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Hey, Pink Floyd, what’s wrong with just a song?
Thu, 03/11/2010 - 21:39Thursday March 11th [AppleInsider] — Music legends Pink Floyd won a lawsuit with their label EMI Thursday, with the band successfully defending its right to block the sale of individual songs on digital download services like iTunes.
So Pink Floyd doesn’t like EMI selling individual songs off their albums via iTunes (the band is finally agreeing on something!). And their record contract does state that the label cannot sell individual songs without the band’s permission. But that was before the digital revolution, and EMI thought they were talking 45s not MP3s, right?
I understand where Pink Floyd’s coming from. A deal is a deal. Plus, they want to show off their artistic integrity by selling their product as full-length albums. You have to own the entire Dark Side of the Moon album, after all, if you want to enjoy the real Wizard of Oz experience.
But what if I — the consumer — only wants to own “Astronomy Domine” for 1.29, and not shelling out 16.99 at a place like Best Buy for the Piper album? Well, I guess that’s just tough shit for me, huh?
Again the music lover (aka, the consumer) is the one who is hardly taken into consideration in the equation. And they wonder why people download illegally.
Yep, well, we’ll see you on the dark side of the moon.
Filed under: British rock, Rock Music Tagged: Astronomy Domine, Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd on iTunes, Pink Floyd vs. EMI, The Piper at te Gates of Dawn
Muse ready to play 2010 SXSW festival?
Wed, 03/10/2010 - 08:45According to reports, Muse will play SXSW this year.
All lips are sealed at Warner Music but Billboard has confirmed it.
Stubb’s in Austin, TX. Saturday March 20th with the band Metric. I doubt there will be a light show like the photo above, but, really, who cares?
Black Eyed Peas are rumored to play some date at SXSW as well (nothing confirmed), but that would be a reason to stay FAR away from Austin.
Goldmine Magazine will cover this year’s SXSW on Twitter, starting March 17 to 21, at twitter.com/goldminesxsw
Filed under: British rock, Rock Music Tagged: Goldmine magazine, Muse, Muse at SXSW, Muse in concert, SXSW 2010
Ellie Goulding’s Debut Album Goes Straight To Top Of UK Album Chart
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 20:38Ellie Goulding, the 23-year-old who won the BBC’s Sound of 2010 award and the Critics’ Choice award at this year’s BRIT Awards, released her debut album, Lights, last Monday, March 1st, in the UK. And the album went straight to number one in the UK album chart in its first week of eligibility, knocking off Lady Gaga’s album, The Fame, in the process. In addition, her latest single, “Starry Eyed,” is now at number four in the UK singles chart.
Ellie has been promoting the album with numerous appearances in the UK music press. She recently appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. To hear an interview with her and to see photos from the session, go to the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge section. She also gave an interview to XFM London’s Steve Harris, which you can hear by going to the XFM London Web site and then clicking the individual audio links. And she was the subject of a feature in the February 28th edition of The Sunday Times of London. In that feature, she discussed her doubts about having a career in music:
“I never believed I could be a singer, or do anything with it. I was never given the assurance that I could. Never.
“I’m naturally quite a negative person, which I can’t help. It’s the way I’ve been brought up. The attitude my mum had, if she went to a job interview or something, was, ‘I’m not going to get it.’ That prepares you for the worst — you don’t get your hopes up. If I ran around going, ‘Oh, I might be up for a Brit award’, I’d feel like I’d tainted it in some way.”
To watch Ellie Goulding perform “Starry Eyed” on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, click below:
To watch Ellie Goulding’s cover version of Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” from BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, click below:
To watch Ellie Goulding’s performance of “Starry Eyed” with a full band on Alan Carr’s Channel 4 show, click below:
For more on Ellie Goulding, go to:
http://elliegoulding.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/elliegoulding
http://www.youtube.com/user/elliegoulding
Filed under: British music, British rock, Music, Rock Music Tagged: Alan Carr, BBC Radio 1, BBC Sound of 2010, BRIT Awards, Channel 4, Critics' Choice, Ellie Goulding, John Curley, Lady Gaga, Lights, Live Lounge, Starry Eyed, Steve Harris, Sweet Disposition, Temper Trap, The Fame, The Sunday Times of London, UK album chart, UK singles chart, XFM London
Marina And The Diamonds Go “Hollywood”
Tue, 03/09/2010 - 19:34Marina Diamandis (pictured above in a photo by Rankin), the 24-year-old Wales native who records under the name Marina and the Diamonds, has been all over the UK music press lately following the recent release of her debut album, The Family Jewels. She was the subject of a profile in the February 27th edition of The Times of London. She also did a Q&A for BBC London’s BBC Introducing section. And late last month, she stopped by the Leicester Square studios of XFM London to be interviewed on the air by DJ Steve Harris. You can watch a video of that interview by going to the XFM London Web site and then clicking the individual video links. She will be touring the UK in May.
Marina’s current single, “Hollywood,” is getting quite a bit of airplay on music radio in the UK. To watch the video for “Hollywood,” which was directed by Kinga Burza, click below:
In the song, Marina sings, “I’m obsessed with the mess that’s America.” Great lyric, that. Will America be equally obsessed with Marina when her music makes its way across the pond? Time will tell.
For more on Marina and the Diamonds, see:
http://www.marinandthediamonds.com
http://www.myspace.com/marinaandthediamonds
http://www.youtube.com/user/Marinaandthediamonds
Filed under: British music, British rock, Music, Rock Music Tagged: BBC Introducing, BBC London, hollywood, John Curley, Kinga Burza, Leicester Square, Marina Diamandis, Rankin, Steve Harris, THe Family Jewels, The Times of London, XFM London
Review Of Little Boots Live In NYC Is Now Up On Goldmine Magazine’s Web Site
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 19:19My review of Little Boots’ show last Tuesday night, March 2nd, at the Highline Ballroom in New York City is up on Goldmine magazine’s Web site. The New York City performance coincided with the United States release of Little Boots’ debut album, Hands.
To watch a clip of Little Boots being interviewed and performing her single “Remedy” on the UK breakfast show GMTV in July of last year, click below:
To watch Little Boots performing the single “Earthquake” on GMTV last November, click below:
For more on Goldmine magazine, go to:
http://www.goldminemag.com
For additional information on Little Boots, see:
http://www.littlebootsmusic.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/littleboots
http://www.youtube.com/user/littlebootsvideos
Filed under: British music, British rock, Music, Rock Music Tagged: Earthquake, GMTV, Goldmine magazine, Hands, Highline Ballroom, John Curley, Little Boots, New York City, Remedy
Goldmine Magazine to tweet from SXSW
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 15:04
Goldmine Magazine, the collectors record and compact disc marketplace, will be tweeting directly from this year’s SXSW, starting March 17-21, at twitter.com/goldminesxsw. The festival will be covered by rock journalist, Chris Junior, and he’ll provide news and commentary throughout (even the conference).
I hope Junior likes BBQ.
Filed under: Rock Music Tagged: Chris Junior, rock twitter, South By Southwest, SXSW 2010, SXSW twitter
Interview with A Million Years posted on Powerline A.D. website
Sat, 03/06/2010 - 22:46Formed a few years ago, it took A Million Years some time to settle on a stable line-up. The current set of musicians — Keith Madden (vocals/guitars), Andrew Samaha (bass), Andrew Vanette (drums) and Nick Werber (guitar) recently released a 3-song EP, Incandescent, produced by Longwave’s Shannon Ferguson. The band are now back in the studio with Ferguson, recording their debut full-length album, to be released in the spring. READ MORE
Filed under: Rock Music Tagged: A Million Years, Nick Werber, NYC alternative rock
Would you take a pickle over Nickelback?
Wed, 03/03/2010 - 22:16There’s a Facebook page called Can this pickle get more fans than Nickleback? (above)
Right now the pickle is currently attracting the support of over 1.5 million, while Nickelback’s own official Facebook page has just 1.4 million fans.
Pickles are pretty good.
Filed under: Rock Music Tagged: Nickelback, Nickelback pickle
John Cale: No chance for Velvet Underground reunion
Mon, 03/01/2010 - 21:20John Cale told BBC 6 Music that he can’t picture a Velvet Underground reunion. In fact, he hasn’t spoken to Lou Reed in years. And doesn’t expect to.
“I haven’t spoken to Lou [Reed] in a long time, but we’re in touch because of business. There’s no communal effort to enjoy each other’s company any more.”
That means they don’t like each other, let alone going on tour together. Cale goes on about a reunion:
“It’s not something that I can see happening on the basis of the past. Anyone who wants to reform The Velvet Underground for a series of concerts, to make some money, I understand that, but you can’t do that. … “We don’t have Sterling [Morrison] any more. If I said that was something I was intrigued by, people would think I was cynical.”
I can respect all that. But you never know. It didn’t stop the Sex Pistols.
Filed under: Rock Music Tagged: John Cale, Lou Reed, Sterling Morrison, The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground reunion
Arctic Monkeys to explore Hip Hop?
Sun, 02/28/2010 - 21:14Arctic Monkeys may be getting further and further away from the hard-edged sound that made them so likable.
In an article in the Daily Mirror (“P. Diddy wants to turn the Arctic MonKeys into hip-hip artists”), drummer Matt Helders (above) — already a “good mate” with P. Diddy — remarked that doing a track together with the rap mogul would be considered.
“… it would be fun. … We speak to him at least three times a week. We are going to Miami in a few weeks and are going to be hanging out with him. He’s going to be teaching us the hip-hop ways.”
But what about your punky hard rock ways? Let’s get back to that!
Filed under: British rock, Rock Music Tagged: Arctic Monkeys, Arctic Monkeys and P. Diddy, Matt Helders, P. Diddy
UK Pop Rocker Daisy Dares You Releases Her Debut Single On Sunday
Fri, 02/26/2010 - 17:30Daisy Coburn, the 16-year-old Essex, England native who performs under the name Daisy Dares You, will release her debut single, “Number One Enemy,” this Sunday, February 28th in the UK.
There was a brief profile of Daisy Coburn in the February issue of the UK music magazine Q. According to the profile, Daisy counts Alison Mosshart and Courtney Love among her influences. The profile also states that she is building her own studio and learning to produce. While her sound can be classified as pop rock, it definitely leans more toward the rock side. Like many rockers, Daisy wasn’t much interested in school. She told Q, “I’d go to music lessons, but the rest of the time I’d go to the library. I didn’t fit in.”
Daisy’s “Number One Enemy” is actually a pretty good song and an impressive debut. The only bit that I didn’t like was the brief appearance of the UK rapper Chipmunk. It just seemed out of place. I think that the song would’ve been better and more cohesive without Chipmunk’s contribution. Also, there are very few good British rappers. Chipmunk is not one of them. That said, it will be interesting to watch Daisy’s career as it progresses. After all, she is only 16. But based on the quality of “Number One Enemy,” I think she’s got a bright future.
To watch the video for “Number One Enemy” by Daisy Dares You featuring Chipmunk (the video has something of an Alice in Wonderland theme), click below:
To watch a video clip in which Daisy discusses her music, click below:
For more on Daisy Dares You, go to:
http://www.daisydaresyou.com/
http://www.myspace.com/daisydaresyoumusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/daisydaresyou
Filed under: British music, British rock, Music, Rock Music Tagged: Alice in Wonderland, British rap, Chipmunk, Daisy Coburn, Daisy Dares You, England, Essex, John Curley, Number One Enemy, Q magazine
Ellie Goulding Scores With “Starry Eyed” Single
Fri, 02/26/2010 - 16:34Ellie Goulding, the winner of the BBC’s Sound of 2010 award, has seen her latest single, “Starry Eyed,” get a good bit of airplay on UK music radio stations like XFM London and BBC 6 Music. The single was released this past Monday, February 22nd, in the UK. Ellie’s debut album, Lights, will get its UK release on Monday, March 1st.
To watch Ellie Goulding’s video for “Starry Eyed,” click below:
To watch a brief interview with Ellie Goulding that was done at the “Starry Eyed” video shoot, click below:
To watch an interview that Ellie Goulding did with Absolute Radio at the recent BRIT Awards, click below:
For more on Ellie Goulding, see:
http://elliegoulding.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/elliegoulding
http://www.youtube.com/user/elliegoulding
Filed under: British music, British rock, Music, Rock Music Tagged: Absolute Radio, BBC 6 Music, BBC Sound of 2010, BRIT Awards, Ellie Goulding, John Curley, Lights, Starry Eyed, XFM London
Paul Weller Praises Bruce Foxton And Britpop, Slams Grunge In Recent Interviews
Fri, 02/26/2010 - 15:24Paul Weller has been making the rounds of the UK music press in the run-up to the April release of his new album, which is titled Wake Up The Nation.
Weller discussed working on his new album with his former bandmate in The Jam, Bruce Foxton, during an interview with BBC 6 Music. About working with Foxton again, Weller said:
“A bit of dialogue opened up between us two, just through various other personal things that have gone on in our lives, but it just sort of felt right.
“Because of the fact that we had started talking and were in touch and that, I thought it was an honor to have us getting together to make a bit of music, which always levels everyone out really.
“It was a nice day, we had fun. We had a laugh and it was nice and easy, there wasn’t too much pressure on anyone I don’t think.”
For more on this story, see the article from BBC 6 Music.
In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Weller gave his opinions on grunge and Britpop. Not surprisingly, Weller slated grunge while praising Britpop. On grunge, Weller stated:
“You’d had all that shoegazing bollocks and then the whole Nirvana thing, which I thought was fucking rubbish – it was just America catching up with punk rock 20 years too fucking late for me, you know.”
Weller was far more charitable about Britpop, saying:
“That was the first time ever that I’d felt any kinship with any musicians – even though they were all probably at least ten years younger than me.”
For more on this subject, see Weller’s interview with the Irish Examiner and the article from XFM London.
Weller received the Godlike Genius award at the Shockwaves NME Awards, which were held this past Wednesday night, February 24th, at the O2 Brixton Academy in London. Weller gave a video interview to NME.com at the awards show in which he gave props to both Bombay Bicycle Club and Kasabian. You can watch the interview by clicking here.
Filed under: British music, British rock, Music, Rock Music Tagged: BBC 6 Music, Bombay Bicycle Club, Britpop, Bruce Foxton, Godlike Genius, grunge, Irish Examiner, John Curley, Kasabian, London, Nirvana, NME.com, O2 Brixton Academy, Paul Weller, Shockwaves NME awards, The Jam, Wake Up The Nation, XFM London
Muse Wants Bono
Thu, 02/25/2010 - 20:06Muse’s frontman, Matthew Bellamy (top left), wants to invite Bono onstage, during Muse’s Glastonbury headlining set, to sing a song. U2 headlines the festival the night before on June 25.
“It should be great. We’re hoping to do something a bit unusual there. A little collaboration with someone, maybe get Bono to come and sing a song. I’m not sure if he’ll be hanging around for that but I’ll ask him anyway.”
Bellamy was just voted Hottest Male at the Shockwaves NME Awards. Needless to say, he got a kick out of that.
“That’s fucking brilliant,” he said, laughing. Bellamy beat out his own drummer, Dom Howard, for the award.
“He was ahead for ages and I thought he was gonna win, but then I won it. Fucking hell, there you go! Then again I might get worst dressed too.”
On a more serious note, Muse did win the award for Best British Band.
In other news, according to allmusic.com, Warner Music will no longer allow their bands’ music to appear on streaming websites like Last.fm and Grooveshark, a move that has earned the label a fair bit of resentment from one of its biggest acts.”As far as bands are concerned, you just want people to hear your music whichever way they can,” explained Muse bassist Chris Wolstenhome, who says his label is “clutching at straws” in order to turn a profit.
Well, Muse is the resistance. …
Filed under: British rock, Rock Music Tagged: Matt Bellamy, Muse, muse at Glastonbury, Muse on Bono, Muse win NME awards, Shockwaves NME awards
Is This The End For The Who?
Tue, 02/23/2010 - 20:02The Who’s Pete Townshend has told Rolling Stone magazine that The Who might be done since his tinnitus has returned. The Who had a busy year planned but Townshend states that the band cannot continue if his tinnitus remains a problem. He told Rolling Stone, “If my hearing is going to be a problem, we’re not delaying shows. We’re finished. I can’t really see any way around the issue.”
Townshend will test an in-ear monitor when The Who perform Quadrophenia on March 30th at London’s Royal Albert Hall as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust concerts. If the experiment fails, that performance will likely close the curtain on The Who’s career. The Who formed in the early 1960s in London and have been working on and off since their so-called “farewell tour” in 1982.
For more on this story, see the articles from RollingStone.com, XFM London, and NME.com.
In other Who-related news, Roger Daltrey told BBC 6 Music that he’d like to work with Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. Daltrey said:
“I’d love to do something, I’d love to do an album with Jimmy Page. He needs a singer to drive him. I’m a great blues singer.
“I don’t sing the blues with The Who, but that’s what I used to be before Townshend started writing. I used to be a great blues singer.”
For more on this story, see the article from BBC 6 Music.
Last week, Daltrey also did an interview with Geoff Lloyd of the UK radio station Absolute Radio. During the interview, Daltrey discussed The Who’s performance at the Super Bowl, Depeche Mode’s show at Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust, the difficulty of organizing the Teenage Cancer Trust shows, Noel Gallagher’s first post-Oasis shows for the Teenage Cancer Trust, finally getting the Arctic Monkeys to play the Teenage Cancer Trust shows, The Who’s upcoming performance of Quadrophenia for the Teenage Caner Trust, his disgust with Twitter, and other subjects. Curiously, Daltrey did not address Townshend’s recurring hearing problems that may force an end to the band. To watch the interview, click below:
Filed under: British music, British rock, Music, Rock Music Tagged: Absolute Radio, Arctic Monkeys, BBC 6 Music, Depeche Mode, Geoff Lloyd, Jimmy Page, John Curley, Led Zeppelin, London, NME.com, Noel Gallagher, Oasis, Pete Townshend, Quadrophenia, Roger Daltrey, Rolling Stone, RollingStone.com, Royal Albert Hall, Super Bowl, Teenage Cancer Trust, The Who, tinnitus, Twitter, XFM London
A Good Them Crooked Vultures Concert on Austin City Limits
Mon, 02/22/2010 - 01:04Who says supergroups can never kick ass?!
Filed under: Rock Music Tagged: Austin City Limits, Them Crooked Vultures
Kasabian’s Tom Meighan: Internet Killed the Rock Star
Sat, 02/20/2010 - 22:33Imagine “Internet Killed the Rock Star” being sung to the tune of the iconic Buggles song “Video Killed the Radio Star,” And there you have it, except there’s no MTV debuting it, and no one really caring to hear it. It’s as sad as singing karaoke alone, and it’s sung by Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan (above). According to Meighan, blogging sites and Twitter have sapped the spirit of rock n roll.
He told Bang Showbiz:
“There are so many rock stars writing these self pitying blogs and it’s not in the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, it’s like ‘Wow, what rubbish’.”
It’s not like what it used to be like in rock ‘n’ roll. In the 60s and 70s you had the likes of David Bowie and Marc Bolan, and then in the 80s you even had shit acts that were rock stars. Then in the 90s you had the Britpop revival.
“I think – especially in the last three or four years – the internet’s taken a stranglehold and killed off the myth of the rock star now. You know when you used to buy the records and there was the myth behind them? There’s too much on blogs now and I think it’s killed it off. Nobody’s surprised by an interview anymore or anything. It’s quite tragic.”
Let’s let out a collective sigh for the death of the “myth of the rock star.” Now I don’t have to guess if some rock star really threw a tv set out a hotel window. He would probably tweet about it.
Yes, “tragic.” It’s truly awful.
The great irony of all this is that I became aware of Meighan’s opinions via Twitter.
Filed under: British rock, Rock Music Tagged: Kasabian, myth of the rock star, rock star blogs, Rock stars on twitter, The Buggles, Tom Meighan, Video Killed the Radio Star
Ripper Owens Sings John Lennon’s “Imagine”
Fri, 02/19/2010 - 01:19I don’t know about this. That is exactly what I thought for most of this live clip. But towards the end, when Ripper stops trying to sing like John Lennon and more like himself, he, well … let’s it rip! The voice then becomes hair-raising and fantastic!
A remake of this song would be a good thing if Owens rearranged it and sang it like the great metal singer that he is.
Hear N’ Aid 2010, anyone?
“Beat It,” be gone!
Filed under: Rock Music Tagged: Hear N Aid, Imagine, John Lennon, Ripper Owens, Ripper Owens sings John Lennon
Pixie Lott To Support Rihanna On Tour In The UK And Ireland In May
Thu, 02/18/2010 - 21:46It was announced today that Powerline A.D. reader favorite Pixie Lott will be the support act on Rihanna’s tour of the UK and Ireland in May. The tour will be playing some of the UK’s largest indoor venues, including London’s O2 Arena and the Manchester Evening News Arena in Manchester. The full tour dates are as follows:
7th May – LG Arena, Birmingham
8th May – Echo Arena, Liverpool
10th May – O2, London
11th May – O2, London
13th May – Sheffield Arena
14th May – Nottingham Arena
16th May – MEN Arena, Manchester
17th May – Newcastle Arena
19th May – Glasgow SECC
20th May – Glasgow SECC
22nd May – O2, Dublin
24th May – Odyssey, Belfast
26th May – O2, Dublin
For further information and ticket details, see Pixie Lott’s official Web site.
Pixie recently released the video for “Gravity,” which is the latest single from her debut album Turn It Up. To watch the “Gravity” video, click below:
If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check out Powerline A.D.’s Q&A with Pixie from April of last year.
For more on Pixie Lott, see:
http://www.pixielott.com
http://www.myspace.com/pixiesongs
http://www.youtube.com/user/pixieofficial
Filed under: British music, British rock, Music, Rock Music Tagged: Belfast, Birmingham, Dublin, Echo Arena, Glasgow SECC, Gravity, John Curley, LG Arena, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Manchester Evening News Arena, Newcastle Arena, Nottingham Arena, O2, O2 Arena, Odyssey, Pixie Lott, Rihanna, Sheffield Arena, Turn It Up
Lil Wayne’s Outrageous Quote on Addiction
Wed, 02/17/2010 - 08:38If you were to pick up the latest issue of Rolling Stone (Lil Wayne Goes to Jail, Issue 1098), you might find a quote from Lil Wayne a bit extreme and appalling.
“I smoke weed all day. I’m a very successful addict. And a very smart one. And a very charismatic one. And one that just won four Grammys, and one that sold a million records in a week. What am I addicted to, being great?”
If you were to read this as a pull quote, you would make a fast judgment on Wayne without reading the rest of the story. First off, fellow addicts would not be surprised by such a statement in or out of context. They hear it all the time, I’m sure. The rest can be seen as bravado. But the rest of the story: Wayne may still smoke, but he did quit alcohol cold turkey. He is a caring father to his kids. And he is — whether you like his music or not — a talented artist. The bravado is part of the environment he is surrounded by. In the end, you can’t help but hope his life straightens itself out.
Filed under: Rock Music Tagged: Addiction in music, hip-hop, Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne addiction, Lil Wayne jail, Rolling Stone magazine
