Burned By The Sun........

Q: Who is your all time favourite dictator (dead or alive)?
A: My mum

Franz Ferdinand's new album should be out in the beginning of next year. It's worth checking out both parts of this interview where fans submitted the questions, as it's probably the most entertaining read of the past week. Sometimes I think stupid questions can uncover more about an artist's personality than serious questions.

Misc
- You knew it was coming eventually. Jeff Buckley's Grace is getting repackaged with a bunch of bonus material. Weirdest addition: a live version of "Kick Out the Jams".

- There's going to be a biopic about Nico. The film will be based on the Nico biography Nico: The End. It will, of course, feature the Velvet Underground during the time that she was in the group.

- The Blood Brothers finished up work on their latest album, Crimes, and are touring this summer.

- Here's a rundown of the Ivor Novello Award Winners. Radiohead won International Achievement, and the guys in The Darkness won Songwriters of the Year.

- The nominees for the LA Weekly Music Awards have been announced.

- This has nothing to do with music, I just think it's entertaining. Some elementary school teacher who was getting a ton of abuse from a bunch of a bunch of snotty, rich parents (who said stuff like, at 6'6", he was too tall to teach little kids, and one parent accused him of giving her child a brain tumor) put his horrific experience into a book.

Finally, there won't be anything until Tuesday (maybe Monday), because I will be going up north to the charming little time-warped town of St. Ignace.

- The guy who brought us 'American Idol' is now working to revive American Bandstand. This is probably gonna suck.

- Oh, rock on tv...that reminds me....You may recall that awhile back I said Morrissey is a great performer. And just a few days ago I said that "The First of the Gang to Die" is one of the best songs of the year. If you happened to see Morrissey last night on Kilborn, you may think I'm on crack.

I can really just say two words: Bad Performance. Plus, music always sounds like crap on tv. So if you're cursing yourself for buying Lollapalooza tickets, don't. It will be better.

- Hmmm...I can't say I agree with this list of albums to be banned from college dorms. But then again, maybe the people I lived with were too stupid to appreciate the Rage Against the Machine and Miles Davis. Actually, I think most of them were too stupid to appreciate anything other than the Dave Matthews Band, Weezer, and John Mayer. All albums by those artists would be banned from dorms on my list, along with any kind of jam band or anything that remotely sounds like Dave Matthews. And reggae. All reggae will be banned too. That just goes without saying.


Who Is This Justin, and Why Should I Want to Party With Him?
Some intelligent t-shirt choices for teen girls, as seen in a Kohl's in Novi, MI:

"If I throw a stick, will you go get it?"

"Boys are like crayons, some are brighter than others"

"How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?"

"Sure, Okay, Yeah, Whatever...Blah Blah Blah"

"I Partied With Justin"

"Justin's Future X-Girlfriend"

"Handle Your Scandal"

And I didn't think it could get any worse than those "Princess" shirts! Practically every shirt in the teen section asserts the superiority of the wearer by slagging everyone else. How wonderful it must be to be in middle/high school right now!

Ignoring the Computer Isn't Going to Make It Work Better
So I'm going to try to start posting every weekday again. Plus, I have an idea for a new segment (well, that's what it would be called if this were a tv variety show). But for now, the news.

Hives Tour Dates
Can be found here. I'll be at the Detroit show if it kills me. And the Sahara Hotnights are opening!

Hopefully This Will Be Different From the Last Time He Checked Himself Out of Rehab
The NME reports that Libertines frontman Pete Doherty checked himself out of rehab over the weekend.

Misc.
- Morrissey is doing a week-long residency on the Craig Kilborn show, starting tonight.

- Interesting. Bright Eyes and Bjork are working on followups to their last albums. Possibly two albums apiece. The Bright Eyes album is already titled I'm Wide Awake It's Morning, and it's supposed to be out in January. However, there is a possibility of two albums, because some of the songs are the folk, country material we'd expect and others are more beat and groove oriented. For more on that, look here.

There isn't much Bjork info, just a comment she made in an interview that she's going to take the time off and do two albums in a row because sometimes she does her best stuff after the mixing process.

-You can watch the new Liars video (directed by Karen O) here. It seems to be keeping the Witch/forest themes of their album.

-The Chicago Sun-Times has a roundup of recent rock books. That Robert Johnson book sounds interesting; I never knew there was enough information available about the guy to fill a book. But it would be cool if it managed to get to the bottom of those soul-selling rumors.

-The Morrissey album is growing on me. I think "First of the Gang to Die" might be my favorite song of 2004 so far.

I think The Triceratops (my parent's ancient computer) may be on its last legs. It definitely needs a new mouse because it's taking me a half a minute just to get the arrow across the window. So if posting becomes sporadic, that's why.

I'm So Glad I Studied Greek Mythology So I Can Point Out All the Inaccuracies in Troy
I was going to post something at 4 or so, but then my brother, out of nowhere, demanded we go see Troy. So my mom and I, in an effort to shut him up, went with him to the 5 o'clock showing. The movie was okay, and didn't have that much in common with Homer's story. Which, I guess, was kind of a good thing, because if it did I would have known the whole movie ahead of time.

I was still mad that they cut the part about how Odysseus got Achilles to fight for the Greeks. You see, in the myth, Achilles' overprotective mother hears from an oracle that he will die in Troy, so she dresses him up like a girl and sends him to live with a bunch of women, in the hopes that the Greek army will never find him to recruit him. That same oracle says that the Greeks cannot win without Achilles, so Odysseus goes looking for him. Odysseus disguises himself as a merchant and takes a bunch of jewelry and some weapons to this town. While the women all flock to the jewelry, Achilles is drawn to the weapons. I think that would have been a funny scene. But I guess the writers didn't want the audience to see the macho hero dressed in drag in the beginning of the film.

Random, Half-Baked CD Opinions
Today I picked up the new Morrissey album. I like it, although I think the music on some of the tracks is a little limp ("Crashing Bores" sounded better in that live version that was circulating on the internet). I love the line on "You Know I Couldn't Last" where he sings "there's a cash register ringing/ and it weighs so heavy on my back." Yeah. I'm sure he feels very guilty. What with charging $50 per concert ticket and $30 for a t-shirt and all. Perhaps he would feel less guilty if tickets were only $20. Just a suggestion.

And yeah, I'm aware that he could just be kidding.

I picked up Jamie Cullum's Twentysomething because I love the title track, and it was only $7.99. I haven't really listened to it yet. Though I can say that Jeff Buckley's version of "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" is definitely better.

On my last trip to Amoeba I picked up the new Loretta Lynn and Icarus Line albums. I LOVE the Loretta Lynn CD. It's my second favorite album of the year (the first is Franz Ferdinand). My favorite tracks are "Women's Prison", "Van Lear Rose" and "Mrs. Leroy Brown". I've only listened to about half of the Icarus Line album, but it's great so far. You can never have too much raw, sleazy, druggy rock in your life.

I'm a little slow on getting to CDs I've purchased because I've taken, like, 20 CDs out of two different libraries and they're all due Thursday. So I'm listening to all of those too.

More Coachella Sets
Beck's and Kraftwerk's sets are available in AAC (better than mp3) format.

Oh, Dammit. Another Tabloid Headline.
This time it's 'Pete Libertine Goes Into Rehab'. In better news, the album is now in the mixing process and should be out this summer.

Test Your Useless Knowledge
The Guardian has a little Pixies quiz here.

Misc.

- Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has been hired by the BBC as its new composer in residence. So it sounds like he's going to write modern classical pieces for the BBC Concert Orchestra, and most of the stuff will appear on Radio 3. He has no formal training in classical music.

- Mandy Moore has signed a deal with Sire Records. She is now labelmates with the Von Bondies and Hot Hot Heat. A bit strange, no?

- Green Day's new album, American Idiot should be out in September.

So,I finally brought myself to use the dinosaur computer(which will now be referred to as 'The Triceratops').

"Some douche bag pilfers one of my drumsticks and then has the balls to ask me to sign it. Prick.
Another Dirtbombs Tour Diary in the Metro Times.

"All my best friends now are crack addicts."
Rolling Stone talks to Jeff Tweedy.

"A record as good as this only comes along once in a generation".
That quote is from Mick Jones, and it's about the new album by the Libertines. It's nice to know they're finally getting some work done as opposed to starting riots and robbing each others' apartments. Yeah, those antics are entertaining, but I'd rather hear a new record instead of read another tabloid headline.

And besides, no matter how many crazy stunts you pull, you will never be more insane than this band.

Franz Ferdinand Fight With Eminem's Bodyguard!
That's the exact headline the NME gave it. I posted it here too because it made me laugh. If you've seen Franz Ferdinand, you know that those guys are pretty skinny, and would be no match for some huge-ass bodyguard.

"I walked past a chink in the curtain and Eminem was doing his rehearsal," Kapranos told MTV. "This bouncer went. 'Hey you, keep walking', or something like that. Because of the attitude he had, I said, 'Say's who?' And this 28-stone guy is like, 'Says me'. Then it was such a like comedy moment.

"He came lumbering toward me like those old kind of wrestlers and we kind of collided and I thought I was going to go flying, but I just ended up being enveloped by all this flab. And then we just parted gently.

"Next thing, everybody round me just went nuts and I think Glen (Franz tour manager) knocked his hat off and Nick punched him in the face and then all these like security guys came and pulled him away. It was like school or something."

A quick news sweep yielded nothing but this:

There's finally some official word on that Cure summer festival tour, they're bringing the Rapture, Interpol, and Mogwai, as well as Cursive, Head Automatica, Muse, Cooper Temple Clause, Thursday and Melissa Auf Der Maur. Yeah, there's going to be a second stage. The tour starts July 24 in Florida, and ends August 27 in LA. There are more dates here.

Sorry, the Mp3s Had to Go
I go back home (Detroit. Okay, fine. Lame suburb of Detroit.) tomorrow night (red eye flight, fun!). I'm actually looking forward to going back, but I am not looking forward to being forced to use my parents' awful dinosaur of a computer. Naturally, I am unsure of its ftp capabilities, and I don't want to leave the same songs up for three months. So, there won't be any mp3s this week. If the dinosaur will cooperate, they will be back next week. If not, they'll be back sometime in late August.

In other news, I saw the band Snow Patrol on Friday during my last trip to Amoeba. They were pretty good live, though the record doesn't really do anything for me. Fans of the band may be interested to know that the lead singer recommended the Shins' latest album. And, of course, the obligatory "This store is fuckin' huge!" remarks were made.

And in other news, I hate packing. And moving.

Finally! Some Hives News!
Their new album, which is still untitled, should be out on July 20 on Interscope. "Idiot Walk" is the first single and a video was shot yesterday in Sweden. The single is scheduled for June.

And, most importantly, US tour dates begin in mid-July. If you've seen The Hives before, you know that they are awesome (and hilarious) live. If you've never seen them, I feel sorry for you, and you should do your best to get to one of these summer shows.

Speaking of July Album Releases....
Rilo Kiley's new album, More Adventurous, will be out, not on an EMI subsidiary, as were the rumors a couple months ago, but on the band's very own label, Brute/Beaute Records. So save the cries of "sellout!" for another band.

(link via Chromewaves)

Lollapalooza Additions
The Pixies will be doing two dates, July 22 in Ventura, CA and August 17 at Randalls Island, NY.

Wilco will be on three dates: 8/3 in Clarkston, MI (sadly, not the same date as Morrissey. Believe me, I checked), 8/6 in Toronto, and 8/10 in Cuyahoga Falls, OH.

PJ Harvey will be on the day one roster on some as-yet-unannounced dates.
The Lollapalooza tour itinerary is here.

Hey, my friend just told me that Nine Inch Nails actually has a functional website now. There isn't really any useful information regarding the new album or tour, but there's a lot of multimedia stuff. Even if you're not a huge fan, this review of the site is worth reading. My favorite wisecrack:

Moving on, the next section down the list is entitled "body of work", which is a clever alternative to "discography" in that it creates more of an illusion that Trent Reznor actually works.

- I find this hilarious. Seattle's alternative weekly The Stranger compiled a list of their 101 Favorite Restrooms.

- The Darkness are getting producer Mutt Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard) to work on their next album. Avril Lavigne says they're her first choice for a collaboration. Let's just hope that never materializes.

- The hell? This MSN gossip column says that representatives for Bob Dylan have contacted an American Idol executive to get him a spot as a guest judge next season. It also says that Paul McCartney was offered a judge slot in the next round, which he's still considering. Is this show really that big?

- The LA Weekly has one of the better Coachella reviews I've seen.

- Would you pay $104 million for this?



I wouldn't.

- Television used to be called The Neon Boys?? Here's an entertaining countdown of bands we love, and their terrible former names.

(link via Chromewaves)

Re: Muse Show
Man, it's a good thing I didn't take my camera.

If I had, it would be lying in pieces on the venue floor. Just like the numerous pairs of glasses and other items that fell victim to the circle pit.

Yes, there was a circle pit (fyi: it's where those big, sweaty guys spin around and beat the crap out of each other). And somehow I ended up in there. Apparently, LA Muse fans are out of their goddamned minds.

And it's great! Even if I had to struggle to see the band through all the tall guys, crowd surfers, and devil horn salutes.

There was this one huge guy who turned towards the pit (away from the stage), raised both arms in the air, and bellowed the words to "Time Is Running Out", like some kind of overzealous preacher.

And the band was totally fucking awesome. It was a sublime sonic assault of the highest order. I haven't seen a band deliver such brutal riffs and power since I saw Rage Against the Machine five years ago. In fact, the whole thing was a glorious throwback to my arena rock days. I feel fifteen again, and I was so giddy and hyper after the show that I walked/ran all the way back to my apartment (which I think is like, three miles. I'm not really sure.)

For what it's worth, I thought this peformance was better than the Coachella one, just because the band was more energetic and the audience was insane. And it made me remember how great moshing is. I think everyone should get in a mosh/circle pit at least once in their lives, but that's another rant for another time.

Okay, the review of Saturday at Coachella is up. And, as promised, there are the small video clips of Thom Yorke dancing. Sunday should hopefully be up sometime tomorrow. And, depending on the camera policy at the Mayan Theater, there may be some pictures of tonight's Muse show.

Also, I got some new mp3s for the week. I know absolutely nothing about them.

"Come Softly to Me/ Hushabye"- Astrud Gilberto

My friend borrowed this CD from his parents and was like, "You have to hear this song!" I like it. It's very mellow 50s malt shop.

"Love Bandit"- The Darts

I think I just got this off a random russian site. But it's an American song. And it's really 50s and campy, and the way the dude says "Looove Bandit" cracks me up.

I Love the Internet!
I've always wanted to own a show I attended on CD. Now I have two. The Pixies set from Saturday, and Radiohead's set. For the Radiohead one, you have to click "concerts du mois" and then "Radiohead". Then you have to rename the files to .mp3

Rock Star Does Coke!
Courtney Love tested positive for cocaine. Is this particularly important? Not really, but I can't help but feel kind of sorry for her. It must suck to get busted for doing something that zillions of people in this town do anyway. Hearing that someone did coke is like hearing that someone drank a beer. No one is surprised.

- The Guardian has an article about the insane fans who visit the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

Since it's a slow news day, I'll add a few things about Coachella.

- Radiohead were absolutely incredible. If you were there, you may have noticed that Thom started laughing during "Creep". What happened was that after he sang the line "I wish I was special", some guy in the front row, with a deep, booming voice yelled out "You ARE Special!" Everyone in the crowd who heard started cracking up, and at first Thom made this hilarious face, like people do when they're trying to stifle a laugh. But he laughed anyway, and then bemusedly muttered "Oh, this is funny."

- The funniest thing about Sunday would have to be when Nick Zinner (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, if you don't know) played guitar with Bright Eyes. It doesn't sound very funny, but you gotta imagine the visual. There are a bunch of midwestern-looking kids onstage in regular jeans and t-shirts who are drinking beer (at least Conor was), and in the back corner there's this skinny, pale kid with sunglasses, hair sprayed so it stands up, dressed head to toe in black. And he's smoking a cigarette.

Aw crap. I have to take a piano final in an hour or so. The piece is supposed to be memorized and um... as of right now, it isn't. So I better go. I'll try to get the Coachella review and some new mp3s up later today.

Coachella Pictures Are Up!

You can check them out here. If you're too lazy to click the link, or you have a really slow computer, here are a few of my favorites:





The really psychedelic one is Robert Smith. And yes, that is Nick Zinner onstage with Bright Eyes. Hopefully the written portion of the Coachella Recap will be up tomorrow.

Phew
When I started putting mp3s on my site, I had, like, 9 readers a day. Now, that figure has grown by more than 100 times, and since this happened I've been wondering if I was going to get into trouble for posting songs. I'll admit, I'm kind of paranoid.

So, when I checked my inbox a few minutes ago, and saw the subject header 'Dulcie Younger MP3', I thought, "Uh oh."

The email was actually from Dulcie Younger herself. Fortunately, she was really cool about the whole thing. She just asked if I'd post a link to her site, or her label's site, where people can order the album. Which is something I probably should have thought of anyway.

I just got back from Coachella. It was awesome, and I've got a ton of pictures (well, 174 to be exact. And some video of Thom Yorke dancing. I probably won't post everything.) and a bunch of stuff to tell you guys. I'm gonna work my ass off for the rest of today (and probably tomorrow too) to get this stuff up.

Misc.
- Here are even more Pixies dates, after their set on Saturday I can definitely tell you that seeing them live is worth your while.