Search Results for: ep

Production maestros the Neptunes didn’t find what they were looking for when they first tracked their debut album as N*E*R*D, In Search Of… The duo have scrapped the effort and re-recorded its songs with live instrumentation instead of programming. The album, which was originally due in July, has not been rescheduled, though Neptune Pharrell Williams recently said it would come out in the fall. The revised LP will feature all of the same songs and retain the same title, a Virgin Records spokesperson said. There was no word on whether a new version of the single, “Lap Dance,” will be… Read more »

Why do rock stars have to get old? That’s all I kept thinking Wednesday night (8/15), watching Dave Gahan try to twirl up a storm onstage as Depeche Mode brought the Exciter tour to the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Gahan is game, strutting around stage but sliding up his mic stand, he looks more like a middle-aged stripper, and Martin Gore’s all energy, moving to the music but that guitar looks way too big for his tiny frame. And Andy Fletcher … well, Andy Fletcher’s doing nothing, but it’s cool ’cause its Depeche Mode, right? The answer is a… Read more »

Wilco’s long-rumored split with Reprise Records is official, and the Chicago-based group is actively shopping their fourth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, in an attempt to get the record released by the end of the year. The dispute over the album began in June, when Wilco delivered a finished copy to the label and it was rejected by a pair of A&R men. When the band refused to make changes, the two sides began negotiating Wilco’s departure. “Wilco went for the side of the road instead of the middle,” says a label source, “and that’s not necessarily what the record company was… Read more »

The inspiration behind the title of DMX’s upcoming The Great Depression is plain and simple: The author of “Stop Being Greedy” has been telling the people who work with him that after his LP drops on September 25, all the other rappers are going to starve. “You thought I’d let you have this sh-?,” he screams on the album intro, “Sometimes.” “You thought this rap sh- was yours? You muthaf ers done lost your mind!” He calms down just a little to give a shout out to all of his friends and family who have been influential in his life… Read more »

Music group Aqua, the cornerstone of Denmark’s pop industry and a major export earner, is to disband, Danish media has reported. “We are taking a break until further notice,” the London-based band said. “Our group has lost its sparkle.” Local media interpreted the announcement on Wednesday as signaling the break-up of one Denmark’s greatest successes ever on the international pop music scene. In 1997, the band soared up charts with its kitschy “Barbie Girl” hit, sparking an unsuccessful legal action against its U.S. record company MCA Records by the doll’s maker Mattel. Mattel said the use of the name Barbie… Read more »

Cold is one fortunate band. Not only is Interscope about to work the fourth single from its album (regardless of moderate – yet climbing – album sales and radio airplay), but the Florida-bred hard rockers have landed yet another key opening slot. Weezer has asked the band to open its upcoming shows from Sept. 6 through Sept. 29 (the full itinerary will be unveiled shortly). Cold’s been on the road non-stop since the September 2000 release of its second album, 13 Ways To Bleed On Stage. The band previously opened for Limp Bizkit, Staind, Godsmack, and 3 Doors Down. A… Read more »

Roc-A-Fella Records CEO Damon Dash put just a little more of a pimp stroll than usual in his confident swagger as he walked into the penthouse of Manhattan’s Hotel Giraffe Thursday night. Dash was about to show a handful of invited guests his trump card – the new Jay-Z album, The Blueprint, which features appearances by Eminem and, apparently, Michael Jackson. “I don’t want to say we’re the backbone of hip-hop, because that may sound arrogant, but it is what it is,” Dash said before playing seven songs from the LP, which comes out September 18 and features the single… Read more »

Epic Records, is proud to announce the signing of Flickerstick, winner of VH1’s 2001 “Bands On The Run” contest. Flickerstick, an emotionally charged, melodic five-piece rock band from Dallas, TX, competed for several months against three other talented, unsigned bands for the top prize in VH1’s Emmy nominated and critically acclaimed series (currently being re-run in its entirety). In the end, Flickerstick was left standing as the victor in both the main contest and the on-line competition, which was decided exclusively by viewers of the show. “We think it’s great that the exposure from “Bands On The Run” has lead… Read more »

Following European festival dates and an arena tour with U2, acclaimed artist PJ Harvey returns to the U.S. for an intimate headline tour in September. Harvey will perform in Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other cities in support of her current release, Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea. Harvey will also make a guest performance on The Tonight Show on September 19th. Stories has received tremendous critical praise in the U.S. and internationally since its release last October. In addition to numerous press accolades (the release was on the Top 10 lists of premiere… Read more »

The Justice Department opened an antitrust investigation of the online music business, focusing on two new joint ventures backed by five major record labels, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition on Monday. The probe, which is in a preliminary stage, is looking into possible anti-competitive problems posed by the joint ventures, lawyers close to the case said Friday, according to the report. The government is also expected to examine the major record companies’ use of copyright rules and licensing practices to control online distribution of their music, according to these people, the report said. The rival joint… Read more »