R.E.M. Go Old School For New Album

Oct. 10, 2010

Autumn Defense is working on their upcoming album, too - dubbed Once
Around, the set will serve as the band’s fourth, and will be released
on November 2 on Yep Roc albums. Included in Autumn Defense’s band
lineup, of course, are Wilco members John Stirratt and Pat Sansone,
who are able to work on some “un-Wilco-like” music in their
nonetheless very catchy side project. Tunes set for inclusion on Once
Around will be “Huntington Fair,” “The Rift,” “Step Easy,” “Every
Day,” and the title track... Brian Eno, the electronic pioneer known
both for his own solo work and his time in Roxy Music as well as his
groundbreaking producing for the likes of U2, Coldplay, and Talking
Heads, is set to release his next album on Warp Records, most likely
some time later this year. The new set is said to sound both live and
“alien,” as well very unusual and unique sonically, even given all of
Eno’s musical sound experimentations over the years...
And for those of you who have been living under a TV-free rock, Fox
has announced (in a live webcast hosted by Ryan Seacrest, ‘natch) that
the previously unsettled and unknown roster of judges for the next
round of singing competition American Idol has finally been settled.
With Idol “dawg” Randy Jackson still on the judging panel, favorite
Paula Abdul long gone, and perhaps the only truly accurate judge,
Simon Cowell, now departed, the remaining judge places will be taken
up by performer Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
The new season of Idol is set to begin January 12, 2011...

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
U2 premiered a couple of new songs this past summer at one of their
live shows in Turin, Italy; one called “North Star” and the other
called “Flowering Rose of Glastonbury” about - what else? -
Glastonbury, the festival that they missed due to Bono’s back surgery.
To see live video of both performances, check out www.u2gigs.com/article672.html
...

MINI BUZZ: The Gracious Few have kicked off their fall tour in
promotion of their eponymous debut disc, which they released on their
own label; the band will make stops in Atlanta GA (10/10), Little Rock
AR (10/16), Memphis (10/19), Columbus OH (10/28), Flint MI (10/29),
and Lancaster PA (10/31)...
Swedish band ABBA are taking legal action against the Danish People’s
Party, after the political group changed the words of one of ABBA’s
songs in order to have a theme song for their party’s leader...
The Coral will be taking on some UK dates, too, in promotion of their
new album Butterfly House; their shows will include Leeds (11/14),
London (11/15), and Glasgow (11/19)...
Austin, Texas experimental popsters The Octopus Project will release
their new album, Hexadecagon, on October 26, after performing the
album in its entirety at SXSW to over-capacity crowds...The War Child
David Bowie tribute album is now set for release on October 11th,
complete with contributions from Duran Duran, Warpaint, Afghan
Raiders, Corridor, and John Frusciante, among others... And start
crafting those crazy costumes, all you “little monsters” - Lady Gaga
has added dates to her 2011 North American tour, and one of them is
set to be a stop at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena on March 1- tickets
are on sale for that show now...
And these CDs are looking to add their music to your CD collection...
Manic Street Preachers’ Postcards from a Young Man... No Age’s
Everything In Between... (Genesis drummer-turned-solo-artist) Phil
Collins’ Going Back... and Ice Cube’s I Am the West... 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