Kings Of Leon - Premature Evaluation: Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night

In recent weeks there's been a lot of talk in these parts about Kings Of Leon's "Sex On Fire" and accompanying inexplicable video along with the Followill's good looks and the album art's two looks. Blow-dried hair and anxious riffs on venereal diseases (right?) do not a record make, so we decided to move beyond first impressions and to give the Tennessee boys' heavier, darker fourth album Only By The Night a thorough listen. Note: As part of our Kings Of Leon immersion, we also watched this recently posted "Sex On Fire" behind-the-scenes clip, which proves the video was just...

Guster - Guster to Debate New Material at Obama Benefit

Guster plan to debut a handful of newsongs at a fundraiser for Barack Obama. The group has spent 2008 off the roadworking on a batch of new songs while all three founding members of the group celebratedthe birth of their first child. The benefit will take place at Brooklyn,NY’s Music Hall of Williamsburgon October 7 also featuring performances by Andrew Bird, Fiery Furnaces, LesSavy Fav, Alina Simone and Martin Bisi. Comedians Lizz Winstead, Eugene Mirman,John Roberts, Heather Lawless, Kumail Nanjiani and Adira Amram will alsoperform. “The order of performers is random and we're likely to play a 5 songacoustic set,”...

The Jesus And Mary Chain - The Jesus and Mary Chain

Who could forget those immortal lyrics sung so eloquently by Death Cab's Ben Gibbard on their song "We Looked like Giants?" Ben, like many of us who grew up JAMC fans, knew the importance of this band born from Glasgow, Scotland, whose feedback fury and three minute love pop symphonies shook our world from the mid-'80s and on.

Some of you may have first heard the name Jesus and Mary Chain in the film High Fidelity when Jack Black's snobby record store clerk Barry scolds a customer for not owning any JAMC albums. "They always seemed really great is what they...

Lou Reed - Lou Reed - Lou Reed's Berlin DVD

Lou Reed’s ‘Berlin’ has been called one of the most depressing albums ever, yet it gained a lease of new life when Reed performed the album for the first time in 2006 for 5 nights in Brooklyn. Julian Schnabel, who describes the album as being the soundtrack to parts of his life has realised a striking film of the performance, which picks up on Reed’s narrative edge.

There is a definite DIY feel to the filming, despite the fact that a renowned director is in charge, in parts in feels like a dark school play with dishevelled characters and an angelic...

Bob Dylan - Two ‘brand new’ Bob Dylan songs up for free download

Back in 1991, Bob Dylan started a series of releases called the Bootleg Series, in which he’d punch out various B-sides, rarities and miscellaneous unreleased material. In October, he’ll release his 8th installment in the series, titled “Tell Tale Signs: Rare And Unreleased 1989-2006,” that comes in both a double and (limited edition) triple album. The three disc version of Tell Tale Signs includes a 150-page book, and some editions include a 7″ vinyl single with two tracks from the set. How’s that for Bob Dylan merch ?

The songs are gathered from various recordings, spanning across 17 years of activity...

Depeche Mode - Depeche Mode announces deal with EMI

EMI Music is thrilled to announce that it has signed an exclusive worldwide deal with multi-platinum recording artists Depeche Mode. EMI Music’s Mute label has been the best-selling British trio’s international home since 1981 when the label released the group’s debut single “Dreaming of Me” in the U.K. The new deal means that EMI Music will now release Depeche Mode’s music in the U.S. for the first time, as well as in the rest of the world.

Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode said: “We are so pleased to be continuing our relationship with Mute, and we feel very positive about the...

Kings Of Leon - Kings Of Leon: Too Sexy For Themselves

Kings Of Leon’s Caleb Followill has confessed to thinking the band’s new single, ‘Sex On Fire’, was “terrible”. Speaking to NME.com, the singer recalled writing the song and having to be convinced by his bandmates that it was any good.

He said, “I just had this melody and I didn’t know what to say. Then one day I just sang, “this sex is on fire” and I laughed. I thought it was terrible, but the rest of the band were like, ‘it’s good, it’s got a hook’. I was like ‘fuck off!’ but I ended up writing it.”

“There’s an element of...

Bob Dylan - This Week’s New Reviews: Bob Dylan, Oasis, Rise Against and More

The latest entry in Bob Dylan’s “Bootleg Series” leads the slate of new releases hitting stores today. Dylan’s Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8 collects three discs worth of outtakes, b-sides and live tracks from his late-career resurgence, starting in 1989. Mikal Gilmore says “This collection bears witness to Dylan’s reclamation of voice and perspective. He had been a singular visionary who upended rock & roll by recasting it as a force that could question society’s values and politics, but he relinquished that calling as the society grew more dangerous.” Click below for the complete write-up of Tell...

The Damned - The Damned to release So, Who's Paranoid? soon

The Damned have unveiled details on their new album. The record will be titled So, Who's Paranoid? and will arrive soon via record label The English Chanel. The label will release the album digitally on October 28th, followed by a physical release on November 17th in the UK and the 12th of December in the US. The record will feature 13 new tracks. The cover art on display on the band's website looks like it may be a placeholder, but you can view it here.The album follows up 2001's Grave Disorder.

Alicia Keys - Alicia Keys wanted Amy Winehouse to do the duet for Quantum of Solace

Alicia Keys says that Amy Winehouse should have been included on the new Bond theme, saying that she would have loved to record with Amy.

Amy was definitely in the running to do the new song, but the song was given to Alicia Keys and Jack White to screw up. Don’t get me wrong, Alicia has a great voice, but this just wasn’t her.

Amy was upset over not getting picked to sing the song and even threatened to release her Bond theme on the same day as the Keys/White track.

Alicia says that she would’ve liked to have shared the...