The new album, named Ritual, will be in our reach early next year, so don’t spend all your gift cards this Christmas ! Just to assure us that they’re still as bleak as ever, despite not having ‘death’ in any of their new titles (though there is a track Holy Ghosts), White Lies have released the video to their first single from their sophomore effort, Bigger Than Us. Though still as profound and haunting as Death or Farewell to the Fairground, the new single promises a bigger sound, dilemmas of grander proportions than the intimate existential sighs from their debut. The video, which has a bit of a 1970′s human interest type SF drama feel to it, certainly strengthens this point.

Bigger Than HERE

In the Midst of This,

Download Info HERE

             Avril Lavigne’s Alice (Underground) will be the first single from the album, with a video coming in February. Tim Burton’s lifeline in his early days, Robert Smith, is also an interesting surprise — he will be covering the classic Very Good Advice, with Franz Ferdinand adding to the Brit procent with The Lobster Quadrille. Interesting newcomer, Kerli will contribute with two pieces, one alone, one with Tokio Hotel. Owl City will pour some of his electro innocence in the mix, while harder sounds will most likely be provided by Wolfmother and Shinedown. All Time Low, Motion City Soundtrack, Metro Station and The All-American Rejects will also feature. Full tracklisting HERE.

                There is no point in denying that this appearance has a great symbolic value for the band’s evolution. It’s just a show, yes, two songs probably, but it’s also a great exposure to mainstream America. This is a little landmark in Muse’s campaign for conquering the States and the world, for that matter.

                  And if America wants more of Matt Bellamy and his henchmen, there are plenty of chances in the upcoming tour of North America and Canada, stretching from February to April.

DATES HERE

11. Morrissey – It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore

His recent albums are pretty far from the fresh outta The Smiths stuff. I’m talking about the music, because the lyrics have always been briliant – the guy just can’t be topped when it comes to editing ideas into the most simple and yet poetic words. It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore it’s one of the most powerful songs he wrote in years, talking about how politeness and hypocrisy have nothing to do with one’s expression of love: “All the gifts that they gave can’t compare in any way to the love I am now giving to you right here right now on the floor”. LISTEN

10. U2 – Moment of Surrender

Probably the only point where my little top here coincides with that of major music magazines, U2′s Moment of Surrender is by far the highlight of their latest album, No Line on the Horizon. Clocking in at almost seven minutes and a half, this ode to giving up, with plenty of gospel vibes, will make you crave to surrender in any possible way, just so that the song will fit your situation. Bono is not just singing on this, his playing a character. Top form. LISTEN

9. Depeche Mode – Jezebel

Martin Gore always keeps for his own (vocal) self the weirdest tracks on Depeche Mode albums, but then again, in Depeche world, ‘weird’ means unlike anything. It’s quite a cinematic piece of music, a portrait of a lady judged for her unconventional perspective of love: “Open their eyes to the beauty, Open their hearts to the fun, Open their minds to the idea that you don’t own someone”. If it wasn’t for the lyrics or Gore’s innocent voice, you might mistake Jezebel for a Sade piece, but that’s not a bad thing. Is it? LISTEN

8. Editors – The Big Exit

And speaking of Depeche Mode, this track by Editors sounds as if they were really inspired this one time, needed their guitars, but all they were given was an old synthesizer of Martin Gore’s. It might sound demeaning, but, believe me, it’s a compliment, because The Big Exit confirms the alternative band’s choice of a more electro sound as an inspired one. On an echoing big bass, Tom Smith sings about some kind of relationship, but he sounds more threatening than romantic — most likely, that’s the intention. LISTEN

7. The Prodigy – Stand Up

It’s a Prodigy tradition to do on each album stuff they haven’t done before. With Invaders Must Die‘s closer, Stand Up, Liam Howlett achieved what is probably The Prodigy’s only uplifting (‘non-menacing’) sounding beat. This is, in part, due to the Manfred Mann Chapter Three sample from One Way Glass. Of course, Howlett couldn’t have a full-on shinny happy tune in the band’s history, so he ‘patched’ the beat with plenty of dirty synths and insanely loud bass, so that your speakers would still fear it, just like the rest of The Prodigy’s discography. LISTEN

6. Manic Street Preachers – Marlon J.D.

It’s been more than half of year since this came out and I still can’t really explain what draws me so  mercilessly to Marlon J.D., why this punkish track with unintelligible riffs and drum machines is as moving as… Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, for example. The Manics are known for their memorable riffs, but with this one, the guitars sound as if they are voices which try everything that would sound good on the given rhythm. The vocals themselves make you believe that reality is a musical where the deepest pain can be expressed, in tune with the bassline. LISTEN

5. The Killers – A White Demon Love Song

You may or may not be a fan of the movie, but New Moon is one interesting compilation for your indie tastes of late 2000′s. The Killers wrote A White Demon Love Song for the movie, so you woun’t find it on any of their albums (so far). It sounds as if they had a lot of fun with this one, because, despite being about a demon, it has that country-growing-up-near-Mexico thing that Brandon Flowers and co. seem to sport as often as possible. Yet, it’s not a parody, but an ethereal ballad, which uses all means to conjure an unique love anthem. LISTEN 

4. Placebo – Speak in Tongues

Brian Molko stated on several occasions that this is his main pick from Battle for the Sun and, for what it’s worth, his opinion could be considered valid. The song has a slightly irregular structure, meaning that from a verse-chorus-verse-chorus thing it turns into this building epic. Lyrically, we hear the same strange metamorphosis from abstract lines like ”Kitty came home without a name” to the eco-slogan-sounding “We can build a new tomorrow today”. Some extra points for the choral part in the middle and the use of the word ‘blasé’… LISTEN

3. Tori Amos – Fire to Your Plain

Though not a perfect album, Abnormally Attracted to Sin adds some valuables to Tori Amos’ 20 years career, like this slick bluesy little thing about a love triangle (?): “I am low, Watching you,Watching her play this game”. We encounter the kind of subtly orchestrated chorus we heard on Girl, for example, from Tori’s first album, though in a different tone. This is also one of those special cases where Her vocals are just as sarcastic as the lyrics. It’s not a single, but it has been graced with a cool video. LISTEN & WATCH

2. Alice in Chains – Black Gives Way to Blue

Grunge idols made a significant return this year, with a new singer replacing the demised Layne Staley and, of course, they couldn’t make an album without carving their love for the ex-bandmate in the shape of a three minute ballad, that will have you contemplating whoever is missing from your life. With Elton John on the piano, this deploring of life resignation (“I Dont wanna feel no more, It’s easier to keep falling”) might be the best rock tearjerker of the year. It will slow you down and force a moment of reevaluation. LISTEN

1. Little Boots – No Brakes

It’s all about looking towards the future and this year’s crop of new artists is one for the books. As far as Little Boots is concerned, 2009 was practically just her debut, so 2010 can’t come fast enough. In the same manner of 80′s retro pop, but with a hot twist, which made New in Town a hit, No Brakes is one perfect pop song, with plenty of feel, as well as well-crafted metaphorical lyrics. Synth bass and bells, catchy hooks, this is the kind of music suited for everyone and everywhere (ok, that’s a bit too much, but you get the idea). LISTEN    

Disintegration,

              Of course, the new edition will come with additional gifts, meaning the new Deluxe Disintegration will be a 3 cd affair, even though, truth be told, the bonus material is really just for avid collectors. It includes a cd of rarities from the 88-89 period (intrumental demos, home demos, rough mixes, etc.) and a second cd of a remixed live performance at the Wembley Arena from 1989. Also, 2010 promises more remastered goodies from The Cure, including a Mixed Up 2 album. There is also a hint of a DVD with their In Orange gig, which was released as a VHS by PolyGram in 1988 and begins with a dramatic unveiling of Robert Smith’s trimmed haircut at the time. Classic.

         Currently, the band are on an approximately one month tour of North America, enchanting fans, old and new, with The Cranberries hit-list of honour, as well songs from O’Riordan’s solo albums. Due to a personal matter of the singer’s, a recent gig in Detroit had to be cancelled, but now the tour is back on track. 2010 will bring two other legs on their reunion tour, one in South America for the winter and then, Paris in the springtime… plus other major European cities.

          Hopefully, the audience’s response will encourage the Zombie authors to grace us with new material. Their last album was 2001′s Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. See a performance of their 1996 classic, When You’re Gone, played in Philadelphia, on November 17:

Reunited  

The Dandy Warhols Are Sound

Truth be told there are plenty of differences between the two records, it’s not just that one is louder, like with remastered material. First of all, some of the songs are longer, for example The Last High or We Used To Be Friends. The track order is different, the album covers (as you can see in the images) and then, of course, there is the mixing. The songs have a new sound, but if you have listened to Welcome to the Monkey House for all these years and got acquainted with that music in that form, its 2009 “doppelgänger” seems like a collection of rough demos, missing some crucial production. Still, The Dandy Warhols have a strong enough indie following for this release to not have been in vain and they have plenty of irony to not pretend that pecuniary thoughts haven’t crossed their mind. Their official website’s greeting at the moment is: “Remember when we released The Dandy Warhols Are Sound today? And then you bought it? Good times.”

You can compare samples from the two versions here:

Welcome to the Monkey House and The Dandy Warhols Are Sound

Pearl Jam did the same with their first album, Ten, which was rereleased in 2009, both remastered and in a new mix by Brendan O’Brien, as the band thought the original mix by Tim Palmer had too much reverb on it, something that many rock bands seem to complain about when it comes to mixing. But the truth remains that it simply sucks when your favourite band says about your favourite album that is not quite what they were striving for, but, oh, the new mix, which comes in Limited edition, Deluxe edition, SuperDeluxe edition, Vinyl, iTunes edition, Wal-Mart/K-Mart edition, the gas station around the corner edition, oh, yes, that’s the real deal. And, yeah, I know no one is forcing you to buy it, but it has those two damn bonus tracks…

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE

LISTEN TO LIVE VERSION HERE