Jukian Casablacas records solo set

Nov. 1, 2009

Modern Rock
Kristi Kates 11/2/09
Julian Casablancas Records Solo Set
The Strokes singer Julian Casablancas is following in the footsteps of his bandmates, Albert Hammond Jr. (whose second solo album, Como Te Llama?, was released last year) Fabrizio Moretti (whose side project band, Little Joy, also released a CD in 2008) and Nikolai Fraiture (whose solo album under the name Nickel Eye dropped this year), and is working on his own solo album for release November 2 (U.S.). The set was produced by Mike Mogis, and recorded in NYC, L.A., and Nebraska; songs so far set for inclusion on the album are “Glass,” “Ludlow Street,” and “River of Brake Lights.” As for The Strokes themselves, they’d been on a self-imposed (but not hostile) band hiatus since 2007, but began working on new Strokes songs earlier this year...
It’s perhaps the first major music festival to take place in the United Arab Emirates state of Dubai, and they’ve dubbed it The Dubai Sound City Festival (www.dubaisoundcity.com.) Set to take place from November 5 through November 7 in various venues throughout Dubai, the lineup so far is sure to draw plenty of indie-rock fans, with sets scheduled from Happy Mondays, Super Furry Animals, Ocean Colour Scene, Doves, Alphabeat, Ian Brown, The Wombats, and The Human League - the question is, how many indie-rock fans are actually going to be in Dubai? so far, mostly the provenance of uber-wealthy tourists, real estate magnates, oil barons, and financial executives?
Hot Chip have announced that they’ll be releasing a new album early next year, and that the new tunes will be “more mellow” than their 2009 release. Synth player Joe Goddard mentioned in a recent interview that the band is making the next album more focused, and were influenced by more pop songs as opposed to dance floor tracks that “have bits of songs bolted onto them.” The album is still untitled, but song titles currently up for the cut include “Alley Cats” and “One Life Band”; Hot Chip have also invited Peter Gabriel to work with them on the new set, and have recruited a new drummer, too...
Heavy-metal frontman and unintentional television comedian Ozzy Osbourne will be the subject of a new documentary that will be released next year. The movie, titled Wreckage of My Past: The Ozzy Osbourne Story will document Osbourne’s newly-sober life and look back at his past difficulties as well as his success as a musician. The rockumentary will be the first released by Ozzy’s son Jack Osbourne on his own Jacko Productions imprint; the Osbournes are self-financing the film, which will include interviews of Ozzy and his friends and family, plus all the original members of his band. Jack Osbourne recently stated that he wants to “paint a realistic picture of who my father is,” instead of the “bumbling, senile idiot” that the television show The Osbournes often portrayed him to be...

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
Tired of the built-in, tinny ringtones on your new phone? Well, you can now choose not only one of your fave songs to use as a ringtone, but also choose the precise section of song, too. Just stop by their website at http://audiko.net/, upload the song of your choice, edit the section you want as your ringtone (way easier than it sounds), and send your new ringtone to your phone. The best part? It’s free...

MINI BUZZ:
Sigur Ros have reportedly nearly completed work on a new full-length album that’s said to be “slower and more ambient” than previous releases; the disc is expected sometime next year...
They Might Be Giants have added some more dates to their fall tour schedule, including stops in Los Angeles (11/14) Philly (11/21), and Washington DC’s famed 9:30 Club (11/28)...
The Tragically Hip will be in the U.S. for a couple weeks’ worth of tour dates, including shows in St. Paul Minnesota (11/3) and Syracuse NY (11/7), before heading to Europe for more shows through the beginning of December...
The Raveonettes are on tour in America, too, with appearances slated for Seattle (11/6), Portland (11/7), and Las Vegas (11/15)...
A handwritten essay about Queen Elizabeth II written by Paul McCartney when he was 10 years old was recently discovered in a Liverpool Library, and after further investigation, it’s now thought to have been “quite advanced” for McCartney’s age, according to the AP...
A variety of musicians have signed up with www.artistmusicexchange.com and Live Nation to offer cut-price concert tix across Europe in an effort to offer recession-friendly entertainment to fans; among the artists participating so far are David Byrne and Lenny Kravitz, with more reportedly on the way...
CDs in general are pretty recession-friendly, too, as you can probably snag most of this week’s new releases for under $20... ON CD: R.E.M.’s Live at the Olympia... Squirrel Nut Zippers’ Lost at Sea... and Weezer’s Raditude... ON DVD: Green Day: The Only Rhyme That Bites and Spandau Ballet: Gold - The Best Of ... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your favorite musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com