IndieBlips - Latest Indie Music News Articles

Paul McCartney to appear on The X Factor?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:14:03 +0000

Singer reportedly in talks to appear on the live final

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New court documents released in Michael Jackson investigation

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:49:40 +0000

Records show his doctor bought the anaesthetic Propofol over from another state

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SPIN.com's Best of the Week

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:38:50 +0000

This week, New Moon premiered in L.A., Aerosmith members discussed singer Steven Tyler's drug habits, Rihanna performed her first concert since the Chris Brown assault, and SPIN stirred the web with our Rock Myths package, which argued that Radiohead kinda blow! These stories, plus the week's top news, photo galleries, audio/video, and live reviews, below. TOP STORIES: Movie Review: 'New Moon' SPIN's Phoebe Reilly explains why more K Stew, less R Patz equals the best Twilight yet. Read >> PLUS: 'New Moon' Premieres in L.A. Read >> Aerosmith: Steven Tyler Back on Drugs? Read >> Rihanna Performs First Concert Since Assault Read >> 16 Rock Myths Debunked! Read >> NEWS: Slayer Announce American Tour with Megadeth! ...

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Camera Obscura Keeps Calm At Atlanta Gig

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News When the house lights dropped at Camera Obscura 's show at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse Friday night, an eerie hush fell over the crowd. There was no deafening here-they-come applause; just silence, as if the band needed quiet in order to come onstage. It was an odd feeling, but appropriate. The Scottish sextet, currently on a U.S. tour, to be followed by several dates in Australia, entered the muted, blue-lit stage to play a short and tight set of warm, delicate twee pop that seemed like it could have emerged from a sophisticated music box.

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MySpace strikes deal to sell independent music from big artists

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:21:18 +0000

News Corp site settles row with Merlin agency whose clients include Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Vampire Weekend MySpace has settled a year-long row with independent record companies with a landmark deal that will allow artists including Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Vampire Weekend to sell tracks on the social networking site's music service. MySpace Music launched in the US last year, recently expanded into Australia and New Zealand and plans to roll out in the UK soon. But the launch of the service was marred by anger from the largest independent record labels, which accused News Corp-owned MySpace of leaving them out in the cold. The four majors that signed up to the new service – Sony, Universal, Warner and EMI – all received an equity stake in the venture. But Merlin, an agency representing independents around the world, complained the smaller labels were not offered comparable terms. Other artists represented by Merlin's member labels include Adele, Basement Jaxx, Tom Waits, Franz ...

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Man who attacked Oasis' Noel Gallagher appears in court

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:11:23 +0000

Daniel Sullivan pleads guilty to assault

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'New Moon' Music Supervisor Reveals Soundtrack Process

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Filed under: News , New Music , Exclusive , Movies Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor for the ' Twilight ' films, doesn't want to pick a favorite when it comes to the 15 tracks on the ' New Moon ' soundtrack. "Oh gosh, that's like asking a mother to pick her favorite child," Patsavas tells Spinner. After a long pause, she admits, "I'm especially proud that Thom Yorke agreed to be on the soundtrack." For his part, the Radiohead frontman submitted the unreleased, exclusive solo track, 'Hearing Damage.' "The track is physically transcendent, gorgeous and used at a key moment, almost in its entirety, in the movie," Patsavas reveals. Novelist Stephanie Meyer has sold more than 70 million copies of the 'Twilight,' series, her vampire-tinged, 21st century remake of the quintessential 'Romeo and Juliet' love story. The second film of the series is in movie theaters across the US now and its accompanying soundtrack, which also includes new music from Death Cab for Cutie , Grizzly Bear , ...

Find more top indie music news, videos, and blogs on IndieBlips: Indie Music, Thom Yorke, Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie, Grizzly Bear, The Killers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Tune-Yards Plays Packed Brooklyn Record Store

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Concerts and Tours , News At Permanent Records in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on Friday night, tUnE-YaRdS , the moniker of New England native Merrill Garbus, performed her impressive genre-bending one-woman show for a rapt, head-bobbing crowd eager to see what all the fuss was about. Garbus was making a pit stop between her opening sets for the Dirty Projectors ' sold-out four-night stint in New York, which concludes tonight and Sunday night. The multi-instrumentalist, who is sometimes joined by bass player Nate Brenner, proved she needed no accompaniment Friday, commanding percussion, vocals and strings on her own.

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The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade (2000-2009)

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +0000

The new Millennium got off to a great start where the world of gadgetry was concerned. For our 20 best we selected only actual gadgets—no websites like YouTube or Facebook, no software programs and no innovative companies like Netflix. From listening to music to trips to the lavatory, each of these gadgets has made life a little more enjoyable. Congrats to the inventors—now quit dawdling on the video-camera watch and the personal jetpack....

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Bassnectar, 'Cozza Frenzy' feat. Seasunz -- Free MP3 of the Day

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Free MP3 Download of the Day Artist: Bassnectar Songs: 'Cozza Frenzy' feat. Seasunz Album: 'Cozza Frenzy' [ iTunes ] Sounds Like : Major Lazer , Chemical Brothers Download: 'Cozza Frenzy' feat. Seasunz (MP3) [Get Winamp] [Download Help] Next MP3

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Dinosaur Jr. announce 2010 Australian tour

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:36:03 +0000

J Mascis and co to begin the tour in March

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Pulled Apart By Horses announce UK tour and ticket details

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:04:51 +0000

Leeds quartet to play mini-tour next month

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Get Well Soon announce new album title and release date

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:30:49 +0000

'Vexations' will be released on January 25 2010

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The Brian Jonestown Massacre stream new album online

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:17:26 +0000

'Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?' is being streamed before its January 1 release date

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Local Natives announce 2010 national tour and ticket details

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:39:38 +0000

NME Radar tour veterans begin the tour in February

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A peek at the diary of Morrissey | John Crace

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:12:44 +0000

'I'm too old for all that standing up and singing lark' My manager rings. "I've got you a gig in Eastbourne tomorrow." "Not interested," I say. "My back's killing me and I'm too old for all that standing up and singing lark." "It'll be fine. It's at an old people's home and there'll be only 30 there. Or 29, if nice Mr Briggs doesn't make it through the next 24 hours." "Sounds more like it. They won't be all pissed and rowdy, will they?" "Nah – they're given their meds at 6.30pm, so they'll be good as gold." "I still want a rider in the contract. Just in case. Anyone caught bringing Horlicks into the gig gets slung out. We don't want them spilling it or throwing it at me, do we? And it'd be nice to start early: I'm good for nothing next day if I'm up after 10pm." The band arrives in Eastbourne in time for a bracing walk on the seafront and a cream tea on the pier, then we head for the Peace Haven Rest Home where I change into stretch cords and slippers before going on stage. "Hello-o-o-o, ...

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Efterklang announce new album release date and tracklisting

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:11:34 +0000

Danish four-piece to release 'Magic Chairs' on February 22

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This Spiritualized classic is the perfect prescription

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:10:01 +0000

Skiving school, gorging on cough mixture … popping open the blister-packed CDs of Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space brings it all back "A record that will change your life," is a phrase that gets bandied about too often, but it's a cliche I can relate to. The first instance this happened was when I was sitting with my dad looking at the cover of the soundtrack LP to Disney's Fantasia . "Who's that scary monster on the bottom of the LP, dad?" I quivered, aged three. "Well, Andrew, that's the devil. And he sleeps under your bed and if you do something bad you will go to hell and burn alive forever." Twenty years later, with the bedwetting pretty much in check, I found myself intrigued by the packaging of another record, which was in the style of a pharmaceutical product, complete with liner notes written on similar paper and in similar style to patient instructions. I was in the doctor's every week as a kid, and I associated the chemist with brilliant things like lying in bed all ...

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Rihanna: 'That's a part of my life I want to throw away'

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:10:01 +0000

Days before her 21st birthday R&B; star Rihanna was viciously beaten by her then boyfriend, the singer Chris Brown. The shocking police photo told the whole story. But now, with a new album, she explains why she's no victim Rihanna's head soars above the cloud of stylists, photographers, PR people and managers that mill around her, completely disproving the notion that celebrities tend to be smaller in real life. In her strappy, stompy gladiator heels, with a bronze helmet of hair, long beige nails, eyes rimmed with bright pink shadow, she is statuesque, towering, a picture of power. She stares into the camera, turning her head very deliberately this way and that. As the photographer clicks, a series of perfect images appears on the monitor, not a single one mid-blink or slack-jawed. This professional focus is one side of the R&B; singer. The other is playful, uproarious, a reflection of the fact that Rihanna is still only 21, and determined to enjoy herself. And so, before the ...

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Elisabeth Söderström obituary

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:07:40 +0000

Swedish soprano whose perceptive singing and vivid acting made her a great heroine in operas by Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss and Janacek One of the most perceptive and admired sopranos of the postwar era, Elisabeth Söderström, who has died aged 82, had a lengthy career that carried on into the 1990s, when she was well into her 60s. In everything she attempted, her vibrantly beautiful singing was enhanced by her good looks and vivid acting. With her sensitive demeanour she was particularly successful at portraying the troubled women who abound in opera, such as Leonore (Fidelio), Tatyana in Tchaikovsky's Evgeny Onegin and the Countess in Richard Strauss's Capriccio, three of the roles with which she delighted audiences at Glyndebourne, where she achieved her most notable successes in Britain. She was born in Stockholm, the daughter of a Swedish naval captain and a Russian mother, and studied at the Royal Academy and Opera School there. She made her debut as early as 1947, when she was just 20, ...

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Music: This week's single releases

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:07:20 +0000

PICK OF THE WEEK Lady Gaga Bad Romance (Universal) Baroness von Sparkytits has spent most of 2009 working on that reverse backlash, bringing haters around to the philosophy of Gaga. Bad Romance, one of the best singles released this year, is preaching from the books of Performance Art, Knickers-as-Trousers and Vampiric Mutant Europop (verse 13, chapter 7). It's brilliant, unless you've never known joy. In which case just focus on the gothy bits while you mope around, grumpo, because there really is something for everyone. La Roux Quicksand (Polydor) While the economy is burning, some glossy fashion magazines are busy fiddling to the tune of "chiconomising", which is a way of pretending to pander to what's going on in the world but doing exactly the same as always, ie selling crotchless T-shirts for £600. Quicksand is pure chiconomics, recycling not just a single from 2008 but the video, too. And not to go on about Lady Gaga, but she's managed to ...

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Susan Boyle: I Dreamed a Dream | CD review

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:07:00 +0000

The Subo circus leads from Britain's Got Talent, to YouTube phenomenon, via a pitstop at the Priory… to a surprisingly subtle debut album When is a record not a record? When it is a souvenir of a phenomenon. Weeks ahead of release, Susan Boyle 's debut album has topped Amazon's pre-sale charts. Boyle is the church mouse who roared on Britain's Got Talent last spring, turning the tables on judges and audience members disdainful that a woman over 25 blithe to the rigours of Botox should open her mouth in public. A viral pandemic on YouTube made the Scottish fortysomething an international star. This is her dream come true, we are told; never mind that the whirlwind taking her from West Lothian to happy ever after has already landed this psychologically delicate woman in the Priory. This, then, is no mere bunch of songs; it is a commemorative mug of a major national event, rendered as a silver gewgaw that plays music. It would be instructive to see a Venn diagram showing the overlap between ...

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This week's music previews

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:06:38 +0000

Monotonix , On tour Garage rock is a truly international language, spoken in the UK and Scandinavia, as well as the USA. To that list, we can now add Israel: with Monotonix, the country brings its own spin on this most basic way of making yourself understood. If Monotonix were guests in your home, you'd be horrified. No respecters of personal space or private property, the band are hairy, sweaty and in your face, invading the crowd , shedding clothes, even drinking your drink. Truth be known, it's the only way to experience them. This tour is nominally to support album Where Were You When It Happened?, but it's less about fidelity to the recorded work than it is about the moment: Monotonix aren't promoting a product so much as their own bad selves. Hectors House, Brighton , Wed; Scala, N1 , Thu; CrawDaddy, Dublin , Fri John Robinson Leonidas Kavakos , London Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos has been described as a "musician's musician", one of those performers who ...

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This week's clubs previews

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:06:22 +0000

High Voltage, Manchester A lucky few can turn their passion to profit, and though an inherent eagerness may cushion the ride, that doesn't mean it's going to be an easy one. When Richard Cheetham's efforts with his High Voltage fanzine and club night brought him to the attention of Night And Day, he inherited promotion duties at one of Manchester's most industrious and toughest venues. The resultant task meant that 18 months ago, following their tiny venue party with MGMT, High Voltage's club night had to cease. Having recently departed Night And Day, Richard has made tentative efforts to return his brand to the forefront of the city's live music-centred club scene. His first proper showcase occurs this Friday, featuring live acts May68, the Heartbreaks, Strays, Hey Zeus and the Blackout Band – the pick of the local scene. Sex With Robots resident Oscar Wildstyle joins the High Voltage writers in manning the decks until 3am. The Deaf Institute , Grosvenor Street, Fri Marc Rowlands ...

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The Measure: Mimosa yellow, Wang's Rocco bag, Brioni fragrance, Madonna, Katy Perry, Russell Brand | Fashion

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:06:19 +0000

We're loving the new Brioni fragrance and Topshop's suede shorts, but as for Madge in Malawi and the Katy Perry/ Russell Brand union, give us a break already Going up Mimosa yellow The hue for next spring. We so want the Smythson travel clutch Mulled wine The perfect weekend winter warmer. Just add a mince pie for total perfection Fragrance economics Loving Brioni's new men's whiff , but at £250 a bottle, we're measuring every squirt Cinches and pleats Spring 10 trend flash! Gap's next season's women's slack is a pleated cord, and its new men's chino has a cinched back Suede Trouncing leather as fabric du jour. Topshop's shorts are particularly winning in a ribbed-tights-with-possibly-a-thigh-boot situation Going down Katy and Russell Blurring into each another in a very disturbing fashion Digging in heels We admire Madge's elegant take on being in charge of a spade in Malawi, but wouldn't a flat riding boot have ...

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The Populist

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:06:13 +0000

The column that's got a pineapple on its head DREAM COUPLE OF THE WEEK It's 30 Rock v The Office as Tina Fey finally pairs up with Steve Carell for Date Night . Dread to think how insufferably funny their kids would be. WARNING OF THE WEEK Mutyageddon! 30 April, 2265 is the date Popjustice.com predicts every person in Britain will become a Sugababe. NEW DEMOGRAPHIC OF THE WEEK "One Show Man" and "Holby City Woman" as defined in tonight's The Thick Of It. THE DAY TODAY HEADLINE OF THE WEEK "David Dimbleby to miss Question Time after encounter with bullock" . UNEXPECTED COVER OF THE WEEK Beyoncé's little sister Solange has given Dirty Projectors' Stillness Is The Move the R&B; makeover it's been hollering for . Holla! SUPERHEROES OF THE WEEK Spandex , a new comic, features the world's first all-gay superhero troupe including Mr Muscles and Butch, plus enemies like the Pink Ninjas. INNOVATION OF THE WEEK The BBC iPlayer is now available as a ...

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Our guide to the 'straight to CD' genre

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:06:11 +0000

The Guidelines: random notes from pop culture There are copious strings to 50 Cent 's platinum bow. As well as being a rapper , self-help guru and inspiration to many , he's an actor and videogame voiceover artiste . Recently added to that list is "short film auteur". Before I Self Destruct is a semi-autobiographical tale of murder and revenge – with added lesbian sex scenes – which will be included with Fiddy's forthcoming album of the same name, creating a whole new genre: straight to CD. Here's how to make your own ... WHEN TO DO IT There comes a point in the career trajectory of major pop stars when the people employed to say "no" to things become surplus to requirements. Without them, ill-advised concept albums are recorded, strange product endorsements are accepted, or, in extreme cases, diamond-encrusted necklaces shaped like a weeping Virgin Mary are worn to display your love of religion. It's at this point that the music video format becomes too stifling, too de rigueur . ...

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High notes in America's Deep South

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:06:03 +0000

Bluegrass, fado, opera and jazz fuse together at Georgia's glorious medley of a festival. Kate Connolly falls in love with the music, history and mint juleps The man who drives me from the airport to my hotel sings for much of the way; the receptionist croons Someone to Watch Over Me as I check in, and in one of the city's elegant squares a workman performs spirituals in his lunch break, while another strums on his guitar. That Savannah is a city that lives for and thrives on music is clear to me before I even hit the Savannah Music Festival. I arrive about a week into the proceedings, expecting a colourful apple-pie, foot-tapping mixture of bluegrass and jazz to country and swing; but the range and virtuosity of world-class music, from boogie to Cajun, fado to zydeco – a form of American folk – which I savour over the next few days, comes as something of a surprise. Savannah , a coastal city in southwest Georgia, boasts a springtime arts marathon that has become a requisite port of call for a ...

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Music: Booking now

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:05:37 +0000

As a pre-Christmas, sparkly spandex-ed treat for fans of disco, metal, Spinal Tap or all of the above, Tragedy , an all-metal tribute to the Bee Gees, riff through Saturday Night Fever tracks, as heard on their album We Rock Sweet Balls And Can Do No Wrong (5-16 Dec, starting at The Forum , University of Hertfordshire, seetickets.com ) … Gaz and Danny get the Supergrass boys to return to their hometown for a Santagrass Christmas Party (18 Dec, The Regal , Oxford, ticketmaster.co.uk ) … More festive fun takes place at the Barbican 's Twisted Christmas (15 Dec, barbican.org.uk ), where Sheffield singer-songwriter Richard Hawley performs with Ed Harcourt , Polly Scattergood and Scottish folk musician Alasdair Roberts … Before the year is up, Sugababes , Kasabian , La Roux and Calvin Harris line up to represent some of T4's Stars Of 2009 ( Earl's Court , SW5, 29 Nov, seetickets.com/t4 ), also featuring appearances from TV stylist Gok Wan , comedy's The ...

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Family life

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:05:22 +0000

Your stories Snapshot: Mean and moody on holiday My sister (seated, 17) and me (standing, 14), mean and moody under the magnificent ramparts of Bamburgh castle in the last week of July 1981. I love this photo because it is so very early 80s and so very truthful. It may remind you of the photo on the cover of your favourite synth duo's debut single, but it's just us on holiday having finally consented to have our photo taken. My sulky look pretty much sums up my teenage demeanour: churn up the Tears for Fears album The Hurting with Private Fraser's "We're doomed, all doomed" off Dad's Army. To me, there was a lot to be troubled about in the early 80s, from Mutually Assured Destruction downwards. Do you remember that the government distributed leaflets with hints and tips on surviving a nuclear strike? I don't know why my sister is looking miserable, though she had left a social life and a boyfriend at home for a week. Did my mum and dad enjoy themselves? I don't know, but I imagine not. We ...

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Rewind: The Week in Rock Daily

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:38:56 +0000

Rolling Stone confirmed that the Who will be the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Famers to perform during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami just hours the band’s “My Generation” was played on Monday Night Football . Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer talked to RS about the band’s search for a new singer to replace Steven Tyler, while Brad Whitford told us Tyler “doesn’t act like a sober person.” Meanwhile, our Readers’ selected who they think should temporarily replace Tyler. Bruce Springsteen flunked a geography exam in Detroit, accidentally calling the Motor City “Ohio.” However, E Street made it up to fans by revealing plans for the E Street’s Darkness on the Edge of Town box set and a Working on a Dream DVD . Lady Gaga and Beyoncé got their Tarantino on in “Video Phone,” Beck and Charlotte Gainsbourg unveiled their awesome mind trip of a “Heaven Can Wait” video, Bob ...

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Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip announce 2010 national tour and ticket details

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:34:41 +0000

'Thou Shalt Always Kill' duo to hit the road in March

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Bill Frisell/Mike Gibbs/BBCSO | Jazz review

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:05:00 +0000

London jazz festival Composer Mike Gibbs's festival appearance surely made him part of the week's most unusual trio. There was guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Joey Baron and Gibbs himself, represented by the massed ranks of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In Collage for a Day, a much-anticipated festival highlight, Gibbs created a sumptuous yet flexible orchestral setting for some of Frisell's classic themes. The purr of the orchestra's strings softened and even romanticised the guitarist's trademark harmonically twisted country chords and jaunty rockabilly dances. But the graceful balance of order and open jamming in Gibbs's orchestral score let most of this unique artist's character glow through. The jubilant hoedowns and wise melodies of Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring and Charles Ives's Three Places in New England dominated the first half. Then Frisell began threading his offhand bluesy asides through gently billowing strings, swapping call-and-response phrases with a solo cello, then ...

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Philharmonia/Maazel | Classical review

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Colston Hall, Bristol Lorin Maazel may have been a big name in conducting, but it is perhaps an indication of the wealth of young, exciting conductors around at present that this performance with the Philharmonia, with whom he first worked 50 years ago, should prove so uninspiring. Conducting without a score, Maazel looked as if he were doing everything anyone could possibly require: beating time and turning to cue instruments with brisk efficiency, with the occasional flamboyant gesture thrown in, but he made little audible impression on the sound being produced. Kodály's Dances of Galanta opened the programme. While each lyric scene and dance succeeded the other fluently enough, it was only the sinuous clarinet solo that made true impact, and the gear-changes from clodhopping to whirlwind really only registered as moments when Maazel drew attention to himself like a ringmaster with a circus troupe. Thanks to the Philharmonia principals delivering the big solos with their customary flair, ...

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Weekend Rock List: Phone Songs

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:25:54 +0000

Lady Gaga and Beyoncé teamed up recently to record not one but two songs dedicated to phones, “Video Phone (Remix)” and The Fame Monster ’s “Telephone,” which was then followed by actor Jason Segel turning his phone number into a chorus at the Swell Season show. In honor of Alexander Graham Bell’s suddenly tuneful invention, we’re dedicating this weekend’s Rock List to all things telephone. Tell us your favorite songs that are in any way phone-related, and on Monday we’ll reveal the Readers’ List of Phone Songs. Before we put you on hold, check out our favorites below: • Electric Light Orchestra – “Telephone Line” • Blondie – “Hanging on the Telephone” • Tommy Tutone – “867-5309 (Jenny) • Steely Dan – “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” • The Replacements – “Answering Machine”

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The Decemberists | Pop review

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Forum, London There is no doubting Colin Meloy's ambition for his music. The last time he brought the Decemberists to London from Oregon, the band opened their set with a 20-minute folk-prog-metal epic based on an Irish legend. This time, he dedicates the set's first hour to the band's last album, the folk-prog-metal rock opera, The Hazards of Love. As if that's not off-putting enough, he's brought along Shara Worden and Becky Stark to help out with the singing, and the latter is dressed (and dances) as if she's come straight from an assignation with the wood fairies. The format doesn't play to Meloy's strengths. He's a writer of instantly memorable melodies, but Hazards of Love is lighter on those than his previous work, and playing it straight through means Meloy has no opportunity to practise his legendary charm between songs. The album is full of terrific moments, such as the formation drumming exercise of The Rake's Song, but those moments slide out of focus as the band slides into another ...

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BBCSSO/Altrichter | Classical review

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:01:00 +0000

City Halls, Glasgow Czech music looms large on the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's current schedule in the shape of its Bohemian Rhapsodies series. In a joint commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and the 50th anniversary of the death of Bohuslav Martinu the Czech-themed programmes feature what is believed to be the first complete cycle of Martinu˚'s piano concertos to be undertaken in the UK. Not that there is anything stylistically Czech about Martinu's First Piano Concerto. Far from it, the work, written after the composer had emigrated to Paris, shows him turning away from the folk-inflected Romanticism of his youth and embracing the cosmopolitan style of neoclassicism. Hints of Stravinsky, jazz and references to baroque music abound in a boisterous, uncomplicated work that is worlds away from the Czech nationalism of Dvorak or Martinu's contemporary Janacek. Soloist Piers Lane took a flamboyant larger-than-life approach to the concerto that seemed entirely in ...

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“Michael”: Rolling Stone’s Ultimate Jackson Book Is in Stores Now

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:50:05 +0000

When Michael Jackson died suddenly on June 25th, the stunned and saddened Rolling Stone team snapped to action and devoted a commemorative issue to the King of Pop. Now the magazine’s editors are proud to present an even bigger version of that special edition of RS : Michael , a book devoted to Jackson’s life and career that features more than 100 rare photographs from his Jackson 5 days through his troubled later years. RS contributor Jon Dolan writes about Bad , Jackson’s last truly great album, and Alan Light examines the making of Thriller , the biggest album of all time. Rob Sheffield contributes a guide to Jackson’s videos and the 25 moments that defined his career. Michael also includes tributes from Slash, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones and others who worked with and admired Jackson. Order the book , and dive into our special Michael Jackson coverage right here on RollingStone.com, too: • Michael Jackson: The Rolling Stone Covers • ...

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Flashback: White Stripes Before Jack White’s Calendar Filled Up

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:49:37 +0000

Has any artist this decade been busier than Jack White? The past 10 years alone have seen White emerge from relative obscurity to front three marquee bands — the White Stripes, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather (with whom White is already plotting a new album ) — plus produce country legends like Loretta Lynn and Wanda Jackson. On the big screen, White has rocked out alongside Jimmy Page and the Edge in It Might Get Loud and the Rolling Stones in Shine A Light , plus showed off his acting chops in Cold Mountain and Walk Hard . This week’s Flashback looks back at White at the beginning of the millennium, with Meg and Jack performing their De Stijl standout “Hello Operator” in December 2000 at Chicago’s Empty Bottle. Bonus Flashback: The White Stripes cover Iggy Pop’s “I’m Bored” in 1999 at their hometown Detroit’s Gold Dollar:

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The Roots’ ?uestlove on Life on “Jimmy Fallon” as Late Night’s Hottest House Band

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:21:34 +0000

Photo:Edelson/NBC As Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O’Brien battle for late-night supremacy, one thing has become clear: Jimmy Fallon has the hottest house band. In their eight months on the air, the Roots have played with everybody from Paul Simon to Christopher Cross to Weird Al Yankovic, and have been hilarious in skits. As the group preps for a show featuring Hulk Hogan and Edward Norton, ?uestlove reveals that the network was initially skittish about bringing them onboard. “All they knew of us was ‘rap group,’ ” the drummer says. “They were a tad bit worried if we had range or not. In the beginning they were throwing a lot of debris and Hanna Barbara-style Acme TNT obstacles at us to see if we could obstacle the course. On a whim, four hours before the show they said to us once, ‘We’re going to do a Broadway song. Can you learn it? Here’s the sheet music.’ I was like, ‘Wait a minute, you guys are trying to get rid ...

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Lady Gaga to perform at Royal Variety show

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:53:32 +0000

US chart-topper Lady Gaga is to sing for the Queen at this year's Royal Variety performance. The Poker Face singer is the latest act confirmed for the show, producers saidtoday. Lady Gaga, 23, is known for her dramatic stage performances, including shooting pyrotechnics from her bra and pretending to stab herself to death in a pool of fake blood. She joins singers Bette Midler, Michael Buble, Miley Cyrus and comedian Whoopi Goldberg on the bill. Dance troupe and Britain's Got Talent winners Diversity will also perform in front of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the event hosted by Peter Kay. Lady Gaga Pop and rock The Queen guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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Linkin Park's Chester Bennington talks Dead By Sunrise

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Linkin Park's Chester Bennington calls his new band Dead By Sunrise. But the singer-songwriter is quick to stress that the name isn't simply a slogan or a neat word grouping - it comes from a real-life struggle he's still trying to reconcile. "I'm a drinker," Bennington says. "And for far too long I was completely out of control, leading an existence and lifestyle that I'm definitely not proud of. There have been times where I literally thought, Oh my God, I might not wake up tomorrow - that's how bad it's been. So when I got this other group together, the name Dead By Sunrise stuck." For Bennington, who has shared stages with Paul McCartney, Jay-Z and The Doors, among others, and who, along with Linkin Park, has sold over 50 million albums, the need to record a album of his own with a new band wasn't a mere vanity project - it was a necessity. "I had to write these songs," he says. "I had to purge them from my system. Call it catharsis, therapy - they had ...

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Miley Cyrus’ Tour Bus Driver Killed in Virginia Accident

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:30:20 +0000

Miley Cyrus ‘ tour bus was reportedly involved in a fatal accident this morning at 8:15 a.m. ET, outside of Richmond, Virginia. Cyrus was not on the bus at the time of the crash. According to NBC 12 , the bus driver, whose identity has been withheld until next of kin are informed, was killed after the tour bus overturned. Nine people were on the bus, including members of Cyrus’ production crew, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The bus was driving southbound on I-85 when it ran off the left side of the road and overturned, eventually coming to rest on its right side. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The bus was one of four in a fleet heading to Greensboro, North Carolina, for the Hannah Montana star’s concert there Sunday, November 22nd. According to reports, the Greensboro concert will still take place as scheduled.

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First Anthology for “Deep Blues” Author Robert Palmer

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:03:06 +0000

In 1980, music journalist Robert Palmer was invited to drop by the sessions for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy in New York. When Palmer arrived, Lennon was adding background vocals to “(Just Like) Starting Over.” Palmer noted that Lennon had sung his parts perfectly in key. Lennon, impressed by Palmer’s ear, said, “ You’ll do.” As Lennon learned, Palmer — who died in 1997 of complications from liver disease at 52 — led a life immersed in music. He was an author (of Deep Blues , a history of Mississippi Delta music), a record producer, a documentary filmmaker, a college professor, even a horn player. But Palmer was foremost a critic equally skilled at writing about John Contrane, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Philip Glass — and his work has been anthologized for the first time in Blues & Chaos: The Music Writing of Robert Palmer . Compiled by Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis, Blues & Chaos ...

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Maroon 5’s Adam Levine on Actor Jason Segel’s Musical Endeavors

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:27:35 +0000

Forgetting Sarah Marshall star Jason Segel made a surprise appearance at the Swell Season’s November 18th concert at the Wiltern in Los Angeles, entertaining the ladies in the audience with a love song featuring his phone number as the chorus. In case anyone in the crowd couldn’t make out the digits, as evidenced by the video above, Swell Season’s Marketa Irglova held up a sign with Segel’s number around the stage like she was a boxing match’s ring girl. This is the second time in a week Rolling Stone is reporting on Segel’s musical endeavors: The How I Met Your Mother actor will also serve as special guest when Maroon 5 play Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve . Get a look at more actor-rock stars, from Johnny Depp to Juliette Lewis. Segel recently joined Maroon 5 onstage when the band performed at St. John’s University in Queens, New York, in early November. “Jason was a little apprehensive about playing with us because we were ...

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Movie Review: 'New Moon'

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:07:54 +0000

It's probably a little early to speculate but here goes: New Moon might be the best film this franchise has to offer, and here's why: The first Twilight movie, based on the series of books by Stephenie Meyer, thrived off the unrealized sexual tension between vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and ordinary mortal Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Share Sure, if they were to do it, he might kill her -- but there was something unrealistic about a hot-for-each other duo (whose lust carried on, delightfully, offscreen, as well) steering clear of any carnal action. In New Moon , Edward dumps Bella. Yes, it's for her own protection, but it's a romantic plot twist that's infinitely more interesting -- and believable. And it's Bellas newfound freedom (and Stewart's much stronger performance) that imbues the series' second film with a more robust pulse and liberates the film's director and screenwriter from sticking too closely to Meyer's often prudish text. The darker subject ...

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Fever Ray, 'Seven' -- Video of the Day

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Video of the Day Artist: Fever Ray Video: 'Seven' Highlight: More of the other-worldy weirdness we've come to expect from the Knife 's Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson.

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One killed in Miley Cyrus tour bus crash

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:48:54 +0000

Pop star was not on board bus when it overturned on a highway in Virginia One person was killed today when a tour bus belonging to Miley Cyrus overturned, but the 16-year-old Hannah Montana star was not on board, Virginia state police said. Sergeant Thomas Molnar said the bus overturned around 8.15am on Interstate 85 in Dinwiddie, about 40 miles south of Richmond. One of the other nine passengers had minor injuries. Police would not identify those aboard. A two truck hauled away the black-and-maroon luxury tour bus, which was on its side in a ditch off the highway where it had apparently skidded for several hundred feet. According to Miley Cyrus' website , the pop singer is scheduled to perform on Sunday in Greensboro, North Carolina. Miley Cyrus is the daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus, who also appears on the family friendly sitcom Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus United States guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to ...

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Single Minded: Lady Gaga Mashed With David Bowie, Full Rihanna Set

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:17:40 +0000

Lady Gaga vs. David Bowie, “Let’s Just Dance” [ Mashup ] DJ Terry Urban treats mashups like Cage treats composition, dropping just a micro-fragment of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” behind Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” — to startling effect. This also marks the first occasion for either artist where subtlety has served as an asset . Kids in the Hall vs. Grizzly Bear, “Leisure Man” [ New Track/Mashup ] Well, Grizzly Bear’s entré into hip-hop is officially complete; first Jay-Z shows up at a Brooklyn show, now Kidz in the Hall are rapping over “Two Weeks.” Be honest: did anyone see this coming? And if you did, is there any way we can solicit your insight on, say, the next 15 World Series? Raekwon, “About Me” & “Cataline” [ Live ] This is the thanks Rae gets, for putting out a record anticipated for a decade that actually lives up to the hype? He gets more-or-less ...

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One Dead In Miley Cyrus Tour Bus Crash

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:06:41 +0000

Virginia State Police report that one person was killed Friday morning when a tour bus belonging to Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus overturned. The 16-year-old star was not onboard, The Associated Press reports. Share According to Sgt. Thomas Molnar, the bus crashed around 8:15 A.M. on Interstate 85, 40 miles outside Richmond, VA. Police have not identified the victim. But TMZ is reporting that it was the bus driver who died, and that officials are investigating whether he died before the crash, which would explain why the bus drifted off the road. A source from the Dinwiddie, VA, Fire and EMS has told TMZ that the bus had been carrying Cyrus' concert production crew, while a rep for the singer said there were 14 passengers onboard. "It was one of our tour buses, but not Miley's," the pop star's manager said. "It was one of our buses that transported our lighting crew." Nine other passengers reportedly received minor injuries The bus -- part ...

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