The hype surrounding Blur’s reunion shows has been rising since it was first announced, and now they are looking to add U.S. and European tours to their plans, which was originally only slated for U.K. dates. 

They already surprised us with the announcement of warm-up shows in London, but according to Billboard, the VP of Live Nation U.K., Steve Homer, said that Blur is looking into the possibility of booking  shows in other areas outside of the U.K. “They have been rehearsing for some time now, for several months,” Homer told Billboard. “…They are talking about some American shows still in the same time frame. There are possibilities of some European ones as well.” 

Blur has already scheduled a string of U.K. dates, and have seen an enormous response to their reunion, having two sold-out 50,000-capacity shows at Hyde Park in London in July, and headlining slots at the Glastonbury and T in the Park festivals. There is no word as to whether or not the band would be playing smaller, more intimate shows in the states, or sticking to the arena-rock settings they have signed onto with their U.K. tour. 

Alongside the announcement of possible U.S. and European dates, Blur is also set to release a double CD compilation, Midlife: A Beginners Guide to Blur, on June 15, according to NME. The new CD will have 25 tracks and is apparently aimed for those who missed the Blur’s first go-around (aka – people with no taste).

They released their latest EP last month, and we have been on a Suckers-love streak since our interview with them a few weeks ago, so we figured, why not stream their latest video for their new single “Easy Chair” for you?

With an ethereal blend of experimental sounds and pop-song progressions, it might be hard to deny that Suckers are a product-protege of Yeasayer’s Anand Wilder’s production skills. The Brooklyn foursome use a multitude of similar sounds — mainly from their use of multiple instrumentation as a technique to create a swarm of experimental sound — but the band still encompasses a vibe unique to them, taking on a more synthetic pop sound, which can be heard throughout their new EP. Along with Suckers’ having a seemingly obvious influence in their sound from Yeasayer, the band seems to be using a similar route of psychedelic visuals to accompany their surrealistic sounds as well, as seen within the video for “Easy Chair”. It might look like one of those iTunes visualizer tracks, but the concept is there and we have to say we like it. 

With the new EP out, Suckers will be heading out on the road this summer, and will even be opening for MGMT at Prospect Park this summer as part of Celebrate Brooklyn.

Suckers – “Easy Chair”

As we told you back in December, Boy George was sent to jail after being convicted for beating and imprisoning a Norwegian male escort. The Culture Club frontman was supposed to serve 18-months in jail, but the Karma police have awarded him with release after only serving four months.

George (seen above in better days) was found guilty of detaining a male escort, Audun Charlsen, in his London home, but was released from Suffolk’s Edmunds Hill Prison today because of good behavior. George is not getting off too easily though. The singer will be monitored with an ankle tag to keep track of his whereabouts. He will also have a curfew, which he will have to obey for the next 14 months.

This is not George’s first time in a violent relationship. He and Culture Club drummer Jon Moss were in a long term relationship that was known for being physical and verbally abusive, which many have linked to band’s downfall in 1986.

There is no doubt that Austalia’s Wolf & Cub will make you want to dance, with their forthcoming Dot Dash release coming this summer. Remixed by BFAM, the lead single “Seven Sevens” gets even more glossy.

After the success of their debut album, Vessels, Wolf and Cub recorded the new album, Science and Sorcery, with Chris Colonna, who took the bands early demos and helped shape their sound into the dark, dancey mix that is heard on tracks like “Seven Sevens”. Alongside the summer release of Science and Sorcery, Wolf & Cub will also be touring in support of their album. The band has already toured with the likes of TV On the Radio, The Killers, Queens of the Stone Age, Wolfmother and Primal Scream, so we are sure that their tour this time around will be just as promising as in the past.

Wolf & Cub “Seven Sevens” (BFAM Remix)

MP3 Download.

Modest Mouse had planned on shelling out a new 7″ single with two new songs for Record Store Day this past April, but it never happened. The anticipated 7″ is now ready for release, however, and will finally be come out on May 26.

The 7″ will be limited to 4,000 copies, and will include “Satellite Skin” and “Guilty Cocker Spaniels”. According to Pitchfork, each copy will be individually numbered on orange vinyl, with an embossed sleeve. If you can’t pick up the exclusive vinyl copy, you can still get the songs on iTunes as well. If you still can’t handle the anticipation of the release (though we have all been waiting for a while now, so a few more weeks isn’t too trying), “Satellite Skin” will be released on the band’s MySpace, May 15, and will be made into a music video soon as well.

In yet another case of “Why the hell not in America?”, the U.K. government has started up a new initiative that would give the music industry 26 million pounds to help create new jobs during the recession.

James Purnell, the U.K.’s culture secretary, has said that 50 million pounds have been allotted to the creative industry to try and help create new jobs. The U.K. is giving half of the money to the music industry, in hopes that they will use their popular festival circuit to create over 200 new jobs. The U.K. (like America) has seen their festival scene explode in recent years, gaining immense popularity and producing revenues from festivals like Reading and Leeds, and Glastonbury.

The government is taking the money for the new initiative from the Department of Work and Pensions, and according to Gigwise, they will be continuing to create more jobs in different sectors of the music industry in the future. [via The Daily Swarm]

Bringing back their lo-fi, garage-pop appeal, Cause Co-Motion! is preparing to release a six-track record this week, as a follow up to the 2008 compilation release, It’s Time! As a preview of what you will hear from the band off of the new release, we are streaming the band’s single, “You Lose”.

Because Because Because will be released on May 12, on Slumberland Records, and since we gave you their last single, “Who’s Gonna Care?”, and a live video performance of “Which Way Is Up”, we figured to keep it rolling with the first single from the EP. “You Lose” showcases Cause Co-Motion’s evolution from album to album; showing the balance the band has found with their open approach to arranging and space. Alongside the release of Because Because Because, Cause Co-Motion! is playing a host of three shows this upcoming week as well.

Cause Co-Motion tour dates
05.14.09 – Columbus, OH (Wexner Center)
05.15.09 – Ann Arbor, MI (Arbor Vitae)
05.16.09 – Chicago, IL (University of Chicago)

Cause Co-Motion! – “You Lose”

Metallica and The Beatles have both been turned into video game heroes; and now it’s Van Halen’s turn to jump on the Guitar Hero wagon.

According to Billboard, the scheduled release for the new Guitar Hero: Van Halen game is scheduled for release at the end of the year. The Van Halen tracks that will be on the game have not been released yet, but we are hoping “Runnin’ With the Devil” and “Dance the Night Away” will be included, for the ultimate in pretend fret-board tapping fun. We are curious if the makers of the game will give players the option to choose past members of the band as their Guitar Hero avatars, because we can’t imagine virtually simulating Van Halen licks without an option to play as Sammy Hagar. No matter what, fans can pretend to shed an axe like Eddie.

When we caught wind of the title of Wilco’s new album, Wilco (The Album), we accepted their seemingly mundane decision and hoped that the new album would be the staple of all Wilco records — because come on, if it is going to take you seven albums to finally make one self-titled, it better be a zinger. Well, we might have to rethink our thoughts on this one, because we caught a glance at the band’s new album art.

Alright, so it is not the antithesis of the worst album art ever, and some might deem it actually pretty cool, but it is not what we were expecting from the alternative-folk rock band, whose previous albums’ artwork screamed simplicity. Wilco (The Album) instead is a picture of a party no one wanted to go to; adorned with a camel in a party hat, empty chairs and an orange birthday cake.

At this point in time, we are going to take the album artwork in stride, hoping that after 14 years of making albums, the band finally wanted to let loose a little and show they are not just those serious guys we have seen in all of their documentaries. Wilco (The Album) will be available on June 30, off of Nonesuch. [Via Pitchfork]

Coldplay has said enough is enough with all the copy-catting banter that has been circulating around their song “Viva La Vida”. As we previously reported, both Cat Stevens and Joe Satriani have accused the pop-rock musicians of ripping off their music. The band has adamantly denied the accusations and now Will Champion, the band’s drummer, has a message for them both: “there are only eight notes in an octave and no one owns them.”

In an interview with Hamptonroads.com, Champion was insistent that Coldplay was innocent, and had no intention of having “Viva La Vida” sound anything like either Satriani or Stevens’ songs. He also added that pop song writing is relative, and it is undeniable that some songs are going to use some of the same chord progressions as others. (Thank you Champion for reiterating our point.)

In a statement Champion said: “It’s tough when people accuse you of stealing something when you know that you didn’t. We accept that it’s part of the territory and know it is only for some reason the successful songs that seem to be the ones that are accused of being stolen. So you go figure it out. There are elements of our music that I’ve heard in other people’s music, but a very difficult thing to define. There are only eight notes in an octave and no-one owns them. There are probably about 12,000 songs that feature the exact same chord progression. I think it [plagiarism] lies on an intent to steal, which we certainly have never done and never would. It’s unfortunate but it’s the way people are. That’s that. We’re confident we haven’t done anything wrong.”

As we have told you in the past, Graham Coxon’s talents go well beyond plucking the strings of his guitar. The former-now-current Blur guitarist is also an artist and has been known for designing his album artwork. But for his latest single “Sorrow’s Army”, due out later this month, Coxon will be doing things a bit differently; exclusively releasing a limited number of original Coxon-designed prints alongside the digital download.

We can attest to the fact that Graham Coxon is a cool guy, which is why it doesn’t surprise us that the release of “Sorrow’s Army”, which is due out May 18, will not come as a physical record, but instead released in a series of limited (1000 to be exact) hand-numbered, original art prints (pictured above) that will come with a unique code to access to the downloadable track. Prints can be pre-ordered online or purchased at select indie record stores.

Alongside the release of his new single and album, The Spinning Top, Coxon is also playing a number of solo U.K. dates, as well as playing a number of shows with his recently reunited band, Blur, later on this summer.

The latest album from The Gossip will not be available until late June, but the dance-punkers have a new single out, “Heavy Cross”, and we are unleashing the song via an unofficial video for you to preview.

Known for their advocacy of same-sex marriage legalization, The Gossip’s new album, Music For Men, due out on June 22, is more than likely going to be a testament to their stance on the subject — especially if “Heavy Cross” gives any hint of what the rest of the album will sound like. Aside from the heavy hit of Beth Ditto’s lyrics and head-bopping beats, the ‘unofficial’ video for “Heavy Cross” contains a host of visuals that sent us right back to the 80s; with flashbacks to the early days of MTV, when dark choppy video imaging and the Eurythmics ruled the airwaves. Music For Men will be Gossip’s fourth studio album.

The Gossip – “Heavy Cross” (Unofficial Video)

You might want to refer to him as Professor Coyne from now on, because the Flaming Lips frontman is getting back to the classroom basics this August. The now veteran musician will be teaching music to students at the University of Central Oklahoma, as part of a new music program set up for the college. At least he has the hair to fit the part of the nutty professor.

The Oklahoma university has set up a new Academy of Contemporary Music, which is focused on giving students an in-depth look at the music industry from seasoned professionals. The school is enlisting the help of industry giants like Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen’s producer) and Warner Bros. Records General Manager Tom Biery among a few others, who will be teaching classes in guitar, bass, drum, and vocal performance, as well as music production.

Scott Booker, who is head of the Flaming Lips’ artist management company, is the head behind the new academy. Working alongside the university and state officials, Booker was able to bring the new academy to Oklahoma, with the help and partnership of the U.K’s Academy of Contemporary Music, which was founded in 1995, according to PopMatters.

The new program will provide some of the best music industry education available at a collegiate level, and classes will take place off of, you guessed it, Flaming Lips Alley in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown district. The idea of Coyne in a classroom is not that ridiculous of an idea, but we’re pretty sure Win Butler probably won’t be signing up on Coyne’s class anytime soon.

Jeremy Enigk, former frontman of Sunny Day Real Estate and Fire Theft, is continuing life on the solo road. After releasing two well-received solo albums, the singer/songwriter is ready to put out his latest — OK Bear — so we are streaming the first single off of the forthcoming album, “Life’s Too Short”.

OK Bear is set for release on May 12 on Enigk’s own label, Lewis Hollow Recordings. The album is a strong representation of the evolution Enigk has made through his solo career, backing away from the orchestral feel of his two prior albums, Frog Queen, and World Waits, but as “Life’s Too Short” shows, Enigk has not abandoned his his ability to write dynamically clenching melodies.

Explaining the new sound he has displayed on OK Bear, Enigk said, “Over the years I have really pushed a more polished sound enveloped in a big reverb. I really started to miss some of the qualities of my earlier recordings where the vocals were right in your face. So this was a goal.” And a seemingly accomplished goal it is, having a concise, clearer sound than before, as exemplified by “Life’s too Short”.

Jeremy Enigk – “Life’s Too Short”

A little over a month ago, indie rock veterans The Shins announced the contract between their label, Sub Pop, and themselves had expired and the band was taking a “writing hiatus.” Now, Shins’ frontman James Mercer has revealed that the band has had some major line-up changes, as well as some news of a new Shins album coming out on Mercer’s own label.

In an interview with Pitchfork, Mercer gave up the details about the new switches within the band. Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse will now be replacing Jesse Sandoval as the drummer for the Shins, and Ron Lewis of Fruit Bats, will be joining the band on bass, while keyboardist Marty Crandall has also left the Shins behind.

The new line-up was revealed at Western Washington University this past Saturday night, when the crowd saw the band sans Crandall and Sandoval. Mercer told Pitchfork that he, Crandall and Sandoval had all been playing together since the mid-90s, originally with Flake Music, and it was time to shuffle the line-up around a bit.

“I started to have production ideas that I wanted to do that basically required some other people,” he said. “It’s mainly about that. It’s an aesthetic decision. It’s kind of hard to talk about stuff like that, isn’t it? Because I don’t want to bum anybody out. I’m on good terms with those guys, I hope to maintain that.”

Now, Mercer and his new band mates are touring together as well as recording the new Shins album, which has an estimated release date for early next year. The album will be released on Mercer’s own label, Aural Apothecary, instead of the band’s forever-long label partner, Sub Pop.

Alongside the new switch up within the Shins, Mercer has been focusing his energy on other various projects as well, including a co-starring role with Carrie Brownstein in Some Days Are Better Than Others, collaborating with Modest Mouse on a soundtrack for the film 180 Degrees South, and appearing on the forthcoming Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse album.

The Specials have already hit a bump in the road on their 30th anniversary tour. The U.K. 2-tone band who recently reunited had planned a five-night reunion gig at London’s Brixton Academy, but had to cancel their opening night date due to health complications.

Terry Hall, the Special’s singer, had to cancel the show just hours before it was supposed to start, after he was ordered to rest due to a throat infection, according to Billboard. The Specials have rescheduled the show’s date to May 16.

The band released a statement saying they deeply regretted any inconveniences they may have caused their fans because of the show cancellation, but are “optimistic that the remaining shows at Brixton Academy will go ahead as planned.”

The Specials, who reformed after their split in 1981 just to play the U.K. tour, still plan to play their May 7, 8, 11, and 12 gigs at the Brixton Academy. Lets just hope Terry Hall is really only suffering from throat complications and not the ever-dreaded Swine Flu.

Jack White is getting around these days. White recently had the opportunity to work with one of his all-time influences; the Dex Romweber Duo — whom White notes as one of the best kept secrets of the rock ‘n’ roll underground. The results of this union will be released as a 7″ in late May on White’s new label, Third Man.

White and the infamous rockabilly musician Romweber teamed up last week and threw down some tracks in White’s Nashville home. White produced the track and it was engineered by Vance Powell. According to an interview with Sara Romweber, the drummer for the duo, the collaboration between the two was a long time coming, saying, “At one point, Dex was in the room with his guitar and Jack was behind the control board. Jack had the biggest smile on his face and he said, ‘You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear that guitar tone in my studio.’”

Along with the release of the new 7″, Dex Romweber is also heading out on the road with the Detroit Cobras for a U.S. tour, and is also releasing his latest record, Ruins of Berlin.

As we told you about two months ago, Woodstock promoter Michael Lang was in search of a spot to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. And after scoping out Prospect Park’s Long Meadow for the event, it has now been confirmed that the festival will instead be getting back to its roots; taking place at its original location in Bethel Woods, with a handful of the original performers added on to the roster.

According to the Associated Press [via The Daily Swarm], the event will once again take place at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on August 15. The arts center was built upon the dairy farm which hosted over 400,000 people at the festival in 1969. Among the performing acts for this year, The Levon Helm Band, Jefferson Starship, Big Brother and the Holding Co., Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Mountain, and Country Joe McDonald, will all be performing as veterans from the original Woodstock line-up.

Woodstock ‘09 will be the first big Woodstock festival since 1999, when bands like Insane Clown Posse, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock all performed, and riots, looting, fires and reports of rape all took place. Lang wanted to steer clear of riot-mentality the bands at the ‘99 festival seemed to instigate, which took away from the free peace and love mentality of the original festival.

We saw Portland’s Starfucker’s synth-fueled show just a week ago. But if you haven’t gotten a chance to see them, then take a look and a listen to the band’s video for their single “Medicine” off of their new album Jupiter.

Aside from just being an all around catchy song, the surrealistic black and white visual stimulation of the video is enough to get anyone entranced by Starfucker’s presence. They might have a semi-ridiculous band name, but aside the disco-lite beats and synthetic melodies the band carries an air of subtle sophistication and wit (as demonstrated by the philosophical text being read aloud at the end of the track) that can be heard echoing throughout the majority of the tracks on Jupiter. Plus, it is one of those undeniable tracks that will have you secretly dancing in the confines of your room when no one is watching.

Starfucker – “Medicine”

We are not really sure how she managed to sing “Locomotion” and never make it to the U.S. to tour, but Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue, has finally announced the dates of her first ever North American tour. Minogue will be making a six-show run through the U.S. and Canada starting in late September.

The first show of Minogue’s tour will kick off on September 30 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, CA and will end on October 11 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Tickets for the tour go on sale on the weekend of May 15.

“I’ve wanted to tour in America and Canada for years and know that fans have been waiting a long time for this,” said Minogue. “I’m thrilled that the opportunity has finally arrived.”

Minogue is currently recording her 11th studio album and will be performing on the Today show on May 8. In the past, Minogue has seen blossoming success around the globe, having been on eight sold out world tours, but has struggled to gain as strong of a fan-following in the U.S. “Kylie has such a successful career outside of North America that it has taken quite a while to find a window in her schedule for the U.S. and Canada,” said Bill Silva, Minogue’s tour promoter. “Her amazing fans in North America will be well rewarded for their patience when they experience her show and its entire spectacle. We are confident in the tour’s success, and hope that Kylie will make this the first of many tours to our shores.”

Kylie Minogue North American tour dates
09.30.09 – Oackland, CA (Fox Theater)
10.03.09 – Las Vegas, NV (The Pearl)
10.04.09 – Los Angeles, Ca (Hollywood Bowl)
10.07.09 – Chicago, IL (The Congress Theater)
10.09.09 – Toronto, ON (Air Canada Centre)
10.11.09 – New York, NY (Hammerstein Ballroom)

Brighton’s Loop Festival is back for its third round of musical mayhem this July. The line-up has been announced, and it is promising to showcase a wide spectrum of talent that we approve of. With headliners like Fever Ray, mum, and our bowling partners Telepathe.

The Loop Festival will take place on July 11-12 around various Brighton venues, and is split into two parts: Loop Live and Loop Late, where DJs spin after the bands have wrapped up their sets. Along with the aforementioned headliners, Tripwire favorite Emiliana Torrini along with The Qemists, Datarock, Squarepusher, and a wealth of others will be playing the two day event.

Tickets for the festival are already on sale, and give event goers the option to purchase a two day Loop Live pass, a weekend ticket, or single day tickets. The Loop Festival began in 2007, and has since been a showcase for cutting edge digital art and culture; hosting not only music, but Loop films, installations and audiovisual programming around the event as well.

The Loop Festival line-up to date
Datarock
Emilíana Torrini
Esser
Fanfarlo
Fever Ray
Fujiya & Miyagi
Hatcham Social
James Yuill
Joakim and the Disco
Matthew Herbert Big Band
múm
Plugs
Riton
Samim
Squarepusher
Telepathe
The Glimmers
The Invisible
The Juan Maclean
The Qemists
The Sian Alice Group
The XX
Tunng
We Have Band
Zomby

Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne has waved the white flag in the battle of indie-egos. As we told you back in March, Coyne had dissed the Arcade Fire pretty badly in an interview with Rolling Stone, fueling Arcade Fire’s Win Butler to verbally strike back. Now, Coyne has apologized for his words in Rolling Stone, and said the statement he made was misunderstood.

According to an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Coyne said he never meant his rude remarks to be aimed at the members of the Arcade Fire themselves, but at the people running their stages at a couple of festivals. Coyne said he wishes the incident never happened, and that he feels really bad about it.

“I like enough of their music,” Coyne said in the interview. “The idea that I’m somehow against them… I’m not!”

We are waiting for Win to give the yay or nay on Coyne’s most recent remarks, but it should put most of this silly argument to rest. If not, the next logical step after Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly would be for Coyne to speak with TMZ, and we all know what would happen then.

Meg White is getting hitched. The White Stripes drummer will be tying the knot with Patti and Fred Smith’s son, Jackson (you guessed it) Smith of Back in Spades, later this month in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the couple have been engaged since early this year, but they are planning on keeping the wedding small, so it can be just about the two of them. White and Smith have set the date for May 22
.
White’s marriage to Smith will be her second, since she was previously married to her band mate, Jack White, for four years, up until 2000. White also ran into some controversy two years back, after she allegedly appeared in sex tape that was spread around the internet. The video was later proven to be an undeniable fake.

Right now the White Stripes are on a hiatus, while Jack and Meg focus on their own separate projects, but it is worth noting that according to the Detroit Free Press article, Jack will be attending the wedding.

Later this week, The Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York City will be hosting a slew of speakers who will be addressing a discussion of art, music drama and meditation and understanding the creative act through spirituality, as a benefit event for Jewel Heart. The four guest artists will be debating the relevance of art and spirituality in our times right now.

Among the speakers are Philip Glass, who wrote the film scores for movies like Notes on a Scandal and The Truman Show, Michael Imperioli, who protrayed Christopher Moltisanti in The Sopranos as well as writing Summer of Sam, Francesco Clemente, an artist who has been featured at the Guggenheim in both New York and Bilbao, and Gelek Rimpoche, who is recognized as an incarnate lama at age four and is the founder of Jewel Heart.

Jewel Heart is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1987 by Rimpoche. Its purpose is to support the preservation of Tibetan culture and Buddhism. The benefit event for Jewel Heart is $25 per person.

He writes music to heal by, has one of the most majestic beards we have seen in a while and we just spoke to him, so we figured it was worth mentioning that William Fitzsimmons will be putting out a new Live EP in June.

The seven-song EP entitled William Fitzsimmons: Live Sessions From Downtown Studios will be released on June 16 on iTunes. As you might have guessed, all of the songs on the live EP were recorded at Downtown Music’s SOHO studio in New York, in front of a small and literally live studio audience. The new EP is being released on the heels of his critically acclaimed album, The Sparrow and the Crow, which came out last September.

Along with the release of his new EP, Fitzsimmons is also embarking upon a European tour next week. The singer/songwriter will be kicking off the 11-date tour on May 10 at the Frannz Club in Berlin, Germany

05.10.09 – Berlin, Germany (Frannz Club)
05.13.09 – London, UK (Bush Hall)
05.14.09 – Brighton, UK (The Great Escape Festival)
05.15.09 – London, UK (Barden’s Boudoir)
05.16.09 – London, UK (Regal Room)
05.17.09 – Frankfurt, Germany (Brotfabrik)
05.18.09 – Munich, Germany (Hansa 29)
05.20.09 – Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (Den Atelier)
05.21.09 – Paris, France (Cafe De La Danse)
05.22.09 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Paradiso)
05.23.09 – Brussels, Belgium (Ancienne Belgique)

In March, the editors over at Nerve posted their picks for the Forty Sexiest Frontwomen in Rock History, and after receiving a bit of flack for their picks, the editors have struck again; only this time (more importantly) with the Forty Sexiest Frontmen in Rock History.

Unlike most ‘hottest whatever in rock’ lists, Nerve has managed to avoid sticking to the ties of classic cliches, keeping Sting away from the number one position, and instead making the tantric Police frontman stay put at number 26. Sure, Sting is sexy, but we don’t think he’s the sexiest frontman that has ever walked on a stage, but we have to say we think he is far sexier than Bono, (can we please think back to the Joshua Tree-era when he had a mullet?), who landed at 24. We are calling Nerve out on their Bono pick as a major league strike.

Also on the list, Red Hot Chili Pepper’s frontman, Anthony Kiedis at number 21, Jeff Buckley and Kurt Cobain helped round out the top 15, while Bruce Springsteen landed himself at lucky number 7 on the Sexy Man list. We will keep any bias we might feel towards Bruce out of the way, only to say that still after the days of his prime, the New Jersey boy is still looking quite nice (though he’s old enough to be some of our fathers).

Finally, to top off the list the Nerve editors chose Morrissey as their number three, David Bowie as their number two and Prince as their ultimate hot man. Personally, we would have much rather seen Mr. Glenn Danzig at number one (opinions of the writer do not reflect those of The Tripwire) than a man who has referred to himself as a symbol. At least they didn’t throw Michael Jackson onto the list.

To see the full list, click here.

The Beastie Boys’ 1992 record Check Your Head became a milestone in the groups career. Reintroducing live instrumentation into the trio’s sound, it has become a must-have album for any music collection. So it only makes sense that seventeen years after it’s original release, the classic album has been remastered and reissued as a 4 LP set with extra B-Sides added into the mix. It was released early last month, but don’t worry if you haven’t got your hands on a copy yet, because we’ve got one you can win it for free.

One lucky winner will be chosen at random to win both the LP and CD versions of the Check Your Head reiussue and the unreleased B-Sides. To be clear, it would be CYH on vinyl (2 LPs) and CYH on CD (2 discs). All you have to do to enter is e-mail us here with the subject of “Check Your Head” and your full contact info*. The contest will run until this Friday, May 8. So enter now, cross your fingers and drool with us over this video of the ultra-deluxe 4 LP 180HQ vinyl version packaged in a fabric-wrapped hardcover coffee table book case and limited to 2000 copies (not the copy we’re giving away unfortunately).

For further info on the reissue, go here

*Please provide e-mail and full mailing address. E-mail addresses not already on our mailing list will be added. Contest officially ends at 6 p.m. EST on Friday, May 8th.

Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox’s side project Panda Bear has been featured in the award winning short-film, I Had A Dream I Went to Coney Island, by Sherwin Akbarzadeh. The film recently won the Spike Lee Mini-Masterpiece at the second Babelgum Online Film Festival.

The track, “A Musician and a Filmmaker” is from Panda Bear’s 1998 self-titled debut and is used to accompany Akbarzadeh’s vision of New York’s Coney Island on 8mm film. The track helps accentuate Akbarzaeh’s surrealistic view of the iconic New York attraction, which is home to Siren Fest and the ever-famous roller coaster, the Cyclone.

Regardless of his obvious fascination with Coney Island, Akbarzadeh is actually an Australian-based award-winning filmmaker who has recently been focusing on music videos and video installation pieces.

While you are drinking Coronas and pretending you remember what Cinco de Mayo is really all about (and no, it is not actually about sombreros and cheap beer), you might want to pick up a copy of Akron/Family’s new album, Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free, which is due out tomorrow on Dead Ocean Records. In preparation for the anticipated release, we decided to give you a blast of the band’s new track, “River” (just in case you are one of the few who didn’t already hear the album when it was leaked).

Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free, is Akron/Family’s fourth full-length release, and even though the band is sans founding member Ryan Vanderhoof, the album still upholds the classic Akron/Family vibe, with its modern American-folk feel and sound. Despite such evolutions since their last full-length release, “River”, the second track off of the new album, exemplifies the fluidity of sound heard from the trio throughout the rest of the album, giving you an accurate representation of what you will be hearing from the rest of the new tracks.

The new album was leaked in February, but if you are one of the admirable few who resisted the temptation to hear the new material, then you have much to look forward to with tomorrow’s release.

Akron/Family – “River”

Chris Martin and co. seem to have mastered the art of the generic pop-rock song when they wrote the title track for their last album Viva La Vida. Why else would the British alt-rockers keep finding themselves under scrutiny from other musicians accusing Coldplay of ripping them off? First it was Joe Satriani, claiming the foursome stole the melody for “Viva la Vida” from his song “If I Could Fly”, but now Cat Stevens has joined in on the drama, claiming the band actually ripped off the melody from his song, “Foreigner Suite”.

Unlike Satriani, Stevens has not said he will take legal action against the group, but the musician told The Sun that he is the real inspiration behind Coldplay’s music. Though this claim might seem a bit more plausible than the Satriani case, (can’t you envision Chris Martin rocking out to Cat Stevens over Joe Satriani any day?) we have to say, it is probably one more instance in pop song writing, where a generic melody takes the shape and sound of some other melody that was already written. It is the risk you run when in pursuit of writing a three-chord hit, too bad Coldplay just found a bit more success than their accusers while doing so.

This is not the first time Stevens has been a victim of song writing copy cats. In 2003, Stevens and The Flaming Lips agreed to split the royalties from the Lips’ song, “Fight Test” after it was said to be too similar to Stevens’ 1970 song, “Father and Son”. Even though Stevens doesn’t seem interested in pushing legal action against Coldplay, let this be a note to Chris Martin while in the studio: Just let Jon Hopkins and Brian Eno write all of your songs.

Living on conspiracy island with Biggie and Elvis for the past thirteen years must have finally gotten to Tupac Shakur, or at least that’s what TMZ would have us believe. According to the celebrity gossip/paparazzi Website, the “allegedly” dead rapper has come out of hiding and they found him in a bar in New Orleans this past weekend, and of course they have the pictures to “prove it.”

Under the title “Tupac Lives,” TMZ posted three photos of the alleged “Tupac” surrounded by a group of people in the New Orleans bar. The notorious rapper was killed in a shootout 13 years ago, but since his death, people have speculated whether or not he is actually deceased — especially since his last album was named for the Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, who is believed to have faked his own death. Friends and family of the late-rapper are very upset by TMZ’s claims that Tupac is actually living, according to RapWeekly.com.

The rumor mills have been abuzz with theories about the mysterious Tupac doppelganger. Could it really be Tupac? If it is, the rapper sure hasn’t aged in the past 13 years, but the resemblance is pretty uncanny. We are waiting for TMZ to release the pictures of Biggie, Elvis and Amelia Earhart soon too. If Tupac left the island, they’re bound to come off sometime soon too.

If you want to look at the pictures and decide for yourself whether or not Tupac has resurrected, go here.

Just last month, Trent Reznor and his Nine Inch Nails pals were at the top of their tech-savvy high horses, ready to bring us 24/7 fan coverage, updates and info about the band right to the touch of our finger tips with their new NIN iPhone application. The band seemed to be the on the cutting edge of social networking innovation, but a recent application update has instead been rejected by Apple INC, according to Reznor’s Twitter.

On his Twitter Reznor wrote, “Apple rejects the NIN iPhone update because it contains objectionable content. The objectionable content referenced is The Downward Spiral“. We’re wondering if anyone at the ‘cutting edge’ and ‘hip’ company are actually familiar with the band, because if anything, The Downward Spiral is the album that brought the band to heightened success with its controversial lyrics and questionable video content. Even so, it’s not as bad as the iSnort app.

Feeling frustrated with Apple’s verdict, Reznor went to the NIN message board to express his feelings about the situation saying, “Thanks Apple for the clear description of the problem — as in, what do you want us to change to get past your stupid fucking standards?… You can buy The Downward Fucking Spiral on iTunes, but you can’t allow an iPhone app that may have a song with a bad word somewhere in it. Geez, what if someone in the forum in our app says FUCK or CUNT? I suppose that also falls into indecent material. Hey Apple, I just got some SPAM about fucking hot asian teens THROUGH YOUR MAIL PROGRAM. I just saw two guys having explicit anal sex right there in Safari! On my iPhone!”

There has been a load of hype swarming around Grizzly Bear’s new record, Veckatimest, since the beginning of the year, and the album hasn’t even come out yet (but it’s not like we haven’t heard it already). Grizzly Bear has announced the first single from the album will be “Two Weeks” and will be released on May 12 (May 18 in EU, June 1 in the UK).

Live performances of the song have been filtering around the internet for quite some time now (i.e. the Letterman performance, and the performance with Victoria of Beach House at SxSW), and we have to say, it’s a great track. The single will be released as a 12″ and will have two new remixes of the song.

Veckatimest will be released just a few days after the single on May 26 via Warp Records, and on May 24 the Brooklyn natives will be heading out on tour in support of the new album, which is the follow up to the band’s critically acclaimed last album, Yellow House.

England’s post-punk legends, Gang of Four, will be playing Entertainment! — the debut album that put them on the map musically and politically — in full on their upcoming UK tour this coming fall.

NME has reported that on their upcoming UK tour, Gang of Four will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of the twelve-track album by playing their debut in it’s entirety. The band will also be playing material from their back catalog along the tour as well, but Entertainment! helped put Gang of Four on the map in 1979, eventually coming in as number 490 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Gang Of Four UK tour dates
09.18.09 – Edinburgh HMV Picture Desk
09.19.09 – Glasgow ABC1
09.25.09 – Leamington Spa Assembly
09.26.09 – London HMV Forum

This just feels wrong. This ain’t no Steve Perry situation. It’s been seven years since Alice In Chains‘ iconic singer Layne Staley passed away, but apparently the music must go on. The band has apparently finished recording a new album, which is set to be released this September on Virgin/EMI.

The new album is still untitled, but Alice in Chains has employed Comes With the Fall singer, William DuVall, to be their new vocalist, which DuVall describes as a big thing for him. “I’ve joined a group that has a strong identity and a strong legacy.” Alice In Chains released their last album, which was self-titled, in 1995. Staley passed away in 2002 from a drug overdose.

The band went on hiatus for a while, only to come back together in 2005 after playing a series of benefit shows with guest singers. But they are promising that this new album won’t be a disappointment. On their Website they said, “I can tell you that some amazing songs were written and recorded. From the heaviest riff-dripping gut puncher to the most sadly beautiful song I think this band has ever recorded, I honestly believe that this album will return Alice In Chains to the top of the hard rock heap.”

Interesting side note, Aa (Big A, little a)’s John Atkinson is a big Alice in Chains fan.

So yesterday our editor ashamedly had “I Kissed A Girl” stuck in his head because of some bad timing at the deli when he was getting lunch. Thankfully, there is no need for him to hang his head in shame any longer. We’re all victims of the catchy melody behind Katy Perry’s guilty pleasure hit, so it makes sense that Canadian ‘indietronic’ band, Woodhands would cover the infectious song — and they did a pretty good job of it at that.

Covering an over-played pop song isn’t rocket science, but we’d like to think that Woodhands added a special twist to “I Kissed a Girl” that makes the song just that much cooler than the original. Perhaps it’s the growling chorus that gives it a one up to Perry’s nasal whimpers, or maybe it is just that the Woodhands’ version makes you want to break it down instead of having an experimental game of girl-on-girl cherry chapstick action. So, why did Woodhands pick “I Kissed a Girl”? Probably because the song is just too good to deny it, and as Dan Werb, Woodhands’ keytar/electronic scientist, told us, “We did it because the spirit of the song spoke to us: It’s that feeling of being overwhelmed by the moment, of indulgence, of unfettered hedonism. Also, Katy Perry is hella hot. And the song is dope.”

Aside from their “I Kissed a Girl” cover, Woodhands have released an album and two EPs and are signed to Paper Bag Records, so don’t worry. Your indie credibility won’t be tainted by adding this track to your music library, or at least you can pretend it won’t for the time being.

Woodhands – “I Kissed a Girl” (Katy Perry Cover)

MP3 Download.

Woodhands tour dates
05.07.09 – Kansas City, MO (Czar Bar)
05.08.09 – Springfield, MO (Outland)
05.09.09 – St. Louis, MO (Pops Blue Moon)
05.10.09 – Des Moines, IA (House of Bricks)
05.12.09 – Indianapolis, IA (The Volrath)
05.13.09 – Chicago, IL (Abbey Pub)
05.15.09 – Columbus, OH (Bristol Bar)
05.16.09 – New York, NY (The Delancey)

Back in February we told you Chris Martin and his Coldplay pals were planning to give fans a ‘thank you’ present for still buying tickets to shows, despite the state of the economy. The blueprints were drawn and the plans are now solidified, as Coldplay confirmed they will be giving away a live album to fans at their upcoming tour dates and as a free download from their website.

The nine-track live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, will be given to all fans that attend any of the dates on their Viva La Vida tour, and fans will also be able to download the album for free off of the band’s website, starting on May 15. In a statement, the band said “Playing live is what we love. This album is a thank you to our fans — the people who give us a reason to do it and make it happen.”

LeftRightLeftRightLeft track listing
01. Glass Of Water
02. 42
03. Clocks
04. Strawberry Swing
05. The Hardest Part/Postcards From Far Away
06. Viva La Vida
07. Death Will Never Conquer
08. Fix You
09. Death And All His Friends

After two years of touring, writing and recording, Fauntsreleased their latest record Feel.Love.Thinking.Of back in February. With the new record came a more sculpted sound for the Alberta, Canada band. We already gave you a listen lead single “It Hurts Me All The Time”, so we figured you should see the video for the title track too.

“Feel.Love.Thinking.Of” has a sonic sound pulsating throughout the background of the three minute track. Along with the electronic beats twittering throughout the song, the video offers visual aesthetics to accompany the popping instrumentals, which are reminiscent of old iPod commercials. We are going to go ahead and say that the Faunts’ newest album has attempted to shape a much needed feeling around the band’s persona; creating a far more characterized sound than heard on their prior recordings, and we have to say, we like the direction things are going.

Faunts – “Feel.Love.Thinking.Of”

A Swiftcover.com commercial featuring Iggy Pop has been taken off the air after the U.K.’s Advertising Standards Authority deemed the commercial as misleading because the company does not actually offer insurance to people within the entertainment industry (see: musicians).

The commercial featured Iggy Pop golfing, saying he had “more interesting things to do,” than to waste his time getting his insurance from somewhere other than Swiftcover on the Web. The company said they chose Pop for the commercial, not based on his career, but because of his reputation for living life to the fullest, according to CDC News.

The ASA received over a dozen complainants about the Swiftcover ad, because the company’s website said people working within the entertainment business were not eligible for an insurance policy, and using Pop as a spokesperson was false advertising. According to the ASA ruling, they recommended the commercial be pulled off the air, “Because the policy was promoted by a well-known musician, which might lead some viewers to believe the policy covered those who worked in entertainment, when it did not, and because Iggy Pop did not have a policy with Swiftcover, we concluded the ad was misleading.”

Swiftcover is still planning on using Pop in future commercials, despite the allegations against them for deceiveing customers with Pop’s appearance in their ads. A spokeswoman for the company, Tina Shortle, told The Guardian that, “Iggy Pop and swiftcover.com have made motor insurance interesting for a change, increasing awareness of swiftcover.com and sending our sales soaring by almost a third, so we would be crazy to lose Iggy.”

Hey Tina, how about insuring musicians? That would solve all of this.

Staten Island’s resident Afro-soulers, The Budos Band, are releasing a collection of previously unheard tracks from their recording sessions in between The Budos Band I and The Budos Band II.

The unreleased tracks will once again be released on Daptone Records on June 23 — on vinyl and digital only (there once was a time when Daptone would only release vinyl, so this is a step up folks). The tracks give insight into the group’s progression as musicians, showing the band’s evolution of sound and style from record to record.

The Budos Band has also just wrapped up a West Coast tour, but have made plans to tour the East Coast, making a few stops in Canada as well. Starting on April 30, the band will kick off their short tour in Brooklyn at Europa, and will end their on August 11 back in New York City.

Budos Band tour dates
04.30.09 – Brooklyn. NY (Europa)
05.02.09 – Princton, NJ (Terrace Club)
05.23.09 – Toronto, ON (Terrace Club)
05.24.09 – Hamilton, ON (Pepperjack Cafe)
05.30.09 – Cambridge, MA (TT The Bear’s)
06.10.09 – Brooklyn, NY (Music on the Oval)
07.24.09 – New York, NY (Central Park Summer Stage)
07.28.09 – Buffalo, NY (University at Buffalo South Campus)
08.11.09 – New York, NY (City Winery)