Lollapawhat?

As reported in today's Chicago Tribune, while all the talk in the rumour mill has been saying that Lollapalooza is locked and loaded, Chicago Park District spokeswoman Jessica Maxey-Faulkner denies that the two-day event is go for take-off. This news, coupled with the fact that, while many are getting out their checkbooks to buy tickets, there are others who have little optimism. Chicago has always had a shady history when it comes to the big shows.

"It's premature to say this will happen," Maxey-Faulkner said. "We do not have a timeline. But if it is to happen, I expect Parkways to come to us with a request pretty soon."

Parkways is a Chicago foundation that oversees the park where Lollapalooza is hopefully going to be. They are still in talks with Capital Sports and Entertainment over the details of the event. Though they can't confirm dates or times, even though the weekend of July 23 and 24 has been the word on the street, city officials say that this Lollapalooza will be toned down a lot.

Read the entire article here.

In other news...

The Oasis hype continues to spread like wildfire. NME.com has exclusively interviewed frontman Noel Gallagher, and he says he has significantly high hopes for the new album, Don't Believe the Truth. In fact, he claims it's their best work to date, which is hard to believe considering they've had mega-hits "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova." Meanwhile, the band has been criticized for taking so long to complete the album, causing speculation that there might be trouble behind the scenes. Gallagher of course denies this. The full interview can be found in the latest NME magazine. You know, the paper one.

In another continuing saga, The Bravery was on Live 105 in San Francisco on Tuesday, and they had some interesting things to say about their recent smackdown by Brandon Flowers. Here's the audio, courtesy of Stereogum.com.

Bjork will be releasing an album of covers of the song "Army of Me" with proceeds going to UNICEF. Artists on the album are from all over the world, and all donated their time so that all the money would go toward the foundation. The album will be released May 2.

Superpitcher is also releasing a compilation of remixes on Kompakt on May 17. Entitled Today, the album features Superpitcher along with the likes of Sebastien Tellier and The Psychonauts.

Not to be left behind, Built to Spill is nearly done recording their new album. There is no title yet, and it's just going into the mixing phase, so I'll keep you posted. According to Warner Bros., the album is classic Built to Spill, so hopes are high for this one. The dates for the accompanying tour were announced, and of course they won't be anywhere near here.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

4.07 - Copeland w/ Lovedrug and Acceptance - The Basement (or the Newport... conflicting sources)
4.09 - Aesop Rock w/ Hangar 18 and Metro of S.A. Smash - Little Brothers
4.19 - M. Ward w/ Norfolk & Western and DeVotchKa - Little Brothers
4.20 - m83 w/ Ulrich Schlauss (feat. the Moog documentary prior to performance) - The Mershon Black Box
4.21 - Clem Snide (w/ Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo) - Little Brothers
4.26 - House of Heroes w/ New Republic - Little Brothers
5.07 - The Decemberists w/ Willy Mason - Little Brothers
5.08 - The Books - Wexner Center

Daily Downloads

The Bravery on Live 105, 3.29.05 (mp3)
Her Space Holiday - The Young Machines (link)

Oasis Makes Waves

If you didn't know already, I don't know where you've been, but Oasis is making a comeback. The well-established icons of modern British rock have been on a very extensive hiatus, but that will soon be ending. The group has been working ever so hard on a new album, Don't Believe the Truth, which will be released on May 31, followed up with a tour through Europe, Japan, and, for the first time in three years, North America. Though only a portion of the dates have been announced, you can check out the current list as well as the official track list for Don't Believe the Truth here.

If you're seriously hankering for some new Oasis love, though, you're in luck. The first single from the album, "Lyla," leaked on the internet and yours truly has her hands on it. It's not great quality, but what do you expect. It's a good song, so take a listen.

In other news...

I've honestly never paid attention to the Lollapalooza tour, but the news was all over the place so I figured it was probably worth focusing on. The Lollapalooza tour, which was cancelled last year due to low ticket sales, will be returning this year in a tried-and-proven format. The tour is being replaced with a two-day concert festival similar to that of SXSW or Coachella, and it will be held July 23 and 24 at Grant Park in Chicago. The official artist list probably won't be released until sometime in April, but so far the word is that Beck, Kings of Leon, and everyone's favorite, The Killers, will all be making appearances. This sounds rather promising, so I will keep updating on this as more information becomes available. The official Lollapalooza website is still in construction but says to check back on April 1st.

Just over a week ago, N.E.R.D. frontman Pharrell Williams said that "N.E.R.D. is expired." Today, a statement from Williams and their manager says otherwise. Consider this a lesson in watching what you say.

As a precursor to their new album, Demon Days, which will be released on May 24, Gorillaz will release the first single, "Feel Good Inc.," on May 9 in the UK. The B-sides for the single include "Spitting out the Demons," "68 State," and "Bill Murray." No official word on when it will hit the US.

What has Moby been doing in his spare time? He's been putting together a cookbook of vegan recipes with Kelly Tisdale, the co-owner of his restaurant, teany. The cookbook includes food and drink recipes as well as health and beauty tips. I wonder what advice Moby has on hair...

One day soon, you will wake up and ask yourself, "Where have all the cute indie boys gone?" Let me give you fair warning: they'll probably be swooning over Jenny Lewis. The bombshell indie pop queen and her band Rilo Kiley will be taking North America by storm in the next four months, and chances are they'll be coming to a town near you, or near enough to make the trek to see them. That is, of course, unless you live in Ohio. We always get screwed.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

4.07 - Copeland w/ Lovedrug and Acceptance - The Basement (or the Newport... conflicting sources)
4.09 - Aesop Rock w/ Hangar 18 and Metro of S.A. Smash - Little Brothers
4.19 - M. Ward w/ Norfolk & Western and DeVotchKa - Little Brothers
4.20 - m83 w/ Ulrich Schlauss (feat. the Moog documentary prior to performance) - The Mershon Black Box
4.21 - Clem Snide (w/ Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo) - Little Brothers
4.26 - House of Heroes w/ New Republic - Little Brothers
5.07 - The Decemberists w/ Willy Mason - Little Brothers
5.08 - The Books - Wexner Center

Daily Downloads

The Arcade Fire, Live @ Radio 3, 10.02.04 (link, registration required)
Mum - Finally We Are No One (link)
Rilo Kiley - Rilo Kiley EP (link)
Oasis - "Lyla" (link)

Brandon Flowers Gets Picked On

And does some serious picking himself.

The Killers' lead singer Brandon Flowers is not in a good mood. As MTV.com reports, the band's original drummer is suing, claiming that he in fact wrote the song "Mr. Brightside." Flowers denies this, saying that, while he was definintely their drummer at the time, he was merely just that and had no hand in writing the music.

I honestly felt kinda bad for the guy after reading about that. I mean, that has to suck, and the article reports that he appears to be genuinely distraught by the situation, but I think he should have just stopped talking after that. Unfortunately, he continues to whine and get all pretentious like usual. First to get smacked is The Bravery, who Flowers says got "signed because we're a band" (read the article for more smack). Second to get smacked is, well, The Killers themselves, or at least their new music video for "Smile Like You Mean It." The video, which was just shot in the UK, is supposedly the story of a house over twenty years. Ummm... what does that have to do with the song? They don't plan on scrapping the video like they did with the original video for "Mr. Brightside." Just as a sidenote, that video was their first video, and it's awful. Scour the internet and I bet you'll find it.

Arjan Writes premieres a clip of the video on his blog here.

In other news...

The Canadian version of Time Magazine has one hot coverstory. The latest issue features Montreal's gem, The Arcade Fire, as a case study of Canadian indie rock. The article is awesome and I really recommend reading it. It takes a very in depth look at how they got to where they are, where they were, and background on their lives. If you don't know much about them, take the time to read it. You'll be better off. Do it quickly though, because the feature probably won't be up much longer than a week or two.

I can hardly think of The Arcade Fire anymore without thinking of David Byrne, and as luck would have it, there's news on his front. Byrne has just launched his own internet radio site, and you can listen to it here. I wonder who he'll play... hmm...

The White Stripes announced that their new album will be released on June 14. The album is currently untitled and has no track list. Sounds promising.

What actually does sound promising is the forthcoming Damien Jurado album, On My Way to Absence, which will be released next week. Pitchfork announced the track listing and tour dates, but unfortunately for us Ohio folk, he won't be coming here. C'mon, Wexner Center, get your act together!

First Toyota announced they were starting a label called Scion that would feature music geared toward the kind of people who drive the car. Yet though I saw a really old couple drive one out of the K-Mart parking lot last week, the label is signing hip-hop artists. Now McDonalds is getting in on the hip-hop action. The New York Daily News reports that if any hip-hop or rap artist writes a song that includes the words "Big Mac" in its lyrics, Mickey D's will pay them $1 to $5 every time the song is played on the radio. It's things like this that make me sad I'm majoring in public relations.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

4.07 - Copeland w/ Lovedrug and Acceptance - The Basement (or the Newport... conflicting sources)
4.09 - Aesop Rock w/ Hangar 18 and Metro of S.A. Smash - Little Brothers
4.19 - M. Ward w/ Norfolk & Western and DeVotchKa - Little Brothers
4.20 - m83 w/ Ulrich Schlauss (feat. the Moog documentary prior to performance) - The Mershon Black Box
4.21 - Clem Snide (w/ Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo?) - Little Brothers
4.26 - House of Heroes w/ New Republic - Little Brothers
5.07 - The Decemberists w/ Willy Mason - Little Brothers
5.08 - The Books - Wexner Center

Daily Downloads

Aphex Twin "Come to Daddy" video (link)
Belle and Sebastian - Step Into My Office, Baby EP (link)

That's all.

Back From the Boonies

For the third year in a row, I didn't do a single thing for spring break. I figure, hey, I'm on a roll. Might as well keep it going. Here's the news...

Canadians Crack Down

One of my main reasons for wanting to move to Canada is, sadly, no more. The Canadian federal government took major strides this weekend to ban free downloading of music. Funny, even Businesweek can see that all of these government actions are undermining the independent music industry's ability to reach new listeners, and old ones, too. A recent article pretty much sums up my opinion and clearly the opinion of many many other people on the subject. Here's a tidbit to entice you to read the rest of the article.

Lower courts have sided with the software makers, which assert their so-called peer-to-peer technology is as legitimate as a videocassette recorder or a copy machine... But some artists, including Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, see an upside to file-sharing. "I look at it as a library. I look at it as our version of the radio," Tweedy said. "It's a place where basically we can encourage fans to be fans and not feel like they're being exploited, which is basically what the whole industry is geared to do."

In other news...

Twisting the knife in my heart, Death Cab for Cutie will be making an appearance next month on The O.C., which VH1 claims is "the show that's made them famous." I watched The O.C. for one month and thought I was so hooked and that the show was actually good, but then I realized that it's boring. Plus they picked the wrong actors for just about every role. Granted they're hillarious or whatever, but I don't think a guy in his mid-twenties should be playing a high schooler. It's nothing more than a primetime soap opera guised as a teen drama. I think that's reason enough to be somewhat annoyed by their use (and abuse) of really good indie bands. Ah, I'm ranting. I digress.

The Fruit Bats have returned to the studio and will release their new album, Spelled in Bones, on Subpop on July 26.

For the local kids, did you know that Dave Chappelle lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio? I sure didn't.

Well, folks. Today is Monday, and you know what that means. Yep. Tomorrow's Tuesday. And you know what that means. New albums! Let's see what you may or may not want to buy at the stores tomorrow:
Beck - Guero
The Bravery - The Bravery
Duran Duran - Greatest
Mae - Everglow
The Mountain Goats - Nothing for Juice
Over the Rhine - Drunkards Prayer
Reggie and the Full Effect - Songs Not to Get Married To
Stereophonics - Language. Sex. Violence. Other?

Upcoming Columbus Shows

Today - Dogs Die in Hot Cars w/ Phoenix and Longview - Little Brothers
Today - Duran Duran - Veteran's Memorial Auditorium
4.04 - The Backstreet Boys (Haha!) - Promowest Pavilion
4.07 - Copeland w/ Lovedrug and Acceptance - The Basement (or the Newport... conflicting sources)
4.19 - M. Ward w/ Norfolk & Western and DeVotchKa - Little Brothers
4.20 - m83 w/ Ulrich Schlauss (feat. the Moog documentary prior to performance) - The Mershon Black Box
4.21 - Clem Snide (w/ Robert Schneider of Apples in Stereo?) - Little Brothers
5.07 - The Decemberists w/ Willy Mason - Little Brothers

Daily Downloads

Yo La Tengo, Live @ First Avenue in Minneapolis, 6.20.00 (torrent)
Radiohead Acoustic Set @ KROQ (link)
The Unicorns - Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Dead? (link)

Now Playing: Stars - "Sleep Tonight"

Snow Patrol Scandal!

Mark McClellan Speaks Out

The saga continues today. McClelland, the now former bassist for Snow Patrol, alleges that the decision came as a total shock to him. He also claims that the supposed pressures blamed for the decision simply did not exist, and that the person behind all of this is their control-hungry lead singer Gary Lightbody. While they continue to throw punches behind the scenes, upcoming shows for Snow Patrol have yet to be cancelled, though if you are planning on seeing them in the future, you should be sure to check before going.

In other news...

The Foo Fighters are really pumped up about their new album, especially David Grohl. The album, In Your Honor, is slated for release in June and will feature one CD of typical Foo Fighter rock and roll and a second CD of all acoustic songs. Also look for some surprising special guests on the album. Says Grohl, "I can't f***ing wait."

Ben Folds is a busy busy man. Folds has just released dates for his 2005 tour to promote his forthcoming album, Songs For Silverman. The tour will be all over the place, from Australia to the states to England. Meanwhile, the first single from the album, "Landed," is already available on iTunes and as a ringtone, and on Tuesday it will be released on 7". Speaking of... A special expanded edition of the classic Ben Folds Five album, Whatever and Ever Amen, will also be released on Tuesday. Available now, however, is Ben Folds' cover of Dr. Dre's "B***hes Ain't S***." Songs For Silverman will be released on April 26.

As it turns out, Michael Vaughn, director of the new X-Men 3 movie, is not a man of mystery after all. Vaughn, the husband of top model Claudia Schiffer, produced the Guy Ritchie films Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Yeah, I guess that would make you accomplished. Hehe.

The new Queens of the Stone Age album, Lullabies to Paralize, is coming out on Tuesday (what a big day!), but you can get a sneak peak on their myspace profile. Man, who doesn't have one these days?

The Prefix Magazine interview with Explosions in the Sky concludes today, and I must say that it's one of the greatest interviews I've read recently. Okay, so it's the only one I've read recently, but I really like these guys, so read it. By the way, if you were at the Explosions in the Sky show back in October, the top four tour pictures on their fan site should look familiar. Enjoy!

Upcoming Columbus Shows

3.28 - Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Little Brothers
4.07 - Copeland/Lovedrug - The Newport Music Hall
4.20 - Moog Documentary/m83/Ulrich Schnauss - Mershon Black Box
4.21 - Clem Snide - Little Brothers
4.26 - House of Heroes (no longer a CD release) - Little Brothers
5.08 - The Books - Mershon Black Box

Downloads of the Day

Coldplay live at KCRW, featuring new songs from their forthcoming album, X&Y, slated for release on June 7th.
BrooklynVegan scoured the vaults of Austin's KVRX and found some live mp3s you might enjoy. Check these out:
Xiu Xiu
Explosions in the Sky
Cat Power
Modest Mouse
Elf Power
Of Montreal
John Vanderslice
I Am The World Trade Center

On a more personal note...

Last night I went to Bible study with Claude and it was a very good time. At Applebee's afterwards (half-priced appetizers!), I forced him to sit with the boys to get some good bonding time. I'm so glad he's getting settled here in Columbus and making good friends. Tonight we're being lazy and doing take-out, but tomorrow we're going out someplace nice since I'll be gone for break.

I can't wait to go home and see my mom. Hanging out with Claude has made me realize how much I miss her. She's going to love him. I talked to her on the phone this afternoon for an hour, and she's already telling me, "No pressure." Funny, that's what she told my brother when she met Leslie, and now look at them. No, I am not even thinking about marriage. That is only something our parents think about, which is why I keep hearing, "No pressure," and the dreaded g-word ("grandchildren"). Not for about ten years, guys!

I'm going to go take a shower and get ready for dinner. Later, taters.

Currently listening to: Enon - Candy

PS: Blogger is being crappy and so the formatting on this post is messed up. I'll fix it later.

No reunion for Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins cancel Coachella Reunion

Sorry, Cocteau Twins fans, but the reunion show at Coachella originally scheduled for April 30 has been cancelled. Member Elizabeth Fraser announced today she had decided to pull out of the gig due to "personal reasons." Hmm... funny, where have I heard that before? I love how "personal reasons" is the excuse of choice these days. Plans were also underway to do a few more festival shows, but clearly those are also scrapped.

In other news...

Denver's own Dressy Bessy announced today that their new album Electrified will be released on June 14th and will be promoted with a world tour. Funny, when I saw them two years ago at the Bluebird in Boulder, I had no idea who they were. Dressy Bessy will also be featured on the soundtrack for the new movie Fever Pitch, which will be released on April 8th.

The OC Mix #4 is in the works, and Matt Pond has contributed his own version of the Oasis classic, "Champagne Supernova." You can get a preview of it here and decide for yourself what you think of it. Personally, I find it remarkable how much the background music sounds like Oasis, yet how much the vocals sound like a guy straining to sing a song that is not in his range. I love Matt Pond, but I love Oasis as well and for the most part I can't stand covers. Oh well. You be the judge.

And speaking of Oasis, NME uncovered the track listing for their new album, Don't Believe the Truth, which slated for release on May 30th. What I had originally heard would be a two-disc set has turned into an eleven-song album, featuring the single "Lyla," which will be released on May 16th. I can't wait.

Not that I care, but someone out there might. Snow Patrol bassist Mark McClellan has been ousted. The band has been working on their sophomore album, Final Straw, and decided that they could no longer continue with Mark on the roster. A new member has not been chosen.

Justin Hawkins of The Darkness is no dummy. Oh wait, he is. The 80's rock star... I mean... 00's rock star... has had a wax figure made in his likeness for a new display at Madame Tussaud's in London. Let's just hope he's not so hot he melts.

The most amazing female duo, in my opinion, talked to the associated press today. Smoosh, the kid wonders of synth pop, discussed the possibility of a second album, which before this was considered an unlikely situation. According to the interview, Asya, 13, and her little sister Chloe, 11, plan to focus first on being, well, normal kids. And who can blame them?

This isn't really news, but the Killers still suck, even when they're remixed.

Prefix Magazine posted part one of their interview with Explosions in the Sky. The band, whom Prefix heralds as the successors to Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor, has been on tour with Adem, and they discuss everything from how they started to Taco Bell. Part two is on the way.

Upcoming Columbus Shows

3.28 - Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Little Brothers
4.20 - Moog Documentary/m83/Ulrich Schnauss - Mershon Black Box
4.21 - Clem Snide - Little Brothers
4.26 - House of Heroes (no longer a CD release) - Little Brothers
5.08 - The Books - Mershon Black Box

Download(s) of the Day

Ladytron - Seventeen (Darren Emerson Remix)
Chances are you haven't heard this, since only 75 copies were ever made. Props to headphone sex for finding such a rarety.

On a more personal note...

Today I took my last final, astronomy, and totally got my butt handed to me. I laughed as I left the classroom, knowing very well that I probably got a third of the test even close to being right. At least there's a friggin' A-B curve. Stupid class. I work so hard and I'm only going to get a B.

That's all.

Currently listening to: Stereolab - Anonymous Collective

Test

This is a test of the emergency broadcast... no... wait. This is just a test of my future awesome weblog, which will commence publishing tomorrow. Aren't you excited? Oh yes, I am.