Music Filter: Blog

Is Avril Too Sexy?

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:13:40 GMT

That's what Islamists in Kuala Lampur seem to think! A group there has attempted to ban Avril Lavigne's forthcoming Malaysian concert appearance on account of her sexy stage moves.

"It is considered too sexy for us. ... It's not good for viewers in Malaysia," said Kamarulzaman Mohamed, a party official. "We don't want our people, our teenagers, influenced by their performance. We want clean artists, artists that are good role models."

Not even Avril is safe. This is how they get you.

Joss Stone for Obama

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:44:20 GMT

This story is a little baffling, for several reasons:

Joss Stone will provide Barack Obama with a song to serve as the theme for his election campaign.
Obama, the Democrat candidate for this November's US presidential election, reportedly made a personal request to the British soul singer to pen the track.
Stone obliged, with a source revealing to The Sun: "Joss is a big supporter of Barack Obama and was very excited to be asked to do this for him. He sent a personal message asking her to get on board.
"He has always admired her music and thinks she is the perfect choice because of her unique appeal to black and white voters. She believes he is going to be the first black American president and she is honoured to be a part of that."

Neil Diamond Ain't Going Nowhere

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:43:27 GMT

After 40+ years of hits, including a number one album just a few weeks ago, and a sold-out concert tour that's fixing to earn him $168 million (wha???), the great Neil Diamond tells the NY Times that he doesn't feel like he's ready to give it all up yet. This should come as news to no one with common sense.

Billy Joel Confronts His Critic(s)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:44:23 GMT

A lot of music journalists make nice to the artist in person or on the phone, then savage him/her in print. It's an easy way to get a good interview, but can make for a somewhat cowardly reputation. Especially when the subject is one Mr. Billy Joel, who objected to the two-faced approach of an Aussie journalist, and wasn't afraid to say so, in public and in print. I love Billy Joel's music, though not all of it, and hate the way people tear him apart so aggressively while secretly tapping their feet to "Allentown" or whatever. I must say this story warmed my heart.

R.I.P. Isaac Hayes

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:43:20 GMT

Black Moses, 1942-2008. Sad, sad, sad. One of the great innovators. Go download Hot Buttered Soul and Shaft, or rent Wattstax if you've never seen it.

David Byrne Finds a Way to Justify Playing Talking Heads Songs Live!

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:13:33 GMT

In honor of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, his forthcoming LP collaboration with Brian Eno, David Byrne is mounting a six-month tour on which he will only play songs he made in collaboration with Eno, which includes the new record, but also 1981's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, and, of course, a few early albums by a little band called Talking Heads. Byrne hasn't played TH material since the band broke up in 1991, and I don't think I'm being cynical when I suggest that a lot of people have been waiting him out.

Tour Dates:

Sept. 16: Bethlehem, Pa. (Zoellner Arts Center)

Sept. 17: Baltimore (Lyric)

Sept. 18: Newport News, Va. (Ferguson Center)

Sept. 20: Atlanta (Chastain Park)

Sept. 21: Asheville, N.C. (Thomas Wolfe Auditorium)

Sept. 22: Nashville (Ryman Auditorium)

Sept. 23: Memphis (Orpheum Theatre)

Sept. 25: Austin, Texas (Paramount Theatre)

Sept. 26: Austin, Texas (Austin City Limits)

Sept. 28: Albuquerque, N.M. (Kiva Auditorium)

Sept. 30: Phoenix (Orpheum)

Oct. 2: San Diego (Humphrey's)

Oct. 3: Los Angeles (Greek Theatre)

Oct. 4: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Arlington Theatre)

Oct. 6: San Francisco (Davies Hall)

Oct. 8: Santa Rosa, Calif. (Wells Fargo Center)

Oct. 11: Park City, Utah (Eccles Center)

Oct. 12: Denver (Buell Theatre)

Oct. 14: Minneapolis (State Theatre)

Oct. 15: Milwaukee (Pabst Theatre)

Oct. 17: Omaha, Neb. (Kiewit Hall)

Oct. 18: St. Louis (Fox Theatre)

Oct. 19: Kansas City, Mo. (Uptown Theatre)

Oct. 21: Louisville (Palace Theatre)

Oct. 23: Cleveland (Allen Theatre)

Oct. 24: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Theatre)

Oct. 25: Indianapolis (Clowes Hall)

Oct. 26: Chicago (Opera House)

Oct. 29: Toronto (Massey Hall)

Oct. 30: Montreal (Metropolis)

Oct. 31: Boston (Wang Center)

Nov. 1: Atlantic City, N.J. (Borgata)

Nov. 3: Red Bank, N.J. (Count Basie Theatre)

Nov. 5: Albany, N.Y. (Empire State Plaza)

Nov. 7: Pittsburgh (Carnegie Music Hall)

Nov. 8: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)

Dr. Queen

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:12:13 GMT

Brian May, godhead guitarist of the late, great Queen, is publishing his doctoral thesis, which concerns the astronomical phenomenon known as "zodiacal light," or false dawn—light that appears before sunrise in the sky. Uhhh, so that is happening. Also, possibly not coincidentally, the reformed Queen, featuring Paul Rogers of Bad Company on vocals (I think they should be called "Queen"), is putting out a record called The Cosmos Rocks. In the business of entertainment, this is called synergy.

Still More Unreleased Dylan

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:06:22 GMT

Tell Tale Signs, the latest entry in Bob Dylan's official bootleg series should provide a test case for just how durable the Dylanology industry is these days, after a few years of saturation bombing. (Seriously, though: how big is this vault?) It covers the period 1989-2006, not exactly the golden age of the self-proclaimed "poet laureate of rock'n'roll," though it does contain the renaissance period. Three discs, 39 songs. We shall see. Tracklisting and free MP3 info here.

Say It Ain't So, Rotten

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:48:54 GMT

You get used to hearing things you don't like about the musicians you love, but this infuriating story, about the Sex Pistols security guard/entourage attacking Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke with physical force and racial epithets while Johnny Rotten leered and encouraged them, is too much to bear. I worship the Sex Pistols, but I have loads of respect for Okereke and the other young musicians who leapt to his defense, including members of Kaiser Chiefs, Foals, and Neon Neon. Never mind the bollocks, indeed. This is indefensible.

Oasis x U2 / $$$

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:48:05 GMT

In case you hadn't heard, '90s Britpop stalwarts Oasis are still a going concern in England at least, and when it came time to make their new album, they found themselves up against '80s worldpop stalwarts U2 (also still very much active, apparently) for studio time at Abbey Road. They solved their problem the way rich people always do, with money:

Noel Gallagher has revealed that he paid off Abbey Road Studios so his band could record its new album there.
Irish rockers U2 apparently had the studio pre-booked for December, so Gallagher gave Abbey Road a "bag of money" to kick them out.
"U2 were booked in there with [producer] Rick Rubin," Gallagher told Mojo. "I was like, 'U2? U2 have to have a f***ing six-hour meeting [to discuss] whether to get tea or coffee in the rehearsal room!
"The guy from Abbey Road was like, 'I've got it block-booked for the exact time you want it.'"
The guitarist added: "We actually went down to Abbey Road with a bag of money, and said, 'We can pay for the studio now'."
Oasis's seventh studio album Dig Out Your Soul is released on October 6.

Courtney Love vs. Ryan Adams

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:21:48 GMT

Stop the presses, Courtney Love, occasional musician, has made another blog post, which is always news. The dispatches she leaves on myspace may be grammatically challenged, but they are always so full of vitriol and self-revelation (what else has she to reveal at this point?) that they're worth the time it takes to parse them if you're a voyeur. But if the person is standing naked in a window holding up a giant neon arrow is it still voyeurism? Anyway... this time Ms. Love has her knives pointed at known lothario Ryan Adams, whom she accuses of stealing nearly a million dollars from daughter Frances Bean Cobain's trust fund. How, you ask, could he have gotten so close to that money? Read on below, courtesy of myspace and stereogum. Love v. Adams: It's like two tabloids playing twister! PS Beware strong language.

Saturday, July 19, 2008
Ryan Adams you fucking weasel. deal with it.858,00$
Current mood: determined
Listen this is another open letter this to a beyond mediocre piece of shite- maybe its just my moment to fucking get the knives out of my back,
but in any case between 00 and 04 before ....well a dark pit of shit and fake names and insanity follows with lots and lots of people counting on Kookoo cherry not being able to prove things- and thats for another day- those people have not played chess with me.
But i was sitting with some people going thru the 29 american express cards that i didnt know existed that were connected to a few HUNDRED bank accounts,and there were all the bills for Ryan Adams worst record and one of the worst records i can think of in rock and roll history ironically called"Riock and Roll " and it was paid for by ME and mostly by my child.
and when i met Ryan we had a mild little flirtation, why not? but i made the deathly stupid decision to instead of just have very safe sex with him ( hes pretty dirty and man ive been around but im the virgin mary comparitevly) or make friends. no i fucking pimped my useless , ridiculaously terrible loser "Boyfriend" ( who ironically Edward Norton hates no one any more than this fuck and for good reason , yet Edwards OWN business manager put Barber up on West XXth street kitty corner from Edward, Barber could see into Edwards Apartment, and then he had his own Dean and Deluca account and an ABC Carpetand Home account and spent about 250,000 on furniture and another 600,000 dollars on travel, this loser who hasnt had a job since 98 - while Frances didnt have hardly enough to eat and i sure as hell didnt) i pimped Barber onto Ryan,"oooh hes a great producer"- maybe it wasbnt honourable0 i just wanted Barber gone, so maybe i used Ryan to get him gone,
yeah you listen to this shit im listening to my i tunes on right now who names a record "Rock n Roll" what assholes do that?
with these trebled up guitars my bandmate said sounded like "really horrific rem on steroids" all treble and compresssion and shit wirtten songs - but so what?
well on my amex atthat time the 858 but also from bank accounts....theres 200,000 thousnad dollar checks written to Barber for "comissions" ididnt even know where the fuck he was ! but here on Amex 28 is the entire invoice for Ryan- your ENTIRE album and meals and drugs and Hotels and outboard gear and wasted fabullous guitars STRAIGHT OUT OF FRANCES"S TRUST FUND
So you little shit, maybe you had NO IDEA right? is that why you used a hysterical voice mail of a very terrified and flipped out me- for your worst reviewed record and well deserved too, this record is shite totally one of the worst recordings ive ever heard yet Ryan you YOU spent 858,000 dolllars on this record of MY DAUGHTERS MONEY. so whats your paying me back plan? illbe in New York next week , you can start by working out your payment plan, because i will litiagate your thieving ass from here til eternity, your a thief and i used to think you had some subtsance to you then i find out your being managed or your money is by Victoria Blake? is that POSSIBLE? whata great PAL that lizard like cretin is t o you and i hope you had fun that week in :Jamaica" whilst more of my kids money was being shoved offshore- but thats not the point- Billy may have made my kid cry but i wasn't in the room - he's family and he always will be- he just laid his Billy trip on a person a little too young for it- I'm over it. but YOU RYAN, OWE FRANCES 858 This record sucks i mean WOW!
is this what youd like me to tell my kid a fraction of her money was stolen for this shite "Rock N Roll " cd shall i post the outboard gear and 4 seasons billls and fancy Nobu dinners, ahh so thats why you released two records at once where you getting paid a salary to let Gollum "produce" you cos we both know what a reall fucking genius that guy is, and this isnt about Gollum- hes inthe hands of the professionals, i walk away now knowing everything, all of it , its disgusting and its a fucking nuclear explosion of greed i dont think american history has ever seen but no other artist was ever involved in this scandalous vile behaviour ......but you were and i note to self; you suck on this record with your bile towards me, ande its gutless and cowardly and shit, and you know it,
Pay me back Ryan, Pay Frances back. an dtake my fucking voice off that piece of shit. everyone in the world knows your giving your all and your all just isnt enough and you just keeep chugging- keep playng mediocre safe music some of wich i like- d an d then i saw these amex bills. it s makes me so sick you used my voice on this, really disgusting and horrific, you knew what they were doing to me and frances, and yet you just spent our money HER money in this specific case- does that makje youf eel like a big man ? stealing from a suicide? A MARTYRED HERO? fun for you. big man. wow. impressive.
Yeah well theres nothing good about suicide and i should know- but to take my near suicidal depression and use it on my daughters paying fo ryour shit record, you get the point you can find me im sure- and ill be happy to work out a payment plan But as God Is My Witness Ryan you will pay back every fucking penny of this. 858,000 dollars for Rock n Roll ? wow you were living large- most people reading this dont even know what record or even artist im referring to , as your just this cult americana wanna be dylan thing- i think you have value as an artist but as a human your beneath contempt- let me know if im incorrect about the fact that you knew full and well that Barber /Gollum was using my money to pay for your self admitedly shit record- and let me know if i am wrong and your not with Blake, if you are your certainly getting what yousdeserve! no wonder you look like utter shit, and healthy as jaundice, HEY YOU KNOW WHEN YOU GO DOWN ITS HYSTERICAL. an excellent lyric wouldnt you think.?
still shooting smack? hows that going for you?

So that happened. But then so did this:

Sunday, July 20, 2008
Dante's Inferno
so it took 5 years YES to get all 29 amexes sorted through and an absolute time line, so WHAT?
have YOU ever willingly ever had 29 amexes? NO! me neither. and when you see a passing "Guitar Center" charge on an amex if your a musician do you double check it? NO! so i had to got o my production manager as that year was especially horrific, and we made a time line, you have NO idea what that few years was like for us, and you'll all get it soon, as its just a terrible descent into Dante's Inferno and because i simply do not suspect evil in people, so if some loser is making two albums unlikely as it seems at once and there's charges for entire outboard gear , fabulous dinners while i scrounged to feed my child - well sorry but I'm fucking PISSED, that's that. Ive tried to "communicate" but am i really supposed to call or write or have a lawyer call or write the former "Business Manager" who applied for the 74 Visas and 29 amexes and enabled all this insanity and say "oh out of the XX,XXXXX you stole would you mind paying for some suck ass indie album"
how does one do that?
i had a very heavy evening but since we are becoming terrifyingly great, I'm happy to oblige you Gawker people for about oh one more millisecond.
Otherwise we are amazing and I'm listening to Lanegan in the wee hours very loud, and he as always is so underrated and so fucking evocative and an American Treasure, and i wonder what hes up to. not an indie record which sucks, not anything he does.
NOT TRYING TO BE DYLAN!
just trying and succeeding i hope you'll agree at finding my voice
its alright ma, im only bleeding
Corkaroonie

And then, as all tantrums must, the tantrum subsided into humanity:

Monday, July 21, 2008
The raven himself is hoarse Current mood: gallant
Well, I went to the gawker people and addressed them myself. I'm not educated, upper middle class and I have been on food stamps so I probably won't get.. errr... "published", but it would just bore you guys – I'm so happy that my friend just got here from the Mighty Blighty, and he's so lovely. We work on Monday and I'm so excited after such an emotional weekend - our friends brother ( the bands and mine) was shot and it was just very dramatic and draining. I hope to get sick of smoking and take up bobbin lace making instead.

I'm trying to read ( I had an Amazon orgy, I mean ORGY) every single book on every single topic that interests me, leading to another, and so forth, et cetera... In addition, I would like to finish; The Science of Power, The Importance of Being Famous, The Lotus Slipper History, The History of Corsetry, Hadrian's Memoirs and Russell Brand's very inspiring "Booky Wooky". [Note: she means "Booky Wook"]
I think that I may do this movie; it's just a few days and I have to check out this kid with whom I am to have cougar (movie) sex with but wtf. I like the director as long as he gets me and I really get along with the guy who'd have been playing my husband....wait, did we make out?....naw. Anyway we've always gotten on really well and it's not months and months, it's just a few weeks of semi-working so it doesn't take away from the record at all... Rock 'n' roll, k.... Rawk & rolllll!
Anyway, yeah, I put those amex xerox' in the post... I doubt much will happen but it's pretty gruesome to me that an artist would knowingly rip another one. As far as news agencies or whatever in Zimbabwe picking up my GP story, I would never EVER invade someone's privacy and kiss n tell about details. I just want to add to O that that I smoked OUTSIDE and certainly not in the presence of young children – it's a very large yard - it's the same thing that I'd write if I was feeling romantic and all lovey about Stipe (who also is very private!)
I'm perfectly aware of people's privacy boundaries and I don't see myself including details of personal things, other than romantic details of a very, very pleasant day with very, very pleasant people, perhaps... Furthermore, I also feel that since it was written quite hastily (my post the other day with the Bunny-men in it), the "comment IQ is higher than you'd expect" came out stupidly wrong - I meant her emotional and instinctual intelligence quotient is just vast - and certainly larger than mine - I love people who I can learn from. Their mystique business and relationships are none of my business to discuss, nor would I ever - as Sharkey put it. As I have found Madonna near me on occasion, I've also found her to be silly - funny and cute, yeah, but she's got a very sly sense of humour sometimes - we don't have ANY relationship presently but our karma seems a bit intertwined. We have a number of mutual friends, and in the end, I like her. I like her brother too, so this book thing is a little tragic to me. I'm so glad no one in my immediate REAL family would ever write one of those things - my biological mother and father can write their insane books 'till the cows come home, neither of them knew me, Kurt or my kid, so it's just insane people's fiction.
I feel really bad for both of them- she's just naturally in default - like anyone goes into sometimes. That's a psychiatric term, I guess that I picked it up from therapy, like when I feel like a shivering chubby stripper, I'm in default. She hasn't always been sharky to me, she's just like that - sort of stiff - maybe a lot of people project things onto her, in fact, I know they do. It must suck... wait.....it DOES suck. I don't know, I'm not her.
I certainly don't dislike Madonna, I just wish she had returned a call that I made a few months back. She would have saved me a fortune in another rip-off Artiste who says he works for her, and then I find out that he doesn't. She's been doing nothing but well in her finances, although we're extremely different types of people and different types of artists. However, A lot of our mutual friends tell me that we're a lot alike - and maybe we are - I always get uncomfortable with that comment, but it always happens with ANYONE who knows us both, and it always has, so maybe its body language or something. We all know it's not musical. I know one thing about kaballah that IS true- speak no evil tongue and see no evil eye - does confronting anther artist who you've discovered due to the sheer vastness of the paperwork to be gone thru publicly count as evil tongue? I don't think so. I know I was enraged and remain very upset at the guy's behaviour. Also because he used my voice mail and I was hurt and low and scared shitless and that voicemail wasn't left for him, but I digress, in any case, moving ON...
I'm making a resolution to do a two hour tozo a day, every day somehow and yoga FIVE times this week. I want to be in-flow but the only flow that I know is when I chant and that just makes everything so much better- I perceive things and even receive shocks, like the Ryan one... I get them daily but I don't care as long as it stops. I just want to move on into the future and forget this financial shit – As Marie Antoinette said, "let them eat (their stale) cake. I cant blog a trial, it's something only lawyers can work out, so it's just something that I have to suck up. One thing that DOES enrage me is when urban sophisticates with great breeding and cynical cognition of life make FUN of being robbed blind. I wasn't raised to understand wealth, or even a fico score , or entities or be a forensic accountant and if I don't do most of it myself it won't get done, and so I've learned a lot and I share a 100000th of it occasionally, if it can help anyone that's great. But to make fun of stealing and to imagine that lawyers and cops and loan officers are these fucking saints who don't steal from uneducated rock musicians rap musicians and athletes is just plain fucking stupid? Got it?
Okay , now I don't have to mention it again, ignorance will do your ass in , so when the media members who subscribe to my blog revive them they need to think really hard before stating I'm "crazy" or "high" because I didn't major in English or Medieval History at Brown or Yale. I never said I did, nether do I eat fine food with my fingers or not have my own personalised stationery. I'm rather ....errr...gracious, I guess, in how I like to l.ive, and the people i like to be around. I like to learn from and I like to be ethical and simply not a thief or liar or denier or obstructer. Just let's all get the fuck on with it, life is too short, i chose to continue working on this record for a lot of complex but very easy reasons, i fell into the luck of being in a truly monstrously great band, for the first time in my life although Hole was great on occasion there's an innocence to this and a beastliness to this that I'm honoured to have the shamanistic moments o have ive been ripped apart and orgasmic at the things we come up with and I'm far more musical than any other thing. In fact, i care more for music than for anything else except my child. Music is all there is to me when the fire has died and you've got a nickel a tin cup and a pencil there's always music , and that's all I care about in the end in the beginning in the alpha and the omega, if you want to know me know my music and draw your conclusions from that- the rest is dross. That's hard to say when I'm not exactly prolific, but i hope when i do rise up with new songs that are sonically the way i want them - then fuck it. judge me on that and that alone, I'm a musician first and foremost and I'm enormously slow but that's just too bad cause i won't go through another record that doesn't t slake me slay me and i know is my voice. i have far too much to say in fact we have 34 songs and i have to [part with some , none are shit, and its l.ike losing a child, ii went for about 5 years without writing a real song and 3 years without writing one at all, the other 2 just struggling to care enough then a gush went off and im like a waterfall of mojo, and thats just the reality of my life given that statement its past midnight and i need to read write and make lyrics that will astound, spin em around and rub em in my skin like cobwebs.
Au revoir mon petit cherie/

Vaguely human, anway.

Jessica Simpson Goes Country

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:20:04 GMT

Country is not amused, according to Us.

Jessica Simpson's first country concert was met with mixed reactions.
Audiences booed and clapped as the singer, 28, opened for Sara Evans on Satturday at the Country Thunder USA festival in Randall, Wisconsin.
"I don't know what your perception is of Jessica Simpson or what tabloid you buy, but I just want you to know that I'm just a girl from Texas," Simpson told the crowd. "I'm just like you. I'm doing what I love and dating a boy."
She dedicated the tune "You're My Sunday" to beau Tony Romo, who was in the audience, and performed a slew of covers — including Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" — as well as her new single "Come On Over."
One concertgoer told the local paper: "I'll have to drink a lot of beer to sit through her concert."
Added another: "She's an embarrassment to country music."
Not all were haters.
One fan told the paper, "I actually like her country songs better. She has a great voice, plus, she's adorable."
Despite the lukewarm buzz, her father Joe recently told Usmagazine.com his daughter — whose album drops September 9 - is ready for country. "It feels really good," he said of her album. "She is extremely happy."

Regional Music

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:46:24 GMT

While I was away, the Boston Phoenix did something novel to celebrate Independence Day: They made a map of the U.S. and named the best band, solo artist, and new band for each state. The part you will like best is clicking on your own home state, and other states in which you have lived. If, for example, you live in Washington state, as I do, you will learn that the winners are, respectively, and not massively surprisingly, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, and, wait for it, the ubiquitous Fleet Foxes. (Or, to prove it's not all rock: Pennsylvania's winners are The Roots, Trent Reznor, and Santogold.) Then, if you're game, you can post a comment that says Alice in Chains were WAAAY better than Nirvana, and then people can argue. It's fun, and like America itself, free.

David Lee Roth = Nuts?

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:45:38 GMT

It was hard to decide how best to deal with the key elements of this item in headline form, because this is a family-friendly blog service. With that in mind, can you honestly resist a story about David Lee Roth, once and again and probably no more of Van Halen, gagging on a mouth full of nuts? No, you can't. We're all 12 up in here. The good/bad news: It wasn't really David Lee Roth. He has an impostor! From Canada!

Old Sex

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:44:02 GMT

Welcome back. I hope your holiday was as enjoyable as mine. Now, then, it seems you have a couple of choices: Do you want Madonna and Latin baseball players (yes, multiple), or do you want Ronnie Wood of the Faces and Stones and a teenage Russian waitress? The good news, friends, is that you really can, if you really want to, have it all.

Alicia Keys to Retire?

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:47:14 GMT

Not until she's 30, relax! That's years away, yet. I mean, she's only 27. It's practically a lifetime in showbiz years.

I am working hard now so I have the choice to retire when I want." Keys says, "I would like to travel the world and stay in places instead of having to move on like I do now. I want to experience difference cultures."

Bowie on Bowie

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:46:13 GMT

In keeping with the current trend of pop stars giving albums away with UK newspapers (see also: Prince, Paul McCartney), the indefatigable David Bowie offered a 12-song deep cuts compilation with this past Sunday's Daily Mail. An excellent tracklisting if you're a serious fan, possibly some rough going if all you know is "Let's Dance" and "Changes." But if that's who you are, leave it to the man himself to take you by the hand (journalistically, as it were) and guide you song-by-song through the often cockeyed reasoning and process behind the selected numbers—and you can read the whole thing here. David Bowie: It's not that he never disappoints; it's that he's so good when he's good that you never get tired of waiting for it.

Boy George Denied Visa, Cancels Tour

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:33:11 GMT

If you were getting all excited about the prospects of seeing Boy George perform solo here in these United States of America, then I have some bad news: All 30 dates have been cancelled because BG can't get a visa to travel here. It could be the cocaine bust, I suppose. Or possibly they saw that photo of him with the weird make-up spider web dripping down his bald head. I don't know, for I am no expert. Or maybe the State Dept. just really wants to hurt thee.

Tim McGraw Ain't Lookin' Fer Trouble, Finds It

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:32:26 GMT

An unruly fan in Auburn, WA (is there any other kind) got the boot from a Tim McGraw concert after storming the stage during "Indian Outlaw." Let's just assume he was doing it in the name of race relations? Somewhat disorienting video here.

News Flash: Coldplay Sells Records

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:05:33 GMT

So many records, in fact (720,000 in the first week of their new album, Viva La Vida), that the music industry is feeling good for a change.

LOS ANGELES — Coldplay's new album is already living the life.
"Viva La Vida" will debut at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart with over 720,000 copies sold in its first week, the second-best opening week of 2008, according to the trade magazine's Web site. Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" was the top album debut of the year after it sold a spectacular 1 million copies earlier this month.
Two back-to-back blockbuster sales are a boost to the sluggish music industry, which has had little to celebrate with declining sales.
"Viva La Vida" follows 2005's "X&Y," which also debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200, with 737,000 copies sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It album sold 3.2 million copies in the United States.

Avril's Quest

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:04:07 GMT

This, courtesy of Golden Fiddle, is some disturbing business:

According to the fairly diabolical avrilbandaids.com forum:
Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend music video is less than 1 million views away from becoming the most watched video of all time on YouTube, so if ever there was a time for us to bring back our Girlfriend YouTube campaign, that time is now!
But making Girlfriend the most watched video on YouTube is small potatoes compared to what we’re capable of. We’re going to make Girlfriend the first ever video on YouTube to have over 100,000,000 views.
Girlfriend currently has 88,068,719 views and the #1 video Evolution of Dance has 89,046,834 views. Which means we’re just under 1 million views away from taking the #1 spot and 12 million views from hitting the 100,000,000 mark. So what we’re attempting won’t be easy but…. Bahh who am I kidding? Of course it will be easy because we have a secret weapon
Check out http://www.avrilbandaids.com/youtubeviewer.html - This page has been specially designed to kick some serious YouTube butt.
Every 15 seconds this page will automatically refresh adding 1 view to Girlfriend’s YouTube total each time it does. Keep this page open while you browse the internet, study for exams, or even sleep. For extra viewing power, open up two or more browser windows at this page!
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American Democracy

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:02:18 GMT

When the blog Antiquiet posted nine tracks from Guns 'N' Roses's long delayed Chinese Democracy album, GNR fans (and haters alike) jumped for joy. Then the FBI showed up at the blogger's house.

From Rolling Stone.com:

Last week, the Internet was rocked when California blogger Kevin Skwerl posted nine newly leaked Chinese Democracy tracks, including three previously unheard songs allegedly from Guns n’ Roses long-awaited album. Skwerl — who used to work in the distribution department of Universal Music and is now a Web designer — runs the blog Antiquiet, and says he received the tracks from “an anonymous online source.”
Yesterday Skwerl was surprised to find himself face to face with two FBI agents who paid a visit to his day job. “It was kind of an ambush,” Skwerl tells Rolling Stone. “When I came back from lunch they were waiting in the lobby for me. It’s a little creepy they know where I work.” Two young FBI officers, who Skwerl describes as “Mulder and Scully types,” questioned him for 15 minutes about where he got the tracks and made plans to visit his house at 7:00 a.m. this morning.
“I wasn’t sure if they were going to come by with a warrant and trash the place, like in the movies,” he says. “It was nothing like that.” The FBI officials wanted to see the original files, but Skwerl erased them last week per instructions from Axl Rose’s attorneys. Skwerl ultimately gave them second-hand files that are now widely available on the Internet.
Last week Skwerl’s blog crashed from the traffic flood that resulted from his controversial posting. “My host contacts me and says, ‘What the fuck did you do?’” I go, “Uhhhh. I posted some music.” He goes, “What exactly did you post?” I go, “Uhhhh. [Meek voice] New Guns n’ Roses.” He goes, “Motherfucker.” Before long his cell phone rang with an unfamiliar 323 number. “It was a really cool guy from the Gn’R camp that was a middle man between someone who was very angry and me. He was trying to reach out and see if I’d go without a fight, which is more or less what I did.”
Skwerl agreed to take them down, but a cease-and-desist letter soon followed threatening possible legal action. “I’m not so worried about that,” Skwerl says. “It’s a legal grey area since it wasn’t for download, it wasn’t a finished product. We aren’t sure who owns the recordings. I feel like I might survive this.”
Update: Skwerl wants to make it clear that he’s unsure whether or not he broke the law, but he will cooperate with the feds in any way he can. “If legal proceedings come my way, I’ll face them 100 percent. I’m not afraid of that. I did what I did, and I’ll face the music if I have to.”-Andy Greene

Kanye To World: How DARE You?

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:01:10 GMT

Idolator has a blow-by-blow breakdown of Kanye West's response to fan anger about his controversial Bonnaroo appearance, originally posted on Kanye's own blog. Unsurprisingly, he's mad:

I am sick of negative people who just sit around trying 2 plot my downfall... Why???? I understand if people don't like me because I like me or if people think tight clothes look gay or people say I run my mouth to much, But this Bonnaroo thing is the worst insult I've ever had in my life. This is the most offended I've ever been... this is the maddest I ever will be. I'm typing so fucking hard I might break my fucking Mac book Air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want.... arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, fag whatever you can think of.... BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL! THIS SHOWS NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING THERE WILL BE PEOPLE THERE TO LIE ABOUT YOU AND BRING YOU DOWN! LIKE WAYNE SAYS PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME DOWN CAUSE I'M FLYING! I'M FUCKING HURT BY THIS ONE. ALL I CARE ABOUT ARE THE FANS. JUST SAY THIS OUT LOUD IN A ROOM FULL OF PEOPLE, "KANYE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT GIVING A GOOD PERFORMANCE." CAN ANYONE HONESTLY SAY THAT ????????? HAS ANYONE EVEN TAKEN THE TIME TO AT LEAST DO THE MATH??? BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT SINCE THEY HAVEN'T LET'S BREAK DOWN THE WALLS ON THIS TRUMAN SHOW AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT REALLY OCCURRED!!! FOR OVER A MONTH WE WENT BACK AND FORTH ON WETHER OR NOT WE COULD EVEN FIT MY STAGE AT THE FESTIVAL. ONE DAY THEY WOULD SAY YES... WE'D SEND THEM OUR SPECS THEN THEY THEY'D SAY OK... THEN THEY WOULD SEND SPECS BACK THAT DIDN'T FIT THE STAGE. WE WERE OBVIOUSLY DEALING WITH FUCKING IDIOTS WHO DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO REALLY PUT ON THIS SHOW PROPERLY. THEY TRIED 2 GIVE ME A TIME SLOT WERE IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE ... I HAVE A FUCKING LIGHT SHOW DUMB ASS, IT'S NOT CALLED GLOW IN THE DARK FOR NO REASON SQUID BRAINS! MY PEOPLE WORKED OUT A COMPROMISED STAGE PLOT AND A 3AM TIME SLOT AND I AGREED. FAST FOWARD TO THE DAY OF THE SHOW. MY PRODUCTION MANAGER TRIED TO LOAD IN FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE I WENT ON STAGE BUT THE FESTIVAL WOULDN'T ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING UNTILL PEARL JAM LEFT THE STAGE. PEARL JAM ENDED ONE HOUR LATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT THAT POINT WE'RE RACING AGAINST THE SUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AT 4:20AM DON COMES BACK 2 THE BUS AND TELLS ME, " IT WOULD TAKE 45 MORE MINUTES TO PUT ALL YOUR PYRO IN!" I SAY I HAVE TO GET OUT THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE . I HIT THE STAGE AND PEOPLE HAD BEEN THROWING SHIT ON THE STAGE AND HAD ACTUALLY HIT THE JANE SCREEN WITH, I GUESS BOTTLES OR SOMETHING AND HAD BROKEN MY FUCKING SCREEN. REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE A SHORTY AND WATER WOULD HIT THE TV?????? WHEN I GOT 2 "THROUGH THE WIRE" I STEPPED ON THE FRONT PART OF MY STAGE AND THERE WAS SO MUCH LIQUID ON THE STAGE I COULDN'T MOVE WITHOUT SLIPPING. I HAD TO ADJUST MY WHOLE PERFORMANCE STYLE BECAUSE OF IT. A FEW MORE SONGS IN AND THE SONG WAS ON IT'S WAY UP.. I CUT A FEW SONGS FROM THE SET BECAUSE I WANTED PEOPLE 2 EXPERIENCE STRONGER WHILE THERE WAS STILL SOME DARKNESS TO PERFORM IT IN. I'VE STRUGGLED WITH STRONGER FROM IT'S CONCEPTION. REMEMBER LAST SUMMER WHEN I CANCELED SOME TV APPEARANCES. IT WAS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO PERFORM STRONGER IN THE DAYTIME. ANYONE WHO CAME TO THE GLOW TOUR CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE IT PROPERLY. IT BROKE MY HEART THAT I COULDN'T GIVE THESE FANS STRONGER IN IT'S GREATEST FORM... BY THE TIME I GOT TO STRONGER IT WAS DAYTIME AND IT BROKE MY HEART. I'M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN'T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORMANCE I WANTED TO. I'M SORRY... SOMETIMES I GO 2, 3 DAYS W/O SLEEP WORKING ON MY PERFORMANCE... I HAVE TO ICE MY KNEES AFTER EVERY SHOW AND THEY HURT WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE AIRPORT... HAVING AN EXPENSIVE STAGE CUTS MY PAYDAY IN HALF... CALL ME WHAT YOU WANT BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN'T GIVE MY ALL!!!

50 Cent—And Not a Penny More!

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:33:43 GMT

If you were wondering how to get 50 Cent to sue you, why not do what Taco Bell did, and offer him a paltry sum (for him) to change his name to correspond to the price of their products for a day. That is some ridiculous business, even for a fast food corporation.

Def Leppard: Relevant?

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:40:28 GMT

Def Leppard is "more relevant than ever," according to singer Joe Elliot. And so, for that matter, is Whitesnake. Perhaps they heard Chinese Democracy leaks and are feeling cocky?

From The Star (of Yorkshire), via Idolator:

HOMETOWN heroes Def Leppard have defended their decision to do a co-headline tour amid suggestions they haven't got what it takes to fill major UK venues on their own anymore.

Ahead of Monday's show at Sheffield Arena with Whitesnake, singer Joe Elliott described it as simply a "great value ticket".
"This is not like the Glitter Band, Mud and Suzi Quatro on the bus playing Butlins, this is Def Leppard and Whitesnake, both with new albums, both acts more relevant than ever, playing arenas," said the Sheffield frontman.
"It's not some saddoes tour, it's not nostalgia. Of course there's gonna be old songs in the set, but they get to play some new stuff and look valid, so do we, and people come to hear stuff they know."
The tour follows the Lepp's latest album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, their first in six years, and 50 sold-out arena shows in the US.
"No matter how long you've been around you're gonna go through periods where you're just not cool," admitted Joe, whose band has sold over 65 million albums and played to over 50 million fans in the last 15 years.
"The '90s in England were deemed the tough period for us but people over-hype the negativity because you tend to forget Adrenalize came out in the '90s and was number one in 22 countries – '96 was the big dip.
"We were doing okay live, we just weren't getting played on the radio. And once one journalist goes 'the '90s were tough' another journalist reads that and it all goes in one direction."

Chinese Democracy Exists!

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:39:08 GMT

The "new" Guns 'n' Roses album, 37 years in the making, long rumored to be apocryphal, really really expensive, and, well, riddled with rumors of Axl Rose's true identity as a total crackpot, is now audible. And Stereogum has heard some leaks. And they suck. And if you're surprised, then you really are an optimistic soul. (I, for one, don't even like Appetite For Destruction, much less Lies or Use Your Illusion I or II.)

Kid Rock: Not Downloadable

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:31:31 GMT

Kid Rock says no to iTunes. It's nice to see that some artists are still all about the royalty rates (as opposed to say, the nookie). From NME:

Kid Rock is refusing to allow his songs to be sold through the Apple iTunes download service because he doesn't believe that Apple pay artists enough for their downloads.
The rapper claimed that the download service was based on an "old system" whereby musicians were cut out of pay deals.
He did, however, concede that it was inevitable that his music would one day be available on iTunes.
"It's based on an old system where iTunes takes the money, the record company takes the money, and they don't give it to the artists," he told BBC News.
"Back in the day, we all know the stories of the Otis Reddings and Chuck Berrys and Fats Dominos who never got paid," he continued. "So the internet was an opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money.
"I will be on iTunes eventually because I can't avoid it, but I like to always stick to my guns and prove a point and do something original and because I believe in it."

Billy Ray Cyrus: Chumpasaurus Rex?

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:30:17 GMT

If this here Today Show video, during which Billy Ray Cyrus sounds off about his daughter Miley Cyrus's controversial Vanity Fair pictures, his own reign in 1992 as the "turkey with the longest neck" on Billboard's Top 200 chart (for 17 weeks!), and, of course, the glory that is Nashville Star, is to be believed, good ol' Billy is not the brightest bulb in the the electric lightbulb suit.

Kenny Chesney Does Today

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:56:54 GMT

Ever wonder what it's like when a country megastar like Kenny Chesney makes a live TV appearance in New York City? Then you should probably read this dispatch from CMT.com:

Editor's note: Kenny Chesney performed early Friday morning (June 13) in New York's Rockefeller Plaza during the Today show's summer concert series. Most of us have never attended one of these free outdoor performances, so we asked New York-based journalist Jim Allen to provide blow-by-blow description of what it takes to be a face in the crowd.
6:00 a.m.
If it weren't for the light breeze that's keeping the temperature from getting too unbearable, this unassuming crowd of faithful, bleary-eyed Kenny Chesney admirers could easily turn ugly at a moment's notice. The fresh-faced group of teens in matching orange T-shirts emblazoned with the name of some do-gooding organization or other. The fortysomething parents thumbing through complimentary hotel copies of USA Today while shepherding their brood, who in turn are holding up the "#1 Kenny Chesney Fan" signs Sirius satellite radio has been passing around. They've all turned out for one of the Today show's early morning, first-come/first-serve free outdoor concerts in the middle of New York's Rockefeller Plaza. Since this one happens to feature the aforementioned country superstar, there are currently more Southern accents and un-ironic cowboy hats per square foot on this midtown Manhattan block than there have probably ever been before.
6:20 a.m.
The line stretches around three sides of the block that encapsulates Rockefeller Center, lining the east, north and south sides with hopeful, (presumably) hardcore Chesneyites. The lucky folks at the front of the queue arrived at 4 a.m. for the privilege of getting closer to their hero than they'd ever be in a concert setting. The line moves forward in maddeningly miniscule increments, the crowd advancing clump by clump, about five feet at a time. A strapping young man in a checked shirt and straw hat betrays a Midwestern twang while wondering aloud if he'll actually get in to see the Man of the Morning, and he's thoughtfully reassured by his mates in waiting. Rockefeller Center shills wander up and down the line, handing out coupons for their observation deck to the captive audience.
6:30 a.m.
The fatigue is just starting to show on some of the faithful. Back muscles are pulled tight in stretching motions, long yawns can be heard from far down the line, and we're still two block-lengths away from the site of the performance. As we finally round the corner of Lacoste and American Girl Place (that is, 49th Street and Fifth Avenue), a hefty gent in a "Some Beach!" shirt looks longingly at the still-closed TGI Friday's. A bruiser in a red Dale Earnhardt Jr. tee is grumpily texting someone a progress update. A weary-looking man offering flyers from a nearby eatery to the passersby shouts, "I'll be here all day."
6:45 a.m.
We've rounded the final corner onto 48th Street, and the promised land is in sight. As the subway grates blow up unwelcome gusts of warm air, we can hear the band warming up in the distance. We get closer to the sonic source, but the music is suddenly obscured by the overwhelming rumble of a Chock Full o' Nuts truck dispensing coffee to the morning crowd.
6:50 a.m.
We can hear the guitarist teasing the melody of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" before the band launches into the season-appropriate Chesney hit, "Summertime." Oh, no, they're starting early, and we're still not within sight of the stage! A palpable anxiety seizes the would-be audience as we hear whoops and cheers from those who've already gotten close enough to see what's going on.
6:55 a.m.
Luck is being a lady this morning, and the last leg of the line's journey accelerates at an unprecedented pace. Before we know it, a string of security guards usher us between the portable railings and into the plaza, where several hundred people are squeezed into a space roughly 200 feet by 300 feet. Kids are hiked up on parents' shoulders, and camera phones are everywhere, raised aloft and snapping away, which is pretty much the only way to get anything approximating a clear view of the stage. The sight lines are arranged to accommodate the TV cameras first and the audience a distant second. Chesney, looking casual in a T-shirt and ball cap, launches into "Better as a Memory" as blinding spotlights pan the crowd and a crane camera swings up and down. An overheated teen nearby is heard to utter "Mom, I think I'm gonna pass out." By the time Chesney kicks off "Never Wanted Nothing More," a realization emerges that something seems out of place. The band is surprisingly laissez-faire for a television broadcast, messing around between songs. And Chesney is curiously uncommunicative to the crowd, not uttering a word after each tune ends. Gradually the epiphany hits us all, like an elephant sitting on an egg: This is just the sound check!
8:45 a.m.
With aching feet and sweaty brows, our patience is finally rewarded as Chesney, now duded up in a proper shirt and a black cowboy hat, runs through hearty performances of ... yes, that's right ... the same three songs we heard twice each over the course of the sound check. No ones seems to mind too much about that, though. Everyone's just happy to be there. The three blonde sisters with matching Statue of Liberty sunglasses, the two blond Nebraskan teens scrolling through Chesney song titles on their iPhone, the folks who dutifully wave signs saying everything from "I love you Kenny!" to "Happy Birthday Uncle Al!" when the cameras pan over them. Chesney's voice booms out of the speakers on either side of the plaza, belting big and strong. And from banjo to acoustic guitar, every element of the mix comes out shockingly clear for an outdoor show. Then, some 15 minutes after it started, it's over as Kenny bids a quick goodbye and hops off the stage, and those who came to hear him slowly file out onto the street. A surprising number stay behind, though, to hear the rest of the show piped into the plaza over the sound system and wait for their split second of fame when the cameras cross their paths. Were they not here for the music at all to begin with, or did they just decide to hang around a while and make a morning of it to make a better story for the folks back home? Whatever the answer, they seem completely content to settle in for the duration, as they brave the 85-degree heat to hear about the hottest new gift tips for Father's Day.

KISS: Music Fans Are Killing Music

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:53:37 GMT

It's no surprise that the members of Kiss are a crusty and resentful mob of businesspeople, but this is funny even for them:

KISS frontman GENE SIMMONS has blamed music fans for the demise of the music industry - and is begging them to stop downloading records illegally.
The musician claims the modern process of downloading songs from the internet instead of buying songs on CD format is taking away artists' passion.
He says, "The record industry is dead, it's six feet underground, and unfortunately the fans have done this.
"They've decided to download and file share. There is no record industry around so we're going to wait until everybody settles down and becomes civilised."

In which case, we can be thankful that someone is preventing Kiss from making new records...

QOTSA WTF!

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:15:39 GMT

Rule of thumb for festival audiences: Don't be throwing bottles at Josh Homme, lead Queen of the Stone Age, especially if he has a fever. If you do, he will berate you, and not using particularly progressive language, either. (Video NSFW.)

Kanye WHAT?

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:14:55 GMT

"Kanye Sucks! Kanye Sucks! Kanye Sucks!" At least that's what the crowd at Bonnaroo was chanting when West, scheduled to perform at 8:15pm, went on at 4:25am. I love Kanye, but that does kind of suck, man.

R. Kelly Is Not Guilty

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:17:44 GMT

Which is or isn't the same as innocent?

R.E.M. + Johnny Marr in Chicago

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:15:12 GMT

I don't spend a lot of time obsessing over shows I wish I had been able to attend—there's always another show. But this one, featuring my favorite American rock band of the past 30 years or so (R.E.M.) playing one of their very besty besty bestest songs ever ("Fall On Me") with the guitarist from my favorite British band of the '80s (Johnny Marr of the Smiths, who is now remarkably in Modest Mouse) doing a janging guest spot—well, this is an exception. Stereogum has pix and video.

Motley Crue Cries Foul... Again!

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:13:13 GMT

For the second time in as many years, Motley Crue has confirmed its place as one of sugar metal's most litigious bands by suing its management for, you know, being shady and not putting the money in the right places. If you're wondering "what money?" well, just play along for now, 'k?

Doth Metallica Protest Too Much?

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:12:36 GMT

Sooo... Metallica previews new album before an audience of blogger and journalist types. Said types review what they have heard on their blogs and such. Metallica—or, wait, Metallica's management—demands that said reviews get pulled until said record is released. Metallica responds to the fracas... on a blog of its own!

While we occasionally enjoy reading the various comments, rumors, speculation, reviews, gossip and all the good that the internet brings, rarely do we feel the desire/need to respond to the "blogosphere" . . . hey, everyone is entitled to have their thoughts and opinions, right? However, once we re-surfaced on Tuesday after a few weeks on tour in Europe, we were informed that someone at Q Prime (our managers) had made the error of asking a few publications to take down reviews of the rough mixes from the new record that were posted on their sites. Our response was "WHY?!!! Why take down mostly positive reviews of the new material and prevent people from getting psyched about the next record. . . that makes no sense to us!" So after a few rounds of managerial ear spank and sentencing everyone at Q Prime to 20 push-ups each, we figured why not take matters into our own hands and just post the links here on our site. Kerrang, Metal Hammer, The Quietus.
You see, we have maintained an "in the press" section here on Metallica.com for many years now, posting links to reviews of shows, album and DVD releases, and various other tidbits we've come across while surfing around. Some good, some not so good, but we put 'em all up . . . sort of the same way we treat our message boards on this site . . . welcoming all feedback.
So in the spirit of keeping this section current, we've put as many of the reviews of the rough mixes of the new record up here as we could find. If we missed any, let us know . . . and in the meantime, we're always adding, so peruse at your leisure.

Is someone going soft on crime?