Coachella to announce 2008 line-up as rumors circulate
In the typically-slow news month of January, guessing summer festival line-ups is a popular pastime for journalists and music fans alike. Both Bonnaroo's and Coachella's official rosters will be announced in the coming weeks; intense speculation about the West Coast fest is already under way after the online appearance of the latest in the '08 crop of easily-Photoshoppable Coachella posters. Kevin Bronson of the L.A. Times stated in a Jan. 14 blog post that the official roster will be announced next week, adding that he "was told cryptically [that the roster] might include a surprising veteran act or two (not... read more
Cat Power / Bonnie 'Prince' Billy: Jukebox / Ask Forgiveness
Cat Power and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy release... read more
Drive-by Truckers: Brighter Than Creation's Dark
After lineup change, the Truckers return with an expansive statement read more
WHY? announces tour dates, offers free MP3
Of the five W's, "why?" is often the hardest to define. So it makes sense that WHY?, the unclassifiable Oakland-based band—consisting of speak-singer Yoni Wolf, his drummer brother Josiah, and pianist Doug McDiarmid—chose it as the group's moniker. What began with Wolf finding an old four-track in the basement of his father's synagogue has blossomed into a collaborative effort that blends underground hip-hop, neo-folk and art-house experimental music into a wholly unique sound fronted by Wolf's provocative half-sung, half-spoken words. Some questions that might crop up when perusing the tracklist for the band's latest album, Alopecia (due out March 11... read more
Director's Guild of America strikes deal with studios
With all the hubbub surrounding the Writers Guild of America strike, it's been easy to overlook another potential conflict on the horizon. The Director's Guild of America's contract was set to run out in just a few months, and has always been a factor in the WGA strike, since though the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has been able to continue much of its production without writers, standing up to both writers and directors simultaneously would certainly be a different matter. However, an agreement came after a mere six days of negotiations that began last Saturday. Like the... read more
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss announce first tour dates
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss have announced their first set of tour dates in support of Raising Sand. The album was released Oct. 23 on Rounder, debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified Gold soon after. The album’s first single, “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On),” was nominated for a Grammy this year for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals. The album as a whole was released too late to be eligible for this year’s awards. T-Bone Burnett produced Raising Sand, and will lead the Plant and Krauss touring band. The extensive U.S. and European tour kicks... read more
Cloverfield
About half an hour into Cloverfield, the low-budget monster movie... read more
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
One of the central arguments for the legalization of abortion... read more
Great Lake Swimmer covers Neil Diamond, scores doc
Tony Dekker of the Toronto folk band Great Lake Swimmers has just finished his first movie score. His compositions will appear in the Greg Kohs documentary Song Sung Blue, which follows the love story and career of Mike and Claire Sardina, the Milwaukee husband and wife comprising Neil Diamond tribute singing act Lightning & Thunder. Song Sung Blue premiers Jan. 20 at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Not only does Dekker get to write the score, he also covers the chart-topping 1972 Diamond track "Song Sung Blue" for the closing credits. Greg Kohs, the film's director and... read more
Fierce caucus to determine next Fiery Furnaces album
If Election 2008 feels like it's been going on forever, that's probably because it has. Despite campaign exhaustion afflicting even the toughest of candidates this year, there is many a month left to go until the primaries come to a close on June 3. But have no fear. The Fiery Furnaces, inspired by "democracy fever," have opened up an online, non-binding caucus, giving their fans the ability to opine on their choice for the next Furnaces' studio album. Presented with four "Red" and four "Blue" candidates, voters are encouraged to "go stand over in the corner of the Internet next... read more
Catching Up With... Hello, Blue Roses
Dan Bejar (Destroyer/New Pornographers/Swan Lake) and lady friend Sydney Vermont have combined their love for music and each other to form the folk outfit Hello, Blue Roses. The happy and hilarious couple decided to create more intimate music in... read more
Paste Vision goes live with video exclusives
PasteMagazine.com has a new addition to its ever-growing blog family: Paste Vision. Far removed from Wonka Vision and x-ray vision, this new feature will include monthly installments of favorite artists from the pages of Paste and beyond. The blog started in December, with January’s entry on the way soon. The first episode features Josh Ritter and an interview with Jason Schwartzman (The Darjeeling Limited, I Heart Huckabees). Other exclusives include a live performance of “Temptation of Adam” from Ritter’s latest album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, and a video from Schwartzman’s band Coconut Records. Related links: PasteVision.tv Blog: What... read more
My Morning Jacket announce dates, June album release
Ah, there's nothing like the enveloping warmth of a My Morning Jacket update on a frosty winter's day. Last week, ATO Records announced that the Louisville band's as-yet-untitled fifth studio album—helmed by lead singer/beardo Jim James and Grammy-winning veteran producer Joe Chiccarelli (White Stripes, The Shins, subject of a Paste feature in the Dec. '07/Jan. '08 issue)—will arrive at dawn on June 10. It's been three long years since Z, the last proper My Morning Jacket studio album, but in the meantime, the band has been generous with the old, quirky and charitable, live and collaborative Dylan-honoring tidbits, plus two... read more
Jamie Lidell announces tracklist, date for Jim
Jamie Lidell has released the tracklist for his highly anticipated third album, Jim, slated for an April 29 release on Warp Records. Lidell made a name for himself in the world of British electronic music in the late '90s as a member of the group Super_Collider. He went on to release his debut solo album, Muddlin Gear, in 2000, but it was his 2005 record, Multiply, that made the music world at large sit up and take notice. Forsaking his electronic roots, Lidell offered up a funk-infused, throwback to the soulful music of Motown greats Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding.... read more
The Hush Sound makes some noise with third album, tour
For the many concerned individuals fretting that The Hush Sound would not be releasing another album, put those anxious fears aside. Goodbye Blues, the follow up to Like Vines (2006), is slated for release on March 18. "All of a sudden everything just clicked," vocalist/pianist Greta Salpeter said in a recent statement. "This record is the consummation of our unconsummated marriage." To promote the album, the Chicago-based band will embark on a brief headlining tour from Feb. 29 through March 18 before joining forces with labelmates Panic At the Disco for the 2008 Honda Civic Tour. Goodbye Blues aspires to... read more
Sundance short films available for free download
If you're like most of us, you're sadly unable to attend the Sundance Film Festival this year. Fortunately, the festival is putting out its shorts for download so that anyone in the country can check them out and still evade the freezing weather of Park City. The shorts are available for $1.99 each via iTunes or through the Xbox Live Video Marketplace. However, they're also free through Netflix's "instant watching" feature that allows subscribers (as long as they're at least on the two-film plan) to watch unlimited streaming films. For those who don't subscribe or are too cheap to purchase... read more
Colin Meloy drops live solo album, Decemberists go NW
We like the Decemberists. A lot. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we only like frontman Colin Meloy 20% as much as we like the band as a whole. Paste, after all, has much like to give. And our reserves of affection seems especially appropriate, because both Meloy and the entire band have some upcoming adventures. The Decemberists are playing four shows in the Pacific Northwest, and there’s nothing like tales of shipwrecks to put your sadness over rain and fog into perspective. As for Meloy himself, he’s about to drop a solo tour CD on April 8, via Kill... read more
Liam Finn releases, tours on I’ll Be Lightning
We called it both “dazzling” and “irresistible,” and pretty soon, you’ll be able to drop some appropriately adulatory adjectives (yeah, we just went there) on Liam Finn’s solo debut, I’ll Be Lightning. That’s because Mr. Finn debuts his album on Jan. 22, which is just one short Tuesday away. But if you need a bit more time with Finn before you craft some sincere, supportive statements (snap! again!), check him out on tour. On Feb. 16, Finn hits the road in Los Angeles to travel throughout the United States. Go see a show, and let us know if you craft... read more
American Gangster studio sued for defamation by DEA trio
For Ridley Scott, making Gladiator may have had its risks. There were the lions, the weaponry and the Russell Crowe. But at least Sir Scott was confident that no historical figure from the Roman Empire would be suing him or his producers for, say, $55 million. But when you make a movie not set thousands of years ago, litigation sometimes becomes a risk. American Gangster, Scott’s crime epic about all kinds of heroin-related dealings in 1970s-era Harlem, has provoked a defamation lawsuit from three former Drug Enforcement Administration agents. Guess how much they’re suing for? (Hint: see the totally arbitrary... read more
Atmosphere paints Lemons, goes on tour
Minnesota hip-hop indie super-group Atmosphere has had a busy winter. First came the early December release of Sad Clown, Bad Winter Number 11 (which followed the October release of Sad Clown, Bad Fall Number 10, which followed the late August release of Sad Clown, Bad Summer Number 9...seriously, do these guys ever leave the studio?). Then came the late-December announcement that not only was another Atmosphere album (Strictly Leakage) out, but that it was available for free online. Now, Rhymesayers has announced that the duo's "official" follow up to You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having will be released... read more
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 50 Best Albums of the Decade…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Kim Taylor - Days Like this
Gregory Alan Isakov - The Moon Song
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
Anya Marina - Whatever You Like
David Bazan - Hard To Be
