Smiths Top Critic's Chart
The critics have spoken, and the Smiths Queen is Dead album is the best of all time. Melody Maker is out with their latest best list, and the Smiths lead a top 5 that includes Nirvana, the Stone Roses, the Beatles, and Radiohead.

Curtis Mayfield RIP
One of USOUNDS favorite all time artists is in a better place. Curtis Mayfield, writer and performer of such hits as "Futureshock" and "Superfly" died just after Christmas. He will be greatly missed across the world for his amazing music and beautiful message. Check out our review of the Superfly reissue and don't miss this great Curtis page.

Napster Banned
The popular mp3 trading software has been banned from Northwestern University, apparently because it was taking up to 30% of the school's bandwidth during peak hours. However not everyone is buying the institution's story-- could it be that pressure from the RIAA is behind the Napster ban? NW officials admitted that the potential illegality of the mp3s exchanged over Napster influenced their decision, but denied they were influenced by any outside force.

Radiohead TV
Last week we told you about the Radiohead live webcast, in which the band goofed around for a few hours, and played a never-before-heard song along with a DJ set of some fave tunes. Turns out the band (and the 200 or so lucky fans who happened to be watching) had the time of their lives-- and they want to do it again. The prospect of broadcasting whatever they want to whoever wants to listen has the band thinking about ways they can entertain, amuse and enlighten online again. One idea is to play new music via demos sent to the band from anyone, anywhere. You can get the address on the band's website, and also find out about future broadcasts of Radiohead TV.

CMJ's best of 1999 is out, and it's an excellent list. Their reviews of Beck, Flaming Lips, Get Up Kids, Moby and more are all worth reading.

U2: Our New Album is our Best Ever
U2 has put out some of the most popular records of the past 20 years, but the band says their new one puts their classics to shame. According to Bono and company, the new record will go beyond POP and into new dimensions of melody and harmony. At this point there is no title, tracklist, or lyrics available, but the release date has pretty firm: Summer 2000.

Ashcroft Solo: No Bittersweet Symphony
Richard Ashcroft says he's going for a "rich, timeless sound" on his new record, which is on the verge of completion. The ex-Verve frontman says the tunes will not be as full sounding as his old band's, but that the grooves will be turned up a notch.

What's up on Dec 31?
A new poll reveals that 70% of the world plans to stay in on New Year's Eve. That's fine for regular people, but what about rock stars? Where will they be? Allstar's poll reveals that

Method Man will be "making babies with my babymomma," while Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth is throwing a huge bash downtown. Check out the rest in Real Audio.

BBC to Bono: Shut the Fuck Up!
Bono is concerned about the state of the world, and he's willing to defy decency laws to spread the word. Yesterday the BBC was censured by a watchdog group for an incident when the Irish rocker used the "f-word" when describing the world's present condition on the air. Many listeners complained about the singer's language, and still more complained that Bono is the new spokesman for people who think the world is fucked-up.

Beck on the Move!
America's new favorite funky white boy will hit the road in January and won't look back for three months as he barnstorms Europe and the USA. All tourdates are available on Beck's official site. If you want a sneak peek of Beck's live show, check out the video from his television version of Sexx Laws. In other tour news, The The will hit the road even harder, with dates all over the world stretching over a six month period.

Pulp's New Direction
Will the next Pulp album be ambient-harmonica-electronica? According to NME, Jarvis Cocker's last gig featured an odd mix of the old (an instrument last popular in the 18th century) the kind of old (Jarvis played some 50's style guitar) and new (beats, synths, etc). It remains to be seen whether or not Jarvis' new predilection for arty experimentation will make it on the next album, for which no release date has been set.

Bjork Unplugged in the UK
The world's favorite Icelandic electronic chanteuse has gone acoustic in a pair of gigs in a London church. The artist performed with the Brodsky Quartet, which has backed her up several times in the past both live and on record, in a venue so quiet that no microphones or other amplification was needed. Those at the show described it as 'magical.' In other Bjork news, her official site is now offering a free new remix mp3 of her newest track, Amphibian. Download it now!

Gomez Invade USA
Gomez, which has won rave reviews in the UK and in America for the album Liquid Skin, will arrive in the US for a month-long tour starting in San Francisco. The band hopes to wow Americans with their catchy tunes and debonair styles. Or was it the other way around? Either way the tour is really just a teaser for a major US tour the band will begin in March of 2000.

Modest Mouse: Will the major-label debut suck?
Pitchfork is reporting that the major label debut by Seattle trio Modest Mouse is near completion. The project has been dogged by persistent rumors that it will "suck," due to the usual fears when indie phenoms jump to majors. The band's new label, Epic Records, had no comment on the rumors because no one bothered to ask them.

Roots Fall Apart
Actually the group is just taking a little break... After playing their last show of the millennium on New Year's Eve, the world's one and only hip hop band plans to explore some new avenues. Drummer and spokesman ?uestlove told MTV that the members of the band will check out some other adventures for at least six months before regrouping.

GBV In Your Hometown
Back from their successful tour of the UK, America's hometown indie heroes announce tourdates stateside. Sloan will be along for the ride as will American Flag.

Nirvana Survivors On Stage in Seattle
For only the second time since the death of Kurt Cobain, the two remaining members of Nirvana played together on stage last night in Seattle. Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl played on two Foo Fighters songs together, and say they're putting the final touches on the Nirvana Boxed set, which is due out next year. Courtney Love had no comment (for now).

Chems Refuse Oasis Beatles Cover Remix
Apparently the Chemical Brothers do draw the line somewhere. After spending a dizzy year pimping themselves all over the map, the duo has reportedly refused to remix an Oasis cover of the Beatles legendary "Helter Skelter" because of the bad karma associated with the song. Too bad, "Charles Manson stole this song from the Beatles, then Bono stole it back, then Oasis stole it again, gave it to the Chemical Brothers who remixed it" would have been a great tagline.

Surprise! It's Radiohead
If you were tuned into www.radiohead.com last night, you could have seen a surprise 3.5 hour webcast featuring the band playing with sock puppets, dancing, and listening to their favorite records, such as The Fall and Johnny Cash. In other news, the band says their new album should be ready by May 2000.

Spiritualized: Album's Almost Done, So Chill
The word out of London is that the new disc from Spiritualized is almost ready to go, despite the fact that Jason Pierce replaced his entire band just a few months ago. Of course, since Pierce basically is the band, it probably won't be a big problem. Sources say the new album will not be a radical departure from the debut, but may "feature more saxaphone".

Moby: DJ of the Millenium?
Moby's new album and his relentless engery and enthusiasm is turning public (and media) attention his way. Last night he rocked the bodies in Boston at a private holiday party.

All I want For Xmas is a Webcast
Columbia Records is offering a barrage of webcasts this month to entice you into buying some of their newer artists' newest releases. Today DJ Rap will spin live, and upcoming stars will include Nas and Bernard Butler.

Bill Gates Must Die
The above headline is now illegal. Just ask John Vanderslice, (ex MK Ultra) who plans to write an even more inflammatory song now that MS has cracked down on him.

March Records: 2000 and Beyond
1999 marked another superior year for superlabel March Records, and next year looks even more promising, with futurepop releases from around the world.

New Air Album in February
Air's sophomore release won't be ready until the end of 2000, but in the meantime they have created a dark and moody score for a new American film, The Virgin Suicides. Astralwerks has a full track listing of the score, and you can listen to part of one track film's official site.

Phish and Dr. Dre in Unlikely Partnership
The man who invented G-Funk and the neo-hippies who invented modern noodle rock are apparently forging a unique partnership. That's according to sources who point out that Phish is credited with backing vocals on "The Difference," one of the standout tracks on Dre's new album, Chronic 2001. Hmm, wonder what these two could have in common?

Beck Mum on Millennium, Loquacious on Axl
America's official 90's hipster discusses his love of Ice Cube and W. Axl Rose's vocal talents as his publicity train arrived in Toronto. The next stop was New York, where the Bongload Records superstar discussed his duet with Beth Orton.