They‘re up in the air

Jan. 10, 2007

French electronica duo Air are “mostly done” with their upcoming album, which has been dubbed Pocket Symphony and which will include contributions from Pulp singer-gone-solo Jarvis Cocker and The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon. The 12-track disc, which Air’s JB Dunckel says is “very influenced by classical music,” also reclaims several songs from the soundtrack for the Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette, namely “Night Vision,” “Napalm Love,” and “Once Upon a Time.”  Air will likely follow up the album’s release on March 6 on Astralwerks Records with a world tour, which is tentatively planned to kick off in Sheffield, England...
 
The Black Eyed Peas have just about wrapped their new disc, too, although a definite release date for 2007 has yet to be confirmed. The group already has about a dozen songs recorded, and plans to record a couple dozen more before whittling down to the album’s final selection; they’ve been recording while on tour, but will likely become more focoused on the disc once they get off the road in January. The Peas have also just released The Black Eyed Peas: Live from Sydney to Vegas, a highly interactive concert DVD that allows viewers to shift seamlessly between footage of both shows...
 
Another new album to look forward to will be that of Conor Oberst, otherwise known as Bright Eyes, who will release his next disc, Cassadaga, on April 10 on Saddle Creek Records. This time around, Oberst works with a variety of contributors, including Gillian Welch, M. Ward, and Sleater-Kinney’s Janet Weiss.  Bright Eyes fans will be able to preview the full-length album with a six-track EP dubbed Four Winds that is set for release on March 6;  the EP will contain its own title track as well as “Cartoon Blues,” “Tourist Trap,” and 3 other songs. Oberst is also expected to embark on a tour in February...
 
And the 2007 Benicassim International Festival has announced that tix are now on sale for the 4-day event, which will be held July 19-22 on the beaches of Benicassim in Spain. The fest features exhibitions on dance, fashion, art, theater, and short films as well as sets from a wide variety of musicians; the 2006 event included sets from the likes of Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, The Futureheads, Morrissey, Babyshambles, Scissor Sisters, She Wants Revenge, The Kooks, and many more;  2007’s lineup is said to be “promising and exciting,” although a performers roster has yet to be released;  we’ll keep you updated...
 
MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:  Talking Heads frontman (and renaissance man) David Byrne not only has a snazzy new website, but his own website radio program - just go to Byrne’s site
(www.davidbyrne.com) and click “Radio,” and you’ll be treated to Byrne himself giving extensive notes and a playlist for his streaming MP3 show, which changes monthly...

MINI BUZZ:
Kaiser Chiefs will be kicking off the new year with a new single, namely “Ruby,” the title track from their upcoming album of the same name - “Ruby” the single will hit radio on January 8, with Ruby the album hitting stores on February 19...
Quirk-rockers!!! will be releasing Myth Takes, their first album in over two years, on March 6...
Texas indie rockers Midlake are going on tour - a six-week tour, to be exact - 
that will kick off on February 2 in New Orleans and will continue through Washington, DC (2/7), Philadelphia (2/8), Detroit (2/13), Chicago (2/14), and Los Angeles (3/3)...
Punkers The Fall of Troy have just headed into the studio to begin work on their new album with Minus the Bear producer Matt Bayles...
Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy is set to play a lineup of solo shows in January, beginning January 16 in Memphis, Tennessee;  more Tweedy solo dates are expected to be announced, and a new Wilco album is expected in the spring...
And Michigan’s own Madonna is branching out in yet another direction - well, two, actually - as she’s set to design a line of clothing for fashion retailer H&M, and will also be directing (!) the upcoming Maverick Entertainment-produced boxing movie Blade to the Heat...
 
ON CD:  Carly Simon’s Into White... The Essential Elvis Presley…
Evanescence’s Lithium Pt. 1 and Lithium Pt. 2... the reissue of Green Day’s Kerplunk... and Sloan’s Never Hear the End of It... ON DVD:   Robbie Williams’ And Through It All: Live 1997-2006... Sheryl Crow’s Wildflower Tour - Live from New York.. Natasha Bedingfield’s Live in New York City... and Paul McCartney’s The Space Within Us... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
 
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your fave musicians? Send ’em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com.