The Strokes' Julian Casablancas to Release Solo Album Before Everyone Forgets Who He Is

By Nobodaddy on

Lookout Used Bins and... digital... used bins? Whatever! The Strokes' frontman Julian Casablancas has finally decided that he’d better stop slacking and release his own awkward, mediocre, not-quite-as-good-as-The-Strokes-were-together-even-though-it-sounds-an-awfully-lot-like-them solo album, in order to compete with the other erstwhile Strokes who have already released their own awkward, mediocre, not-quite-as-good-as-The-Strokes-were-together-even-though-it-sounds-an-awfully-lot-like-them solo albums throughout the past year or two.

As NME reports, the singer is currently finishing up work on a full-length record, to be released under his garish Christian name, with a release tentatively slated for the fall of this year. Casablancas -- who, since the last album from The Strokes, released “My Drive Thru” with Santigold and Pharrell Williams and collaborated with Danger Mouse on one the crappier tracks on the recent Dark Night Of The Soul album -- is the fourth Stroke to release a solo or side-project album, following two solo albums from Albert Hammond, Jr., one from Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fab Moretti's side project Little Joy. As for guitarist Nick Valensi, well, he must be running for office or something...

But back to Jules’ record! Set to include such NYC-cool sounding tracks as “River Of Brake Lights,” “Glass,” and “Ludlow St.,” the album, which will be titled Phrazes For The Young, was recorded in and out of various phone booths in Los Angeles, Nebraska and Casablancas' hometown of New York City. It was produced by Jason Lader, with additional production from Bright Eyes' Mike Mogis. A pretty absurd trailer video for the album, complete with ostentatious “MIDI Covers the Strokes” soundtrack (album preview?), can be viewed on Casablancas’ website.

But wait, there’s more! Casablancas is even set to get up from whatever leather couch that he’s usually sprawled on reading Henry Miller and play a "specials series" of U.S. dates, followed by a solo tour later in 2009. Stay tuned for all of those details, as well as a full tracklist, as well as anything else that might distract you from realizing that The Strokes were probably supposed to have finished tracking their forth album by now.

The Black Heart Procession File Orderly into America’s Heart with a Wonderfully Gloomy New Album

By Liz Louche on 07-15-2009

The Black Heart Procession really appeals to my inner goth. In my mind, it’s all visions of sunn 0)))-style robed figures walking single file and flagellating themselves in a Medieval attempt to prevent swine flu from taking over our cities, all while creating perfectly constructed melancholy indie chamber pop. Of course, the San Diego-based core members of Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel have been doing their thing since 1997, which is long enough to prove my conceptions untrue, but not long enough to make me stop hoping that maybe, just maybe, one day this will be their modus operandi.

Over the decade or so, The Black Heart Procession have released six full-length albums, including a collaboration with Dutch band Solbakken for the In the Fishtank series. And now, at last, there’s another album on the way. Six is the band’s next offering, available October 6 on Temporary Residence Ltd.

Aside from their recent confirmation to play Estrella Damm Primavera Club 2009), there is no word yet on tourdates or awesome band t-shirts (the rather Liars-ish album art leaves no doubt that these shirts are gonna be kickass), but you can get the tracklisting in all its kinda goth, totally beautiful glory below.

1. When You Finish Me
2. Wasteland
3. Witching Stone
4. Rats
5. Heaven And Hell
6. Drugs
7. All My Steps
8. Forget My Heart
9. Liar's Ink
10. Suicide
11. Back To The Underground
12. Last Chance
13. Iri Sulu

The Dodos Cook Up 3-Step Plan to Combat Time to Die Leak

By E. Nagurney on 07-15-2009

The new Dodos album, Time to Die (TMT News), has escaped from captivity and made it out onto the internet -- two months before the original September 15 release date. Them’s the breaks, but Dodos aren’t taking it lying down. The jittery San Francisco folk trio have enacted a three-step plan to combat the leak. Roll the slides!

- Step 1: Set up a website where fans can listen to the album, download (in exchange for one shiny e-mail address) an MP3 of the track “Fables,” pre-order a physical copy of the record, and watch a video message from the band. All this because, as singer Meric Long puts it, they want you to “hear it and feel it.” I don’t know if I really want to “feel” an album called Time to Die. Sounds kind of scary, but whatever.

- Step 2: Bump the digital release date way up. On July 28, you can download the album exclusively from Amazon MP3. It’ll even be the Amazon Daily Deal that day, meaning it will be crazy cheap. If you’re not so down with Amazon, don’t worry: the record will be available at other digital music retailers the following week.

- Step 3: Swim in their new Uncle Scrooge-esque pool of money.

Maybe that last step is jumping the gun a bit, but let’s hope it comes to pass for The Dodos' sake. I mean, that would be pretty cool.

Guns N’ Roses Leaker Sentenced To House Arrest, Probation; Axl Rose States: “He’s No Longer Welcome In the Jungle.”

By Kid Midnight on 07-15-2009

Blogger Kevin Cogill, who famously leaked nine tracks off recent GN'R album Chinese Democracy, has been sentenced by a federal judge to probationary discipline. The writer/fan/"thief" pled guilty to one count of misdemeanor copyright infringement, and now he’s got to pay the price for making others not pay the price.

In addition to a year of probation, Cogill will also face two months of house arrest and the dreaded task of recording a Public Service Announcement for the RIAA. Furthermore, the blogger must also let The Government regularly go through his personal hard-drive with a fine-toothed comb and pinky-swear that he totally didn’t steal anything lately.

But perhaps most heartbreaking for the lifelong GN'R fan is a promise from front-man Axl Rose who assured Cogill that “he would no longer be welcome in the jungle and that, even if he has the money, I will no longer have what he needs, disease or otherwise.”

The flamboyant singer continued: “I no longer want to watch [Cogill] bleed, nor is he going to.” The devastated music fan once again urged that he was only trying to help the band and in no way hoped to hurt them. However, Mr. Cogill’s promises appear to be falling on deaf ears as his permit to Paradise City will also be revoked in the coming weeks. Said Cogill, “The grass is green, the girls are pretty, but I guess I gotta do my time for a capital crime.”

Nine Inch Nails Final Tour, Plus Some Advice for Aspiring Musicians from Mr Reznor Himself

By Brom on 07-14-2009

Nine Inch Nails have confirmed their final 10 dates before they go on indefinite hiatus. Pre-sales will begin July 17 with general sales available July 31.

As the band prepares to bow-out, Trent Reznor has given us his views on what it now takes to become a successful musician on the NIN messageboard. He gives some fairly candid opinions suggesting that, to achieve Coldplay-style mega-stardom, you need to be prepared to relinquish creative control and revenue streams to the major labels. However, for those wanting to make their own way through the pitfalls of the music industry, Reznor recommends utilizing the internet to its fullest extent. Whether it’s giving away your music as free MP3s, constantly updating your website with interesting content, or building your own online community, the only way forward, according to Reznor, is attempting to bend the internet to your will.

All in all, it’s good stuff, just a shame that the record labels seem to have failed to cotton on to this and are intent on pursuing ridiculous lawsuits and unable to adapt their business models, etc.

Nine Inch Nails wave goodbye:
08.22.09 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom #
08.23.09 - New York, NY - Webster Hall #
08.25.09 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 #
08.26.09 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
08.28.09 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom %
08.29.09 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
09.02.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium %
09.03.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre %
09.05.09 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
09.06.09 - Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex

# The Horrors

% Mew

Black Keys Drummer Starts Side Band Called Drummer; As a Result, Phil Collins Forced to Rename Autobiography to Douchebag

By Mike McHugh on 07-14-2009

Jimi Hendrix could have just named himself Guitar and totally gotten away with it. Freddy Mercury could have ditched Queen and started a group called Good Voice without eliciting so much as a blush. Mick Jagger could’ve gone solo in the mid-60s as Very Skinny Man and still would’ve ended up a legend. But no, your heroes were all cowards. They macked the rep, but lacked the sack to call themselves exactly what they damn well were: extraordinary people who could penetrate the regular man’s soul through skillful manipulation of a common object. Instead, they cowered behind sobriquets and wasted their careers as “The Experience” or “The Stones” when they could have been caressed in the light of straightforward arrogance. In the end, only The Band had the brass to tell every other musician to fuck off right from the get go.

In such intimate company does The Black Keys’ skin-slapper Patrick Carney now find himself. Along with a few pals from bands like Teeth of the Hydra and The Six Parts Seven, Carney and company are Drummer, the band. Could this be a power play? Is Carney seeking what so many before him were too craven to pursue: worldwide domination over a particular instrument? Will he be percussion’s Galactus, devouring any who dare challenge his dominion? Probably not.

With the band’s cheekily titled debut Feel Good Together due to drop September 29, Drummer looks more like a band about friends having fun than some sinister musical coup. While I hold no ire towards bros being bros, I can’t help but be disappointed. I wanted war. I wanted bloodshed. Now I’ll just have to settle with an album and an October tour. Oh well, I guess some metaphorical battles were never meant to be fought.
10.08.09 - Brooklyn, NY – Southpaw #
10.09.09 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s #
10.10.09 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge #
10.11.09 - Cambridge, MA - T.T. the Bear’s #
10.12.09 - Washington, DC - DC9 #
10.13.09 - Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar #
10.14.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 #
10.15.09 - Knoxville, TN - The Pilot Light #
10.16.09 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl #
10.17.09 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge #
10.19.09 - Louisville, KY - Skull Alley #
10.20.09 - Indianapolis, IN - Spin Nightclub #
10.21.09 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon #
10.22.09 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry #
10.23.09 - Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern #
10.24.09 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom # †
#with The Royal Bangs

† Other Girls

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