Photo: sxsw.com

South by Southwest is sort of like running a marathon, except you're drunk most of the time, and there's nothing but BBQ and tacos to eat, and have sun stroke, and you basically hear live music from the moment you wake up until the second you pass out. So, actually, it's not really like a marathon at all, except in duration (and probably perspiration).

Yes, it's that time of year again — SXSW is upon us. It's a magical week that comes around each March, when the city of Austin, Texas is overrun with hundreds of bands and thousands of hipsters in really tight pants, all braving the blazing Texas sun to catch can't-miss sets from much-buzzed blog acts, top-secret performances by some of the biggest names in music (there's a couple of doozies this year), and have a really gigantic, really debauched party.

At SXSW 2008, there were performances by mainstays like Paramore, N.E.R.D., R.E.M., and My Morning Jacket, star-making turns by Vampire Weekend, No Age, MGMT and Katy Perry, appearances by Perez Hilton and Rachael Ray, even a Britney Spears rumor (and, as luck would have it, we spoke to almost all of 'em). Rumor has it, there was also plenty of partying — though we don't really remember, to be honest.

This year, things are looking to be just as awesome. There are rumors (repeat: rumors) of performances by Metallica — under the relatively awesome Norse name of Volsung — on Friday and Kanye West on Saturday. We'll see the return of alt-rock greats Jane's Addiction — in all their original-lineup glory — and faerie queen Tori Amos. Big Boi, Rick Ross and Jadakiss are all scheduled to appear. There will be sets by the Silversun Pickups, Explosions in the Sky, Primal Scream, Devo, the Hold Steady, M. Ward and Peter Bjorn and John. Plus, indie heavyweights like the Thermals, the Decemberists (performing their new album, The Hazards Of Love, in its entirety) and Grizzly Bear, who will unveil tracks from their much-anticipated Vecktimest album at what promises to be a revelatory church show.

We know it's a lot to handle.

Of course, it wouldn't be SXSW if there weren't also a ton of up-and-comers grabbing headlines, too. From lo (perhaps even no)-fi noisemakers like San Diego's Wavves and Brooklyn's the Pains of Being Pure at Heart to NME-approved female electro-poppers Little Boots and Ladyhawke, there's no shortage of buzzed-up bands to catch in and around Austin this week. And that's not even mentioning bands like Passion Pit, Crystal Stilts, the Dirty Projectors and Marnie Stern — who's already given us an SXSW preview of her own. Throw in a strong hip-hop contingent — multiple sets by Asher Roth, Kid Cudi, Kid Sister and B.o.B — and you can see why the whole "marathon" comparison is more than apt. There literally is not enough time in the day to see everything, but that doesn't mean you're not gonna try your hardest to do it.

And, of course, MTV News is going to be there too — checking out bands, staying up way too late, making terrible decisions and trying very hard to remain sane. We'll be bringing you up-to-the-minute updates on SXSW on MTVNews.com, the Newsroom blog. We'll have live video of shows, interviews with bands and even a BBQ story or three. In short, we're going to try and bring you everything you're missing at SXSW 2009. It's hard work, for sure. But we do it because we care.

MTV News will be all over the South by Southwest festival this week, with blogs, articles and video on all the gigs, the artists and the scene!

• South By Southwest 2009: Looking Back

• Passion Pit
• Metallica
• Silversun Pickups
• The Decemberists
• Kanye West

Ne-Yo
Photo: Def Jam

One's a charismatic American R&B singer and fledgling thespian with a beaming smile that makes thousands of teen girls' hearts flutter like the wings of a butterfly caught in a hurricane. The other's a Canadian big-band crooner with a funny-sounding last name and a legion of soccer-mom fans at his behest. But there wasn't enough room for both artists at the top of next week's Billboard albums chart, so one of them would have to settle for second place.

For Ne-Yo, a #1 opening would give him a perfect record: two for two. For Michael Bublé, it would end a years-long flirtation with the chart's coveted peak position. And with a mere 39,000 in sales separating them, it was a close contest, to be sure — just not close enough for Bublé. Repeating the success of his 2006 debut, In My Own Words, which sold more than 301,000 copies during its first week of release to bow at the chart's #1 spot, Ne-Yo once again lays claim to Billboard's apex, having scanned more than 251,000 copies of his sophomore set, Because of You.

According to the latest SoundScan totals, Ne-Yo ends pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne's two-week run at #1, leaving Bublé's Call Me Irresponsible in the proverbial dust. Bublé's 2005 LP, It's Time, debuted at #7, with close to 93,500 units snatched up; his latest outing racked up sales of more than 212,000 to finish at #2.

Next week's chart is chock-full of new releases — 18 in all, with six of those offerings cracking the top 10. Coming in at a distant third, with nearly 93,000 in week-one sales, is the latest disc from Rush, Snakes & Arrows, followed at #4 by Lavigne's The Best Damn Thing, which sold 86,300 copies during its third week in stores. Tori Amos' new one, American Doll Posse, opens at #5 with 54,000 scans, just in front of Miranda Lambert's latest, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which sold just 1,000 fewer copies. Amos' 2005 LP, The Beekeeper, also debuted at #5 but with much stronger sales of 82,600.

Falling two chart positions to #7 this week is the self-titled debut set from "American Idol" season-five finalist Chris Daughtry's rock group, Daughtry, which sold 50,000-plus copies, pushing overall sales of the disc past the 2.4 million mark. Country artist Blake Shelton's Pure BS is the last of the newcomers to breach the chart's top 10, finishing at #8 with 48,500 scans, while the 24th installment in the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series drops five spots to #9, selling 46,400 copies. Rounding out the top 10 is Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts, which generated sales of 43,900.

The Reminder, the third full-length solo outing from Broken Social Scene associate Feist, opens at #16, having sold a reported 31,000 copies. The live version of the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical," last year's unexpected blockbuster hit, opens at #28; High School Musical: The Concert sold more than 21,800 copies its first week out. Meanwhile, the soundtrack to "Spider-Man 3," featuring contributions from Snow Patrol, the Killers, the Flaming Lips and others, pops up at #33 with 20,800 scans, followed at #36 by "High School Musical" star Corbin Bleu's debut, Another Side, which scanned 17,900 units.

Garage rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's newest, Baby 81, finishes within the chart's top 50 at #46, having sold 14,500 copies during its first week of sales. Angélique Kidjo's latest, Djin Djin, surfaces at #61, with 11,000 copies sold, while formerly extinct alt-rockers Dinosaur Jr.'s first new studio album in more than a decade, Beyond, claims the chart's #69 slot with 10,000-plus scans. The Fall of Troy's Manipulator debuts at #76, with 9,500 units sold, while American heartland singer/songwriter Jon McLaughlin's Indiana finishes at #81 with sales of 8,800.

Elvis Costello returns to Billboard's top 200 at #110, with his retrospective, The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years, selling 7,200 units. Christian rockers Building 429's Iris to Iris claims the #140 slot with 5,500 copies sold. "American Idol" season-three finalist Kimberley Locke's sophomore LP, Based on a True Story, opens at #160 with 4,800 in sales. In related news, Bon Jovi's appearance last week on the current season of "Idol" paid off big, as the band's 2005 release, Have a Nice Day, returns to the chart after more than seven months off, thanks to a 333 percent sales boost that landed the LP at #113, with 7,000 units scanned.

• Ne-Yo
• Avril Lavigne
• Michael Bublé
• Rush
• Tori Amos

Lindsay Lohan
Photo: Stephen Shugerman/ Getty Images

Lindsay Lohan is ready to "milk" her 21st birthday for all it's worth. According to The Associated Press, the singer/actress said Wednesday (May 2) on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that she plans to party in Las Vegas and have a dinner in Malibu, California, with family and friends for her birthday, which falls on July 2. The birthday has "been a long time coming" for friends who own L.A. clubs, said Lohan, who also revealed a white tattoo of the word "breathe" on one of her wrists. "I forget to breathe sometimes," she said. ...

Looks like Mikey Way's brief hiatus from My Chemical Romance couldn't have been better timed. The band and tourmates Muse were forced to cancel several dates after members of both groups were struck with serious food poisoning. The trek came to a stop on Sunday when the musicians "became violently ill after the show at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia," according to a statement issued by both bands. With the sick scattered throughout area hospitals, the bands nixed Sunday night's gig in State College, Pennsylvania, and postponed Tuesday night's show in Columbus, Ohio, to Wednesday night "provided everyone has recovered." The bands were previously scheduled to play in Pittsburgh on Wednesday; that show has been canceled. Both bands "would like their fans to know that they hope to resume the tour as soon as possible," the statement concluded. ...

Beyoncé is the first non-Hispanic honoree to make People en Español's "Most Beautiful" list. The singer — who included six Spanish-language songs on her B'Day - Deluxe Edition, — is featured on the cover of the magazine's June "Los 50 Más Bellos" issue, alongside Mexican actress Angélica Vale, Puerto Rican actress Adamari López and Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández. Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Salma Hayek, Penélope Cruz and "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera also made the cut. ...

Looks like the Beastie Boys don't have all that much to say right now, even though they have a new album dropping June 26. The Mix-Up will be the band's first all-instrumental album and won't feature any samples or scratches, either. Among its 12 tracks are "Electric Worm," "The Kangaroo Rat" and "Dramastically Different." ...

Ciara is pretty excited for the 2008 election, she told Rap-Up in an interview in the magazine's May/June issue. "This will be my first time voting," the 21-year-old singer said. "Hopefully I can contribute to something that will better our country. I'm going to be very serious about who I'm picking." What about a woman president? " I'm for a great president," she said. "Man or woman. ... I feel a woman is capable of what a man is capable of doing." ...

No, you're not seeing things: Blur are getting back together this summer with founding guitarist Graham Coxon to create a new album, bassist Alex James has confirmed to Dotmusic. "We're gonna see if we've still got it," said James, who releases his "Bit of a Blur" autobiography in June. "If not, I think we'll just call it a day." Coxon split from the band during the recording of 2003's Think Tank ...

Melanie Brown — a.k.a. Spice Girl Mel B. — is taking Eddie Murphy to court to force him to take a paternity test, she said in an interview with "Access Hollywood" on Tuesday. The singer claims Murphy fathered her newborn daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown. "He won't do a DNA test and he won't sign the birth certificate, so now we're having to go through lawyers because he won't do either," she said of Murphy. ... Joan Baez isn't welcome at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., The Washington Post reports. The folk singer says she accepted John Mellencamp's invitation to perform with him Friday but the offer was subsequently disapproved by Army officials. Baez is a prominent anti-war activist. ...

GZA will perform his 1995 hip-hop masterpiece, Liquid Swords, in its entirety at Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival on July 13 as part of the ongoing Don't Look Back concert series. Girls Against Boys are also joining the action — they're slated to perform 1993's Venus Luxure No 1 Baby July 20 at New York's Bowery Ballroom. ... John Legend will be in the Crescent City on Saturday to perform at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival — and he'll also make an appearance at the Tide CleanStart mobile laundromat, a truck that provides free laundry services to families in need in St. Bernard Parish. Tide will be selling T-shirts to benefit the St. Bernard Project, a nonprofit organization aiding families in the area, which was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina. For more information on the fundraising effort, visit TideCleanStart.com ... Is John Legend the next John Mayer? Apparently so, according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which is honoring him with the Hal David Starlight Award at a dinner to be held June 7 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York. The award was created in 2004, and previous recipients include Mayer, Alicia Keys and Rob Thomas. ...

Mastodon and Against Me! got their tour off to a roaring start Tuesday night at Los Angeles' Wiltern LG. Against Me! gave a rousing set, with the bandmembers flinging a seemingly limitless supply of spit across the stage and frontman Tom Gabel wishing everyone a happy May Day. The punks in attendance streamed out after that band's performance, but the metalheads stayed for Mastodon's challenging set of prog-metal mayhem. The head-scratching bill — rounded out by spiffily dressed indie squad Cursive and Denver experimental noise-rockers Planes Mistaken for Stars — hits San Francisco's Warfield Wednesday night. ...

Zakk Wylde will perform "In This River," his tribute to "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, at the RockWalk induction honoring the late Pantera/Damageplan guitarist. The ceremony will be held May 17 in Hollywood. ... The Black Dahlia Murder have set Nocturnal as the title of their forthcoming album, which is expected to hit stores later this year. ... Social Distortion will release a best-of collection simply called Greatest Hits on June 26. The set will feature 10 tracks, including a new one, "Far Behind." Look for the CD to also feature "Ball and Chain," "Ring of Fire" and "I Was Wrong." ...

Tori Amos performed at the Spotlight Live in New York on Monday night during a listening party to celebrate the release of American Doll Posse. Eighty lucky fans gathered at the club — which even had a drink named after Tori. Those who didn't make the performance haven't missed out completely. Sirius Satellite Radio will broadcast the show on the Spectrum channel Friday at 11 p.m. with repeats Saturday at 8 a.m. and Sunday at midnight. ... Can't wait for the new Polyphonic Spree album The Fragile Army? Check out the band's eight-minute mash-up of the whole shebang right here. The 11-track LP is due June 19 and will be preceded by a six-date tour starting May 7 in Nashville and ending May 14 in Athens, Georgia. ... "American Idol" veteran Constantine Maroulis' role on the CBS soap "The Bold and the Beautiful" will begin airing May 15. Maroulis is playing a music producer named Constantine — what a coincidence — and will perform songs from his solo debut over the next several months on the daytime drama.

05.01.2007

R. Kelly is stepping up to help Virginia Tech heal. The R&B singer has penned a new track, "Rise Up," about recovering after the April 16 shootings, The Associated Press reports. The inspirational ballad, which will be available digitally May 15, features the lyrics "Rise up, when you feel you can't go on, rise up, and all of your hope is gone, rise up, when you're weak and you can't be strong." All proceeds from sales will go to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, which was created to aid the families of the victims. ...

Pete Wentz, Ashlee Simpson and Jay-Z — plus almost everyone associated in any way with Fall Out Boy — descended upon New York's East Village on Monday night to celebrate the opening of Angels & Kings, the new bar co-owned by Wentz and members of Gym Class Heroes, the Academy Is ... and Cobra Starship (FOB's labelmates Panic! at the Disco wanted to invest too, according to their management, but they weren't old enough to legally own part of a bar). Pete, Ashlee and Jay held court at a corner table, while GCH's Travis McCoy spun a hip-hop-heavy set and TAI frontman William Beckett chatted up Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta at the bar. A good time was had by all ... save the residents of the apartments above A&K, who showered the paparazzi assembled outside with buckets of water — and "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini, who attempted to parallel-park his SUV out front only to get blinded by a flashbulb, give the offending paparazzo the finger and drive away. Good times, indeed. (See Jay-Z and Ashlee at the Angels & Kings opening, and find out why other musicians are in on the venture, right here.) ...

Wilmer Valderrama, meet Simon Cowell? While the actor probably won't be competing on "American Idol" anytime soon, he has hooked up with the show's producers for new series projects, The Associated Press reports. The "first-look" deal includes scripted and reality shows, and Valderrama may wind up with a starring role in addition to developing them. FremantleMedia North America and the actor's WV Enterprises will soon set up offices in Burbank, California. ...

Bruce Willis hosted a screening for "The Hip-Hop Project," which he helped executive produce, Monday night at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Ice-T, Fonzworth Bentley and the Reverend Al Sharpton attended the star-studded event. ...

Larry Birkhead and Danielynn, his daughter with Anna Nicole Smith, left the Bahamas and arrived in his home state of Kentucky on Tuesday (May 1), AP reports. "It just feels good to be home," Birkhead said after stepping off a private plane. ... Testimony in the Phil Spector trial is now postponed until next week due to defense attorney Bruce Cutler's illness, Reuters reports. ...

Bono pushed lawmakers on Tuesday to expand basic education across the globe, AP reports. "I can't vote for any of them, but I'm thankful for what they're doing," the U2 frontman said via a conference call with Senator Hillary Clinton and other members of Congress in Washington, D.C. "This is why I'm a fan — and an annoying fan at times — of America." Bono and the lawmakers are trying to revive long-dormant legislation that would add $10 billion to an international fund providing education to children in Africa and elsewhere. ... Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other stars and politicians honored Jack Valenti on Tuesday at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C., AP reports. The legendary movie-industry lobbyist died Thursday. ...

Kanye West, Chris Brown and DJ Clue were among the celebs who turned out Monday night to help Ne-Yo celebrate the release of his album with a party in the Marc Ecko showroom in New York. ... LL Cool J popped into New York's Pacha over the weekend and surprised partygoers at a T-Mobile/Samsung event, performing "Control Myself" for the shocked crowd. ... Big Boi is teaming up with the Atlanta Ballet — and he'll be performing onstage with the dance troupe, according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Outkast rapper and his Purple Ribbon Entertainment artists will collaborate with choreographer Lauri Stallings for a performance that will begin its run in April 2008. ... "High School Musical 2" is set to air August 17 on the Disney Channel, AP reports. ... More release-date news: Snoop Dogg's "Hood of Horror" hits theaters Friday. ...

Blaqk Audio, the electronic side project of AFI frontman Davey Havok and guitarist Jade Puget, have started mixing their forthcoming debut album with producer Dave Bascombe (Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears). Although there's no official release date for the disc, Havok says fans can look for it this summer. "I'd expect the album to be available somewhere between the beginning of July and the end of August," he wrote in a MySpace post. "That's my guess." ...

Hinder, Papa Roach and Buckcherry are teaming up for this summer's Badboys of Rock Tour, which will kick off July 13 in Lansing, Michigan, and run through mid-September. Only a handful of dates have been confirmed, including stops in Dubuque, Iowa (July 18); Lima, Ohio (August 19); and York, Pennsylvania (September 12). ... Underoath, Norma Jean, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster and the Glass Ocean will hit the road this month under the Dirty South Tour banner. The trek launches May 13 in North Jacksonville, Florida, and will hit Southern cities including Columbia, South Carolina (May 14); Louisville, Kentucky (May 17); and Nashville (May 18-19). As I Lay Dying will join the lineup for two shows in Atlanta (May 15-16). The tour is scheduled to wrap up May 23 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ...

Kali Bowyer, who has claimed Chris Rock is the father of her 13-year-old son, says she wants a DNA test because she's not positive who the dad is, AP reports. Rock has said he is willing to take one, according to Bowyer, and last month the actor asked Georgia's Bulloch County Superior Court to start paternity proceedings to determine the father. Bowyer filed court papers in March, claiming Rock is the dad. ... Nearly a year after a woman was assaulted while leaving an Ozzfest show in Tinley Park, Illinois, a man has been arrested in connection with the attack. Police arrested Patrick Miller, 33, on Friday and charged him with one count of criminal sexual assault after police linked him to the crime using DNA evidence, according to the Daily Southtown newspaper's Web site. Bail was set at $35,000 for Miller, who is accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman in the parking lot of the First Midwest Amphitheater on July 16. ...

Boy George was arrested and released on bail after a 28-year-old man accused him of false imprisonment and assault in an incident that took place early Saturday in London, Reuters reports. The former Culture Club frontman is due to return for further questioning in July. ... The Explosion have imploded. The band announced its decision to disband on Monday but offered no reasons for the move. The Explosion's final LP, Bury Me Standing, has not yet been released. The band was among those dropped during Capitol's recent merger with Virgin Records. ... Tom Poston, who played a clueless everyman on "Newhart" and "Mork and Mindy," has died, AP reports. He was 85.

• Lindsay Lohan
• My Chemical Romance
• Muse
• Beyoncé
• Jennifer Lopez

Ne-Yo's <i>Because of You</i>
Photo: Def Jam

If you happen to be an anarchist, you probably observe May Day, which commemorates a number of historical revolts worldwide and is also known as International Workers' Day.

These days, the SoundScan charts sure could use a revolt — the music industry is lucky if it sees the best-selling album of the week push six-figure sales (as both Avril Lavigne and Nine Inch Nails did last week — all the more power to 'em).

It's wicked unlikely, but this week could see another revolution of sorts. Canadian songstress Leslie Feist, who cracked open her solo career in 1999 but really impacted with 2004's Let It Die, is facing off against Ne-Yo, the hugely popular R&B songwriter who is doing the sophomore-effort thing with Because of You.

If you're looking to prove that Ne-Yo's already got this contest in the bag, just look at the numbers he put up the last time around: His 2006 debut, In My Own Words, has sold almost 3 million copies worldwide and opened on the Billboard albums chart at #1.

While Ne-Yo was joined by Ghostface Killah and Peedi Peedi on that LP, this time around he has Jay-Z propping him up on "Crazy" and Jennifer Hudson aiding him on the duet "Leaving Tonight."

But even with those guests, could Ne-Yo's confidence be shaken? After all, he's changed the album title a handful of times — first it was Outta This World, then Because of You, then Know Me, then Because of You all over again. Plus, the album's first single — the title track — hasn't fared especially well on the charts so far.

That could open up the playing field a little for Feist's The Reminder, which The New York Times has declared as "the album that should transform her from the darling of the indie-rock circuit to a full-fledged star, and do it with no compromises."

The whole thing's up on her MySpace page already — and it's been in stores overseas for a week — but that hasn't quelled the buzz. Her stylish new "1234" — directed by Patrick Daughters (Death Cab for Cutie, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) — has our interest piqued, and even Best Buy is hyping the album as, ahem, "A strong sophomore effort from an acclaimed Canadian indie-rocker." There we go.

Swinging into the competition is Spider-Man and the heroic accompanying soundtrack to his new flick. The Killers, Snow Patrol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wolfmother, the Flaming Lips and other well-known cool kids step onto the "Spidey 3" CD, crafting fresh songs to sling to.

If those bands are too mature for your tastes, look no further than Another Side, the debut disc by "High School Musical" and "Jump In!" star Corbin Bleu. Early birds get an extra treat — initial copies come with a DVD featuring performances from "High School Musical: The Concert," as well as an interview and more.

World-music goddess Angelique Kidjo has also catered to the kids' crowd in the past — believe it or not, her song "Ife" appeared way back when on the soundtrack to "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls." Kidjo's lauded catalog includes seven albums, but she's spiced up her latest, Djin Djin, by bringing guests Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Carlos Santana, Peter Gabriel and Josh Groban into the fold.

Rush have more than twice as many studio albums to their name than Kidjo, but they've also enlisted some new blood — specifically, producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver) — for Snakes & Arrows. The first 25,000 copies of the band's first studio LP since 2002's Vapor Trails — which peaked at #6 on the Billboard albums chart — will be released in Warner Music's Music Video Interactive format and feature 5.1. surround sound, hi-res audio, a video documentary, special booklet and deluxe packaging.

Tori Amos is also giving her new one the special-edition treatment, bolstering select copies of American Doll Posse with an added DVD chock-full of bonus material. Infamous Amos takes a bite out of the Bush administration this time around, mutating into a series of Greek goddesses along the way. Among the 23 stark song titles are "To George," "Mr. Bad Man" and "Fat Slut."

Fellow '90s stalwarts Dinosaur Jr. are also hoping to climb into the pack this week with Beyond, their first effort in a decade and first in almost two decades with arguably their best lineup: J Mascis, Murph and Lou Barlow. Some songs are classic Mascis — "Been There All the Time," "I Got Lost" — while two were written by Barlow ("Back to Your Heart," "Lightning Bulb").

Speaking of songwriting, Brooklyn, New York's Ari Hest turned to Gary Louris (Golden Smog, Jayhawks) to co-write "Bird Never Flies," a song featured on Hest's latest opus The Break-In. Mostly recorded in Santa Monica, California, with producer Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Crowded House), the set includes "Bird Never Flies," "Big Ben" and "When and If."

One gang that might not make the cut this week are Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. While the critics love 'em, the loud garage-psych rockers' last effort — 2005's Howl — peaked lower than its 2003 predecessor, Take Them on, on Your Own. And despite a recent U.K. tour with the Killers, there hasn't been much build behind their new Baby 81, which marks drummer Nick Jago's studio comeback. The band does have something to say this time around, though — the album title refers to Abhilasha Jeyarajah, the 81st victim taken to Kalmunai hospital in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. Nine couples claimed the 4-month-old baby was theirs, and controversy ensued until DNA tests finally confirmed who the real parents were. In about a week, BRMC will know if they have a home — on the charts, that is.

Song Title of the Week:

"Un Jour Parfait Pour Poisson de Banane" from Les Sans Culottes' Le Weekender

Other Notables:

Paul Duncan' Above the Trees
Ari Hest isn't the only voice piping up from Brooklyn this week — neighbor Duncan also has something to say as he dishes up his third release. While Duncan tinkers with everything from pedal steel to banjo to glockenspiel, he's joined by a small army of co-conspirators, including members of Grizzly Bear, Tortoise, Cursive and more. Issued on the hep label Hometapes, the LP features "Memory Curves," "Parasail" and "Red Eagle."

Patrick Wolf's The Magic Position
Like Duncan, this London singer/songwriter also likes playing around with a wide variety of instruments — autoharp, theremin and ukulele among them. For his own third outing, the 6-foot-4-inch performer gets together with the legendary Marianne Faithfull for "Magpie," and keeps his pop deliberately off-kilter on songs like "Secret Garden," "Get Lost" and "Accident & Emergency."

The Flesh's Firetower
Also pushing the damaged-pop envelope are these arty dudes, who assembled in NYC in 2002 but now call Brooklyn and Philadelphia home. R&B, dub, goth and punk sounds also seep into the release, which is the band's most layered one yet — it relied heavily on overdubs and multi-tracking, and also ushered in classical musicians to add strings and horns to a few songs. Slap the Flesh some skin when they're on tour with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists next month.

New Releases:

· 65 Days of Static - The Destruction of Small Ideas (Monotreme)
· Acute - Arms Around a Stranger (Help)
· ALO - Roses & Clover (Brushfire) [Buy]
· Tori Amos - American Doll Posse (special edition comes with DVD; Epic) [Buy]
Read: "Tori Amos Forms Anti-Bush Posse By Mutating Into Greek Goddesses"
· Joan Armatrading - Into the Blues (429) [Buy]
· Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 (Red Ink) [Buy]
· Corbin Bleu - Another Side (initial copies come with bonus DVD; Hollywood)
· Bockman - Chasing Dragons (Co-Opt)
· Doyle Bramhall - Foodland (Yep Roc) [Buy]
· Michael Bublé - Call Me Irresponsible (Reprise)
· Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond (Fat Possum) [Buy]
· The Dreadful Yawns - Rest (Exit Stencil) [Buy]
· Paul Duncan - Above the Trees (Hometapes)
· The Fall of Troy - Manipulator (Equal Vision) [Buy]
· Feist - The Reminder (CherryTree/Interscope)
· The Flesh - Firetower (Gern Blandsten) [Buy]
· Fort Knox Five - Reminted (Fort Knox) [Buy]
· Frog Eyes - Tears of the Valedictorian (Absolutely Kosher) [Buy]
· Robbie Fulks - Revenge (Yep Roc)
· Girl in a Coma - Both Before I'm Gone (enhanced; Blackheart) [Buy]
· Ari Hest - The Break-In (Red Ink) [Buy]
· Kalli - While the City Sleeps (One Little Indian) [Buy]
· Angelique Kidjo - Djin Djin (Razor & Tie) [Buy]
· Chantal Kreviazuk - Ghost Stories (Nettwerk) [Buy]
· Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Epic) [Buy]
· Les Sans Culottes - Le Weekender (Vibratone)
· Kimberley Locke - Based on a True Story (Curb) [Buy]
· Jon McLaughlin - Indiana (with bonus CD; Island)
· Ne-Yo - Because of You (Def Jam) [Buy]
Read: "Ne-Yo Getting To Know Jennifer Hudson While He Waits For Britney"
· Protest Hill - The City Echoes Our Hearts (Latest Flame)
· The Puppini Sisters - Betcha Bottom Dollar (Verve Forecast)
· Rush - Snakes & Arrows (limited edition feature MVI format; Atlantic) [Buy]
· Blake Shelton - Pure BS (Warner Bros.)
· Skull Time - Skull Time (Latest Flame) [Buy]
· Through the Sparks - Lazarus Beach (Skybucket) [Buy]
· Ben Weaver - Paper Sky (Fugawee Bird) [Buy]
· Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position (enhanced; Universal) [Buy]
· Various artists - New Arrivals: Volume Two (MPress)
· Various artists - "Spider-Man 3" soundtrack (Record Collection)
Read: " 'Spider-Man 3' Soundtrack Features Killers, Snow Patrol"

Notable Reissues and Archival Material: · Paul Carrack - One Good Reason (American Beat) [Buy]
· Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Armed Forces; Blood & Chocolate; Get Happy!!; Goodbye Cruel World; Imperial Bedroom; King of America; My Aim Is True; Punch the Clock; The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years; This Year's Model; Trust (Hip-O) [Buy]
· John Eddie - John Eddie (American Beat) [Buy]
· Ian Gillan - Gillan's Inn - Deluxe Tour Edition (two CDs; Immergent) [Buy]
· Marcia Griffiths - Reggae Anthology: Melody Life (two CDs; VP) [Buy]
· David Johansen - In Style (American Beat) [Buy]
· Mr. Big - Live at the Hard Rock (American Beat)
· Billy Squier - The Tale of the Tape (American Beat) [Buy]
· Peter Wolf - Long Line (American Beat)
· Warren Zevon - Preludes: Rare and Unreleased Recordings (two CDs; New West) [Buy]
· Various artists - Body & Soul: Hip Hop Love (Time Life)
· Various artists - Dirty Dancing - Twentieth Anniversary Edition (with DVD; Time Life)

Music DVDs: · Barbara Mandrell - "Best of Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters Show" (two DVDs; Time Life) [Buy]
· Charlotte Martin - "Something Like a DVD" (Dinosaur Fight) [Buy]
· Rush - "A Show of Hands," "Exit Stage Left" and "Grace Under Pressure - 1984" (Island/Mercury) [Buy]
· Santana - "Hymns for Peace: Live at Montreux 2004" (Eagle Vision) [Buy]
· The Soft Machine - Volume Two (Water) [Buy]
· Frank Zappa - "Classic Albums: Apostrophe/Over-Nite Sensation (Eagle Vision) [Buy]

Coming Attractions:

May 8: · Björk - Volta (Atlantic) [Preorder]
Read: "Tsunami, Timbaland Help Shape Bjork's Forthcoming Volta"
· Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Strength and Loyalty (Full Surface/ Interscope) [Preorder]
Read: "Bone Thugs Dropping Two New LPs; Second Disc To Feature Dre, Kanye, Mariah"
· Elliott Smith - New Moon (two CDs; Kill Rock Stars)
· Bobby Valentino - Special Occasion (Def Jam) [Preorder]
Read: "Bobby Valentino Looks Out For The Ladies With New Album, Jean Line"

May 15: · Megadeth - United Abominations (Roadrunner) [Preorder]
· Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight (Warner Bros.) [Preorder]
Read: "Linkin Park Finish Apocalyptic Album, Revive Projekt Revolution Tour"
· Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (enhanced; Nonesuch) [Preorder]

May 22: · Tim Armstrong - A Poet's Life (with bonus DVD; Hellcat) [Preorder]
· The Bravery - The Sun and the Moon (Island) [Preorder]
· KRS-One and Marley Marl - Hip Hop Lives (Koch)
· Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long (Octone) [Preorder]
Read: "Maroon 5 Back With 'Harder' Album After Adam Levine Gets Sick Of Partying"
· Ozzy Osbourne - Black Rain (Epic) [Preorder]

• Ne-Yo
• Feist
• Tori Amos
• Corbin Bleu
• Dinosaur Jr.

Tori Amos
Photo: Sony

For the better part of her 20-year career, piano-bench-straddling singer/songwriter Tori Amos has touched upon a wide range of loaded subjects — including sexuality, patriarchy and personal tragedy — over the course of her eight studio LPs. The redhead has also strongly criticized organized religion, specifically Christianity, through her impassioned lyrics. Now, she is setting her cerebral crosshairs on the realm of politics.

Of course, when it comes to taking a stand against the state of international affairs, it seems like there's no time like the present, with artists like Björk, Nine Inch Nails and Muse — to name just a few — baring their fangs. Thanks to a certain someone — cough ... President George W. Bush ... cough — Amos couldn't help herself to do the same.

"Frankly, as a woman, and as a woman who wrote 'Silent All These Years' [a song about rape that appeared on 1992's Little Earthquakes], I needed to stand up," Amos explained. "It seemed to me that, sometimes, the material wanted to be overtly political. Sometimes the material wanted to be cheeky and seductive. Sometimes it wanted to be heartbreaking and deal with the inner world of women.

"The way to really combat the right wing is to not be subservient to them on any level, particularly when it comes to ideology," she continued. "Therefore, you better offer up another ideology that can combat theirs, and as a preacher's daughter, I understand their ideology inside and out. Frankly, they've all hijacked Jesus and his message. I'm sorry, but 'Love thy neighbor as yourself' is nowhere to be found, especially in our current regime, who, in the name of God, is sending our young men and women to die over there [in the Middle East]."

Amos' American Doll Posse is due May 1 and leads off with "Yo George." In the track, Amos wonders, "Where have we gone wrong, America?" and asks, "Is this just the madness of King George?" She then blasts the president's job performance, singing ever so gently, "You have the whole nation on all fours." The record-closing anti-war anthem "Dark Side of the Sun" asks, "How many young men have to lay down their life and their love of their woman for some sick promise of a heaven?"

"If for one minute the generation who is about old enough and eligible to vote thinks this is about one person, then we're all very foolish," Amos said. "We need to wake up and realize that just because we think we're in a democracy, there is a little bit of a seduction there. They're not overtly burning books and they're not doing this and that, but they're doing exactly what they want to do, and we're distracted. It's funny — they're not burning books, they're just throwing more information at us, and drowning us in it. You have to be able to think for yourself and not get manipulated."

But in order to make her political statement, Amos called on "Isabel," one of the four archetypes she developed for the disc. Each of these archetypes symbolizes a particular side of her musical personality, and each is based on one of the female constituents of the Greek pantheon. Isabel, Amos explained, is a photographer and a reflection of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Clyde, who was inspired by Persephone, the goddess of the underworld, embodies the singer's emotional and idealistic side. There's also Pip, the confrontational "warrior woman" based on Athena, and Santa, the sensual side of the artist, who was inspired by Aphrodite.

"Maybe they've been gestating inside of me for many years now, and it's taken till I got to a certain place in order to be able to mine them and excavate them from the recesses of my unconscious," Amos said of her multiple personas. "I don't know the why of it, but I do know that usually, I make records that have one single thread and a theme coming from one narrative. [On] most of the records, there's usually a center focus. But this was not that, and therefore, because there were so many varied styles coming in, I brought the band in early, knowing that we had to develop them from the ground up, and that some of these songs were much more guitar-biased than they were singer/songwriter-biased. I guess it was the producer in me that had to say, 'OK, the singer/songwriter's going to have to take a back seat some of the time here,' and I was really fine with that. After so many records, it's good to change it up."

When Amos heads out on the road in support of American Doll Posse, she said she'll step aside and let "all of these women" — each of whom has a specific look and fashion sense — take the stage. "So, the shows will start with one of the four women that isn't Tori, and then Tori will take the stage about a third into the concert," she explained.

More than anything, though, Amos said American Doll Posse is a psychological exploration.

"It's not just, 'I'm going to wake up and play dress-up today,' " she said. "I think it's fair to say that all women are a different percentage of these archetypes, and each culture has different versions of these if you're a rich culture. And if you were around before the monotheistic authority, [when] God came and then suppressed the power of the mother gods, these women at one time were powerful and autonomous and part of the pantheon as well as the male gods. Now, of course, there's just one guy, and the women are subservient to him. I find this incredibly myopic. We have access to this rich culture as women, and we need to open ourselves up."

• Tori Amos

Matchbook Romance's <i>Voices</i>
Photo: Epitaph

They Heart Loud Music: Matchbook Romance and Bullet for My Valentine must have known there'd be so few Valentine's Day-related releases dropping Tuesday.

Matchbook were farm-bound for their second effort, tracking their Voices in a supposedly haunted barn (aren't they all?) in rural Massachusetts. While fans wise enough to preorder were rewarded with free tees, everyone will be able to sharpen their wiseassery with songs like "You Can Run, but We'll Find You," "Goody, Like Two Shoes" and "Singing Bridges (We All Fall)."

Bullet for My Valentine's brand of loud rock is more of the metal variety, and with "Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow," "All These Things I Hate" and "4 Words (To Choke Upon)," The Poison might be a tough swallow for some. Preorders were packed with a color poster and candies (for the sweethearts), although everyone will be treated to some enhanced goodies on the proper release. (Don't miss instru-metal greats Apocalyptica on the intro track.)

This Bossa Nova's Boss: Is anything possible with a Pea behind the decks? Sergio Mendes will soon find out as he attempts a Carlos Santana-style makeover with Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am. Even though Mendes is largely responsible for importing bossa nova to America, Timeless — his first set of new material in eight years — is more of an urban affair, jacked up with guest spots by Justin Timberlake, John Legend, the Peas, Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott and many more.

Ghettopoly: Even though his grandfather was one of the Drifters, Jaheim is busy trying to make his own classics — Ghetto Classics, that is. He nabbed white-hot producers Scott Storch, KayGee and Bink for his latest outing (although he does twiddle some of the knobs himself). And yup, that's Jadakiss siding with Jaheim on the first single, "Everytime I Think About Her." This title should fit comfortably alongside Jaheim's previous efforts, Ghetto Love and Still Ghetto.

Tori's Story: Still trying to catch your breath after the 12-disc Original Bootlegs box Tori Amos put out late last year? If so, you might not be prepared for another comprehensive item, "Fade to Red: Video Collection," which recaps everything from "Crucify" — the first track on her 1992 solo debut, Little Earthquakes — to "Sweet the Sting" from last year's Beekeeper. (Don't miss two bonus clips — a remixed "Professional Window" and the U.K. version of "Cornflake Girl" — that appear at the end of disc two.)

Song Title Of The Week:

"If I Drop Names of Exotic Towns That You'll Never See, in the Songs That I Write, It's That That's All I Have When I Miss My Girl & You're Taking Yours Home Tonight" on Luke Doucet's Broken (and Other Rogue States)

Other Notables:

Various artists' I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey and Fahey's The Yellow Princess reissue: Although many had written him off as another folk fogy, John Fahey is getting a posthumous shot in the arm from some of indie rock's finest: Sufjan Stevens, Calexico, Devendra Banhart, M. Ward, the Fruit Bats, Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo and Granddaddy. Also this week — to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Fahey's death and the 40th anniversary of his signing with Vanguard — the label is brushing up 1968's The Yellow Princess with three bonus tracks and fresh liner notes.

The Sword's Age of Winters: Not to be confused with the Swords Project, Da Swordzmen, Two Lone Swordsmen or the other metal bands that have also taken up the sharp moniker, the Austin, Texas, outfit is stepping up to the plate for the first time with a nine-track maiden release. Conrad Keely of Austin buddies ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead — who took the Sword on the road in early 2004 — embellishes the Age of Winters cover with some magical sketches, sure to make the LP version even more illustrious.

The Veronicas' The Secret Life of ... the Veronicas: If you don't have someone to smooch with this Valentine's Day, you might want to pucker up with the Veronicas — their debut cover's covered with kisses. Unlike Tegan and Sara, these 20-year-old identical twins are decidedly more pop; for their debut, they've brainstormed with writers and producers who have previously teamed with Britney, Madonna and Kelly Clarkson.

Shawn Mullins' 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor: Somewhat akin to Sonic Youth putting out an album the site of their studio, which was devastated in the 9/11 attacks (Murray Street), Shawn Mullins has titled his latest after the New Orleans studio that used to be located right near the levee on Dauphine Street. Needless to say, some of the songs — "Beautiful Wreck" (the first single, co-written with Glenn Phillips), "Solitaire" and even Mullins' cover of "The House of the Rising Sun" — have a much different resonance now than originally intended.

New Releases:

• Carlos Barbosa-Lima - Carioca (Zoho)
• Batagraf/ Jon Balke - Statements (ECM)
• Stefano Battaglia - Raccolto (ECM)
• The Beautiful Girls - We're Already Gone (Cornerstone)
• Elliott Brood - Ambassador (Six Shooter)
• Bullet for My Valentine - The Poison (enhanced; Trustkill)
• Béla Fleck & the Flecktones - Hidden Land (Columbia)
• Agnes Chan - Forget Yourself (Bungalo)
• Luke Doucet - Broken (and Other Rogue States) (Six Shooter)
• Frog Holler - Haywire (ZoBird)
• Iro Haarla - Northbound (ECM)
• Jaheim - Ghetto Classics (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Ghetto Classics (Warner Bros.)
• Lil G - The Southside Way (Thump)
• The Lucky Tomblin Band - In a Honky-Tonk Mood (Texas World)
• Magnet - The Tourniquet (Filter)
• Paul Manousos - For Better or Worse (Shock and Fall)
• Matchbook Romance - Voices (Epitaph)
  Read: "Matchbook Romance Declare War On Cheesy Music With Voices"
  Buy Now: Voices (Epitaph)
• Sergio Mendes - Timeless (Concord)
  Read: "Will.I.Am Wants To Pull A Rick Rubin With Sergio Mendes, Macy Gray"
• Jeff Merchant - Window Rolled Down (True Classical)
• Mountain Heart - Wide Open (Skaggs Family)
• Shawn Mullins - 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor (Vanguard)
  Buy Now: 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor (Vanguard)
• National Eye - Roomful of Lions (Park the Van)
• New Radiant Storm King - The Steady Hand (Darla)
• Terje Rypdal - Vossabrygg (ECM)
• Sing-Sing - Sing-Sing & I (Aerial)
• Sissel - Into Paradise (Decca)
• Tyler Stephenson - Life (LmgKidSource)
• The Subways - Young for Eternity (Sire/Warner Bros.)
• The Sword - Age of Winters (Kemado)
  Buy Now: Age of Winters (Kemado)
• Three Fantastic - Three Fantastic (Dot Point Period)
• Toto - Falling in Between (Frontiers)
• April Verch - Take Me Back (Rounder)
• The Veronicas - The Secret Life of ... the Veronicas (Sire/Warner Bros.)

Read: "You Hear It First: The Veronicas"
Buy Now: The Secret Life of ... the Veronicas (Sire/Warner Bros.)
• Watermelon Slim and the Workers - The Coolest New Name in Blues (Northern Blues)
• Various artists - I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey (Vanguard)
• Various artists - "Firewall" soundtrack (Varèse)
• Various artists - "Tsotsi" soundtrack (Milan)

Notable Reissues And Archival Material:

• Cannonball Adderley - Spontaneous Combustion (Savoy Jazz)
• Burt Bacharach - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O)
• Bad Company - Bad Company (gold disc; Audio Fidelity)
• Etta Baker - Traditional Years: Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians (Empire Musicwerks)
• Miles Davis - Out of Nowhere (Savoy Jazz)
• Doris Day - The Love Album (Feinery)
• John Fahey - The Yellow Princess (Vanguard)
• Red Garland Trio - At the Prelude (two CDs; Prestige)
• Freddie King - Live at the Electric Ballroom, 1974 (Shout! Factory)
• Los Lobos - The Wolf Tracks: The Best of Los Lobos (Rhino)
• Liza Minnelli - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O)
• Charlie Parker - Now's the Time (Savoy Jazz)
• Django Reinhardt - An Introduction to Django Reinhardt (Fuel 2000)
• Nina Simone - Broadway-Blues-Ballads, High Priestess of Soul, I Put a Spell on You, Let It All Out, Pastel Blues and Wild Is the Wind (Verve)
• Talking Heads - Little Creatures, Naked, Speaking in Tongues and "True Stories" soundtrack (DualDiscs; Rhino)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Nicolette Larson: Lotta Love Concert (Rhino)
• Various artists - The Best of the 80's Reloaded (Water)
• Various artists - Constellation: The Brightest Stars of Jazz (Savoy Jazz)

DVDs:

• Tori Amos - "Fade to Red: Video Collection" (Rhino)
  Read: "Tori Amos Assembles A Valentine's Day Gift For Her Fans"
• The Moody Blues - "Lovely to See You: Live" (Image Entertainment)

February 21:

• Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Domino)
  Read: "You Hear It First: Arctic Monkeys"
• Ray Davies - Other People's Lives (V2)
• William Orbit - Hello Waveforms (Sanctuary)

February 28:

• Hawthorne Heights - If Only You Were Lonely (Victory)
• Kid Rock - Live Trucker (Atlantic)
• Ne-Yo - In My Own Words (Def Jam)
  Read: You Hear It First: Jay-Z's Picks

March 7:

• Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad of the Broken Seas (V2)
• Juvenile - Reality Check (Atlantic)
• Matisyahu - Youth (Epic)

Get your MTV News fresh daily as a podcast — in video or audio. Click on Mac or PC for more info.

• Matchbook Romance
• Tori Amos
• Jaheim
• The Sword
• The Veronicas

Tori Amos
Photo: Brad Barket/ Getty Images

Tori Amos is offering her fans a valentine this year — a DVD collection of her music videos, remastered and with audio commentary by the singer herself.

"Over the years, whether it be through stills or moving pictures, I have always enjoyed dancing with the devil from that other medium," Amos said.

Amos worked with her "audio buddies" at Martian Studios to take advantage of new technologies so that the inventive and often abstract clips included in "Tori Amos - The Video Collection: Fade to Red," due February 14, would sound completely new, "as they have never been heard or seen before," she said.

"Fade to Red" also has a length and scale that outmatches Amos' previous such effort, her "Complete Videos: 1991-1998," which lasted little over an hour with its 15 clips from her first four albums. "Fade to Red," by contrast, lasts 90 minutes and takes up two discs for the 21 videos included, from classics such as "Crucify," "God," "Silent All These Years," and "Cornflake Girl" (both the U.S. and U.K. versions) to lesser-known songs such as "Bliss," "1000 Oceans" and "Professional Widow" and recent work like "Sweet the Sting" and "A Sorta Fairytale," which co-stars Adrien Brody. Not included, however, are the videos for "Strange Little Girl" and "Glory of the 80's."

"I have been very fortunate to work with some amazing directors and camera people," Amos said. "They took my visions and translated them onto film. Together we produced the videos that I am proud to present in this marriage of sight and sound that is this DVD collection ... these visual pieces of art."

• Tori Amos

Michael Jackson (file)
Photo: Getty Images

In the wake of his client's across-the-board acquittal on Monday, Michael Jackson's lead defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr., spoke on Tuesday (June 14) to NBC's "Today" and said the pop star will no longer share his bed with young boys. "He's not going to do that anymore," the silver-haired lawyer said. "He's not going to make himself vulnerable to this anymore."...

This weekend, Green Day will perform before 60,000 screaming fans at the Milton Keynes Bowl, in (duh) Milton Keynes, England. In order to preserve the two-night stand for punk posterity, they're making a live film — and you can help. The company producing the film, Ridley Scott Associates Films, is asking for fans attending either night's show to send in photos and videos of themselves explaining why they love Green Day to greenday@rsafilms.co.uk. Who knows, you could end up appearing in "Green Day Live at Milton Keynes," which will be available on DVD later this year. ... Primus have been added to the lineup of this summer's weekend-long Lollapalooza concert in Chicago (July 23-24). The addition was announced Tuesday afternoon by concert founder Perry Farrell during a telephone press conference. At one point, Farrell was asked what plans he has for his former band Jane's Addiction. His response? "When the sky rains money is when we're getting back together." ...

Since the release of Medulla last summer, Björk has been busy recording music for the soundtrack to "Drawing Restraint 9," which, according to her Web site, is "a visual artwork in film form made by Matthew Barney," the father of the vocalist's child. The film, which also features Björk's acting talents, tells a tale of "tea ceremonies, Vaseline, a shinto marriage and of course, the old classic whale-shapeshifting ending." The soundtrack, which hits stores July 25, will include the tracks "Gratitude," "Holographic Entrypoint" and "Antarctic Return." ... Tori Amos has lined up 26 dates for her North American Summer of Sin Tour, which kicks off August 8 in Atlanta and wraps up September 17 in Los Angeles. ...

Longhaired Louisville, Kentucky, rockers My Morning Jacket have finished recording their second album for Dave Matthews' ATO label, called simply Z. The LP features 10 tracks, with titles like "Wordless Chorus," "Gideon" and "Dondante." It was recorded in upstate New York by Radiohead and Stone Roses producer John Leckie and is due in stores on September 20. ... While they've been lauded by the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub and other Scottish indie rockers, Orange Juice remain relatively unknown in North America. Fronted by Edwyn Collins (known for his 1995 hit "A Girl Like You"), the seminal Scottish twee rockers may finally receive some Stateside notice with The Glasgow School, a compilation of their out-of-print material. Due July 26 on Domino, the deluxe 22-song package contains nine early singles released on Postcard Records, two unreleased rarities and the group's aborted first album, Ostrich Churchyard. ... Eighties staples the Violent Femmes will release a greatest-hits album on July 12, Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes. The disc will also come with a DVD, which will feature the group's complete videography as well as live footage. ...

06.13.2005

While 50 Cent never pursued a college degree, that doesn't mean he wants his fans to follow in his footsteps. In fact, 50 would rather see young people further their education, and to that end, he's awarding 10 scholarships — together totaling more than $31,000 — to Bayside, New York's Queensborough Community College. Eight students from 50's alma matter, now called Campus Magnet High Schools, and one student each from nearby Springfield Gardens and Hillcrest High Schools will win the scholarships, being offered through 50's G-Unity Foundation. Students don't need the best of grades, either — all it takes is a C, or 70, average. Interested students have been asked to submit 500-word essays and two teacher recommendations by the June 24 deadline. The winners will be announced on July 15. ...

Bobby Brown joined his old group, New Edition, onstage for a special performance of "Mr. Telephone Man" Friday night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. During the concert, which also featured Gerald LeVert and headliner Brian McKnight, special guest Brown told the audience that if he only had 10 more minutes of performance time, he would tear their collective "asses" up. Later in the night, Brown tried to sneak in a couple more minutes. He came out — uninvited — during McKnight's set and took the mic out of McKnight's hands and began singing. Brown was escorted offstage shortly after, and McKnight finished up his set without further incident. ... Hilary Duff is planning to shoot a video in Toronto for her track "Wake Up," which she worked on with Good Charlotte's Joel and Benji Madden. Marc Webb — who helmed both the "Helena" and "The Ghost of You" videos for My Chemical Romance — has signed on to direct. ...

On Friday, a week after a Los Angeles Times story questioned a conspiracy theory in the 1997 murder of Notorious B.I.G. that was reportedly based on questionable information from a mentally ill informant, Biggie's family dropped two people from their wrongful-death civil suit — former LAPD officer David Mack and accused gunman Amir Muhammad. According to The Associated Press, the City of Los Angeles remains the sole defendant in the case. ... The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (June 13) refused to consider whether the 1992 Beastie Boys classic "Pass the Mic" infringed on the copyright of jazz flutist James W. Newton's "Choir," according to The Associated Press. Newton filed suit against the group more than five years ago, claiming the rappers sampled his song without his full permission. While the Boys did pay a licensing fee for the six-second sample, they never paid additional fees to license the underlying composition. In its ruling, the court explained that the short song portion in "Pass the Mic" was not "distinctive enough to be considered Newton's work." ...

The rift between over-the-top Brit rockers the Darkness and mustachioed former bassist Frankie Poullain appears to have gotten larger. Last week, Poullain told reporters in the U.K. that he had not left the band, but rather that he was fired. On Monday the band fired back, releasing a statement saying all the bass tracks on its upcoming album are being recorded by guitarist Dan Hawkins, because Poullain "had yet to participate in the recording of the album when his exit from the band was announced, so no re-recording of bass parts will be necessary." The Darkness also announced on their Web site, TheDarknessRock.com, that going forward, former touring guitar tech Richie Edwards will be assuming Poullain's role in the band. ... Cave In's forthcoming album Perfect Pitch Black will hit stores on September 13 through Hydra Head Records — the band's original label home. The disc will feature a total of nine tracks, including "World Is in Your Way," "Ataraxia," "Screaming in Your Sleep" and "Tension in the Ranks." ...

Kevin "Beez" Beesley-Hammond, bassist for garage-punk band the Smugglers, suffered a heart attack last week after playing in a hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia. Beesley-Hammond was rushed to a local hospital, where an angiograph showed he had a "100 percent blockage" to one of his arteries, according to the band's Web site. He underwent surgery to remove the blockage and a stent was inserted to keep the artery open. Doctors expect he'll make a full recovery. ... Swedish fuzz-pop band the Concretes, whose song "Say Something New" is currently featured in a series of Target ads, are releasing a collection of rare singles and B-sides called Layourbattleaxedown. A cover of the Rolling Stones' "Miss You" is included in the set, which hits stores July 26. ...

• Michael Jackson
• Green Day
• Primus
• Tori Amos
• Jane's Addiction

Omarion (file)
Photo: Jason Campbell

Perhaps it's fitting that Omarion's left bicep is covered with a giant tattoo of an "O" capped by a crown ... after all, he is the king of the charts.

The former B2K heartthrob's debut solo album, O, sold more than 182,000 copies to take the top spot on next week's Billboard albums chart, according to SoundScan. While his debut managed to best the opening numbers of his former group's self-titled first album, which came in at #2 and sold more than 108,000 copies in March 2002, he wasn't able to beat the first-week numbers of B2K's final studio LP, Pandemonium!, which sold more than 194,000 copies when it bowed in December 2002.

Coming in a distant second on next week's chart is Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company, the duets album that earned the legendary soul singer eight Grammy awards. Last week's #1 record still managed to ride whatever remains of that Grammy buzz — selling more than 109,000 copies — but it did suffer a 51 percent drop in sales from the previous week.

Green Day are next at #3, selling more than 108,000 copies of American Idiot, and right behind them is 50 Cent's former buddy the Game, whose album The Documentary sold more than 104,000 copies in its sixth week of release.

Scoring the week's second-highest debut is Tori Amos, whose eighth album, The Beekeeper, sold more than 82,000 copies to open at #5. John Legend is next at #6 (as he lately often is), selling more than 79,000 copies of his Get Lifted album. The kiddie-core comp Kidz Bop 7 opens at #7, providing more than 73,000 screaming kids with the soundtrack to their next minivan excursion. Coming in at #8 is the more adult-friendly Eminem, whose Encore sold more than 69,000 copies and moved well past the 4-million mark in total sales.

Everyone's favorite rock quartet from Escatawpa, Mississippi — 3 Doors Down — finish at #9, selling more than 67,000 copies of their album Seventeen Days. And for the second week in a row, Kelly Clarkson rounds out the top 10, selling more than 64,000 copies of her Breakaway album.

Other notable debuts on next week's albums chart include No Limit Records supergroup Tru (featuring Master P, Silkk the Shocker and C-Murder) at #54 with their album Truth; Southern revivalist rockers Kings of Leon at #55 with Aha Shake Heartbreak; and Grammy winners Los Lonely Boys' live set, Live at the Fillmore, at #69.

And hey, next week 50 Cent will be back on the chart — his Massacre album is set to drop on Thursday.

Well Suit-ed
Way back in September 2004, Nelly released two albums simultaneously: Sweat and Suit. In their first week out of the gates, Suit — spurred on by the single "My Place" — took #1, outselling Sweat by more than 54,000 copies. And in the six months since both albums dropped, not much has changed. Suit sits at #36 on next week's chart, selling more than 28,000 copies (and more than 2.7 million overall), while Sweat barely remains on the charts — at #142 — selling a bit above 8,000 copies (and 1.2 million overall). What's the reason for the sales disparity? Probably Tim McGraw. "Over and Over," the country crooner's duet with Nelly, appears on Suit, and has achieved massive crossover success: It's been on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for more than five months now, and the video was spun so much on Country Music Television that Nelly's been nominated for two CMT Awards. Meanwhile, "Tilt Ya Head Back," his duet with Christina Aguilera and the last single released from Sweat, has all but disappeared from the public eye. More proof that there's big money to be made from the 10-gallon-hat set.

In the Blink of an Eye
Last week's announcement that pop-punkers Blink-182 were going on indefinite hiatus was met with sadness and a whole bunch of exclamation-filled postings on the band's Web site. But it apparently also got fans out to the record store — more than 17,000 of them bought the compilation Atticus: Dragging The Lake 3, good enough to give it the #63 spot. The comp, sponsored by the clothing line/record label co-owned by Blink-182's Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge, features one Blink tune ("Not Now") as well as songs from Death Cab for Cutie, Taking Back Sunday and Gratitude.

• Omarion
• Ray Charles
• Green Day
• Tori Amos
• 3 Doors Down

Omarion's <i>O</i>
Photo: Sony

B2K fans who've been in mourning since the group's breakup will have something to scream about again this week when Omarion's debut solo effort, O, hits shelves.

Omarion calls out former B2K members for the problems the group had ("Growing Pains"), but he also gets optimistic with upbeat dance tracks. Rodney Jerkins lends production skills to the track "Drop That Heater," while former B2K producers the Underdogs, Allstar, Corna Boyz and Outkast's Big Boi also lend a hand.

On the heels of their nod from U2, who asked them to provide tour support on the North American portion of their upcoming trek, Nashville's Kings of Leon (made up of three brothers and one cousin) are releasing their sophomore album, Aha Shake Heartbreak. The Southern rock quartet's follow-up to their 2003 debut, Youth & Young Manhood, has already produced two #1 singles in the U.K.

Taking energy levels down a notch is a new album by Tori Amos, The Beekeeper. Released along with her memoir, "Tori Amos: Piece by Piece," The Beekeeper is the artist's first new release since 2002's Scarlet's Walk.

It's been about three years since fans heard from Aussie singer/songwriter Ben Lee as well. Coming off a high-profile breakup with Claire Danes, Lee this week releases his Awake Is the New Sleep, which, despite his publicized sadness, is not a breakup album but a collection of tracks full of pop hooks.

Also out this week are albums by Aesop Rock (Fast Car Danger Fire & Knives); Thievery Corporation (Cosmic Game); Widespread Panic (Live at Myrtle Beach); Layzie Bone and Bizzy Bone (Bone Brothers); Robbers on High Street (Tree City); (hed) p.e. (Only in Amerika); and Phoenix (Live! Thirty Days Ago).

Out Tuesday, February 22:

• Aesop Rock - Fast Car Danger Fire & Knives (Definitive Jux)
• A Gun Called Tension - A Gun Called Tension (Cold Crush)
• Monty Alexander - Live at the Iridium (Telarc)
• All Natural - Vintage (Touch and Go)
• Bernard Allison - Higher Power (Ruf Records)
• Tori Amos - The Beekeeper (Epic)
• Backyard Babies - Tinnitus (Sanctuary)
• Black 47 - Elvis Murphy's Green Suede Shoes (Gadfly)
• Blackfield - Blackfield (Koch)
• Rory Block - From the Dust (Telarc)
• Layzie Bone and Bizzy Bone - Bone Brothers (Koch)
• Ian Brown - Solarized (Koch)
• By Night - Burn the Flags (Lifeforce)
• Neal Casal - Return in Kind (Fargo)
• Hernan Cattaneo - Renaissance - The Masters Series Vol. 2 (Thrive)
• Chatham County Line - Route 23 (Yep Roc)
• Clem Snide - End of Love (spinART)
• Ravi Coltrane - In Flux (Savoy)
• Comeback Kid - Wake the Dead (Victory)
• Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame (Merge)
• Dead Meadow - Feathers (Matador)
• Dexateens - Red Dust Rising (Touch and Go)
• Doramus - The Truth and Then Some (Diamond)
• Dub Syndicate - Pure Thrillseekers (Shanachie)
• Nicolai Dunger - This Cloud Is Learning (Touch and Go)
• Liz Durrett - Husk (Touch and Go)
• John Ellis - One Foot in the Swamp (Hyena)
• EMOK - Shove Your Head Into the Ground and Feed It to the Earth (Wrong Records)
• Enon - Lost Marbles & Exploded Evidence (Touch and Go)
• Laurent Garnier - The Cloud Making Machine (Mute)
• Hacienda Brothers - The Hacienda Brothers (Koch)
• Petra Haden - Sings: The Who Sell Out (Bar/None)
• Hand to Hand - A Perfect Way to Say Goodbye (Lifeforce)
• (hed) p.e. - Only in Amerika (Koch)
• Fred Hersch - Leaves of Grass (Palmetto)
• Hidden in Plain View - Life in Dreaming (Drive-Thru)
• Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys - Empty House (Bloodshot)
• Irfan - Irfan (Dancing Ferret Discs)
• Iron and Wine - Woman King EP (Sub Pop)
• Jude Johnstone - On a Good Day (BoJak)
• Karate - In the Fishtank 12 EP (Touch and Go)
• Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (RCA)
  Read: "Kings Of Leon Royally Pleased To Be Touring With U2"
  Buy Now: Aha Shake Heartbreak (RCA)
• Kizooks - Super Huge Very Big Hits (Koch)
• Bireli Lagrene - Move (Dreyfus)
• Ben Lee - Awake Is the New Sleep (New West)
• Little Brazil - You and Me (Mt. Fuji)
• Chuck Loeb - When I'm with You (Shanachie)
• Kate McDonnell - Where the Mangoes Are (Appleseed)
• Roger Miret & the Disasters - 1984 (Epitaph)
• Mount Sims - Wild Light (Gigolo)
• Ms. Kra-Z - Lyrically Insane (Diamond)
• Mystic Prophecy - Never Ending (Nuclear Blast)
• Nedelle - From the Lion's Mouth (Kill Rock Stars)
• Omarion - O (Epic)
  Read: "Omarion's O Has Tracks For Grandma, B2K And (Almost) Nekkid Club-Goers"
  Buy Now: O (Sony)
  
• Open Hand - You & Me (Trustkill)
• Opio - Triangulation Station (Hieroglyphics)
• Bill Payne - Cielo Norte (Hot Tomato)
• The Peels - The Peels (Dim Mak)
• Phoenix - Live! Thirty Days Ago (Astralwerks)
• Pungent Stench - Ampeauty (Nuclear Blast)
• Ann Rabson - In a Family Way (Emit Doog)
• Josh Ritter - 4 Song EP (V2)
• Josh Ritter - Hello Starling (V2)
• Robbers on High Street - Tree City (New Line)
• Josh Rouse - Nashville (Rykodisc)
• Neal Schon - IonU (Favored Nations)
• Scritti Politti - Early (Sanctuary)
• Billy Sheehan - Cosmic Troubadour (Favored Nations)
• Since the Flood - Valor and Vengeance (Ironclad)
• Solas - Waiting for an Echo (Shanachie)
• Thievery Corporation - Cosmic Game (ESL Music)
• Steve Vai - Real Illusions (Epic)
• M. Ward - Transistor Radio (Merge)
• William Elliott Whitmore - Ashes to Dust (Southern Records)
• Widespread Panic - Live at Myrtle Beach (Sanctuary)
• Tom Wopat - Sings Harold Arlen: Dissertation on the State of Bliss (Hyena)
• Chely Wright - The Metropolitan Hotel (DualTone)
• Various artists - "The L Word" soundtrack (Tommy Boy)
• DVD: Various artists - "Darkest Hour - Party Scars and Prison Bars" (Victory)
• DVD: Various artists - "Looking for a Thrill - An Anthology of Inspiration" (Thrill Jockey)

March 1:

• Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams (Universal)
  Read: "Jack Johnson Takes It Easy On New LP, Gets Into Curious George's Head"
• Jennifer Lopez - Rebirth (Sony)
  Read: "Fat Joe Nearly A No-Show To Flow With J. Lo"
• The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute (Universal)

March 3:

• 50 Cent - The Massacre (Aftermath)
  Read: "50 Cent's LP Pushed Up, Harsh 'Facts' Sound Like Disses On Leaked 'Piggy Bank'"

March 8:

• Black Label Society - Mafia (Artemis)
  Read: "Zakk Wylde Rips Blind Followers On 'Just Another Black Label Society Record'"
• Kasabian - Kasabian (RCA)

March 15:

• Daft Punk - Human After All (Virgin Records)
• Kaiser Chiefs - Employment (Universal)
  Read: "Kaiser Chiefs 'Predict A Riot,' Music Press Predicts Franz Ferdinand-Like Success"
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 18 (Sony)

• Omarion
• Kings Of Leon
• Tori Amos
• Ben Lee
• Aesop Rock

Don't Mess With Texas: SXSW 2009

• Metallica
• The Decemberists
• The Von Bondies
• Voxtrot
• Tori Amos

• Tori Amos

Tori Amos Photos

• Tori Amos

Classic Unplugged Photos

• 10,000 Maniacs
• Alice in Chains
• Arrested Development
• The Cure
• Blackstreet