Diddy's <I>Press Play</I>
Photo: Bad Boy Records

Mo' Diddy: It's been five years since we last heard a batch of new material from Diddy — even though he's been doing just about everything else in the meantime, between the clothing lines, record-label signings and humanitarian efforts. The mogul/artist/fill-in-the-blank is re-entering in style, getting big names to help with the Press Play festivities: Christina Aguilera ("Tell Me"), Nas and Cee-Lo ("Everything I Love"), Mary J. Blige ("Making It Hard"), Jamie Foxx ("Partners for Life"), Mario Winans ("Through the Pain (She Told Me)"), Brandy ("Thought You Said"), and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. Plus, behind the boards he's got Kanye West, Will.I.Am, Big Boi, Mobb Deep's Havoc, Timbaland and the Neptunes. Now there's a guy with a few friends.

This week's second most impressive guest list belongs to Hi-Tek, who roped in Nas, Busta Rhymes, Common, Talib Kweli, Jadakiss, Papoose, Bun B and Ghostface Killah for Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip. Going above and beyond the call of duty, he tapped Snoop Dogg, Mos Def, Slim Thug and Raphael Saadiq for three tunes that appear on a special edition only available at Best Buy stores. That set also comes with a bonus DVD loaded with videos, a documentary and more.

JoJo's Mojo: Expect to see a lot of JoJo this week — on MTV, "The Today Show" and beyond — as she hops back from the big screen to the music world for The High Road. Her "Too Little Too Late" single is skittering up the charts, but — shocker! — there are other tracks on the album as well: "Let It Rain," "Good Ol' " and "Note to God," among others. Oh, and there's a bonus DVD with plenty of JoJo fruits as well.

Circling Around: Xzibit has some mighty hip-hop competition this week in the form of Diddy, but his fans should be coming around for Full Circle. Too Short ("Movin' in Your Chucks"), Kurupt ("Say It to My Face," "Movin' "), DJ Quik ("Poppin' Off") and T-Pain ("On Ball") have all hopped onto the affair, which furthers Xzibit's pattern of releasing an album every two years since he burst onto the scene in '96.

Murder Is the Case: Also in the rap mix is C-Murder, the criminally prone younger brother of Master P who is reservicing his LP The Truest Sh-- I Ever Said with five additional cuts he laid down after getting out of prison: "I Want It," "I Live in the Ghetto," "Calliope," "On My Block" (featuring Bootleg of the Dayton Family) and "Die for Mine" (featuring B.G.). There's also a bonus DVD with a 60-minute documentary hosted by B.G., plus behind-the-scenes material and videos to boot.

			MTV News RAW: Diddy The rapper/producer tells MTV why listeners have no choice but to 'Press Play', and explains why there's a bed in his studio.

Studly Efforts: He's won "Idol," Grammy-nomination honors and sold more than 3 million albums, but Ruben Studdard clearly has an appetite for more. On The Return, he redoes "If Only for One Night" — Rube's version has more in common with Luther Vandross', as opposed to original singer Brenda Russell's — as well as three songs he co-wrote: "I'm Not Happy," "Blow Ya Mind" and "To Tha Crib." The velvet teddy bear gets some production boosts from Scott Storch, Ne-Yo, Bryan-Michael Cox and Dre & Vidal. As it turns out, Ne-Yo and Cox also lend support to Latin R&B prince Frankie J with his Priceless album, which is peppered with guests Chamillionaire, 112's Slim and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

Weird Stuff: This week's crop of new releases is a strange one indeed:

When it comes to being odd, no band does it better than Primus, and they don't fall short this week with their Primus Singles: They Can't All Be Zingers CD and "Blame It on the Fish" DVD releases. On the DVD is a 30-minute documentary in which leader Les Claypool, playing a 102-year-old, talks about what life has been like for Primus into the year 2065.

Badly Drawn Boy is also pretty batty, and to coincide with the release of his Born in the U.K. LP this week, he's put up a contest on his Web site that asks viewers to choose their favorite fish-and-chips restaurant in England. Or, more specifically, "the chance to vote for your favourite local 'Batterie' and gamble the fishy reputation of your regular chish 'n fip shop." The contest prize? Nothing.

It Dies Today haven't exactly made a reputation for themselves as a family-friendly band, after touring as part of Ozzfest and with Trivium, Machinehead and other brutal bands. But as it turns out, "Sacre Coeur" — a song featured on their new release, Sirens — is actually named after a Parisian church where singer Nick Brooks says, in a press release, "I hopefully plan on proposing to someone there someday."

A mishmash of "Whatever Happened To ... ?" musicians — including members of Jellyfish, the Candy Butchers, Self, Semisonic and Papas Fritas — have joined forces for L.E.O. It isn't exactly a cover band but tries its best to channel prog-rock legends ELO all the same with Alpacas Orgling. It's doubtful that when those guys headed to the studio they limited themselves to ingesting only bread, water, eggs, coffee and whiskey, but that's exactly what Denison Witmer did for Safe Away, which is being reissued this week with a bonus EP.

To close out a 30-year career that has seen way too much hair and too many half-hearted reunions, Twisted Sister are regrouping one last time for ... a Christmas album? Yes, it's true: With singer Dee Snider leading the pack, the band bizarrely runs through "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Heavy Metal Christmas (The Twelve Days of Christmas)" and other selections that will lead fans to say, "Uh ... OK." Can you take it?

Toronto quartet the Sadies have crafted the soundtrack to "Tales of the Rat Fink," a film that lives up to its odd mantle: It revolves around cartoonist/custom-car designer Ed "Big Daddy" Roth and his anti-Mickey Mouse character, Rat Fink. The soundtrack is heavy on instrumental surf music, while the film features vocal contributions from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, the Smothers Brothers, John Goodman, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and other people you wouldn't expect.

Also getting back together — a whopping 27 years after issuing their last studio LP — are all-women punks the Slits, with frontwoman Ari Up leading the pack. Equally surprising is that they've only come up with enough new material for an EP, Revenge of the Killer Slits, although it does feature appearances from such question-mark contributors as Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and Adam and the Ants axeman Marco Pirroni. Oh, three daughters also help out: Cook's child Holly, Mike Jones' daughter Lauren, and Phoebe, who calls Slits guitarist Tessa Pollitt mom. Even if it's just an EP the Slits are putting out, it'll give them a good excuse to tour with Dmonstrations next month. That San Diego band has a CD of its own coming out this week — Night Trrors. Shock! Songs include "Hair Pretzel," "Polyp" and "Coelcanth Shower" and, according to the press release, lyrics revolve around "food, sexual politics and international playgirls."

On the subject of unusual lyrical subject matter, Houston trio the Scattered Pages invoke children's authors Lewis Carroll and J.M. Barrie on Lazy Are the Skeletons, which features "Alice to Wonderland" and the less whimsical "Annie Get Yer Gun" and "You Were Depressing Me." And Sharam — one-half of Grammy-winning electronic duo Deep Dish — spends his double-disc Sharam GU29 - Dubai focusing on a country that usually comes up in a conversation about port security, not dance music. Paul van Dyk, Felix Da Housecat and Armin van Buuren lend him a hand. And Doleful Lions obsess over pro wrestler Terry Gordy on "Oriental Spike," featured on their album Song Cyclops Volume Two, which also features Beach Boys and Misfits covers.

Other strange highlights: KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza finds the singer/songwriter covering Beck's "Golden Age," of all things; Jack White has called neoclassical musician Dexter Romweber a major influence, and Romweber's 13-track Piano was produced by Le Tigre collaborator Chris Stamey; clothing designer Todd Oldham is really into the Changes, who drop their debut LP, Today Is Tonight, this week; and Anticon one-man-band Dosh — who courted Andrew Bird and members of Tapes 'N Tapes for his LP The Lost Take — was raised by a onetime priest and mother who almost became a nun. And last but not least there's the imitable Glenn Danzig, whose Black Aria II is a classical operatic piece based on the mythological first wife of Adam. Why bother being normal?

Song Title of the Week:

"Gutrot Hogfrenzy" from Regurgitate's Sickening Bliss

Other Notables:

Bert Jansch's The Black Swan: The towering British folk musician has made the surprising leap to Chicago indie label Drag City for his first album in four years. But a cadre of luminaries are helping brighten the set all the same, including Beth Orton and Devendra Banhart. Tracks include "Maddalina's Dance," "Texas Cowboy Blues" and "Bring Your Religion."

Jeremy Enigk's World Waits: Rumors of another Sunny Day Real Estate reunion are floating around again, but in the meantime, fans will have to be satisfied with the second solo effort by the angel-voiced frontman. "Been Here Before," "Wayward Love" and "Dare a Smile" bulk up the disc, although some were written more than 10 years ago, shortly after the release of his solo debut.

Elanors' Movements: Chicago spouses Noah and Adriel Harris have been doing the orchestral-pop thing for a couple of years now, but for this outing, they convinced Judah Johnson drummer Daniel Johnson and bassist Rodrigo Palma to join the fun. Using pre-1960s music as their guide, this political-protest LP features "Counsel of Bodies," "Thieving Kings" and "Drifters."

New Releases:

• Alrights - High School (City Canyons)
• Annuals - Be He Me (Ace Fu)
• Avalon - Faith: A Hymns Collection (Sparrow)
• DJ Baby Anne - Baby Anne Rocks! (System)
• Badly Drawn Boy - Born in the U.K. (Astralwerks)
• Barzin - My Life in Rooms (Monotreme)
• Dierks Bentley - Long Trip Alone (limited-edition version with bonus DVD also available; Capitol)
• Blut Aus Nord - Mort (Candlelight)
• Ayla Brown - Forward (CBUJ)
• Cage9 - El Motivo (Long Live Crime)
• Barton Carroll - Love & War (Skybucket)
• Changes - Today Is Tonight (Drama Club)
• Cradle of Filth - Thornography (Roadrunner)
• Glenn Danzig - Black Aria II (Megaforce)
• Kevin Devine - Put Your Ghost to Rest (Capitol)
• Diddy - Press Play (Bad Boy)>
• Dmonstrations - Night Trrors. Shock! (GSL)
• Doleful Lions - Song Cyclops Volume Two (Parasol)
• Dosh - The Lost Take (Anticon)
• Earl Greyhound - Soft Targets (Some)
• Elanors - Movements (Parasol)
• Jeremy Enigk - World Waits (Reincarnate)
• The Esoteric - Subverter (Prosthetic)
• Victor Fields - Thinking of You (Regina)
• Renée Fleming - Homage: The Age of the Diva (Decca)
• Frankie J - Priceless (Columbia)
• Vince Gill - These Days (four-CD box set; MCA Nashville)
• Michael Hall - The Song He Was Listening to When He Died (Freedom)
• Hi-Tek - Hi-Teknology 2: The Chip (Best Buy limited edition features bonus tracks and DVD; Babygrande)
• Imitation Electric Piano - Blow It Up, Burn It Down, Kick It 'Til It Bleeds (Drag City)
• Insomnium - Above the Weeping World (Candlelight)
• It Dies Today - Sirens (Trustkill)
• Bert Jansch - The Black Swan (Drag City)
• JoJo - The High Road (with DVD; Blackground)
• George Jones and Friends - God's Country (Category 5)
• Eartha Kitt - Live From the Café Carlyle (DRG)
• Klaxons - Xan Valleys (enhanced EP; Modular/Interscope)
• L.E.O. - Alpacas Orgling (Cheap Lullaby)
• Layzie Bone - Cleveland (Koch)
• Little Ones - Sing Song (EP; Astralwerks)
• Lonestar - Mountains (BNA)
• Matt Mays + El Torpedo - Matt Mays + El Torpedo (Reincarnate)
• Maria McKee - Maria McKee Live: Acoustic Tour 2006 (Cooking Vinyl)
• Sarah McLachlan - Wintersong (Arista)
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Love Their Country (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Doug Moreland - Doug Moreland (Double Xxposure)
• Regurgitate - Sickening Bliss (Relapse)
• Dexter Romweber - Piano (Orange Sound)
• Sadies - "Tales of the Rat Fink" soundtrack (Yep Roc)
• Scattered Pages - Lazy Are the Skeletons (Three Ring)
• Sharam - Sharam GU29 - Dubai (two CDs; Global Underground)
• Shimmers - The Way You Shine (Transit of Venus)
• Shiny Toy Guns - We Are Pilots (Universal)
• Slits - Revenge of the Killer Slits (EP; SAF)
• Squarepusher - Hello Everything (Warp)
• Ruben Studdard - The Return (J)
• Thunderball - Cinescope (Eighteenth Street Lounge Music)
• Tribaljazz - Tribaljazz (Hidden Beach)
• Trucks - The Trucks (Clickpop)
• KT Tunstall - KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza (with DVD; Virgin)
• Twisted Sister - A Twisted Christmas (Razor & Tie)
• Unwed Sailor - The White Ox (Burnt Toast)
• Rhonda Vincent - Beautiful Star: The Christmas Collection (Rounder)
• Michael "5000" Watts - The Day Hell Broke Loose 3 (Swishahouse)
  
• Xzibit - Full Circle (Koch)
• Youngblood Brass Band - Is That a Riot? (Layered Music)
• Your Black Star - Sound From the Ground (Wonka Vision)
• Various artists - Infamy: Music Inspired by the Film (Image)
• Various artists - She Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool: A Tribute to Barbara Mandrell (BNA)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Aerosmith - Devil's Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith (Columbia)
• Davie Allan & the Arrows - Cycle Breed (Sundazed)
• Black Oak Arkansas - The Definitive Rock Collection (Rhino)
• Blind Melon - Live at the Palace - Hollywood, CA, October 1995 (Capitol/EMI)
• Billy Bragg - Don't Try This at Home, England, Half English (with the Blokes; enhanced) Volume II (box set with eight CDs and one DVD), William Bloke and Workers Playtime (Yep Roc)
• C-Murder - The Tru Story ... Continued (limited-edition version with DVD and bonus tracks; Koch)
• Dick Dale and His Del-Tones - Surfers' Choice (Sundazed)
• Dokken - The Definitive Rock Collection (Rhino)
• Esteban - Best of Esteban (Strip City)
• Everly Brothers - 36 Unreleased Recordings From the Late '50s and Early '60s (Varèse Sarabande)
• Fat Jon & Styrofoam - The Same Channel (Morr)
• Feathers - Synchromy (Hometapes)
• Foghat - The Definitive Rock Collection (Rhino)
• Lowell Fulsom - In a Heavy Bag (Sundazed)
• Goldfrapp - We Are Glitter (Mute)
• Gomez - Five Men in a Hut (A's, B's & Rarities: 1998-2004) (two CDs; Virgin/EMI)
• Charlie Gracie - The Best of Charlie Gracie: Cameo Parkway 1956-1958 (ABKCO)
• Earl Hooker - The Genius of ... (Sundazed)
• Love - The Definitive Rock Collection (Rhino)
• Willie Nelson - 54 Songs: Songwriter Sessions (three-CD box set; DBK)
• Primus - Primus Singles: They Can't All Be Zingers (Interscope)
• Todd Rundgren - The Definitive Rock Collection (Rhino)
• Jimmy Smith - Bluesmith (Lilith)
• Sweet - Sweet Chronology (Friday)
• Frank Tovey - Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey (box set with two CDs and two DVDs; Mute)
• Denison Witmer - Safe Away (original CD plus the Are You a Sleeper? EP; Militia Group)
• Link Wray and His Ray Men - White Lightnin': Lost Cadence Sessions '58 (Sundazed)
• Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. (two CDs; Rhino)
• Various artists - Cameo Parkway: The Greatest Hits (ABKCO)
• Various artists - The Ultimate James Bond Film Music Collection (four-CD box set; Silva America)

Music DVDs:

• Cars - "The Cars Unlocked - The Live Performances" (with bonus CD; New Video Group)
• Diplomats - "The Diplomats Present: 140th & Lenox, Vol. 1" (Koch Vision)
• Face to Face - "Shoot the Moon (The Essential Collection)" (two DVDs; Image)
• Kinks - "One for the Road" (Velvel)
• Primus - "Blame It on the Fish" (Frizzle Fry)
• Rolling Stones - "Rock Files: Truth and Lies" (Eagle Vision)
• Neil Sedaka - "The Show Goes On: Live at the Royal Albert Hall" (Eagle Vision)
• Various artists - "Carlos Santana Presents Blues at Montreux 2004" (three DVDs; Eagle Vision)

Coming Attractions:

October 24:

• My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (Reprise)
• Sparta - Threes (Hollywood)
• Various artists - "The Nightmare Before Christmas" soundtrack (special two-CD edition; Disney)

October 31:

• Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick)
• Lady Sovereign - Public Warning (Def Jam)
• Kevin Federline - Playing With Fire (Reincarnate)

November 7:

• James Blunt - Back to Bedlam (limited-edition version with bonus CD; Atlantic)
• Foo Fighters - Skin and Bones (RCA)
• Jim Jones - Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) (Koch)
• Dave Matthews Band - The Best of What's Around, Vol. 1 (two CDs; RCA)
• Ol' Dirty Bastard - A Son Unique (Def Jam)

• Diddy
• JoJo
• Xzibit
• C-Murder
• Ruben Studdard

Badly Drawn Boy (file)
Photo: Astralwerks

When Badly Drawn Boy opens his new album, One Plus One Is One, by warbling, "Back to being who I was before," you want to believe him. But he's not telling the truth.

Sure, the old Boy is still present on the record: Check the charmingly lo-fi tape hiss, the thrift-store string sections and the winsome children's choir. But on One Plus One Is One, it's clear that BDB — real name Damon Gough — has matured both as a songwriter and a musician. The lyrics are more introspective. The string and horn arrangements are more complex. And he's probably grown enough to ditch his old moniker.

"It's funny, because I've been doing this for so long now that I guess I have to change some," Gough said. "But honestly, I haven't tried to. I mean, the first song on One Plus One is about 10 years old."

Ten years ago, Gough was just another singer/songwriter playing pubs in his hometown of Manchester, England. He released a string of EPs before hitting it big in 2000 with The Hour of Bewilderbeast, an album that for much of the British press served as an introduction to Gough's scruffy folk tunes and kitchen-sink production values. When the album snuck off with the Mercury Prize, the U.K.'s top musical honor — beating out albums from Coldplay and former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft — Gough was dubbed the ultimate underdog, a slacker icon for a new millennium.

"In other words, I became Beck. Everything I read was comparing me to him," Gough laughed. "When I played shows in Manchester, all these industry people came out to see the next Beck. A friend of mine joked that if someone were to drop a bomb on the club, the whole of the British music industry would be destroyed."

When journalists saw that they didn't have the next Beck on their hands, they responded with harsh and somewhat bizarre criticisms. They poked fun at Gough's scraggly beard and ubiquitous knit cap and were strangely critical of his shambling, rambling live shows, some of which lasted up to three hours.

"That's one I didn't understand," Gough said. "Why wouldn't you want to see a concert that lasted for a long time? Sure, some of them went on a bit, but I never thought I was drifting off or anything."

And the criticisms only grew harsher when Gough's next two albums, the soundtrack to the film "About a Boy" and his 2002 album, Have You Fed the Fish?, found him experimenting with a bigger, studio-polished sound. Gough seemed perfectly content to suffer his critics' rants, but when neither album managed to sell, he was pitted against his harshest critic: his record label.

"I had finished [One Plus One Is One], and my label, XL Recordings, didn't seem to be very interested in putting it out," Gough said. "So I was put in the position of having to sneak around behind their back and meet up with all these other labels. It was like having an affair or something."

The experience led Gough to write "Year of the Rat," the album's first single ("The whole thing made me feel dirty and sneaky, like a rat," he said). The song's a perfect mix of old and new Badly Drawn Boy, with tinkling piano and crashing timpani buoying the voices of Gough and the Stockport Music Project's children's choir. And the video is a riot, a simple clip featuring an animated Gough and a dog strolling through Manchester, defeating air pollution and human suffering with simple hugs.

"Yeah, I don't want people to get the wrong idea with the video," Gough said. "I certainly don't think I've got super-powers or anything like that. I'm not like Michael Jackson or someone like that. I'm just boring old me."

• Badly Drawn Boy

Beastie Boy Mike D at the 2003 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
Photo: BarryBrecheisen

INDIO, California — If not for the palm trees and smoldering temperatures, it would've been easy to forget that the Coachella festival was in the Southern California desert.

This past weekend, Queens of the Stone Age and Ben Harper gave homecoming performances of sorts (both are from nearby towns) and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack Johnson and Black Eyed Peas made the two-hour drive from Los Angeles, but for the most part it was all about England, New York and Detroit. (Click to see photos from the festival.)

From England came Blur, Johnny Marr and Primal Scream, along with the bubbling-under Libertines, the Music, South, Badly Drawn Boy, Gomez, Groove Armada and countless DJs. New York brought Saturday's headliner, a standout show from the Beastie Boys, and fellow icons Sonic Youth, along with Interpol, Fischerspooner, the Rapture and the Mooney Suzuki. There's only two of them, but the White Stripes had no problem representing Detroit's garage scene, while the Von Bondies and Whirlwind Heat were two of the most talked about breakthrough bands on the bill.

Coachella featured more than 75 acts playing on five stages over two days. Here's a rundown on some of the more memorable performances:

• The Beastie Boys took the stage Saturday without their instruments, but DJ Mix Master Mike more than made up for it with his own ill communication, tweaking every track and mixing in beats from Missy Elliott's "Work It" and Erik Sermon's "React." The trio rapped parts of at least three new tracks, all of which had the hip-hop simplicity of their latest single, the anti-war anthem "In a World Gone Mad." Mostly, though, the set was heavy on party starters — "Root Down," "Body Movin'," "So What'cha Want," "Intergalactic" and even a bit of the old gem "Brass Monkey" — a sharp contrast to Adam "MCA" Yauch's political banter between songs. "At the next election, vote anyone but Bush," he said at one point.

• Like the Beasties, the Chili Peppers focused their headlining slot on keeping the sun-drenched festival-goers on their feet. Though the band mellowed some on last year's By the Way, their hit-filled live show Sunday was as energetic as ever. Short of sporting only socks, the guys were their old selves, jumping around like caged animals, spouting random dialogue and giving it away now.

• N.E.R.D.'s one-hour set on Saturday was a bit misleading, as the first half was all Spymob, the Minneapolis rock group that doubles as N.E.R.D.'s live band, performing Police-inspired songs from their upcoming debut. When Pharrell Williams and company finally came out, they played three songs before taking a break so friend Kenna could sing his new single. For a finale, Williams brought out Kelly Osbourne and Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am for "Rock Star," though Osbourne proved hardly that, running offstage midway through.

• "Who here doesn't like the Hives?" singer Pelle Almqvist asked, silencing the crowd. "Who here came for the Hives?" he followed to a deafening roar. "Point taken." Obnoxious confidence is part of their shtick, but he did make a point. Both the Hives Saturday and the White Stripes Sunday drew enormous crowds curious to hear two of last year's breakthrough bands.

• In their sharp formalwear, Interpol easily rivaled the Hives for best dressed. The NYC band conjured its swanky interpretation of Joy Division, combining bleak atmosphere with pop hooks, and delivered nearly flawless renditions of songs from Turn on the Bright Light. Despite going up against the Chili Peppers, Interpol generated a large crowd that even lingered for a good while in hopes of an encore that never came.

• While "Song 2" and "Girls and Boys" generated the loudest response, Saturday's crowd was quite receptive to the moody and eclectic tracks a retooled Blur previewed from their forthcoming Think Tank. Frontman Damon Albarn dedicated a song to the late Joe Strummer during a set that mixed Think Tank tunes like the infectious "Crazy Beat" with Britpop classics like "Beetlebum."

• "Scottish people and the desert don't mix very well," Idlewild singer Roddy Woomble joked Saturday afternoon. The floppy-haired lads struggled against the sweltering heat as they began "Little Discourage" from 2000's 100 Broken Windows, but they'd found their places by the song's chorus, easing smoothly into several of the driving and emotive tunes from this year's The Remote Part and earlier tracks like "I'm a Message" and "Roseability."

• Damon Gough was dressed even more poorly for the weather, sporting the cap, beard and thick denim that have become synonymous with his Badly Drawn Boy persona. Gough, more than willing to show off his prowess with a guitar, harmonica and piano, even sang about playing Coachella. "I was told I was headlining the show," he crooned with his typical combination of wit, self-effacement and mock arrogance. "And I am, 'cause that's how I feel."

• Despite sound problems, Hot Hot Heat gave a blistering performance that brought over a herd of VIPs, including Tony Hawk and Kelly Osbourne, who were singing the catchy "Bandages" like everyone else when the show was over. The problems escalated as the night went on, and ended with the Libertines playing only two songs — not good for their first U.S. performance. Organizers squeezed them back in on Sunday so Stateside tastemakers could see the band British journalists are calling the next Strokes.

• Anyone expecting an explosion similar to their former band's musical bombast may have been disappointed by ex-At the Drive-In members Cedric Bixler and Omar Rodriguez's set with the Mars Volta on Sunday. Latin rhythms and long percussive jams were the name of the game as Bixler's nearly Whitesnake-like falsetto soared over every hacky sack and Frisbee game on the far reaches of the field while Rodriquez split his time between barely distorted picking (with scarcely a metallic palm mute to be found) and effects-drenched noise.

• Ben Folds played only the keys in his largely improvisational set, which ended with the singer/songwriter bringing "Song for the Dumped" to a crawl and ad-libbing vulgar yet hilarious lyrics. In a similarly fun set Saturday, Ben Kweller played a little piano, too, spewing out some of the poppiest songs of the weekend.

• On Sunday, Jack White and Juliette Lewis took in an early show from bare-bones rockers the Von Bondies in the Mojave Tent. Later, Los Angeles' Rooney finally gave that stage something that sounded local, blending Beach Boys-like harmonies with Phantom Planet-like tunes (singer Robert Carmine is Jason Schwartzman's brother). And finally, Fischerspooner treated a packed tent to a theatrical show complete with choreographed routines from dancers in feather hair extensions and fishnet bodysuits. The only group that could compete with that kind of spectacle was the Blue Man Group, who closed out their visual orgy with a cover of the Who's "Baba O'Reilly."

• A legion of Smiths fans gathered to catch a glimpse of former guitarist Johnny Marr and his backup band the Healers on Sunday, with so many of them proudly rocking vintage Morrissey T-shirts and tattoos that it almost seemed as if Marr's post-Smiths work with Electronic and other artists had never happened. Despite being cut short by organizers, Marr delivered a laid-back but potent performance of swirling tunes punctuated by his smooth croon. Much-buzzed-about English upstarts the Music were even more psychedelic the night before, invoking the spirit of the Stone Roses and basking in the glow of an impressive light show.

• While a majority of the rock bands at Coachella pounded out fierce odes to the Velvet Underground and the Clash, there were a few who offered a soundtrack for enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of the venue. Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and G. Love & Special Sauce all gathered huge audiences who toasted warm beers to their blends of blues and folk.

• In the group's first performance in more than 25 years, the Stooges (with Mike Watt on bass) treated Sunday's crowd to classics like "TV Eye" and "Fun House." Even those who had no idea who the group was ("Iggy who?" a security guard near the stage asked a friend) were able to enjoy Iggy Pop's erratic stage demeanor.

• Though Ian MacKaye has been notoriously particular about when, where and how he'll be interviewed during the two decades he's run Dischord Records and played in bands like the Teen Idles, Embrace and Fugazi, the two question-and-answer sessions he submitted to at Coachella were total free-for-alls, with kids asking him about everything from straight edge to music, politics, tour stories and the time he was kicked out of Disneyland. One member of the crowd asked the 41-year-old punk icon why he was willing to appear at an expensive festival while Fugazi refuse to play shows with high door prices. "My friend Patti Smith was saying that anyone who has a chance to get in front of a microphone right now and say they're against war should do so," he replied.

• Is Dallas the next Detroit? Two of the most talked about Coachella performances came from that city's Polyphonic Spree, whose 23 members offered a truly original orchestral pop sound, and Eisley, the female-fronted rock quintet handpicked for Coldplay's summer tour.

• Coachella would not be complete without surprises, and while Radiohead rumors proved untrue, Perry Farrell did pop into the tiny Gobi Tent for a surprise DJ set that mixed house music with the kind of tropicalia he explored on his solo album. Farrell's appearance makes him the only artist to play every Coachella.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Beastie Boys
• Badly Drawn Boy
• Black Eyed Peas
• Blur
• Fischerspooner

Badly Drawn Boy
Photo: Big Hassle

When Badly Drawn Boy wrote the verse in his new single about the deaths of Kurt Cobain, Jeff Buckley, John Lennon and Frank Sinatra, it wasn't because the singer/songwriter felt the need to honor his heroes. At least not at first.

It was simply because the words "the night Sinatra died" randomly trickled from his lips and, as he put it, "sounded like poetry." Same thing with the second verse, which was written around the lines "I'm turning Madonna down/ Calling it my best move."

If this seems a little odd, you must not be familiar with the way the Mercury Music Prize-winning artist writes music.

Like most of his material, "You Were Right" had humble beginnings.

"I was writing and me Mum and Dad were in the living room to baby-sit," explained BDB, who was born Damon Gough in Manchester, England. "I went to play me guitar for five minutes and came up with just the basic melody of the verse. And I went in and they were like, 'So what?' It didn't sound very good at that point, but I could see there was something."

Gough had an opening line — "And you were right to bide your time/ And not buy into my misery" — but for the rest of the song he just sang random words into a Dictaphone and tried to make sense of the results.

"Then that evolved into the verse about the tributes," Gough recalled. "I was thinking about John Lennon, than I backtracked to Kurt Cobain and Jeff Buckley without realizing what the song was turning into.

"Then the turning Madonna down line cropped up and I wrote all the things down like a puzzle or a flowchart in a way like, 'What's it trying to be?' " he continued. "Then it culminated in the last couple of verses, which above all that, is still about me real life. It's about not wasting the chance with real life just because you got this opportunity to be a pop star."

When Gough entered the studio with producer Tom Rothrock (Beck, Elliott Smith) and drummer Joey Waronker (R.E.M., Smashing Pumpkins), "You Were Right" was given a friendly beat and turned into something you could dance to, which should uphold his reputation as the favorite singer/songwriter of the rave community.

Released Tuesday, Have You Fed the Fish? is Badly Drawn Boy's second album this year, following spring's "About a Boy" soundtrack (see "About A Badly Drawn Boy: Singer/Songwriter Does Soundtrack").

While both records are jammed with infectious pop jingles reminiscent of 2000's acclaimed The Hour of Bewilderbeast, Have You Fed the Fish? offers more of a progression than the soundtrack. Although still a cohesive set, the album covers an array of emotions and musical styles, including some of Gough's most aggressive rock music yet.

"The first day of recording, we sat down at the end of the day and said it just feels so different, just because I had no guidelines, no parameters," Gough explained. "One of the greatest things about doing the soundtrack was that there was parameters, because I'm not a disciplined person. With the title, you immediately got mental rules in your head to try and fit to. With the new album ... it felt so free. And that's when I applied the working title of All Possibilities, because it just felt like that."

During the recording of Have You Fed the Fish? Gough returned to England for the birth of his second child and then had to come back to Los Angeles a few weeks later to finish the project. One song, "Bedside Story," was written for his children, although their presence is felt in many of the other introspective ramblings on life.

"More than anything, [having children] just magnifies your emotions at either end of the scale, whether it's how happy you're feeling or how sad you're feeling," Gough said. "[Writing about your family] is a dangerous game to be playing. For most people, it spells a cliché, corny message, but I think I manage to do it in a tasteful way. It just crept in. There's a little bit of tribute. 'You Were Right' was finished in L.A. and wouldn't have been the way it is if I was in me bedroom."

Badly Drawn Boy wraps a U.S. tour on Friday in Los Angeles, after which he'll shoot a video for the second single, "Born Again." Gough said he'll likely return to the States for another tour early next year.

• Badly Drawn Boy

Cee-Lo
Photo: Arista

The movie may be as anticipated as "Spider-Man," but the soundtrack? Not so sure. Nevertheless, John Williams' "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" score hits shelves this week.

From the files of When Band Members Regroup/Go Solo, the Kickovers — a group made up of ex-Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh and former Mighty Mighty Bosstones guitarist Nate Albert — issue their first album, Osaka, this week, while closet freak and Goodie Mob member Cee-Lo unleashes Cee-Lo Green & His Perfect Imperfections.

Other releases to look out for are Classic Chillout Album, a compilation featuring Moby, Dido and Sade;When I Was Cruel, the umpteenth album from Elvis Costello; and Stereo, the Vagrant debut of ex-Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg. Cornershop generously dole out Handcream for a Generation on their LP, which features Noel Gallagher of Oasis, and Badly Drawn Boy returns with the soundtrack LP "About a Boy," his first full-length release since The Hour of Bewilderbeast.

There's also an embarrassment of riches available for Wilco fans, as their long-delayed Yankee Hotel Foxtrot finally hits stores, as does frontman Jeff Tweedy's solo soundtrack LP, "Chelsea Walls." Meanwhile, Jay Bennett, who left the band last year, releases The Palace at 4 A.M., recorded with Edward Burch.

Finally, if it's felt like a long time since the last Michael Bolton release, that's because it has been. Coming back stronger, sexier and more soulful than ever before, the crooner gives fans Only a Woman Like You.

  Out Tuesday, April 23:

• 10cc - Alive in Japan (BMG)
• 12 Stones - 12 Stones (Wind-up)
• Acid House Kings - Mondays Are Like Tuesdays (Hidden Agenda)
• Agiel - Dark Pantheons Again Will Reign (Unique Leader)
• Akwid - 2002 A.D. (Two K Sounds)
• Alfie - A Word in Your Ear (XL/Beggars Banquet)
• Audra - Going to the Theatre (Projekt)
• Autopilot Off - Autopilot Off (EP, Island)
• Susana Baca - Espiritu Vivo (Luaka Bop)
• Badly Drawn Boy - "About a Boy" soundtrack (Artist Direct)
  Read about it ... About A Badly Drawn Boy: Singer/Songwriter Does Soundtrack
• Philip Bailey - Soul on Jazz (Heads Up)
• Jay Bennett & Edward Burch - The Palace at 4 A.M. (Undertow)
• Big Moe - Purple World (Wreckshop)
  Read about it ... DJ Screw Protege Big Moe Spills 'Purple Stuff'
• Black Tape for a Blue Girl - The Scavenger Bride (Projekt)
• Michael Bolton - Only a Woman Like You (Jive)
• Brute - Nine High a Pallet (Velocette)
• Carbon Leaf - Ether-Electrified Porch Music (Constant Ivy)
• Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections (Arista)
  Read about it ... Cee-Lo Is Water And A Wig-Wearing 'Closet Freak' On Solo Debut
• Kenny Chesney - No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (BNA)
• Tom Clark & the High Action Boys - Cross-Eyed & Bow-Legged (Blacksmith)
• W.C. Clark - From Austin With Soul (Alligator)
• Cornershop Handcream for a Generation (Wiija/Beggars Banquet)
  Read about it ... Gump-Like Cornershop Learn Lessons From 'Rocky' On New LP
• Elvis Costello - When I Was Cruel (Island)
• Damon and Naomi - Song to the Siren (two CDs) (Sub Pop)
• Death Threat - For God & Government (Triple Crown)
• Deeds of the Flesh - Inbreeding the Anthropophagi (Unique Leader)
• Kevin Denney – Kevin Denney (Lyric Street)
• The Dirty Dozen Brass Band - Medicated Magic (Ropeadope/Atlantic)
• Dishwalla - Opaline (Immergent)
• Florence Dore - Perfect City (Slewfoot)
• Earth, Wind & Fire - That's the Way of the World: Alive in '75 (Legacy)
• Mark Eitzel - Music for Courage & Confidence (New West)
• Entety - Cadaveric Necrogrind (World War III)
• Cor Fijneman - Mesmer 1 (Razor & Tie)
• John Forte - I, John (Kinetic)
• Frost - Still Up in This S#*T! (In the Paint)
• Gada - Addictive Lifestyle (Nuff Nuff)
• Gay Dad - Transmission (Thirsty Ear)
• Hate Theory - Hate Theory (World War III)
• Hot Hot Heat - Knock Knock Knock (Sub Pop)
• Jim Hurst - Second Son (Pinecastle)
• Insight - Updated Software V.2.5 (Landspeed)
• Bert Jansch - Dazzling Stranger: Anthology (Castle America)
• Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons - Conscious Contact (Terminus)
• Joeski & Onoinz - Nu-York Nite Life (NRK)
• K's Choice - Almost Happy (Sony)
• Nik Kershaw - To Be Frank (Koch)
• The Kickovers - Osaka (Fenway)
• King Kong - Big Bang (Drag City)
• Greg Long - Balance (Shadow)
• Joe Lovano - Viva Caruso (Blue Note)
• Luna - Romantica (Jetset)
• Lupine Howl - Vaporizer EP (Beggars Banquet)
• Mad Happy - Feel Good Music for the Broke Middle Classes (Bar None)
• John Martyn - Patterns in the Rain: Anthology (Castle America)
• The Meat Purveyors - All Relationships Are Doomed to Fail (Bloodshot)
• Kylie Minogue - Hits + (Arista)
• Mae Moore - It's a Funny World (Paras Group)
• Mortal Decay - Forensic (Unique Leader)
• Peter Murphy - Dust (Metropolis)
• Non-Phixion - Future Is Now (Landspeed)
• NRBQ - NRBQ Live From Mountain Stage (Black Pumpkin)
• The Octopus Project - Identification Parade (Peekaboo)
• Organic Grooves - 4 (Codek)
• Oxymoron - Best Before 2000 (GMM)
• Oxymoron - Feed the Breed (GMM)
• Eddie Palmieri - La Perfecta II (Concord Picante)
• Palomar - Palomar II (Self Starter Foundation)
• Pet Shop Boys - Release (Sanctuary)
  Read about it ... Pet Shop Boys 'In Love' With Gay Eminem Character
• Gary Primich - Dog House Music (Antone's)
• Primus - Frizzle Fry (reissue, Prawn Song)
• Primus - Suck on This (reissue, Prawn Song)
• The Promise Ring - Woodwater (Anti/Epitaph)
• Rae & Christian - Mixer Presents Rewind (Razor & Tie)
• Racer X - Snowball of Doom (Shrapnel)
• Toshi Reagon - Toshi (Razor & Tie)
• Reid Speed - Resonance (Breakbeat Science)
• Will Rigby - Paradoxaholic (Diesel Only)
• RL - RL:Ements (J Records)
• Rovo - Tonic 2001 (Tzadik)
• Savatage - Dungeons Are Calling (Metal Blade)
• Daryle Singletary - That's Why I Sing This Way (Audium)
• Charlie Sizemore - The Story Is ... The Songs of Tom T. Hall (Rebel)
• Sloan - Pretty Together (RCA)
• Darden Smith - Sunflower (Dualtone)
• Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport (Tommy Boy)
• Soul Hooligan - Music Like Dirt (Maverick)
• Stevens Sisters - Little by Little (Rounder)
• Step Kings - 3 the Hard Way (We Put Out)
• Curtis Stigers - Secret Heart (Concord Jazz)
• Still Breathing - September (Solid State)
• Stir Crazy - Stir Crazy (Global Ent.)
• Simon Stokes - Honky (Uppercut/Disgruntled)
• The Stranglers - Live in Concert (Castle America)
• Strike Boys - Grapefruit Flavoured Green Tea Time (Stereo Deluxe)
• Strung Out - An American Paradox (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Tall Paul - Back & Forth (Moonshine)
• James Talley - Touchstones (Cimarron)
• Templars - Reconquista 1994-1998 (GMM)
• Toy Dolls - We're Mad! The Anthology (Castle America)
• Tuatara - Cinemathique (Fast Horse)
• Jeff Tweedy - "Chelsea Walls" soundtrack (Rykodisc)
• Unwed Sailor - Firecracker EP (Constant Ivy)
• Vinyl - Flea Market (Tornado)
• The Walkabouts - Ended Up as a Stranger (Innerspace)
• Waterboys - Waterboys (Chrysalis)
• Wayward Shamans - Alchemy (Fedora)
• Paul Westerberg - Stereo (Vagrant)
• Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch/Atlantic)
  Read about it ... Jeff Tweedy Describes Wilco's Evolution
• John Williams – "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" soundtrack  (Sony Classical)
• Luther Wright and the Wrongs - Rebuild the Wall (Back Porch)
• Pete Yorn - Musicforthemorningafter (reissue, Columbia)
• Frank Zappa - Threesome #1 (Rykodisc)
• Frank Zappa - Threesome #2 (Rykodisc)
• Various artists - "Ansel Adams" soundtrack (Green Linnet)
• Various artists - Because We Care: Benefit for the Children's Hospital of Orange County (Glue Factory/Oglio)
• Various artists - Best of House Vol. 2 (Robin's Ent.)
• Various artists - Classic Chillout Album (Epic)
• Various artists - "Dark Angel" soundtrack (Artemis)
• Various artists - Exposure (Four Foot Eleven)
• Various artists - Full Cycle Live! (Full Cycle)
• Various artists - Glasgow Underground Presents - Explorations in Chill (Paras Group)
• Various artists - Hed Kandi: Disco Heaven (Hed Kandi)
• Various artists - My Favorite Things - A Richard Rodgers Celebration (RCA Victor)
• Various artists - Monster Disco (Razor & Tie)
• Various artists - "The New Guy" soundtrack (Epic)
• Various artists - Progressive Development 01 (Nettwerk)
• Various artists - Stereo Sushi Vol. 2 (Hed Kandi)
• Various artists - Trance: The Progressive Experience (Capitol)
• Various artists - Ultimate After Hours Vol. 2 (Groovilicious)

April 30:

• Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow (MCA)
  Read about it ... Zack De La Rocha Joining Blackalicious On Blazing Arrow
• Donell Jones - Life Goes On (Arista)
• Various artists - "Spider-Man" soundtrack (Columbia)
  Read about it ... 'Spider-Man' Theme To Come Courtesy Of Aerosmith

May 7:

• Grandmaster Flash - Essential Mix (Warner)
  Read about it ... Grandmaster Flash Brings Back '70s, '80s Beats On Essential Mix
• Musiq - Juslisten (Island/Def Jam)
  Read about it ... Musiq Soulchild Croons Conversation Pieces On Juslisen
• Naughty by Nature - Iicons (TVT)
  Read about it ... Naughty By Nature, 3LW Save The Day
• Various artists - Family Values Tour 2001(Elektra)
  Read about it ... Aaron Lewis Assists STP, Linkin Park On Family Values CD

May 14:

• Atticus Fault - Atticus Fault (Island/Def Jam)
• Various artists - Now Presents Urban Hits (Columbia)

May 21:

• Breeders - Title TK (Elektra)
• Tommy Lee - Never a Dull Moment (MCA)
• Raphael Saadiq - Instant Vintage (Universal)

June 4:

• Eminem - The Eminem Show (Interscope)
  Read about it ... The Doc's Diagnosis: Eminem Still Crazy
• Lil' Romeo - Game Time (Universal/No Limit)
  Read about it ... Lil' Romeo Battles His Evil Twin On B-Ball Court

• Cee-Lo
• Wilco
• Elvis Costello
• Paul Westerberg
• Cornershop

Dashboard Confessional, a.k.a. Chris Carrabba
Photo: Vagrant

"One-man band": when you hear that phrase you probably picture a dude on a street corner with a pair of cymbals between his knees, a drum on his back, some kazoos in his mouth and a guitar case full of quarters. Think again.

While naming a band after yourself is fine and good for guys like Dave Matthews and Jon Spencer, some band names are actually just cryptic pseudonyms for a single, mad studio genius.

The past year has seen an explosion of do-it-yourself-ers, including ex-Eels bassist Tommy Walter with his band Abandoned Pools, stone alone emo-ter Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional (see "Dashboard Confessional Concert Checklist: Tickets, Earplugs, Kleenex"), Citizen Cope mastermind Clarence Greenwood and Custom, a.k.a. Duane Lavold. Others who've recently gotten some one love include ex-Nine Inch Nails programmer Chris Vrenna (Tweaker), Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy) and solo "Superman" John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting).

These artists typically work and write alone, performing nearly every note on their records, sometimes even drawing their own album covers and directing the video. So, assuming they're proud of their accomplishments, what gives with the isolation and the fake ID?

"Not to sound cheesy, but it's just a different way of marketing yourself," Walter said of the choice to go by the handle Abandoned Pools for his pop/electronic solo debut, Humanistic. "I wanted to leave it open to putting a band together, but, also, if you go out as 'Tommy Walter,' there's no man behind the curtain. You're really putting yourself out there, and I'm not some folk singer with a guitar. This creates more of a mystery and an aura."

Recent rock history is littered with "bands" that were mostly clever names for the music of a charismatic frontperson. From Prince and the Revolution to Days of the New (Travis Meeks), Smashing Pumpkins (Billy Corgan) and the Magnetic Fields (Stephin Merritt), sometimes one (with some help) is enough.

Electronica acts such as Stardust (Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter) and Aphex Twin (Richard D. James) have been doing it for years: mixing up alluring stage names to mask the fact that all that music is being made by one person, a computer and a host of sampled voices.

But lately, the world of emo rock has blossomed into a haven for artists licking their wounds behind dramatic band names, such as the fragile Bright Eyes (Connor Oberst), Pedro the Lion (David Bazan) and Onelinedrawing (Jonah Sonz Matranga).

For Dashboard's Carrabba, former lead singer of the emo band Further Seems Forever, the choice was clear — and logical. "I definitely didn't want it to be 'The Chris Carrabba Experience,' " he said. Although Carrabba had musical assistance from members of his touring band on his album, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, much of his live show is geared around his solo performances.

"I wanted [the music] to be a group experience, something I shared with the audience," he said, noting that most fans shout along to every word at his shows. "I wanted it to be something that made the crowd feel like they were part of it, something communal. Naming it after myself would have diminished their experience and wouldn't have fostered that same vibe."

Like Walter, Custom's Lavold chose a collective-sounding name to leave open the possibility of working with his touring band in the future, but also because it's been his nickname forever. "I work alone, not because I want to do everything, but because I can," said Lavold, who not only performs almost every note on his album, but also produced it and directed the controversial video for the single "Hey Mister."

"If you have an imagination that hears and sees things, it used to be that you were reliant on 'x' amount of humans to manifest what you're imagining," he explained about the other side of the one-man band coin: preferring to work in solitude. "Now with [recording software] Pro Tools and a Macintosh, you can bungle your way through creating things in your head without hiring 50 players and spending $2,000 a day for a 'real' studio."

Custom said the home studio revolution has not only made it easier for musicians to be jacks-of-all-trades, it has allowed them to record lush albums like his with just a few thousand dollars' worth of equipment. He predicted that the floodgates opened up by such relatively cheap software as Pro Tools and the like could inspire a new generation of recording artists who go it alone.

"I want people to know that we are making records that are in stores on $4,000 worth of equipment," he said. "The intimidation factor of seeing bands in studios with gigantic mixing boards is gone. You don't need that."

Walter works better when he can be alone with his thoughts, and Carrabba just wants everyone to join the band. But you have to hand it to lo-fi rocker John Darnielle, a.k.a. Mountain Goats. In the past, he's sometimes taken the one-man band concept to its logical conclusion by beginning some solo gigs with the announcement, "We are the Mountain Goats."

Okay, maybe one isn't the loneliest number.

• Dashboard Confessional
• Custom
• Abandoned Pools
• Bright Eyes
• Pedro the Lion

Badly Drawn Boy
Photo: Beggars Banquet

Badly Drawn Boy will follow up his Mercury Music Prize-winning debut album with the soundtrack to the comedy "About a Boy."

The Manchester, England, singer/songwriter, whose real name is Damon Gough, has written 10 proper songs for the film and several offshoots that will be used as the score, he said earlier this month at KRCW's A Morning Becomes Eclectic concert (see "Ozomatli Turn Singer/Songwriter Showcase Into Hip-Hop Salsa Party"), where he debuted some of the material.

"About a Boy" directors Chris and Paul Weitz, the brothers behind "American Pie," handpicked Badly Drawn Boy to write and record the music for the movie, which is based on Nick Hornby's ("High Fidelity") novel of the same name and stars Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz ("The Mummy Returns") and Toni Collette ("The Sixth Sense").

"I read the book and thought it was an inspiring story," Gough said in between drags on his cigarette. "I understood why they asked me. I tend to have a knack for writing songs about human emotions in a way where you don't have to say it. You emote it in whatever way possible. That's what the film is like. It's not a big blockbuster, Hollywood thing."

Gough's songs for the movie, which blend elements of folk, British rock and pop, have the same sort of melancholy feel as the 18 songs that make up last year's The Hour of Bewilderbeast (see "Badly Drawn Boy Draws 2000 Mercury Music Prize").

"When I had a discussion with the directors, I told them I like to reference things in a way that is appropriate to me," Gough explained. "They said that's what they want. I tried to encompass the emotions that I felt when I read the book, which gave me loads of scope. I think I've added some weight to what is a really good film already."

To record the soundtrack, Gough came to Los Angeles, where he is putting the finishing touches on the material with producer Tom Rothrock (Beck, Elliott Smith). After 10 weeks together, the duo are calling themselves a team and scheduling studio time for the next Badly Drawn Boy album.

"The bottom line is neither of us are close-minded about what can happen on a record," Gough said. "It could be somebody sh--ting a bathtub and you record it and say, 'How good does that sound?' "

Added Rothrock, "Somehow everything he does sounds like Badly Drawn Boy, but at the same time, it draws from every experience I've ever had. All of a sudden we are programming a drum machine, looping a breakbeat, then there's an orchestra the next day, vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, female vocals, everything you come in contact with."

Rothrock has also recruited some of his friends to work on the soundtrack. Beck's drummer, Joey Waronker, plays on most of the tracks, while Fiona Apple/Aimee Mann producer Jon Brion and Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas also contribute.

"About a Boy," the story of a playboy who unexpectedly falls in love with a single mother, is due in theaters in April. The soundtrack will likely be released a few weeks prior to the film.

Gough has several songs written for his next proper album, which he hopes to start recording early next year. He plans to take a break in March for the birth of his second child, then expects the album to be finished by May and released next fall.

"The back half of this project has been after what happened in New York," Gough said, referring to the September 11 terrorist attacks. "The whole thing has made me think. I just want to do what I do. The next album could be the biggest fun project. No one is interfering."

• Badly Drawn Boy

Shelby Lynne performs at A Sounds Eclectic Evening  
Photo: Jay Morel

LOS ANGELES — One of Southern California's most esteemed radio shows took to the stage Friday for an inaugural concert celebrating diverse artists ranging from singer/songwriter Elliott Smith to country-fried rocker Shelby Lynne.

A Sounds Eclectic Evening, named after flagship National Public Radio station KCRW-FM's "Morning Becomes Eclectic" show, began as an emotional showcase of the world's top songsmiths and ended as a hip-hop salsa party that had the packed Wiltern Theatre audience dancing down the aisles. (Click for photos from the show.)

Los Angeles' own Ozomatli headlined the benefit for KCRW with a rousing set of tunes mostly culled from their new album, Embrace the Chaos. The 10-member outfit looked like a hip-hop ska version of Slipknot, though not nearly as chaotic.

Bassist Wil-Dog Abers and guitarist Raúl Pacheco provided the majority of their Cypress Hill-like vocal tag teams, though trumpeter Asdrubal Sierra piped in for a few of the Latin-flavored numbers.

Ozomatli's latest single, "1234," proved to be the audience favorite, as the mostly white crowd waved its hands to the tune's Afro-Cuban beat.

The rest of the performances Friday were of a different breed, with the possible exception of a few Lynne numbers. Promoting her new record, Love, Shelby, she mixed the intimacy of a singer/songwriter with the attitude of an arena star by belting out the heartfelt lyrics she is known for with the vigor of a Las Vegas veteran like Bette Midler or Cher.

Pete Yorn, Smith, Badly Drawn Boy and Sparklehorse, on the other hand, let their lyrics be the sole stars.

Smith and Badly Drawn Boy both played short, acoustic sets from a small stage in front of the main curtain. Smith played all new material from his upcoming album, while Badly Drawn Boy opened by singing some new songs over prerecorded tracks — "karaoke-style" as he put it — and closed with some familiar numbers.

Badly Drawn Boy, stuffed between the subdued Smith and the even quieter Sparklehorse, provided a needed pick-me-up with his between-song banter. After introducing a few tracks from the new "About a Boy" soundtrack, he improvised a gag about his band being too ugly to bring onstage.

Covered in a stocking cap pulled down to his brow and illegally taking drags off a cigarette, Badly Drawn Boy garnered heavy applause (from fans such as Meg Ryan and Tracey Ullman) for The Hour of Bewilderbeast tracks "Once Around the Block" and "The Shining." He dedicated the latter to Osama bin Laden, asking the terrorist to make his next target "the twin cheeks of my ass."

Smith, who wore a skin-tight thrift store T-shirt and sported Willie Nelson-like pigtails, debuted new material that varied little from his past catalog of fairy tale folk with twists of pop.

"These [versions of the new songs] are very different than how they will sound on the record, but this is how they started out," Smith said in his dressing room after the show.

Yorn's set perhaps best summed up the title of the concert, as he powered through an eclectic set list that had equal moments of raucous rock 'n' roll splendor ("For Nancy (Cos' It Already Is)") and pour-your-heart-out grandeur ("Just Another").

"KCRW is a hell of a station, and I would go out of my way to help them," Yorn said shortly before taking the stage. "It's a really cool bill, and I am honored to be a part of it."

Opening duties for the evening fell to Sparklehorse, whose dreamy noise pop was a good introduction to both the concert and KCRW in general. Singer Mark Linkous kicked the vocal effects into high gear for most of the set, which focused on the tender love songs from their recent album, It's a Wonderful Life.

KCRW's music director and founder of "Morning Becomes Eclectic," Nic Harcourt, said the A Sounds Eclectic Evening will certainly be an annual tradition, if not more.

"It would be nice to expand it to some kind of tour, if we could find the time to do it," said Harcourt, who is credited with helping break R.E.M., PJ Harvey, Beck and many others. "I first thought about this a couple of years ago. We waited for the timing to be right, and my boss told me at the beginning of the year to go for it."

Harcourt has already spearheaded the release of a pair of CDs based on the show, including last spring's Sounds Eclectic compilation (see "Beck, David Gray, Travis On Live Radio Album").

• Ozomatli
• Pete Yorn
• Elliott Smith
• Shelby Lynne
• Badly Drawn Boy

Badly Drawn Boy
Photo: Beggars Banquet

The original idea was for companies like Mitsubishi and the Gap to use artists like Groove Armada and Badly Drawn Boy to sell cars and clothes. But in the end, it may be that Groove Armada and Badly Drawn Boy were simply using cars and clothes to sell their music.

Exhibit A: As Seen on TV: Songs From Commercials, due June 5 from the people behind the chart-topping Now That's I What Call Music compilations. As Seen on TV includes some of the more memorable TV ad songs of recent months, from late singer/songwriter Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" — featured in a much-remarked-upon Volkswagen ad — to Badly Drawn Boy's equally delicate "The Shining," which the Gap used in a winter-themed ad.

The 20-song album also includes Trio's new-wave nugget "Da Da Da I Don't Love You You Don't Love Me Aha Aha Aha," used in a Volkswagen ad, the Propellerheads and Shirley Bassey's "History Repeating," used in a Jaguar ad, and Groove Armada's "I See You Baby," used in a Mitsubishi commercial.

Fittingly, As Seen on TV's makers plan to promote the TV-commercial comp with TV spots of its own.

Adam Starr, the UTV Records product manager who dreamed up As Seen on TV, said he hopes the compilation will give more exposure to acts like Drake and Badly Drawn Boy, whose sales hardly match their critical acclaim.

"When the Nick Drake commercial first happened, people were half disgusted by it and half, like, 'Great, he's getting attention.' And that's kind of the gist of what this is about," Starr said Tuesday (May 22).

Other tracks on the album, which UTV A&R Vice President Jeff Moskow described as "either cool or kitschy," include Handsome Boy Modeling School's "Rock n' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)," the Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds," the Buzzcocks' "What Do I Get?" and, of course, Styx's "Mr. Roboto." UTV isn't the first company to see potential profit in the boom of hip commercial soundtracks — Volkswagen itself recently released the collection Street Mix — Music From VW Commercials Volume 1, which includes the same Trio, Drake and Styx tracks (see "Volkswagen Rolls Out Mix CD With Styx, Trio, Other Commercial Hits").

• Badly Drawn Boy
• Nick Drake
• Groove Armada
• Fatboy Slim
• Propellerheads

Badly Drawn Boy
Photo: Derrik Santini

Shooting Badly Drawn Boy's new video was a real bitch, just ask the clip's star.

Eighties primetime drama queen Joan Collins, who counts 1979's "The Bitch" and 1976's "The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones" among her film credits, will appear in Badly Drawn Boy's video for the single "Spitting in the Wind," according to a spokesperson for Damon Gough, the one-man force behind Badly Drawn Boy.

Gough plays Collins' guardian angel in the video, which was scripted with the former "Dynasty" star in mind. It was the ski-capped British balladeer himself who approached Collins and asked if she'd participate in the tongue-in-cheek depiction of her glamorous persona. Shot two weeks ago in a Danish castle, the short was directed by Garth Jennings of the video production team Hammer & Tongs (Oasis, Blur) and is the 67-year-old Collins' music-video debut.

Incidentally, BDB's third single from his Mercury Prize-winning debut album, The Hour of Bewilderbeast, is listed as "Pissing in the Wind," on the record sleeve, but the track was re-recorded with a tamer metaphor for radio airplay. The single will be released April 30 in the U.K., while a U.S. release date is still being settled on, Gough's spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Gough, known for his finicky and somewhat dramatic performances, will launch a North American tour beginning April 26 in Montreal (see "Badly Drawn Boy Sketches Out Spring Tour").

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