Juvenile's <I>Reality Check</I>
Photo: Atlantic / Wea

Tone Def: Juvenile has no shortage of friends on his latest effort, Reality Check — Ludacris, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, 8Ball, Fat Joe, Bun B, Trey Songz and, more surprisingly, Brian McKnight all make appearances. But the real story behind the New Orleans rapper's release might not be the tracks themselves but what you can do with them: A special feature lets you create ring tones from any part of any song on the record. Which means, in theory, you can have a little piece of "Loose Booty" with you at all times.

Welcome Back, Carter: While Juve is letting his listeners cut up his songs, Lil Wayne has let some producers chop and screw his. Don't get these remixes confused with the chopped-and-screwed ones that came with the deluxe edition of Tha Carter, Vol. 2; those were alternate takes of songs released before that album, while these all pertain to Carter 2 and run in the same order as the LP.

New Matis? Yahoo!: Youth, the latest effort by Hasidic rapper Matthew Miller (a.k.a. Matisyahu), comes in three shapes and sizes: the standard release, produced by NYC avant-garde guru Bill Laswell and containing 13 tracks; Youth Dub, a limited disc that came with preorders of the album and features eight dub mixes plus two new songs; and the DualDisc version, with videos and behind-the-scenes treats, due at a later date.

Not-So-Public Enemy: Public Enemy have been doing the indie thing for a little while, but with their new one, they're delving even deeper into obscurity. Rebirth of a Nation is coming out on Guerrilla Funk Recordings, a label that "counters the corporate stranglehold of censorship currently plaguing the entertainment industry." Its owner, Paris — the politically conscious rapper behind "Bush Killa" — essentially co-authors the new PE record, producing it and appearing on songs like "Make It Hardcore," "Hannibal Lecture" and "Hard Truth Soldiers." MC Ren, Sister Souljah and Dead Prez also help with the Rebirth.

Making The Rounds: Do you smell a hippie? You must be near a record store, then, because they're hitting them in droves this week. Five Grateful Dead albums are getting deluxe-reissue treatment, gifting fans with bonus tracks, splendid packaging and more. Also on the bohemian front, Dead amigo David Grisman has produced Mike Compton and David Long's Stomp, while jam master John Medeski has written the liner notes for 70-year-old pianist Ran Blake's All That Is Tied.

His troupe Medeski, Martin & Wood, in the meantime, take part on the Herb Alpert mash-up record Whipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped, also featuring Ozomatli and Thievery Corporation. There's only one stranger mash-up due this week, and that's "Rapture Riders," a collision of Blondie's "Rapture:" and the Doors' "Riders on the Storm," which surfaces on Blondie's Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision collection.

Another MMW agent, bassist Chris Wood, has his hands full with the Wood Brothers, a project pairing him with brother Oliver Wood. Oh, and speaking of brothers, they're a topic of conversation this week too: Ted Leo's brother Chris is trotting out the second effort by his Vague Angels, Let's Duke It Out at Kilkenny Katz; and Ray Davies, the Kinks leader who put out a new album a couple of weeks ago, is seeing his long-running feud with brother Dave Davies reignited this week when Dave releases his Kinked collection.

Song Titles of the Week:

"Too-Rai-Skippery-Dappery Day" and "Just Blow, Don Quixote! Blow!" from Vague Angels' Let's Duke It Out at Kilkenny Katz

Other Notables:

Bad Religion's "Live at the Palladium" and the Casualties' "Can't Stop Us" DVDs: Cobbling together live footage from Hollywood's historic punk venue as well as rare performances, TV appearances, interviews and the like, Bad Religion had every reason to promote their new visual item with a special screening and autograph session at Virgin Records in Tinsel Town. Unlike BR, the Casualties haven't been around for 20 years, but they've got plenty of punk spirit, as shown in their gritty disc, which proudly advertises footage of "riots, riots and more riots." The footage is derived from gigs in Mexico and Japan and has 20 leather-clad clips.

Mogwai's Mr. Beast and Goldfrapp's Supernature: Glasgow's Mogwai are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, and maybe not coincidentally they're breathing some new life into their younger, louder selves with Mr. Beast. Limited copies are bundled in hard-book deluxe package and come with a bonus DVD. Another Brit, singer/composer Allison Goldfrapp, has a similar game plan: The deluxe version of her latest has a DVD bristling with videos, documentary footage, a performance film and more. As the first track on her album says, "Ooh La La."

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness' Fear Is on Our Side and Revolting Cocks' Cocked and Loaded: You've heard the name, now finally you can hear the album. Instead of Spoon's Britt Daniel, who produced the band's initial EP, ILYBICD went instead with Paul Barker, who's worked with Ministry and the Revolting Cocks. Speaking of which (see where this is going?), the latest by the Cocks (led by Ministry's Al Jourgensen) attracted two Gibbies — ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons and Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers — plus Jello Biafra and members of Cheap Trick. Leave it to Al to do it up right.

New Releases:

• Agency - Agency (digipak; Aeria)
• Big Al Anderson - After Hours (Sony Legacy)
• Architects - Revenge (SideCho)
• Balli - New Blood - The D.N.A. (Black Five)
• The Bamboos - Step It Up (Ubiquity)
• Warren Barfield - Reach (Reunion)
• Bitter:Sweet - The Mating Game (Quango)
• The Black Dove - The Black Dove (Tompkins Square)
• Ran Blake - All That Is Tied (digipak; Tompkins Square)
• Blush - From the Falls to the Path (Rust)
• Boom Boom Satellites - Full of Elevating Pleasures (Tofu)
• Buzzcocks - Flat-Pack Philosophy (Cooking Vinyl)
• Caedmon's Call - In the Company of Angels II - The World Will Sing (Brentwood)
• Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad of the Broken Seas (V2)
  Buy Now: Ballad of the Broken Seas (V2)
• Larry Carlton - Fire Wire (RCA)
• Caroline - Murmurs (Temporary Residence)
• Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (Anti)
• Centro-Matic - Fort Recovery (Misra)
• Exene Cervenka and the Original Sinners - Sev7en (Nitro)
• Mattie Moss Clark - I'm Not Alone: Hands of God Reached Out (Sounds of Gospel)
• Mike Compton and David Long - Stomp (Acoustic Disc)
• Controller.Controller - X-Amounts (Paper Bag)
• Eric Darius - Just Getting Started (Narada)
• David & the Citizens - David & the Citizens (digipak; Friendly Fire)
• Kimya Dawson and Matty Pop Chart - Kimya Dawson and Matty Pop Chart (EP; K)
• Daylight Dies - Dismantling Devotion (Candlelight)
• Jesse Dayton - South Austin Sessions (Stag)
• Desole - Story to Tell (Abacus)
• Deus - Pocket Revolution (V2)
• Dévics - Push the Heart (Reincarnate)
• Dian Diaz - Dian Diaz (Strip City)
• Dir En Grey - Withering to Death (Warcon Enterprises)
• Dismember - The God That Never Was (Candlelight)
• Dogme 95 - The Reagle Beagle (Empyrean)
• Downtown Singapore - Don't Let Your Guard Down (Dcide)
• Dryline - Reach for the Surface (Zero Sum)
• The Duke Spirit - Cuts Across the Land (Star Time)
• Eastern Conference Champions - Southampton Collection (EP; Retone)
• Edubb - Don't Flex (I.M.)
• The Elysian Fields - Suffering G.O.D. Almighty (Black Lotus)
• Mark Erelli - Hope & Other Casualties (Signature)
• Anthony Evans - Letting Go (Sony)
• Jace Everett - Jace Everett (Epic)
• Cesaria Evora - Rogamar (RCA)
• Field Music - Field Music (Memphis Industries)
• Figurines - Skeleton (Control Group)
• Fresh Digress - Fresh Digress (Beatmart)
• Charles Gayle - Time Zones (digipak; Tompkins Square)
• Ghostdigital - In Cod We Trust (Ipecac)
• David Gilmour - On an Island (Columbia)
• Gnarkill - Gnarkill Vs. Unkle Matt & the Sh--birdz (10/90)
• Goldfrapp - Supernature (with DVD; Mute)
• Half-Handed Crowd - Halos & Lassos (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Jeff Hamilton - From Studio 4 (Azica)
• Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid - Exchange Session 1 (Domino)
• Hotel Lights - Hotel Lights (Bar None)
• James Hunter - People Gonna Talk (Rounder)
• I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is on Our Side (Secretly Canadian)
• If Hope Dies - Life in Ruin (Metal Blade)
• The Impossible Shapes - Tum (Secretly Canadian)
• Javier - Left of Center (Capitol)
• Chachi Jones - Dymaxion Daydream (Reincarnate)
• Juvenile - Reality Check (DualDisc; Atlantic)
  Read: "Juvenile Gets Busy At The Holiday Inn — Making An Album "
  Buy Now: Reality Check (Atlantic)
• The Killing Moon - Message Through Your Teeth (Fearless)
• Glenn Kotche - Mobile (Nonesuch)
• Kris Kristofferson - This Old Road (New West)
• Jon Langford - Gold Brick (Roir)
• Ana Laura - Ana Laura (Reunion)
• The Lawrence Arms - Oh Calcutta (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Rolf Lislevand - Nuove Musiche (ECM)
• Lil Wayne - Tha Carter II: Chopped & Screwed (Cash Money)
  Buy Now: Tha Carter II: Chopped & Screwed (Cash Money)
• The Little Willies - The Little Willies (Milking Bull)
• The Lonely Hearts - Paper Tapes (Tooth & Nail)
• Lucky Luciano - Pimps Up Hoez Down (Vista Media)
• Janiva Magness - Do I Move You? (Northern Blues)
• Matisyahu - Youth (Epic)
  Buy Now: Youth (Epic)
• Mellowdrone - Box (3 Records/ Red Ink)
• Mogwai - Mr. Beast (Matador)
  Buy Now: Mr. Beast (Matador)
• Van Morrison - Pay the Devil (Lost Highway)
• Most Hi-Fi - Everything's Gonna Be Alright (Slam Jamz)
• Mudhoney - Under a Billion Suns (Sub Pop)
• Munk - Gommagang 3 (Gomma)
• Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas - Hang It High, Hang It Low (Rounder)
• Nicolette - I Am Where the Party's At (Early)
• Nightmares on Wax - In a Space Outta Sound (Warp)
• The Ocean - Aeolian (Metal Blade)
• Outlawz - Against All Oddz (Real Talk Entertainment)
• Lee Roy Parnell - Back to the Well (Universal South)
• Patrizio - The Italian (Universal)
• Pinetop Seven - Beneath Confederate Lake (Empyrean)
• Pink Mountaintops - Axis of Evol (Jagjaguwar)
• Pinmonkey - Big Shiny Cars (Back Porch)
• Planeside - Milk (Exotic)
• Lucas Prata - Let's Get It On (Ultra)
• Presence - Presence (Curb)
• Public Enemy - Rebirth of a Nation (Guerrilla Funk)
• Raising The Fawn - The Maginot Line (Sonic Unyon)
• Revolting Cocks - Cocked and Loaded (Megaforce)
• The Rogers Sisters - The Invisible Deck (Too Pure/ Beggars)
• Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Solo (Blue Note)
• Scarface - My Homies, Vol. 2 (Asylum/Rap-a-Lot)
• Terry Smith - Fall Out (Sunbeam)
• Soldier Ink - The Newest and the Strongest (enhanced; Thump)
• Sparks - Hello Young Lovers (In the Red)
• Stereolab - Fab Four Suture (with DVD; Too Pure/ Beggars)
  Buy Now: Fab Four Suture (Too Pure)
• The Story - Tale Spin (Sunbeam)
• Streetlight Manifesto - Keasbey Nights, Vol. 2 (Victory)
• Television Personalities - My Dark Places (Domino)
• Ten Falls Forth - Excuse Me I Believe That's My Ride (Rise)
• The Tennessee Boltsmokers - Hydro Radio (Madjack)
• Terrestrial Tones - Dead Drunk (Paw Tracks)
• Trent Tomlinson - Country Is My Rock (Lyric Street)
• Tres Chicas - Bloom Red & the Ordinary Girl (Yep Roc)
• Ralph Tresvant - Rizz Wa Faire (Xzault Media Group)
• Turbulence - Born for This (Charm)
• Gecko Turner - Guapapasea! (Quango)
• The Vacation - The Vacation (American)
• Vague Angels - Let's Duke It out at Kilkenny Katz (Pretty Activity)
• Voodoo Blue - Smile N Nod (Dcide)
• The Weepies - Say I Am You (Nettwerk)
• Witch - Witch (Tee Pee)
• The Wood Brothers - Ways Not To Lose (Blue Note)
• Mike Younger - Every Stone You Throw (Bare Bones)
• Nadine Zahr - Underneath the Every Day (Chirality)
• Various artists - Paris Presents: Hard Truth Soldiers (Guerilla Funk)
• Various artists - Tunnel Trance Force America 2 (Water)
• Various artists - "Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King" soundtrack (Dancing Ferret)
• Various artists - "Date Movie" soundtrack (Lakeshore)
• Various artists - "That's So Raven Too" soundtrack (Disney)
• Various artists - "Zoey 101 Music Mix" soundtrack (Nick)

Notable Reissues And Archival Material:

• Agnostic Front - Live at CBGB (with DVD; Nuclear Blast)
• Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped (Shout! Factory)
• Blondie - Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision (with DVD; Capitol)
• Peabo Bryson - The Very Best of Peabo Bryson (Time Life)
• Cheap Trick - Dream Police and All Shook Up (with bonus tracks; Epic/Legacy)
• Joe Cocker - Gold (two CDs; Hip-O)
• The Czars - Goodbye (Bella Union)
• Darkest Hour - So Sedated So Secure (Victory)
• Dave Davies - Kinked (Koch)
• Martin Denny - The Best of Martin Denny's Exotica (Capitol)
• Grateful Dead - Blues for Allah, From the Mars Hotel (two CDs), Shakedown Street, Terrapin Station and Wake of the Flood (digipaks with bonus tracks; Rhino)
• Jethro Tull - Aqualung Live (Fuel 2000)
• Little Feat - Barnstormin' Live Box (Hot Tomato)
• Loretta Lynn - Gold (two CDs; MCA Nashville)
• Simon Joyner - Beautiful Losers: Singles & Compilation Tracks 1994-1999 (Jagjaguwar)
• Willy Mason - Where the Humans Eat (enhanced; with bonus tracks; Astralwerks)
• Gwen McCrae - Rockin' Chair/Let's Straighten It Out (Koch)
• Liza Minnelli - Liza With a "Z" (Columbia/Legacy)
• Moondog - Moondog (Astralwerks)
• Fred Neil - Fred Neil (Water)
• Pentagram - First Daze Here Too (two CDs; Relapse)
• Martha Reeves & the Vandellas - Gold (two CDs; Motown)
• Snoop Dogg - Death Row's Snoop Doggy Dogg Greatest Hits (digipak; Death Row)
• Sun Dial - Return Journey (Relapse)
• Glenn Tipton - Baptizm of Fire (Rhino)
• Glenn Tipton, John Entwistle and Cozy Powell - Edge of the World (Rhino)
• Conway Twitty - Gold (two CDs; MCA Nashville)
• Various artists - Hip Hop Essentials, Vol. 9, Vol. 10, Vol. 11 and Vol. 12

DVDs:

• Bad Religion - Live at the Palladium (Epitaph)
• The Casualties - Can't Stop Us (Side One Dummy)
• Bing Crosby - A Little Bit of Irish: Bing Crosby in Dublin (Varèse)
• Deicide - When London Burns (Earache)
• Luke Kelly - The Performer (Dark Peak)
• Various artists - Assemblage, Vol. 1 (Grey Two-Eleven)

Coming Attractions:

March 14:

• E-40 - My Ghetto Report Card (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: My Ghetto Report Card (Warner Bros.)
• Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree: Limited Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour Edition (Island)
  Read: "Fall Out Boy Promise An 'Event' Video For 'Sixteen Candles' "
  Buy Now: From Under the Cork Tree: Limited Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour Edition (Island)
• Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV (Atlantic)
  Read: "You Hear It First: Hard-Fi"

March 21:

• Teddy Geiger - Underage Thinking (Columbia)
• My Chemical Romance - Life on the Murder Scene (with DVD; Reprise)
  Read: "My Chemical Romance's 'Murder' DVD Just Got Bigger"
• Prince - 3121 (Universal)

March 28:

• Ghostface Killah - Fishscale (Def Jam)
  Read: "Ghostface Killah Spins Tales From The 'Hood On Fishscale"
  Buy Now: Fishscale (Def Jam)
• T.I. - King (limited-edition re-release with bonus DVD; Atlantic)
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones (Interscope)

Read: "Are The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Anxious About Bones? No No No"

• Juvenile
• Matisyahu
• Lil Wayne
• Bad Religion
• Stereolab

Like the ride Britney has in her video for "Me Against the Music"? The sports car — autographed on the hood and the steering wheel by the singer — is being auctioned off to benefit the Britney Spears Foundation. The auction, happening on ebay.com, starts December 1 and ends December 11. Also being auctioned is Brit's sporty outfit from her NFL Kickoff concert. Her Reebok boots, black football pants, black NFL shorts and black-and-white referee halter top are to be auctioned off between now and Sunday to benefit the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. For more information, go to marybirdauction.com. ...

50 Cent knows what's up. With the high anticipation of his in-store releases, he's already prophesizing that he will have to push up the release date of his next solo album. "Probably Fourth of July weekend," he said about when he wants to put the LP out. "But it will probably come out in June due to the bootleggers." ... Whether it snows or not, White Stripes fans can expect a "White Christmas" from their favorite red-suited character. Stripes frontman Jack White has contributed two new songs, "Never Far Away" and "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over," as well as three covers to the soundtrack to his film debut, "Cold Mountain."  The soundtrack drops December 16,  and the flick opens on Christmas Day. ...

Beck, fidgeting with a keyboard and twiddling knobs on a drum machine, tugged on his sweater and said, "It's getting hot in here," at KCRW's A Sounds Eclectic Evening concert Saturday in Universal City, California, before launching into Nelly's song of the same name, different spelling. He later revisited the "Hot in Herre" chorus during "Where It's At," a highlight of the solo set that also included Mutations' "Nobody's Fault But My Own," an oldie from One Foot in the Grave, a couple of tracks from Sea Change and a pair of songs by his late friend Elliott Smith. An acoustic set from Shelby Lynne was the surprise performance at the Universal Amphitheatre event, which also featured Liz Phair (also acoustic), Jurassic 5, Damien Rice, the Polyphonic Spree, Jem and Gary Jules. ...

Kung Fu, the label operated by the Vandals' Joe Escalante that launched the Ataris' career, is tentatively eyeing a May release for a Warped Tour DVD that will include performances from the Ataris, Poison the Well, Tsunami Bomb, Simple Plan and other artists to be announced. ... Defunct Swedish post-hardcore rockers Refused will see their legacy chronicled via the Refused Are F---ing Dead collection, which will be comprised of never-before-seen material and videos. Meanwhile, Refused's landmark 1998 album, The Shape of Punk to Come, has been remixed and remastered in 5.1 surround DVD audio format, with the re-release (as well as remastered editions of Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent and The EP Compilation) set for early next year. ...

Pioneering English punk band the Buzzcocks will perform a series of club shows before heading back to their homeland. Eight shows are scheduled from November 28 through December 6, including stops in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The trek promotes the band's latest, self-titled album, which dropped in September. ...

11.21.03

Enrique Iglesias, in support of his soon-to-be-released seventh studio album, 7, is planning a string of intimate, small-hall concerts. The Stateside portion of the trek starts, appropriately enough for the heartthrob crooner, on Valentine's Day at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The jaunt will include stops in Chicago; Oakland, California; Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with more cities to be announced. "I am excited to play the smaller venues first because I get to play the new material for my hardcore fans in an intimate setting," Iglesias said in a statement that also promised a worldwide tour in the spring. ...

Charges against Coldplay singer Chris Martin, which stemmed from his allegedly smashing the windshield of a photographer in Australia, were dropped in court Friday as a result of lobbying by Martin's lawyer, who had been calling for the case to be dismissed. ...Fabolous got to breathe a sigh of relief this week. On Wednesday, gun charges in a New York case were dismissed against the rapper, while on Thursday, gun charges in a separate Brooklyn, New York, case were dismissed as well. "We are happy that everything worked out," his lawyer, Alberto Ebanks, said. Both cases, which originated from arrests earlier this year, are now sealed. ...

Snoop and his Snoop Dogg All Stars will square off against the Southwest Football League Allstars on Saturday in Los Angeles for a charity game to raise money for the Snoop's Youth Working for Change organization and Corona Centennial High School. "This Snoopafly event is for the youth, man, that's what all of this is about," the Doggfather said in a statement. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at the school. ... Metallica issued a statement regarding Tuesday's passing of composer/conductor Michael Kamen, who led the San Francisco Orchestra in its collaboration with the band on 1999's S&M. "S&M was Michael's idea, Michael's brainchild," the band's collective sentiment read. "He said he had always felt that our music lent itself to a collaboration with an orchestra ... Michael will be missed by all of us, and will always remain an integral part of the Metallica family." ...

The entertainer-to-politician bug is spreading north. After giving up his career in music, former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic is considering a run for lieutenant governor of Washington state next year. ... Limp Bizkit's current single, "Behind Blue Eyes," will be issued as a CD- and 7-inch single on Monday in the U.K. The vinyl version of the Results May Vary single is backed with "Just Drop Dead," a track purported to be about Britney Spears that Fred Durst posted on the band's Web site this summer. The digital version of the single adds to that a remix of the Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water single "Rollin'." ...

Los Angeles' KROQ-FM announced the lineup for its annual Almost Acoustic Christmas festival on-air Friday (November 21). Linkin Park, P.O.D., the Offspring, Puddle of Mudd, Pennywise, Chevelle, the Distillers and Thrice will perform December 13 at the Universal Amphitheatre, while Korn, Blink-182, Jane's Addiction, 311, Staind, Rancid, Jet, Trapt and Brand New will play the following day. ... Following a November 29 show in Camden, New Jersey, with 311, the Offspring will set out on the radio-sponsored circuit to promote their seventh album, Splinter, due December 9. Five shows are lined up, culminating at the KROQ show. The group did reserve some time for itself, however; it'll headline New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on December 6. ...

The Boss is giving back to the city for which he named an album. Bruce Springsteen and the Max Weinberg 7 & Friends will play three holiday benefit concerts in Asbury Park, New Jersey, December 5-7. Proceeds from the concerts will go to local charities and organizations. ... After three were rescheduled, the remaining dates of Ozzy Osbourne's European tour that were postponed while the metal singer recovered from treatment for his tremors will now take place beginning January 15 in Germany. The three dates that cap the tour, in London and Birmingham, England, in late February, were announced last week. ... Jimmy Coup, the guitarist for Andrew W.K.'s band, parted company with the party-hearty rocker over musical differences. The group's guitar tech will sit in on the current tour until Andrew can find a permanent replacement. ...

• Britney Spears
• 50 Cent
• The White Stripes
• Simple Plan
• The Buzzcocks

Time again for new releases, but this week's big story might not be a record: Eminem's rags-to-riches story, "8 Mile," makes its DVD debut and features deleted scenes of Em spontaneously battling extras from the film in a freestyle sequence.

The compilation Atticus: Dragging the Lake 2 features pop-punks Blink-182 and their side projects Box Car Racer and the Transplants, plus contributions from Sparta, Rocket From the Crypt and Alkaline Trio.

The Libertines up the racket in Up the Bracket, their punk rock album produced by the Clash's Mick Jones, which invokes the Jam and the Buzzcocks on "Horror Show" and "The Boy Looked at Johnny." Meanwhile, the Buzzcocks invoke themselves on their new eponymous album. After some shaky years trying to maintain relevance, the punk pioneers recapture some of their original magic as co-founder Howard Devoto returns to pen "Stars" and "Lester Sands" with Pete Shelley.

M. Ward, a singer/songwriter combination of Nick Drake and Neil Young with a hint of John Fahey, presents his haunting Transfiguration of Vincent, while Stereolab bassist Simon Johns releases Trinity Neon from his band Imitation Electric Piano.

Moldy Peaches and their Unreleased Cutz & Live Jamz share shelf space with the Blam's poppy garage rock on their self-titled LP, as well as with the North Carolina hip-hop trio Little Brother's Listening.

Now that the buzz on this band has increased, it's time for its major-label debut. You Hear It First alums the Raveonettes present, for the second time, Whip It On. And finally, Stephen Malkmus is back. The ex-Pavement star and his band the Jicks release their second album, Pig Lib. Wowee Zowee.

Out Tuesday, March 18:

• Alicen - Talk to Me (Hitpros)
• The Allman Brothers Band - Hittin' the Note (Peach/Sanctuary)
• Ape Breaks - Volume 5 (Ubiquity)
• Nate Ashley - The Darker Corners of Your Heart (Knw-Yr-Own)
• Philo Beddow - End the Measured Mile (The First Time)
• Belmondo - Entertainers (Kold)
• Big Country - Rarities III (Navarre)
• Biohazard - Kill or Be Killed (Sanctuary)
  Buy Now: Kill or Be Killed (Sanctuary)
• Jeff Black - B-sides and Confessions Volume One (DualTone)
• The Black Lips - Black Lips (Bomp)
• The Blam - The Blam (Mootron)
• The Blood Brothers - Burn, Piano Island, Burn (ARTISTdirect)
  Read: "Blood Brothers Seek Order In Muscle-Free Chaos"
• Blue Oyster Cult - Then and Now (Sanctuary)
• The Boils - Pride and Persecution (TKO)
• Briefs - Off the Charts (EP, Dirtnap)
• Mick Bund - Astronaut Graffiti (Madacy)
• Buzzcocks - Buzzcocks (Merge)
• Califone - Quicksand/Cradlesnakes (Thrill Jockey)
• Deana Carter - I'm Just a Girl (Arista)
• Cave In - Antenna (Hydra Head/RCA)
• Concrete Blonde - Live in Brazil (2 CDs, Ark 21)
• Crooks - Just Released (Navarre)
• Culture - Healing of the Nations (Varese Sarabande)
• Deerhoof - Apple O' (Kill Rock Stars)
• Detroit Experiment - Detroit Experiment (Rope A Dope)
• DF Dub - Country Girl (Columbia)
• DJ Debra - Wildlife 2003 (Studio K7)
• DJ Spooky - Dubtometry (Thirsty Ear)
• Drugstore - Songs for the Jet Set & Collector Number One (First Time)
• Ronnie Earl - I Feel Like Goin' On (Stony Plain)
• Exhibition - Sign of Tomorrow (Limb)
• Father MC - My (Empire Musicwerks)
• Lorraine Feather - Cafe Society (Sanctuary)
• Ibrahim Ferrar - Buenos Hermanos (Nonesuch)
• Fire - Magic Shoemaker (Navarre)
• Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Liquid 8)
• Fleetwood Mac - Live in Boston 1&2 (Snapper Classics)
• FM Knives - Useless and Modern (Broken Rekids)
• Kim Fox - Return to Planet Earth (Franklin Castle/Oglio)
• Freaks - Man Who Lived Underground (Music 4 Freaks)
• Fred Frith - Prints (Fred)
• Rory Gallagher - Wheels Within Wheels (BMG)
• Howie Gelb - Listener (Thrill Jockey)
• Gentle Giant - Artistically Cryme (United States)
• Gigi - Illuminated Audio (Palm Pictures)
• Gluecifer - Basement Ape (Steamhammer)
• Grand Mal - Bad Timing (Arena Rock)
• Gravy Train - Hello Doctor (Kill Rock Stars)
• Gun Barrel - Battle Tested (Limb)
• Regie Hamm - American Dreams (Universal South)
• Jim Hightower - The People Are Revolting (In the Very Best Sense of That Word) (Alternative Tentacles)
• Imitation Electric Piano - Trinity Neon (Drag City)
• Incredible Expanding Mindf--k - Arcadia Son (United States)
• Jet Black Summer - Ladder of Divine Ascent (Lakeshore)
• Junior Panthers - Junior Panthers (First Time)
• Damien Jurado - Where Shall You Take Me? (Secretly Canadian)
• Kaskade - It's You It's Me (Om)
• Kill Your Idols - Skinnier Years (State of Grace)
• King Britt - Adventures in Lo-Fi (Studio K7)
• Jill King - Jillbilly (Blue Diamond)
• Lambrettas - Da-A-A-Ance (Navarre)
• Adam Levy - Get Your Glow On (Lost Wax)
• Libertines - Up the Bracket (Sanctuary/Rough Trade)
• Little Brother - Listening (Abb Soul)
• Longwave - The Strangest Things (RCA)
  Read: "Longwave Different From Anthrax, Public Enemy; Get Career Help From The Strokes"
  Buy Now: The Strangest Things (RCA)
• Corb Lund Band - Five Dollar Bill (Stony Plain)
• Lylah - Lifeless Valentine (Vermillion)
• M. Ward - Transfiguration of Vincent (Merge)
• Magic - White Eyes (Universal)
• Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks - Pig Lib (Matador)
• Marmalade - Kaleidoscope: Psych-pop Sessions (Navarre)
• Meteors - Wreckin' Live (Navarre)
• The Midnight Evils - Straight Til Morning (Estrus)
• Miracle of 86 - Every Famous Last Word (Idelic Sounds/Lakeshore)
• Mirror - Eye of the Storm (Streamline)
• Moldy Peaches - Moldy Peaches 2000: Unreleased Cutz & Live Jamz (Sanctuary)
• Mr. Capone-e - Dedicated 2 the Oldies (Thump)
• Mr. Cheeks - Back Again (Universal)
  Read: "Mr. Cheeks Casts Ex-Destiny's Child Member As A Shorty With The Fatty"
  Buy Now: Back Again (Universal)
• Mr. Serv-On - No More Questions (D3)
• Mull Historical Society - Us (XL/Beggars Banquet)
• Neon Hunk - Smarmymob (Load)
• Pearlene - Pearlene (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• Pistoleros - Cult 45 (Navarre)
• Planet Earth - Blackout (Volcano/Jive)
• Puny Human - It's Not the Heat, It's the Humanity (Small Stone)
• The Raveonettes - Whip It On (Columbia)
  Read: " '8 Mile' Outtakes Coming Sooner Than You Think"
• Celine Dion - One Heart (Sony)
• Les Nubians - One Step Forward (Higher Octave)
• Linkin Park - Meteora (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Linkin Park Expand Meteora's Musical Horizons ... In 40 Minutes Or Less"
  Buy Now: Meteora (Warner Bros.)
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 12 (Virgin)

• The White Stripes - Elephant (V2)
  Read: "White Stripes To Put Their Best Trunk Forward On April Fool's Day With Elephant"
• Robbie Williams - Escapology (Virgin)
  Buy Now: Escapology (Virgin)

• Russell Crowe and 30 Odd Foot of Grunts - Other Ways of Speaking (Artemis)
• Godsmack - Faceless (Universal)
  Read: "Godsmack's Visions Of Spinal Tap, Dio, Worse Prompt A Change"
• Lisa Marie Presley - To Whom It May Concern (Capitol)
• Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun (Matador)

• Thicke - Cherry Blue Skies (Interscope)
  Read: "Robin Thicke: Mixing The Beatles, Zeppelin And Hendrix With Jay-Z"

• Eminem
• Mr. Cheeks
• The Raveonettes
• The Libertines
• Stephen Malkmus

Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Nelly, Creed and Mya are among the artists scheduled to present trophies at the 30th annual American Music Awards live on ABC on January 13. Sheryl Crow, Shaggy, Common, 3 Doors Down, Paula Abdul, Jakob Dylan, Mekhi Phifer, Tyrese, Carmen Electra and Daryl Hall and John Oates are also among those presenting. ...

R. Kelly has announced the track list for his seventh album, Chocolate Factory, due January 28. The LP will feature "Showdown" with Ron Isley, the single "Ignition" and a remix of the track, and 11 other songs. A bonus CD containing six tracks, including the single "Heaven I Need a Hug," the title track and other material from the unreleased Loveland, will accompany the album. ... Roc-A-Fella Films' "Paid in Full" and its director, Charles Stone III, have been nominated in the Best First Feature category for the 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Awards. The urban drama, based on the true story of three Harlem drug lords, stars Roc rapper Cam'ron, and was produced by the hip-hop label's co-CEOs Jay-Z and Damon Dash, along with director Brett Ratner ("Rush Hour"). The Spirit Awards, which serve as an independent alternative to Hollywood's Academy Awards, will take place on March 22 in Santa Monica, California, with director John Waters ("Hairspray") performing emcee duties. ...

Influential Manchester punks the Buzzcocks, whose 1979 singles compilation Singles Going Steady, featuring the classic "Orgasm Addict," is among the best punk offerings of the era, will release their seventh studio album March 18 on indie label Merge Records. The eponymous LP, the band's first since 1999's Modern, will be followed by a tour in the spring. ... Pulp may have performed their last gig together Saturday in the U.K. at Rotherham's Magna Centre, though no one from the band's camp has given any official indication as such. Following an encore of "Common People," the band's biggest Stateside hit, singer Jarvis Cocker told the crowd that it would be the last time they would see the band for a while, though hinted that they may meet again. Pulp's last album, We Love Life, their seventh since 1983, was released in October 2001. ...

Industrial metal band Pitchshifter had to shift their rehearsal schedule after drummer Jason Bowld broke his wrist playing soccer over the weekend. The drummer, who sustained the injury in a fall, is currently wearing a cast, and expects to be fully recovered when the plaster comes off in early January. ... New York garage rockers the Mooney Suzuki were signed to Columbia Records, by A&R rep/ former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield. ...

R.E.M. took a break from recording in Vancouver on Sunday to play a three-song set during the intermission of a show by Minus 5, a side-project band featuring guitarist Peter Buck. The mini-show at Richard's on Richards was comprised of "She Just Wants to Be" from Reveal, the previously unreleased '80s song "Bad Day" and the new tune "Weatherman." ...

In the latest round in its war against piracy, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) issued letters to 78 small music retailers (convenience stores, grocery stores, gas stations, etc.), warning them of the consequences of selling pirated CDs and tapes, and threatening litigation. The first phase will target stores in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and parts of Texas and Florida before expanding to the rest of the country. Retailers will pay $150,000 per artist pirated if sued, as part of a comprehensive anti-piracy campaign that began months ago. ...

12.16.2002

And you thought Snoop Dogg coaching his son's football team was outrageous? Now, the D-O-Double G is hitting gridiron himself as he and his all-stars are squaring off against none other than the Inland Empire Police Department. The first annual Snoop Bowl, a fundraiser for the Lama Linda Children's Hospital, will be held Thursday at Long Beach City College Veteran Stadium. ...

While his album God's Son just dropped on Friday the 13th, Nas already has more music hitting the streets. The remix of "Made You Look," which has just popped up on mixtapes, features the same beat and chorus, but new lyrics by guest stars Jadakiss, Ludacris and Nas himself. ... From one diva surrounded by dilemmas to the next, Nelly just loves collaborating with the ladies. The harmonious rhymester appears on the remix to Whitney Houston's "One of Those Days," rapping in a reggae-like rhythm. ... Good friends Mariah Carey and Kelly Price have hooked up again for some musicmaking. The two singers have collaborated for a remix of M.C.'s "Through the Rain." ...

It may not have eyes, a nose or mouth, but at least it's got a title. Godsmack have nearly completed their third album, which they've dubbed Faceless. The follow-up to 2000's Awake is slated to drop April 8. ...

"Jackass" wunderkind Steve-O was granted a continuance for his arraignment Monday in his upcoming obscenity and battery trial in Louisiana. The stuntman, whose real name is Stephen Glover, hopes to plea bargain his felony charges down to misdemeanors. Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Carlos Lazarus said that they're currently discussing a deal that would reduce the obscenity charge from a three-year felony to a six-month misdemeanor, and reduce the principal to second-degree battery charge from a five-year felony to another six-month misdemeanor. Reducing the battery charge, however, requires the victim's approval. Glover's arraignment is now set for February 10. ...

Zalman Yanovsky, the 58-year-old guitarist for 1960s group the Lovin' Spoonful, died Friday of a heart attack in his home near Kingston, Ontario. Two years after the band's big hit "Do You Believe in Magic" in 1965, Yanovsky left the band following a drug bust in San Francisco. He escaped severe punishment, including deportation, by rolling over on his dealer, a move which didn't sit well with most of the counterculture. ...

Ryan Adams is the latest act to get the coveted opening slot on the Rolling Stones' Licks World Tour. He will join the outing for eight dates from January 10 in Pittsburgh to January 28 in Oklahoma City. ... Cult favorite raven-haired singer/songwriter Nick Cave and his band the Bad Seeds will release Nocturama, their first album since signing on with punk staple Epitaph's Anti imprint, on February 3. Cave, who has duetted with Kylie Minogue in the past, collaborated with Chris Bailey (The Saints) on "Bring It On," the album's first single. ... Alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo, members of whom went on to form Son Volt and Wilco after the group disbanded in 1994, will have their long out-of-print first three albums reissused on March 11. No Depression, Still Feel Gone and March 16-20, 1992 will all boast bonus tracks, newly remastered sound and expanded packaging. ...

Lenny Kravitz is locked down in Miami, working on his new album in his home studio. Rough ideas and demos of the tentatively titled The Funk Album began more than five years ago in New Orleans. ... Whitesnake are getting ready to go again, but they won't be on their own. The recently resurrected band — which consists of original vocalist David Coverdale, drummer Tommy Aldridge, and new members Doug Aldrich (guitar), Reb Beach (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) and Timothy Drury (keyboards) — will hit the road with Dokken and the Scorpions starting January 31 in West Palm Beach, Florida. ...

• Justin Timberlake
• *NSYNC
• Creed
• R. Kelly
• Cam'ron

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

Warped Tour 2006 Photos

• Bouncing Souls
• The Academy Is...
• Armor For Sleep
• The Buzzcocks
• Cartel