Search Results for: between you & me

You might think that after parting ways with a major label, Jimmy Eat World would take the opportunity to further indulge in the thoughtful experimentation that marked 1999’s Clarity, their second and final release on Capitol. After all, no label means no more A&R guys frowning at songs like Clarity’s 16-minute-plus “Goodbye Sky Harbor,” with its drum-loop buildup and crescendo of overlapping, programmed vocals. But left to their own devices, Mesa, Arizona’s favorite sons made their most straight-up pop record to date – Bleed American, which hit stores Tuesday. “Things still got pretty gnarly in the studio as far as… Read more »

When they were making Celebrity, ‘NSYNC weren’t fretting about how to follow up a sales record – they were too busy staking out a new sound to carry them into a future far beyond first-week figures, says Justin Timberlake. And besides, he said, it’s just the economy that’s to blame if the album’s opening week comes shy of the 2.4 million copies No Strings Attached sold last year in its first week on shelves. “People probably don’t think we think about this kind of stuff, but if you really wanna get technical about it, the whole country, the economy, is… Read more »

It is a visual overload, this PopOdyssey tour starring the reigning champs of the pop music marketplace, ‘N Sync. There are films and explosions and dancers and mechanical bulls and more costumes than songs – it looks exhausting for performer and young viewer alike. It’s a feast of production values, a sign that every dime went into something the audience can see and, taken collectively, the show is a better marketing tool than a dozen videos. PopOdyssey is flat-out a vehicle to expose new songs to their hard-core audience and give a dynamic and visceral association to the bulk of… Read more »

The once fertile scene of Lollapalooza, Lilith Fair, the HORDE and Furthur has dried up in recent years, leaving the U.S. summer tour circuit a less festive place for traveling rock music festivals. So pop auteur Moby, in the wake of the success of his latest album, “Play,” has decided to do something about that. “I’ve spent a long time playing European festivals and was impressed by how eclectic and open they were,” explains Moby, whose Area: One tour opened Wednesday in Atlanta. “There was a period in the States where we had a few really interesting festivals…. When those… Read more »

The man who once wrote “slave” across his face to protest the way Warner Bros. Records was treating him probably isn’t too happy with his ex-label’s latest move. On July 31, the Warner Catalog Group will dip its paws back into the artist’s sonic real estate by releasing The Very Best of Prince via Rhino Records. When asked for comment on the release, Prince’s publicist said the purple one was unavailable. The 17-track disc compiles songs from the 1993 discs The Hits 1 and 2, which consisted of material Prince released between 1978 and 1993 on Warner Bros., whom he… Read more »

Even as Chuck Leavell watches Mick Jagger for cues or listens to Keith Richards’ riffs, his mind sometimes drifts from rock ‘n’ roll to the trees and seedlings on his 2,200-acre farm in central Georgia. Being part of one of the world’s great rock bands is just one side of Leavell, who tours with the Rolling Stones but always returns to Charlane Plantation eager to get his hands dirty again. “Part of my job is to really keep a close eye on Mick. They look to me for changes, and to signal to let them know the verse or chorus.… Read more »

D12, Eminem’s original Detroit rap crew, opened at number one with its debut release, Devil’sNight. The disc was produced by Eminem and prominently features the rhymes of the controversial hip-hopster. D12 (short for the Dirty Dozen) is the first group on Eminem’s Interscope-distributed Shady Records. “We made a pact years ago,” says Eminem. “Whichever one of us gets signed comes back for the rest.” For the week ending Sunday, Devil’s Night sold 371,000 copies, according to SoundScan. The numbers were significantly lower than the 500,000 million retailers predicted and the 1.76 million first week enjoyed by Eminem’s last solo effort,… Read more »

Shaquille O’Neal and 311 hooked up to perform a version of the basketball star’s new song, “Psycho” during a Los Angeles-area gig Saturday (June 23), according to the Los Angeles Times. O’Neal joined the rap-rockers onstage during their set at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, California as part of the annual Weenie Roast, hosted by Southern California alt-rock radio giant KROQ. The 300-pound superstar made the most of his brief concert appearance-crowd surfing during his performance and, later, hovering over the crowd in a helicopter as Staind took its turn on stage, the newspaper reports. The pairing was a… Read more »

Lil’ Kim raps “Wait a minute, ain’t that Brandy’s brother?” on Ray J’s “Wait a Minute,” making light of the singer’s career being overshadowed by his big sister’s. Which, according to Ray, is just fine. “Brandy opened a lot of doors for me and is still helping me out,” he said. “If I never ever swayed from being ‘Brandy’s brother,’ it wouldn’t be a problem. But being real to yourself, it shines through. I can’t be like Brandy. I have to be me.” With his new album, This Ain’t a Game, released Tuesday, and “Wait a Minute” (out since last… Read more »

Like Eminem’s last two solo albums, the debut LP from his hometown crew, D12, opens with a public service announcement. But this time, the announcer suggests that anyone offended by words like “bitch” and “faggot” should turn off their stereos immediately. “We want people to know what the f they gonna hear for the next hour,” D12’s Bizarre said, speaking from the group’s home base of Detroit last week. “It’s our own ghetto public service announcement.” The sextet asks those who keep listening to Devils Night, due Tuesday, not to draw conclusions from what they hear – a request that… Read more »