Category: Indie Rock (1-10 of 123)

Feb 5 2010 11:12 AM ET

Frances Bean Cobain to make recording debut

If she really wanted to rebel against her famous parents, Frances Bean Cobain might have gone in for her accounting degree, or perhaps found work on FOX News. Instead, the 17-year-old daughter of late alt-rock icon Kurt and the recently estranged Courtney Love, is, not entirely unshockingly, following in their footsteps.

The London Guardian reports that Frances will sing on Evelyn Evelyn, a project fronted by Dresden Dolls frontwoman Amanda Palmer and her bandmate Jason Webley and also featuring vocals by Weird Al, twin rock duo Tegan and Sara, My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, Andrew WK, comedian Margaret Cho and Palmer’s fiance, Coraline author Neil Gaiman. She apparently appears on a track called “My Space,” “an anthemic 80s power ballad” with “gang vocals” by the collected crew.

The album, due March 30, is centered around the story of “conjoined twins who … spent their lives trapped in the circus industry” and sounds, according to their MySpace page, something like the accompaniment to a Coney Island freak show circa 1862 meets Barnum & Bailey, with contemporary references to debit cards and “dickheads” sprinkled throughout.

Will it be her personal Nevermind or Live Through This? Unlikely, but fans of both can find out when Evelyn is released March 30.

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Taylor swift collaborator Butch Walker on their much-discussed Grammy performance
Florence and the Machine on new David Byrne/Fatboy Slim track: Hear it here
Memphis rocker Jay Reatard’s cause of death announced
Major Lazer trash-talks, covers Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ with help from Elephant Man
Michel Gondry on his colorful video for Mia Doi Todd’s ‘Open Your Heart’ and more: The Music Mix interview

Feb 4 2010 12:17 PM ET

Florence and the Machine on new David Byrne/Fatboy Slim track: Hear it here

Lauded British songstress and super EW crush Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine is the latest alt star to guest on Here Lies Love, the collaborative project of onetime Talking Head David Byrne and Big Beat overlord Fatboy Slim, due February 23.

Love, a song cycle inspired by former Filipino First Lady (and legendary shoe-ologist) Imelda Marcos also features guest spots by Santigold, St. Vincent, Cyndi Lauper, Sia, Tori Amos, Natalie Merchant and more. Hear Florence’s title track, below:

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Memphis rocker Jay Reatard’s cause of death announced
2010 Oscars for Best Song: Worst nominations ever?
Major Lazer trash-talks, covers Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ with help from Elephant Man
Michel Gondry on his colorful video for Mia Doi Todd’s ‘Open Your Heart’ and more: The Music Mix interview
“We Are the World” for Haiti benefit features Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Kanye West, Justin Bieber…

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Feb 3 2010 03:25 PM ET

Memphis rocker Jay Reatard's cause of death announced

Categories: Indie Rock, News, R.I.P.

The autopsy results for acclaimed indie-rocker Jay Reatard, who was found dead in his Memphis home on January 13, were released today, revealing that the 29-year-old Matador Records signee died of “cocaine toxicity, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in his death,” according to Shelby County Medical Examiner Dr. Karen E. Chancellor.

Many notable names in the music industry, among them Beck, the Pixies, and Britt Daniel of Spoon, mourned his loss; the wildly prolific Reatard (born Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr.) released countless full-lengths, EPs and one-offs in his career, beginning when he was just 15. Matador tells EW that there are no immediate plans to release any material posthumously.

Watch him below in the video for “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me,” from last year’s excellent Watch Me Fall:

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
2010 Oscars for Best Song: Worst nominations ever?
Major Lazer trash-talks, covers Beyonce’s ‘Halo’ with help from Elephant Man
Michel Gondry on his colorful video for Mia Doi Todd’s ‘Open Your Heart’ and more: The Music Mix interview
“We Are the World” for Haiti benefit features Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Kanye West, Justin Bieber…

Feb 1 2010 01:15 PM ET

Vampire Weekend love Lady Gaga? Hear them explain their unexpected adoration

Last week, indie band Vampire Weekend recorded a co-hosting appearance on Sirius Radio’s SIRIUS XMU channel (their latest album, Contra, recently landed atop the Billboard 200).

During a conversation that spanned several topics, host Jenny Eliscu asked the Vampire boys who their favorite secret music indulgence was, and keyboardist/guitairst Rostam Batmanglij offered up a rather surprising (for him!), answer: “Pretty much everything by Lady Gaga,” Batmanglij said. When Eliscu said she took issue with Gaga, claiming there’s “no there there,” Batmanglij defended the pop princess, explaining that she’s helping teenagers know that “they shouldn’t feel like a freak. That’s something I personally can relate to. And so I think it is meaningful. I think what she is doing is meaningful.” Well put, Rostam!

Listen to the full, Lady Gaga-infused segment below, and be sure to stick around for their rendition of “Bad Romance” at the end. Then tune in every day this week from 5 to 6pm to hear the show (SIRIUS channel 26 and XM channel 43).

Does this revelation make you love Vampire Weekend even more? Do you smell a freaky Vampire-Gaga collab coming on? I say: Bring it!

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Taylor Swift wins Album of the Year: Did the Grammys get it right?
Lady Gaga and Elton John: What did you think?
Taylor Swift and Stevie Nicks’ Grammy duet: out of sight, or out of tune?
Grammys pay tribute to Michael Jackson with help from his kids: A fitting salute?
Grammys: the complete list of winners
Grammys backstage report: which star ‘thought I was going to fall on my nude butt’?

Jan 27 2010 02:03 PM ET

Broken Bells, 'The High Road': Watch the first video from Danger Mouse and the Shins' James Mercer

The chocolate-and-peanut-butter pair-up that is Broken Bells, the new collaboration between intrepid producer/50% Gnarls Barkler Danger Mouse (a.k.a. Brian Burton) and indie-rock archduke/Natalie Portman life-changer James Mercer, debuted its first video today, for the woozy midtempo rocker “The High Road.”

Renowned music-video director Sophie Muller (No Doubt, Coldplay, Shakira, the Killers) helms the clip, a Blue Velvet-y road trip adventure enhanced by a non-committal showgirl, a toy car, and an untethered white horse:

The duo’s self-titled debut (pre-order it here) is out March 9; will you be waiting with bells on, broken or otherwise?

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Susan Sarandon gets spanky, Solange covers Michael Jackson at Of Montreal show
Kanye West: New album sooner than expected?
Hope for Haiti Now tops the albums chart
Joanna Newsom announces triple album, Have One on Me
Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger: What’s in it for you?
Wilco gives away free concert MP3s, asks for Haiti donations

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Jan 27 2010 01:53 PM ET

Susan Sarandon gets spanky, Solange covers Michael Jackson at Of Montreal show

Neo-psychedelic freak-pop outfit Of Montreal welcomed a few surprise guests at its New York City Highline Ballroom show last night—namely, Oscar-winning MILF Susan Sarandon and destiny’s less-appreciated child Solange Knowles, who, between her previous appearances with OM and excellent recent Dirty Projectors cover, has apparently become the Official Beyonce-Adjacent Ambassador of Alt.

Watch her take on the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” with Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes below:

To see Sarandon onstage spanking naughty pigs (not a euphemism), click through the jump: (Read full post)

Jan 22 2010 12:07 PM ET

She & Him, 'In the Sun': Stream Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's new song here

She & Him, currently the hottest game in co-ed indie-pop pronouns, will release their second album, Volume II, this March 23.

In the meantime, they’ve released a preview single, the typically jaunty/melancholy folk ditty “In the Sun”; stream it below:

Doll-faced actress Zooey Deschanel and gifted singer-songwriter (and part-time Monster of Folk) M. Ward will also be taking time out from their respective commitments for a brief tour in March and April, including a stop at Coachella. The dates so far:

03/15 Los Angeles, CA – Largo
03/25 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theater
03/27 Savannah, GA – Savannah Music Festival
03/29 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
03/30 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
04/15 Pomona, CA – The Glass House
04/16 Indio, CA – Coachella Festival

Will you & you be buying tickets or picking up the album? Tell us in the comments section below.

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Vampire Weekend tops the albums chart
Coachella 2010 lineup announced: Jay-Z, Muse, Pavement, Thom Yorke and dozens more
Gorillaz drop “Stylo” with help from Bobby Womack, Mos Def
The Swell Season makes a triumphant return to NYC’s Radio City Music Hall
Animal Collective, Jay-Z win Pazz & Jop ‘09 critics’ poll
More Lilith Fair artists announced: Is this shaping up to be the best tour of the summer?

Jan 20 2010 11:28 AM ET

Vampire Weekend tops the albums chart

It’s a grand day for indie rock, as Vampire Weekend have just debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Go ahead and hoist a refreshing glass of horchata in their honor. The preppy foursome sold 124,000 copies of their sophomore album Contra, according to Nielsen SoundScan — a nice number that, combined with weak retail competition, was enough to make them the biggest band in the nation for at least one week. Considering that the No. 1 spot generally belongs to major-label acts like Ke$ha and Susan Boyle, it’s impressive to see a scrappy young indie group pull this off. (Contra came out on XL Recordings.) In fact, this is only the 12th time an independent release has topped Billboard’s flagship chart since the SoundScan era began in 1991.

Speaking of Susan Boyle, I Dreamed a Dream stayed at No. 2 by selling 77,000 copies. Barring any surprises, her lengthy reign on this chart would seem to have reached a definitive end. Meanwhile, last week’s chart-topper, Ke$ha, slipped to No. 3 with 67,000 copies sold of Animal in its second week.

Aside from Vampire Weekend, it was a quiet week for new releases. R&B crooner Omarion’s alliteratively titled Ollusion landed at No. 19, with 19,000 copies sold; no other new albums made the Top 20.

What do you think of Vampire Weekend’s chart triumph? How far do you think they’ll drop next week? Sound off in the comments, below.

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
Ke$ha dethrones Susan Boyle on the albums chart
Stephen Gately: Is new Boyzone video a fitting tribute?
Susan Boyle talks to Oprah about her hospitalization
New Taylor Swift song, “Today Was a Fairytale”: Listen here

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Jan 19 2010 06:31 PM ET

New Los Campesinos video, 'Romance Is Boring': Wife beats husband to death. Yawn.

Welsh indie darlings Los Campesinos! just premiered the video for the title track from their upcoming third album Romance Is Boring, a cheekily savage clip of a Stepford wife beating her trailer trash husband to death with a baseball bat. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all game for mariticide, but couldn’t they come up with a more whimsical murder weapon than a bat? Haven’t these uber-literate rockers read Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter”?

The video begins with a busty June Cleaver-disciple decorating a chocolate cake while her inattentive husband chugs down brewskies and howls at her and the TV. After crying some thick mascara tears, the wife goes Beatrix Kiddo on her man and bludgeons him to death while their kid watches. As this is an indie rock video, the child is naturally dressed like some sort of glammy kabuki superhero and unperturbed by the violence. Check it out here:

(Read full post)

Jan 13 2010 02:05 PM ET

M.I.A. leaks new track via Twitter video; stream it here

Maternity leave, ovah. Nearly a year after her last high-profile national appearance—nine months pregnant and swaggering at the ‘09 Grammys with Jay-Z, Kanye, et al in this demure little number—agit-rock culture-jammer turned ubiquitous movie soundtracker M.I.A. has returned with a new track, posted via TwitVid. Oh, the technology!

Stream the clip, cryptically titled “THERES SPACE FOR OL DAT I SEE,” below:

Kick-off sirens aside, it could very well be a lullaby for little Ikhyd, no? No Clash-samples-and-cash-registers “Paper Planes” banger steez, just a sort of hazy, spooky 2001 fever dream—”My lines are down you can’t call me / as I float around in space all I see.”

It’s the first pin to drop from her upcoming third album, this summer’s still-untitled, Blaqstarr-produced follow-up to Kala. Is it good to see M.I.A. missing in action no more?

(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)

More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
‘Yellow Submarine’ casting rumors: Darth Maul IS Paul McCartney?
Flea, ZZ Top, and Andrew WK’s reworking of ‘The Simpsons’ theme song: Best cover of a TV show song ever?
Roisin Murphy Q&A
‘Badder Romance’: Watch the Lady Gaga-approved YouTube spoof

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