April 28, 2000

Groove Armada will sail into the North America this summer, playing 11 major cities in the USA and Canada. Doing their bombastically British best, the core pair behind the group boasted in the NME that someone called their new 9 piece set up "like Sly and the Family Stone once, which is obviously a great compliment." The duo did mention who paid them the complement. Don't miss Groove Armada samples and mp3s from Stardot Music.

Outraged by the world's refusal to remember them as originators of the word "yo," Italians are holding a hip hop conference on the "Italian HipHop Diaspora."

April 27, 2000

Thurston Moore and Eddie Vedder are together at last. In news that is sure to shock the political wing of the indie-rock movement, Sonic Youth has announced that they will open for Pearl Jam on the latter band's large North American summer tour. Along for the fun will be UK rockers Supergrass. For those of you that have always wanted to see SY play a 30 minute set in a half-empty sports arena, your prayers have finally been answered.

Beck's got a new cause: the return of grunge. Or rather, the return of anything not as manufactured as the current crop of plasticized MTV stars such as NSYNC and Brittney Spears. In an interview with DotMusic, the American folky bluegrass funk rapper describes today's pop music as "product," and boldly demands to 'Bring back the grunge pedal'.

Seemingly as proof that singing obscure, emotional lyrics will get you some special rewards, Allstar reports that Pantone (the color people) have allowed Steven Merritt to name how own color. The tribute is a response to a Magnetic Fields song that said: "You make me blue, Pantone 292". Merritt's new color is "Carolyn Eve Green," better known as Pantone 7498.

Of note: the best rock news site on the internet has gotten a sorely-needed new look. Say hello to the new NME.

April 26, 2000

Modest Mouse are touring the USA, check out all the dates here.

Interested in a quizzing Belle and Sebastian? You can get your chance on May 3rd in London, as the entire band hosts a special Q and A session to followed by a party. You can win tickets by listening to BBC 1 Radio One's Evening Session on Thursday 27th April, from 8 - 10pm. Good luck!

The Fall has been noted as an inspiration for all the big indie rockers, from Pavement to GVSB. Since they're not exactly old men, and their legend has grown bigger than when they were actually together, they've done the natural thing and reformed. The band actually had an little-heard album out last year, but now they're really turning it on, reports the NME. The band will tour this June after recording a new studio record in London and Manchester.

April 25, 2000

The biggest rap tour in US history has been announced by Napster-hater Dr. Dre. For what might be the first time ever, several international acts (who actually have new albums out) will be playing together in a festival-like atmosphere. Snoop Dogg will evidentially be onstage most of the day, as he performs in 213 with Nate Dogg and Warren G, with Dr. Dre, and with his group the Eastsidaz. Also on the bill are Eminem, XZibit, Ice Cube, and Kurupt.

From the mini tid-bit department comes this... mini tid-bit. Parisian sample wunderkund Rob (whose debut on the Source Material comp. blew many a mind) is working day and night in the city of lights on his debut album for Astralwerks/Source... his first single was released a few months ago, you can listen here.

California pop artists C.A.R. (Call and Response) will be recording a new record this summer for Kindercore records. Helping out will be some people from Olivia Tremor Control and japancakes.

April 24, 2000

Death Cab For Cutie are starting to get some mainstream press attention, if this article on sonic net is any indication. In the meantime grab this rare mp3 from Tiny Telephone, home of the web's best.

Arab Strap, well described by the New Music Express as 'Scottish Miserablists.' have switched record labels. It's not a huge leap, as the band leaves GoBeat/Polydor and returns to their original label, Chemikal Underground, a Scottish indie.

April 21, 2000

Beth Orton's doctors have told her to stop performing for a while. The UK singer will skip two months of low-profile touring and promo appearances to get rest. Orton suffers from Crohn's Disease, which effects the intestines and bowel. Orton has been suffering from the disease for several years.

Massive Attack have sold out... for charity. Their track 'Angel' is currently being heard on television around the world, pimping Armani's new perfume. The proceeds from the use of the name will go to the British Red Cross and to help rebuild the devastated nation of Mozambique.

April 20, 2000

Radiohead has confirmed that the recording of their follow-up album to the brilliant OK Computer record is nearly completed. According to the journal portion of their website, the band will debut the new songs in concert in the next few weeks and months, and on record "in the autumn of '01............after arguments over track-listing, running orders, etc".

The tour supporting Cypress Hill's 5th album (which drops next tuesday) is going internacional. The group will make the trip across the pond for shows in London, Glasgow, and possibly Amsterdam. The UK gigs will be at London's Brixton Academy on June 21, and at Glasgow's Barrowlands on June 22.

In other tour news, Apples in Stereo launched their latest outing this week. All tourdates are here.

April 19, 2000

Greetings from Outer Bongolia! The above catchphrase may soon sweep the world as Stereolab releases their new mini-ep on May 29th. The record will feature 7 new tracks, including 'Outer Bongolia,' which features instrumentation from the High Llamas' Sean O'Hagen. Stereolab will tour this summer with Sonic Youth to promote the the album, which is is called 'The First Of The Microbe Hunters' and will be released through Duophonic. Tour dates are here.

Dr. Dre has joined several artists and record labels in demanding that Napster not use his music. Showing a fundamental lack of understanding for how the controversial software works, Dre's lawyer has told Napster to remove his client's music from their site. Napster says they plan to vigorously fight any and all legal action brought by artists and the entertainment conglomerates that force them into outrageously unfair recording contracts.

April 18, 2000

Exciting news for the West Coast of America: Belle and Sebastian will play their first ever shows there in early June, just as their new album is released. When the cities and dates are released, you'll see them here first. If you're a Belle groupie (sign up to the right) you'll know via email.

Berlin-based Bungalow Records is planning what sounds like a brilliant compilation for the summer. A kind of companion piece to the Sushi (3003 and 4004) series, this one is a comp of European instead of Japanese underground club pop. The collection is set to feature such internacional acts as Eggstone, Bertrand Burgalat, Arling & Cameron and Le Mans. To be reviewed.

April 17, 2000

One of USOUNDS' all time faves The Sea And Cake have reportedly almost finished up their new album, which is set for an October release. Until then, the band's quasi-official homepage offers some great real audio clips of live and rare performances.

Gomez tried out their new sound, replete with samples and programmed beats last night in London. The band's new EP, Machismo, is due out on May 1 in the UK. The band is in the middle of a mini-tour to support the album, and played to their biggest audience in months last night at Brixton Academy. Were you at the show? Drop us a line.

The oddest and saddest story of the week is out of Prague, where over the weekend a man shot himself during a Cure concert. Given the band's return to gloom with their latest album, perhaps it's not as surprising, but most Cure fans seem to be of the suicide contemplation variety, without the gall to actually do it. The deceased was a policeman, and he is believed to have shot himself halfway through the show. The band was unaware of the incident until the show had concluded.

In lighter news, a dog urinated on Mick Jagger's shoe.

April 13, 2000

Blur's Damon Albarn has been gradually but precisely moving into a new role-- a musical jack-of-all-trades who not only fronts a very successful band, but also experiments in different genres and voices. First there was Damon's first soundtrack score, and now NME reports that he's working with US experimental hip hop producer Dan the Automator. Dan's last major project was his wacked-out collabo with Prince Paul, the Handsome Boy Modeling School record. Details about the project are scarce, but with the Automator's track record, (Dr. Octagon's debut) the results should be somewhere between bizarre and fucked up.

The LadyFest2000 festival in Olympia, Washington, USA, is shaping up to be quite a spectacle. Recently added to the bill that already includes Sleater-Kinney and Bratmobile are Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) and Mary Timony from Helium.

In other concert news, Bjork and Tricky have been added to the amazing line up (Radiohead, Jarvis Cocker, Blur, Orbital) of this year's 2 week long Meltdown Festival in London. Planning to attend any shows? Let us know.

Dmitri from Paris is hard at work on his latest album, the long awaited sequel to the much praised Sacrebleu. Dmitri spoke with SonicNet, telling them that "compared to the first one, there will be more vocals, maybe on two or three songs, as opposed to just one."

April 12, 2000

Some of Ninja Tune's finest artists, Kid Koala, DJ Food, and Amon Tobin will all tour North America this spring and Summer. Platform Network has all the info.

After a reunion tour and greatest hits album, it looked like Bauhaus would revert to its Bela Lugosi mode-- dead. However the band has recorded its first new music since their brief career ended in the early 80's. The track will appear on the soundtrack to the sequel of the animated classic Heavy Metal. You can listen to a sample on the Bauhaus website.

April 11, 2000

Playing America seems to be a chore for UK cockrockers Oasis, an obligation that would likely be taken more seriously if more people cared. But they don't, and so far the newest US tour doesn't seem to be changing many minds. The first show has been getting panned by just about everyone, including this Rolling Stone article which reports that at one point Noel yelled at the crowd "this is from our new album, which none of you cunts bought." A brutal, but honest assessment indeed. A no-show by brother Liam on the Tonight Show the next night didn't win them any fans either... but Oasis seems past the point of caring, and for that USOUNDS salutes them.

In other UK rock news, a backstage party for Sting was busted, and investigators turned up $9500 of cocaine, heroin, hash, and weed. Sting claimed he had long since left the concert hall, and said he was 'distressed' by the news. If you had missed that party, wouldn't you be too?

Plastikman will record new sounds for a French art installation that will "pull together artists who have been progressive in the last century, and have them look into the 21st century and give their definition of beauty." More info here.

Barely a peep has been heard from Girls Against Boys since their 1998 record failed to energize old fans and bring in substantial new ones, despite (or maybe because of) a large "next big thing" hype in the mainstream rock rags. Now the band plans to hit the road for the first time in more than a year. They'll play 6 U.S. cities this month, including Chicago and NYC. Full show list is here.

April 10, 2000

Nick Drake, the lost son of golden-pain folk balladry has scored his first real success in America, 26 years after his untimely death. Those familiar with the artist and his deeply personal work were no doubt shocked to hear his gorgeous 'Pink Moon' used to sell Volkswagens, but it is that high-level exposure that has rocketed the album of the same name into the top 5 best-selling records on amazon.com. So be warned: the revival of Englishman Nick Drake in the USA is officially on, thanks to a German automaker.

Fantastic Plastic Machine dropped in (via the future) for this smashing interview.

Are the king of pop and the kind of G-Funk putting it down in the 00? According to AKA.com, word on the streets of Neverland is that Michael Jackson is hot to work with the hottest producers of all genres, including the ace of sticky green and bad traffic, Dr. Dre. Sources close to to Dre say the man is a fan of the gloved one's early work, and would like to go back to a funkier, disco vibe. Compared to what Jackson's been putting out lately, that would be a big improvement.

April 6, 2000

Belle and Sebastian's new single "Legal Man" will be played in the BBC tonight-- and you don't have to be in Britain to hear it. Simply dial up your browser to the BBC's alt station from 8-10 pm GMT, and be one of the first people in the world to hear the latest offering from B&S. We'll be listening, will you? Once you've heard the song, tell us your thoughts, and we'll post them here.

April 5, 2000

The European Summer concert scene is unfolding, with one top notch line-up announced today. London's Meltdown Festival, a 2 week long nightly event in late June and early July has confirmed several must-see shows. Among them are Blur, who will break their promise not to play live for 18 months, and Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, whose show is being called 'Jarvis Cocker and Friends.' A spokesman for the band told the NME that the show would not be a Pulp show per se... Other acts due to perform are Radiohead, (whose gig sold out in less than an hour) Orbital, Smog, and Jim O'Rourke.

In the US, the Apples in Stereo have announced that they will play 20 shows in 19 cities in the US and Canada, starting April 16. The band's new record, The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone (perfect Apples album title, isn't it?) is due later this month. Full show list is here. link via YupiSlyr.

Astralwerks, American home of Air, Fatboy Slim and other top European electronic acts, latest project takes a look at the American underground with a new website and album called unknownwerks. The project spotlights artists like Agent Babylon from Denver and Le Pimp from Los Angeles. More information is available on unknownwerks.com.

April 4, 2000

Some label changes imminent in the UK. Mogwai has grown too big for Chemikal Underground, and is looking to jump ship, industry sources say. NME reports that several labels have been openly courting the band, but PIAS is reportedly the front runner. On the other side of town, Tricky has parted ways with Island Records. Once the label's most promising star, Tricky will now record under the new European branch of California-based punk label Epitaph Records.

What's Beck's vision of hell? "Burning, impaling spikes, birds gouging out eyes. I enjoy hellish scenarios. That's why I got into the record business. Actually, here's a good definition of hell: five cellphones strapped to your head." NME did a great quick interview yesterday with the superstar funk folker, check it out.

 

April 3, 2000

Stereolab will continue their global tour (which just wrapped up in Japan) in America, and they'll share the bill with one of the other big name survivors in the indie scene, Sonic Youth. Billboard Magazine is reporting that the two groups will team up for a U.S. tour to begin June 9th in Minneapolis. Sonic Youth's latest album release, NYC Ghosts and Flowers, is due in stores one week earlier. Both bands will play the All Tomorrow's Parties fest in the UK on April 7. Will you be there? Drop us a line.

Rolling Stone reports this week on international hip-hop pioneers Outkast's new album. Entitled "Stankonia," the group says the record will incorporate European techno beats in an attempt to fuse their innovative rhymes and rhythmic structures with some fast paced, hard edged drum n bass beat science. If anyone in hip-hop can do it, it's Big Boi and Dre, the masterminds behind Outkast's deeply stanky sound.