Danger Mouse

U2 Working with Danger Mouse On New Album

21 Oct 2010 14:48:14 EDT

Band has already recorded 12 songs with the producer.
By Gil Kaufman

Over the past six years, producer Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton has compiled one of the most impressive lists of collaborators in recent music history. From Gorillaz to the Black Keys and Beck to his bands with Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley), the Shins' James Mercer (Broken Bells) and members of Blur and the Clash (The Good, the Bad & the Queen), Danger has dipped his toes in a wide and impressive variety of creative pools.

But, as cool as that résumé is, for his latest trick the onetime mash-up master has landed one of the premier gigs in all of music. According to Bono, Danger has produced songs for the upcoming album from the Irish rock gods, which the frontman told The Age is slated for release early next year.

"We have about 12 songs with him," Bono said of the tentatively titled Songs of Ascent, just one of three albums the group is working on. "At the moment, that looks like the album we will put out next, because it's just happening so easily." While Bono did not reveal much about how those songs came together or what they will sound like, he did say the group is also working on a "club" record that will feature tracks created with Lady Gaga collaborator RedOne, as well as will.i.am and David Guetta.

"U2's remixes in the 1990s were a real treasure," Bono explained. "So we wanted to make a club-sounding record. We have a pile of songs."

While a return to the Achtung Baby era of big beats and dance-floor-worthy tunes seems like an odd detour for the act after a string of albums that brought them back to their anthemic rock roots with a few slight detours into world-music-inspired melodies, the third album in the works is perhaps the most unusual.

Bono said he would like to record some of the nearly 2 dozen songs he and guitarist The Edge have written for the "Spider-Man" Broadway musical they are scoring, but selling the other two members of the group on the project has been tough so far. "We haven't convinced the rest of the band to do that yet," he said. "[Drummer] Larry [Mullen Jr.] definitely has a raised eyebrow."

What do you think of U2 teaming up with Danger Mouse? Let us know in the comments!

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Danger Mouse To Release Blank CD After Contract Dispute

15 May 2009 12:23:00 EDT

Dark Night of the Soul collaboration with Sparklehorse reportedly blocked by label.
By Gil Kaufman

It was poised to be one of the coolest, most unusual albums in a short history of great collaborations: producer Danger Mouse working with experimental rockers Sparklehorse and filmmaker David Lynch for an album titled Dark Night of the Soul, featuring guest spots from the Flaming Lips, the Strokes' Julian Casablancas, Iggy Pop, the Pixies' Frank Black, the Shins' James Mercer and a handful of others.

And then the business got in the way. According to reports, EMI Music blocked the release of the album, due out in July, over a contractual dispute. (A spokesperson for EMI could not be reached for comment at press time.) TheTripwire.com reported that Danger Mouse, who made his name producing the widely bootlegged The Grey Album, did what any forward-thinking, former renegade mash-up artist would do: He decided to release the album as a blank disc.

"Danger Mouse's new project, Dark Night of the Soul consists of an album-length piece of music by Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and a host of guest vocalists, along with a collection of original David Lynch photography inspired by and based on the music," a spokesperson for Danger Mouse told MTV News in a statement. "The photographs, which provide a visual narrative for the music, are compiled in a limited-edition, hand-numbered 100+ page book, which will now come with a blank, recordable CD-R. All copies will be clearly labeled: 'For Legal Reasons, enclosed CD-R contains no music. Use it as you will.' "

Movie-style posters hyping the project popped up all over Austin during this year's South by Southwest festival, building anticipation for the long-in-the-works project. But the source told Tripwire that due to an unspecified ongoing dispute with EMI, Danger Mouse could not release the music he recorded for the album without facing the possibility of being sued by the label. "Danger Mouse remains hugely proud of Dark Night of the Soul and hopes that people lucky enough to hear the music, by whatever means, are as excited by it as he is."

Translation? Songs from the album, which started leaking on May 7, can pretty readily be found online for download by intrepid fans. A spokesperson for Danger Mouse could not be reached for comment at press time.

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Gnarls Barkley's 'Run' Video: A Mix Of Old, New And Justin Timberlake

05 Mar 2008 18:39:00 EST

'Justin's a real cool dude, and he did his thing,' Cee-Lo says of the pop star's Jheri-curled cameo in the clip.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias

Gnarls Barkley have had a tough week.

On Monday, there was the news that the video for "Run," the first single from their upcoming album, The Odd Couple, (which premieres on "TRL" Thursday), contained strobe effects that could trigger epileptic seizures, forcing them to re-edit the clip at the last minute. And then, late Tuesday night — presumably while cuts were being made to the "Run" video — Couple went ahead and leaked to the Net more than a month before it was due in stores.

On Wednesday (March 5), many media outlets erroneously reported that MTV had banned the video. According to an MTV spokesperson, MTV's international channel, MTV U.K., initially rejected the video but has accepted a revised version. Additionally, the clip was already scheduled to premiere on MTV's "TRL" on Thursday and is set to go into rotation on Monday.

Clearly, the recent developments and misrepresented reports have taken the Barkley camp by surprise, but they're also taking them in stride. After all, this is the sort of drama that comes with releasing a hotly anticipated album, which Couple most certainly is. And, to be honest, they're just flattered people are paying attention. After all, they never really intended to get to this point in the first place.

"I don't think we ever said [Gnarls] was going to be a one-off thing, but we also didn't think about what would happen next," producer/mastermind Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton told MTV News. "We got back together to make this album, but also because we were really excited to see what the other person was going to do this time. We kind of always go back and forth, trying to challenge each other with music and lyrics ... and we were just excited to see what would happen again."

And what happened was Couple, an album that — as you probably know by now — ditches a majority of the hip-hop/R&B influences that made their debut, St. Elsewhere, a bona fide smash. Instead, it explores moodier, more crackling '60s pop and soul and skittering, shifty electronica. In short, it's an album that showcases both the old and new. Case in point, "Run."

"The music for 'Run' I did years ago. It was one of the first group of songs I put together to try to convince Cee-Lo to work with me, so ... it was the sound of what would be Gnarls Barkley," Danger Mouse said. "And [he] had it for years, and then revisited it, I guess, more recently. It was always something I hoped would get used in some kind of way. But I don't think that if we would've done it years ago, it would've sounded like this. It probably would've been something completely different."

"At the same time, the track kind of resembles emotion. It sounds like a bullet out of a barrel," Cee-Lo added. "And that's why it was the proper way to reintroduce ourselves. Like, 'We are Gnarls Barkley — better run for your life.' "

The duo also singled out a pair of tracks — "Open Book" and "Neighbors" — as favorites and prime examples of Gnarls' mixture of complex emotions and pop music.

"I love 'Open Book.' It's just jumping in with both feet, exposing your virtues and your vices, your vulnerabilities and strengths," Cee-Lo said. "And it's done in a very eloquent-yet-aggressive way. It's about being willing to bear the cross and take the sacrifice."

"I'm a big fan of 'Neighbors,' " Danger added. "It's really relatable, about how people think they see something, but you don't know what you have gone through to get it or lose it. And that doesn't necessarily mean material things, it's much more about people's outer appearance, and wanting to trade places with people, and the grass is always greener."

Totally (or something).

Before the whole seizure controversy started (a controversy that, incidentally, the duo claimed to have no knowledge about) the clip for "Run" was better known for the cameo made by Justin Timberlake, who plays the Jheri-curl-sporting host of "City Vibin'," a dance show Gnarls are performing on. The whole thing seems to have happened on a whim, but in a funny way, it all sort of fits with the duo's "old and new" ethos.

"Justin volunteered to be in the video. I think he had a relationship with the directors, and his name might have casually come up in conversation, and we've met on numerous occasions, and Justin's a real cool dude, and he did his thing," Cee-Lo laughed. "It's a [take-off on] those old retro dance shows, stuff like 'American Bandstand' and, us being from Atlanta, [a show like] 'Atlanta Jams.' And then there's the '80s garb and attitude and choreography. And when you contrast that up against the brand-new thing we're doing sonically, it all sort of works."

[This story was originally published at 3:29 p.m. ET on 03.05.08]

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Gnarls Barkley Are Back — And Odder Than Ever

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Mariah Carey Wins In Court; Plus Marc Ecko, Notorious B.I.G., Michael Vick, Lil Wayne, Smashing Pumpkins & More, In For The Record

26 Sep 2007 17:38:00 EDT

Ecko sends Bonds ball to Cooperstown — with an asterisk; Biggie case takes another twist; Vick fails drug test.
By MTV News staff

Mariah Carey got a win in court last week when a federal judge decided that a copyright-infringement case against her had no merit. Singer Rachele Chafir had sued Carey in April 2006, claiming that Carey's hit "It's Like That" was copied from her song "Sexy" and lifted key pieces, including the music, for the chorus. Chafir, who copyrighted the song in 2004, claimed Carey had access to "Sexy" since it was available on a Web site, but U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood decided that wasn't proof Carey or her collaborators had gone to the Web site or lifted the material, which wasn't "strikingly similar" enough to be considered infringement. With "no genuine issues of material fact," Wood closed the case. "It was the right decision," Carey's lawyer Ilene Farkas told MTV News. "The record was clear in this case." Meanwhile, Carey is moving on with her yet-untitled follow-up to The Emancipation of Mimi, which her record label confirmed is now due December 4. ...

Going, going ... to Cooperstown. And with an asterisk on it. Baseball star Barry Bonds' record-breaking home-run ball, which was purchased two weeks ago in an online auction by hip-hop fashion mogul Marc Ecko, will be heading to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum after all. Ecko bought the ball and launched a Web site giving fans the chance to vote on the ball's final destination: outer space or to Cooperstown, with or without an asterisk signifying Bonds' alleged steroid use in helping him become the all-time home-run king. The announcement was made Wednesday morning (September 26) on the "Today" show after a week of voting. According to Vote756.com, over 10 million votes were cast, of which 47 percent chose to send the tagged ball to the famed baseball museum. ...

The twisted saga of the investigation into the unsolved 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G. took another turn this week when Waymond Anderson, an inmate serving life for murder, recanted testimony in which he had implicated the Los Angeles Police Department in the rapper's murder. The Los Angeles Times reports that Anderson said in a recent deposition that he lied about LAPD involvement as part of a "scam" cooked up with two other convicts to get a big monetary settlement from the city of Los Angeles. Most shockingly, Anderson accused the rapper's family — which has filed a wrongful-death suit seeking damages from the city — and its lawyer of taking part in the scheme and offering to pay him a percentage of the settlement for false testimony against the LAPD. In the August 20 testimony, Anderson said he had never met the officers he implicated, despite earlier statements in which he described conversations with the two disgraced ex-LAPD cops. A lawyer for Biggie's family, Perry Sanders, called Anderson's allegations "100 percent, demonstrably false," adding yet another twist to the already-knotted-up story by saying that Anderson appeared to be changing his story at the behest of Chuck Philips, a Times reporter who has written extensively about the murder investigation and has questioned the theory of LAPD involvement. Phillips and the Times dismissed the allegations. ...

In other Biggie news, the recently released documentary "The Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life" follows the rapper's life from his early days to his death with interviews from many of the behind-the-scenes music-industry figures and friends who watched the rapper rise from a street-corner hustler to one of the biggest rap stars in the world. The film also features several minutes of previously unreleased footage shot by a bystander of the scene on the night Biggie was gunned down. The fan's video — which director Peter Spirer ("Beef," "Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel") said has been reviewed by authorities — doesn't capture the moment Biggie's car was shot at, but it does have audio of the shots and shaky footage of the chaotic aftermath. ...

Embattled football player Michael Vick is facing stricter release conditions after testing positive for marijuana earlier this month, The Associated Press reports. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson imposed the new conditions, which include restricting Vick to his home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with electronic monitoring and making him submit to random drug tests. He was ordered to continue participating in substance-abuse and mental-health counseling. Vick was put under pretrial release supervision in July, and the restrictions included refraining from the use of narcotic drugs or other controlled substances. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback, who pleaded guilty in August to federal dogfighting charges, is awaiting sentencing December 10 — and Vick's violation of the conditions of his release could be taken into consideration by the judge. He faces up to five years in prison for the federal charges, and has been indicted on additional state charges in Virginia as well. ...

A second woman has filed a lawsuit against Lil Wayne over a melee that broke out during one of his shows at Morgan State University in Baltimore in October. According to an AP story, Carlisa Dixon said she was impaled on a metal pole after the crowd surged to snatch up money that was being tossed from the stage. Dixon is seeking $1 million from Wayne's record label and touring companies, and another $1 million from the university, claiming she underwent surgery for a puncture wound as a result of the crowd surge. A lawsuit was filed in August by another woman who claimed she was trampled in the same money-throwing incident. A spokesperson for Wayne could not be reached for comment at press time. ...

A man died at a Smashing Pumpkins concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday night in what police think may have been a crowd-surfing or moshing accident. The Canadian Press reports that Vancouver police say the man was unconscious when he was dragged out of the crowd at the Pacific National Exhibition Forum during the show and worked on by first-aid personnel on site before being transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have ruled out foul play. ... The Voodoo Music Experience is shifting locations, but just slightly. The fest, to take place October 26-28, has a new site in New Orleans City Park to accommodate ongoing restoration and improvement of the park. The shift brings the fest closer to Tad Gormley Stadium, where Voodoo was first held in 1999. ...

Do you march to Nelly's beat? The rapper is cobbling together a marching band for his performance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards on October 13. Auditions will be held Sunday starting at 11 a.m. in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans and St. Louis, and Nelly is looking for girls who can play drums, tri-toms, bass drum, tuba or trumpet. Prospective players need to know how to perform his song "Grillz" and move to the beat of the song while playing their instruments. Final auditions will be held October 8 in Atlanta, and those who can't make the auditions in person can post a one-minute video clip on Nelly's drum-line-audition site. ... If you've been doubting Swizz Beatz's fashion sense, think again — Gap has tapped the hugely popular producer for its spring ad campaign. ...

VH1 Rock Docs picked up its first Emmy win on Monday as "DMC: My Adoption Journey" earned the award for News & Documentary Emmy for Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming. The program, which revolves around the Run-DMC member's search for his birth mother, premiered in February 2006 and will re-air on VH1 on Saturday at 10 p.m. ... Have you already imported Babyface's Playlist into your own playlist? Then mark you calendar — the singer is putting together a tour in support of his recently released LP. Babyface will play a gig in the Philippines on October 13, followed by a stretch in Japan; after that he'll hit Oakland, California, on November 23, and Sparks, Nevada, the following day. ...

During a recent visit to "The Howard Stern Show," Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx spoke out about drummer Tommy Lee and his apparent departure from the band. He told Stern that Lee quit, and Sixx blamed the current legal problems the band is having with one of its former managers for the turmoil. Sixx said that, since Lee isn't the Crüe's frontman or chief songwriter, the band should be fine without him. He added that he harbors no ill will toward Lee. ... Snow Patrol keyboardist Tom Simpson was expected to appear in court in Glasgow, Scotland, on Tuesday to answer to drug-possession charges filed against him this summer. While the charges weren't dropped, the prosecution doesn't intend on taking "further action," meaning the charges will either have to be re-raised again or dropped altogether. ...

Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard's side project Brad are getting back together for a one-night-only show on October 17 at New York's Webster Hall. The benefit event will also feature Billy Bragg and be hosted by Tim Robbins. It is being held to support Woody and Marjorie Guthrie, and the 40th anniversary of the Huntington's Disease Society of America, which was founded by Marjorie. ... Puddle of Mudd aren't ones for Southern hospitality, apparently. Frontman Wesley Scantlin has been banned from Memphis' Graceland after hopping in the pool in Elvis Presley's mansion during a tour on Monday. ...

The Eagles will perform on an awards show for the first time when they ta

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Who Is Gnarls Barkley? Well, He Likes Hash Browns, Owes Cee-Lo $35

26 May 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Danger Mouse, Cee-Lo see project as patchwork monster 'kinda like Frankenstein.'
By Shaheem Reid

Suicidal thoughts, sex with a dying woman, Transformers and bogeymen all tied together by a fictional character that looks like psychedelic children's show character HR Pufnstuf and is at least $35 in debt? You don't have to look any further into the minds of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse, collectively known as Gnarls Barkley.

The two met three years ago, when Danger called Cee-Lo to work on a remix. The vibe was so right, they started thinking about a whole album. The result is their innovative debut, St. Elsewhere, which draws on influences as varied as hip-hop, electric pop, acid jazz and rock and roll.

"The entire reception has passed my personal expectations," Cee-Lo said on Wednesday about Gnarls' lead single, "Crazy," which has spent eight weeks as the top record in the U.K. and is becoming an across-the-board hit in the States. "It's great. I'm glad. I'm satisfied."

Cee-Lo said the record is about living.

"Soul is your life. It's your life's experience, your life's work," he explained. "Of course life imitates art. It's not about one thing. I tried to word [the song] generally so it may pertain to so many different circumstances. To me, I think we're born into a grand degree of uncertainty, which is life. One degree is chance. If you're not gonna take any chances, you're standing still. To stand still for your whole life is crazy."

While "Crazy" is about life, "Necromancer" takes a look at death.

"It's naughty/ Very naughty/ Necrophilia," Cee-Lo sings on the song. "Without a care/ I'm compassionate about killing her/ ... She was cool when I met her/ But I think I like her better dead."

"That song is about this figment of my imagination," Cee-Lo explained. "This woman, in her spare time, only complained about the life she wasn't living. After she picked her poison, whether it be a drink, smoke, et cetera, she becomes more bold, more outspoken, more sensual, funny, charming. All these different things. She realizes everyone is more receptive toward her. She wants to be like that every day. So there goes your habit. So it's storytelling, not so literal.

"A lot of the album is true to life, but a lot is this vivid imagination I have and good clean fun," he added.

Mouse and Cee-Lo's roles on St. Elsewhere were very clear: Danger came up with the craziest beats he could concoct, and Lo would get just as wild with the lyrics, whether it meant singing or rapping. Over the past three years, the two did about half the album together and the other half by mailing each other files back and forth. The result: a record about salvation, going to the disco, the contemplation of suicide and freedom, among other things.

"Gnarls is a character — kinda the idea that Cee-Lo and I had when we were doing music," Mouse said. "[The music] was different than me and him — a different voice, feel — and when we looked to see the influence of what we were trying to say, not just to each other but to people who would be listening, it became easier to let Gnarls speak for what we're trying to do."

Part of Gnarls' background info is that he owes Cee-Lo $35, and he's an older gentleman who looks like HR Pufnstuf and likes hash browns.

"It made more sense that way," Mouse said. " 'Cause we could not make sense [of the music] ourselves. At the end of the day, we gave credit where credit was due. We basically did the best we could in explaining what the experiment was. Kinda like Frankenstein."

"The Gnarls I know is visibly older than Charles," Cee-Lo added about the similarity in names to NBA legend Charles Barkley. "But I also heard a rumor that Charles was named after Gnarls."

Gnarls, Danger and Cee-Lo are going to do a few concerts in the U.K. in June and say they are thinking about a U.S. tour soon. Their next single could be the Violent Femmes cover "Gone Daddy Gone" or "Smiley Faces."

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For The Record: Quick News On President Bush, Danger Mouse And Cee-Lo, Death Cab, Lil Jon, P. Diddy & More

11 Apr 2005 17:39:00 EDT

W. likes John Fogerty, Death Cab nearly done with Plans, Mötley Crüe have border trouble.
By MTV News staff report

It's true — there is such thing as a "first iPod." On Monday (April 11), President Bush's iPod playlist surfaced in The New York Times, and it turns out W. is a fan of the likes of Van Morrison, Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Fogerty. The president received the gadget as a gift from his twin daughters and uses his tunes to help him power through his 18-mile Texas bike trail. ...

The Grey Album mastermind and Gorillaz member Danger Mouse and former Goodie Mob crooner Cee-Lo announced on Friday that they are putting the finishing touches on their collaborative effort, The Gnarls Barkley. The pair began work on the album last year. ... Death Cab for Cutie are working at a fervent pace. The "ultimate Bait shop band" (so says "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz) has nearly finished Plans, the follow-up to 2003's breakthrough disc Transatlanticism, according to a rep for the group. Recorded in rural Massachusetts and due in September, Plans will be Death Cab's fifth LP. Guitarist Chris Walla will again assume production duties. Possible tracks for inclusion on the record include "I Will Follow You Into the Dark," "Brothers on a Hotel Bed," "Someday You Will Be Loved," "Your Heart Is an Empty Room," "Marching Bands of Manhattan" and potential single "Soul Meets Body." ...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Weezer are both tried-and-true L.A. bands, but they're going to party Las Vegas-style for Sin City's 100th anniversary. On July 2, the rock groups are headlining Vegas' centennial concert, to be held outdoors for free. "We can't wait to get there, feel the energy of the crowd and rock the house," RHCP bassist Flea said in a statement. Fifty thousand tickets will be available at www.vegasrocks100.com/ beginning April 18. ... Currently screening on TheTransplants.com: a preview of the band's upcoming album. In the promotional spot, we see frontman Rob Aston smoking, Travis Barker walking around shirtless and guitarist Tim Armstrong striking many punk poses. The trio also eat lunch at a diner. At the end of the spot, we are told that the new Transplants album will hit stores May 15 via LaSalle Records. ...

Mötley Crüe had a little trouble at the Canadian border when Mighty Mike, the band's resident "little person," MC and fire-breather, was detained by authorities, since he lacked a green card. The Crüe were trying to cross the border for Friday's show in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and were forced to enter the U.S. without Mike, who was transferred to Edmonton. He's expected to remain there for seven days before being allowed to return to the tour. "This could set U.S.-Canadian relations back a couple of weeks," singer Vince Neil said in a statement. "It's no 'big' deal," said drummer Tommy Lee. "Hopefully Mighty Mike will grow from this experience." ... The members of Alter Bridge inadvertently got mixed up in a high-speed police chase on Friday during a Kansas City, Missouri, tour stop, according to a band spokesperson. The band's crew was unloading equipment from Alter Bridge's tour bus when a man on the run from police pulled up and was blocked from passing. The driver veered into a nearby parking lot, hit a van, and dragged an officer across the street before finally crashing into the group's bus. Several of the crew members aided in the arrest of the driver, who is now awaiting charges. ...

Lil Jon wants to crunk up your cell phone — he's just signed a deal with BlingTones to create exclusive music and shouts for ring tones, voice-ringers and ringbacks. Starting in June, fans can download his master tones and ring tones by visiting BlingTones on their carriers' download page or at www.theblingtones.com. ... Performing for the first time in the U.S. in 10 years, Digable Planets hit the stage at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre with the classic "It's Good to Be Here" at the stroke of midnight Sunday night. Ladybug, Butterfly and Doodlebug then ran through their two albums and promised new Digable Planets material in the future. Ladybug also debuted a couple of tracks from her upcoming solo album, Trip the Light Fantastic, due out June 12. The trio are planning to hit the road this summer with a 25-city U.S. tour, set to begin in June. ...

So P. Diddy is a baller for real now. At least he will be on Monday night, when he'll display his prowess on the court at BasketBall City at Pier 63 in New York. An honoree at the eighth annual Net Gain tournament, the hip-hop mogul will receive the 2005 H.O.O.P.S. (Helping Out Our Public Schools) Award. Run by Youth I.N.C., the Net Gain tournament gets NBA players, kids and corporate sponsors together to raise money to fund court time for 32 New York City high school teams. ... Alchemist and Mobb Deep's Prodigy performed for New York University students at the school's Music for Tomorrow fundraiser on Friday at Big Apple club Avalon. The student-run organization is looking to raise $10,000 to "adopt" a Lower East Side New York public school and assist in the creation of after-school programs and student-assisted teaching programs there. Members of the legendary Sugarhill Gang were among those in attendance at the event. ...

Il Divo, a group of four singers put together by "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, will release their debut album in the U.S. on April 19. The group, which combines pop and opera elements, topped the U.K. charts last year. ... Fredwreck, Snoop Dogg's DJ and a producer for Lindsay Lohan, Snoop and others, is releasing a collection of his tracks called Fredwreck: Greatest Hits Episode 1 on June 15. Fredwreck will also be a part of "Kings of Bling," a new show where Tony Hawk and Pharrell Williams build skate parks and recording studios in different community centers throughout the country, and "Minding the Store," a reality show with Pauly Shore. ...

Blackmail and robbery charges against former Libertines singer Pete Doherty have been dropped, the BBC reports. Doherty was arrested in early February for allegedly assaulting a 30-year-old documentary filmmaker at the Rookery Hotel in central London. Doherty served four nights in jail and was released on bail. The charges were dropped, according to officials, because of "insufficient evidence for a realistic chance of prosecution." ... According to a posting on Scottish indie rockers the Delgados' Web site, the band has decided to call it quits after more than a decade together. The group, which released five records during its career, thanked everyone who supported it, "especially all of our fans." The split was characterized as amicable. ... ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), which hosts a concert series at the Sundance Film Festival, will for the first time bring its Music Lounge to the Tribeca Film Festival. Damien Rice, Ben Jelen and Nic Armstrong and the Thieves are among the acts slated to perform at the Knitting Factory in New York from April 27 to 29. ...

04.08.2005

50 Cent and the Game will team up Thursday to donate $200,000 to the Compton Unified School District's Education Foundation, to bring back music- and arts-education programs. 50's share comes from his G-Unity Foundation, while the Game procured his donation through Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records and his own Black Wall Street organization. "This is what Black Wall Street is all about," Game said in a statement. "Building an empowerment within our community. I've seen firsthand what music can do, so I'm hoping this can make a difference in people's lives." 50 seconded the thought, and noted, "G-Unity's goal is to lend a hand to the people who need it most. This donation is just the beginning of what we're hoping to do." ...

Ashanti is not only acting in "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz," she's singing in it, too. The Inc. princess recorded three songs for the soundtrack, which comes out May 17: two solo songs, "Gotta Get Out of Kansas" and "It's a Good Life"; and a collaboration with Kermit the Frog, Gonzo and Fozzie called "When I'm With You." The movie airs May 20 on ABC. ... Shakira is putting out not one, but two albums to follow up her first English-language album, Laundry Service — one in Spanish, one in English. The Spanish-language album Fijación Oral 1 is due June 7, setting up its sequel, the English-language Oral Fixation 2, in November. The first single (in Spanish) is called "La Tortura," and features Alejandro Sanz. "I did not set out to make two albums," Shakira said in a statement, "but suddenly I realized I had written 60 songs, some in English and some in Spanish. Many times I let the melody suggest which language the song should be." Both albums were executive-produced by Rick Rubin. ...

Kelly Clarkson fans thirsting for that special keepsake from her April 2 concert in Omaha, Nebraska, may want to check out the water bottle that one eBay seller is hawking online. The seller claims the first-season "American Idol" champ drank out of the plastic "Dasani" bottle; a front-row ticket stub from that evening is also included for those who require convincing. Bidding will end on Sunday, and as of press time, the price was already up to $36.50. ... Paris Hilton is going high-tech to promote her new flick, "House of Wax." Starting on April 29, you'll be able to eavesdrop on the heiress as she "shops, parties, poses and publicizes" the movie via podcast in advance of its May 6 opening. "The Paris Hilton Podcast - Countdown to 'House of Wax' " works on any portable med

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Cartoon Gorillaz Put A Muzzle On Danger Mouse, Damon Albarn

05 Apr 2005 22:24:00 EDT

Each deflects interview questions, deferring to the animated musicians.
By Rodrigo Perez

AUSTIN, Texas — Damon Albarn is smarter than you might think.

Not that the Blur/Gorillaz frontman's acumen is in question, but conceptually the idea of a "virtual band" seems rather silly. However, there's a crafty motive behind the animated members 2-D, Noodle, Russel and Murdoc.

"Talking about [the music] is something that [the band] likes to do," Albarn said at a Gorillaz album listening party during South by Southwest week (see "Queens Of The Stone Age Are Kings Of SXSW 2005"). "I don't think they appreciate us stepping on their turf as it were. They think I'm delusional anyway, so anything I say can't possibly be right," he said with a rehearsed and evasive smirk.

While Albarn may use his animated characters as a shrewd machination to avoid explaining his personal and musical intentions, what can be gleaned from the cagey Gorillaz is that their new album Demon Days, due May 24, is an opaque affair, both musically and thematically.

"Gorillaz make dark pop; that's what they always set out to achieve," Albarn said. "The whole album kind of tells the story of the night — staying up during the night — but it's also an allegory. It's what we're living in basically, the world in a state of night."

The most obvious difference on their sophomore offering is the absence of Dan "The Automator" Nakamura as the acting musical producer. Instead, Albarn reached out to Danger Mouse based on the strength of The Grey Album, which turned heads last year when it seamlessly and illegally meshed the Beatles' The White Album with Jay-Z's The Black Album (see "Remixers Turn Jay-Z's Black Album Grey, White And Brown").

"[The Automator] wasn't busy, the [project just] needed a slightly different approach," Albarn explained. "Danger Mouse, in my opinion, is one of the best young producers in the world. I think the last record was a lot more simplistic. It was virgin territory — animated hip-hop, reggae, stroke-rock, Latin rock — there's a lot more intricacy with this record."

For Danger Mouse, a.k.a. Brian Burton, a longtime Blur fan, the feelings of admiration and respect were mutual. "It was a no-brainer when there was interest there [from Albarn]," Burton said. "I heard demos of the new record, but the biggest part was getting the chance to be a part of something that's so strong — you just gotta jump on it. I had a very up-and-down year [in 2004], but it was definitely a big up when I got a chance to [work with Gorillaz]."

Like their debut, Gorillaz's Demon Days boasts a cast of colorful characters that aren't animated, including Booty Brown from the Pharcyde ("Dirty Harry"), outré rapper MF Doom ("November Has Come") and a bizarre cameo appearance by Dennis Hopper, who contributes a solemn spoken-word piece ("Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head").

But don't expect Albarn to reveal how the odd pairing took place. "I really feel that the band are going to be pissed if they see me talking about them, you know? And they're a lot funnier than me," he said.

What does speak for itself is the pulsing hip-hop rock of first single "Feel Good Inc." The cut features De La Soul and its shadowy Cloud City-like video ups the ante for visually stunning animated clips.

"I think it's a big step up from the last videos," Albarn said. "The influences range from classic 'Scooby Doo' to [Japanimation house] Studio Ghibli. It's got a lot of different textures to it."

While neither Albarn nor Burton would divulge any details about the next Blur or Danger Mouse albums, they did reveal that an alternate collaboration may be in the works. "We might be working together again this year on something which I started in Lagos, in Nigeria, last year. It could be quite fantastic I think," Albarn said, noting the record would be different from the world-beat Mali Music project he released in 2002. "It's definitely Afrocentric, but it's more of a country-soul record, actually."

A North American tour with "all the characters" is being planned for the summer, but having already cleaned house just two discs into their career, will Danger Mouse be on board for the Gorillaz's third offering?

"It's not really up to us, is it?" Burton said with a laugh, claiming the fickle animated characters could easily change their minds once again.

"It's too early to tell," Albarn said. "Success and things can inevitably ... You know, look at the Game and 50 Cent. That could easily happen to us."

Demon Days track list, according to the Gorillaz's publicist:

"Intro"
"Last Living Souls"
"Kids With Guns" (featuring Neneh Cherry)
"Oh Green World"
"Dirty Harry" (featuring Pharcyde's Booty Brown)
"Feel Good Inc." (featuring De La Soul)
"El Manana"
"Every Planet We Reach Is Dead" (featuring Ike Turner)
"November Has Come" (featuring MF Doom)
"All Alone" (featuring Roots Manuva and Martina Topley-Bird)
"White Light"
"DARE" (featuring Shaun Ryder)
"Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head" (featuring Dennis Hopper)
"Heaven"
"Demon Days"

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Gorillaz Pick Up A Mouse For Next Album

23 Sep 2004 16:10:00 EDT

Dan the Automator out, Danger Mouse in.
By Joseph Patel

So what does an animated hip-hop supergroup with a platinum-selling debut do for an encore? If you're Damon Albarn of Blur, who conceived the virtual group the Gorillaz, you make wholesale changes to the lineup, naturally.

Albarn, who collaborated with beatmaking producer Dan the Automator on the Gorillaz's 2001 self-titled debut album, has found a new production partner for the group's upcoming sophomore record: Danger Mouse, the DJ behind the Jay-Z and Beatles mash-up, The Grey Album (see "Grey Album Producer Danger Mouse Explains How He Did It").

Currently, both Albarn and Danger Mouse are in England co-producing the next Gorillaz album, which is slated to be released in the spring. Like the first studio set, the next LP is expected to feature a diverse collection of guest vocalists and MCs. The only confirmed guests thus far are De La Soul, according to Danger Mouse, who said that he and Albarn were still unsure of what tracks were going to make the final cut.

"We're pretty deep into it," he said of the project. "We're both very excited about what's happening musically and I think it'll surprise a lot of people. But I don't really want to describe a sound for people to expect."

The Gorillaz album will once again include a visual component, but it wasn't clear if the same artist, Jamie Hewlett, creator of the "Tank Girl" comics, would be handling those duties this time around.

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For The Record: Quick News On Britney Spears, Nas, Kurt Cobain, Suge Knight, Bjork, The Ramones, Busta Rhymes & More

20 Apr 2004 18:26:00 EDT

By MTV News staff report

And you thought Ashton Kutcher was merciless. For her brother Bryan's birthday on Monday, Britney Spears had him "arrested" by undercover cops and FBI agents in Beverly Hills, California. Bryan, who works with his sister's management company, was handcuffed and taken into custody, while Britney acted shocked and horrified. But the phony police actually took him to his own birthday party, where all was revealed. ...

The 16-year-old who carjacked Eminem's mom early this year has been sentenced to at least four years and three months behind bars. The incident occurred January 22 when James Antonio Knott dragged Debbie Nelson from her car on Detroit's 8 Mile and stole her vehicle. Nelson suffered bruises and a broken foot. Knott, who didn't realize he was assaulting Eminem's mother, was also fined $3,473. ... Nas' trial on a second-degree assault charge has been set for April 30. The charge stems from an incident at a nightclub in New York's West Village in December 2003, in which Nas allegedly struck a man with a bottle. ...

An electric guitar owned by Kurt Cobain from 1990-92 sold for $117,500 at an auction held in Dallas last weekend. The guitar was the first of the Nirvana frontman's instruments to go on sale since his death a decade ago. ... The recording industry unceremoniously canceled its "Clean Slate" amnesty program for illegal file-sharers earlier this month. On Friday, lawyers for the RIAA asked a judge to dismiss a complaint filed by a California man claiming fraudulent business practices, because the Clean Slate program, which stipulated that file-sharers who admitted their guilt in writing and deleted the infringing files would be protected from the costly copyright-infringement lawsuits, was no longer in effect. Critics of the program had argued since its inception in September that a trade organization could not legally offer protection from lawsuits filed by the copyright-holding record labels. ...

Suge Knight is working with various rappers and record labels to put together a hip-hop compilation benefiting the financially troubled families of U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq. "I'm not taking any kind of political stance on the war, however, with so many soldiers now in Iraq for more than a year, I'm concerned about the families they've left behind," Knight said in a statement. The album will be released before Christmas, he added. Meanwhile, the mogul's next project, Kurupt's Against the Grain, is due June 29. ... Sevendust had to cancel a show in McAllen, Texas, on Sunday after their tour bus caught fire on the way. A store clerk helped extinguish the flames and no one was injured. The Atlanta rockers are touring in support of the CD/DVD package Southside Double-Wide Acoustic Live, which drops May 4. The set was recorded in Athens, Georgia, in September. ...

The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins checked out the Darkness' brand of spandex-clad rock Sunday in Los Angeles, along with the Eagles' Timothy B. Schmit. The next day, the U.K. phenoms made perhaps the shortest appearance ever on the syndicated radio show "Loveline," when they abandoned ship after roughly 20 minutes. Apparently the callers' questions about STDs, masturbation and other sexual topics made the band "uncomfortable." Now in England, the Darkness are writing for the follow-up to Permission to Land before taking on the European festival circuit in July. ... Japanese beatboxer Dokaka has lent her percussive vocal talents to Björk's untitled next album. The LP, expected to drop later this year, follows 2001's Vespertine. ...

Members of the Ramones, Dictators, Television and Dead Boys will play Ramones songs to celebrate the band's late frontman, Joey Ramone, who died of lymphatic cancer in 2001. The fourth annual Life's a Gas - The Annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash will take place May 19 in New York. Ramone would have been 53 on May 19. Also on the bill that night are Alkaline Trio, the Dickies, Supersuckers and Bebe Buell. ... Danger Mouse has teamed up with indie rapper Murs to record a remix of the song "To a Black Boy," from the '60s group the Free Design. The track is dedicated to Marcus Dixon, an 18-year-old black scholar and high school athlete who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Georgia for having sex with his 15-year-old high school girlfriend, who is white. The song will appear on the compilation Free Designed Redesigned Volume 2, which also features remixes by Belle & Sebastian and Madlib. ...

Busta Rhymes will release a DVD titled "Everything Remains Raw" on May 18. The DVD features live footage from several performances over the last year. ... Three months after reducing its suggested retail price for CDs from $18.98 to $12.98, the Universal Music Group has bumped the cost to $13.98. Attempting to stimulate a business that had been down for three years, Universal expected merchants would pass the discounts on to consumers and other labels would follow suit. Neither has happened, according to the conglomerate. ... Broken Sounds, the label founded by New Found Glory's Chad Gilbert and Ian Grushka, dropped its maiden releases Tuesday: Memories of Better Days, from melodic punk rockers Breakdance Vietnam, and Only Time Will Tell, from hardcore quintet Suffocate Faster. Both bands will play select dates on this summer's Vans Warped Tour. ...

04.19.2004

After submitting a book proposal to New York publishers earlier this year, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey have now fielded at least one offer — reportedly in the $1 million range — for their proposed how-to, "Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey's Secrets for a Happy (and Sexy!) Marriage." "Nick and I would love to do a book about 'Newlyweds,' about surviving it and what goes into it, what to expect," Simpson said. "I think people expect marriage to be perfection, and that's not what it is. You see that on the 'Newlyweds' — we fight all the time. That's what makes a marriage healthy. We are no scholars on relationships, but I think we're definitely in a groove." However, the couple's literary agent said that they're going to pass on the current offer on the table. ...

Lil' Kim was in federal court Monday (April 19) in New York for a pretrial hearing. Kimberly Jones stands accused of perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to investigators about her involvement in a February 2001 shooting. Judge Gerard E. Lynch set a schedule for discovery. A trial date has been set for November 15. ... Jay-Z and Damon Dash showed up to the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia on Monday to lend support to Beanie Sigel in his trial on attempted murder charges. Beanie's trial is scheduled to wrap up Tuesday. ... Sigel is almost done making his third LP, The B-Coming, now slated for July. The first single, "Wanted," features Cam'ron and samples Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive." ...

Lucky Nites, a potent potable made possible by Lil' Flip, will be available May 1. According to Flip, the pineapple-flavored alcoholic beverage tastes like an amaretto sour, but "way stronger." ... Puddle of Mudd have been tacked onto the Nickelback/ 3 Doors Down tour, beginning June 30 in Milwaukee. The 18-city trek concludes July 30 in the Woodlands, Texas. ... Something Corporate were forced to tone down their show Saturday in Waltham, Massachusetts, much to the dismay of their fans, because some members of the audience were passing out from the heat. As authorities unplugged the band's equipment, the group nevertheless played on, ending its set with "If You C Jordan" accompanied only by singer Andrew McMahon's piano and Brian Ireland's drums. ...

Vince Neil has been hit with a lawsuit from the Nevada prostitute whom he pleaded no contest to assaulting. Filed last week, the suit from Andrea "TrixXxie Blue" Terry claims that the Mötley Crüe singer attacked her after she and another prostitute refused to have sex with him until they were first paid. Her suit also accuses her former boss, brothel owner Dennis Hof, of being negligent because the panic button in her room wasn't working. She's asking for at least $20,000 in lost wages and other costs stemming from the incident, which happened last July. ... Courtney Love has gotten a breather in her round of court dates. Though the singer had two back-to-back dates last week in Los Angeles on separate drug charges, a hearing originally scheduled for Monday to address her New York charges of third-degree assault and reckless endangerment, stemming from a club gig where she allegedly threw her mic stand into the crowd, hitting a fan in the head, has been postponed. Her new hearing is scheduled for May 13. ...

Don King and company partied hard over the weekend in New York. On Friday, King and sports management/entertainment company CMX held a reception at the St. Regis hotel, where Ray J, Heavy D and Drew's mom Jaid Barrymore were among the guests. On Saturday, King and CMX held an afterparty for the Chris Byrd vs. Andrew Golota heavyweight title fight at the 40/40 Club. The club's owner, Jay-Z was on hand, welcoming guests like New Jersey Net Kenyon Martin and telling everyone to "enjoy." ... Instead of "Must See TV," fans of the Polyphonic Spree are calling Tuesday "Must Spree TV." The 29-member robed choir will appear on NBC's "Scrubs," with one of the 29 playing a key role in the episode. Later in the evening, the out-there ensemble will perform on "The Ton

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New Releases: Ben Jelen, 'Kill Bill Vol. 2' Soundtrack, Danger Mouse, Sugarcult, Satyricon & More

12 Apr 2004 21:13:00 EDT

By Abbey Goodman

Ben Jelen is just releasing his first album this week, but he's already ready to Give It All Away. His debut features the single "Come On," as well as a little Matrix magic on production.

Sugarcult's ode to love and California, Palm Trees and Power Lines, drops alongside the "Kill Bill Vol. 2" soundtrack, which features "A Few Words From the Bride," a.k.a. Uma Thurman, and music by Johnny Cash.

Autopilot Off's Make a Sound hits this week, as does Danger Mouse — the producer behind the Beatles/ Jay-Z mash-up, The Grey Album — and Jemini's Ghetto Pop Life, featuring guest appearances by the Pharcyde and Tha Liks.

Finally, in DVD news, Cypress Hill release The Ultimate Video Collection and RZA comes to you Live From Germany.

Out Tuesday, April 13:

Rabih Abou-Khalil - Morton's Foot (Justin Time)
Autopilot Off - Make a Sound (Island)
Blackie & the Rodeo Kings - BARK (True North/Rounder)
Blue Rodeo - Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (Rounder)
Gary Burton - Generations (Concord Jazz)
Sam Bush - King of My World (Sugar Hill)
Crossfade - Crossfade (Columbia/Earshot)
Danger Mouse and Jemini - Ghetto Pop Life (Lex)
Dropbox - Dropbox (Realign/UME)
Ex-Girl - Endangered Species (Alternative Tentacles)
Frank Gambale - Raison D'etre (Wombat)
Gutbucket - Dry Humping the American Dream (Cantaloupe)
Ben Jelen - Give It All Away (Maverick)
Buy Now: Give It All Away (Maverick)
Living Things - Resight Your Rights (DreamWorks/Interscope)
Allison Moorer - The Duel (Sugar Hill)
Name Taken - Hold On (Geffen)
The Oxford Collapse - Some Wilderness (Kanine)
Radford - Sleepwalker (Universal)
Joe Satriani - Is There Love in Space? (Epic)
Satyricon - Volcano (Red Ink/eatURmusic)
Bob Schneider - I'm Good Now (Shockorama/Vanguard)
Slow Pain - L.A. Blues (Thump)
Sugarcult - Palm Trees and Power Lines (Fearless/Artemis)
Buy Now: Palm Trees and Power Lines (Fearless/Artemis)
The Tubes - White Punks on Dope (Acadia)
Turbo Tabla - Bellydance Overdrive (Ark 21)
The Vestals - The Vestals (Warming House)
Doc Watson - Sittin' Here Pickin' the Blues (Rounder)
Adrienne Young - Plow to the End of the Row (TK)
Various artists - Golden Era of Rock 'N' Roll: 1954-1963 (Hip-O)
Various artists - Jazz Lounge 2 (Water Music)
Various artists - "Kill Bill Volume 2" soundtrack (Maverick)
Various artists - Old Skars & Upstarts 2004 (Disaster)
DVD: Cypress Hill - "The Ultimate Video Collection" (Sony)
DVD: RZA - "Live From Germany" (Nutech)

April 20:

Drowning Pool - Desensitized (Wind-Up)
Read: "New Drowning Pool Singer Says He Had A Vision Before Tryout"
Buy Now: Desensitized (Wind-Up)
Hanson - Underneath (3CG)
Prince - Musicology (Sony)

April 27:

Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room (Verve)
Joey McIntyre - 8:09 (Artemis)
Patti Smith - Trampin' (Sony)
Various artists - "American Idol" Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics (RCA)

May 4:

Buckethead - Population Override (Ion)
Kimberley Locke - One Love (Curb)
Read: " 'American Idol' Finalist Kimberley Locke Is Radio's '8th Wonder'"
Petey Pablo - Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry (Jive)
Various artists - "The L Word" soundtrack (Tommy Boy)

May 18: