By Frank Deserto

Just as expected, Nine Inch Nails dropped their brand new record, The Slip, right as the clock struck midnight in L.A. Did you stay up all night against all better judgment just to see what was in store? Am I embarrassed that I did myself? So far, it has been worth it, but don't take my word for it...

This brand new offering is comprised of ten slim tracks (two of which have been released over the course of the two week wait), and can be downloaded in various formats, including better-than-cd-quality .wav files. Again, The Slip is protected under the Creative Commons license, and as a treat for years of loyal fan support, Trent Reznor is offering this record 100% free of charge. No catch!

To wrap up the last bit of Nine Inch Nails news, the band begins presale orders for their upcoming tour this week via nin.com. Take a peek and sign up (also for free) to score choice seats before the uninformed get their crack at it.

Otherwise, happy Cinco de Mayo, ladies and gentlemen...Kick it off right!

By Frank Deserto

Finally, some solid news about The Cure's upcoming studio record! After rescheduling tours, shifting release dates, and continuous streams of inconclusive information from frontman Robert Smith, I am happy to report that there's light at the end of the tunnel after all.

Acccording to Geffen/Universal, The brand new Cure record, tentatively titled 4:13, will hit stores on Saturday, September 13th, which, opens up potential digital distribution possibilities due to the highly unorthodox release date. No solid tracklist has materialized, but the band plans to release four consecutive singles on the 13th of each month, complete with several unreleased b-sides. The original rumor mill claimed the album might just be a double, with over 30 finished songs on the cutting room floor, but perhaps we'll see these elusive tracks collected throughout the singles, which will be available on 7'' vinyl, limited edition CD, and digital download. The first in this series, 'The Only One' (previously known on recent setlists as 'Please Project'), will be available on May 13th, backed with 'NY Trip.'

In the meanwhile, The Cure will be appearing live in New York City, wrapping up their US tour on Friday, June 20th at Madison Square Garden and Saturday, June 21st at Radio City Music Hall. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to stock up on Aqua Net, oversized track shoes, and ruby red lipstick!

Rivers! Say it ain't so! That photo on the right is the cover of Weezer's upcoming self-titled effort, casually called The Red Album. During the band's three year hiatus, the band has taken obvious experimental strides in wardrobe expansion. Yes, I miss the good ol' nerd look from The Blue Album and the edgier rockstar look on The Green Album, but I guess even musicians grow up. Initially, the cover struck me as a hipster version of the village people, but on further thought, the band's picture reminds me of a representation of Ludlow. From left to right you've got your regulars at: Darkroom, Pianos, Iggy's, and Motor City Bar. No?

New York's own Morning Theft will be releasing their latest LP, Between Walls, on their website as a free download. If that's not enough to psych you up, everyone who downloads it is automatically entered in a contest to win a free Nintendo Wii. Holy crap!

It's been almost three years since Morning Theft released their last album, 2005's The News Says It's Raining in New York, but the foursome hasn't been keeping quiet. In between shows up and down the east coast, the band found time to contribute a cover of "Ana" for last year's Dig For Fire: A Tribute To The Pixies. Other than Morning Theft, the album included some pretty awesome covers by They Might Be Giants, OK Go and Mogwai.

Click here to download Between Walls, and for a taste of the band, check out their MySpace too.

The other night I watched Larry King interview Bill Maher. I can’t take Larry too seriously; it’s not because of those silly suspenders he wears or his lizard-like appearance—it’s because he admittedly never prepares for an interview and it usually shows. At one point during their rather mundane chat (which was full of King tossing softball questions to Maher), King asked the comedian how he would rate George W. Bush’s presidency. Maher asked King how many presidents we’ve had, and King correctly responded “43.” Maher smirked and said, “Then I’d rate George Bush number 45.”

As comedians, pundits and clueless CNN hosts count down the 348 days left in Mr. Bush’s administration, it seems like everyone is joining Maher in getting their last licks in on this lame duck, including Shout! Factory Records. Arriving on the success of 2004’s Bushspeak: The Curious Wit & Wisdom Of George W. Bush comes Bushspeak Volume 2: Fore More Years, a compilation featuring some of Dubya’s best/worst distortions of the English language. A sample for your reading pleasure:

“Nobody’s accused me of being Shakespeare . . . I just hope you can understand what I’m saying.” - Cleveland, Ohio – July 10, 2007

“You work three jobs? Uniquely American, isn’t it? I mean, that is fantastic that you’re doing that. Get any sleep?” - Omaha, Nebraska – February 4, 2005

The album’s release date? April 1, of course.

Montreal trio Plants and Animals headed to Boston last night for a five stop East Coast run. Following a brief tour with Wolf Parade last year, they came out with an astounding EP on Secret City (home of Patrick Watson and Miracle Fortress) called With/Avec. The EP only has four songs, but can almost count as a full length record—the songs are that powerful.

For the EP, the band flawlessly melds organic acoustic introspections with hints of classic rock guitar, forceful string arrangements, and serene vocal harmonies. Possibly the best song is “Faerie Dance”—which at first can be mistaken as a breathy Will Oldham tune that quickly turns into a symphonic chorus of infectious vocals and dizzy violins.

Keep an eye out for Parc Avenue, due out in the states March 25. The band is said to have gone in an entirely new direction with the album, spending over two years reworking their signature acoustic rock into an “epic-rock-pop-soul-train” sound.

According to Iceland Airwaves website, the new record includes several interesting guests like Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire), country songbird Katie Moore, the Ideal Lovers, a moonlighting cheerleading squad, a ringer horn section, and a family choir.

Can’t wait to hear it; but in the meantime, you can check out the new songs at any of their east coast shows this week.

Tour Dates:

Jan 29 - Middle East / Boston
Jan 31 - 8X10 / Baltimore
Feb 1 - Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn
Feb 2 -Johnny Brenda’s / Philadelphia
Feb 3 - Mercury Lounge / NYC

 

No, this isn't a snooty "Vampire Weekend sold out" post, don't worry. In fact, I'll admit that the "Upper West Side Soweto" quartet is one of my favorite acts to build buzz in 2007.

But a Target ad!? How did that happen?? I remember seeing Vampire Weekend back in '06 at a Columbia house (er...dorm) party. Even though they were local rockstars among Ivy League hipsters, no one would have guessed these guys were destined for mainstream exposure. Now, the band is headlining festivals like Popscene, and co-headlining a tour with The Walkmen. Did I mention they have an album out at Target?

Their self-titled debut album finally hits shelves tomorrow, and is getting rave reviews. The band plays a free show at Virgin Megastores in Union Square tonight, then play two sold out shows tomorrow and Wednesday at Bowery Ballroom. Will the hype keep building? What do you think?

On January 10th, metal-heads Bullet For My Valentine released Scream Aim Fire, the follow-up to their successful debut, The Poison. The new album rages with the band's heavy sound, which likely resulted in ripped guitar strings, broken drum sets, and a sore throat. The album is streaming in its entirety on myspace.

With February 14th just a few weeks away, this may be the perfect gift for that special someone. Better than a bullet. The band co-headlines the Taste of Chaos tour, which kicks off on 2/29 in Colorado.

In our world of blogging frenzy, it's easy for hype bands to come and go, where one day they are the next big thing, and the other? A forgotten fad. So it's definitely interesting to see what will happen to our (probably) ill-fated friends Tapes 'n Tapes, the first big blog buzz to hit it big. The Michigan four-piece has been shelled up for the greater part of last year, working on their follow-up to The Loon which some touted as "perfect," but maybe should have bit their tongues.

Granted, I was one of those who so easily declared them the greatest thing ever, which is why I'm interested to see how Walk It Off (out April 8 on XL) fairs. Not only am I excited to hear the actual sound, I'm intrigued to see just what, (insert optimism here) if any, backlash prevails.

Tracklist after the jump.

1. Le Ruse
2. Time Of Songs
3. Hang Them All
4. Headshock
5. Conquest
6. Say Back Something
7. Demon Apple
8. Blunt
9. George Michael
10. Anvil
11. Lines
12. The Dirty Dirty

A few months back, we featured an mp3 from a local rock band called The Epochs. I've been a longtime fan of the Brooklyn pop rockers, and was recently surprised when I realized they've yet to release a full length album. That changes on February 19th, when the band's debut, self-titled LP hits shelves. In addition to new material, the album features a handful of their older tunes (revamped) that will now be heard by a wider audience. They also just put out a video for "Love Complete," which you can see on Spinner.