While schmoozing about at Lollapalooza, indie-pop duo Matt & Kim took time out to talk to MTV about their forthcoming follow-up to 2009’s Grand. “I decided we don’t write songs anymore, we write anthems,” Matt said. For anyone who has pumped their fist to “Daylight,” this is nothing but good news. They’ve even got the opening single lined up entitled “Cameras,” for which they’re shooting a video that “will probably [make] some angry people.” So far the band hasn’t missed on their music videos, so I’m willing to eye-devour anything this band throws at me. Recording of the new album is reportedly “in the home stretch,” so hopefully the album– which was originally going to be titled Deluxe– will be seeing release late this year or early next.
-Chris Bosman
At long last, the debate over whether Weezer is earnestly making the worst music of any previously respected rock band’s career (ever) or whether they’re Andy Kaufman pranking the universe may finally be over. To the right, you’ll see a picture of Jorge Garcia, aka Hurley from Lost. How are Weezer and that picture of Jorge Garcia related? It’s been announced that that picture is the official cover photo for Weezer’s new album, appropriately (and maddeningly) titled Hurley. No text. No title. Just that picture. When Weezer released an album with a red background behind the band and Rivers Cuomo sporting a mustache/cowboy hat combo? I didn’t think they were kidding, so much as making a terrible, terrible mistake, especially after I listened to said red album. When they released an album called Raditude with a picture of a leaping dog and some of the most awful recordings in the history of the music business, I assumed they had gone off the deep end. But now I get it. It’s all a show. A farce to boost sales and piss off critics. But here’s the thing, fellas: When your sideshow nets you millions of dollars and huge sales from a crowd that doesn’t understand that you’re joking, you’re not lighting the world on fire, you’re not brilliant satirists, you’re just bored rich men exploiting the stupidity of a misinformed populace. You could be putting your time, money, and effort towards something worthwhile or meaningful. Instead, you’re the music scene’s Ashton Kutcher, except you’re not in your 20s anymore. Either that, or you’re serious, in which case God can’t even help you regain credibility at this point.
-Christian Hagen
Guitarist/singer/composer Tyondai Braxton (and son of progressive jazz saxophonist/clarinetist Anthony Braxton) has decided to call it quits with his band Battles. Due to the recent emergence of a promising solo career, a lack of desire for traditional rock tours, and his recent collaborations with high profile artists like Prefuse 73 and Kronos Quartet, Braxton has decided to move on, despite the group soon delivering a hotly anticipated sophomore release on the heels of 2007’s gutsy and maniacal debut MIrrored. The band will continue without him, which should ultimately make for a new and interesting approach, considering they still count amongst themselves former members of Don Caballero and Helmet, and hopefully will be just as forward-minded without Braxton as they were with him because of the band’s varied backgrounds. As always with these public break-ups, the split was reportedly amicable, according to message posted by the band on the Warp Records web site. Ultimately, it sounds like a win/lose situation: the combination of Braxton plus the rest of Battles will be sorely missed, as their cumulative energy and weirdness brought out some of the strangest yet most infectious melodies of recent years, but on the other hand, following two careers now instead of one will be mean more quantity of awesomeness, and if they made the right decision, it won’t feel like there are pieces missing in either’s work.
-Chris Polley
Kanye West is in our news for the second week in a row. After crashing the offices of Facebook, Twitter, and Google to drop freestyles, West has now reportedly also gone into the studio to record several tracks with big-time Southern rapper T.I. Though it’s unclear how many of these tracks will ever make it to our ears, or whether they’re meant for West’s no-longer-titled November release or some future T.I. record, it’s always exciting to hear about some of the biggest rappers in the business coming together to share their talents. Let’s just hope this turns out better than “Barry Bonds.”
-Christian Hagen