R.E.M. Disbands (Don't call it a break-up)

R.E.M. has just announced that they will no longer continue making music as a band. They're not breaking up as this is a group decision made by five musicians that have spent the past 31 years together. They've just decided that the time has come for them to move on. Cue the R.E.M. reunion tour in 2020.

R.E.M. was hugely influential to me in my musical evolution from a kid that listened to whatever his parents played and what was on radio into someone that sought out new music and listened less to what others told me and more to what spoke to me.
With that, I'm sad to see them go though I had long since realized they would never able to top what they did in the 80's.

Murmur (1983)
Reckoning (1984)
Fables of the Reconstruction (1985)
Lifes Rich Pageant (1986)
Document (1987)
Green (1988)

How could any band beat that streak? Six albums that changed the face of both college and mainstream radio. They were a giant part in bringing 'alternative rock' to commercial outlets. Dare I say more-so than any other American band. R.E.M. also brought a return to the simple idea that a band should put together a cohesive album as opposed to one gem surrounded by subpar filler tracks; this in the middle of the all to prevalent 'one hit wonder' plague of the 80's. They were and still are an American legend despite the lack of respect they receive by most in our time.

So, I say, "Farewell Guys. You had an amazing run and your brilliant music will outlive us all."


Click here for the NPR Article with quotes from the band.

Portishead Announce North American Tour!

10-01-02 Asbury Park, NJ - I'll Be Your Mirror Festival
10-04-05 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
10-07 Montreal, Quebec - Jaques Cartier Peir
10-10 Toronto, Ontario - Sound Academy
10-12 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
10-15 Mexico City, Mexico - Corona Festival
10-18-19 Los Angeles, CA - Shrine Auditorium
10-21 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
10-23 Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater
10-24 Vancouver, British Columbia - PNE Forum
10-27 Denver, CO - 1st Bank Center

Tickets for Seattle and Berkeley go on sale this weekend @ Ticketmaster.

Kaiser Chiefs: "We're Back."

Kaiser Chiefs have quietly released a video for a new song titled, "Little Shocks." There's no news of a new album and the only clue to anything forthcoming is on the Youtube page for the below video, stating simply, "We're Back."
We'll keep you updated as news progresses. As a band they've never matched the promise of their debut album but their subsequent releases were enjoyable enough post punk brit-pop. The new song doesn't really promise a return to Employment, but let it get past the first 30 seconds or so and it starts heating up. Check it out below:

Janes Says, "New Video"

Perry and Crew perform at the Google Developer's Conference

Perry and crew perform at the Google Developer's Conference
Jane's Addiction has debuted the first video/single from their upcoming studio album titled The Great Escape Artist. The video is fairly NSFW, so if you have uptight cubicle mates you might not want to watch it at the moment. It's nothing gratuitous, just the sillouette of a nude woman. NBD for most people but I thought you should be warned. The video for "End to the Lies" was put together by ShadowMachine Films, the  producers of Adult Swim’s stop-motion classics Robot Chicken and Titan Maximum.

The song is, well, it's a Janes Addiction song but it's not going to blow anyone away. By that I mean it's no "Mountain Song" or "Ocean Size;" which are the two songs I think it most closely resembles. There's something missing from "End to the Lies" for me but I don't know if that's just what happens when a band is 20 odd years past their prime or if its me being overly critical. I wouldn't say I have high hopes for The Great Escape Artist but I'm certainly curious to hear how it turns out. Honestly, I just hope they don't turn into the U2 or Rolling Stones of 90's alternative bands - churning out the same droll arena rock album after album or purely touring because their aging fans will still cough up $250+ for quasi-decent seats in a giant stadium. Of course, we have to wait until this fall to find out so without further ado, I give you the video for "End to the Lies;" which you can also purchase on iTunes as a single.

Little Dragon Announces Release Date Of Third Album

Little Dragon has announced they will release Ritual Union, their third full length studio album, on July 12th although they had hoped for a late June release. The band will have 7" singles of the title track available beginning June 26th for all the eager beavers.

So far, they've only released one song as a teaser. You can check it out below, but first, a tracklist.

01 Ritual Union
02 Little Man
03 Brush the Heat
04 Shuffle a Dream
05 Please Turn
06 Crystalfilm
07 Precious
08 Nightlight
09 Summertearz
10 When I Go Out
11 Seconds

Mayer Hawthorne Signs to Universal

Mayer Hawthorne, the indiesphere's reigning champion of blue-eyed soul, has signed to Universal. Rumors are that his major label debut will be released this fall with the title How Do You Do.

He recently released a free sampling of covers titled Impressions courtesy of Stones Throw. His version of Chromeo's "Don't Leave The Lights On" is more than worth the bandwidth. I highly suggest grabbing it here