Daily Noise Blog | SPIN.com

Exclusive: MGMT Unveil New Album!

Matt Kiser — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:12:53 -0600

Mark your calendars, Blackberries, iPhones, iPads, or just write it on your damn hand -- 'cause now it's officially official: MGMT's second album, Congratulations, will release in the U.S. on April 13.

MGMT's core duo of Andrew Vanwyngarden and Ben Goldwasser recorded the album at studios in Upstate, NY, Brooklyn, and Malibu, CA, with producer Peter Kember, a.k.a. Sonic Boom of shoegaze pioneers Spaceman 3, and their live band -- Matt Asti (bass), Will Berman (drums), and James Richardson (guitar). Royal Trux frontwoman Jennifer Herrema helped with vocals, while knob-twiddler extraordinaire Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips) handled mixing duties.

The release is the group's first since their 2007 breakout debut, the catchy and psychedelic Oracular Spectacular -- which landed MGMT on the cover of SPIN.

"It's definitely going to shock people," Vanwyngarden recently told SPIN.com of the new album's sound. "We dropped any sort of irony that was on the first record, and Congratulations feels true to who we really are."

Congratulations' nine songs are "sequenced to flow with sonic and thematic coherence." And according to Vanwyngarden, the album moves from "Lady Dada's Nightmare," a "very nightmare-ish sounding" instrumental track inspired by the "Poker Face" pop star, to "Congratulations," a song written about fame and the "worldwide economic crisis." Through it all, he said, there's one unifying influence: surfing, a sport he picked up while recording in Malibu.

"There's a surfing thread throughout the record," he explained, citing another new song, called "It's Working." "When you're surfing, there's a specific break you're paddling to. And when the waves are really good you say, 'It's working.' The song kind of has a surf-y vibe. It's like surfing on ecstasy!"

The ocean's influence on Congratulations is also evident on MGMT's website, which features an image of a beach with crashing waves and, in the upper left corner, a timer counting down to the album's release date.

Another album track "Siberian Breaks" is a 12-minute-long tune that's "like eight different songs strung together into one, and the general theme is about surfing in the Arctic Circle by Russia," Vanwyngarden explained.

As previously reported, MGMT debuted a pair of songs during their late-night set at Bonnaroo last June -- an untitled piano-led track that recalled the bright psychedelia and flowing arrangements of the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle, and the album's title track, a more standard MGMT fare (catchy synths, sing-along vocals).

Currently, MGMT have only two live concerts scheduled: an April 17 appearance at Coachella and a May 2 gig at New Jersey's Bamboozle fest.

A full tour in support of Congratulations is expected to be announced soon.

Congratulations tracklist:
"It's Working"
"Song for Dan Treacy"
"Someone's Missing"
"Flash Delirium"
"I Found a Whistle"
"Siberian Breaks"
"Brian Eno"
"Lady Dada's Nightmare"
"Congratulations"

Phoenix, Jay-Z, Weezer Lead Bonnaroo Lineup

Matt Kiser — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:15:01 -0600

Phoenix, Jay-Z, Weezer, and the Flaming Lips (who will be performing Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon) will headline Bonnaroo, the Tennessee mega-music fest taking place June 10-13.

Dave Matthews Band, the Avett Brothers, OK Go, Jeff Beck, and 311 are also slated to perform.

Tickets for the show are available now at the "Bonnaroo website!

Check back later today for updates about the full list of more than 150 bands.

Lil Wayne Heads to Jail

Matt Kiser — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:03:29 -0600

Last week, Lil Wayne commanded the spotlight and stage at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards -- but Tuesday, the multi-platinum rapper will find himself in a much less prestigious place: a jail cell at New York City's notorious Riker's Island.

The New Orleans rhymer, born Dwayne Carter, is due to be sentenced Tuesday in a Manhattan court room after pleading guilty in a gun possession case. His plea deal calls for a year in jail, but with good behavior he could serve as little as eight months. Wayne is expected to start serving his sentence immediately following the hearing, MTV reports.

Over Super Bowl weekend, Wayne celebrated his final days of freedom, throwing a going away party at Miami's Dolce Ultra Lounge Sunday night after the game. The Young Money crew, plus rappers Wale, Drake, B.G., and others came out to show their respects. Check out photos from the fiesta at Nah Right.

Monday, on his final night before heading to jail, Wayne checked in from his recording studio -- where he's spent a lot time preparing tracks before going to jail -- to post a rambling, X-rated, and, at times, hilarious goodbye to fans. Watch it at Ozone Mag.

Last October, Wayne pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon, stemming from a July 2007 arrest following a Manhattan concert, when police found a loaded .40-caliber semiautomatic gun on his tour bus. The rapper, who conquered the charts with his 2008 studio album, Tha Carter III, and recently released the rock-oriented Rebirth, is only the latest in a long line rappers to go to jail at the height of their careers, including Tupac, T.I., Mystikal, Foxy Brown, and others.

Due to his celebrity status, Wayne is expected to be separated from the general population at Ricker's Island, which holds roughly 13,500 inmates, most of whom inmates are awaiting trial.

White Stripes Attack Air Force Reserve Over Song

Matt Kiser — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:52:57 -0600

Detroit garage rockers the White Stripes claim the U.S. Air Force re-recorded their hit song "Fell in Love With a Girl" for a commercial aired during this Sunday's Super Bowl, without the band's permission.

"The White Stripes take strong insult and objection to the Air Force Reserves presenting this advertisement with the implication that we licensed one of our songs to encourage recruitment during a war that we do not support," the band wrote on their website. "We simply don't want to be a cog in the wheel of the current conflict and hope for a safe and speedy return home for our troops."

The ad was part of a recruiting campaign for the Air Force Reserve, whose 67,000 members back up the main Air Force. As of publication time, there has been no official Air Force reaction to the band's claim, although the recruitment video was removed from its site.

WATCH: The White Stripes, "Fell in Love with a Girl"

New Albums from Massive Attack, Hot Chip & 6 More!

Matt Kiser — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:58:33 -0600

Here's a rundown of the albums available online and in record stores today:

Massive Attack, Heligoland
Trip-hop pioneers give doom a romantic tinge.
Read Review >>

Hot Chip, One Life Stand
Can their disco doctorates keep them warm at night?
Read Review >>

Yeasayer, Odd Blood
Brooklyn psych rockers ride a new new wave.
Read Review >>

Gil Scott-Heron, I'm New Here
The revolution won't be on YouTube either.
Read Review >>

The Watson Twins, Talking to You, Talking to Me
Kentucky-bred sisters spark a righteous groove.
Read Review >>

Pantha du Prince, Black Noise
Ingenious beat maestro integrates Animal voices.
Read Review >>

Allison Moorer, Crows
Well-connected crooner displays range, classiness.
Read Review >>

Galactic, Ya-Ka-May
Big Easy house band boosts vocal legends.
Read Review >>

Tuesday's Music Roundup

William Goodman — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:40:04 -0600

[Updated: 3:04 P.M.]

NEWS:

LIL WAYNE Heads to Jail

SPIN

PHOENIX, WEEZER Lead BONNAROO Lineup

SPIN

PARAMORE's JOSH FARRO Announces Engagement, Leaves U.S. Tour

NME

WHITE STRIPES Attack U.S. Air Force Reserve Over Song

SPIN

GASLIGHT ANTHEM Announce New Album

American Slang

Spinner

FLAMING LIPS' DRODZ to Teach College Master Class

Spinner

MICHAEL JACKSON's Doctor Pleads Not Guilty to Manslaughter

SPIN

Best & Worst SUPER BOWL Music

SPIN

PHOENIX Score New SOFIA COPPOLA Movie

Sometime

Spinner

Top 10 WHO Super Bowl Moments

SPIN

YEASAYER Play L.A.'s Natural History Museum

SPIN

JAMIE LIDELL Taps BECK, FEIST, WILCO and GRIZZLY BEAR Members for New Album

Compass

Pitchfork

HOT CHIP Dazzle at Secret Show

SPIN

LEONARD COHEN Postpones Tour Due to Injury

Guardian

MP3s & VIDEOS:

WATCH: SIGUR ROS Frontman's New Music Video

Stereogum

DOWNLOAD: VAMPIRE WEEKEND Cover RANCID

SPIN

LISTEN: New Song from HIGH ON FIRE

SPIN

Yeasayer Play L.A.'s Natural History Museum

Eric Nowels — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:56:47 -0600

On Friday night in Los Angeles, intrepid show-goers braved heavy rain and dodged at least one Tyrannosaurus on their way to Yeasayer’s sold-out performance at the Natural History Museum. Flanked by stuffed musk oxen and elephant seals, the eclectic Brooklyn band delivered a fevered set that saw them pound, wail, and groove through the majority of their upcoming second album, Odd Blood.

PHOTOS:

Click to enlarge

Photos by Andrew Herrold

Local foursome Warpaint kicked things off with its winning mix of slack and pop – a no-frills mash-up of rock bluster and post-punk angularity that gradually morphed the stylish ladies on stage into piles of tousled hair and Chuck Taylors. The converted exhibition hall was packed to the brim from the time the first note rang out, with the considerable overflow watching a 3-D projection of the show in a rotunda occupied primarily by dinosaur bones.

Into this bizarre scene, Yeasayer injected its own excellent weirdness. The band opened with Odd Blood’s creepy lead track, "The Children," lo-bit thumping and syncopated keyboard jangle clearing the way for Chris Keating’s voice, which had been downshifted to a distorted growl. The crowd was clearly familiar with the new songs, and greeted the opening synth sounds of the next one, Afro-Indian hybrid "Madder Red," with wild cheering.

So it continued, with Yeasayer’s polyglot funk rattling the glass panes separating the fans from stuffed beasts, and those same fans occasionally failing at attempts to surf the crowd, leaving footprints on the descriptive plaques.

Each member of the five-piece seemed responsible for his own small arsenal of instruments and equipment and if the effect was overwhelming, it was almost always in the best way. Such was the case for the hypnotic dub of "Strange Reunions," and the tautly epic "I Remember."

The tail end of the set brought technical difficulties, however. After leading Yeasayer through two favorites from the band’s 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals -- "Wait For The Summer" and "Sunrise" -- Keating announced, "We have no monitors at all. We’re totally flying blind up here." Despite the venue’s best efforts to correct the problem, Yeasayer had to push forth with its wings clipped.

A particularly urgent version of "Germs" almost teetered over the edge, but ebullient single "Ambling Alp" was undefeatable.

By the time the group reached its final song, the Hot Chip-reminiscent "O.N.E.," Yeasayer was in top form again -- bells and whistles pumping, its futuristic, genre-smudging psychedelia colliding against airless dioramas depicting a silent past.

Yeasayer Set List:

"The Children"
"Madder Red"
"Tightrope"
"Love Me Girl"
"I Remember"
"Strange Reunions"
"Wait For The Summer"
"Final Path"
"Sunrise"
"Germs"
"Ambling Alp"
"O.N.E."

Jackson's Doctor Pleads Not Guilty to Manslaughter

Matt Kiser — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:18:08 -0600

Eight months after Michael Jackson's death last June, the late star's personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter for administering the King of Pop a powerful anesthetic that was a major factor in his death, the AP reports.

Murray entered a not guilty plea in Los Angeles Superior Court just hours after he was charged. He is currently in custody and is being held on $75,000 bail.

Dr. Conrad Murray
Click to enlarge!

Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz ordered Murray to surrender his passport, but granted the doctor permission to continue practicing medicine as long as he doesn't administer anesthesia, People reports.

"I'm talking about deep anesthetic, where you put somebody to sleep," the judge said. "You can be in a room where another doctor is doing it, but you can't do that."

The L.A.P.D. and D.E.A. focused their investigation on Murray last August, when a coroner said Jackson died from "acute propofol intoxication," combined with other sedatives, all of which were administered by Murray to help Jackson, 50, with insomnia.

"We'll make bail, we'll plead not guilty and we'll fight like hell," Murray's attorney Ed Chernoff said, according to the AP. Murray could face as much as four years in prison if convicted.

The prosecution is accusing Murray of acting without "the caution and circumspection required" when dealing with drugs as powerful as those he gave Jackson. The anesthetic propofol is only supposed to be given in a medical setting by an anesthesia professional, according to federal regulations.

The upcoming trial is already shaping up to be yet another celebrity drama. Fans crowded the courthouse during the arraignment, chanting and holding signs that read "Justice for Michael."

Much of the Jackson family was there, too, including Michael's father Joseph, mother Katherine, and brothers Jermaine, Tito, and Randy, TMZ reports.

Best & Worst Super Bowl Music

Matt Kiser — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:32:44 -0600

With the feel-good storyline of the underdog New Orleans Saints winning Sunday night's big game 31-17 and taking a championship home to their once-ravaged city, it was easy to overlook the usual Super Bowl sideshows: the commercials and the halftime extravaganza. Here, we breakdown the best and worst of Super Bowl XLIV's musical moments.

THE BEST

Artist: Grizzly Bear
Context: Volkswagen "PunchDub" commercial
Why It Was Great: We remember the "Punch Buggy" game from our youth, so the playful tones of the Brooklyn band's toy piano-led cut of Veckatimest were a perfect complement to VW's campaign.

Artist: The Heavy
Context: Kia "Big Game" commercial
Why It Was Great: The soulful British band's classic-sounding R&B tune "How You Like Me Now?" is the soundtrack to giant-sized toys taking a joyride in a Kia SUV. We're thinking that licensing a James Brown song was probably too expensive, but the Heavy's romp was a great substitute.

Artist: Arcade Fire
Context: NFL fan tribute
Why It Was Great: One of the decade's best songs, paired with glossy, high-def footage of you and me cheering on our favorite NFL teams. Even more of a crowd-pleaser: The band donated the fees they would have collected from the NFL towards Haiti relief.

Artists: Jay-Z/Rihanna/E.S. Posthumus
Context: "Run This Town" kickoff to CBS broadcast
Why It Was Great: Just as Jay's "Empire State of Mind" lit our fires during the 2009 World Series, this slamming orchestral rendition of "Run This Town" couldn't have been a better pump-up track for the big game.

THE WORST

Artist: The Who
Context: Super Bowl XLIV halftime show
Why It Failed: Sure, the Who must have seemed a perfect fit for the NFL's older-male demographic, but after seeing all the American-born talent at last weekend's Grammys, couldn't CBS have done better than AARP-aged Brits and Union Jack-waving set? Were Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Mary J Blige, and Taylor Swift really all busy?

Artist: Cheap Trick
Context: Audi's "Green Police" ad
Why It Failed: Robin Zander actually re-recorded Cheap Trick's "Dream Police" for this ad, turning it into "Green Police." We're all for recycling, except in this case.

Top 10 Who Super Bowl Moments

Matt Kiser — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:24:55 -0600

British classic-rock coots the Who played a much-discussed halftime set at the 44th Super Bowl Sunday night, and we've got the Top 10 highlights:

10. Zak Starkey's bull's-eye logo cymbals! You go, Zildjian!

9. Stage set provoked nostalgia for late-'70s computer memory game Simon among key fortysomething CBS demographic.

8. We totally nailed the over/under on Pete Townshend's windmilling.

7. No Roger Daltrey wardrobe malfunctions (Yikes!).

6. Surprise cameo by "Laser O'Riley," Baba's technically savvy cousin.

5. NFL Today pundit and former Denver Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe inspired to wail chillingly dead-on a cappella version of "Love, Reign o'er Me."

4. In a panicked post-performance bid for relevance among the hip-hop generation, the band reportedly changed their name to The Who Dat and claimed to be recording a power-chord version of the 1999 track of same name by Miami hip-hop footnote JT Money, featuring New Orleans-specific lyrics (and air-guitar histrionics) by Lil Wayne and a Ke$ha club remix by Dr. Luke. Sadly, the rumor remains unconfirmed.

3. Townshend's solo on "Who Are You" better than we could ever do (though the flabby gut shot was a bit too retirement-village rec center).

2. A remarkably content John Entwhistle did not roll over in his grave.

1. Get psyched for the live CD – The Who: Blitz Package Scheme!

WATCH: The Who Super Bowl Performance Part 1

WATCH: The Who Super Bowl Performance Part 2

EXCLUSIVE: New Song from High On Fire

Matt Kiser — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:28:38 -0600

High On Fire guitarist Matt Pike slings one of the heaviest axes in metal, and shreds faster than ever on his band's fifth studio album, Snakes for the Divine, out February 23. Hear an exclusive stream of the title track below!

The famed stoner-metal hero is also as angry and far out as he ever was. "'Snakes for the Divine' tells a tale of the atmospheric union of alien crossbreeding with Man's DNA and the creation of all Earth's religion by the reptilian agenda," he tells SPIN.com. "It will also kick your ass!"

The song glides between pounding speed and a violent-double time riff that could probably induce a fight or at least spill a few beers. It also clocks in at just over eight minutes, a veritable sea change for Pike, who referred to his 52-minute 1998 song "Jerusalem" as "lean."

Listen to "Snakes for the Divine," and tell us what you think about High On Fire's growl-filled, doom-laden, distortion-obsessed, steroid-injected extrapolation of stoner metal.

LISTEN: High on Fire, "Snakes for the Divine"

Hot Chip Dazzle at Secret Show

Eric Nowels — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:09:35 -0600

Their about-to-be-released album, One Life Stand, might be an ode to enduring love, but Hot Chip's weekend romp through NYC was a quick but brilliant fling: The British dance music specialists slipped into town, devastated audiences, then packed up and move on.

Even better, the British dance quintet's Friday night show at the Highline Ballroom -- their first proper gig in more than a year -- was totally free for over 600 fans who endured an insanely cold New York night and lined up for complimentary tickets, as part of MySpace's Secret Shows series. The crowd -- largely college kids with enough free time to wait in line all day -- was joined by an internet audience who watched a live stream of the gig and a setlist packed with eight of One Life Stand's 10 new songs.

PHOTOS:

Click to enlarge

Photos by Jackie Roman

That dependence on mostly unheard material slightly limited the set's energy at the start, despite the buoyant nature of opening number "Thieves in the Night," and the silken, earnest croons of Alexis Taylor on "Hand Me Down Your Love."

But when the band launched into a subwoofer stretching reboot of their 2006 jam, "And I Was a Boy From School," the room surged to life, writhing and bouncing in a gusher of ready-for-the-weekend euphoria.

It was indicative of Hot Chip's evolution over a decade-long career, from fairly shy and demure knob-twisting club nerds to festival-crushing dancefloor demigods capable of strong-arming even the most jaded of audiences into fist-pumping electro enthusiasm. There's still a hefty pinch of dorktastic panache, best embodied Friday night by Taylor's ensemble of yellow wife beater over yellow trackpants, a fashion choice that made the dimintutive but slightly muscular singer-keyboardist look like a shrunken version of Rocky's Soviet nemesis, Ivan Drago.

A reworked version of the uplifting "Ready for the Floor," off 2008's Made in the Dark, was another assertive blast, utilizing a heavy, nearly cock-rockin' intro for maximum frenzy induction. Later, the forceful come-on of Hot Chip's most overtly spastic single, "Over & Over," and its refrain about kissing, sexing, and poking elicited quite the eruption.

But the freshly conceived, softer songs began to come to life and stand confidently alongside more raucous entries in the Hot Chip catalog, beginning with title track "One Life Stand," which the band performed the night before alongside the Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. While emblematic of the new album's gentle touch, the live version of "One Life Stand" packed enough of a wallop to counterbalance Taylor's monogamous plea: "I only wanna be your one life stand."

Similarly, "Take It In," the night's final song featured singer-keyboardist Joe Goddard crooning about his heart flying like a dove, but the sweetness didn't come off wimpy at all. Rather, it was Hot Chip proving that you don't always have to bring it hard and fast to truly satisfy.

Hot Chip setlist:

Thieves in the Night
Hand Me Down Your Love
And I Was a Boy from School
One Pure Thought
Alley Cats
Ready for the Floor
One Life Stand
Over & Over
We Have Love
Hold On

Encore:
I Feel Better
Slush
Take It In

Mastodon Announce Spring Tour

Matt Kiser — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:54:34 -0600

Never underestimate the endurance of Mastodon.

After 11 months of touring in 2009 -- including a run opening for Metallica in Europe and a stateside trek with Deathklok as part of the Adult Swim Presents tour -- the Atlanta-bred progressive metal band have announced a new 37-date spring tour of North America.

The trek -- launched in continuing support of Mastodon's SPIN-approved 2009 release Crack The Sky -- kicks off on April 16 in Charleston, SC, and wraps up in Lexington, KY, on May 22. Fellow metal bands Baroness, Valiant Thorr, and Between The Buried And Me will support on select dates.

Tickets for all concerts go on sale Feb. 12, with certain presale tickets available on Feb. 11. Check out the complete tour itinerary below.

In related news, Mastodon have recorded the soundtrack for Jonah Hex, an upcoming film adaptation of the comic book series starring sexpot actress Megan Fox. Bassist Troy Sanders described the band's new music in an interview in late '09: "A lot of it was spacey, Melvins B-sides, Pink Floyd-like, surreal outer space, like Neil Young's Dead Man. Swirling, nausea music," he said.

Jonah Hex hits theatres in June.

Mastodon tour dates:
4/16, Charleston, SC (Music Farm)
4/17, Raleigh, NC (Lincoln Theatres)
4/18, Richmond, VA (The National)
4/19, UNCONFIRMED
4/20, Baltimore, MD (Rams Head)
4/21, Sayreville, NJ (Starland Ballroom)
4/22, Hartford, CT (Webster)
4/23, Worcester, MA (Palladium)
4/24, Burlington, VT (Higher Ground)
4/25, UNCONFIRMED
4/26, Pittsburgh, PA (Palace Theater)
4/27, Rochester, NY (Water Street)
4/28, UNCONFIRMED
4/29, Grand Rapids, MI (Orbit Room)
4/30, Indianapolis, IN (Vogue)
5/1, Columbia, MO (Blue Note)
5/2, UNCONFIRMED
5/3, Albuquerque, NM (Sunshine Theater)
5/4, Tucson, AZ (Rialto Theater)
5/5, San Diego, CA (House of Blues)
5/6, UNCONFIRMED
5/7, Pomona, CA (Fox Theater)
5/8, Oakland, CA (Venue TBA)
5/9, Reno, NV (Knitting Factory)
5/10, Eugene, OR (McDonald Theater)
5/11, Spokane, WA (Knitting Factory)
5/12, UNCONFIRMED
5/13, Billings, MT (The Shrine)
5/14, Fargo, ND (The Venue)
5/15, Omaha, NE (Sokol Hall)
5/16, Lawrence, KS (Liberty Hall)
5/17, UNCONFIRMED
5/18, Madison, WI (Orpheum)
5/19, Urbana, IL (Canopy Club)
5/20, Memphis, TN (Minglewood)
5/21, Knoxville, TN (Valarium)
5/22, Lexington, KY (Busters)

DOWNLOAD: Vampire Weekend Cover Rancid!

Matt Kiser — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:07:39 -0600

Leave it to Vampire Weekend to transform a fierce ska-punk classic into the soundtrack for a dance party aboard a mega-yacht in St. Barts. Grab your boat shoes.

Last week, during a performance for the BBC's Radio 1 host Zane Low, the New York boys unveiled a cover of Rancid's "Ruby Soho," swapping the original's punk crunch and shouting vocals for tropical-sounding electric guitars, bouncing rhythms, and singer Ezra Koenig's Paul Simon-indebted croon.

The transformation is so drastic that until the chorus it's barely recognizable as a cover.

And it's a weird choice, right? Well, maybe not as weird as one would think. Despite appearances, the preppy Ivy Leaguers have one very important thing in common with the tattooed, brash Armstrong: they both seek musical influence in third world cultures.

With Rancid, Armstrong fuses Jamaican ska with SoCal skate punk, while VW's chart-topping new album, Contra, is a combo of snappy indie rock with African and West Indian grooves.

Koenig has even said that ska-punk groups like No Doubt and Sublime played a big part in influencing VW's sound.

Download Vampire Weekend's cover of "Ruby Soho," then listen to Rancid's original below for reference.

Like VW's version? Tell us in the comment section.

WATCH: Rancid, "Ruby Soho"

Monday's Music Roundup

William Goodman — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:41:31 -0600

[Updated: 6:33 P.M.]

NEWS:

Best & Worst SUPER BOWL Music

SPIN

PHOENIX Score New SOFIA COPPOLA Movie

Sometime

Spinner

YEASAYER Play L.A.'s Natural History Museum

SPIN

JAMIE LIDELL Taps BECK, FEIST, WILCO and GRIZZLY BEAR Members for New Album

Compass

Pitchfork

HOT CHIP Dazzle at Secret Show

SPIN

Bomb Scare at 30 SECONDS TO MARS Movie Screening

MTV

OZZY OSBOURNE's Autobiography Tops Bestseller List

I Am Ozzy

NYT

NYTimes

LEONARD COHEN Postpones Tour Due to Injury

Guardian

TOOL Guitarist Revives Old Side-Project

Road Runner Records

THOM YORKE Guests on New FLYING LOTUS Album

Cosmogramma

Warp

BLACK EYED PEAS, LUDACRIS Kick Off World Tour

SPIN

LIAM GALLAGHER Considering New Band Names

GigWise

FRANCES BEAN COBAIN Records with AMANDA PALMER

SPIN

RADIOHEAD Finish New Album in L.A.?

Stereogum

PAVEMENT, MODEST MOUSE, LCD SOUNDSYSTEM Play Pitchfork Music Fest

Pitchfork

YEAH YEAH YEAHS Guitarist NICK ZINNER's Artwork Features on New Single

NME

MP3s & VIDEOS:

DOWNLOAD: VAMPIRE WEEKEND Cover RANCID

SPIN

LISTEN: New Song from HIGH ON FIRE

SPIN

WATCH: HOT CHIP Jam with THE ROOTS on 'Fallon'

SPIN

WATCH: New SPOON Video

SPIN

How They Became... Hot Chip

Matt Kiser — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:23:53 -0600

Welcome to the new weekly SPIN.com feature "Name That Band!" in which we get the inside stories behind the mysterious monikers of some of our favorite artists. (See past episodes of Name That Band! here.)

This week: English dance-rock outfit Hot Chip, whose new album arrives Feb. 9.

Why Hot Chip? "I remember Alex [Taylor] and I making the name up on the spot at a gig in our school's theater when we were 15 or 16," explains co-vocalist Joe Goddard. "We were using an old electronic organ and electric guitar and were playing some of our own songs and some covers: Spacemen 3, Pavement, stuff like that. We hadn't even bothered to come up with a name yet. When we were done playing, someone asked who we were and we just said, 'Hot Chip,' which was a phrase we thought was funny at the time. We liked it because it was kind of pathetic. It's essentially a stupid image: French fries, which are called chips in England. Basically, this is all a way of saying that the Hot Chip name began as an inside joke, and 15 years later it's still our band's name."

Previously Rejected Names: "We didn't have any band names before Hot Chip, but I was in a grunge band called Aerial, and Alex was in a band called the Sane."

Best Band Names Ever: "The Germs. I like names that make it clear that the band isn't too self-important or pompous. I also like Flaming Lips. It's a nicely psychedelic image that fits well with what they do."

Worst Band Names Ever: "There's a band in the UK called Shit Disco. It sounds too much like it's describing a bad night out at a club. I have enough of those in my life."

Next week: Yeasayer

SPIN.com's Best of the Week

Matt Kiser — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:38:26 -0600

This week, Fall Out Boy members discussed the band's uncertain future, Jay Reatard's death was ruled a drug overdose, and Francis Bean Cobain made her musical debut. Meanwhile, Steven Tyler threatened to sue his Aerosmith bandmates, and Lost actress Emilie de Ravin shared what's on her iPod.

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

NEWS

Strokes Start Recording in New York Studio! Downtown rockers tap Beck, U2, and Bjork producer for their upcoming release. Read >>

Plus

Broken Social Scene Announce New Album Read >>
Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Kings of Leon Lead Grammys Read >>
Grammys: Best and Worst Moments Read >>
5 Best Movies from the Sundance Film Fest Read >>
Mark Ronson Taps Santigold, Scissor Sisters for New Album Read >>
All-Stars Resurrect 'We Are the World' for Haiti Read >>
Mary J., Travis Barker Cover "Stairway to Heaven" Read >>
New Dead Weather Album Almost Finished Read >>
Mark Hoppus' Pick of the Week: Mumford & Sons Read >>

AUDIO/VIDEO

'Jersey Shore' Star Snooki Interviews Phoenix! "Do you have guidos in France?" Read >>

Plus

WATCH: Coldplay Guest on 'The Simpsons' Read >>
DEBUT: AC/DC's 'Iron Man 2' Video! Read >>
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In the Studio: Deftones

Matt Kiser — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:50:29 -0600

Sacramento alt-metal quintet the Deftones will release their sixth studio album this May, capping nearly four years of writing and recording that included a return to the drawing board after sudden tragedy hit the band.

In late 2008, as the group wrapped sessions on what was then slated to be their next release, Eros, bassist Chi Cheng was critically injured in a car crash, leaving him in a semi-conscious state (he remains in a Northern California hospital today). Last June, after more than six months in limbo, the Deftones shelved Eros -- which had become a constant reminder of Cheng's absence -- and started over.

"With everything we were going through, the Deftones needed to pour all of our thoughts, energy, and emotions into something new… something more optimistic," singer Chino Moreno, 36, tells SPIN.com from his home in Los Angeles. "I couldn't tour behind a record with all these memories of Chi attached to it."

PHOTOS:

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Photos by Frank Maddocks

With former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega filling in, the Deftones found a renewed energy, writing songs in a rehearsal space together -- an approach they had ditched on their past few albums, which were recorded layer by layer with ProTools. Soon the band entered a L.A. studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz. The result: 11 songs for their yet-to-be-titled release, the sound of which recalls the group's early days -- while also exploring new territory.

One of Moreno's favorite tracks, "Rocket Skates," is a "heavier" tune with "beautiful yet violent imagery," that has "a fantasy vibe" similar to "Knife Party," a hit from 2000's White Pony. But another newbie, "Nylons and Suspenders," marks a first for the 20-year-old band.

"Musically, it's something that we haven't done before," he explains. "It's very… sludgy, like a chainsaw-type of riff but very slow. I shouldn't say this, but it's clunky… in an awesome way."

Here's more of our interview with Chino:

What can fans expect from the new album?

The dynamics Deftones are known for -- aggressive overtones and lush openness. They're on opposite sides of the spectrum, but we meld them together without sounding contrived. There are a few heavy songs, too, like our first couple records, and there are also experimental tunes -- but there's not a minute on this record that feels like it doesn't need to be there. Each sound complements the other. I'll straight-up say it: it's definitely one of our best albums.

It must have been a tough decision to ditch Eros after Cheng's injury and start over.

It really was. But we didn't can it completely -- we still have Eros. It's a really experimental, dark record for us, and it's special because it's the last thing that Chi played on. We've put in the vault and will release it when the time is right -- hopefully when Chi is back on his feet. But when the accident happened, we just didn't want to be in that time anymore. We had to start looking to the future. We needed to create something more optimistic.

What direction are you going in lyrically?

Well, I've been wanting to record a fantasy album like White Pony, where the lyrics are less, 'This is my life and this is what we're going through.' It helps take us away from reality. I don't like listening to people's problems -- I like music. Music has been smothered with that complaining since the early-'90s. It gets old. Instead of going to the opposite side of the spectrum and listening to Black Eyed Peas, which is just straight silly, I choose to listen to more instrumental music. I do very little singing about myself on this record. I love songs where I can totally take myself out of being human. I can sing about really odd things, and they don't necessarily have to pertain to me at all. It paints a picture. Those are the kind of lyrics I grew up with -- like the Cure. Really visual images and no storytelling.

How did the addition of Sergio Vega affect the music?

It brought us closer together than we've been in a really long time. Musically, we were really clicking, and Sergio really fits with the band. But he's a different type of player than Chi; Chi plays with his fingers, Sergio plays with his pick. We're just appreciative that we're still alive and able to make music. The recording process was very different -- we didn't use ProTools. We wrote each song in a practice place and played them a million times 'til they were perfect. That approach goes back to our earlier days, and it's a lot more personable. We work better when everybody's together -- and the songs benefit.

Do Deftones have any studio pastimes, or is there anything you can't live without while recording?

Hmmm… weed? [laughs].

What do you guys do to relax?

[Guitarist] Stephen [Carpenter] plays golf every morning -- he's super, super hardcore about that. I still skateboard all the time -- it's one of my favorite things. Lately I've been hiking, too. I'm also doing a couple side projects. Most recently I have the Holy Ghost, which I'm doing with my buddy Shaun Lopez from the band Far. He lives a couple blocks away from me, so I go over to his studio a few nights a week and work on this electro record. Annie Hardy from Giant Drag has done a couple vocals on this project, too.

How's Cheng doing these days?

I saw him over the holidays -- he looks a lot better. It's been almost a year and a half since his accident, so he's making progress. He's still in a semi-conscious state. He opens his eyes and looks at you, but he's not communicating yet. There's a specialist from the East Coast who's coming out, who knows some experimental medicine and is going to try to wake up him up. Supposedly, this doc has an 85 percent success rate with waking people from these types of things. We're just all trying to be as optimistic as possible. I hope I can have a conversation with Chi again, he's one of my best friends. I miss him.

Black Eyed Peas, Ludacris Kick Off World Tour

Eric Nowels — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:02:06 -0600

Picking up where they left off last week at the Grammy Awards, the Black Eyed Peas kicked off their world tour at Atlanta's Philips Arena Thursday night, creating an over-the-top electronic-hip-hop-pop-rock'n'roll circus, costarring hometown hero Ludacris and party boys LMFAO.

PHOTOS:

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Photos by Erik Dixon

LMFAO took the stage first and immediately established the fact this was more of a party than a concert. "Where are all my alcoholics at?!" was met with a big cheer, despite the fact it wasn't even 8 P.M. The lighthearted, groove-happy duo serenaded the crowd via auto-tune, subbed Atlanta into "I'm in Miami, Bitch," and had back-up dancers that included kids bizarrely dressed up in Lego costumes. It was like if the Flaming Lips ran head first into the Beastie Boys of the future… at a party.

If LMFAO turned the room into a bash, Ludacris transformed it into a club. A superstar in his own right, homeboy blasted rap over a slew of thumping hits, including "Southern Hospitality," "Money Maker," and "Pimpin' All Over the World," evoking sights and sounds from Atlanta's raging club scene circa 2002.

Living up to his entrepreneurial status, Luda wasn't being shy about plugging his upcoming record, "Battle of the Sexes," as well as his new line of cognac. "I love y'all Atlanta. Hey y'all might remember this one," he spouted, before launching into "What's Your Fantasy," which ended with the audience delivering the rapid-fire styling (lick-lick-lick-you) of the chorus.

While the capacity crowd was certainly partial to their local superstar, there's no question who they were there to see.

The Black Eyed Peas' setup resembled an awards show, decked in LCD screens, catwalks, underlit runways, and a perched stage for the live band. Multiple hologram faces hovered above the crowd; "Welcome to the end," said one in a static-y voice. The group, dressed in what looked like military outfits made out of a disco ball, rose through stage floor amid smoke and laser beams.

Launching into "Let's Get Retarded," the Peas bounced about the stage while the sheer size of the production knocked you on your ass: Every flat surface was a screen blinding with hyper-colors, the sound seemed to come at you from all angles, dancers dressed as transformer speakers marched along perfectly in sync. It felt like being transplanted into a sci-fi movie or that scary boat ride in the original Willy Wonka.

"Welcome to our first night of our world tour," Taboo exclaimed. "And what better place to get it started than Atlanta!"

Not surprisingly, the group wasted little time getting to the crowd pleasers, pummeling through "Rock Your Body," "My Humps," and "Don't Phunk with my Heart." The showmanship was one part theatrical (members flying through the air) and one part predictable (banter seemingly already rehearsed and already stale).

But 30 minutes into the two-hour set, Will.I.Am showed he could bring it old school, as he rapped spontaneously with lines that fans had texted him, tackling topics as they appeared on the giant screens… all while getting the band to speed up the tempo as he went. It was impressive, no matter which side of the "love 'em, hate 'em" pop debate you are on.

Later, the four members each took a solo turn. Apl.de.ap tossed his mic mid-song to breakdance, Taboo spit game as he rode through the air on a space-age motorcycle suspended from the ceiling, and Fergie solicited sing-a-longs from "Fergulicious," "Glamorous," and "Big Girls Don't Cry."

"Do you mind if I turn this arena into a motherfuckin' club tonight?!" was Will.I.Am's solo intro. Mixing and mashing Michael Jackson, Nirvana, and House of Pain, he threw the crowd into a frenzy of fist pumping, dancing, and jumping up and down. It was a perfect way to re-energize a crowd with the rarely-used tactic of blasting other people's music.

"This feels a little bit like the first day of school," said Fergie genuinely. The group, after a third or fourth costume change, reunited to close the show with the punky-athem "Now Generation" and borderline-cheesy sing-along "Where is the Love."

While it was certainly sensory overload at times -- sight, sound, and even social media fused into an overwhelming and extreme production -- the Black Eyed Peas know their place among mainstream pop culture. They push the boundaries of what it means to be one of the top-selling acts in music today.

Killswitch Engage Break Metal Rules in Boston Opener

Eric Nowels — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:21:44 -0600

Any band whose name loosely translates to "Turn it off" either has a keen sense of humor or is hopelessly clueless. Killswitch Engage demonstrated the former Thursday night by kicking off their first headlining show at Boston's House Of Blues with the thumping electronic belches of Yello's "Oh Yeah," the eternal soundtrack to foiling high school principals.

PHOTOS:

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Photos by Joe Harrington

So even before they played a note, it was clear that the Western Massachusetts band wasn't especially interested in hewing to the model of heavy metal as a serious calling.

In fact, singer Howard Jones violated a seemingly ironclad law of metal by good-naturedly mocking his audience when he called out, "Make some noise, white people!" And then, once the white people had complied, added, "It's funny because I'm black."

The band was confident enough not to worry that such tomfoolery would interfere with their performance. Killswitch's music, honed over the course of five albums in the last decade, was sharp, powerful, and not a little repetitive.

For anyone who wasn't raised on the current breed of heavy music, Killswitch was still recognizable as metal beyond the simple pummeling: sub-operatic vocals (when Jones isn't delivering a death growl), riffs with identifiably distinct melodic shapes, and the occasional harmonized guitars by Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel. It was telling that the closing cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" sounded, compositionally speaking, like a Killswitch original.

When a radical shift in tempo and feel made it sound like a new song had begun, it usually had. Songs like "Take Me Away" and "The End Of Heartache" added an extra half-dimension of dynamics beyond the brutal pounding at the heart of the band's approach.

Even so, Killswitch fell prey to a few traps. The pinched squeals in "Reckoning," "My Curse," and "Temple From The Within" were used more as sonic punctuation than music, and by the time the band reached "A Bid Farewell" around midway through, the ch-chunk of the guitars was beginning to seem rote.

That said, "Breathe Life" was a bit more than the sum of the above parts, and it's not as though the fibrillating stop-start that fueled Killswitch's rhythmic attack lacked effectiveness. Besides, there were enough songs like "Self Revolution," which featured a chorus where all the instruments and vocals unhinged at once only to bond back together again on the return, to prevent things from becoming an relentless, unvarying grind.

Better still, the band's refusal to take itself deadly seriously played well with the crowd. Whether it was the bald Jones fist-bumping a dude with a righteous afro in the front row, or Dutkiewicz dorkily running in place while spitting out a lightning-fast riff, Killswitch kept things casual.

It wasn't metal as journey into darkness, therapeutic catharsis or unification of the misunderstood. It was just metal as good-time music. Very, very heavy good-time music.

Killswitch Engage setlist:

Rose Of Sharyn
Reckoning
Fixation On The Darkness
Starting Over
Breathe Life
The Forgotten
The Arms Of Sorrow
A Bid Farewell
Never Again
Self Revolution
Happy Birthday
Take Me Away
Temple From The Within
My Last Serenade
The End Of Heartache
My Curse

Encore: Holy Diver

Daily Noise Blog | SPIN.com

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