Daily Noise Blog | SPIN.com

'New Moon' Stars Kick Off Mall Tour

Eric Nowels — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:18:34 -0600

The scene was electric outside of Los Angeles' Hollywood & Highland open-air mall on Friday evening. A huge line snaked out into the streets, and much of the crowd looked strikingly similar: gaggles of teenage girls (plus guys, moms, dads, and little ones) in black T-shirts emblazoned with five key words: The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

Awaiting them inside? Autographs and a Q&A with the film's supporting cast, plus courtyard performances from four bands who contributed to New Moon's excellent soundtrack: Band Of Skulls, Sea Wolf, Anya Marina and, to close it out, Death Cab For Cutie.

In other words, this was the Hot Topic-sponsored New Moon mall tour.

PHOTOS:

Click to enlarge

Photos by Andrew Herrold

One of the first fans to the stage screamed to no one in particular, "Oh my God! This is the coolest thing ever!" And for the crowd that braved the odds to get there – camping out at the mall on Halloween eve to buy the shirt that would grant them their entrance – it truly seemed to be.

The coolness began when Twilight heartthrobs Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner paid a surprise visit.

On stage, opening with their bluesy "I Know What I Am," U.K. three-piece Band Of Skulls burned through a set that ran just shy of 20 minutes and channeled bits of the White Stripes, Black Sabbath, and the Black Keys. An apropos performance of "Hollywood Bowl" prefaced the closing song – their garagey New Moon contribution, "Friends," which was met with squeals at an octave previously reserved for the likes of the Beatles.

Indie folk-poppers Sea Wolf followed, delivering a cello-swathed selection of songs whose titles were matched to the event: "You're A Wolf," from 2007's Leaves In The River, "Turn The Dirt Over" and "Wicked Blood," both off of the just-released White Water, White Bloom, and the at once bouncy and autumnal soundtrack piece "The Violet Hour."

Both were impressive, but Anya Marina, whose "Satellite Heart" is one of New Moon's most captivating moments, stole the show. "What's up Hollywood? Are you guys having fun?" the grinning singer asked to a chorus of shrieks. "Well, we want to have fun with you." She meant it.

Marina was the only musician to engage the exuberant crowd – at one point leading them in a "Team Jacob" vs. "Team Edward" cheer-off – and it paid off. Her ubiquitous hits "Vertigo" and "All The Same To Me" were extremely well-received. Another surprise, mostly lost on the audience, was regular Morrissey collaborator Alain Whyte manning guitar, especially shredding on "Afterparty At Jimmy's."

At the other end of the spectrum, Death Cab For Cutie greeted the incredible mania with zero banter and two songs – New Moon single "Meet Me At The Equinox" and Narrow Stairs highlight "Cath…" – well-performed, but over far too soon. The band said their thanks, unplugged and walked off.

Before the ensuing melee caused by the rush to see Pattinson and Stewart up close, we asked one fan if she had a favorite band on the soundtrack. "I don't really listen to this kind of music," said Carmina, backed by an army of self-described "Twi-tards." "But I like it now!"

SETLISTS:

Death Cab For Cutie
"Meet Me On The Equinox"
"Cath..."

Anya Marina
"Vertigo"
"All The Same To Me"
"Move You"
"Satellite Heart"
"Afterparty At Jimmy's"

Sea Wolf
"You're A Wolf"
"Turn The Dirt Over"
"Wicked Blood"
"The Violet Hour"

Band Of Skulls
"I Know What I Am"
"Death By Diamonds And Pearls"
"Hollywood Bowl"
"Friends"

SPIN.com's Best of the Week

Matt Kiser — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:36:31 -0600

This week, Weezer celebrated the release of a new album by hooking up with Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester, and Steven Tyler hinted he may leave Aerosmith for a solo career. Meanwhile, the saga of Chris Brown and Rihanna continued with two revealing new interviews.

These stories, plus the week's top news, photo galleries, audio/video, and live reviews, below.

TOP STORIES:

He Says, She Says: Chris Brown Vs. Rihanna

WATCH: The pop stars and former lovers discuss the February assault in revealing new interviews. Read >>

PLUS:

WATCH: Weezer + Meester = Weester? Read >>
Aerosmith to Replace Steven Tyler? Read >>

PHOTO GALLERIES:

MTV Celebrates Berlin!

The European Music Awards feature Green Day, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and more from the German capital. Read >>

PLUS:

Best of the Voodoo Experience! Read >>

AUDIO/VIDEO:

Hopp On Pop: Mark Hoppus' Pick of the Week: Japandroids

NEW SERIES: The Blink-182 bassist reveals his favorite up-and-coming band. Read >>

PLUS:

DOWNLOAD: Hot Rappers, People Under the Stairs Read >>
EXCLUSIVE: Editors' First New Tune Read >>
WATCH: Rihanna's "Wait Your Turn" Video Read >>
EXCLUSIVE: Person L's Awesome First Single Read >>

IT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT:

Pixies Play Complete 'Dolittle' Album

The influential indie band performed its classic album for a roomfull of appreciative Hollywood hipsters. Read >>

PLUS:

Eminem's Rare Gig Wows Voodoo Read >>
Pearl Jam Dig Deep Into Catalog in Philly Read >>
Devo Whip It Good in L.A. Read >>
Grizzly Bear Rock with the London Symphony Read >>
Phish Covers Stones for the Stoned Read >>

NEWS:

Slayer's Tom Araya Undergoes Surgery, Tour Postponed

"What is foremost in our minds right now is that Tom do whatever he needs to to get this taken care of," says the band. Read >>

PLUS:

12 Must-Hear Acts from Fun Fun Fun Fest Read >>
Dane Cook: "Don't Do These 10 Things at a Concert!" Read >>
Best and Worst from the Voodoo Experience Read >>
Rihanna Talks About Chris Brown Assault Read >>
Stooges Reuniting with Original Guitarist Read >>

REVIEWS:

Weezer, Raditude

Rock's most maddeningly hummable practical joke continues. Read >>

PLUS:

Norah Jones, The Fall (Blue Note) Read >>
Shakira, 'She Wolf' (Epic) Read >>
Norah Jones, 'The Fall' (Blue Note) Read >>
Slayer, 'World Painted Blood' (American/Columbia) Read >>
Dashboard Confessional, Alter the Ending (Vagrant/Interscope) Read >>
King Khan & BBQ Show, Invisible Girl (In the Red) Read >>

MTV Celebrates Berlin!

Eric Nowels — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:41:04 -0600

The European Music Awards feature Green Day, Jay-Z, Beyonce, and more from the German capital.

Q&A: The Killers

Matt Kiser — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10:03 -0600

It's been a banner year for the Killers. The Las Vegas foursome released an excellent album, Day and Age; launched a world tour; collaborated with Elton John; wowed with an orchestral performance on 'Letterman'; rocked SNL (in feathered outfits, no less); and generally ruled the music game like the slick chrome American princes Brandon Flowers sings about.

MORE ON SPIN.COM:
>> The Killers Kick Off U.S. Tour
>> The Killers, Day and Age
>> Killers' Brandon Flowers: Style Icon or Just Insane?

And they're nowhere near stopping. On Nov. 10, the Killers will release Live From Royal Albert Hall, a new DVD documenting the band's two-night run at the London venue last summer (see a trailer below). We checked in with drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr., who was preparing to kick off the Killers' South American tour, to talk about the new release, the band's plans for a covers album -- and singing with Prince Harry in a basement!

Hey, Ronnie. Where are you right now?
Monterey, Mexico, about to start this new tour tonight.

You guys have been touring ever since Day and Age came out in November 2008. Do you ever get at each others' throats?
Yes. [Laughs] But it's quick lived. It's like fighting with a brother. It's over before it really gets started.

The Killers' new DVD, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, is out next week. What makes those shows so special?
The best thing about it is that Royal Albert Hall is an intimate venue. We've been blessed to be able to play to large crowds, especially when we're there in London, but it's nice to be able to play in a smaller room and see the whites in people's eyes and hear and feel them. Plus, the Albert Hall is a beautiful place. It's true royalty.

Did the band celebrate after the gigs?
I ended up singing in a basement with Prince Harry and Tom Jones at like 4 A.M…. it was just one of those nights, man.

The New Moon soundtrack is ruling the charts. How did the Killers get involved -- and were you worried about contributing to a movie targeted at 'tweens?
Music coordinator Alexandra Patsavas really has her shit together, and it was a great lineup. She had some really great ideas. Before any of this happened, we got to meet with the director, Chris Weitz, and he's fully aware of what's going on and he wanted to surround the film with good music so it wasn't about 11-year-old girls. And, if it is, at least you're giving them some good music to listen to.... Movies and soundtracks are good ways to get your music out there [to new fans], as long as you're surrounded by good people.

Were you a fan of the movies or books before you got involved?
I didn't know anything about it. I think everybody's girlfriend or wife did, though… it's a guilty pleasure of theirs. It's really a girl thing. I like the movie. I see how people could get into it. But it's just not my demo, really.

Have the Killers been writing on the road?
Yeah, a little bit, when we can. We'll bring out some extra equipment so we can mess around in the backroom and record ideas and take them on the bus and mix them. Right now we're in South America so we didn't bring any of our recording equipment, because, you know, it's all hotels and air travel. So it's a little more difficult to do right now.

Can fans expect a new album in 2010?
We just gotta see how we all feel after this tour. We have a covers album in the works, but we started doing a bunch of different things and we decided, 'Eh, lets put it on hold.' I think that's something that may come out before another studio album. I'd really like to do it. I just like it for the sake of being able to get inside someone else's brain and try and do each song justice.

Are you guys split over which songs to cover?
We're thinking about covering Steely Dan, Rod Stewart, Lou Reed. It's all over the place.

The Killers have released Christmas songs the past few years. Can you tell me anything about this year's track? Yeah, we just got the final mix of something we recorded on the road with Wild Light and Mariachi El Bronx, and we're actually listening to it right now. It's called "Happy Birthday Guadalupe." It's fitting, you know, we're in South America!

Any dream collaborations for 2010?
It would be awesome to do something with Tom Petty. Yeah, that's definitely my dream for next year.

WATCH: The Killers, "Live From London" Trailer
See full report...

Terrific Twitter Trio of the Week

Matt Kiser — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:30:59 -0600

Lots of musicians tweet -- but all that Twitters is not gold.

That's why you'll want to check out SPIN.com every Friday to see whose tweets we're reading this week -- then update your TweetDeck! (Obligatory Self-Promotion: …while you're at it, be sure to follow @SPINmagazine!)

This week's winners:

Who: Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz (@petewentz)

Why You Should Follow: Fall Out Boy may be on a hiatus from touring and recording, but bassist Pete Wentz is still quite the busy fellow. Whether he's "on the lam" in Paris (craving McGriddles), flying to Berlin for the MTV Europe Music Awards, hunting down old pictures for a Fall Out Boy coffee table book, or just hanging out at home and being a dad ("The baby howls like a wolf when he eats"), Wentz tweets it all. He posts Twitpics of scenes from his comic book series, Fall Out Toy Works, talks about becoming a "yoga master" via Wii Fit, and reveals just how lonely things can get on the road ("Everynight at 12am I get an email from amazon.com when the phone buzzes I'm like not lonely for a second. Its hilarious how stoked I get").

Best Tweet of the Week: "Currently watching bridewars in french overdub in a hotel in paris alone -- get jealous!"

Who: LCD Soundsystem (@lcdsoundsystem)

Why You Should Follow: James Murphy -- the heart, soul, and brains behind dance punk band LCD Soundsystem -- is brand new to Twitter, so he hasn't quite caught the tweeting bug just yet. But he recently wrote a blog on his MySpace page about how he's going to try to stop being grumpy about the Internet and actually care about his Web site, Facebook page, and other social networking tools, so there's a good chance that will change. He says, upfront: "Warning: this twitter thing will hardly be filled with real insights. it'll be crap." But, luckily, that "crap" is always interesting and often hilarious. To a friend with a picture of Moby on his page, he writes, "@Mattdicko is NOT moby. just saying. because moby is NOT sleeping on my couch, coughing his shitty english cough. damn you, dicko." And as far as recording his new album goes… "there is a baby in my studio. i think my life has gotten significantly less ‘rock'. thanks, shit robot."

Best Tweet of the Week: "wants more from his television. and less from his brain."

Who: Marina & the Diamonds (@marinadiamonds)

Why You Should Follow: Perez Hilton called her his "latest crush." Kanye West posted the videos for her songs "Obsessions" and "Mowgli's Road" to his blog. And she hasn't even released her first U.S. single yet! If the buzz is any indication, this North London-based singer-songwriter is a star about to sparkle. Her Twitter page is just as playful and dark as her piano-based melodies -- she tweets about swapping whiskey for tea, feeling haunted by the Baby All Gone dolls of her childhood, and getting so angry that she could "snap the head off an endangered fairy." Follow her as she plays shows in caves, passes out while getting her nails done, corrects 104-year-old women on their spelling, and gets ready to drop her debut album, Family Jewels, this February.

Best Tweet of the Week: "Ive had alcohol for dinner 4 times this week. yummy!"

EXCLUSIVE: Editors' First New Tune

Matt Kiser — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:11:53 -0600

British rock quartet Editors are back with a new album -- and something is missing, glaringly so: guitars.

Their new material surges with icy synthesized sounds that veer sharply from the angular post-punk riffage of their first two albums.

But, thankfully, this sonic gearshift manages to avoid the cool detachment that can dehumanize keyboard-led rock, and that was all part of the plan. "The idea was to try to make an album that wasn't cold and disconnected even though it was mechanical," frontman Tom Smith tells SPIN.com. "Even though it was more synthetic with more electronic elements involved, [the album] was recorded live as a band all playing at the same time."

"In This Light & On This Evening," available as an exclusive stream below, is the album's title track, and a fine example of the band's ability to manifest warmth, beauty, and even rage from banks of synths.

MORE ON SPIN.COM:
>> Editors on New Album: "It Sounds Like 'Bladerunner'"
>> Editors, An End Has a Start

And that's all the more important considering the song is Smith's love letter to his adopted hometown of London, an ancient -- and distinctly analog -- sort of city.

"It was inspired by a particular moment -- the vision of a certain view of the skyline that I see every day when I'm at home, and while I don't necessarily take it for granted, maybe I just don't take notice of it," Smith explains. "On one particular day, it was the moment between day and night, there was a storm brewing, and it just took my breath away."

In This Light & On This Evening is out Jan. 19, and Smith hopes Editors will tour the States -- bringing all these new instruments across the pond with them. "I always love it when you see bands and the stage is just littered with loads of shit," he says. "I hope with every record we introduce some more clutter to the stage."

Check out the track below and tell us whether you'd bless that onstage mess, or if it's Editors' new songs that are truly cluttered.

LISTEN: Editors, "In This Light & On This Evening"

WATCH: Hockey Rock SPIN's Rooftop!

Eric Nowels — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:56:59 -0600

Portland, OR, foursome Hockey recently dropped by SPIN's Manhattan offices for a rooftop set of tunes from their debut album, Mind Chaos.

MORE SPINHOUSE LIVE:
>> WATCH: Brendan Benson Performs on SPIN's Rooftop!
>> Watch: Peter Bjorn and John Rock SPIN's Offices
>> Watch: Trail of Dead Play SPIN Party

The show -- the latest edition in the SPINHouse Live series, sponsored by Newcastle Brown Ale and VTech -- saw the band rip through the record's highly danceable New Wave-tinged tracks, including "Work," "Put the Game Down," and "Too Fake." Check out the videos below.

And read our review of the show here.

Also, check out footage of other SPINHouse Live concerts, including Brendan Benson, …Trail of the Dead, and Peter, Bjorn, and John.

Best of Berlin: U2, Jay-Z, Beyonce

Eric Nowels — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:53:15 -0600

Thursday, MTV's European Music Awards took place in Berlin, Germany, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. U2, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Shakira, and others performed -- and Beyonce walked away with three trophies, the night's biggest winner. Check out our take on the event's best & worst moments:

Check out a photo gallery from the show here.

THE BEST:

Beyonce & Jay-Z Take Over Europe, the World
Ostensibly last night's show had a 1920s cabaret theme, but it was actually all about pop music's power couple. Beyonce took home the most awards of the night, winning for "Best Female," "Best Song," and "Best Video" and completely overshadowed host Katy Perry's tweaked-out pinup shtick with her mesmerizing, sexed-up rendition of "Sweet Dreams." Jay-Z delivered a show-stopping performance of "Empire State of Mind" in front of a swirling New York City skyline with backup singer Bridget Kelly standing in admirably for Alicia Keys, then made it across town in time to join U2 at the Brandenburg Gate for a blissfully over-the-top rendition of "Sunday Bloody Sunday." By the time Beyonce accepted her third trophy by cooing, "There's only one person I wanna thank, and that's J for putting a ring on it!," we were all unabashedly drunk on the gooeyness.

MORE PHOTOS:

Click to see loads more photos from the awards show >>

Green Day: Robots?
In the show's opening number, the "Best Rock" winners blasted through two songs in front of an orgy of pyrotechnic explosions, intermittently cursing into the microphone and inciting everyone to "stand the fuck up!" As the ageless, blonde-again Billie Joe Armstrong thanked the voters for granting the band the "Best Cock" award and ran through the crowd of German teenagers – most of whom really seemed to be biding their time before the incomprehensibly worshiped Tokio Hotel made their entrance – one got the feeling that the retro-punk trio have actually become petrified in time. No surprises, but no disappointments. Just Green Day.

Foo Fighters Balk, Then Deliver
When the band first started up with their somewhat boring twangy number, "Wheels," it seemed like a distracted-looking Dave Grohl might be phoning it in to this one. Not a huge surprise, considering he was there to promote a greatest hits album that he's said he never wanted to release in the first place. But then the band sprung into life and head-banged through a tight, driving rendition of "All My Life," and later Katy Perry gigglingly hinted that Grohl had been exposing himself backstage. Good to know you're still with us, Dave.

THE WORST:

Shakira Gong Wrong
The only thing worse than Shakira's skanky gold lame apron dress and the inexplicable gong dancers with kung-fu ponytails, was the song itself ("Did It Again").

The Hoff Does It Again
It's not the fact that David Hasslehoff showed up completely schloshed to a gig at a major, internationally broadcast event in the only place in the world where he's still considered somewhat relevant (or at least entertaining). It's not the fact that he staggered backwards down the red carpet in a seizure-inducing sequined suit, was difficult with journalists, and gave a squinty, slurry approximation of an award presentation. It's the fact that really, nobody expected anything different.

THE SO-SO:

Katy Perry Camps It Up
On one hand, she's cute, has a lot of energy and seemed to actually enjoy herself onstage. On the other hand, most of the time her "wacky outrageousness" feels canned, and her facial expressions are scary and intense, kind of like the soul of a spastic demon breathed into a Zooey Deschanel blow-up doll. Either way, it's hard to understand why MTV brought her back as the only person to host the EMAs twice. Maybe it has something to do with cutbacks?

U2 and MTV's Berlin "Fence"
Okay, so you're a little bit dead inside if you didn't mist up watching Bono belt out "One" in front of the bombastically illuminated Brandenburg Gate, where twenty years ago the citizens of a divided city partied on the ruins of the Iron Curtain. But in all their efforts to cash in on the symbolism of the 20-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, MTV didn't think about the fact that building a giant security gate around the open-air concert to keep out those without tickets might not be the pinnacle of tact. When outrage about the setup began circulating in the German press, the network released a statement that the aforementioned structure was only a "temporary security fence," and that "[under] no circumstances did MTV build a 'wall' of any kind in or around the U2 production site." Whatever you say, Khrushchev.

Friday's Music Roundup

William Goodman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:20:50 -0600

[Updated: 5:56 P.M.]

NEWS:

YEAH YEAH YEAHS to Play 'Fever to Tell' Album at ATP Fest

NME

DIPLO Talks New M.I.A. Album

Pitchfork

JAY-Z Announces 2010 Tour Dates

MTV

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE In Talks for 'Yogi Bear' Movie

Variety

BABYSHAMBLES Debut 6 New Songs at Secret London Gig

NME

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN Scrap U.S. Tour

Bunnymen

He Says, She Says: CHRIS BROWN Vs. Rihanna

SPIN

OF MONTREAL Working on New Album

Eternal Sunshine

Twitter

AEROSMITH to Replace STEVEN TYLER?

SPIN

LADY GAGA Details Monster Ball Tour

MTV

PET SHOP BOYS Cover COLDPLAY

Gigwise

JAY-Z and ALICIA KEYS Record “Empire State of Mind Part 2”

The Element of Freedom

MTV

PAVEMENT Planning Best-Of Compilation

NME

PIXIES Play Complete 'Dolittle' Album

SPIN

MP3s & VIDEOS:

LISTEN: EDITORS' First New Tune

SPIN

DOWNLOAD: PIXIES Give Away Free Live EP!

Doolittle

Stereogum

WATCH: New GRIZZLY BEAR Video!

Pitchfork

WATCH: FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE Play 'Jimmy Kimmel'

Lungs

YouTube

WATCH: MONSTERS OF FOLK Rock Out with THE ROOTS on 'Fallon'

Prefix Mag

WATCH: WHITE RABBITS Rock 'Jimmy Kimmel'

It's Frightening

YouTube

Aerosmith to Replace Steven Tyler?

Matt Kiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:07:41 -0600

All is not well in the world of Aerosmith. After bouts of band in-fighting, singer Steven Tyler told Classic Rock magazine that he's planning to focus on "something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself – Brand Tyler." But the rest of boys have other plans -- and may recruit a new frontman and continue without him.

"That's big shoes to fill. Nobody could replace Steven or imitate him -- he's one of a kind," said Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford. "But if somebody was willing to do it and the chemistry was right, why not?"

Ever helpful, SPIN editors offer a few suggestions about who could fill in. Tell us yours in the comment section.

SPIN's Picks to Replace Steven Tyler:

CARLY SIMON:
She's now singing to her surgeon boyfriend's patients during operations, so she'd be a perfect fit for the accident-prone Aerosmith. -- DOUG BROD

THE CAST OF GLEE:
Most of Aerosmith's catalog has always been a high-school vaudeville take on the Rolling Stones, so let's drop the pretense. Kurt and the kid in the wheelchair already have a burgeoning Tyler/Perry chemistry. -- CHARLES AARON

LIL WAYNE:
Though we'd have to wait about a year, who better to fill the slot of a bejeweled Toxic Twin than a syrup-swilling, blingy babbletron with unfulfilled rock pipe dreams? -- CA

KID ROCK:
America's Favorite Ass Clown was born to butcher "Big Ten Inch Record." -- CA

PARAMORE's HAYLEY WILLIAMS:
She has all of the onstage energy with none of the age spots. -- MARK BAUTZ

CORIN TUCKER:
It's just been too long since Sleater-Kinney was heard from (and she'd do a good job with "Dream On"). -- PHOEBE REILLY

THE HIVES' HOWLIN' PELLE ALMQVIST:
Maybe he won't get perma-shirtless Joe Perry in a matching suit, but the Swedish singer can be the most exciting frontman in rock'n'roll, and would inject a little punk rock swagger into Aerosmith's arena-filling formula. -- PETER GASTON

MICK JAGGER:
Steven Tyler always wanted to be him anyway. -- DAVID MARCHESE

COURTNEY LOVE:
She'd fit right in -- her face is almost as plasticized as Tyler's! -- WILLIAM GOODMAN

Pixies Play Complete 'Dolittle' Album

Eric Nowels — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:38:34 -0600

At the Pixies' Hollywood Palladium show on Wednesday night, the sold-out crowd of 4,000 seemed caught between genuflecting respectfully and just going nuts. Kicking off a 21-date U.S. tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their thorny masterwork Doolittle, the alt-rock icons performed the album start-to-finish in the form of an edgy history lesson, with the students devotedly trying to keep up.

Doolittle, along with the rest of the band's legend, has only grown in stature over two decades, its sonic adventurousness and dark, abrasive personality seeping into the bloodlines of countless rockers to follow. But on this night, frontman Black Francis, bassist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago, and drummer David Lovering were genially focused and the pace measured.

The album's 15 tracks, after all, clock in at just 38 minutes—and even with its light show, video screen, and smoke machines, the performance didn't attempt to match the explosiveness of the Pixies' historic 2004 reunion shows.

The one-hour-and-35-minute excursion (the first of three nights at the Palladium) had a somewhat clinical feel, though a healthy bit of moshing and crowd-surfing did break out, inspired mostly by Santiago's peripatetic guitar lines and the gritty bottom provided by Lovering and Deal.

PHOTOS:

Click to enlarge

Photos by Timothy Norris

The Pixies' appearance was preceded by a projection of the surrealist short film Un Chien Andalou, a 1929 collaboration between director Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dali. It was Francis' inspiration for Doolittle's opening track "Debaser," but the quartet's musical eyeball-slicing was delayed as the show began with four lesser-known tracks.

"Do you know what the B-sides are?" bassist Deal asked the crowd, smiling. "I had to look them up."

Having dispatched those discordant appetizers, the Pixies got stronger and Francis' yowl seemed to age in reverse. "Debaser," "Tame," and "I Bleed" incrementally gained in vigor, and the foursome hit its collective stride with "Here Comes Your Man," backed by a video that mocked the song's original music video—which itself playfully tweaked the more glamorizing music videos of the time.

Somewhere around a very spry "Monkey Gone to Heaven," Deal asked jokingly, "Is this still side one?"

The diehards knew, though they didn't get the slightest acknowledgement from Francis, until he waved after "Silver," a song the Pixies had never played live until this tour.

The slower, surfy version of fan favorite "Wave of Mutilation" highlighted the first encore before the Pixies returned with non-Doolittle fare "Isla de Encanta" and "Gigantic." Closer "Where Is My Mind?" left a particularly celebratory note in the air—and had more than one giddy fan asking if anybody had a ticket hook-up for the second night.

Los Angeles noise-punk heroes No Age were a worthy opening act—there's no small amount of Pixies DNA in their music's makeup. "How awesome is it the Pixies are gonna play?" shouted he duo's drummer Dean Spunt. "I feel like, what the fuck am I doing up here?"

Set List:
Dancing the Manta Ray
Weird at My School
Bailey's Walk
Manta Ray
Debaser
Tame
Wave of Mutilation
I Bleed
Here Comes Your Man
Dead
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Mr. Grieves
Crackity Jones
La La Love You
No. 13 Baby
There Goes My Gun
Hey
Silver
Gouge Away

First encore:
Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)
Into the White

Second encore:
Isla de Encanta
Gigantic
Where Is My Mind?

He Says, She Says: Chris Brown Vs. Rihanna

William Goodman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:30:36 -0600

It's a busy week in the ongoing saga of Chris Brown and Rihanna.

The "Umbrella" singer has granted her first TV interview since she was assaulted by then-boyfriend Brown last February, speaking about the brutal incident in an emotional new special with ABC's Barbara Walters. Brown, meanwhile, sat down with MTV News for a new segment, Chris Brown: The Interview.

MORE ON SPIN.COM:
>> LISTEN: New Rihanna Song Leaks!
>> LISTEN: Rihanna's New Single!
>> Rihanna Talks About Chris Brown Assault

In the ABC interview, which aired Thursday and continues Friday on GMA (7:00 AM) and 20/20 (9:00 PM), Rihanna focused on delivering a message to young girls who live with domestic abuse. "It was a wake-up call for me, big time, especially when I took myself out of the situation. And I'll say that to any young girl who is going through domestic violence: Don't react off of love," she said. "F love. Come out of the situation and look at it third person and for what it really is, and then make your decision, because love is so blind."

She also lambasted herself for briefly reconciling with Brown after the assault, calling her decision "selfish," and one that sent the wrong message. "Even if Chris never hit me again, who is to say that their boyfriend won't? Who's to say that they won't kill these girls? These are young girls, and I just didn't realize how much of an impact I had on these girls' lives until that happened."

Brown sang a different tune, speaking about the public's opinion of him following the February brawl. "I'm confused right now as far as the public perception [of me]," he explained in the special, which airs Friday at 6:00 PM. "Like, I think with my fans, they still love me, they support me, definitely. You have those people who will support you. So it's kinda like 50/50 for me. I got the people that will come out and support and then the people that don't wanna see me do anything. They basically want me in jail."

Brown is currently serving a sentence of one year of weekly therapy sessions, five years' probation, and 180 days of community-labor service.

Both singers have albums coming up as well. Rihanna's Rated R drops Nov. 23. Hear lead single "Russian Roulette" here, and another album track, "Wait Your Turn," here. Brown's Graffiti drops Dec 8. Listen to "I Can Transform Ya" here.

Rihanna ABC Interview:

Chris Brown MTV Interview:

MTV Shows

Tom Morello, Stripper -- Chris Brown, Space Traveler

Matt Kiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:41:27 -0600

Here are some of the weirdest stories we've seen on the web this week:

Weezer have come a long way from destroying sweaters. Check out the Weezer Snuggie! [YouTube]

Attention Lady Gaga stalkers: the pop star's giving away locks of hair from her wig with a new holiday art book. Creepy! [FabLife]

Speaking of Gaga, our favorite weirdo Christopher Walken does a spoken-word rendition of "Pokerface." [YouTube]

Mark Ronson drops trou onstage, mooning the masses. [The Sun]

Rage Against the Machine axeman Tom Morello talks about his post-Harvard stint as an exotic dancer. Balls out, dudes! [NME]

Chris Brown is reinventing himself… as a guitar-playing, intergalactic-traveling graffiti artist. [TwitPic]

Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture finishes 23,347th in the NYC marathon. In related news, Julian Casablancas wins the Tour De France. [NME]

Taking Back Sunday, All-American Rejects Open U.S. Tour

Matt Kiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:17:27 -0600

Tuesday night at Michigan State University, angsty rock fans with angular haircuts and all-black wardrobes stood alongside preppy Greek Row members to watch Taking Back Sunday and the All-American Rejects -- reps from the introspective and fun-lovin' poles of the emo genre, respectively -- kick off their joint U.S. tour.

The 20-date outing is a co-headlining affair, with the two bands trading the closing slot each night, and at this show the Rejects took the stage first, opening with "Move Along" from their 2005 album of the same name.

MORE ON SPIN.COM:

>> Taking Back Sunday, New Again
>> Exclusive: All-American Rejects in the Studio

The quartet was in top form, strutting through a set of fan faves, from "Dirty Little Secret" to "Gives You Hell," the first single from their latest release, When The World Comes Down. It's the Rejects' most successful track yet, having spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts and selling over 3.2 million copies in digital downloads.

On another new track, "Real World," the boys moved away from their characteristic pop-rock sound and explored something more interesting: dark, '80s new wave. It's a commendable experiment for the Rejects, who have been pigeon-holed as one-trick ponies. But they pulled it off with both promise and precision, with frontman Tyson Ritter pouting his lips and swaying his skinny torso across the stage like a model-boy Iggy Pop.

The crowd did their best to mimic his moves, dancing in the aisles much to the dismay of the ushers.

Soon screamo/pop-punk quartet Taking Back Sunday took the stage and quickly proved that they're a very different animal than the Rejects. Their music has more emotional depth and pants-kicking ferocity, and the band immediately had the crowd riled up with opener "Set Phasers To Stun," from 2004's Where You Want To Be. Soon Adam Lazzara invited the crowd to rush the stage. A hundred or so fans complied, eagerly.

It's this immediate connection with their audience that has helped the band endure a decade in the business and the backlash against the emo genre, which they helped pioneer. And by playing on college campuses, they're creating memories in impressionable minds that will surely translate into many years to come.

Lazzara led the band through raucous renditions of "My Blue Heaven" from 2006's "Louder Now," their debut album for Warner Bros., but it was songs from this year's New Again that provided the most refreshing bitch slap to the face. "Carpathia" (named after the first ship to receive a distress call from the sinking Titanic) traded the verse-chorus-verse formula for a plethora of key changes and movements, while retaining the catchy sense of melody that put the band on the map in the first place.

Taking Back Sunday and the All-American Rejects have their musical differences, but they're both helping an oft-ridiculed genre survive with style, talent, and good times.

Thursday's Music Roundup

William Goodman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:23:18 -0600

[Updated: 6:14 P.M.]

NEWS:

He Says, She Says: CHRIS BROWN Vs. Rihanna

SPIN

AEROSMITH to Replace STEVEN TYLER?

SPIN

JAY-Z and ALICIA KEYS Record “Empire State of Mind Part 2”

The Element of Freedom

MTV

PAVEMENT Planning Best-Of Compilation

NME

PIXIES Play Complete 'Dolittle' Album

SPIN

DECEMBERISTS Frontman COLIN MELOY Writes Children's Book

Pitchfork

NO DOUBT Sue Band Hero Video Game

SHY CHILD Announce New Album

Liquid Love

Music Slut

BLOC PARTY Frontman "Working on Solo Album"

Spinner

JANET JACKSON Announces First TV Interview Since Brother's Death

BBC

FIERY FURNACES Dis RADIOHEAD

Spinner

SUFJAN STEVENS: "50-State Album Project Was a Joke"

NME

DJ AM's L.A. Home For Sale

Daily Swarm

CHRIS BROWN's New Album Release Pushed Up

Graffiti

People

MICHAEL JACKSON's 'This Is It' Tops Charts

Billboard

DEVO Whip It Good in L.A.

SPIN

JOHN MAYER Announces 2010 Tour

Oh No They Didn't

Judge Stops SUBLIME Members from Using Band Name

Billboard

MP3s & VIDEOS:

WATCH: MONSTERS OF FOLK Rock Out with THE ROOTS on 'Fallon'

Prefix Mag

WATCH: WHITE RABBITS Rock 'Jimmy Kimmel'

It's Frightening

YouTube

DOWNLOAD: Early LIZ PHAIR Demos!

Exile in Guyville

Girly Sound

LISTEN: JULIAN CASABLANCAS' New Album and Christmas Song

Phrazes for the Young

SNL

MySpace

LISTEN: NORAH JONES and RYAN ADAMS' Collabo

NPR

Q&A: Inside the 'New Moon' Soundtrack

Matt Kiser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:50:49 -0600

Music supervisor for hit TV shows including Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, and Mad Men -- along with the Twilight movie series -- Alexandra Patsavas has quietly made herself one of the most influential figures in the industry, helping to break new bands and shape the aesthetics of popular drama.

With the indie-all-star New Moon soundtrack currently the No. 1 album in the country, Patsavas talked to SPIN.com about how the project came together, what makes for a good soundtrack moment, and which new bands you should watch out for.

How you go about something like New Moon, which features original songs from so many artists who don't often appear in projects this high-profile?
The work starts as soon as the script is finished and distributed. Chris Weitz, the director, had a very specific point of view about how he wanted the music to feel. There's a lot of separation and longing and loss in the movie; the bands and lyrics and sound and arrangements had to reflect that. Some folks, like Lykke Li, the Killers, Grizzly Bear, OK Go, and Anya Marina all came into the cutting room and sat with Chris to watch the movie and talk about their contributions. Other tracks were submitted with the movie in mind. I think it's very difficult to succeed without any context.

Alexandra Patsavas
Click to Enlarge!

MORE ON SPIN.COM:
>> 'Twilight' Author Reveals Favorite New Music!
>> WATCH: Death Cab for Cutie's 'Twilight' Video
>> 'Gossip Girl''s Taylor Momsen Debuts Band -- And It Rocks!

A lot of people were surprised by Thom Yorke's inclusion. How did that come about?
A Radiohead song ["15 Step"] played over the end titles of Twilight, so we had a relationship. I believe this is the first soundtrack he's been on in a long time, so that's exciting. A lot of bands were interested in submitting great material, which helps a lot.

It does seem like music that the characters would actually listen to, which is certainly not always the case in soundtrack tie-ins.
I think the music has to be inspired by the characters' lives, but it's not always just used as source material—it's used to score as well. Chris used the Bon Iver/St. Vincent track ["Rosyln"] and Thom Yorke track ["Hearing Damage"] in spots that would have traditionally been scored. I grew up in Chicago in the ‘70s and ‘80s, so those John Hughes movies were important to me. He created a world but also cleverly introduced mainstream kids to non-mainstream kids.

What are some of your favorite music-related movie or TV moments?
Just to give you a John Hughes example, the end of Ferris Bueller's Day Off ["Oh Yeah" by Yello]—genius. Hughes helped make me be adventurous. The final scene in Six Feet Under ["Breathe Me" by Sia], certainly—it was such a life-changing moment and my colleagues Gary Calamar and Thomas Golubic did such an amazing job with that show. I loved the Gossip Girl pilot, there's a great mix of pop and rock bands from New York. I'm really proud of the on-cameras.

On-cameras?
On Gossip Girl, the first ten episodes have included four on-camera performances: Sonic Youth re-recorded "Starpower" to fit a wedding scene and Thurston Moore and Jemina Pearl did the Ramones' "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker." That kind of stuff is really gratifying. Lady Gaga is upcoming playing a new song.

Is it sometimes tricky finding ways to incorporate performances like that into the show?
That's the producers' job—when it's scripted, we get the call and start to work on it. We're not leading the story.

What bands have you been listening to lately?
I like the new Air, David Guetta, Magic Bullets, Florence and the Machines, Fanfarlo, the Middle East.

Is it hard for you to separate a band you just enjoy listening to from one that you think could work for a specific scene in one of your projects?
Yeah, definitely. I listen to music two ways: As a person, you have an instinctive, personal, emotional response. But as a music supervisor, you have a secondary response, which is, "Will this sit well under dialogue?" "Can people die to this?" "Can people kiss to this?"

Mark Hoppus' Pick of the Week: Japandroids

Peter Gaston — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:49:29 -0600

When he's not commandeering the stage as the boisterous bassist for SoCal punks Blink-182, Tweeting wisdom to more than 1.4 million followers, or handling album production duties for bands like Motion City Soundtrack and New Found Glory, you'd think Mark Hoppus would turn down the music.

Not. Possible.

In our new series Hopp on Pop, Hoppus will be sharing his favorite up-and-coming acts, culled from his incessant pursuit of all that rocks. Check out his first entry below, and come back to SPIN.com every Wednesday for Mark's next musical revelation.

Be sure to follow more of his opinions and exploits on his Twitter and on his blog!

JAPANDROIDS

HOMETOWN:
Vancouver, Canada

THE BASICS:
Duo that's just guitar and drums, with both guys singing live.

WHERE HOPP HEARD THEM FIRST:
"I actually heard about this band through the dude that cuts my hair. He plays drums in bands, and whenever I get my hair cut we talk about new bands and music. He was talking about Japandroids -- described them as '90s alt-rock -- so I got their record."

WHY THEY ROCK:
"There are a lot of two-piece acts out there right now and some are really great, but Japandroids just sound really different from anything out there. I've seen a video of them playing live and the guitar player actually splits his signal into two different amps -- one is really distorted and the other is more clean, so it sounds like there are two guitars being played even though it's just one guitarist."

HOPP'S TOP TRACK:
"My favorite song on their album, Post-Nothing, is 'Heart Sweats.' It really reminds me of early Smashing Pumpkins stuff that I've always loved, and I dig the break as it goes in the chorus."

DOWNLOAD: Japandroids, "Young Hearts Spark Fire" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

WATCH: Japandroids, "Heart Sweats" (Live on KEXP)

DOWNLOAD: Hot Rappers, People Under the Stairs

Matt Kiser — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:11:10 -0600

One of the best live sets we saw this summer was by Los Angeles hip-hop duo People Under the Stairs, whose energy transformed a muddy Bonnaroo Day into a wild house party with jumping bass and MCs Thes One and Double K's dope rhymes about -- what else? -- smoking weed and drinking booze!

The duo's set drew a larger crowd than hot indie acts like Passion Pit and Janelle Monáe. But to most music fans, they remain an underground obscurity.

That's beginning to change with their latest release, Carried Away. Download one of the album's best tracks, "Step Off," below.

Much like their live shows, the duo's new album is all about spontaneity. "We were just so hyped off of the Coachella and Bonnaroo sets, and we just had this feeling of, 'Lets do something to show the feeling of us onstage,'" Thes One tells SPIN.com. "We wanted to get that feel of, 'This is who we are.'"

Turns out, being who they are involved a specific recording technique: "We went into CVS [drug store] one morning and they decided to dismantle their wine section, so every bottle was $1.99. I bought five cases of wine. We would go into the studio everyday and start recording at 9 A.M. and we'd be drinking wine to create a vibe. As long as we're having fun and getting drunk, we're fine."

The album's songs deliver the same casual vibe.

"Trippin' at the Disco," an ode to partying in L.A., rocks on drum and horn samples from the 1970s. "Beer" is a silly rap track a la Beastie Boys' "Paul Revere" with lo-fi drum machine beats and back-and-fourth rhymes ("Oh, you like hanging on Twitter / And we like beer!"). And "Step Off," which begins with voiceover from a 1950s PSA about drug use, flows on a smooth sample that Double K created back in 1996.

Carried Away debuted at No. 5 on the iTunes Hip-Hop chart last month, a success the duo has never experienced before. And now they are preparing for a tour of Africa, which Thes is busy booking from his home office.

"It's been a pain in the balls but it can be rewarding," he says. "We did a tour of China at the beginning of the year and I had to coordinate the whole thing. It's really rewarding to come home and be like, 'Hell yeah, we just did a sold-out tour in China!'"

LISTEN: People Under the Stairs, "Step Off" (DOWNLOAD MP3)

Devo Whip It Good in L.A.

Eric Nowels — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:48:29 -0600

Some things get better with age: wine, violins, Devo. Unlike other vintage rock acts, the Akron, Ohio New Wave satirists deserve their place on that particular short list. That much was made clear to the packed house at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theater, who were there to witness the opening salvo of Devo's new tour.

You can't exactly call it a comeback -- the classic Devo lineup, plus A Perfect Circle/Weezer drummer Josh Freese, has been reunited since 1996 -- but the group has joined a recent spate of veteran bands hitting the road behind their seminal albums. On this road jaunt, lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh and co. will spend two nights in each city, devoting one show each to two Devo essentials: 1978's Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and 1980's Freedom Of Choice.

PHOTOS:

Click to enlarge

Photos by Andrew Herrold

Up on this night: Are We Not Men. And despite all of its original members hovering around their 60s, Devo met the challenge of recreating its debut with stunning vigor. After screening its proto-music video, "The Truth About De-Evolution," the eternally quirky fivesome appeared in yellow jumpsuits and giant sunglasses, and launched into the herky-jerky rock'n'roller, "Uncontrollable Urge." The multi-instrumentalist brothers Mothersbaugh (Mark and Bob) and similarly-skilled brothers Casale (Gerald and Bob) popped their limbs and pogo'd like androids on the fritz, then ran headlong into their spasmodic Rolling Stones cover, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," where skronky industrial guitars lorded over an alien groove.

Each tense, spiky song crashed gleefully into the next, creating an air equal parts urgent and ebullient. "Praying Hands" found the audience following Mark's yelps quite literally -- "You got you left hand! / You got you right hand!" -- resulting in a living momentary mash-up of a fascist rally and "The Hokey Pokey." For "Mongoloid," the singer produced pom-poms and cheered the band on from stage left; during the driving Devo anthem "Jocko Homo," he manned the synthesizers while his colleagues tore off their outerwear to reveal blacks shirts, shorts and, err, large kneepads.

But for all the fanfare and robotic aerobics, the most impressive facet of Devo's performance was how unbelievably hard the band rocked. Every song started huge and finished huge, not to mention played heavier, moved faster, blared louder and spazzed out more freely than its recorded counterpart. Even the relatively mellow alt-rock of "Gut Feeling" was given epic revivification before morphing into the total punk blitz of "(Slap Your Mammy)."

If there's one criticism to be leveled at this burlier Devo, it's that both Are We Not Men? and the "Whip It"-featuring Freedom Of Choice could easily fit into one evening's performance (that's less than 70 minutes of music all told). But tell that to the mixed gang of Gen X'ers and hipster youth who kicked up a mosh pit for the encore performance of "Secret Agent Man." Or the twentysomething fan who scoffed, "How can you not?" when asked if he was coming back for night two.

SETLIST:
"Uncontrollable Urge"
"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"
"Praying Hands"
"Space Junk"
"Mongoloid"
"Jocko Homo"
"Too Much Paranoias"
"Gut Feeling" / "(Slap Your Mammy)"
"Come Back Jonee"
"Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin')"
"Shrivel Up"

ENCORE:
"Watch Us Work It"
"Secret Agent Man"
"Gates Of Steel"