum of Solace.” “Another Way to Die,” written and produced by White, is the first duet in Bond soundtrack history. White follows Chris Cornell who was the first male solo rock artist to perform a Bond theme. Over the 22 films, four rock bands have done themes (Paul McCartney & Wings, Duran Duran, Garbage and a-Ha) but only one woman rock singer, Sheryl Crow, has a Bond credit. Shirley Bassey has recorded the most Bond themes, three. J Records will release the soundtrack on Oct. 28. David Arnold will again compose the score, making it his fifth Bond project.

Bloc Party Says Download 'Definitely Working'

Bloc Party fans expecting a routine Web chat with their heroes got more than they bargained for Aug. 18, when the U.K. alt-rock band announced they would be able to download its new album, "Intimacy," in just 60 hours' time.

"They were very freaked out. It was really funny," frontman Kele Okereke says.

Bloc Party's London-based indie label, Wichita Recordings, could not be reached for comment, but Okereke jokes that executives had a similar initial reaction to the rush release, before adding that they were "really into this idea, just as much as we were."

The band also has the backing of Universal Music Group -- Wichita has a joint-venture marketing agreement with the major's V2 label for the album and an international licensing agreement with the Cooperative Music collective, which is financially supported by UMG. The advance download concept has also been "embraced completely" by U.S. label Atlantic, according to Okereke.

"Intimacy," the band's third album, became available yesterday exclusively from blocparty.com. CDs will be delivered Oct. 27, with the pre-order currently available in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. "It's going really well. It's definitely working," the singer says, while declining to reveal specific figures.

Okereke denied the move was about "foxing the critics" and downplayed suggestions in a press release that the move was in response to the leak of Bloc Party's 2007 album "A Weekend in the City," which he says did not markedly affect sales. That album has moved 148,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Instead, the band has taken inspiration from Radiohead. "We finished it a few months ago and we thought, 'Why do we need to sit on it for six months after it's done?' " Okereke says. "It seems that post-'In Rainbows' there are no rules about this sort of thing anymore."

Right now, Okereke says the band is "looking forward to working out how we're going to play these songs live" on its North American dates, which begin Sept. 5 in Detroit.

Although he anticipates the band's youthful fan base will initially be buying the record, he hopes it will pick up an older audience when it goes to retailers in the fall. "I don't want it to just be an Internet, cool thing," he adds. "I want it to have a presence."

RATATAT - MIRANDO (Video)

Made entirely w/ clips from the movie 'Predator'.. NICE!

The Walkmen:: You & Me (Album Review)

Earlier this year, the Walkmen recorded three Leonard Cohen covers for the online music site Daytrotter. Plenty of indie-rock kids have tried a similar trick and a few have done it pretty well, but what frontman Hamilton Leithauser brought to the role was a perfect alignment of doggedness: Like Cohen, Leithauser plays a man perpetually stuck in the gutter, stupid and stubborn enough to stare up at the stars.

"Oh, bad luck, bad luck, you've come for me," he yowls over the gut-shot groan of "Long Time Ahead of Us," the 10th track off the Walkmen's brilliant fifth album. "Tomorrow we'll rise/ And the sky will be bright." In the meantime, yeah, there's a "long time ahead of us."

Much has been made of Leithauser's voice, which often feels choked, but on "You & Me," could one imagine a more perfect instrument? The best songs here, like the clattering "On the Water," are songs of last-resorts: the sound of a band holed up in some dark room, whistling, wailing, banging on a busted drum set, and waiting for morning. "I miss you, I miss you," Leithauser admits, finally, on the elegiac "Red Moon." "There's no one else/ I do, I do." [Matthew Shaer]

"You & Me" will be officially released Aug. 19 on Gigantic Music, but it's available now exclusively at www.amiestreet.com/artist/the-walkmen as part of the website's Download to Make a Difference campaign. For a limited time, the album costs $5, with all proceeds benefiting cancer research and treatment. The Walkmen play at the Middle East Downstairs on Sept. 18.

Kingblind Downloads

Okkervil River - Lost Coastlines

31Knots - Compass Commands

The Dandy Warhols - The World Come On

The Gaslight Anthem - The ‘59 Sound

Robyn Hitchcock - Bad Case of History

Jaguar Love - Bats Over The Pacific Ocean

Jennifer O’Connor - Here With Me

Lee “Scratch” Perry - Pum Pum

Ra Ra Riot - Dying Is Fine

Stereolab - Three Women

The Stills - Being Here

The Verve To Continue On After Reunion Album

The Verve considers its forthcoming album "Forth," the reunited British group's first new set in 11 years, to be the beginning of its new era -- and the continuation of a career that's been interrupted by two previous break-ups.

"This definitely is an ongoing concern; it's not something that we're all just gonna chuck away again," bassist Simon Jones said. "Looking back I don't think we had to be so blunt and, 'Alright, we're splitting up!' really. We should've just chilled out for a bit and taken some time out, to be honest.

"But obviously we all had a deep yearning inside to get back to do this or it wouldn't have happened. I just hope we don't split up again, now ... 'cause it becomes a bit silly, doesn't it?' "

Since reuniting in 2007, the Verve has played dates in Great Britain, Europe and the U.S., and Jones says the quartet is chomping at the bit to get back to North America once "Forth" comes out on Tuesday.

"It's gonna be towards the end of this year or the beginning of the new one," he notes. "We've got such a good fan base over there. We did so much touring early on and did Lollapalooza (in 1994). We did six dates earlier this year, and it wasn't enough. I want to visit all those places we've been where we know we've got fans and breathe life into these new songs from ('Forth'). That's definitely on our list of things to do."

Jones confirms that Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft is contractually obligated to record another solo album, but says it will not interfere with whatever is next for the band.

"I don't think us being back together means we have to do a record every year," Jones says. "We'll do it on our own terms and at our own pace. But, definitely, all of us want to pursue this. It's something that means a lot to all of us. It's a bit of a shock to be doing it again, but a very nice shock, really.

Brian Wilson to premiere That Lucky Old Sun through newspaper websites

Capitol Records is partnering with Gannett for the exclusive premiere of Brian Wilson's new album "That Lucky Old Sun" from 8/22 to 9/1. More than 50 Gannett newspaper and TV station websites including USAToday will offer full streaming audio of Wilson's album before its September 2 release. The player will link to Amazon to pre-order the CD, limited edition CD/DVD and digital album.

While it is common for artists to offer promo pre-release web streaming, it's a unique arrangement to stream an album on newspaper and TV websites. For Gannett, it's an opportunity to deliver new music from a respected artist familiar to its core older news audience. Markets were chosen because of size or market, because they have a large Brian Wilson fan base.
(via Hypebot)

Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke on “Intimacy,” the Surprise Breakup Album “10 People Knew About”

You have to give Bloc Party this much: they can keep a secret. Just days after finishing a U.S. tour and releasing the apparently one-off single “Mercury,” the London post punks have trumped the Raconteurs and Radiohead by springing their new album Intimacy on the world with just three days’ notice. “There were lot of clandestine meetings in east London pubs,” laughs frontman Kele Okereke on the phone from England. “We referred to it as Plan ‘X.’ It was a bit of a giggle. I don’t think more than 10 people knew about the idea until the last few days. It was totally hush-hush but we didn’t want to go the whole In Rainbows route and give away for free. We live in a capitalist world and I do want to get paid and I do want to eat.”

If the release was unexpected, then the subject matter might prove to be even more so. Famously guarded about his private life, Okereke cagily admits that Intimacy finds the singer bearing his soul more than ever before, as its title implies. “I went through a breakup at the end of last year and I guess that’s what the record’s about really. I couldn’t help thinking about it or talking about it or writing about it. I wouldn’t want anyone to think it’s the clichéd breakup record but I haven’t written about true, personal experiences all that much in the past.” Okereke adds his favorite song on the album is “Ion Square” “because it evokes a really great time in a relationship when everything was going right.”

Fans that stump up $20 up front will be rewarded with the download and a physical release in October featuring extra material. But what? Even the band isn’t sure. “The CD will have extra songs but we haven’t decided on what they will be yet. We’re kind of just making it up as we can go along. You can do that these days and it’s pretty exciting I think.”

American teen quits school to play 'Guitar Hero'

An American teenager has dropped out of high school in order to become an expert at the video game Guitar Hero.

Blake Peebles, 16, quit his sophomore year at North Raleigh Christian Academy to concentrate on perfecting his game, which so far has seen him win prizes from gift certificates to gaming equipment and chicken sandwiches.

The Raleigh, North Carolina native’s parents hired a tutor and allowed their son to drop out of school after he wore them down with his complaints.

"We couldn't take the complaining anymore. He always told me that he thought school was a waste of time," his mother Hunter told The News & Observer.

Peebles hopes to get to professional-level gaming, which can see competitors earn from $25,000 to $80,000 per year, although the figure is usually at the lower end and sponsorship opportunities are rare for competitors who coming in any lower than first place.

Muxtape Shuts Down to Resolve RIAA Conflict

Online mixtape service Muxtape has temporarily closed its doors in order to resolve an undisclosed dispute with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

There's no reason or timing for the shutdown listed on the site, beyond a single, relatively hopeful sentence that reads, "Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA."

"No artists or labels have complained," Muxtape wrote on its Tumblr blog. "The site is not closed indefinitely. Stay tuned. Beta users of Muxtape For Bands: you are unaffected by this outage."

Friends, Family Pay Tribute To Isaac Hayes

The weight of soul singer Isaac Hayes' legacy in Memphis could be measured in a single remark at his memorial service today (Aug. 18).

"What would you say if you were flying into Memphis and they said you are about to land at Isaac Hayes International Airport," U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen asked, drawing a huge burst of applause during a four-hour service of music, speakers and video clips.

Cohen, who represented Hayes' area of Memphis, said the city should celebrate Hayes, an architect of the Memphis sound, as it celebrates Elvis Presley. "He is a world person who the world will miss," Cohen said.

The deep-voiced soul singer died Aug. 10 after he was found unconscious at his Memphis residence. No autopsy was performed, but paperwork filed by Hayes' family doctor, David Kraus, lists the cause of death as a stroke.

About 3,000 fans and friends attended the service. They remembered Hayes for his music and his movies and for his humanitarian work that included building a school in Ghana.

"He was a lovely man, always involved with causes," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said before the service. "Literacy, civil rights. He was always there, and that's why we're all here for him."

Jackson was among the speakers that included Al Sharpton and actresses and fellow scientologists Anne Archer and Kelly Preston.

Richard Roundtree, who starred in the 1971 movie "Shaft," whose theme song was penned and performed by Hayes, was there, as was David Porter, Hayes' co-writer from his Stax Records days.

Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise and Wesley Snipes attended a private service Sunday.

The Monday service began with a drum march through the sanctuary and a video clip of Hayes and Jackson on stage together at a concert in the Watts area of Los Angeles in 1972. Jackson pulled off Hayes' cap to reveal his signature shaved head, then Hayes slipped off his robe to show his red spandex pants and chain vest.

"Thank God for Isaac living 65 years and making a difference in our lives," Jackson said.

Sharpton said Hayes never forgot his Southern roots. He recalled a time when "Hollywood didn't send its stars to us, we sent our stars to them."

"Isaac came from our culture. He emanated our culture. That's why he never lost his authenticity, never lost his conviction," Sharpton said. "There is a difference between authentic and fabricated."

As for his music, Hayes hooked up with Stax in the early '60s and with Porter crafted songs that became cultural touchstones, including Sam & Dave's "Soul Man" and "Hold On! I'm Comin'." Their sound was a gritty Southern counterpart to Motown hits coming from Detroit.

Later, his "Theme From Shaft" won both Academy and Grammy awards, and he was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He appeared in a number of films, including "Escape from New York" and provided the voice for Chef in the TV comedy series "South Park."

"There would be no Isaac Hayes without Stax and no Stax without Isaac Hayes," Jackson remarked.

Sharpton contrasted today's rap music with Hayes' smooth soul, saying Hayes lifted up women while rap denigrates and "beats them down."

But Doug E. Fresh, a rapper and record producer, said outside the church that Hayes' music directly influenced rap and hip-hop. "Hip-hop wouldn't be what it is without Isaac Hayes," Fresh said.

Wilco Eyeing Spring '09 For New Album

Wilco hopes to have its seventh studio album out by spring 2009, frontman Jeff Tweedy told Albany, N.Y., radio station WAMC recently.

After opting for a highly performance-oriented recording approach on 2007's "Sky Blue Sky," Tweedy says he expects Wilco will "allow ourselves a little bit more leeway in terms of sculpting the sound in the studio and doing overdubs and using the studio as another instrument. Last time around, it was more of a document."

At recent live shows, Wilco has played two new songs: "One Wing" recalls the melancholy, slowly building "Sky Blue Sky" closer "On and On and On," while "Sunny Feeling" has a sly main riff in keeping with loose jams from the last album such as "Walken."

Tweedy told WAMC he's going through a phase where he "kinda hate[s]" all of Wilco's six prior albums, because "none of them are a statement that I would be comfortable making right now at this point in my life. They all served their purpose, and in that respect I'm proud of all of them.

"But as something that feels artistically in keeping with who I am today, I think that they are inevitably going to fall short of that as time goes on. I mean, they just don't continue to mean the same things to me, and a new record is kind of where it's at."

Prior to the release of "Sky Blue Sky," Tweedy said that a number of unfinished songs from those sessions would potentially form the basis for the next album, but it is unknown if they remain in consideration at this point.

Wilco wraps a summer North American tour this weekend at San Francisco's inaugural Outside Lands Festival. After a one-off Aug. 30 Wilco festival gig in Ireland, Tweedy plays four solo shows in Spain through Sept. 6 in Murcia.

Video Premiere: My Morning Jacket “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. II”

High royalty fees could cause Pandora to close its music box

Music discovery service and online radio station Pandora may have to shut down, thanks to high royalty fees imposed last year by the US Copyright Royalty Board. Pandora founder Tim Westergren says his company is currently paying 70% of its revenue to SoundExchange, the organization that collects royalties for artists.

While nobody is arguing that artists shouldn't be paid for their work, this Copyright Royalty Board decision has always seemed a bit shortsighted. First of all, artists don't make a penny for music broadcast on traditional radio, even though radio station owners bring in plenty of dollars through advertising. Second, since Pandora doesn't just stream audio, but determines a listener's musical tastes and streams music from artists they might like, the service is an amazing promotional tool for musicians who might otherwise not be heard. Why would an organization that says it's concerned with paying artists try to shoot that service in the foot?

Webcasters have to pay a fee every time they stream a song -- and that fee is rising from 8/100 of a cent per song last year to 19/100 of a cent per song by 2010. The new royalty rates are hitting Pandora especially hard because the company streams hundreds of thousands of songs to hundreds of thousands of listeners simultaneously. I assume similar services like Last.fm are also feeling the pinch, but Last.fm was recently purchased by media giant CBS, while Pandora is an independent company with shallower pockets.

natalie portman's shaved head - sophisticated side ponytail

Kingblind's Favorite Finds

This list at Amazon.com features over 3,000 free and legal mp3 music downloads (available to US only).

8 Best Free Music Apps for the iPhone

RIP, legendary producer and Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler

Mental Floss explains the musical genius of Miles Davis.

CMJ lineup. NYC, Oct. 21-25.

Blender: Obama and McCain pick their top 10 songs. Obama: Kanye, Sinatra, U2, Spingsteen; McCain: ABBA, Sinatra, Beach Boys, Louis Armstrong. Strangely interchangeable.

Gnarls Barkley - Live @ Astoria 2, London 08.07.2008
(Password: potq.cl)

Rock Art... R.I.P.?

GNR's 'Democracy' To Be Retail Exclusive?

The June leak of nine allegedly "mastered, finished" tracks from Guns N' Roses' long-delayed "Chinese Democracy" spurred a renewed round of chatter about whether the Axl Rose-led band will finally release the 14-years-in-the-making album.

But some concrete signs are finally emerging that the album's release could be imminent. That's because, according to sources, negotiations are underway for "Chinese Democracy" to come out as an exclusive at one of the big boxes -- either Wal-Mart or Best Buy.

Negotiations are also ongoing to have conventional record company distribution, another source says.

Guns N' Roses is now managed by Irving Azoff's Front Line Management, and Azoff is a well-known proponent of issuing albums exclusively through retailers. He released the Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" through Wal-Mart, much to the chagrin of other merchants.

Most recently, it became known that AC/DC's next album will come out exclusively through Wal-Mart. Merchants were particularly incensed that the deal was apparently struck with the blessing of Columbia.

It's unclear who initiated the Guns N' Roses exclusive negotiations -- Front Line or Interscope, the band's label.

Representatives at Front Line and Interscope with knowledge of the situation couldn't be reached for comment by deadline. A Wal-Mart representative says the chain couldn't confirm this fall's exclusives. Best Buy representatives couldn't be reached for comment by deadline.