Kings Of Leon's New Album, Come Around Sundown, Due In October

image source: tinypic

Kings of Leon have already finished the follow-up to their 2008 U.S. breakthrough Only by the Night. and it'll be in stores this fall. The brotherly band announced on Wednesday (August 4) that they would release Come Around Sundown on October 19.

The band's fifth album was produced by their trusted team of Angelo Petraglia and Jacquire King and was described in a press release as "yet another bold and expansive statement" from the Nashville-based quartet. Six million copies of Night, which also nabbed them four Grammy awards in February, have been sold worldwide.

The Kings finished a nearly two-year stint touring in support of Night in October 2009, and in February they began work on Sundown. They capped off the sessions in June, when they played to one of the largest U.S. audiences of their careers at the Bonnaroo festival.

Though they haven't talked much about how the new album will sound, drummer Nathan Followill said in May that Sundown might have a "darker" feel because it was recorded in New York. "And I'll be damned if we didn't go in there and make a fun record! It's got songs that are beachy, it's got songs that are a little more like our [debut full-length] Youth and Young Manhood days. ... We're super excited," he added.

They're already started previewing some of the new songs while on tour, including tracks that are tentatively titled "Immortals," "Radioactive," "Southbound" and "Mary." The Kings have also been playing a song fans have dubbed "Lucifer" since last year, though it's unknown if that one will make the new record.

Those songs are likely to keep sneaking into their sets as they play amphitheaters on a summer tour, which has already included a now-legendary gig in St. Louis last month. That show was cut short after three songs because pigeons in the rafters of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater bombed them with poop.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1645047/20100804/kings_of_leon.jhtml

MITNB

Band pays people to listen to their music

imagesource: myspace






As the old cliché goes, "You have to speculate to accumulate". Yet electro-pop duo The Reclusive Barclay Brothers seem to have taken the adage to the extreme by paying people to listen to their debut single ‘We Could Be Lonely Together'. 




We Could Be Lonely Together



100 randomly selected people who listen to the track will receive £27 each. That's a total of £2,700 they'll have to fork out, and it's not just their bank accounts that may suffer. "We were aware there would be an onslaught of negative comments from the media, music lovers from all denominations and people with an interest in the music business," they say on their website. So, is it a clever marketing strategy? Or, as they proclaim themselves, ‘a new low for music?'

As much as The Reclusive Barclay Brothers may profess that implementing their unique strategy "makes us feel a little bit ill", it's easy to see the benefits for them. Indeed, they won't be reclusive for much longer - their profile has been dramatically increased, and people are bound to listen to their track, whether out of curiosity or the chance to win some cash. £2,700 is a small price to pay for the publicity they've generated. 

But with illegal file-sharing and downloads effectively forcing artists to give away their music for free, what will the reaction be to a band paying people to listen to their work? Figures including Lily Allen have spoken about how hard it is for new bands to make a living, and one only has to remember the furore caused by Radiohead after they allowed people to pay as little as they liked for their ‘In Rainbows' album - something which, according to Manic Street Preachers bassist Nicky Wire, "devalued music". 

The Reclusive Barclay Brothers aren't the first to resort to desperate measures to drum up some interest, of course. In 2008, The Infadels gave away £5,000 to fans when they hurled the cash at them from a bus on Oxford Street, yet where are they now? Short-term publicity is no guarantee of long-term success; perhaps that's something The Reclusive Barclay Brothers should have thought of before chucking their money away - literally...




Source: http://new.uk.music.yahoo.com/blogs/behind_the_music/16696/band-pay-people-to-listen-to-their-music/

Band website: http://www.thereclusivebarclaybrothers.com/

I would call it a cheap publicity stunt, but at £2,700. It definitely ain't cheap.




MITNB

John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up!

FINALLY!  I'm been waiting for the album that defines 2010 and I think this is it.

About the video:

The Roots' music video which is made under direction hands of Rik Cordero to support their latest single "The Fire" has been debuted. It follows a group of men as they are led by army through a bloody, violent and hopeless march toward the unknown.

It chronicles a post-apocalyptic death march set in 1945 during the final stages of World War II in Europe. After a cataclysmic event renders the war futile, a paramilitary splinter group, led by a Kurtz-like figure known as The Commodore, forces the transfer of young men who will be used as labor...and food. The last survivor of the march receives a mysterious White Box which holds the key to survival.Featuring John Legend, "The Fire" is taken from The Roots' ninth studio album "How I Got Over". Rik said of the song as quoted by OkayPlayer, "[It] is one of my favorite tracks off HIGO and really feels like something you'd hear in the theater. The line 'you don't say good luck, you say don't give up' inspired me to create a period piece narrative that stays true to the lyrics while adding another layer to the interpretation." 

Tracklist:
01. Hard Times
02. Compared To What
03. Wake Up Everybody feat. Common & Melanie Fiona
04. Our Generation (The Hope Of the World) feat. CL Smooth
05. Little Ghetto Boy (Prelude) feat. Malik Yusef
06. Little Ghetto Boy feat. Black Thought
07. Hang On In There
08. Humanity (Love The Way It Should Be)
09. Wholy Holy
10. I Can’t Write Left Handed
11. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
12. Shine
John Legend & The Roots – Wake Up! In Stores September 21st.




Source: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00034241.html
http://www.thisisrnb.com/2010/07/john-legend-the-roots-wake-up-tracklist/#comments

Everything In-Between

Go behind the scenes and explore the three year journey of Imogen Heap's making of the Grammy Award winning album, Ellipse. Travel with Imogen as she invites you into her writing & recording process and building her brand new recording studio in her old family home.



imagesource: tinypic

Everything In-Between: The Story Of Ellipse is release on DVD on Aug 31st

Visit www.imogenheap.com to pre-order now!


Source: ontd

MITNB

African Music Award

That's the official African Music awards logo for this year. The press launch is next week, on the 14th of July and the main event is on the 15th of October. I can't wait till the nominations are announced, it is always a great chance to discover some new African music.




MITNB

Brandon Flowers solo UK tour

image source:tinypic

Brandon Flowers has told Xfm that he will be touring the UK this year in support of his debut solo album, ‘Flamingo’. His backing band is said to consist of friends and past-touring buddies, with a stage show that’s likely to grow steadily into the live extravaganza associated with The Killers.

“Yes, we’ll definitely be over this year”, he told Xfm. “I think it’s going to be very meat-and-potatoes at first. We’re going to learn the songs and then learn how to present them. A Killers song will creep in every now and then. It’s inevitable”.

And of his back-up band:

“It’s a collection of guys that The Killers know. They’re our friends that we’ve acquired over the years”.

Brandon’s, as-yet-untitled single will debut on radio in three weeks time, followed by album ‘Flamingo’ in September.

 Source

Cyndi Lauper has got the Memphis blues

If you have been watching 'Celebrity Apprentice', you would have either fallen in love with Cyndi Lauper and/or forgotten what an amazing singer she is. Her new album Memphis Blues is out on June 22, it is an album of cover and features the likes of B.B King, Allen Toussant and Johnny Lany. The first single from the album 'Just Your Fool' is already available on itunes. 


A free download of one of the songs from the album,'Crossroads' (feat. Johnny Lang) is available over at downtown music.

  

MITNB

Maroon 5 - Hands All Over

'Hands All Over’ Highly Anticipated Third Album Produced By Studio Legend Robert John "Mutt" Lange Set For Release on September 21st, 2010


Maroon 5 to kick off North American Concert Tour on July 30th


Los Angeles, CA, May 10th, 2010- GRAMMY winning recording artist Maroon 5 is back with their highly anticipated third studio album, Hands All Over (A&M/Octone), set for release on September 21st. Produced by rock studio legend Robert John "Mutt" Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard, The Cars), Hands All Over is a killer hybrid of rock, pop, funk and R&B. In addition, the album’s first single will impact radio on June 28th. Following the release of the single, Maroon 5 has announced plans for a summer concert tour that will encompass nearly 30 dates by the end of the summer. The tour is set to kick off on July 30th and will feature a rotating group of special guests including Owl City, Guster, Kris Allen, VV Brown and Ry Cuming (please see routing below). Tickets for select dates of the tour will go on sale Friday, May 14th.


Maroon 5 began writing the songs that appear on Hands All Over after winding down from a world tour in support of their 2007 studio release It Won’t Be Soon Before Long. Several months later, the band received a phone call from Lange, who had heard that the band were beginning to write a new album, and expressed an interest in producing it.


“We didn’t even talk to anyone else,” Adam Levine, Maroon 5’s frontman says. “Mutt is undeniably one of the most successful producers who’s ever lived.”


Jesse Carmichael, the band’s keyboardist, added, “Mutt really helped us play to the best of our ability. And it drove us to be bigger and better than ever.”


The result is Hands All Over, a monumental record chock full of buoyant, unforgettable melodies. Recorded at Lange’s Switzerland studio, the members of Maroon 5 locked themselves in the mountains to patiently craft their latest effort. Starting with the hard-rocking title track, the album’s 15 tracks take several intoxicating twists and turns including such compositions as “Out of Goodbyes,” a stunning country ballad infused with musical and vocal contributions from Nashville chart-toppers Lady Antebellum. Long-time fans will get a thrill out of “Misery,” with its funky guitars and high-stepping melody, as well as the propulsive “Stutter,” melody rich “Give A Little More” and “Don’t Know Much About That,” which professes a classic soulful vibe. 


Source: http://www.maroon5.com/news_detail/maroon_5_announce_2010_north_american_tour_and_new_album_hands_all_over/

Thomas Dolby Enlists Mark Knopfler, Regina Spektor, Imgoen Heap For New Album

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Thomas Dolby is "a good halfway through" his first new album in nearly 20 years, and he plans to have the first music from it out in June -- for his online fan club, at least.

Dolby tells Billboard.com that the "A Map of the Floating City" album -- which features guest appearances by Mark Knopfler, Regina Spektor, Imgoen Heap, Natalie McMaster, Eddi Reader and Camera Club's Bruce Woolley -- is comprised of three suites. "Amerikana" focuses on a fondness for American roots music Dolby developed while living in the United States for 22 years. "Oceanea" was inspired by "returning to my spiritual home" in the eastern coastline of England, while "Urbanoia" is "kind of a dark place, a dark city-state, so there definitely are some slightly more twisted songs on there."

Knopfler and McMaster perform on "17 Hills," which will be part of the "Amerikana" section. Reader and Woolley are part of "Oceanea's" title track, while Spektor portrays an Eastern European waitress in a song called "Evil Twin Brother."

Starting with "Amerikana" on June 12, Dolby will release all three parts to members of his Flat Earth Society at thomasdolby.com. The other two sections will come out as digital EPs during the year, and Dolby hopes to have the full "A Map of the Floating City" album, with additional tracks not released online, out "before the end of the year."

"I don't know how I'm going to release it, whether there will be a label involved or what," says Dolby, who's best known for his '80s hits "She Blinded Me With Science" and "Hyperactive!" "With technology making music so accessible to everyone right now...I still feel the music industry is important, and I'm sort of hoping a new entity will emerge that...really helps the artists get to the right fans. I'm near enough to the end of the album to be going out and talking to people in the business and seeing what's out there, hoping to form a partnership with somebody who can help me get the album out."

Dolby's last set of songs was "Astronauts & Heretics" in 1992. After that he took what he planned to be "a couple years' sabbatical" and devoted himself to working in Silicon Valley, developing technology platforms with companies such as Headspace, Beatnik Inc. and the award-winning Retro Ringtones LLC. But, he says, "eventually it became all about engineering and sales and it wasn't very interesting to me. I decided to get back to music -- frankly, I was missing it. And it was exciting again because of all the changes that were happening with amazing new toys, self-publishing and all of that. I really feel energized."

Although he's embraced those new technologies, however, Dolby says he took a decidedly old school approach while recording "A Map of the Floating City" in a converted, solar-powered 1930s lifeboat in the garden of his home.

"What I think I always did best was write songs that told a story...beyond the usual pop relationship songs," says Dolby, who started playing live again in 2006 and plans to tour in 2011. "I was using electronics, but I was looking for a lush sort of ethereal sound. I've come back to those songs, that storytelling that I do best. I'm focused on that rather than on the frills...so many of the songs on this album I could sit down and play on a piano like a singer-songwriter, and that was never the case, really, in the old days. The motto for this album has been 'only do what only you can do.'"


Source: http://www.billboard.com/#/news/thomas-dolby-enlists-mark-knopfler-regina-1004089295.story


Mark Knopfler, Regina Spektor, Imgoen Heap . . . I can't wait!