NEWS

Really funny PASTE magazine article about the Kinks potentially reuniting.

Festival news from Stereogum: REM signed on for the SXSW festival in Austin.

Republican front-runner Mike Huckabee and Chuck Norris. Rolling Stone called them “Chuckabee.” Quirky name combinations have to stop sometime, don't they? Rolling Stone apparently doesn't think so. Either way, I like how Huckabee is trying to appeal to younger voters by using his bass guitar and Chuck Norris, but I think he's missing the point altogether.

Going to this show would have been a blitzkrieg shitstorm of epic proportions.

Rolling Stone rips the Grammy’s for being too gimmicky. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. However, they do make an interesting point about the stupidity one of the highly publicized Grammy gimmicks -- a YouTube competition to play along with The Foo Fighters. “Because that’s what the YouTube generation wants to see: forty-five French horn players performing for the opportunity to get lost in an orchestra at the Grammys.” Also, there’s apparently potential for an Amy Winehouse meltdown in front of a national audience. I don’t think America is ready, but it should be fun nonetheless.

More from the mainstream: Final ’07 sales totals. Josh Groban and the Eagles came out on top in the album wars and Soulja Boy won digital track honors with “Crank That.” If that’s not vomit-enducing, I don’t know what is.

Least surprising year-end news – album sales are down, and digital sales are up. Shocking, really, I had no idea people were getting their music online. What an unbelievable development.

SXSW band list from the live music blog. Austin should be excited, especially with one of the world’s greatest live bands, My Morning Jacket, in the mix.

Krist Novoselic is joining forces with “Lauded hardcore/noise-rock pioneers Flipper,” at least according to this snarky Pitchfork article.

PASTE magazine’s greatest riffs of the 21^st century…so far.

PASTE – Hot Chip hits the road.

PASTE – MC Hammer and dancejam.com. No words.

PASTE – Spoon heads to Australia.

PASTE – Odelay goes deluxe in January.

Alternative Press on Weezer new album.

Pitchfork – Yikes, a member of The Shins gets involved with domestic assault.

NME – Neko Case hits the road to test out new material.

NME - LIVE EARTH is honoured. We need an award show to honor a music event for bringing more awareness to the environment? That’s the solution? How about, oh, I don’t know, use the money it cost to put on an award show to go toward something that is actually helping the environment?

NME – New album from Nada Surf on the horizon.

NME – Thom Yorke talks about how “In Rainbows” was a conscious effort to make a 45 minute statement album. Thom is bringing back the concept of being a "rock star" for the next generation. [Sidenote: Anyone else think that it's really interesting that Yorke said that The Beatles’ defining album was “Revolver” and not “Sgt. Peppers” or “Abbey Road”?]

NME – Jay-Z leaves Def Jam for Apple! He’s apparently a fan of their business model, and Beyonce is not invited.

NME – Clapton, Townsend and Ringo team up for a supergroup New Year’s gig.

NME – Possible British-band supergroup. Or just more people for Liam Gallagher to piss off.

NME - Coner Oberst of Bright Eyes throws his support behind Barack.

NME - Hot Chip wants to pull a Radiohead. And so it begins…

NME - Ne-Yo sues R Kelly

NME – More Thom Yorke NME interviews, more brilliance. It does seem like NME has Yorke on speed dial though, and have him ready for interview whenever they have a random question. That’s ok though, they’re asking good questions for the most part.

Billboard – Death Cab has an album on the way, and it’s somehow going to be “sadder” than the rest of their material. You'd think they'd eventually stop whining, but apparently that is not the case.

Billboard - New one on the way for Rusted Root. I had no idea Rusted Root even released albums.

Billboard – Flo Rida sets digital sales record.

Billboard – Musicians to play New Orleans benefit (including more MMJ) It always makes me happy when artists play concerts for charity instead of sponsors. Kudos.