Phoenix start sesions in Aussie studio

April 17, 2011

Phoenix Start Sessions in Aussie Studio
The land down under has welcomed French indie-pop-rockers Phoenix, who are currently doing some recording for their next album in Australia’s Byron Bay, working in some orchestral elements to their new songs. Early listens indicate that Phoenix’s next set is a pretty even mix between the classic Phoenix sound and some more retro-futuristic elements, as the band is including both organic sounds and a blender’s worth of rhythms that spin up drum machine sounds, loops, and actual (live!) drumming. No date has been set yet for the album’s release…
Capitol Records have finally confirmed that they’ll be releasing the legendary “lost” Beach Boys album, Smile, some time this year, as produced by archivist Alan Boyd and engineer Mark Linett. Re-dubbed The Smile Sessions, the album will be released as a 2-CD set, a limited edition box set, and on iTunes as a digital album, although real Beach Boys fans will probably want to spring for the box set, with its additional vinyl records and a 60-page hardbound book on the band. Brian Wilson even endorsed the album’s release, saying that he’s “thrilled” that the original sessions will finally be heard after all of this time…
Lollapalooza’s lineup is solidifying even more, and the rumors are flying fast; so far, word on the street has it that two of the headliners will be Muse and the Foo Fighters; additional talk says that Crystal Castles will also be making an appearance on one of the side stages, although no more credible headliner ideas have been seriously posed. Lolla tix will go on sale this spring, will the usual 70 or so bands performing on five stages; this year’s event will be Lollapalooza’s 20th anniversary and is set for August 5-7
‘80s shoegaze-synth-pop singer Kate Bush is re-recording some of her classic songs, reworking various elements of each tracks with an eye on making the album a “director’s cut” of old material (hence the album’s title - Director’s Cut.) No word yet on if her landmark single “Running Up That Hill” will be included, but the set, which will hit stores on May 16, will be prefaced by a re-recorded single version of her song “Deeper Understanding” this month…

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
Arctic Monkeys haven’t performed in the U.S. in a year or so, but will be hopping on the tour bus for nearly a month’s worth of stateside dates this May. They’ll start in Washington DC on May 17, and will make stops in Boston (5/19), Toronto (5/21), Detroit (5/26), and Minneapolis (5/28) before closing this round on June 3 in Los Angeles. Catch up with the Monkeys via their newly revamped (snazzy) website at http://arcticmonkeys.com…

MINI MODERN BUZZ:
David Bowie: Objects is the name of an in-progress book being worked on by Bowie himself, in which he’ll showcase photos of 100 items that have inspired him in his songwriting and other creative projects…
Arctic Monkeys, Dizzee Rascal, and Primal Scream have been tapped for the headliner spots at the 2011 V Festival on August 20/21...
Beatle drummer Ringo Starr has reportedly filed for a trademark for the name “Ringo” for use in videogaming software and computer games…
Seattle band The Head and the Heart has just been signed to Sub Pop Records, following their slate of appearances at the Conor Byrne open mic nights…
The Airborne Toxic Event will be promoting their new album, All at Once (due out April 25), with a trio of TV appearances - Jay Leno (4/26), Jimmy Kimmel (4/28), and David Letterman (5/20)…
Singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche will release his new album, Sondre Lerche, on June 7, prefacing the album’s release with a headlining tour that will kick off May 31 in Toronto…
And “touring” their own albums in stores this week (and hopefully in your music collection) are this week’s new releases... Wolfram’s Wolfram... I’m From Barcelona’s Forever Today... and Bootsy Collins’ The Funk Capitol of the World... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com