New Track

Common may be busy prepping for the July 31 release of his upcoming Geffen album, “Finding Forever,” and shooting the new film “The Night Watchman,” but the rapper still plans to take time out this summer to perform for Live at the BBQ, a three-city concert sponsored by Microsoft’s ZUNE.

“I’m about connecting with the people,” Common tells Billboard.com of the shows, which will also feature Mos Def, the Clipse, Lil Jon, Cham, David Banner, Bilal, Collie Budz, UGK, Large Professor and E-40.
(More about Common Rapping For Zune, Starbucks…)

Woo-doggies, this week we get Time on Earth, the first new Crowded House album in a decade. I haven’t heard this yet, but Neil Finn created the greatest song John Lennon never wrote. Indeed, “Don’t Dream It’s Over” will go head to head even with anything Lennon did write.

The problem is that Neil Finn just ain’t much of a rock star. Sure, he’s one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, but where’s the controversy?
(More about New Album Releases, 7-10-2007: Crowded House, They Might Be Giants, Smashing Pumpkins…)

Just reporting about this band makes us feel like crazy stalkers

You’d think writing poetry about a bandmate’s dumps would be intimate enough for pretty much any prominent indie rock frontman– but not for Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox. The question is, how intimate do you want to get? If your answer is intimate enough to know every harrowing detail of his maniacal sexual fantasies, you’re in luck!

Today, the band’s blog officially becomes one of the seediest corners of the i
(More about Deerhunter Blog: First Poop, Now Porn…)

‘Girls Who Play Guitars’ will be the third single to be taken from Maximo Park’s second album Our Earthly Pleasures on August 20. Two 7″ singles and CD will contain a new song called ‘Warehouse’, demos of ‘(I Remember) Joe Brainard’ and ‘Girls’ and other tracks called ‘An Unknown’, ‘Sandblasted’ and ‘Set Free’.

White Chalk Tracks Revealed

As prevuiousley announced, PJ Harvey will return on September 24 with a new album called White Chalk. The track list for the follow up to 2003’s Uh Huh Her is:
‘The Devil’, ‘Dear Darkness’, ‘Grow Grow
(More about Maixmo Park Announce New Single…)

Why, it seems like only yesterday [cue harp and wavy, out-of-focus visuals] when you could pore over an album's liner notes and not have to squint to garner an embarrassment of riches and a treasure trove of tidbits… 

Rhino Records, your “One Stop Pop Culture Shop” dedicated to “discovering and compiling … relatively obscure hits, and those ‘hits’ you never heard,” not only offers a wide variety of ‘60-era American and British pop, pre-punk, and psychedelic “Artyfacts” in its Nuggets anthologies and boxed sets, it also aptly documents in its albums’ liner notes applicable rock history that can serve as either refresher courses or as edification for the uninitiated.

Nuggets, Volume Three: Pop, from 1984, is a good example of how the LP’s back cover annotations provide succinct and incisive commentary and biographical information that not only enhance the track-by track listening experience, but also sets up the overall scheme of things.

(More about Liner Notables: Nuggets, Volume Three - Pop (Various Artists)…)

Nothing quite goes with a hot summer day like The Beach Boys. Of course, when I bought my tickets nearly a month ago, I had no idea the temperatures would be a breathtaking 100 plus, and by breathtaking I mean the "suck the air right from your chest" kind of heat and humidity. Yet, it still seemed like the perfect combination for a Sunday evening and with the way the open air venue of Freedom Hill is positioned, a consistent breeze fended off heat exhaustion.

Before the capacity crowd got down to some fun fun fun in the sun, we were treated to the 9 House Band.
(More about Concert Review: The Beach Boys in Sterling Heights, Michigan (July 8, 2007)…)

Planet Earth, the new album from Prince which was due out on July 23, will not be getting released in the UK after all. Sony BMG has decided against releasing it after the singer revealed that fans would receive a free copy at heВ’s forthcoming London shows plus there are plans to give the CD away Mail on Sunday in the near future

A Sony BMG spokesman said “Given the sheer number of copies we are talking about here it seemed the right thing to do”

No Led Zeppelin Reunion Planned

Former Led Zeppelin star Robert Plant and dismissed reports that the band would follow in the footsteps of Genesis and Spice Girls by reforming.
(More about Prince - Planet Earth Not For Sale…)

If your musical taste hasn’t matured past the cookie cutter, major label acts that hold FM radio hostage, then this CD might not be for you. You may need a little more time to let your audio palate mature past the boy/girl group, super thug, wanna be R&B and pop music so that you can truly enjoy the exhibition of art that is From L.A. With Love. Milan Records continues to make a name for themselves as the new label to watch, with their impressive selection of musical releases.

(More about Music Review: Art Don’t Sleep - From L.A. With Love…)

If you grew up loving rock and roll as I did, then you grew up loving guitar solos.

In fact, I consider myself really fortunate to have grown up in the sixties and seventies, which was a time when the guitar solo absolutely ruled music. So when it comes to narrowing things down to who were the obvious candidates for the best of the era, there are no shortage of choices.

Just go ahead and pick em’.

(More about The Rockologist: These Are a Few of My Favorite Guitar Solos (And Guitar Players) Of All Time…)

From Tomoki Ohno of Rolling Stone Japan:

WHO PLAYED:

Linkin Park, Rihanna and Japanese acts Kumi Koda, AI and Ayaka

HIGHLIGHT:

The performance by Linkin Park: the crowd was so excited that it rushed to the front of the stadium, interrupting the set for close to a half hour.
(More about International Report: Live Earth Tokyo…)