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Monday, June 15

Cat Stevens Says He Forgives Coldplay for Stealing "Viva La Vida" Melody

"I have even copied myself without even knowing I have done it." Cat Stevens Says He Forgives Coldplay for Stealing "Viva La Vida" Melody

Last month, we reported that Yusuf Islam, the man formerly known as Cat Stevens, had joined the list of folks claiming that Coldplay ripped him off for their hit "Viva La Vida".

Islam told the British tabloid The Sun that Coldplay had plagiarized pieces of his 1973 song "Foreigner Suite".

But Islam's a nice enough guy that he didn't want to sue Coldplay over the dispute. According to the British rag The Daily Express, he even forgives Coldplay. (via TwentyFourBit)

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Modest Mouse Images Collected in Zine

Photographer Pat Graham documents the band Modest Mouse Images Collected in Zine

Back in February, we mentioned a limited-edition book of photos that photographer Pat Graham had taken of Modest Mouse. Well, Graham has been snapping shots of the band since 1996, so he's got a whole lot more photos where those came from. Graham is publishing a series of limited-edition Modest Mouse photozines collecting archival snapshots and new images.

Graham has collaborated on these zines with RAEN Optics, who will be selling them exclusively. The second issue, pictured above, will ship on July 4, and you can order it here. Check below for sample photos and more info.

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Echo Chamber: Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste

Echo Chamber: Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste

"Tweeting sort of like Tamagotchi, you can't neglect but you can't overfeed either...DELICATE BALANCE."

-- Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste likens microblogging to obsolete fake pets. (via @EdwardDroste)

Posted by Ryan Dombal on June 15, 2009 at 2:45 p.m.

Tags: Echo Chamber, Ed Droste, Grizzly Bear

 

Sigur Rós Win Icelandic Game Show

How do you say "final answer" in Icelandic? Sigur Rós Win Icelandic Game Show

Icelandic rock'n'roll game show "Popppunktur" features a set seemingly imported from 1985 and a remarkably lax, "Charlie Rose"-esque pace that makes it a true throwback in the age of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and "Deal or No Deal".

When Sigur Rós recently showed up on the program (sans singer Jónsi), the result isn't exactly riveting-- with or without the language barrier. But it is worth a quick look-- you can watch as much of the episode as you wish via the band's official site.

They faced off against apparent has-beens-- and skipper-hat aficionados-- Áhöfnin á Halastjörnunni and trounced them! So the guys will show up on "Popppunktur" at least once more this summer-- perhaps against Múm, who are also taking part in the tournament. Um, no whammies?

Posted by Ryan Dombal on June 15, 2009 at 1:40 p.m.

Tags: Sigur Rós, TV, video, WTF

 

T.V. Eye: June 15-21

T.V. Eye: June 15-21

Live music on T.V. this week:

Monday, June 15:

CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Camera Obscura
NBC: Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien: Spinal Tap
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Common, Doves (rerun)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Roots (house band)
FUSE: No. 1 Countdown: Bonnaroo All-Stars
FUSE: Fuse Fest: Bonnaroo 2008

Tuesday, June 16:

NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Roots (house band)

Wednesday, June 17:

NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Street Sweeper Social Club, the Roots (house band)

Thursday, June 18:

NBC: Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien: The Dead Weather
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Phoenix
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Metric
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Peaches
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Roots (house band)

Friday, June 19:

NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Ting Tings
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Sounds
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Roots (house band)

Saturday, June 20:

FUSE: Fuse Fest: Bonnaroo 2009
PBS: Austin City Limits: Bettye Lavette, Pinetop Perkins (rerun)

Posted by Tom Breihan on June 15, 2009 at 12:40 p.m.

Tags: TV Eye

 

Blur Make Live Return

Setlist and videos from the Britpop titans' first reunion gig. Blur Make Live Return

The East Anglian Railway Museum near Colchester, England boasts mini railroad rides, a model train store, and something called "Railway Experience Courses." The offbeat spot also hosted Blur's first show in 1988 and, on Saturday, once again welcomed the Britpop stars for their first gig as a four-piece in nine years, according to the BBC.

And, by all accounts, the two-hour hit fest lived up to expectations, with the reformed group pulling out 28 songs from across their career including first single "She's So High", as well as hits like "Parklife", and "Song 2".

All this bodes well for their upcoming festival dates, which includes a headlining spot at Glastonbury. (Alas, still no U.S. dates for the reunion trek.) The guys still have a few warm-up shows-- including a just-announced secret gig somewhere in London tonight-- before they head to the big stages later this month.

Even better, Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, and company really looked like they enjoyed themselves at the Railway gig, as evidenced by a batch of striking high-quality videos that have made their way onto YouTube. Check out some of the clips-- along with the show's setlist, via NME, and forthcoming Blur tour dates-- after the jump:

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Beastie Boys Team With Nas for New Song

Debut new track at Bonnaroo Beastie Boys Team With Nas for New Song

The Beastie Boys haven't traded rhymes on record with a prominent non-Beastie rapper since Q-Tip showed up on the 1994 classic "Get It Together". But the Beasties ended that streak at this past weekend's Bonnaroo Festival, bringing Nas to the stage to debut an untitled new song.

Rolling Stone says the new track will appear on the Beasties' forthcoming LP Hot Sauce Committee, but that hasn't been confirmed.

Nah Right has some shaky camera-phone footage of Nas' big cameo, though the quality of the footage doesn't really make it clear what, exactly, the song sounds like.

As previously reported, Hot Sauce Committee is tentatively due in September. Santigold has also contributed some vocals. The Beasties debuted a couple of new songs on a surprise bonus 7" in some packages of their Check Your Head reissue.

Posted by Tom Breihan on June 15, 2009 at noon

Tags: Beastie Boys, Bonnaroo, Collaboration, Festival, Nas

 

New Order Swap Peter Hook for Blur's Alex James for New Band Bad Lieutenant

New Order Swap Peter Hook for Blur's Alex James for New Band Bad Lieutenant

Back in 2007, nobody was exactly sure whether synthpop gods New Order were broken up or not. Bassist Peter Hook said that they were; everyone else in the band said they weren't.

Well, it's official now: New Order are broken up. The BBC reports that the non-Peter Hook members of the group have a new group with a new name: Bad Lieutenant. And they've also got themselves a new bassist. (via NME)

Bad Lieutenant consists of founding New Order members (and, along with Hook, former Joy Division members) Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris, along with relatively recent New Order addition Phil Cunningham. The ringer in for Hook? Blur bassist Alex James. According to the BBC, Bad Lieutenant has recorded an album, and it's due in October. They'll also tour later in the year, presumably after James gets done playing this summer's run of Blur reunion shows.

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Chris Knox (Tall Dwarfs, Flying Nun) Recovering From Stroke

Chris Knox (Tall Dwarfs, Flying Nun) Recovering From Stroke

New Zealand punk rock great Chris Knox (Tall Dwarfs, the Enemy, Toy Love, Flying Nun Records) is currently in an Auckland hospital recovering from a stroke he suffered on Thursday, according to The New Zealand Herald. While early reports claimed the 56-year-old musician might never walk again, a story from today's Otago Daily Times states doctors are now waiting for swelling to subside before putting forth a prognosis.

The Otago Daily Times story also includes a promising (and generally bad ass) anecdote from a family friend close to Knox: "Someone came in to see Chris [at the hospital] and asked him if he wanted any help with religion. Chris just rolled his eyes...That's the Chris Knox we all know."

Knox's friends and family have started the "Chris Knox had a stroke and everyone wants to know how he is, how the hell are we gonna keep you all updated all at once" blog, which is located here.

Posted by Ryan Dombal on June 15, 2009 at 11:05 a.m.

Tags: Chris Knox, Tall Dwarfs

 

Echo Chamber: Colin Meloy

Echo Chamber: Colin Meloy

"Every time someone calls Bonnaroo 'the Roo,' a kitten dies."

-- We hope Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy is wrong, or else a lot of cats were lost this weekend. (via @colinmeloy)

Posted by Tom Breihan on June 15, 2009 at 10:50 a.m.

Tags: Colin Meloy, Echo Chamber, The Decemberists

 

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