Bonnaroo 2010 Dates Announced, Holiday Payment Plan Offered
Even though this darn global warming business makes even mid-November feel like summertime, truth is it’s been almost six months since this year’s Bonnaroo took over Tennessee. Which, of course, means it’s prime time to look ahead to Bonnaroo 2010, which will go down June 10-13 next year. But before the music-festival season hits, the winter festival season will; this year, the good folks at Bonnaroo have wrapped both into a neat little package—starting Nov. 27, the fest is offering discount holiday-rate tickets online.... read more
Billboard Changes Up Charts to Reflect Catalog Titles, Folk Music
Recent changes to Billboard charts will soon give both Michael Jackson and Ani DiFranco some overdue recognition.... read more
Wale: Attention Deficit
On major label debut, mixtape star looks to the West Born of Nigerian parents in our nation’s capitol, Wale rose to prominence in 2008 with The Mixtape About Nothing, where he used his favorite program as a framing device for his technically adroit diatribes on race, rap, and authenticity. “The Kramer,” for instance, sampled Michael Richards’ infamous Laugh Factory tirade, and subsequent apology, to bookend a fearless dissection of racist language. Wale also adopted Seinfeld’s habit of knowing self-deprecation to send up stale rap conventions, titling a track with three guest stars (including mixtape staple Bun B) “The Feature Heavy... read more
Best of What's Next: Mayer Hawthorne
For Andrew Mayer Cohen, the Motown-influenced tunes were just musical doodles... read more
Go Your Own Way: Norah Jones and The Swell Season Recover From Broken Hearts
Is The Fall a breakup record? “I think in a lot of ways it is, and in a lot of ways it isn’t,” says Norah Jones of the follow-up to 2007’s Not Too Late. Her split that year with longtime boyfriend Lee Alexander made the gossip pages, despite her silence on the subject. She has no intention of sharing her thoughts on the matter today, either, though she’s generous with the fries accompanying her hefty veggie burger at the East Village restaurant where we’ve met. “Will you have some?” she asks. “I won’t eat them all.”... read more
MySpace Looking to Purchase imeem
Rupert Murdoch’s bleeding social networking site, MySpace, is making some drastic moves to eek a profit out of a Facebook/Twitter-dominated industry, one of them a possible pay model to earn back some of the $20 million the site spends on streaming royalties every month. Next could be the acquisition of free-streaming music site imeem.... read more
Sam Fogarino Talks New Interpol Album, Courtney Love
"[Our Love to Admire] was not our most cohesive moment," he says... read more
The Who to Play Super Bowl, Says Another Anonymous Source
Another person unwilling to reveal their name has told another publication that The Who will indeed perform at Super Bowl XLIV, adding to the anticipation of the NFL’s (and the band’s) apparently-pending official announcement.... read more
Best of What's Next: fun.
Hometown: New York Album: Aim and Ignite Members: Andrew Dost (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Nate Ruess (vocals), Jack Antonoff (guitar, vocals) For Fans Of: Ben Folds, Queen, The Format Last year, following the dissolution of his first band, ex-Format frontman Nate Ruess made a pilgrimage idealized by young Americans long before Sinatra’s famed salute: Having overstayed his welcome in his Arizona hometown, the songwriter moved to New York to start a new life. “There’s a big difference between comfort and what you’re destined to do,” Ruess says. “I needed a change in every aspect of my life.”... read more
The Velvet Underground Reunites for New York Public Library Chat
It’s been a long time since proto-punk legends The Velvet Underground started stretching the confines of rock ‘n’ roll in the late ‘60s, and while the band itself doesn’t have plans to reunite for a performance any time soon, they are doing the next best thing. Former frontman Lou Reed, bassist Doug Yule and drummer Maureen Tucker will make an appearance at the New York Public Library on Dec. 8 to chat with rock journalist David Fricke about the band’s legacy and impact on rock music’s evolution.... read more
The Rapture Working With Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Producer on New Album
Following up his work on Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, French producer Philippe Zdar will lend his creative hand to The Rapture’s forthcoming full-length album.... read more
Carrie Underwood: Play On
Underwood’s third album is overdeveloped and undercooked Carrie Underwood’s new album isn’t meant for iPods or headphones—or, for that matter, for individuals. It’s a more public record than a private or personal one, sometimes for better but usually for worse. Opener and first single “Cowboy Casanova” is a barnburner that will be the prelude to many girls’ nights out, while “Mama’s Song” will no doubt soundtrack innumerable weddings in the next few months. Other songs on Play On have less lofty goals: “Someday When I Stop loving You” and “What Can I Say” are soundtrack-ready montage rock; the latter deserves... read more
Best of What's Next: Pomegranates
Pomegranates' Everybody, Come Outside! might be the most fitting album title of the year... read more
Yo La Tengo Sets Tour Dates Sans Service Charges
Surcharges are the bane of any concert experience, tricking show-goers to pay just a little more than expected for their musical experience. Yo La Tengo is doing their part to sidestep some of these pesky add-ons while supporting their latest Popular Songs. Which is to say: the band’s upcoming January shows in middle-America will be delightfully easy on the wallet, each just $20 or less.... read more
Frightened Rabbit Comes Out of Hibernation for New Album
It’s cold out. Cold and dry, in a way that causes your lips to crack. Even your thickest scarf won’t keep the air from stinging your neck. But you’re inside, under a blanket, a cup of hot tea on your lap; you’re watching wood disappear in the fireplace. You’re comfortable, safe. That’s the mood of Frightened Rabbit’s music. And in 2010, just after the thaw of winter, we’ll get to hear some more of it; the perpetually-sweater-clad band will release it’s third album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, in March.... read more
Mattel Preps Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett and Debbie Harry Dolls
Mattel is setting the tone for a throwback Christmas by unveiling the first looks of its “Ladies of the 80s” collection, featuring doll versions of Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett and Debbie Harry.... read more
Pixies to Sell Recordings of U.S. Doolittle Shows
Although fans have already listened to Doolittle for two decades, the Pixies have found a new way to keep the classic album in the collective consciousness.... read more
Badly Drawn Boy Readies TV-Movie Soundtrack
Damon Gough, AKA: Badly Drawn Boy, is confirmed to compose the music for an upcoming U.K. made-for-TV film.... read more
Norah Jones: The Fall
Unexpected dance grooves from jazzy folk star As a jazz-adoring youngster, Norah Jones initially made her mark as a performer, her best-known songs written by others. Jones has since grown up as a songwriter on the biggest of stages, a challenge she’s tackled by turning inward, working with a set of regular bandmates and daring to whisper her increasingly pointed lines when others might over-emote.... read more
Best of What's Next: Harper Simon
Harper Simon can't help being caught in the great melodious wake of his father... read more
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 20 Best Live Acts of the…
The 50 Best Albums of the Decade…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
Download Harper Blynn's "Centrifugal Motion"
Blind Pilot - One Red Thread
B.O.B. - Put Me On
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
David Bazan - Hard To Be
Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Stay Zombie…
