Music Biz Buzz

Here's what's buzzing in the music biz this week...

• Get up, stand up... stand up for your ringtones? The Bob Marley estate is threatening legal action against Verizon for using Bob Marley's image and name to promote exclusive ringtones that were licensed by Universal Music Group. [Source: Digital Music News]

• First the music industry loses Tony Wilson, the man behind the Manchester scene and Joy Division. Now we lose Hilly Kristal, founder of legendary punk club CBGB's, who died of complications of lung cancer on Tuesday. May he rest in peace and may CBGB's one day be resurrected! We are also glad to hear that Tony Wilson's festival, In the City, will live on after his death. [Source: New York Times]

• For the first time, Internet ad spending is expected to surpass radio advertising spending in 2007. However, one expert says that combining the two is the smart way to go for advertisers. [Source: FMQB]

• Amazon is set to tentatively launch their MP3 music store in mid-September. The company had previously announced it was going to launch a digital music store by the end of 2007. [Source: Yahoo! Music]

• Sony is set to disconnect its Connect music store by March of 2008. Connect used an audio compression technology called ATRAC, which never quite hit the mainstream. The decision comes after the company announced its support of Windows Media Audio DRM for its new line of Walkmen digital music players. The players will also support MP3 and AAC formats, but will not support the ATRAC format. [Source: Billboard]

• Bowery Presents and its steadily growing live concert empire will officially include Music Hall of Williamsburg starting on Tuesday, September 4, 2007, with a kick-off concert featuring Patti Smith. [Source: Brooklyn Vegan]

This Week's New Releases

Here's the roundup of this week's new music releases...

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass (Def Jux)
Buy It @ Insound

"Over the past few years, I've gotten more in depth. My studio has expanded and my ideas on things have changed a bit. Especially with this new record, I have a lot of live instrumentation mixed in with synths and samples. I tried a few new things on this record, so we'll see how it goes. I guess I try to do something new each time. It's not that I'm even trying; I just get bored really quickly and tend to go about stuff a bit different out of boredom." - Aesop Rock [Source: Pitchfork]

The Honorary Title - Scream & Light Up the Sky (Reprise)
Buy It @ Amazon

"The writing process wasn't hard, just getting the goddamn thing out. It's been written forever. It's just dealing with the politics and the label and it's just such a... The songs were written and there were a ton of them written, and when it came time to record, the toughest part was which ones to cut. The record's been done for over a year, so the hardest part is the waiting game?" - Jarrod Gorbel, The Honorary Title [Source: UnderGroundOnline]

Jamie T. - Panic Prevention (Caroline)
Buy It @ Insound

"I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m happy having [panic attacks]. It’s part of who I am. When I get anxious, I have problems, like thinking I’m going to bite my tongue off or finding it hard to walk. Simple things become incredibly hard. I get problems with fainting, confusion, not being able to use my hands properly. I’ve had it for the last five years, although I think I’ve had a bit of it all of my life. But, y’know, everyone’s a bit f***ed up." - Jamie T. [Source: Time Out London]

Liars - Liars (Mute)
Buy It @ Insound

"It's like Junior High School. It's got a lot of teenage angst and melodrama in it. It's a fun record. It's our pop statement – we made songs that we hoped would connect with people. We utilised every pop idea we could think of." - Angus Andrew, Liars [Source: BBC]

New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom (Modular)
Buy It @ Insound

"We're sleazy, yet fluffy at the same time." - Tahita, New Young Pony Club [Source: Channel4]

Northern State - Can I Keep This Pen? (Ipecac)
Buy It @ Insound

"It was only natural to grow and start reflecting some of our other influences. But it's still Northern State, and it's still hip-hop." - Hesta Prynn, Northern State [Source: Newsday]

VHS or Beta - Bring on the Comets (Astralwerks)
Buy It @ Insound

"We just felt like Le Funk came out a little too early and Night On Fire came out a little too late. And this time around it was just 'let’s just make good song,' that’s the bottom line. People can sing along with them, still have a good time, it still sounds like us even if it’s more rock." - Mark Palgy, VHS or Beta [Source: TALive]

Songwriter Spotlight: Mitch Davis of Orba Squara

By now, you probably recognize Orba Squara, aka Mitch Davis, without even realizing it. His song "Perfect Timing (This Morning)" was featured in the ominpresent commercials for Apple's iPhone. But this New York City-based singer-songwriter has more to him than just that.

On his debut full-length album, sunshyness, intricate, inspired songs tell heartfelt tales of everyday life. His warm and intimate music was created with a slew of "organic instruments," including the mandolin, glockenspiel, accordion, sitar, violin, harmonica, toy pianos, xylophone, ukelele and more.

With a major publishing deal with Universal, Mitch is sure to land more song placements so keep your ears open for his music. He also recently wrote a song titled "Brand New Day" to be featured in an upcoming film called Wedding Daze, starring Jason Biggs (whoa, remember him?) and Isla Fisher.

I recently asked Mitch Davis about his musical inspirations and the upcoming album due to be released in stores October 9 (or you can buy it now on iTunes)...

Favorite place to write music: I like to write music while I am recording. I love to capture those spontaneous moments and little mistakes that happen when you haven't figured out exactly what you want to play. I try to get all my performances down on the first try. Any more than that and I feel like I'm too comfortable with the song, and I rewrite the whole part. When I write that way, it's almost like I can get close to experiencing my own songs as an outsider. That is the one thing you miss as the writer - the opportunity to be surprised by your own songs and to hear the story develop without already knowing how it ends.

Latest inspiration: Well, the instruments themselves always somehow tell me what has to come out of them. I do not write anything without simultaneously playing it. Then lyrically, things are inspired from what is coming from the music.  Although I was very recently inspired by seeing a baby bird that fell out of a tree.

What's the most personal song on your latest album?
I have written a lot of things that are very personal to me on this album, but I think the song I would call "most personal" would be "Stay Around" because it reminds me of a song my parents used to sing
to me when I was a kid. It is not really related lyrically or melodically, but it somehow feels similar to me. It is a different kind of personal. Not in the way where you can say "this is an event from my life"... it is more like a smell that brings you to a place and you have no idea why.

If you could duet with anyone, who would it be and why?
Miho Hatori.  She has such a great voice.

If you could wake up to any song, what would it be?
I have a singing cat who performs for me every morning.

** Check out Orba Squara's official website.

** Listen to songs on MySpace.

** Check out the iPhone commercial on YouTube below...

This Week's New Releases

Wow, there's too many good albums to choose from this week! Check out the roundup of new music releases below...

Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This (Polyvinyl)
Buy It @ Insound

"To this day, I frustrate the hell out of my bandmates, because I’m the only person who doesn’t know how to read, write, or notate music at all. I’ll be writing songs, and someone will say, ‘What note is that?’ or ‘What key is that in?’ and it doesn’t mean anything to me at all. I only learned which string was which on the guitar over the last two years. It definitely affects the way I write. I like working at home and writing on the computer, and a lot of the ways that I write songs is very visual. Not having the idea of how to structure songs in a trained or learned way, I try to write visually." - Cameron Bird, Architecture in Helsinki [Source: Alarm]

Caribou - Andorra (Merge)
Buy It @ Insound

"I think it’s definitely my most personal album, but maybe that means something different to me than to other people. Most people would think of ‘personal’ music as containing somehow confessional lyrics. With me it’s about how the actual melodies and harmonies make me feel and about not hiding their emotional punch behind anything. I’m that person who listens to songs without hearing the lyrics but the music itself can have me jumping with euphoria or crying like a baby no problems." - Dan Snaith, Caribou [Source: TuneTribe]

Earlimart - Mentor Tormentor (Shout Factory)
Buy It @ Insound

"I want to write great songs—f**k it, no, I want to write classics... I think [the album] was a combination of all these ups and downs in the last couple of years. We’ve had some loss, and some people leave us, and some pretty disappointing friendships." - Aaron Espinoza, Earlimart [Source: Filter]

Galactic - From the Corner to the Block (Anti)
Buy It @ Insound

"Galactic's organic instrumentals maintain a stronghold among effects, loops, and other modern electronic techniques. In the studio and on stage, Galactic displays a remarkable ability to present modern material with retrospective styling." [Source: LA Weekly]

Imperial Teen - The Hair, The TV, The Baby & The Band (Merge)
Buy It @ Insound

"If you’re craving a double scoop of classic power pop than Imperial Teen’s The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band may do you right just right." [Source: LunaPark6]

Kinski - Down Below It's Chaos (Sub Pop)
Buy It @ Insound

"Seattle avant-rock quartet Kinski have included three vocal tracks from guitarist Chris Martin on their third Sub Pop album." [Source: Chart Attack]

Luke Temple - Snowbeast (Mill Pond)
Buy It @ Amazon

"'People Do' was not intended to be about me but more about something everyone has had to deal with, which is the conflict between having the courage to step into the unknown or sleep walking in what's familiar. It also happens to be something I can very much relate to." - Luke Temple [Source: Lifeskool Songwriter Spotlight]

Mekons - Natural (Quarterstick)
Buy It @ Insound

"Natural finds them holed up in the middle of nowhere, plucking (mostly) acoustic instruments and wondering when the bombing will start. This is Mekons music as detailed, sometimes plodding campfire songs, acoustic guitar, violin and hand-held percussion, a sound that's ready for an extended absence of electricity." [Source: Austin360]

M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
Buy It @ Insound

"Initially, I didn’t get formally rejected for a visa. They let me into the U.S. for a bit—a couple of months. I was there to work with Timbaland, but then the visa ran out and I had to come back to the UK. I haven’t been able to get in [since]. So it wasn’t my own choice or actions that led me to become more worldly—I mean I live in the U.S. My apartment’s there. I don’t have any of my artwork, any of the songs that I’ve been working on. I don’t have my clothes. So everything [on Kala] is built out of wherever I’ve gone. I’ve had no choice but to make the record and become the thing that people always had me down for." - M.I.A. [Source: Fader]

Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice (Suicide Squeeze)
Buy It @ Insound

"Minus the Bear's brightly appealing indie-pop may be dispensed with remarkable technical prowess — complete with precise guitar work and complex time changes — but it also benefits from the band's sweetly personal lyrics and flair for writing power-pop hooks." [Source: NPR]

The New Pornographers - Challengers (Matador)
Buy It @ Insound

"There's a little more instrumentation than we've really tried having before. We brought in a string quartet, and there's actually flute on it, there's going to be a little bit of trumpet. I feel like I kind of shied away from that in the past, but I thought, why not try it now? There was a long stretch there where I thought there were too many bands with strings and horns and flutes. Then I thought, I like those instruments, so I brought them in. Not that there's going to be that much of it on the record, per se, but you know, just wanted to add a few more colors to the palette.” - Carl Newman, The New Pornographers [Source: Pitchfork]

Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight (Warner Bros)
Buy It @ Insound

"I think the title is meant to imply a certain seediness of life that exists everywhere in the world. The sort of undercurrent of humanity that people usually ignore, or just can't see. I suppose the black light exposes things you normally wouldn't see, and it hides others that you normally would. Fans should expect to listen less and feel more." - Jason Boesel, Rilo Kiley [Source: IGN]

Stereo Total - Paris-Berlin (Kill Rock Stars)
Buy It @ Insound

"Paris-Berlin is inventive and imaginative while grounded strongly in electronic and punk music aesthetics and ideology. To hear English, German, and French all coming from the same record is as refreshing as the blips, ticks, and joyful modernity unified in this un-expected success." [Source: Lucid Forge]

Songwriter Spotlight: Luke Temple

It's not hard to see why bold-faced indie rockers like Sufjan Stevens and Ben Gibbard are singing the praises of singer-songwriter Luke Temple. Over the last few years, Temple has worked very hard in crafting his music, with delicate folk vocals that ebb and flow with natural ease, evoking images of sitting on a porch with an acoustic guitar and belting out the day's meanderings.

After growing up in Manchester, MA, Temple attended the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, studying painting. Soon after he moved to New York, however, he started writing songs on a four-track in his bedroom and fell in love with songwriting, preferring to paint textures and colors in music. In 2004 his demo charmed the folks over at Seattle indie label, Mill Pond, and they released  Temple's self-titled EP in 2004 and his debut LP, Hold the Match for a Gasoline World, in 2005. Last year, his profile increased when his song "Make Right With You" was featured on TV show Grey's Anatomy.

This week, Temple releases his second full-length, Snowbeast, which was recorded on an eight-track in his bedroom, sticking to the characteristic intimate bedroom feel that has colored his music. I decided to take a peek into the quirky and enchanting mind of Luke Temple...

Favorite place to write music: In my head because it's always attached to my body.

Latest inspiration: Ethiopiques, Volume 5. It's a totally raw version of blues with a very cyclical feel that conjures the arid endless landscape that they live. They also start in a basic 4/4 meter but then accent the off beat in a way that completely turns it inside out.

What's the most personal song on your latest album?
I guess “People Do.” It was not intended to be about me but more about something everyone has had to deal with, which is the conflict between having the courage to step into the unknown or sleep walking in what's familiar. It also happens to be something I can very much relate to.

If you could duet with anyone, who would it be and why?
Currently Joanna Newsom. She's absolutely the real deal. It's a shame that we are forced to even say that about artists now, but it's important to weed out the fakers of which there are many.

If you could fall asleep to any song, what would it be?
The Enigma of Kasper Howser - not because I don't like the soundtrack but because it's my favorite movie and I understand the patience in it...plus, anything to work with Werner Herzog.

** Check out Luke Temple's official website.

** Listen to songs on MySpace.

** Check out the music video for "Private Shipwreck" on YouTube below...

This Week's New Releases

It's a little quiet this week -- Here's a roundup of this week's new music releases...

Eisley - Combinations (Reprise)
Buy It @ Amazon

"[Oingo Boingo's Richard Gibb] came to a bunch of our shows when we were talking about doing the album. He was really interested [in producing us]. We thought, 'This could be a really cool match,' because we didn't want a producer who could cut and paste, or had a formula for recording bands. It was amazing." - Sherri DuPree, Eisley [Source: Spinner]

Entourage Soundtrack (Atlantic)
Buy It @ Amazon

"We get pitched everything from everybody. We try to go through as much as we can to find music we like. We search out music that we like through various channels of people we respect, magazines we read, blogs that we read and advice from friends. There’s just so much out there, and it’s really hard to get through even the music that you want to listen to. We kind of have to pick and choose where we go for it.” - Kier Lehman, Entourage music supervisor [Source: Playback]

The Rentals - The Last Little Life (Boompa)
Buy It @ Insound

"I feel like this is the first time that the Rentals have felt like a group of people that are all invested in the music as a single entity. There's a sense of unity that we've never had before. On the first two records we made, we had to embrace the revolving door aspect of the group. Most people involved weren't totally invested, myself included. That's different now. The name the Rentals doesn't even seem appropriate anymore." - Matt Sharp, The Rentals [Source: The Daily Californian]

Songwriter Spotlight: Simple Kid

Sometimes simple is better. At least that seems to be the motto of DIY singer-songwriter Simple Kid, aka Ciaran McFeely. The UK-based musician caught buzz when he released his lo-fi debut album, 1, and now continues to expand his sound in his sophomore effort, appropriately titled 2, on Yep Roc Records.

Foregoing the use of a fancy, schmancy studio, Simple Kid instead fed his music to an eight-track cassette recorder and then manipulated the recording onto his Apple computer, making him a part of the growing number of  "Made on a Mac" musicians that Apple has been featuring in their stores.

With a guitar, banjo, harmonica and laptop, Simple Kid's live show is as equally as charming as his records, incorporating visuals and sing-a-longs at shows opening for the likes of Richard Ashcroft, R.E.M. and Snow Patrol. I quizzed him recently on his latest inspirations and his new CD...

Favorite place to write music: My bedroom because I wake up there and it is pretty convenient.

Latest inspiration: On the plane over to NYC last night I read a book called The Pumpkin Eater which really stuck in my brain. So you never know, maybe that’ll filter into a new song in the next few days.

What's the most personal song on your latest album?
A song called "Old Domestic Cat" was one that I just found on my 8-track. I don’t remember recording it so I’m assuming I came home drunk one night and put it down and forgot all about it until a few months later when I was going thru stuff. Does that make it personal?

If you could duet with anyone, who would it be and why?
I’ve already duetted with Kermit The Frog on many occasions so where do ya go from there? Maybe Gonzo.

If you could re-do the soundtrack to any film, what would it be and why?
Stroszek...by Herzog has a scene where there’s a crazy man doing a auction, and I’ve always thought that it would make a fantastic novelty hit single if you just put a backbeat on to  it. So I could redo the soundtrack by just adding beats. Done n dusted....

U.S. Tour Dates
August 15 - Mo' Pitkins Residency (NY, NY)
August 16 - Mo' Pitkins Residency (NY, NY)
August 17 - Mo' Pitkins Residency (NY, NY)
August 18 - Union Hall (NY, NY)

** Check out the official Simple Kid website.

** Listen to songs on MySpace.

** Watch Simple Kid shave off the beard (and a lot of emotional baggage?) in the music video for "Serotonin" on YouTube below...

Music Biz Buzz

Here's what's buzzing in the music biz this week...

• With The Shins and Man Man doing their own renditions of "Little Boxes" on the Showtime phenomenon, Weeds, and other shows and products licensing music for commerce, will music never shine on its own? [Source: ArthurBlog]

• To compete with growing competitors like iTunes, Amazon is planning to launch its own digital music store later this year. They invested in the website, AmieStreet.com, where the more downloads a song has, the higher the price.[Source: FMQB]

• Speaking of anti-iTunes moves, Universal tests DRM-free music sales and locks out iTunes. Will the biggest label in music succeed by shutting out one of the biggest names in digital music? [Source: Engadget]

• CMJ announced bands confirmed thus far for the 2007 festival in New York. The list includes Spoon, UNKLE, Justice, British Sea Power, Mates of State, Xiu Xiu and more. [Source: CMJ]

• Does real estate have a musical soul? Many real estate agents are using music via a website to sell property. Now all I wanna know is, where do [Source: New York Times]

• The Cure postpone their record... again. Now we have to wait until Spring 2008. Apparently Robert Smith is having trouble coming up with lyrics. Not depressed enough? [Source: Yahoo! Music]

This Week's New Releases

Here's a roundup of this week's new music releases...

The Brunettes - Structure & Cosmetics (Sub Pop)
Buy It @ Insound

"I think lots of musicians should be inspired by what’s been going on in pop music over the last fifty years. We use pop instrumentation and production, orchestral instruments with a horn section rather than just the stock-standard formulas… in that respect our music is little bit more 60s.” - Jonathan Bree, The Brunettes [Source: vampedUP]

The Flight of the Conchords - The Distant Future (Sub Pop)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Occasionally one of us writes the whole thing, but usually we write them together. Sometimes it comes from a tune and sometimes just from a sketch idea or a concept. There is no reliable system, or we'd have a lot more songs if we knew the system." - Jermaine Clement, The Flight of the Conchords [Source: Paramount Comedy]

Magnolia Electric Co - Sojourner - Boxed Set (Secretly Canadian)
Buy It @ Insound

"I never wanted to sing about things I didn't know about, and this is just the way that I interpret day-to-day life. And if people are critical of this sort of snake eating its tail with the lyrics, I have nothing really to say to that, because what I'm offering is something that I believe to be true." - Jason Molina, Magnolia Electric Co [Source: Pitchfork]

Mirah and Spectratone International - Share This Place: Stories and Observations (K Records)
Buy It @ Insound

"I started touring before I had anything out, and I loved it. Crowds were great even though they hadn't heard my songs before. But somewhere around my second album I realized people weren't happy when I played newer songs. Don't get me wrong, it means so much to me that people love my music. But at the same time, it's frustrating. I can't do anything I want because people want specific things from me. Guys, let go!" - Mirah [Source: Now Toronto]

[Check out our Songwriter Spotlight on Mirah.]

Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)
Buy It @ Insound

"I don’t really know how to explain it except that it’s important for me to have a character at the center of what I do. People tend to talk about my songs in terms of them being 'stories,' but I think that what they’re primarily responding to is the fact that there’s a character at the center of them who wants certain things, is afraid of certain things, and attacks the world around them in their own particular way." - Will Sheff, Okkervil River [Source: Austin Sound]

Ween - The Friends EP (Chocodog)
Buy It @ Amazon

"We're doing our own thing. We're making a good living. We're very relaxed right now and excited about Ween again." [Source: JamBase]

Songwriter Spotlight: Mirah

There was always something really pure and honest about the music of Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, also known simply as Mirah in the music world, that had me addicted from day one. Ever since a friend had randomly played me her song, "La Familia," I've sort of been obsessed with getting every piece of music Mirah has ever written, and I've haven't been disappointed yet.

Like many artists on K Records, Mirah has the endearing ability to tap into the coy and sweet without stumbling into cheesy or "too cutesy" territory. Her vocals are as intimate as Iron & Wine's Sam Beam's, and her lyrics often reveal the troubling thoughts behind bitten fingernails, sideways glances, secret longing... Since her debut record, You Think It's Like This But Really It's Like This, which was released seven years ago in 2000, Mirah has mastered the art of the lo-fi, wear-your-bleeding-heart-on-your-sleeve songwriting.

Her new record called Share This Place: Stories and Observations will be out on K Records on August 7. The album reunites her with Lori Goldston and Kyle Hanson of Spectratone International, who she worked with on to all we stretch the open arm (back then Lori and Kyle were in Black Cat Orchestra), a collection of cover songs put forth as an anti-war statement including renditions of Leonard Cohen's "Story Of Isaac" and Kurt Weill's "What Keeps Mankind Alive." Share This Place is a multi-media performance based on the "tender and triumphant lives of insects," accompanied by 50 minutes of amazing stop-motion animation created by Seattle animator Britta Johnson. The work was commissioned in 2006 by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art and was premiered at the Seattle International Children’s Festival in May 2007.   

I recently got to ask Mirah a few questions about her songwriting process and her current inspirations...

Favorite place to write music: My favorite place is the place inside which is everywhere but not always always.

Latest inspiration: I think my most constant inspiration is the weather.  I love and am driven to tears by it at every turn.

What's the most personal song on your new album?
"The Love Song of The Fly" because I was the perpetrator.  I was the one hanging the fly strips.  I think it's a good exercise in compassion for us to take turns with.

If you could duet with anyone, who would it be?
Curtis Mayfield. I don't know much about him personally, but he wrote some amazing songs and has such a beautiful voice, which often signifies the presence of a beautiful soul.

If you could write a song for any season, which season would it be?
The season of the witch, oh, wait, somebody already wrote that song. I was born in the autumn and have always had a preference for it.

** Check out Mirah's official site on K Records.

** Listen to Mirah on MySpace.

** Watch Mirah performing her song, "The Garden," live on YouTube...

Music Biz Buzz

Here's what's buzzing in the music biz this week...

• TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek may be producing an album for hot starlet Scarlett Johansson. Reportedly, the music also includes guest appearances by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration. [Source: Yahoo!]

• Speaking of... Um, this isn't exactly news, MSNBC. I could have told you TV was the new radio. That's, like, so 2005. [Source: MSNBC]

• Facebook's growing number of annoying applications are one less -- they have removed the streaming audio application to avoid the inevitable backlash from labels. In a related story, Facebook is adding on a Pandora application so users can embed the streaming radio application into their profiles. [Source: Digital Music News, CMJ]

• Two well-respected booking agencies, Monterey Peninsula Artists (TV, film, literary agency) and Little Big Man (music booking agency), will merge into one agency called Paradigm, officially effective August 13. [Source: Billboard]

• Will Gmail's rumored GPhone rival Apple's iPhone? Sounds like a nice mobile competition. Maybe you'll be able to send out mp3s via your GPhone? That would be sweet. [Source: Engadget]

• Easy Tiger... Ryan Adams is back, sober now for a year, and he's testing you. [Source: CNN]

• Sirius Satellite Radio is going strong with over 7.1 million subscribers. The pending merger with XM also seems promising. "We continue to work with the FCC and the DOJ to make the case that the merger offers more choices, including a la carte offerings, and lower prices for subscribers, and we continue to expect that the merger will be completed by year-end," said Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin. [Source: FMBQ]

• Singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins talks about the New Jersey town that inspired her song, "Neptune City." Check out our Songwriter Spotlight on Nicole Atkins. [Source: New York Times]

This Week's New Releases

Here's a roundup of this week's new music releases...

Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold (Caroline)
Buy It @ Amazon

"Bjork doesn’t do piano ballads or have the 60’s girl-group influences, Kate bush has a more Irish feel with a cheesy mid-eighties sound which while I love it, is not me. So many things inspire me: Classical, desert music, Film scores. Every song I write I have a picture in my head, it’s very visual." - Natasha Khan, Bat For Lashes [Source: Culturedeluxe]

Placebo - Extended Play '07 (Virgin)
Buy It @ Amazon

"We've always had kind of a cult following in the States; we'd spent a couple months touring each album [in the U.S.]. There seems to be more of a connection over there, and things are starting to happen now... The MySpace page has gained a strong following and has had a really positive response. So we're just kind of building on that, you know, and we have a hard time saying 'no' to people that want to see us play." - Stefan Olsdal, Placebo [Source: 411mania]

Hans Zimmer - The Simpsons Movie Soundtrack - Limited Edition Donut Packaging (Adrenaline)
Buy It @ Amazon

"[The Simpsons is] such an iconic part of today's culture. And I had to try and express the style of The Simpsons without wearing the audience out with too much attitude! [With the limited edition CD] we wanted to have some fun and really try to do something that would appeal to the fans and be hard to miss in the record store." - Hans Zimmer [Source: IGN]

And here are a bunch of new releases from last week that I should highlight for y'all (sorry I was away on summer vacay last week)...

Bishop Allen - The Broken String (Dead Oceans)
Buy It @ Insound

"It’s more of a studio record. We went somewhere and worked hard to make it sound really cool, to make it sound a certain way. It’ll come out, we’ll tour, and we’ll actually be able to play a lot more shows because we won’t be in the studio all the time. We’ll see what happens.” - Justin Rice, Bishop Allen [Source: Cokemachineglow]

Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton - What Is Free to a Good Home (Last Gang Records)
Buy It @ Insound

"It's kind of like poems for people who don't read poems. [My father Paul Haines] wouldn't call it poetry; just kind of crystallized fragments and observations. He had a real love of language. It's kind of like the final installment of my homage to my freaky, avant upbringing." - Emily Haines [Source: Pitchfork]

Garbage - Absolute Garbage (Almo Sounds)
Buy It @ Insound

"The chronological order works well and the album plays well, but Garbage is cursed by their early success. The bulk of their strongest material comes from their first two records. They recorded good songs later, but not all were chosen as singles. Absolute emphasizes the singles, meaning some of the songs representing Beautiful Garbage and Bleed Like Me weren't the best songs from either. AG paints a good, if incomplete, portrait of the band's career because nearly every song on the set is good and some of them are great." [Source: Blogcritics]

The Lovemakers - Misery Loves Company (Fuzz Artists)
Buy It @ Amazon

"We really want to make our own rules, based on what would be best for us and what we want to do, rather than have a label dictate to us what we should do. There's a big, wide-open space right now for the entire industry to change and for the way people receive and listen to music. There's a big opportunity to make the rules over." - Scott Blonde, The Lovemakers [Source: SFGate]

Prince - Planet Earth (Sony)
Buy It @ Insound

"Prince has now ascended into that zone, where the likes of Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and Sting reside and where  provocative revolutions are in the past. And like those aforementioned artists, Prince often, sometimes unfairly, has to compete with his halcyon years.  If the ’80s can be viewed as his greatest years, and the ’90s as his most callow (OK, call it mid-life crisis), Prince’s current period, starting with 2004’s Musicology, can be called his quintessential years, in which his music hardly surprises, oftentimes faintly recalls yesteryear, but nevertheless scintillates at an above-average to high caliber. Unlike on his previous two albums, though, Prince sounds more comfortable in this era of his career." [Source: BET]

Robbers on High Street - Grand Animals (New Line)
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"[The band] called on Italian film composer Daniele Luppi, who had never worked with a rock band, hoping to capture a British Invasion sound that vibes with the band's power-pop energy. Although Grand Animals falls short of hitting that mark, but the album is more sophisticated than Robbers on High Street's one-dimensional debut." [Source: Prefix]

Sebadoh - The Freed Man - Reissued with Extra Tracks (Domino)
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"The album is a collection of home recordings… recorded at home, alone. It is almost impossible to capture intimacy like that in a studio and definitely not as a 19-21 year old studio novice… we had a four track and knew how to use it. I suppose some of the songs may have survived in a studio but I’m not sure… each song is its own separate entity. The Freed Man is not a an album that was preconceived in any way. We were very happy to let the recordings in their raw form speak for themselves. We came from the hardcore punk movement, '80-'83, The Freed Man was our way of expanding on what we took from that scene… honesty, DIY..." - Lou Barlow, Sebadoh [Source: The Skinny]

Tegan & Sara - The Con (Sire)
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"When it comes down to me sitting down with my guitar in my room writing a song, I rarely think about saying something political. I'm not totally sure why. Maybe in my heart, I'm a romantic and self-absorbed." - Sara Quin, Tegan & Sara [Source: The Star]

UNKLE - War Stories(Red Ink)
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"[My guest collaborators are] always pretty influential. Most of them write their own lyrics. They take away what I've given them as a basis, and a melody, then they come up with the lyrics and sing the song. And when you're working with a band, like Autolux, they bring in a lot of their own spirit and do a lot of the playing as well." - James Lavelle, UNKLE [Source: Artistdirect]

John Vanderslice - Emerald City (Barsuk)
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"A lot of the narratives on this record are really refracted personal experiences about state power... It's just that the world is so f---ed up, it's kind of hard not to write about it... It's not like I feel like I'm making a case when I'm writing about political stuff at all, but for me, it's impossible to ignore some of these things. It's not actionable material. I'm just writing songs because it's things I'm experiencing." - John Vanderslice [Source: Aversion]

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Is Is (Interscope)
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"The songs on the Is Is EP were indeed written in between Fever to Tell and Show Your Bones, but for this project they felt as fresh as ever. The studio is a creative tool in and of itself, and we knew that these songs needed some studio treatment to help realise their potential. It was the right time to finally open up the cages and let these wild animals loose on the world! Our next album proper will be along the lines of a complete freak-out Jesus Lizard-related concept album that will sound similar to what you've heard before but a little more chillaxed. Consider yourself warned…" -Brian Chase, Yeah Yeah Yeahs [Source: Drowned in Sound]