In a move that’s a decade too late, Universal Music Group has chosen to lower the prices of most new releases in an attempt to combat the continued decline of music sales. The major’s “Velocity” pricing program responds to the continuing plunge in CD sales, taking aim at brick-and-mortar retail stores that have scaled back on floor space dedicated to music. The pricing adjustments will also bring CD prices more in line with what consumers…
Album name: Plastic Beach Artist name: Gorillaz Genre: Gorillaz Pop Released: 3 March 2010 Label: Parlophone/Virgin ZME Rating: 9/10 Website: www.gorillaz.com ——————————– It appears that the the self-titled debut of Gorillaz was the induction of the 21st Century into the popular culture, ya know before all that nasty terrorism and war stuff. Its follow-up, Demon Days, was a reaction to all of the post-9/11 fallout, a record so full of wonderfully hyperbolic paranoia that it…
Forget the Greatest Hits album being an obituary. Apparently there is no hiatus. According to Dave Grohl, he and drummer Taylow Hawkins “have already started demoing songs” for a new album. Oh, and the band is working with producer Butch Vig – ya know, the guy that did Nevermind. Better still, Grohl seems to think the new material “could be our heaviest yet.” Better still, the band will be recording in analog in Dave’s garage….
So the ‘Stripes made a live document of their 2007 tour of Canada (where they played every single Province), entitled Under Great White Northern Lights. It’s gonna be a film and an album. The important part here is the album portion. It’s out next week, but you can hear it now over at NPR’s website. Notable inclusions are the blistering duo of “Seven Nation Army” (duh) and the title track from Icky Thump, as well…
Yes, track number 3 from the proposed 44-song, 11-EP “album” Teargarden by Kaleidyscope has been released. This one, called “A Stitch in Time,” is about as left-field as the title suggests. There’s sitar over acoustic indie-pop flair, as well as swirls of guitar here and there that float around the simple ditty. Think the lighter side of Mellon Collie if Billy had pulled a Beatles trip to India. This is easily the best of the…
Yes, the forthcoming Gorillaz record, Plastic Beach, can be streamed in its entirety here. Go listen to it now. It’s that awesome.
I knew this was gonna suck even before the nominations were announced. I knew it because I knew that they wouldn’t bother to have albums of quality – ya know, Merriweather Post Pavilion or Us or Wilco (the Album) or Cuban Linx II. No, they decide that the following are the supposed best of last year: TAYLOR SWIFT, FEARLESS Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D. Beyoncé, I Am…Sasha Fierce Lady GaGa, The Fame Dave Matthews Band,…
Ah, yes: the reason above all others why I hate the Grammys. The category is nothing above contemptible to metal fans. The set of nominees any given year follows no pattern and it seems that, compared to any other award, the Academy understands what constitutes metal the least. JUDAS PRIEST, “DISSIDENT AGGRESSOR” Lamb of God, “Set to Fail” Megadeth, “Head Crusher” Ministry, “Señor Peligro” Slayer, “Hate Worldwide” Judas Priest haven’t been worthwhile since the Reagan…
I’ve given Nickelback a lot of shit for its continued existence since I started writing for ZME last year. That said, I’m not sure that I can top a Facebook group called “Can this pickle get more fans than Nickleback?” Yes, the band’s name is mispelled, as the author of the group admits: I am fully aware that I misspelled Nickelback as “Nickleback” in the name of the page. This is because Facebook doesn’t allow…
Much like the metal category, hard rock is something that the NARAS doesn’t understand to any degree. Yes, it can sometimes -* sometimes* – pick the ‘right’ bands but its choices for songs is bizarre. AC/DC, “WAR MACHINE” Alice in Chains, “Check My Brain” Linkin Park, “What I’ve Done” Metallica, “The Unforgiven III” Nickelback, “Burn it to the Ground” OK, first off: Nickelback?! Not only is that a terrible choice for a band nominee, it’s…
Steve Lampiris