El-P

New Releases: Modest Mouse, R. Kelly, Joss Stone, C-Murder, El-P & More

20 Mar 2007 06:01:00 EDT

Also due Tuesday: Elliott Yamin, Marques Houston, J Dilla, LCD Soundsystem, Lordi, Daniel Powter, Devin the Dude.
By Kurt Orzeck

Modest Mouse's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Photo: Sony Music

It's been a slow year for new releases so far, but worry not, all ye muzos — with the first quarter coming to a close, the dams are starting to break wide open. In fact, so many new albums are seeping out this week that we have one for every letter of the alphabet. Well, just about.

· A Northern Chorus' The Millions Too Many: The Canadian shoegazers grow into a six-piece on their fourth effort, welcoming violinist Erin Aurich back to the fold and enlisting drummer Craig Halliday and horn player Ben Bowen while they're at it. Expect plenty of lush, expansive soundscapes to fall asleep to.

· The Bled's Pass the Flask: The Arizona hard rockers' obscure first album is back again, with 11 extra cuts that previously appeared on early EPs or haven't been out yet at all. That includes "My Cyanide Catharsis," featuring Arizona peer Emily Long; "OK, but Here's How It Really Happened"; and the original recording of "Hotel Coral Essex."

· C-Murder's Screamin' 4 Vengeance: A judge recently lifted a gag order against the former inmate, allowing him to publicize his new LP. The peeps at Priority Records must have been just as happy to hear that news — the label that is relaunching with this release. Snoop Dogg helps C-Murder cut the proverbial ribbon by appearing on the lead single, "Posted on Tha Block." Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, LeToya and others also help the rapper howl.

· Devin the Dude's Waiting to Inhale: Houston's underground Dude has a few pals lending him support on his fourth outing, getting some choice verses from Lil Wayne and Bun B on the album's first single, "Little Girl Gone." In the meantime, Devin's Odd Squad collective gets together for another track, "She Want That Money."

· El-P's I'll Sleep When You're Dead: Dig deeper underground and you'll find New York's El-P, who has been hammering away at this opus for four years. The Definitive Jux co-founder's hard work is reflected in the album's breathtaking, indie-rocker-heavy guest list: He roused Trent Reznor, the Mars Volta, Aesop Rock, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo's James McNew and many more for the affair.

· The Funeral Pyre's The Nature of Betrayal reissue: Equal parts death and black metal, the Los Angelinos' second album is being brought back as a straight reissue to coincide with a seven-gig run that begins March 30. Look for "Plague That Leads to Extinction," "Stealing the Air of Life" and "Here the Sun Never Shines."

· Robert Gomez's Brand New Towns: The brokenhearted singer/songwriter from Denton, Texas, studied Cuban guitar under Marc Anthony collaborator Nelson Gonzales and counts Norah Jones among his fans. His 12-track Bella Union debut encompasses "The Same Sad Song," "The Coming," "The Leaving" and more.

· Haste the Day's Pressure the Hinges: The Christian metalcore band from Indianapolis ganged up with producer GGGarth (Rage Against the Machine, Atreyu) for their third album. The standard edition has 13 tracks but the deluxe one comes with three bonuses — the album version of "In Memory" and demos of "Sea of Apathy" and "Chorus of Angels" — plus a DVD.

· I'm From Barcelona's Let Me Introduce My Friends: The Swedish collective don't really need to be more social when they count 29 members among their ranks (and you thought the Book of Knots had a massive combined résumé). The unwaveringly optimistic band — be prepared to participate if you catch 'em live — factor kazoos, banjos and much more into their second LP.

· J Dilla's Ruff Draft: The legendary unsung hip-hop producer passed away last year but left this document behind, with the following message: "Let me explain it. It's Ruff Draft. For my real n---az only. DJs that play that real live shit. You wanna bounce in your whip, sound like it's straight from the mother------' cassette! Ruff Draft. ... Let's do it." The deluxe set features 14 cuts on disc one and 10 instrumentals on the second CD.

· R. Kelly's "Live: The Light It Up Tour" DVD: The singer's first concert video finds him courting a crowd at Oakland, California's Paramount Theatre. If you're looking for hits, you've come to the right place: "Wonderful," "Ignition," "Fiesta" and "I Believe I Can Fly" are featured on the 110-minute DVD, as are the first three "Trapped in the Closet" chapters.

· The Locust's New Erections: The inaccessible art/noise band holed up with producer Alex Newport (Melvins, the Mars Volta) for their third undertaking. But breaking with their own tradition of breaking tradition, the San Diego spazz-outs made longer songs this time — that's right, don't expect "One Manometer Away From Mutually Assured Relocation" or "God Wants Us All to Work in Factories" to last less than a minute.

· Modest Mouse's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank: The indie rockers are dishing up their fifth effort this week, but it's more like a sophomore LP in a sense, since they just landed their first verified hit, "Float On," the last time around. With Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr supporting them throughout and Shins singer James Mercer piping up on "Florida," the returns could be even sweeter this time around.

· Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' The Abbatoir Blues Tour: This is more like a box set, really: The two CDs cull live tracks from various venues on the group's Abattoir Blues tour in 2004, while the two DVDs mine the three sold-out Brixton Academy London shows from said trek. The videos also compile material from a 2003 gig, music videos, behind-the-scenes footage and more.

· Otep's The Ascension: The Los Angeles band has been around for five years, but even veteran acts need help sometimes: Otep tapped Mudvayne's Greg Tribbett to cowrite three songs on their new LP. Recorded last year in New Orleans, it includes a cover of Nirvana's "Breed" (take that, "MLB2K7" TV ad!)

· Daniel Powter's Daniel Powter: The Canadian troubadour milked his debut for three singles, including the ubiquitous "Bad Day," so what better reason to spruce up the LP and milk it again for a re-release? This special edition, which comes with a DVD, encompasses the album's B-sides and videos; a live performance; and a new cut, "Love You Lately."

· Marques Houston's Veteran: Yeah, we had to cheat a little here, but since Omarion's step-brother is one of the few with a Q in his name, he'll have to suffice. The self-described vet — this is only his third release — turned to Yung Joc for some extra verses on "Like This," and Mya and Shawnna to chime in on "Hold N' Back."

· Robert Plant reissues: Rhino is breaking open the mammoth Nine Lives box set it put out last year and releasing some of the discs individually. This week, look for expanded versions of Fate of Nations, Manic Nirvana, Pictures at Eleven, Shaken 'N' Stirred and Mighty Rearranger, the latter with the Strange Sensation.

· Joss Stone's Introducing Joss Stone: No, you're not wrong — the British singer does indeed have two previous full-lengths under her belt. For her new one, she's hoping to reinvent herself with help from producer Raphael Saadiq (Macy Gray, the Roots), as well as Common ("Tell Me What We're Going to Do") and Lauryn Hill ("Music").

· Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' Living With the Living: The animated political rocker called on Fugazi's Brendan Canty to craft his fifth release and first for Touch and Go, which features "Bomb. Repeat. Bomb.," "A Bottle of Buckle" and "Fourth World War." Early-bird alert: Initial copies come with a CD containing five additional new songs.

· Unknown Instructors' The Master's Voice: Mike Watt is plenty busy with the Stooges these days, but another one of the punk bassist's many projects steps up with its second disc this week. The garage band features another Minuteman, George Hurley, and for this release the Instructors also roped in David Thomas of Pere Ubu and Raymond Pettibon, the dude who came up with Black Flag's four bars logo.

· Various artists' "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" soundtrack: Where's Shifty Shellshock when you need him? Oh well — while the Crazy Town singer is in absentia, Gym Class Heroes, Jet and Cobra Starship fill in to roll out the red carpet for everyone's favorite shelled crime-fighters. P.O.D., Meg & Dia and Cute It What We Aim For also help do the honors.

· Clay Walker's Greatest Hits: Rhino cobbles together 14 essential tracks by the longtime country-music singer from Beaumont, Texas. Look for "You're Beginning to Get Over Me," "Only on Days That End in 'Y' " and "Dreaming With My Eyes Open."

· RTX's Western Xterminator: (Two X's, close enough!) Royal Trux's Jennifer Herrema, reborn as RTX (get it?), alternates between butt-rock anthems and lo-fi bedroom recordings on the band's second album, which features "Money Will Roll Right In," "Knightmare & Mane" and "Balls to Pass." The resplendent artwork is worth a look alone.

· Elliott Yamin's Elliott Yamin: The former "American Idol" finalist hopes to follow in the steps of Taylor, Ruben and the gang with his first album, which was partially produced by Limp Bizkit co-conspirator DJ Lethal. The bluesy ballad "Take My Breath Away" was written by John Mayer guitarist David Ryan Harris, while "A Song for You" was previously recorded by Yamin's idol, Donny Hathaway.

· Willowz's Chautauqua: OK, we cheated one more time, but flipping around the Anaheim, California, punks' name works. With a tighter approach than on their previous two albums, the Michel Gondry collaborators — their songs were featured in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Science of Sleep" — crank out "Big Knob," "Lonesome Gods" and "Siren Song."

Song Title of the Week:

"Good to Be Bad" from Lordi's Arockalypse

New Releases:

· A Northern Chorus - The Millions Too Many (Sonic Unyon)
· Adult - Why Bother (Thrill Jockey) [Buy Now]
· Alesana - On Frail Wings of Vanity and Wax (enhanced; Fearless)[Buy Now]
· Assemblage 23 - Binary (EP; Metropolis)
· Baby Boy Da Prince - Across the Water (Republic)
· BeatleJazz - All You Need (Lightyear) [Buy Now]
· Benea Reach - Monument Bineothan (Candlelight)
· Big D and the Kids Table - Strictly Rude (Side One Dummy)
· Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum)
· Bobby Broom - Song and Dance (Origin)
· Jonathan Byrd - This Is the New That (Waterbug)
· The Chinese Stars - Listen to Your Left Brain (Three.One.G)
· Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers - No More Beautiful World (with DVD; Emmajava)
· C-Murder - Screamin' 4 Vengeance (Capitol) [Buy Now]
· Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Abbatoir Blues Tour (two CDs and two DVDs; Mute)
· Crime Mob - Hated on Mostly (Reprise)
· Devin the Dude - Waiting to Inhale (Rap-a-Lot)
· Arthur Dodge - The Perfect Face (Remedy) [Buy Now]
· Drawing Voices - Drawing Voices (Hydra Head)
· Earth - Hibernaculum (with DVD; Southern Lord) [Buy Now]
· El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead (Definitive Jux)
· Evidence - The Weatherman LP (Abb) [Buy Now]
· Foreign Islands - Restart Now (digipak; Deaf, Dumb & Blind)
· Robert Glasper - In My Element (Blue Note)
· Robert Gomez - Brand New Towns (Bella Union)
· Groove Junkies - Late Night With Groove Junkies (Swank)
· David Guetta - Guetta Blaster (Ultra)
· Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang - Get Up and Dance (Whispersquish)
· Hail Social - Modern Love & Death (Polyvinyl)
· Haste the Day - Pressure the Hinges (special edition comes with DVD; Tooth & Nail)
· Marques Houston - Veteran (Universal)
· I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends (Mute)
· In This Moment - Beautiful Tragedy (enhanced; Century Media) [Buy Now]
· Joseph Israel - Gone Are the Days (New Door)
· J-Direct - Live & J-Direct (RhymeCity)
· Mary Karlzen - The Wanderlust Diaries (Dualtone)
· Land of Talk - Applause Cheer Boo Hiss (digipak; Rebel Group)
· LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol) [Buy Now]
· Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Living With the Living (initial copies come with bonus CD; Touch and Go)
· Ligion - External Affairs (Maple Jam) [Buy Now]
· The Little Heroes - Cinematic Americana (Wednesday)
· The Locust - New Erections (Anti)
· Lordi - Arockalypse (special edition with DVD; the End) [Buy Now]
· Lost Eden - Cycle Repeats (Candlelight)
· Lost in the Trees - Time Taunts Me (digipak; Trekky)
· Low - Drums and Guns (Sub Pop) [Buy Now]
· Jesse Malin - Glitter in the Gutter (Adeline)
· Stephen Marley - Mind Control (enhanced; Republic)
· Willy Mason - If the Ocean Gets Rough (Astralwerks)
· Masterplan - MKII (Candlelight) [Buy Now]
· Maylene and the Sons of Disaster - II (Ferret)
· Jimmy McIntosh - Orleans to London (Arizona Cub)
· Miguel Migs - Those Things (Om)
· Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic) [Buy Now]
· Willie Nelson/ Merle Haggard/ Ray Price - Last of the Breed (two CDs; Lost Highway)
· Otep - The Ascension (Capitol)
· Other Men - Wake Up Swimming (Robcore)
· Palomar - All Things, Forests (Misra)
· Panda Bear - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
· The Pierces - Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge (digipak; Lizard King)
· The Poison Arrows - Straight Into the Drift (File 13)
· The Ponys - Turn the Lights Out (digipak; Matador) [Buy Now]
· (((Powerhouse Sound))) - Oslo/Chicago: Breaks (Atavistic)
· Tad Robinson - New Point of View (Severn)
· Radical Face - Ghost (digipak; Morr)
· RTX - Western Xterminator (Drag City)
· Nate Sallie - Ruined for Ordinary (Curb)
· Secretary Bird - Secretary Bird (In De Goot)
· The Snake the Cross the Crown - Cotton Teeth (Equal Vision)
· Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby - Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby (Legacy)
· Sterling - Cursed (File 13)
· Joss Stone - Introducing Joss Stone (Virgin) [Buy Now]
Read: "Joss Stone Has Lauryn Hill's Mom To Thank For Third Album"
· Tommie Sunshine - Ultra Rock Remixed (Ultra)
· Swallow the Sun - Hope (Candlelight)
· Tracey Thorn - Out of the Woods (Astralwerks)
· The Tossers - Agony (Victory)
· The Turbo A.C.'s - Live to Win (Acetate)
· Unknown Instructors - The Master's Voice (Smog Veil)
· Willowz - Chautauqua (Dim Mak)
· Elliott Yamin - Elliott Yamin (Hickory)
Read: "Idols Now: Elliott Yamin 'Movin' On' With Limp Bizkit's DJ Lethal"
· Various artists - Dlife Presents: Extreme Soca Volume 1 (with DVD; Penalty)
· Various artists - "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" soundtrack (Atlantic)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· John Anderson - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· The Bled - Pass the Flask (Vagrant) [Buy Now]
· Colin Blunstone - One Year (Water)
· Cibo Matto - Pom Pom: The Essential Cibo Matto (Rhino)
· Depeche Mode - Black Celebration and Construction Time Again (digipaks; with DVD; Rhino) [Buy Now]
· J Dilla - Ruff Draft (two-CD deluxe set; Stones Throw)
· Electric Light Orchestra -- Balance of Power (Epic/Legacy) [Buy Now]
· Béla Fleck and the Flecktones - Greatest Hits of the 20th Century (Rhino)
· The Funeral Pyre - The Nature of Betrayal (Prosthetic)
· Genesis - Turn It on Again: The Hits (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Alan Lomax - The Alan Lomax Collection: The Spanish Recordings - Mallorca, The Balearic Islands (Rounder)
· The Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky and I Robot (Arista/Legacy)
· Lee "Scratch" Perry - The Upsetter Selection: A Lee Perry Jukebox (two CDs; Trojan)
· Robert Plant - Fate of Nations, Manic Nirvana, Pictures at Eleven and Shaken 'N' Stirred (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation - Mighty Rearranger (Rhino)
· Daniel Powter - Daniel Powter (special edition with DVD; Warner Bros.)
· Kenny Rogers - 20 Great Years (Reprise) [Buy Now]
· Little Texas - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Twenty Years of Dirt: Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· They Might Be Giants - A User's Guide to They Might Be Giants (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Carla Thomas - The Queen Alone (Stax)
· Randy Travis - Greatest #1 Hits (Rhino)
· Violent Femmes - Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes (Rhino)
· Clay Walker - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Mary Lou Williams - The Circle Recordings (Progressive)
· Various artists - Deep and Sexy 4: Compiled and Mixed by King Britt (Wave Music)

Music DVDs: · Dierks Bentley - "Live & Loud at the Fillmore" (Capitol)
· The Decemberists - "A Practical Handbook" DVD (Kill Rock Stars) [Buy Now]
· R. Kelly - "Live: The Light It Up Tour" (Image) [Buy Now]
· Yes - "Live at Montreux 2003" (Eagle Vision)

Coming Attractions:

March 27: · Good Charlotte - Good Morning Revival (Epic) [Preorder]
Read: "Good Charlotte Don Their Dance Shoes For Feel-Good Revival"
· Jennifer Lopez - Como Ama Una Mujer (Epic) [Preorder]
Read: "Jennifer Lopez Says New Single Came From Marc Anthony's Dream"
· Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Ch-- (Koch)
· Young Buck - Buck the World (Interscope) [Preorder]

April 3: · The Academy Is ... - Santi (Atlantic) [Preorder]
Read: "The Academy Is ... Say New Album Sounds Nothing Like Fall Out Boy"
· Beyoncé - B-Day - Deluxe Edition (with bonus CD; Columbia)[Preorder]
Read: "Beyonce Turns Heads With Sports Illustrated Cover, Shakira Duet"
· Hilary Duff - Dignity (Hollywood) [Preorder]
· Paul Wall - Get Money - Stay True (Atlantic) [Preorder]
Read: " 'Mature' Paul Wall Still Raps About Girls, Grills With Mariah, T.I."
· Shadows Fall - Threads of Life (Atlantic) [Preorder]
Read: "Dave Grohl's Party Calls Can't Distract Shadows Fall From Recording LP"

April 10: · Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (Saddle Creek) [Preorder]
Read: "Bright Eyes Slim Down With Single LP, Fatten Up With Loads Of Collabos"
· Hellyeah - Hellyeah (Epic) [Preorder]
Read: "Vinnie Paul Returns To Make 'Hellacious' Magic With Hellyeah"
· Various artists - Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Colon the Soundtrack (William Street)

Related Artists

Amy Winehouse Raises Eyebrows, Bloc Party Draw A Mob As SXSW Wakes Up

16 Mar 2007 08:32:00 EDT

Plus comedian David Cross reps Against Me! at Texas fest; Melvins roar.
By MTV staff

Bloc Party's Kele Okereke performs at SXSW on Thursday
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

AUSTIN, Texas — Every March, the music industry throws on a pair of shorts, slathers on the SPF 45 and heads on down to Austin for South by Southwest, a weeklong celebration of bands, BBQ and (sometimes free!) beer. It's a brutal bacchanal and music marathon powered by thousands of acts playing in hundreds of venues — at all hours — plus an unreal number of open bar tabs and fancy private parties.

Sleep is not exactly a top priority, so MTV News has dispatched three of its most tireless reporters into the fray. They'll be filing reports a few times each day (scroll down for the evening report), which will chiefly serve as a way of keeping you up to speed about what's going on deep in the heart of Texas, but also double as a convenient way — for us, anyway — of making sure everyone's still alive.

The Day

James Montgomery, MTV News writer: Just had my first totally random, totally awesome moment here at SXSW. I was waiting at a crosswalk on Congress Avenue when a dusty wood-paneled station wagon pulled up at the light and all the dudes inside, clearly in a band, clearly trying to look super-cool — think vintage vests, scraggly beards, wide-brim hats and bellbottoms straight out of Haight-Ashbury — were summarily laughed at by a gaggle of passing females. Next time get a tighter ride, bros.

Spent Thursday afternoon (March 15) baking in the sun at the Levis/Fader fort, where Interscope was debuting Queens of the Stone Age's upcoming Era Vulgaris record. Expect plenty of spooky, windswept guitars à la Lullabies to Paralyze — plus a whole lot of stompers circa their Songs for the Deaf era.

Then I headed over to Waterloo Records for an interview with Lily Allen, who was nice in an "I don't give a f----" kind of way. She talked about her plans to hit the studio in May and dismissed any notion of working with a producer du jour like Timbaland: "I don't want to be Nelly Furtado," she hissed. "And I don't want to spend $250,000 on a song I didn't write." She also got down to dissing the world-famous BBQ at Stubb's, declaring it "too gristly" (I would, respectively, have to disagree.)

Then it was back to the Fort for the Black Lips, who were missing a bassist ("He's still down in Mexico," one bandmember said) but still managed to fill the air with the kind of bludgeoning blooze-rock — and onstage French kissing — that they've been garnering much attention for in recent months. ...

Just back at the hotel for a minute, as I'm off to go interview the Cold War Kids at La Zona Rosa, then an evening filled with Elvis Perkins, Lo Fi Fink and (hopefully) the absence of heat stroke.

John Norris, MTV News correspondent:

"John Norris!!"

"Dude, I've been watching you since I was 5!"

"Nice to see you guys actually covering music!"

Ah yes — just a sampling of the greetings you get trying to shoot a news brief at 11 a.m. in the middle of Sixth Street on day #2 of SXSW. Who said they don't get up before noon at this festival? In fact, one person who was up early was none other than Chris Kirkpatrick. Yes, as in, formerly of 'NSYNC Chris Kirkpatrick ... though decidedly more tattooed than the last time I saw him. Chris has been to South By before but was ready to proclaim this one "maybe the wildest one yet." (Uh, totally awesome, bro.)

Other sights and sounds on a sunny Thursday in Austin:

"Nothing like a matinee. We're from Montreal. It's our first time in Texas. We want some chicken-fried chicken, whatever that is." · Canadian ambient rocker Patrick Watson, during a 1:45 p.m. set at Emo's

"We hope you find happiness and places to park." · Will Sheff, frontman for local band Okkervil River, to the packed afternoon crowd at Bourbon Rocks. Great band by the way: They've been playing SXSW for seven years and have a deservedly faithful following. Folk-rock sound that would not be out of place on a Bright Eyes bill.

"Doesn't that bicycle seat hurt your ass?" · The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, to a cycling semi-drag queen (gray hair and beard, painted nails, tiara, butterfly thong and, apparently, breasts). Wayne was last seen on Sixth Street at SXSW 2006 as a pied piper in a huge bubble; this year he's a roving reporter for "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."

Gil Kaufman, MTV News writer: Not a whole lot of time to file right now, as I'm putting in a marathon day of shows (Amy Winehouse, Daniel Johnston, El-P). But I wanted to share this gem from Wednesday night with you all: Sometimes even the most horrible band can teach you something.

Walking down Sixth Street, you hear so much music bleed out of every hole-in-the-wall bar that it's hard to figure out who you're hearing, even if you consult your festival guide. British blues yelpers Kava Kava, with a lead singer who looked like Bo Bice on a bender, were totally unexceptional, except for this genius bit of technology: The keyboardist had a little LED display taped onto his instrument that said "read me" and scrolled the band's name over and over in red 2-inch-high letters. Genius.

P.S.: No truth to all those "Rage Against the Machine played a reunion show last night" rumors floating around Austin. Tom Morello's manager told me the axeman was in Los Angeles on Wednesday night and that the supposed show "couldn't have happened." Though Morello's show Thursday night at Parish — where he is slated to perform as his alias, the Nightwatchman — is being billed as featuring "special guests," so ... who knows?

The Evening

James Montgomery: Important SXSW Lesson, Number One: No matter how boring you think the Cold War Kids may be, do not — under any circumstances — avoid their live show, which from the sound of things will be one that fest vets will be talking about for remainder of the week. Of course, I wasn't there, having dipped out to go watch Lo Fi Fink goof around onstage for 20 minutes, but apparently — from the roughly 37 text messages I received about it — I missed an epic effort, culminating with a mega-jam involving hotly tipped folkster Elvis Perkins.

(Check out exclusive front-row footage of Morello's jam session with Slash, Perry Farrell and more, right here.)

Important SXSW Lesson, Number Two: No matter how inconsequential you think Tom Morello might be, do not — under any circumstances — skip out on a performance by his side project, the Nightwatchman, especially when said performance is billed as "featuring special guests." Sure enough, I missed out on another sure-to-be-blogged about highlight — but don't worry, other members of the MTV News crew were in the front row, cameras and notebooks in hand (see "Morello's SXSW Gig Turns Into Raucous All-Star Jam With Slash, Perry Farrell").

Important SXSW Lesson, Number Three: I am a huge dumbass.

Thursday night wasn't all bad though ... I did get to witness a blistering set of anthemic, honest-to-goodness punk rock from Gainesville, Florida's Against Me!. (Of course, I had to sit through 45 minutes of Jack's Mannequin to do it, so let's call it a Pyrrhic victory.)

The fiercely DIY quartet turned the punk community on its collective head in late 2005 when they announced that they had signed with — gasp! — a major label, but if their sweaty set at the Sire Records showcase was any indication, all those old wounds have healed. Many fists were pumped, many hard-charging choruses bellowed and many unfortunate tattoos revealed, and the band seemed to be having a ball unveiling songs from their upcoming album New Wave, which displayed a decidedly dance-y streak.

Hey, even comedian David Cross, who caught the show in his "official undercover celebrity uniform" (read: a flannel shirt and a ratty ball cap) approved. And if it's good enough for America's foremost indie humorist, then it's certainly good enough for you.

John Norris: Now that's the South by Southwest I know and love. After a kinda sleepy Wednesday on Sixth Street ("Pete Wentz Clones Descend, Lily Allen Warbles As SXSW Gets Under Way"), on Thursday night things were back to the Bourbon-Street-with-a-great-soundtrack vibe that defines this week in Austin. Not always easy to maneuver, especially when every block there's another two or three CDs shoved into your hand. And — note to the guy who said, "You probably just throw these things away" — rest assured I try to make a point of listening to each and every record that comes my way.

Anyway, making it to see four artists at four different clubs in five hours does require a plan, and that's what I and my friend Chris, who was in from New York, had. For the most part, it worked.

First stop: Norway's Sondre Lerche, a power pop guy whose records seem to just be getting better. Not only is his latest, Phantom Punch probably his best to date, it also brings him closest to one of his musical heroes, Elvis Costello. Sondre and his very tight band had the crowd at Antone's — part of a showcase for Astralwerks that also included Sparklehorse — rocking.

The same could also be said for Mute Math. The electronic outfit — and former "You Hear It First" artist — is a band that, it is said, is best appreciated live. Tonight, everyone packed into the Dirty Dog found out why.

No doubt one of the three or four "biggest" bands at SXSW 2007 is Bloc Party — hence their show at Stubb's amounted to a mob scene. Thankfully Chris and I got in about 10 minutes before they took the stage, to tear through close to an hour's worth of songs from the still-genius 2005 album Silent Alarm, plus the recently released record titled — as frontman Kele Okereke implored the crowd to shout out — A Weekend in the City. On a warm night like tonight, the amphitheatre setting of Stubb's is Austin's best venue to see music — and favorites like "Banquet" to the new stuff, including the sweetly nostalgic "I Still Remember," swelled through the night air.

Finally, when it's 1 a.m. and you need a final burst of energy, what better way than the Smiths-y jangle pop of Austin's Voxtrot? This was one of the most-seen bands at last year's South By, and with a new album on the way, Ramesh Srivastava and the boys sent the crowd at Emo's off into the Austin night feeling good.

It was a long night, and a great night, and I'm done.

Gil Kaufman: I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but while walking by the English showcase, I might have pretended to be from Leeds to squeeze in with some genuine Brits when they said the show was closed. Luckily, I snuck in, grabbed a soggy taco and got to see a mesmerizing, kinda scary acoustic set from mega-hyped British train wreck Amy Winehouse.

Impossibly thin with a towering black beehive hairdo and a sailor-worthy menagerie of tattoos, wearing tightly pegged jeans, a food-stained white undershirt and dirty pink ballet slippers, Winehouse played a four-song set that showed off her strong, soulful pipes on songs including her hit single, "Rehab." It was hard to ignore the deep scratches all over her left arm and her twitchy mannerisms, though.

Say what you will about the relevance of grunge progenitors the Melvins, but watching lead singer Buzz Osborne smash out dinosaur riffs while wearing a long black caftan covered in skulls and birds was the bomb. But the most important news of the day came during a brief set by beloved eccentric Daniel Johnston, who announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am not running for president today. I came here to this town today to rock this town."

The afternoon ended nicely with a ribcage-rattling set of thick hip-hop rock by El-P, who tried mightily to avoid cursing during a live broadcast on a local station. Unfortunately for them, he slipped up within the first five seconds he was on air.

Then, in the evening, I decided to check out a full set from Winehouse, and I'd like to take back (some) of what I said earlier; maybe she's just not an early riser. Dressed in the same get-up, but with a clean black T-shirt, she slayed an adoring, sweat-drenched crowd with a high-energy set that, unfortunately, started two hours later than advertised. But with her coquettish stage moves and dangerous-looking come-hither smile and teasing hand gestures — not to mention that smoky voice — all was forgiven.

After Amy, I checked out Minneapolis' Cloud Cult, who impressed with their Flaming Lips-style psychedelic rock, and the two onstage artists doing "action painting" during their set. James winced when I used the phrase "action painting," saying, "That sounds horrible!" I didn't tell him about the pregnant cello player with Christmas lights in her hair.

And finally, I caught up with an old pal, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, during Straylight Run's gig. Dressed in his signature board shorts, loose t-shirt and flip-flops, Lyman said he was just hanging out and doing a bit of business, hoping to check out Willie Nelson on Saturday. Now that's punk rock.

And if you'll excuse me, I've got to crash. I'm exhausted, officially.

Will James actually make it to one of these buzz shows? Can the rest of the fest beat John's stellar Thursday? And could anything out-weird Gil's "action painting" experience? Check back all week for our SXSW coverage!

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

[This story was originally published on 3.15.2007 at 8:44 p.m.]

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New Releases: Von Bondies, BT, James Lavelle, El-P, Sondre Lerche, Franz Ferdinand, Brides Of Destruction & More

9 Mar 2004 07:57:00 EST

The Von Bondies (file)
Photo: Candace Lawler

It's not a blockbuster week for new releases, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of albums to choose from. First up, the Von Bondies.

After their frontman's scuffle last year with the band's former producer Jack White, the Von Bondies are ready to open their Pawn Shoppe Heart. The garage rockers' second album features the single "C'mon C'mon."

James Lavelle's second DJ set, the double disc Global Underground Romania #026, reinvents songs by Queens of the Stone Age, the Chemical Brothers, DJ Shadow and Lavelle's own U.N.K.L.E.

El-P drops his hybrid jazz album, High Water, Bad Plus Give fans their new LP, and Now It's Overhead are joined by Michael Stipe and Conor Oberst on their second album, Fall Back Open.

BT's Music From and Inspired by the Film "Monster" shares shelf space this week with Deerhoof's concept album Milk Man and Henry Rollins' collection of readings from his book of the same name, Black Coffee Blues.

Brides of Destruction, featuring Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and Tracii Guns from L.A. Guns, release Here Come the Brides alongside Fleshcrawl's Made of Flesh and throwback rockers Tesla's Into the Now.

Finally, the indie contingent: Brooklyn, New York, rock group TV on the Radio serve up Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes, Scotland's retro rockers Franz Ferdinand release their self-titled LP, and Your Enemies Friends remind you that You Are Being Videotaped. But we're sure they mean that in a good way.

Out Tuesday, March 9: