The Last Shadow Puppets: The Age of the Understatement
Arctic Monkeys... read more
Santogold offers free MP3, tours
Philadelphia-raised Santogold's MySpace bio opens with these words: "Santogold is a survivor of a half century worth of living along musical evolution’s most cutting edges. The only live act that can boast of having out-aged Barbara Bush, having outlived Mr. Miyagi and out styled Liberace, Santogold is here with future flavor." Not to be confused with Santo Gold, a recording artist who apparently recorded a song entitled "Your Fired" [sic], inspired by Donald Trump, Santogold is the latest artist in the M.I.A./Diplo/Spank Rock circle, and her self-titled album has been receiving massive amounts of critical praise in the last month.... read more
Tim Fite: Fair Ain't Fair
Tim Fite prides himself on epitomizing the... read more
Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Collette in Mendes/Eggers film
Question: How do you live up to a legacy like American Beauty? Answer: Cast as many great actors as possible. The forthcoming, still-officially-untitled Sam Mendes-directed movie, penned by McSweeney's helmsman Dave Eggers and wife Vendela Vida (co-editor of The Believer), has attracted a new cast member. Maggie Gyllenhaal will play the role originally claimed by actress Toni Collette in the Focus Features film, recently vacated by Collette becuase of scheduling delays, Variety reports. Filming recently began in Connecticut on the romantic comedy, which will star actors John Krasinski of The Office and Maya Rudolph of SNL fame, and explores a... read more
Constellation Hydra reveals Tom Waits summer tour dates
Earlier this morning, Tom Waits unveiled his upcoming Glitter and Doom Tour across the South, from Phoenix to Atlanta. Cities like El Paso, Tulsa, Jacksonville and Mobile might seem like random pit-stops for his traveling carnival, but he begs to differ. “Frankly, there’s absolutely nothing that’s random about it,” the world’s fourth best living songwriter said in the greatest YouTube sketch since those adorable sky-diving puppies. “Think about it, from the beginning of time, we’ve all looked to the night sky for guidance and meaning. I mean, how did the magi find the Christ child in the manger?” Watch the... read more
J.J. Abrams: Star Trek film for fans of movies, not Star Trek
J.J. Abrams says his forthcoming Star Trek prequel will appeal to fans of movies, though not necessarily to fans of the long-running television and movie franchise. In an interview with the Associated Press, the Cloverfield producer said the feasibility of any future Star Trek films may depend on attracting a new generation of fans to the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) was a resounding box office flop, a fate Abrams hopes to avoid when his Star Trek hits theaters in 2009 by returning to the series’ roots. Of course, he'll also toss in a few special... read more
Spike Lee to collaborate with filmmakers for Nokia project
Spike Lee will direct a film comprised entirely of footage, text and music submitted by everyday people, Reuters reports. The latest Lee joint will focus on the way music tells the story of humanity, and will be constructed in three acts. Lee is helming the as-yet-untitled film for Nokia Productions as a collaborative effort that may push the boundaries of user-generated content past YouTube territory into uncharted waters. Lee and Nokia are asking aspiring filmmakers around the world to shoot the entire film, as well as compose its music, capture its images and write its text. Each month, an “assignment”... read more
Yo La Tengo soundtracks Superbad director's new film
Lost amidst all of the teen lust overdrive of director Greg Mottola's Superbad was a pretty killer soundtrack, which boasted prime slices of vintage soul, classic rock and The Rapture. But Mottola might have outdone himself with his next project, the amusement park-bound comedy Adventureland. Supplying the tunes for the film will be none other than the mighty Yo La Tengo. Apparently, the veteran indie-rock trio is getting deeper into movies. Its film credits before this project include composition work for Junebug and Old Joy, both of which happened to feature Will Oldham as an actor. Oldham isn't appearing in... read more
Common set to release Invincible Summer on June 24
Common, the man who once announced to the world that he was music, is back with some more...wait for it...music. Entitled Invincible Summer, the album hits stores on June 24, just in time for the last long stretch of summer. The MC recently spoke to Billboard.com about the album, saying, "I created this music for the summer time, it's about feeling good. This is the type of music I felt was missing from my body of work." Invincible will feature an array of artists that include Cee-Lo (of Gnarls Barkley) and super-hyped/super-awesome newcomer Santogold. No word currently on what's going... read more
ThinkFilm buys rights to Roman Polanski doc
ThinkFilm has bought the domestic theatrical and DVD rights to the documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired from HBO, Variety reports. Filmmaker Marina Zenovich’s documentary was one of the most buzzed-about pictures at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, sparking a bidding war that ended in one of the festival’s first big sales. As previously reported, HBO Documentary Films purchased the film Jan. 20 for nearly $1 million only two days after the festival began, and The Weinstein Company snapped up international rights soon after. Zenovich’s film chronicles the life of Academy Award winning director Roman Polanski, a life with more... read more
The Replacements – Rhino’s Deluxe Edition Twin/Tone Reissues: The Extras
Rhino released deluxe editions of four classic Replacements albums in late April, all produced by the band's longtime manager and Twin/Tone Records co-founder Peter Jesperson with plenty of input from the group's surviving members. Here, Paste associate editor Steve LaBate offers a track-by-track analysis of the extras. Sorry, Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (13 extras) Live Demos, 1980 "Raised in the City" "Shutup" "Don't Turn Me Down" "Shape Up" This material was the first that Peter Jesperson ever heard from the band. Westeberg dropped the demo tape off with him at Oar FolkJokeOpus—the record store where Jesperson was... read more
Hold Steady, Breeders, more dive into JellyNYC's pool
JellyNYC’s wildly popular Pool Party concert series is back this summer, featuring a stellar lineup of artists including MGMT, The Hold Steady, Black Lips and the Breeders. This summer, JellyNYC and Helio will host a free concert from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m. every Sunday at New York City’s McCarren Pool. Revelers can hula-hoop, Slip ’n’ Slide, swim and sunbathe, all while enjoying the music of Aesop Rock, Deerhunter or the Ting Tings. More than 50,000 people attended last year’s parties, and even more are expected this year. Dates and additional bands will be announced soon. Although admission is free,... read more
The Cure announces monthly singles, new album and tour
In a world where one can collect many worthy things—stamps, Coke cans, baseball cards—why not collect The Cure? In anticipation of its September 13 release, the band has opted to release a single for the 13th of each month leading up to its 13th studio album, which comes on Sept. 13th. That’s right, expect four exclusive singles with b-sides in the coming months and then a whole new album. So far the singles have only been announced for May and June. “The Only One” will include the b-side “NY Trip.” On June 13, the band will release “Freakshow,” including the... read more
Tom Wolfe's Charlotte Simmons heading to the big screen
Tom Wolfe's 2005 novel, I Am Charlotte Simmons (Picador), about an innocent country girl facing the comparative social wilds of an American college, will get its chance to shock theater audiences when music video director Liz Friedlander takes all its scandalous content to full-length feature format next year. The last book the newspaper reporter-turned-bestselling author optioned for film was 1987's The Bonfire of the Vanities. Freidlander's previous directorial credits include episodes of One Tree Hill, 2006's Antonio Banderas-led Take The Lead and a segment in Blink 182: Greatest Hits, as well as music videos for the likes of U2. John... read more
Portishead: Don't Call it a Comeback
Unleashing a new record and refining its musical approach, the British trip-hop outfit that beat out Oasis for the coveted Mercury Prize in 1995 breaks more than a decade of silence weaving its hypnotic grooves for 21st-century music fans. Looks like the soundtrack to existential dread... read more
Hayden: In Field & Town
Before she became a Pulitzer-winning author, a... read more
Javier Bardem drops out of Rob Marshall’s Nine
Actor Javier Bardem has dropped out of Rob Marshall’s upcoming film Nine, Variety reports. Bardem was expected to play the lead role of Guido Contini, a film director whose life grows increasingly complicated as he struggles to juggle all of the women in his life. Nine is Oscar-award winning director Marshall’s adaptation of a stage musical inspired by the Federico Fellini film 8½. Fresh off of his Academy Award winning performance in the Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men, Bardem was ready to start shooting Nine late last year. Production on the film was postponed, though, when needed refinements... read more
The Hold Steady planning to Stay Positive on July 15
Brooklyn-via-Minneapolis rockers The Hold Steady have announced the street date of their fourth full-length album: Stay Positive is set for release on July 15 in the US and July 14 in the UK. Written on the road and recorded in New York and New Jersey, the 11 new tracks feature "more dynamics, different instrumentation, more complex arrangements, and not always hiding behind raw volume," lead singer Craig Finn said in a statement. That "different instrumentation" includes doses of banjo, talk box and harpsichord, undoubtedly in addition to the band’s long-beloved sonic combination of accordion, guitars and beer. As befits the... read more
The Strokes' Albert Hammond, Jr. to ask ¿Cómo Te Llama?
Albert Hammond, Jr., has revealed that his sophomore solo release, entitled ¿Cómo Te Llama?, will come out on July 8. He recorded the album during the Strokes' two-year (and counting) hiatus, taking breaks to celebrate his 28th birthday in April, to produce a track for N.Y. -ased act The Postelles, and (of course) to keep up with Upper East Side cult hit Gossip Girl. "I'm really proud of the power this record has," Hammond said in a statement. "I feel like my melodies and song arrangements have matured. Lyrically, I tried to have the words flow out more freely and... read more
Who is your favorite musical artist over the age of 50?
Neil Diamond releases his 29th album, Home Before Dark, this week. Who is your favorite artist over the age of 50? [2412 votes total] Elvis Costello (211): 9% Neil Young (309): 13% Tom Waits (369): 15% Stevie Wonder (87): 4% Emmylou Harris (83): 3% Neil Diamond (118): 5% Bob Dylan (592): 25% Al Green (39): 2% Lucinda Williams (76): 3% Bruce Springsteen (298): 12% Other (230): 10% Full Results Comments... read more
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Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
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David Bazan - Hard To Be
