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Indochine Are Dining With Angels

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:54:18 +0000

Indochine are releasing yet another single from last year’s successful album, La Republique des Meteors, and their choice is quite good: Un Ange à ma Table. Though I was still rooting for Republika, it is great that this track received the special attention of being the fourth single. It’s a fast-paced rocky kind of tune, but it’s still the careening sounds of chorus synths that will stick to your mind. The French idols will be touring their homeland this spring, starting with March, the climax being a monster gig at Stade de France on June 26.

UN ANGE ICI

Avril Lavigne’s New Single “Alice”

Niki N. Phaser — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:13:20 +0000

Avril Lavigne premiered her new song, Alice, that will feature on the soundtrack of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Movie and soundtrack, Almost Alice, will be out this March. There is also a video for Lavigne’s song, that we’ll get to see these following weeks. This is the first single off of the soundtrack.

The song, written especially for the movie, reveals a more Alanis Morissette side of the Canadian pop-punk princess, as it is, vocally, based on that strong female type of screaming, uttering lyrics like “I’ll get by, I’ll survive”. The marching beat really sets the song as some kind of anthem and there are plenty of atmospheric synths to suggest the surreal of the story. “This is such a cool project to be a part of”, said the singer-songwriter in a short video also posted on her official website. That’s also the place where you can listen to:

ALICE

Gorillaz, The Return Of

Niki N. Phaser — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:05:48 +0000

Your favorite virtual, animated band of anti-heroes is making an official return. Gorillaz are to release their third album, Plastic Beach, this March. This will be the follow-up to the groudbreaking Demon Days, that had the world shakin’ it to the hit Feel Good, Inc. and pretty much everything else that was on that album. The new 16-tracker will feature an eclectic congregation of guest singers, like Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed, of course De La Soul and plenty of other guests (more than ever). Lead single, Stylo, will be available for download in a few days. It’s quite a retro-jem, filled with catchy rollerskate-disconess and a synth bassline which will have 80’s veteran breakdancers, “the Fred Astaires of the street”, dust their tank tops. Listen at Gorillaz’s:

OFFICIAL SITE

Smashing Pumpkins Continue “Teargarden” Project

Niki N. Phaser — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:06:15 +0000

Smashing Pumpkins have premiered a new single, Widow Wake My Mind, through MySpace. The song is the second installment in Billy Corgan & co.’s 44 tracks project, entitled Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. It’s quite a different kind of tune than first single, A Song For a Son, which was made available as a free download last month. Maybe it’s just the infectious hopeful sound of this new track, but this diversity promises an interesting project. It is not set yet, but if this will be a one-by-month kind of venture, Smashing Pumpkins might become a favorited show, though waiting 30 days for a new episode is a bit frustrating. Anyway, it’s nice to always have a little pleasure to look forward to. Like the rest of the tracks which Teargarden by Kaleidyscope is comprised of, Widow Wake My Mind is a free download.

LISTEN TO THE WIDOW

Amy Macdonald Is Telling Us It’s Not Over

Niki N. Phaser — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:22:32 +0000

Scottish singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald has given us a first taste of her future album, still untitled, coming out on the 8th of March. First single, Don’t Tell Me That It’s Over, will be released on 1st March, but it has already made its presence known on Europe’s radios, to a very positive reaction. Though a bit more bigger-sounding (as in energetic) than her debut material, the new single retains the emotional verve that made her one of the most successful debutants of recent music history. Fans will not be disappointed by the new offering, only more eager to hear the new album.

There is more good news for those who really can’t handle the waiting. Macdonald will performe some showcase gigs, revealing the new material in the best way she knows: live. The first will be in Glasgow on January 28th (Barrowland Ballroom), after which she is heading to the UK for a similar show in London. If in doubt, though actually having the chance to attend one of these events, listen to the new single:

Don’t Tell Me That It’s Over

Muse Choose New Single

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:41:47 +0000

Muse selected their third single from The Resistance — it’s the title track. Resistance will be released in the UK on Monday February 22, with more info on the formats to come soon. After Undisclosed Desires, which was a bit of dividing point for Muse fans because of its mainstream sound, Resistance will patch things up, as it is an instant Muse-like classic, with catchy piano tunes, irregular structure, romantically anthemic choruses and plenty of tomwork on Dominic Howard’s part.

This video will not feature any army of evil teddy bears, but no out-of-place crump dancer either. It’s just a video of the band playing live, but, if you are familiar with a Muse show, you’ll know that’s more spectacular than any CGI legion of toys. The band posted a preview of the video, with the full thing going to premiere in a few days, on 14th January. Till then, you can feast your eyes on a recent performance of Resistance, in all its greatness. Literally.

RESIST HERE

H.I.M. Resume Their Heartkilling Habits

Niki N. Phaser — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:22:22 +0000

HIM premiered their new video, Heartkiller, on MySpace this Friday, where it quickly became the most watched video for the day. This is the Love-Metallers first single off of their highly anticipated new album, Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, which will be released next month. Embracing a more poppy sound, Heartkiller might just do the trick Ville Valo has hoped for every first single in the past: it gives a taste of the new direction, while still comforting worried fans. A definite departure from the ‘dirty’ sound of Venus Doom, this new material features a resurrection of the more synthy nuances of Dark Light and Razorblade Romance, as Valo himself admits.

The James Copeman (Razorlight, Mystery Jets) directed video features the band in a dark setting, with some flashes of their taxidermied power animals overlapping from time to time. Of course, this is also a chance for Valo to ‘premiere’ his new tattoos, of Maya Deren and Klaus Kinski. Overall, Heartkiller is a decent song, not more, but it does the job: it states that HIM are up and running once again.

HEARTKILLER

Mike Shinoda Teases LP Fans

Niki N. Phaser — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:16:42 +0000

In a recent blog post on his official website, Linkin Park/Fort Minor member, Mike Shinoda gave fans an update on LP’s new LP. The band had their first meeting of the year, regarding the evolution of their future album, expected to be released, sometime in the summer/autumn of this year. It will be their fourth and the follow-up to the successful Minutes to Midnight. The MC seems happy with the way things are going and emphasizes a lot on the new direction of their recent songs. He even talks about initiating a new genre with this one, so the pressure to not repeat themselves seems to be really off. He also teases the army of fans, waiting for any new information: “I was going to tell you guys the working titles…but I changed my mind”, he writes. Though not a concept album, the new material is, so far, tied by “some thematic threads”, the producer also admits. Five songs are almost confirmed, with another 15-20 being worked on, a batch from which the final tracklisting is supposed to be picked. In earlier reports, there was talk of a more electronic sound, Blade Runner-inspired, but, as we all know, an album has many gestation periods, so we’ll just have to wait and hear.

New Blondie Album in 2010

Niki N. Phaser — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:49:58 +0000

It is official, pop-rock legends Blondie are going to make 2010 and even more special year, by releasing a new album. It will be their first since 2003’s The Curse of Blondie. The band is working with producer Jeff Saltzman and so far, they have around thirty tracks in the works. It’s still unclear if this is going to be a regular release or a digital one, but Chris Stein, talking about the new material, said: “does it sound like a Blondie recording? Yes I am sure it will be familiar”. The Curse of Blondie, though somewhat ignored, was a great collection of songs, so good things may be coming our way. Untill then, we can get into the holiday spirit with the band’s rocky rendition of the traditional We Three Kings, offered as a free download here. VIDEO

First Taste of “The Runaways”

Niki N. Phaser — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:22:28 +0000

For all of you interested in the iconic all-girl punk-glam pioneers, The Runways, you should clear your schedule for next spring. March 2010 will see the premiere of Floria Sigismondi’s biopic about the rise and fall of the short-lived phenomenon which was The Runaways. If you know what I’m talking about, you also probably know that Kristen Stewart will be playing Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning, Cherrie Currie, with Michael Shannon as the controversial manager of the band, Kim Fowley. The film is directed and written by Italian multi-dimensional artist, Floria Sigismondi. She knows her way around the music world, being the author of music videos for acts like The Cure (remember The End of the World), Sigur Ros, Marylin Manson, and plenty of others. She’s also responsible for the cool video for Bowie’s Little Wonder. Here’s a taste of how her unique vision fits a biopic:

RUNAWAY here