"New Moon" soundtrack cover
Photo: Summit Entertainment

It's not a leak, but the site British Amazon.com has given fans an unexpected preview of the hotly anticipated "New Moon" soundtrack (which hits stores on October 20) by posting a 30-second snippet of each song on the album.

Which means that, if you were wondering what Thom Yorke's "Hearing Damage" or the Killers' "A White Demon Love Song" sounds like, you're in luck! (BTW, the answers are "An outtake from The Eraser" and "Lou Reed," respectively.)

Based on these clips, Lykke Li's "Possibility" evokes a hazy fever dream, Muse's "New Moon" remix of "I Belong to You" (the original version of which appears on their just-released album The Resistance) is a stately minuet, Bon Iver and St. Vincent's "Rosyln" is hushed and churchly, and OK Go's "Shooting the Moon" — with its weird sound effects — reminds us a whole lot of a Flaming Lips track.

The Friday unveiling of snippets from the "New Moon" soundtrack is a fitting way to cap off what's already been a pretty huge week for members of Twilight Nation. On Wednesday, after months of hype, the video for the first single off the album — Death Cab for Cutie's "Meet Me on the Equinox" — premiered on MTV, and fans of the series responded with gusto (though they would've preferred more shirtless Robert Pattinson, to be honest). And MTV News will have lots more about the soundtrack in a series of articles that begin publishing on Monday!

The Amazon preview only appears on the United Kingdom version of the site; at press time, the U.S. site did not contain any snippets of songs from the soundtrack.

• Pages From The 'New Moon' Official Illustrated Movie Companion Book
• The 'New Moon' Soundtrack Artists
• Frame By Frame: "New Moon" Trailer 3

• Muse
• Lykke Li
• The Killers
• Thom Yorke

The Killers
Photo: Island Records

On Monday morning (September 21), MTV News reported that "Twilight" fave band Muse would be contributing a remixed version of the song "I Belong to You," from their new album, The Resistance, for the upcoming "New Moon" soundtrack. Just hours later, "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer released the album's full track list on her Web site.

The soundtrack will include 15 songs, most from artists new to this vampire universe. Paramore, who contributed two songs to the film's first soundtrack, will not appear this time around. Thom Yorke of Radiohead, who had a song in the "Twilight" movie but not on the soundtrack, will have one song on the new disc. And while star Robert Pattinson recorded a song for "Twilight," he does not have a song on the "New Moon" album. All the music is original and exclusive to the "New Moon" soundtrack, which was not the case with the first album.

While Grizzly Bear are the only band to appear on the soundtrack from a list of artists Meyer recently blogged that she's been listening to, the album certainly seems in line with her tastes.

	The 'New Moon' Soundtrack Bands And Artists

Death Cab for Cutie's "Meet Me on the Equinox" — premiered exclusively on MTV.com over VMA weekend — leads off the soundtrack, and is followed by Band of Skulls ("Friends"), Thom Yorke ("Hearing Damage"), Lykke Li ("Possibility"), the Killers ("A White Demon Love Song"), Anya Marina ("Satellite Heart"), Muse ("I Belong to You [New Moon]"), Bon Iver with St. Vincent ("Rosyln"), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ("Done All Wrong"), Hurricane Bells ("Monsters"), Sea Wolf ("The Violet Hour"), OK Go ("Shooting the Moon"), Grizzly Bear ("Slow Life"), Editors "No Sound but the Wind" and Alexandre Desplat ("New Moon [The Meadow]").

The soundtrack will be available on October 20 on Atlantic Records, exactly one month before "New Moon" opens in theaters on November 20.

• VMA 2009 Exclusive Premieres

• The 'New Moon' Soundtrack Artists
• Frame By Frame: "New Moon" Trailer 3
• 'New Moon' Cast's Night At The 2009 VMAs

• The Killers
• Death Cab For Cutie
• Thom Yorke

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in "New Moon"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" is one of the most feverishly anticipated film releases of the fall (out November 20), and with it comes one of the most talked-about soundtracks since, well, last year's "Twilight" soundtrack. One song has already been unleashed, as Death Cab for Cutie unveiled their contribution "Meet Me on the Equinox" on MTV.com during Sunday's VMAs. The full track list will be announced Friday, but there are already more details emerging about the album, due out October 20.

Music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas told The New York Times that she was "confident" the soundtrack would include already-rumored tracks from Radiohead's Thom Yorke, wintry indie folker Bon Iver and British alt-rockers Band of Skulls. Citing "group representatives," the Times also asked about rumors that the Killers and Grizzly Bear would have songs on the soundtrack, but Patsavas would not comment on either band.

She did talk about the album's thematic elements, though, explaining that it would be married to the film much closer than the "Twilight" soundtrack was. "This is a much more somber movie than 'Twilight,' " Patsavas said. "There is a lot of love lost, so the artists that are going to make up the soundtrack reflect that longing — a lot of acoustic instruments, a lot of a cappella singing."

When the "Twilight" soundtrack was released last year, it was brought to Hot Topic stores for premiere listening parties, but this time around, they hope to take the promotion up a notch: Atlantic Records, the label that distributes the soundtracks, plans to do a tour of Hot Topics with some of the contributing artists in tow.

In addition to premiering the Death Cab song, MTV News confirmed on Sunday that Muse were finalists for making the "New Moon" soundtrack. Following the inclusion of their "Supermassive Black Hole" in the "Twilight" album, this which would make them the only band to appear on both movies' soundtracks.

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

• Thom Yorke
• Bon Iver
• Band of Skulls

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in "New Moon"
Photo: Summit Entertainment

"New Moon" director Chris Weitz recently gave an interview to movie site RottenTomatoes.com in which he talked about the status of the film — it's due in theaters November 20 — and spoke at length about the music he's lining up for the soundtrack.

Now, normally, soundtrack stories aren't that interesting ... but two things were different here. First, the "New Moon" album follows the mega-successful "Twilight" soundtrack (which featured a pair of new songs from Paramore and has sold more than 2.1 million copies to date) and second, Weitz mentioned that none other than Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and the Kings of Leon were interested in contributing songs.

For real.

"I am surprised at some of the bands that have said they're interested. It's kind of great," Weitz told the site. "The criterion will still always be what's right for the movie at that given moment, but Thom Yorke is interested; we might, if we're very lucky, get Kings of Leon to do something ... it's exciting to be able to have access to this kind of talent."

Speculation about just who would appear on the "New Moon" soundtrack has run rampant for months, with names like Kelly Clarkson and Coldplay being tossed about, but Yorke and the Kings of Leon?! They just seemed, well, different ... and yes, we know that Radiohead's "15 Step" featured prominently in the "Twilight" film (though was noticeably absent from the soundtrack album), but still ...

So we decided to find out for ourselves if Weitz was being serious. First, we reached out to Atlantic Records, who — along with music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas's Chop Shop Records — released the "Twilight" soundtrack, and will be doing the same for "New Moon." A spokesperson for the label told MTV News that he could not confirm the story, since the track list for the "New Moon" soundtrack was still being worked out.

We then reached out to reps for Yorke and the Kings of Leon, hoping they could shed some light on the "New Moon" situation. Turns out, they couldn't really.

Yorke's spokesperson told MTV News "not denying [the story], but there's nothing confirmed as yet." When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Kings of Leon told us "They like the film a lot, but it's a little too early to tell if they can be involved."

So, while we now know that the Kings of Leon like "New Moon," we're not any closer to figuring out if they — or Yorke — will appear on the soundtrack to the film. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Check out everything we've got on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

• "New Moon"

• Kings Of Leon
• Thom Yorke

Tony Yayo (file)
Photo: Brian Ach/ WireImage

Tony Yayo made his first court appearance Wednesday morning (April 25) in New York in connection with allegations that he roughed up Game manager Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond's 14-year-old son on March 20. According to Yayo's lawyer, Scott Leemon, very little happened during the brief preliminary appearance, at which the case was adjourned until July 24. Leemon again expressed his belief that Yayo was not involved in the incident, telling MTV News, "After a thorough investigation, I steadfastly and adamantly state to you that Tony Yayo did not slap anyone," Leemon said. "I am hopeful that when [authorities] complete their investigation, they will come to the same conclusion. Yayo, as a father, understands the allegations and would never do anything to harm a child." ...

Beyoncé, Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Jessica Simpson, Hilary Duff, Fergie, Chris Brown and Katharine McPhee made People's 2007 "Most Beautiful" list. Click here to see photos from the issue, which hits newsstands Friday. To see more photos and check out video from the photo shoots, visit People.com. ...

The "American Idol" charity special "Idol Gives Back" racked up a whopping 70 million phone votes for a variety of charitable organizations, according to the publicity firm that handles the TV show. Two lines per contestant were opened to make it easier for callers to get through — that usually doesn't happen until the finals — and Fox parent company News Corp. has said it will chip in 10 cents for each of the first 50 million votes cast. ...

Opening statements began Wednesday in the trial of Phil Spector, with prosecutor Alan Jackson telling jurors that the music producer, "when he's confronted with the right situations, turns sinister and deadly," The Associated Press reports. Spector reportedly appeared tense during the televised hearing, and his attorneys were set to present their own opening remarks later in the day. ... Two diaries Anna Nicole Smith wrote in the early 1990s were sold for $59,750 after failing to sell at a recent auction, AP reports. An unnamed record-company executive was the buyer. ...

Russell Simmons appeared on "Live With Regis & Kelly" on Wednesday and clarified his stance on questionable hip-hop lyrical content. Simmons explained that he isn't calling for a full-on ban of certain words, but said, "We need to find more digestible ways to get our message across when it's coming through public airwaves." Simmons said he believes the request, which he made along with the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, is a reasonable one and stressed that there should be more corporate responsibility for what lyrics are broadcast. ... KCAA-AM, the Southern California radio station that had been rebroadcasting "Don Imus in the Morning" to rebel against the radio host's firing over racist and sexist comments, will end the reruns Friday, AP reports. Attorneys for CBS Radio and KCAA said they had agreed to end a lawsuit aimed at halting the rebroadcasts. ...

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke posted yet another strangely phrased missive on the band's blog earlier this week, writing that Radiohead are getting back to work after taking last week off. He added that he has "a CD of what we've been up to ... and you haven't. Yet. Sorry." (It's. OK. Thom.) Yorke goes on to write that he "must listen to it, after taking an ear break ... that always makes me nervous." ... Eminem is going back to his roots. The rapper and his longtime manager are in negotiations to take over the famed St. Andrew's Hall complex in downtown Detroit, according to the Detroit Free Press. The pair are trying to negotiate a plan to lease the venue from owner LiveNation, which would give them control of the liquor license and day-to-day operations of the venue that was the site of many of Em's earliest performances, some of them depicted in his semiautobiographical film, "8 Mile." The deal could be completed as early as next month. ...

In an unusual move, three of this summer's Ozzfest bands — Lamb of God, Hatebreed and Behemoth — will also play select dates on the Sounds of the Underground Tour. Suicidal Tendencies, Testament and Mushroomhead have also been announced as special guests for the trek, which was already set to feature Chimaira, Gwar, Every Time I Die, the Number Twelve Looks Like You, Goatwhore and others. Lamb of God will headline the recently added August 11 date in Louisville, Kentucky, with Hatebreed and Behemoth taking the stage earlier in the day. Testament will appear during the July 14 show in Sayreville, New Jersey, and Mushroomhead will close the July 21 Cleveland date, as well as take the stage July 22 (Columbus, Ohio); July 23 (Chicago); and July 24 (Minneapolis). Suicidal Tendencies will headline the August 3 (San Jose, California); August 4 (Irvine, California); and August 5 (Mesa, Arizona) dates. ...

The band that gave you "The Sun Never Sweats" and "Stinkin' Up the Great Outdoors" is reuniting once again, this time to rock you at the Wembley Stadium portion of Al Gore's Live Earth concerts on July 7, AP reports. Yes, all original members of mock rockers Spinal Tap are strapping on the skin-tight trousers and lace-up leather tops one more time for the London gig, which will also feature a cameo by Marty DeBergi (a.k.a. Rob Reiner), the (fake) documentarian who immortalized them on film in 1984's "This Is Spinal Tap." Reiner will also unveil a new 15-minute short he directed about the band's reunion on Wednesday at the Tribeca Film Festival. The group has recorded a new single for the occasion called "Warmer Than Hell." ...

Dave Navarro is launching his own weekly Internet series on ManiaTV called "Dave Navarro's Spread Entertainment," an hour-long variety show that will feature interviews, performances and comedy acts. The program, which debuts May 17, will be broadcast live from the Dragonfly nightclub in Hollywood and shot in front of a live audience. Navarro has described the show as "an avant-garde Internet talk show focusing on the arts and the human condition." ... The Cooper Temple Clause have decided to throw in the towel. According to guitarist Daniel Fisher, the break was initiated by his decision to leave the band last week. "In the wake of this decision, the rest of the boys agreed to call it a day and pursue other interests," he wrote in a statement. "Friendships are well and truly intact and the love very much remains within the camp." ...

Papa Roach drummer Dave Buckner has decided to sit the rest of the band's current tour out due to unspecified personal reasons. He is expected to rejoin the group at a later date, and in the interim, the band will use a stand-in for its upcoming shows, including Wednesday night's gig in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. ... Rosie O'Donnell announced her departure from "The View" on Wednesday's show, explaining that she couldn't agree on contract terms and will end her run in June. "It just didn't work," she said, "and that's showbiz." O'Donnell joined the show in September and has been at the center of controversy since she returned to daytime TV, including an ongoing battle with Donald Trump that often involved series co-host and creator Barbara Walters. "We have had, to say the least, an interesting year," Walters noted Wednesday, adding, "I do not participate in the negotiations for Rosie. ... This is not my doing." Walters said they do not have a replacement host in mind.

04.24.2007

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are officially through, The Associated Press reports. The couple's divorce was made final in Orange County, California, on Tuesday (April 24), with the settlement having been worked out in advance. Houston will get full legal and physical custody of the couple's 14-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina. ...

Bono will appear on "American Idol" for Wednesday night's "Idol Gives Back" special two-hour results show, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, to speak with the six finalists about the One campaign's aim to eliminate poverty. The contestants will perform "American Prayer," a song about Africa's AIDS crisis that was written by the U2 frontman with Dave Stewart. Other performers scheduled to appear on Wednesday's show include Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Carrie Underwood and Celine Dion. ...

Rihanna will debut the video for "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z) on her Web site Thursday. The track is the first single from Rihanna's upcoming third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, due June 5. ... Ashlee Simpson wants you to forget anything bad you've heard about her father. Joe Simpson, who manages Ashlee's career as well as sister Jessica's, isn't the overbearing stage father he's sometimes made out to be, she insists. "People have the wrong perception of him," Ashlee said in an interview published in the May issue of Harper's Bazaar. "He's a wonderful man. He would never hurt a fly." Simpson also said she thinks having more family involvement could help her peers, such as Britney Spears, cope with fame. "I think they should probably move out of L.A.," she said. "I think that their parents need to help them." ...

Simon Cowell and Clive Davis are combining their powers to help Leona Lewis ensure success. Lewis is the first female winner of Britain's "The X Factor" — a TV show produced by Cowell's SycoTV — and Cowell and Davis will collaborate to pick the producers and songs for her yet-untitled debut album, due on J/Syco. ... Eddie Murphy isn't sure he's the father of Mel B.'s new daughter, but the former Spice Girl has decided to name the baby Angel Iris Murphy Brown anyway, AP reports. In a statement, the singer explained how she came up with the name: "Angel, as she was my little angel through my pregnancy. Iris, as it's my grandma's name, Murphy because he's the dad, and Brown, because I'm the Mum!" ...

Willie stays free: Willie Nelson and his tour manager David Anderson won't be going to jail after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession, AP reports. Louisiana State District Judge Paul deMahy put Nelson and Anderson on six months' probation and fined them $1,024 each as part of a plea agreement stemming from citations issued in September. Nelson, Anderson, Nelson's sister and two drivers were cited after state troopers found marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms on the singer's tour bus. ... Four men and two women were chosen as alternate jurors Tuesday in the trial of Phil Spector, AP reports. ...

Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz will open a nightclub in New York with members of his own band as well as members of Gym Class Heroes, the Academy Is ... and Cobra Starship; the bands' managers are also involved in the enterprise. Called Angels & Kings, the club will occupy the former space that housed the Orchard Bar, on 11th Street near Avenue A. The club is scheduled to open Monday. ... Ne-Yo will perform Tuesday at Arena in New York to kick off the second annual Hennessy Artistry Tour. Ne-Yo will also perform at the second night on the tour, scheduled for Thursday in Washington, D.C. ... While he's been one of the tour's staples for the last six years, Zakk Wylde said his band, Black Label Society, will not be playing this summer's free Ozzfest. Wylde will, however, appear with headliner Ozzy Osbourne, playing guitar during the festival namesake's set. ...

Russell Simmons' new motivational book "Do You!" was released Tuesday, and the music mogul held court at a Borders bookstore in downtown Manhattan, New York, to celebrate its release. Simmons is also scheduled to sign copies of his book Tuesday evening at a Barnes & Noble in New Jersey and later host a party at Stereo in NYC. ... George Michael will have to appear in a London court the day before performing at Wembley Stadium, AP reports. The trial of the singer, who is facing charges of driving under the influence of drugs, begins May 8 and will be followed by hearings May 30-31 and June 8. His Wembley shows are set for June 9-10. ... James Brown's legal woes continue, but the deceased singer's backing band is carrying on — the 17-piece Soul Generals are planning a series of shows, AP reports. The first will take place at New York's Apollo Theater on May 3 — Brown's birthday. ...

Tom Morello, a.k.a. the Nightwatchman, joins some names you might not expect — Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley and Elvis Perkins — at this year's Dunkin' Donuts Newport Folk Festival (August 3-5) in Newport, Rhode Island. The fest will also feature sets from the Allman Brothers Band, North Mississippi Allstars, John Butler Trio, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Assembly of Dust. ... Morello is also the star of a new video feature on MySpace in which the Rage Against the Machine guitarist is interviewed by documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. Morello talks about the origins of the Nightwatchman character, which he honed on off-nights from an Audioslave arena tour by playing open mics. The video is available at MySpace.com/ArtistOnArtist. ...

Interpol's forthcoming, still-untitled third album has been slated for a July 10 release. ... The Click Five have parted ways with frontman Eric Dill, and have replaced him with Kyle Patrick. "We know he will be missed by many, and we wish him the best success in his other endeavors," the band said in a statement. The Click Five's second LP, Modern Minds and Pastimes, is due June 26. Dill explained on his Web site that he's moved to Los Angeles to try acting and other musical endeavors. "I have never been more excited to pursue my interests," he wrote. "I have a lot of ideas, and that's where it starts." ... Static-X have recruited Bevan Davies as their latest drummer. Davies, who has worked with Danzig and Jerry Cantrell, will be filling in for Nick Oshiro, who is recovering from a broken hand. Will Hunt had most recently manned the kit for the band. Static-X plan to make a summer-tour announcement in the coming weeks.

• Tony Yayo
• Lil' Kim
• Diddy
• Busta Rhymes
• Radiohead

Carrie Underwood
Photo: Rusty Russell/ Getty Images

Carrie Underwood is heading to the Persian Gulf. The singer, who recently scored two Grammy nominations, will entertain troops on her first United Service Organizations tour, The Associated Press reports. The exact dates and locations of her performances have not been revealed for safety and security reasons. ...

Add 50 Cent to the growing list of artists who will be counting down this New Year's Eve. Fiddy will be doing the "3, 2, 1" thing at New York's Roseland Ballroom, and the festivities will continue when Carson Daly and his friends party there after Daly wraps up his own separate New Year's Eve event. ...

Kelis walked the runway in New York on Tuesday (December 12) decked out in a dress made of McDonald's gift cards. The Arch Card ensemble, designed by inaugural "Project Runway" winner Jay McCarroll, will be auctioned on eBay Giving Works beginning Monday and ending December 31. Proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities, which supports families in need. ...

Former pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Page wants Rocawear to pay for throwing up the Roc. A federal judge granted a motion to add Rocawear owners to the trademark- and copyright-infringement suit Page filed against Jay-Z in December 2005, according to a statement issued by Page's lawyer. The ex-wrestler alleges that his "Diamond Cutter" hand sign was misappropriated as the Roc symbol and seeks unspecified monetary damages along with an injunction barring its use by Jay-Z and Rocawear. ... Jada Pinkett Smith donated $1 million to her alma mater, the Baltimore School for the Arts, and requested that the high school's new theater be named in honor of classmate Tupac Shakur, AP reports. The school announced the donation Monday, explaining that the money will be used for renovation and expansion projects. Baltimore School for the Arts said in the statement that the new theater will be named after Pinkett Smith, who graduated in 1989. ...

Sir Elton John, Pharrell Williams, Duran Duran, Joss Stone and Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry are among the artists confirmed for the lineup for a charity concert marking the 10th anniversary of Princess Diana's death, BBC News reports. The show, organized by the late princess' sons, Princes William and Harry, will take place at Wembley Stadium on July 1. ... Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has posted remixes of the tracks "Analyse" and "The Clock," from his debut solo album, free to download on TheEraser.net. ... Ex-Guns N' Roses ax-slinger Gilby Clarke has a self-titled CD set for January 30. The disc antes up with 14 tracks from his solo career, two from his days with Colonel Parker and a re-recording of "Black" with "Rock Star: Supernova" runner-up Dilana. ...

The Stooges will release The Weirdness, the Iggy Pop-fronted band's first album of new material in 34 years, on March 20. The reunited band wrote more than 30 tracks for the LP and began working on the effort with producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies) back in October. The record will feature 16 cuts, including "Greedy Awful People," "Claustrophobia," "Mexican Guy," "She Took My Money" and "End of Christianity." The group also appeared on Pop's 2003 LP, Skull Ring. ... It turns out that $155,000 bid for a rare pressing of the first Velvet Underground album was a hoax. The Canadian Press Association reports that Montreal seller Warren Hill, who bought one of two known acetate recordings of The Velvet Underground & Nico for 75 cents at a sidewalk sale in New York in 2002, will try again after finding out that the top bid among more than 250 was phony. The rare acetate features different versions and/or mixes of several songs from the album's final release. ...

A Los Angeles judge has denied a request to cut a scene from the "Borat" movie featuring two fraternity members making racist and sexist remarks. According to a Reuters report, the students, who sued the film's producers and distributor last month claiming that the scene has tarnished their reputations, were denied a second shot at a temporary restraining order that would have removed the footage. The judge in the case ruled last week that they had failed to show a reasonable probability of success on the merits of their case or that money damages alone would be insufficient to resolve their claims. Last month, the attorney for the two men said the movie had cost one of the students a job at a major corporation and the other a prestigious internship. ...

José González issued his Live Session EP exclusively on iTunes Tuesday. The release features five songs recorded earlier this year in San Francisco: "Hints," "Lovestain" and "Crosses," from his Veneer debut; "Suggestions," a B-side; and "Storm," which hasn't come out in the U.S. yet. González is working on his second solo album, due next year, while his side project Junip are putting out their Black Refuge EP digitally later this month. ... On a similar note, Goldfrapp are slipping out their iTunes Session EP, also recorded earlier this year in San Francisco, on December 19. The Grammy-nominated duo check in with four tracks, studio versions of which have been out before: "Ooh La La," "Deer Stop," "Ride a White Horse" and "Strict Machine." ...

Lamb of God, Machine Head, Trivium and Gojira will be hitting the road together in February for a 40-date North American trek. The tour kicks off in Dallas on February 16, and dates run through April 5 in Cincinnati. ... The Arcade Fire are returning to their hometown of Montreal for a five-night run of shows, their first concerts in the city in over a year. The band will perform February 6-10 at the Ukrainian National Federation. Tickets go on sale Wednesday at Admission.com. ... Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, 83, has slipped into a severe coma, Reuters reports. The legendary record man was hospitalized with a head injury after a fall at a Rolling Stones concert on October 29 and is on life support and in critical condition at a neurological intensive care unit at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. Ertegun is in a deep coma, with a slim chance for meaningful recovery, his neurosurgeon told the wire service.

12.11.2006

Gwen Stefani, Nas, Ciara, Pussycat Dolls, AFI, Chamillionaire, Lady Sovereign and Three 6 Mafia are lined up to perform at "MTV Goes Gold: New Year's Eve 2007," which MTV will air live at 11 p.m. ET on New Year's Eve. Fall Out Boy, Timbaland, "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere and blogger Perez Hilton will also make appearances at the event, to be held at New York's Times Square. MTV.com will feature performances on demand after the show, and the MTV Goes Gold: Bling in the New Year contest is allowing five winners to attend the festivities. ...

Foxy Brown was greeted with an unwelcome surprise Monday (December 11) when a New York judge summoned her to court over the infamous nail-salon incident, according to The Associated Press. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Melissa C. Jackson accused Brown of breaking appointments with probation officers, not showing up to anger-management courses and failing to submit to drug tests. After hearing a probation officer say Brown "is flouting the court-ordered conditions of her probation," Jackson told the rapper she would go to jail if she doesn't comply with the terms of her sentence, which was passed down in October. ...

Courtney Love, on the other hand, got a rare dose of good news Monday when a Los Angeles judge ended her probation and dismissed two misdemeanor charges against her, AP reports. "Thank you for not taking me into custody. Thank you for giving me an opportunity. You've been a good, fair judge. Sorry for crying," the singer told Superior Court Judge Rand Rubin. "Early on in this case, Ms. Love, I think you came very close to coming into custody," Rubin said to her. "I think you've done very well. You've shown to me you are interested in a much less destructive lifestyle." Two of the misdemeanor charges that were tossed were related to drugs. ... Prince has been tapped as the halftime entertainment for the Super Bowl, which will be held at Dolphin Stadium near Miami on February 4. The game will be televised on CBS. ...

"The Simple Life" co-star Nicole Richie was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence early Monday morning. Police took the 25-year-old into custody after her black Mercedes SUV was stopped shortly after midnight in the car-pool lane of State Highway 134 near Burbank, California, and she admitted she had smoked marijuana and taken the painkiller Vicodin, according to the The Los Angeles Times. The arrest took place following two 911 calls to authorities about a car traveling in the wrong direction on the freeway; the car matched the description of Richie's, though People magazine reported that her car was stopped while facing the correct direction on the highway. After being booked at the Glendale Police Department, Richie posted $15,000 bail and was released around 7 a.m. ...

U2 completed their Vertigo Tour on Saturday night with a sold-out, two-and-a-half-hour-long finale in Honolulu that featured a surprise guest appearance from Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, who jammed with the band on their recent collaboration, "The Saints Are Coming." Also joining the group for an encore were Eddie Vedder and Mike McCready of show openers Pearl Jam, who sat in on a cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World." Rocking along enthusiastically in the audience were Kid Rock and Anthrax's Scott Ian, according to the Honolulu Advertiser. ... Troubled rocker Pete Doherty was interviewed by police following the death of a man at a party he attended in the early hours of December 3, according to MTV UK. Actor Mark Blanco died after falling from a third-floor balcony during a party at a London apartment owned by Doherty's friend, literary editor Paul Roundhill. There was no suggestion that Doherty was involved in the death of the actor, who was reportedly ejected from the party after behaving rambunctiously, according to The Washington Post. Blanco was found lying unconscious on the pavement outside the apartment by a woman as she left the party. ...

According to BBC News, Mariah Carey is threatening to take legal action against adult-film star — and former California gubernatorial candidate — Mary Carey, to prevent the actress from trademarking her similar-sounding stage name. Mariah contends fans could confuse the two performers, should Mary Carey's trademark application be approved. The actress told Reuters she's "ready to battle Mariah over this because I've been Mary Carey for a long time. I think she's being silly." ... Metallica will begin recording a new album in January, and drummer Lars Ulrich said they have 25 songs written, which will be narrowed down to a single album after they enter the studio with super-producer Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slipknot). Ulrich said the album's sound will recall 1986's Master of Puppets, which the band played in its entirety at concerts over the summer (and which many fans consider the band's finest hour). "What I hear sounds very lively, very spunky, got a lot of energy," Ulrich told The Rock Radio. "I think that the shows we played over the summer, we were definitely leaner and kind of in better shape than we've been in a long time. Having to deliver Master of Puppets for three months this summer definitely revitalized some of that stuff in us. It's been kind of fun having that in the back of our mind." ...

A rare vinyl album containing an alternate version of the Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground & Nico — purchased for 75 cents at a New York flea market four years ago — was sold on eBay for $155,401 over the weekend. The buyer, identified only as "mechadaddy," bought what is believed to be one of only two known acetates containing alternate mixes and versions of songs from the band's 1967 debut. ... Jazz singer Diana Krall, wife of Elvis Costello, gave birth to twins on Wednesday, the couple announced in a press release on Friday. The twin boys — Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James — are the first children for Krall, 42; Costello, 52, has a son from a previous marriage. The couple said, "We are ecstatic!" in the statement; mother and sons are said to be doing "splendidly." ...

Two witnesses to the December 8, 2004, slaying of late Pantera/Damageplan guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, have filed a lawsuit against the club's owners for failing to provide adequate security at the venue. AP reports that Jerry and Karen Wessler's suit claims both continue to suffer severe and permanent emotional trauma from the experience and are seeking unspecified damages from the club's owners, Rick and John Cautela. Abbott was one of four people killed two years ago by Nathan Gale, who was killed by a policeman in the incident. The suit, filed last week, claims Gale's actions "were reasonably foreseeable, given the totality of circumstances." ... Nine Inch Nails will release a DVD called "Beside You in Time" on February 27. The effort was filmed during the band's tour last summer in support of 2005's With Teeth and will feature live performances of 19 tracks, including "March of the Pigs," "Closer," "The Hand That Feeds" and "Head Like a Hole." ... The sixth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival will take place June 14-17 at the 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, that has hosted the previous festivals. A limited quantity of discount early-bird tickets will be available before the lineup is announced on Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET.

• Jay-Z
• Tupac
• Pharrell Williams
• Elton John
• Thom Yorke

Thom Yorke's <I>The Eraser</I>
Photo: XL

Now that's what I call a thrashing.

The chips were stacked against Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke on Billboard's albums chart — as the chips are usually stacked against any artist releasing an album the same week that a Now That's What I Call Music compilation hits store shelves. So it was almost a given that the best Yorke could do with his debut solo album, The Eraser, was open at #2 on the Billboard chart — as the disc does this week, with more than 90,000 sales.

Now That's What I Call Music — featuring tracks from artists including Chamillionaire, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Daniel Powter, Ne-Yo, Nickelback and the All-American Rejects — scored a decisive chart victory, racking up close to 398,000 scans its first week out to take #1, according to the latest SoundScan figures.

Pimp C's Pimpalation, one of 20 new releases to crack the next top 200, sold just over 87,000 copies — enough for a strong third-place debut. The UGK rapper finishes in front of Nelly Furtado's latest, Loose, which claimed the chart's #4 slot with more than 58,000 copies sold.

With the exception of just one other new album — Muse's Black Holes & Revelations, which opens at #9 with 48,000 copies sold — the rest of this week's top 10 belongs to the regulars. Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere claims the #5 spot with 56,000 sales. The prior week's chart champ, Johnny Cash's American V: A Hundred Highways, follows at #6 with nearly 54,000 copies sold its second week in stores. The soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical" takes #7 with close to 50,000 sales, while Rascal Flatts' Me and My Gang slips one position to #8 with 49,000 scans. The #10 spot is occupied by Rihanna's A Girl Like Me, which sold 47,000 copies during its 12th week out.

The Day Has Come, the debut album from singer/songwriter/MTV reality star Cheyenne Kimball, claims the chart's #15 slot, selling just under 40,000 copies. The Diplomats' JR Writer debuts at #25 after selling 29,000 copies of his History in the Making. The Early November's Mother Mechanic and the Path surfaces at #31 with sales topping 26,000, while Seether's One Cold Night bows at #50 with 17,000-plus scans.

Chicago rapper Rhymefest finishes at #61 with nearly 15,000 copies of Blue Collar snatched up. Sufjan Stevens' The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! opens at #71, selling close to 14,000 units. The Format's Dog Problems ends the week with nearly 11,000 scans to debut at #84, while Butch Walker's The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites! takes #140 with 6,000 sales. Soul Asylum return to the chart at #155 as their new album, Silver Lining, sells nearly 6,000 copies. Phish's Live in Brooklyn follows at #162 with 5,000 scans, and Peaches' Impeach My Bush debuts at #168, selling 5,000 copies its first week in stores.

Several Ozzfest bands released new albums last week, and second-stage act All That Remains lead the pack with their The Fall of Ideals opening at #75 with close to 13,000 copies sold. Festival vets Bury Your Dead take #129 after selling 7,000 copies of their Beauty and the Breakdown, and Strapping Young Lad's The New Black moved more than 4,000 units during its first week in stores to land at #200.

• Thom Yorke
• Chamillionaire
• Kelly Clarkson
• Nelly Furtado
• Pimp C

Britney Spears
Photo: Steve Finn/Getty Images

Britney Spears is getting an apology from a most unlikely source: the tabloids. According to The Associated Press, the British edition of The National Enquirer apologized in its Tuesday (July 18) volume for reporting in two June stories that she was about to divorce Kevin Federline. The paper, which also printed a retraction, said in a statement, "These allegations are untrue and we now accept Britney's position that the statements are without foundation. We apologize for any distress caused." ...

Eight celebrities took it all off for Jane magazine's August "naked" issue, and they will auction off the clothes they stripped out of to benefit children's charities. Model Heidi Klum is the mag's cover girl, while Olympic snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler and actresses Denise Richards, Sanaa Lathan ("Something New"), Brittany Snow ("John Tucker Must Die"), Rachel Blanchard ("Snakes on a Plane"), Rachel Miner ("The Black Dahlia") and Jenna Fischer ("The Office") pose inside and talk about taking off their clothes. Richards said she's comfortable being nude in front of a stranger — her massage therapist — while Snow prefers to stay dressed unless she's showering. You can bid on the celebrity threads beginning Thursday at ClothesOffOurBack.com. Jane's August issue hits newsstands July 25. ...

Mariah Carey recently shot short films in Los Angeles that will be screened at her Adventures of Mimi Tour, and she isn't working with just any director on the project. Spike Lee has teamed up with Carey on the vignettes, which feature the singer dressed in a coral Herve Leger dress. The tour kicks off August 5 in Miami. ...

Good Charlotte, the Strokes, Velvet Revolver, Aerosmith and Coheed and Cambria are among the artists who've contributed tracks to Serve, a compilation to benefit World Hunger Year, a nonprofit that develops community-based efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty. The CD will be available for purchase at all Hard Rock Cafe locations and on the restaurant chain's Web site. The album, which features a dozen tracks, also includes music from Modest Mouse, DMC, Lenny Kravitz, Dido, the Hold Steady and more. ...

Pink wants to direct a music video, and she's letting fans decide which up-and-coming female artists she should work with. Sandi Thom, Pretty Boys and the Ditty Bops are facing off at Glamour.com/ReelMusic for a chance to have Pink at the helm of their clip. Voting ends August 14. ... Arctic Monkeys' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, Thom Yorke's The Eraser and Muse's Black Holes and Revelations are among the nominees for the 14th annual Mercury Prize, awarded to the year's best British album. Other albums receiving nods included the Editors' The Back Room, Hot Chip's The Warning and Sway's This Is My Demo. The winner — who will take home a cash prize worth approximately $37,000 — will be announced September 5. ... Paul Oakenfold will be the primary support act for seven European dates on Madonna's Confessions tour. The DJ, who will open for Madonna at shows in cities including Rome, Amsterdam and Düsseldorf, Germany, kicks off his Confessions run in Cardiff, Wales, on July 30. Oakenfold, who has remixed the Madonna songs "Sorry," "Hollywood," "What It Feels Like for a Girl" and "American Life," said he is "looking forward to the challenge" of the tour. He is currently touring the U.S. on a run that hits Stateline, Nevada, on Wednesday, San Francisco on Friday and Los Angeles on Saturday. The trek wraps up July 26 in New York. ...

Sorry, ladies: It looks like Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst is off the market. In a post on Bizkit's MySpace page, Durst said that he'd met "a wonderful girl named Krista" while in Rhode Island, where he's shooting his directorial debut, "The Education of Charlie Banks." Durst said he asked for her hand in marriage, and "she said yes." Durst didn't reveal the lucky gal's last name, but he did disclose that he's been working on lyrics for Limp Bizkit's next LP between takes. "I am extremely focused right now and have been able to channel my thoughts and feelings into lyrics without hesitation," he wrote. "I am so excited to get in the studio as soon as we wrap this picture July 25. We are excited to move forward and get the Bizkit rocking full throttle." ... Justin Timberlake isn't the only artist in the direct-to-DVD movie game. Master P issued the car-repossessing comedy "Repos," the first release from his H. Hood Cinema home video company, earlier this month. Master P directed, produced and stars in the film along with Nick Cannon, Anthony Johnson ("Players Club") and Katt Williams ("Friday After Next"). The movie's soundtrack, featuring Lil' Romeo, comes packaged with the DVD. ...

John Mayer has set a release date for his next album, Continuum. Due September 12, the disc was produced by Mayer along with John Mayer Trio cohort Steve Jordan and features the songs "I Don't Trust Myself With Loving You," "I'm Gonna Find Another You" and "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," along with a cover of the Jimi Hendrix track "Bold as Love." Mayer's tour with Sheryl Crow kicks off August 24 in Pittsburgh. ... A founding member of English rock outfit Kasabian — lead guitarist and keyboardist Chris Karloff — has been booted from the fold, according to a post on the band's Web site. "Karloff and the band experienced certain creative and artistic differences during the writing and recording of their second album," the post reads. "These irreconcilable and diverging approaches resulted in the band asking Karloff to leave the group. Karloff will pursue a musical career elsewhere." ... Sloan have posted "Who Taught You to Live Like That?" the first single from their upcoming, still-untitled album, at MySpace.com/Sloan. The bouncy track features guitarist Jay Ferguson on lead vocals. The LP will be out in Canada in late September, followed by a U.S. release. The band, who is currently playing summer festival dates in Canada, plans to tour North America beginning this fall. ...

Live footage of Bad Brains captured during a three-day stint of shows at New York's CBGB will hit stores in DVD form on September 19. Called "Bad Brains: Live at CBGB 1982," the disc was compiled from more than four hours of unreleased tape. ... Taste-making archivist Rhino Records is once again putting its definitive stamp on a genre. On September 19, the label will release the goth compilation A Life Less Lived: The Gothic Box, which will feature 53 influential tracks by groups such as the Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Love and Rockets and many more. Spread over three discs, the box set also includes 12 classic goth and dark-wave videos from Bauhaus, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Ministry, Echo & the Bunnymen and more. ... Boston indie rockers the Pernice Brothers have set October 17 as the release date for their fifth album, Live a Little. The follow-up to Discover a Lovelier You was produced by Mike Deming, the man behind the boards of the band's fan-favorite, Overcome by Happiness. The track "Somerville" is available as a free download on the band's Web site. ...

Dave Pajo, formerly of Billy Corgan's Zwan and seminal post-rockers Slint, has gone through a number of solo monikers — including Pajo, Papa M and Aerial M — but for now, he's just sticking with his last name. The Louisville, Kentucky, singer-guitarist will release 1968 on August 22, preceded by a tour that begins July 25 in Seattle. The eight-date jaunt ends August 5 in Somerville, Massachusetts. ... XM Satellite Radio has asked a federal judge to throw out a copyright lawsuit filed in May by the recording industry, AP reports. XM said Monday that the 1992 Audio Home Recording Act protects the company from being sued over its Inno device, which can store up to 50 hours of music. The industry's largest labels filed the suit, which seeks $150,000 in damages for every song copied by XM customers using the Inno, one month after the device was introduced.

07.17.2006

Justin Timberlake will not be making his big-screen debut in "Edison" after all. The crime drama — now titled "Edison Force" — that also stars LL Cool J and Oscar winners Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey, is bypassing theatrical release to go direct to DVD. The good news for Timberlake fans is that the disc hits stores Tuesday. And Timberlake's "Alpha Dog" — based on a 2000 murder allegedly involving Jesse James Hollywood — has prosecutors in Santa Barbara, California, in hot water. Lawyers for Hollywood have asked an appeals court to take the Santa Barbara County district attorney's office off the murder case because Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen shared confidential files with producers of the film, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hollywood was apprehended in Brazil last year for the 2000 kidnapping and killing of a 15-year-old boy. Appellate justices are expected to enter their decision — which could take Zonen or the entire D.A.'s office off the case — in two or three months. ...

Korn will perform acoustically for the first time ever on TV Tuesday. Jonathan Davis and company will strip down "Coming Undone" and "Twisted Transistor" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," in part to promote their upcoming Family Values Tour. ... Bobby Valentino has a Special Occasion brewing for September 19. The R&B singer's second LP — being issued by DTP/ Island Def Jam — will feature production by Rodney Jerkins, Sean Garrett and Dre & Vidal. ...

A judge has released C-Murder from home confinement, characterizing his participation in a home-monitoring program as a "burden" on the police department in Gretna, Louisiana, The Associated Press reports. C-Murder is awaiting a retrial on a second-degree murder charge stemming from the 2002 slaying of a 16-year-old boy at a now-defunct nightclub in Harvey, Louisiana. The rapper has been under house arrest since March 20. Prosecutors had petitioned a judge to send C-Murder back to jail, claiming he'd violated the terms of his home confinement by moving outside the range of the police's monitoring equipment numerous times. ...

Actor/filmmaker Zach Braff has already released one indie-friendly soundtrack with his directorial debut, "Garden State," so it's no surprise that his next film, "The Last Kiss," also features a list of indie-rock tearjerkers. Braff posted the track list for the movie's soundtrack on his Web site. The disc — featuring tracks by Coldplay, Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, Snow Patrol, Rachel Yamagata and Imogen Heap — is due August 9. ... Hawthorne Heights, Relient K, Emery, Plain White T's and the Sleeping have been tapped to perform on the fourth annual Nintendo Fusion Tour, which kicks off September 27. As with previous versions of the tour, the bands are only part of the attraction: Fans will get a chance to test out a variety of new Nintendo products, including the anxiously awaited Wii, Nintendo's next-gen system. ...

Gnarls Barkley and Peeping Tom will head out on a 10-date run that starts Thursday in Costa Mesa, California. Peeping Tom will also play several headlining gigs with the Dub Trio on Gnarls tour off-nights. The trek concludes August 17 in New York. ... What's the perfect date for a band like Slipknot to release a DVD? Halloween, naturally. Slipknot are tentatively planning to issue the yet-untitled follow-up to 2002's Disasterpieces on October 31. There's no word yet on what footage the disc will feature. ... Australians have had enough of Barry Manilow, apparently. Officials have been blasting his music at the Cook Park Reserve outside of Sydney as a way of keeping people away from the park at night on the weekend, AP reports. The six-month campaign, which only started recently, already has locals peeved. ...

Mastodon will head out on a U.S. headlining run with Converge and the Bronx that's set to kick off in Baltimore on September 6. The band has 14 gigs lined up through September 23 in Seattle, with stops planned in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Portland, Oregon. Mastodon's forthcoming LP, Blood Mountain, is due September 12. ... The Bled's Michael Pedicone has been recruited to fill in for Helmet drummer Mike Jost, who has stepped off this summer's Warped Tour following the recent birth of his child. Pedicone will play two sets on each Warped date, one with his own band and one with Helmet. He learned all of the songs in Helmet's set in a single day. ... Ill Niño have officially parted ways with Roadrunner Records, less than a year after the release of the band's third album, One Nation Underground. Ill Nino guitarist Ahrue Luster and wife, Xylia, welcomed a baby girl Friday. ...

Calexico have set aside the month of September for touring. After hitting up a variety of festivals — Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and Touch and Go's 25th anniversary shindig among them — the band will play September 18 in New Orleans. From that day forward, Calexico will play daily (except for one day off, September 26) through the end of the month, closing with a show in Lawrence, Kansas. ... TV on the Radio have set September 12 as the release date for their upcoming album, Return to Cookie Mountain. A video for the single "Wolf Like Me" was shot this weekend in Brooklyn, New York, by director John Watts. ... Canadian orchestral rockers the Dears have finalized the U.S. release of their upcoming third album. Due October 3, Gang of Losers will be released on Arts & Crafts, the label home to Stars and Broken Social Scene. ...

Roger O'Donnell, keyboardist for the Cure, has remixed "Cutting Ballons" by Cassettes Won't Listen, and the fresh version will be posted Tuesday on Stereogum.com. ... Rockers Clinic and indie-folk group Adem who share the same homeland (Britain) and record label (Domino), have announced records coming out this fall. Adem's sophomore disc, Love and Other Planets, will be released September 12 and Clinic's fourth album, Visitations, is due October 10. ... Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie was assaulted in a hotel bar in Madrid, Spain, on Friday, BBC News reports. The singer was advised by a doctor not to fly to the U.K. — where the band was due to perform on "Top of the Pops" — until Sunday afternoon, though he was able to play a show in Barcelona as scheduled on Saturday. Gillespie's manager said the singer is back home and doing well despite two black eyes.

• Britney Spears
• Mariah Carey
• Good Charlotte
• P!nk
• Thom Yorke

Thom Yorke's <I>The Eraser</I>
Photo: Xl Recordings

Call It What You Will: The debate rages on regarding Thom Yorke's The Eraser. Solo album? Not-so-solo album? When it comes to Radiohead, haven't people learned better than to bother with labels? After all, they dipped into The Eraser throughout their recent North American tour, introducing those tracks seamlessly with new ones of their own. For this week, just let the music do the talking. The Nigel Godrich-produced record includes "Analyse," "Atoms for Peace" and "Harrowdown Hill."

Light the Muse: The U.K. assault continues with Muse's Black Holes & Revelations and its equally grandiose-sounding "Starlight," "Invincible" and "Supermassive Black Hole." While Muse are still fresh in the States, they've been puttering around England for nearly 10 years now — which explains why you'll see them headlining the Glastonbury Festival on the bonus DVD. That extra disc comes with the first pressing only, although both editions were designed by Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd collaborator Storm Thorgerson.

Suffer Me Sufjan: If Sufjan Stevens keeps at the rate he's going, he'll have finished making an album for each state sometime in the early 22nd century. And it's not helping his cause that he's stopping to cobble together leftovers along the way: In addition to Illinois, the seemingly exhaustive 22-track disc he put out last year, now he's piling on 21 additional tracks from the sessions, including the typically long-winded "The Vivian Girls Are Visited in the Night by Saint Dararius and His Squadron of Benevolent Butterflies." Catch your breath and enjoy.

Seething in Concert: Keeping it much more simple are Seether, who strip down "Diseased," "Truth," "Broken" and "Remedy" for the acoustic-concert set One Cold Night. The CD has two versions of "The Gift," including an alternate mix, while the DVD compiles the February concert in Philadelphia with still images, an interview, the video for "The Gift" and behind-the-scenes clips.

Random Sightings (Emphasis on "Random"): Paul Wall, Ice-T and E-40 crop up in the same place this week, making guest appearances on the new ... Jamie Kennedy CD? Yup, you read it right — Kennedy's Blowin' Up with collaborator Stu Stone, which also has drop-ins by other, uh, big-name hip-hop talent like Kardinal Offishall, Gill T. Pleasure and Iceberg.

And yes, that's Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and hard-rock vet Joan Jett clashing alongside the quieter-than-thou Feist on Peaches' new record, which she endowed with the all-too-dead-on title Impeach My Bush. Don't forget to "Stick It to the Pimp" and "Rock the Shocker."

Also going from loud to soft is Greg Graffin, the Bad Religion frontman who goes the way of Neil Young and the Band on his solo album Cold as the Clay. He welcomes singer/songwriter Jolie Holland — another Anti artist — on two tracks and touches on some traditional fare like "Omie Wise" and "Talk About Suffering."

On the same token, Jimmy Tamborello stepped away from the Postal Service to craft Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake, which he's releasing under the moniker James Figurine. Tamborello recorded the techno-pop tracks in Germany but got some additional help from Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis and members of Kings of Convenience, Whispertown 2000 and other lesser-knowns.

And members of a litany of groups — Broken Social Scene, Sadies, Weakerthans and more — come together to form Hylozoists, a Toronto collective who say their debut is an "ideal accompaniment for a macabre carnival carousel." The instrumental La Fin du Monde includes "Warning Against Judging a Christian Brother," "If Only Your Heart Was a Major Sixth" and "Hearts and Harps."

Maximum Psych: Bands might not be name-dropping the Jesus and Mary Chain quite yet — seems like it's all the Cure and Joy Division these days — but with their early records in your collection, you'll be one step ahead of the retro hipsters. These remastered versions of the band's first five studio albums — Automatic, Darklands, Honey's Dead, Psychocandy and Stoned & Dethroned — have three videos apiece on the video flipside.

One band that had no trouble finding an audience for psychedelia were Phish, whose 2004 shindig at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, is immortalized in both three-CD and two-DVD form as Live in Brooklyn. The concert was simultaneously broadcast to movie theaters while it was performed and was the first the band played after announcing its impending breakup. Shine on, you crazy diamonds.

Speaking of which, fans have been waiting for nearly an eternity for the "Pulse" double-disc by Phish's progenitors, Pink Floyd, to drop from the sky, and lo and behold, here 'tis. The footage was captured during the band's Division Bell tour in 1994 and was filmed at London's Earls Court during the band's 14-night residency there (try that one, Radiohead). The second disc features the band performing The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety, and was designed by the aforementioned Storm Thorgerson.

Song Title of the Week:

"Motor Driven Puppy Stabbers" from Indorphine's Glowsticks for Clubbing Baby Seals

Other Notables:

Cut Chemist's The Audience's Listening: With just two weeks to go before Jurassic 5 deliver their first studio album in almost four years, their former turntable master has just enough time to steal the spotlight with The Audience's Listening, his solo debut. The DJ hit the studio, cobbled together old samples and fused them with Brazilian and old-school beats for his new disc, which boasts "(My 1st) Big Break," "2266 Cambridge" and "Spat."

Kaada's Music for Moviebikers: Yet another record to be filed in the "Soundtracks to Films That Haven't Been Made Yet" category, the Norwegian experimentalist kept it fresh by hiring random folk musicians throughout Europe and recording the bulk of his record live instead of through programming. That resulted in more than 22 musicians participating on his instrumental disc, which includes "Julia Pastrana," "Mainstreaming" and "Retirement Community."

Various artists' Graciously: Label comps often slip through the cracks, but Wavelab Studio and Funzalo Records' new collection deserves some extra lovin'. All 12 songs — by Calexico, Robyn Hitchcock and Scout Niblett — are new and unreleased, and one-third of proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity's Musician's Village project in New Orleans.

New Releases:

• The Adored - A New Language (V2)
• Alcian Blue - Alcian Blue (Elephant Stone)
• All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals (Razor & Tie)
  Buy Now: The Fall of Ideals (Razor & Tie)
  
• Jessica Bailiff - Feels Like Home (Kranky)
• Betrayed - Substance (Equal Vision)
• Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys - Turntable Matinee (Yep Roc)
• Boy Hits Car - The Passage (Rock Ridge)
  Buy Now: The Passage (Rock Ridge)
  
• Bury Your Dead - Beauty and the Breakdown (Victory)
  Buy Now: Beauty and the Breakdown (Victory)
  
• Cairo Gang - Cairo Gang (Narnack)
• Cattle Decapitation - Karma Bloody Karma (Metal Blade)
• Jen Chapin - Ready (Hybrid)
• CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy (Sub Pop)
• Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway (Earache)
• Cut Chemist - The Audience's Listening (Warner Bros.)
• D Block - The CD/ DVD Mixtape (Koch)
• Dead to Me - Cuban Ballerina (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Disaster Strikes - Liberty Toast (Alternative Tentacles)
• Johnny Dowd - Cruel World (Bongo Beat)
• Steve Earle - Live at Montreux 2005 (Eagle)
• The Early November - The Mother, the Mechanic and the Path (three-CD box set; Drive-Thru)
  Buy Now: The Mother, the Mechanic and the Path (Drive-Thru)
  
• Ramblin' Jack Elliott - I Stand Alone (Anti)
• William Lee Ellis - God's Tattoos (Yellow Dog)
• Evaline - Postpartum Modesty. A Portrait of Skin (EP; Maverick)
• Every Move a Picture - Heart = Weapon (V2)
• James Figurine - Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake (Plug Research)
  Buy Now: Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake (Plug Research)
  
• Fish Karma - The Theory of Intelligent Design (Alternative Tentacles)
• The Format - Dog Problems (Nettwerk)
  Buy Now: Dog Problems (Nettwerk)
  
• From a Second Story Window - Delenda (Metal Blade)
• Full Blown Chaos - Within the Grasp of Titans (Stillborn)
  Buy Now: Within the Grasp of Titans (Stillborn)
  
• The Gentlemen Homicide - Understanding the Words We Speak (Blood & Ink)
• John Gorka - Writing in the Margins (Red House)
• Greg Graffin - Cold as the Clay (Anti)
• The Hylozoists - La Fin du Monde (Boompa)
• Jihad Jerry & the Evildoers - Mine Is Not a Holy War (Cordless)
• Indorphine - Glowsticks for Clubbing Baby Seals (Rock Ridge)
• Kaada - Music for Moviebikers (Ipecac)
• Matt Keating - Summer Tonight (Kealon)
• Robert Earl Keen - Live at the Ryman: The Greatest Show Ever Been Gave (Koch)
• Jamie Kennedy and Stu Stone - Blowin' Up (JKss)
  Buy Now: Blowin' Up (JKss)
  
• Khia - Gangstress (TME/ Phase One Communications)
  Buy Now: Gangstress (TME/ Phase One Communications)
  
• The Kilborn Alley Blues Band - Put It in the Alley (Blue Bella)
• Cheyenne Kimball - The Day Has Come (Epic/ Daylight)
  Buy Now: The Day Has Come (Epic/ Daylight)
  
• Chris Knight - Enough Rope (Emergent)
• Greg Laswell - Through Toledo (Vanguard)
• The Living End - State of Emergency (Adeline)
  Buy Now: State of Emergency (Adeline)
  
• The Lordz - The Brooklyn Way (Perfect Game)
• Bill Lupkin & Friends - Where I Come From (Blue Bella)
• Miranda Sound - Western Reserve (Sunken Treasure)
• Nick Moss and the Flip Tops - Live at Chan's (Blue Bella)
• Muse - Black Holes & Revelations (limited edition with DVD due same day; Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Muse Hope Fans Aren't Too Shocked By 'Genre-Morphing' New LP"
  Buy Now: Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros.)
  
• Anna Nalick - Wreck of the Day (Columbia)
• The North Atlantic - Wires in the Walls (We Put Out)
• Oneida - Happy New Year (Jagjaguwar)
• The Outline - You Smash It We'll Build Around It (Fearless)
• Peaches - Impeach My Bush (Kitty-Yo/ XL Recordings/ Beggars Group)
• Phish -- Live in Brooklyn (three CDs; Rhino)
  Buy Now: Live in Brooklyn (Rhino)
  
• Plaid - Greedy Baby (with DVD; Warp)
• Redding - Redding (Rock Ridge)
• The Remote - Too Low to Miss (Global Underground)
• Rhymefest - Blue Collar (J)
  Buy Now: Blue Collar (J)
  
• Seether - One Cold Night (with bonus DVD; Wind-Up)
  Read: "Seether Lose Guitarist; Frontman Credits Stomach With Acoustic Night"
  Buy Now: One Cold Night (Wind-Up)
  
• Shapes and Sizes - Shapes and Sizes (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Some Girls - Crushing Love (with DVD; Koch)
• Soul Asylum - The Silver Lining (Legacy)
  Buy Now: The Silver Lining (Legacy)
  
• Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Strapping Young Lad - The New Black (enhanced; Century Media)
  Buy Now: The New Black (Century Media)
  
• Striborg - Embittered Darkness/ Isles de Morts (Southern Lord)
• Tenebre - Heart's Blood (Candlelight)
• Torchebearer - Warnaments (Candlelight)
• Trendkill - No Longer Buried (Candlelight)
• Village of Dead Roads - Dwelling in Doubt (Meteor City)
• John Waite - Downtown Journey of a Heart (Frontiers)
• Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites - The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites (Red Ink)
  Read: "Butch Walker Works With Avril, Hot Hot Heat, Says Solo LP Won't Be 'Emo-Tastic' "
  Buy Now: The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites (Red Ink)
  
• Thom Yorke - The Eraser (XL)
  Read: "Thom Yorke Records Album Without Radiohead, Rejects 'Solo' Label"
• Various artists - The Backyardigans Groove to the Music (Nick)
• Various artists - Graciously (Wavelab/ Funzalo)
• Various artists - Hello Radio: The Songs of They Might Be Giants (Bar/ None)
• Various artists - I'm So Indicted (Capitol Steps)
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 22 (Sony)
• Various artists - The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson (Emergent)
• Various artists - Worship Jamz 2 (Razor & Tie)
• Various artists - "The Devil Wears Prada" soundtrack (Warner Bros.)
• Various artists - "The Groomsmen" soundtrack (Rykodisc)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Marc Anthony - Grandes Éxitos: Sigo Siendo Yo (Sony International)
  Buy Now: Grandes Éxitos: Sigo Siendo Yo (Sony International)
  
• Booker T. & the MG's -- The Definitive Soul Collection (two CDs; Rhino)
• Solomon Burke - The Definition of Soul (two CDs; Rhino)
• Robert Callender - Musee de l'Impressionisme (Fallout)
• Canned Heat - Canned, Labeled and Shelved (two CDs; Music Avenue)
• Ray Charles -- The Definitive Soul Collection (two CDs; Rhino)
• Common People - Of the People/ By the People/ For the People From the Common People (Fallout)
• The Drifters -- The Definitive Soul Collection (two CDs; Rhino)
• Aretha Franklin - Live at Fillmore West (two CDs; Rhino)
• The Free Spirits - Out of Sight and Sound (Sunbeam)
• The Jesus and Mary Chain - Automatic, Darklands, Honey's Dead, Psychocandy and Stoned & Dethroned (DualDiscs; Rhino)
• Freedy Johnston - Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop - April 25th, 1998 (Shout! Factory)
• King Curtis - Live at Fillmore West (Rhino)
• Curtis Mayfield - The Definitive Collection (two CDs; Rhino)
• Michele - Saturn Rings (Fallout)
• The Open Mind - The Open Mind (Sunbeam)
• Otis Redding - The Definitive Collection (two CDs; Rhino)
• Tom Paxton - Live at McCabe's Guitar Shop - February 23rd, 1991 (Shout! Factory)
• Wilson Pickett - The Definitive Collection (two CDs; Rhino)
• Tim Rice & Friends - That's My Story (Sunbeam)
• Sam & Dave - The Definitive Collection (two CDs; Rhino)
• Snoop Doggy Dogg - The Doggfather (enhanced; with bonus DVD; Death Row)
  Buy Now: The Doggfather (Death Row)
  
• Spinners -- The Definitive Soul Collection (two CDs; Rhino)
• Stevie Ray Vaughan - Live in Tokyo (Masterplan)
• The Who - Live From Toronto (two CDs; Immortal)
• Various artists - Brunswick Top 40 R&B Singles 1966-1975 (Brunswick)
• Various artists - Club Hits: The Platinum Collection (SPG)
• Various artists - Comic Strip Heroes: Music From Gotham City and Beyond (Silva)
• Various artists - Disco Fever: Turn the Beat Around (Time Life)
• Various artists - Irie Reggae: Best of Chill (Time Life)
• Various artists - Jamaica to Toronto: Soul Funk & Reggae 1967-74 (Light in the Attic)

Music DVDs:

• Johnny Cash - "The Man in Black: Live in Denmark 1971" (Columbia/ Legacy)
• Confessor - "Live in Norway" (Season Mist)
• The Derek Trucks Band - "Songlines Live!" (Columbia)
• Tommy Emmanuel - "Live at Her Majesty's Theatre - Ballarat, Australia" (Favored Nations)
• Israel & New Breed - "Alive in South Africa (Integrity/ Columbia)
• Led Zeppelin - "On the Rock Trail" (Delta)
• Ozzy Osbourne & Black Sabbath - "On the Rock Trail" (Delta)
• Phish - "Live in Brooklyn" (two DVDs; Rhino)
• Pink Floyd - "Pulse" (two DVDs; Columbia) and "On the Rock Trail" (Delta)
• Various artists - "Afro-Punk" (Image Entertainment)
• Various artists - "Doo Wop: Vocal Group Greats Live" (Shout! Factory)

Coming Attractions: July 18:

• Alien Ant Farm - Up in the Attic (New Door)
  Preorder: Up in the Attic (New Door)
  
• The Bronx - The Bronx (digipak; Island)
• The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It (Virgin)
  Read: "The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: You Can Call Them Sellouts"
  Preorder: Don't You Fake It (Virgin)

July 25:

• Flogging Molly - Whiskey on a Sunday (DualDisc; Side One Dummy)
• Jurassic 5 - Feedback (Interscope)
• Pharrell Williams - In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)
  Read: "Pharrell Williams: Fired Up"
  Preorder: In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)

August 1:

• DMX - Year of the Dog, Again
  Read: "DMX Signs With Columbia, Will Release Long-Delayed LP This Spring"
  Preorder: Year of the Dog, Again (Columbia)
  
• Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Slipknot's Taylor Gearing Up For Stone Sour LP — And Tenacious D Tribute"
• Various artists - Kidz Bop 10 (Razor & Tie)

• Thom Yorke
• Muse
• Sufjan Stevens
• Seether
• Peaches

Radiohead's Thom Yorke
Photo: Candace Lawler

Radiohead won't have an album in stores until 2007, but fans don't have to wait that long to hear new music from the band's frontman. Thom Yorke has just announced plans to release a record of his own ... just don't call it a solo record.

Rather, call it The Eraser, a collection of nine songs penned by Yorke and produced and arranged by frequent Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich. It's due in stores July 11, and, no, it does not signify some sort of rift within the hallowed halls of Radiohead.

"Yes, it's a record. No, it's not a Radiohead record. As you know, the band are now touring and writing new stuff and getting to a good space, so I want no crap about me being a traitor or splitting up or whatever," Yorke said in a statement. "This was all done with their blessing, and I don't wanna hear that word 'solo.' Doesn't sound right. The elements have been kicking around now for a few years and needed to be finished. I have been itching to do something like this for ages."

According to Yorke, the songs on The Eraser are "more beats and electronics, but [still] songs," and the album will feature artwork by his good friend, artist Stanley Donwood — the man behind much of Radiohead's album art since 1994. Yorke has even launched a spooky new Web site, TheEraser.net, to promote the project, though there is no mention of a possible solo tour.

That's probably because Radiohead are currently on tour in Europe, which they will follow with a month of theater gigs in North America (see "Radiohead Line Up Summer Tour To Road-Test New Music"). And once that tour is wrapped, Radiohead will return to the studio with producer Mark "Spike" Stent, to continue work on their still-untitled seventh studio album.

Track list for The Eraser, according to a spokesperson for Yorke:

• "The Eraser"
• "Analyse"
• "The Clock"
• "Black Swan"
• "Skip Divided"
• "Atoms For Peace"
• "And It Rained All Night"
• "Harrowdown Hill"
• "Cymbal Rush"

• Thom Yorke
• Radiohead