Jack White has released the video for “Love Interruption”, the lead single from his upcoming solo debut, Blunderbuss. Directed by White himself, the clip also features back-up vocalist Ruby Amanfu, clarinet/bass clarinet player Emily Bowland, and Brooke Waggoner on wurlitzer electric piano. Watch it below.

Blunderbuss is out April 24th via Third Man/Columbia. See him on tour:

Jack White 2012 Tour Dates:
03/10 – Chattanooga, TN @ Track 29
03/12 – Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Soundstage
03/13 – Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
03/15 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
05/18 – Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival
05/26 – Quincy, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival
06/23-24 – London, UK @ Radio 1?s Hackney Weekend 

As previously reported, Jack White will release his solo debut, Blunderbuss, on April 24th via Third Man/Columbia. To go along with upcoming appearances at the Sasquatch! and Hangout music festivals, White has scheduled shows in Tennessee, Alabama, and Oklahoma for next month. Check out his updated tour schedule below; tickets for these new dates go on sale to the public Friday, February 17th.

Also, stay tuned for the video to Blunderbuss‘ lead single, “Love Interruption”, which is set to premiere tomorrow morning.

Jack White 2012 Tour Dates:
03/10 – Chattanooga, TN @ Track 29
03/12 – Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Soundstage
03/13 – Memphis, TN @ New Daisy Theatre
03/15 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
05/18 – Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival
05/26 – Quincy, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival
06/23-24 – London, UK @ Radio 1′s Hackney Weekend 

As previously reported, 71-year-old professional crooner/knight, Sir Tom Jones, is the latest participant of Third Man Records’ Blue Series. On March 5th, he’ll release a two-song, Jack White-produced single, featuring a new rendition of ”Jezebel” from his 2002 album Mr. Jones, along with a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Evil”. Both tracks also feature White’s Raconteurs bandmates Patrick Keeler and Jack Lawrence, as well as My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel.

As Tom Jones International points out, Jones’ version of “Evil” was premiered on BBC Radio yesterday, and you can stream it below.

The third annual Hangout Music Festival runs May 18-20th on Alabama’s Gulf Shores. As previously reported, Jack White will top this year’s lineup and he’ll joined by Dave Matthews Band and a soon-to-be-announced third headliner. Update: Red Hot Chili Peppers have been confirmed as the third main stage headliner.

Other heavyweights include Wilco, String Cheese Incident, The Flaming Lips, who will perform Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Chris Cornell, Skrillex, Dispatch, and Steve Winwood.

Also playing are Randy Newman, STS9, Coheed and Cambria, Flogging Molly, M. Ward, Dr. Dog, Alabama Shakes, Dawes, Cage the Elephant, Gogol Bordello, Young the Giant, Mavis Staples, Big Freedia, Shpongle, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Gary Clark Jr., G. Love and Special Sauce, Allen Stone, Zeds Dead, Paul Oakenfold, Yelawolf, Mac Miller, Hey Rosetta!, Paper Diamond, and Sleeper Agent. Additional acts will be announced in the coming weeks.

Three-day and VIP passes will be available starting Friday, February 10th at Noon ET. Visit the festival’s website for more information.

Sasquatch!’s 2012 lineup is officially one day old and that means it’s time for some post-reveal analysis. In the pages that follow, we run through the biggest highlights and surprises appearing on this year’s bill, in addition to the most glaring omissions. We also highlight five names worth knowing as you prepare for Memorial Day weekend at the Gorge.

Highlights

Beck

Stalk enough festival forums and you’ll see Beck’s name pop up every now and then. Shortly after these wishlist proposals there’s typically a textual scoff and/or write off – and with good reason. Too many times has Mr. Hansen gone unlisted on many a festival lineup. This year, however, Sasquatch! puts the doubters to shame. Whatever magic Adam Zacks used to get Beck on his lineup, he should share. Otherwise, how the hell are we to ever see Bowie on a lineup? -Michael Roffman

Jack White

It’s only been a week that we’ve really known Jack White as a solo artist. Producer? Sure. Band leader? Of course. But, he’s yet to really branch out on his own. With Blunderbuss due out April 24th, he’ll have a collection of tracks fresh and new for Memorial Day weekend. Let’s be real, though, do we really expect him to stick only to his solo album? Absolutely not. Fans should expect something special for this set, whether it’s dipping back into his diverse back catalog(s), or knocking out a slew of covers both favorite and new. He’ll have a full band in tow, so anything is possible. We’d be willing to bet that several artists might want to jam out with him, too. Who wouldn’t? -Michael Roffman

Spiritualized

Photo by James Goulden

With a new record due out this spring and a pretty extensive support tour lined up for later this year, Spiritualized looked like a likely candidate for a sub-headlining slot on every festival this summer. Kudos to Sasquatch! then for being the first and only festival (so far) this year to book J Spaceman & Co. for a performance. -Möhammad Choudhery

Portlandia

No better place to dream of the ’90s than at the Gorge – well, except for Portland. Still, given the awe-inspiring terrain that surrounds Sasquatch!, Portlandia‘s Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein should have myriad characters that love or hate the festival’s vibes (with or without a dose of irony). Also, it offers a chance to the hundreds of fans who couldn’t get tickets to their recent sold out tour. Much like Mr. White, we’re thinking Fred and Carrie will have plenty of pals joining them on-stage. So, if you’re planning on going, be sure to charge up your camera, and pickle your snacks, and wear that Eddie Vedder tattoo of yours without shame. -Michael Roffman

Mogwai

Scottish five-piece Mogwai announced last week that their upcoming U.S. tour would be their last before an extended hiatus and Sasquatch! would serve as the kick off. Disclaimer: It will get loud. -Möhammad Choudhery

Surprises

Beck

Aside from his appearance at Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit, Beck performed only one show last year. It was his first in two years and he didn’t necessarily phone in it. He played for two hours and over two sets that spanned 21 songs. Truth is, despite the sparkling appearance late last year, few festivalgoers expected Beck to come out of his slumber. He hasn’t released an album since 2008′s Modern Guilt and aside from a few remixes there is little to no evidence that he’s set to issue an album. That’s okay, though. Now that he’s confirmed, it opens up a whole slew of questions, all starting with “why”. We’ll figure out that later, but for now, we’re expecting a set similar to Wilco’s last year: heavy on the hits, light on the fluff. -Michael Roffman

Jack White

Did we mention that he only announced his solo career a few days ago? Nobody pegged him, especially not as a headliner. Case closed. -Michael Roffman

John Reilly & Friends

The Reilly in question is John C. Reilly, star of such cinematic masterpieces as Step Brothers and Boogie Nights; the accompanying Friends are folk musicians Becky Stark & Tom Brosseau. Together, the trio have played a couple of shows and released a two-song single via Third Man Records. With this booking decision, Sasquatch! promoters have simultaneously given a young band the fastest and biggest break in recorded music history while demonstrating that a little star power can go a looooong way. -Chris Coplan

Tenacious D

In 2009, Tenacious D subbed for Beastie Boys and closed Outside Lands with a savory blend of crude comedy and balls-to-the-all rock ‘n’ roll. That was three years ago, though. Since then, Jack Black has stuck close with film, while Kyle Gass has tended to his own solo ventures. Early last year, Black did declare there would be a new D album by year’s end – shortly before joining Foo Fighters on a handful of Australian dates – but that never came to fruition. Instead, they’ve been quite mum – until yesterday. How coincidental that they’d announce a new album the day of Sasquatch!’s lineup announcement? Not quite clever sorcery, but it did strike us from left field. -Michael Roffman

Return of Comedy

If there was one thing missing from last year’s line up…it was the laughs. Okay, that was a tad cheesy, but it’s true. In previous years, the festival’s booked some stellar comedians; everyone from Aziz Ansari to Craig Robinson to Patton Oswalt. In fact, in 2007, Michael Showalter even appeared on stage as Alan Shemper a la 2000′s Wet Hot American Summer. For 2011, Adam Zacks clearly wants to laugh. In addition to booking both Portlandia and Tenacious D, he’s also tagged comedians Todd Barry, Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Beardyman, Rob Delaney, Pete Holmes, and Howard Kremer. Comedy is difficult to pull off at a festival sometimes, and after last year’s exclusion, festivalgoers had a right to think it wouldn’t return. Thank god that’s not the case. -Michael Roffman

Omissions

My Morning Jacket

Photo by Nate Slevin

My Morning Jacket may have just play Sasquatch! two years ago, but Jim James and co. were favorites among prognosticators in the week leading up to the festival’s lineup. After all, the band is coming off another monster year and are already set to appear at the New Orleans Jazz Fest earlier in the month. To paraphrase the immortal Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat, this is where you should feel silly, Sasquatch! -Chris Coplan

Björk

Major US festivals are now 0 for 2 in 2012 on Icelandic mega-pop stars. Though her 2012 tour calendar includes stops in 13 countries and a convenient gap right around both Coachella and Sasquatch!, she’s conspicuously absent from both lineups, with her only US dates scheduled thus far being a month-long NYC residency for the better part of February. Fingers crossed for Bonnaroo and/or Lollapalooza! -Möhammad Choudhery

At The Drive-In

Once the cat was out the bag on ATDI’s reunion, everyone thought, Well, they’ve gotta play [insert your favorite festival]. Given that Sasquatch! is the latest major American festival announce, and ATDI is nowhere to be found, it certainly doesn’t bode well for those not attending Coachella. Then again, wasn’t there an incident at Sasquatch!’s 2008 event involving Cedric Bixler-Zavala? Or was that just hearsay? -Winston Robbins

Non-Seattle Hip Hop

West coast hip-hop has far exceeded the boundaries associated with “blown up”, thanks in part to up and comers Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolBoy Q. Looking at Sasquatch!’s lineup, however, one might not be able to discern that, with the only major rap acts being Childish Gambino and (to a way lesser extent) local heroes Shabazz Palaces. Sasquatch! shouldn’t compete with the Coachella’s of the world (who this year have yet another rap-centric set of headliners in Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg), but with their beloved, often-under-appreciated home coast so big at the moment, one would expect more hip-hop offerings. Who knows, maybe John Reilly will end up spitting a few bars. -Chris Coplan

The Avett Brothers

With another Rick Rubin-produced studio album on the way and a slew of dates already scheduled for the spring, Sasquatch! ’09 alums The Avett Brothers seemed like a shoe-in for this year’s festival. Not to mention their folk-rock leanings and vivid lyrics would provide quite the soundtrack as the sun sets behind the Gorge. Cross your fingers for poor Mayan math skills and call your local congressional member so we can make this happen next year. -Alex Young

Who to Know

Alabama Shakes

No other band in recent history has caused such fevered anticipation as the soulful Alabama Shakes. With the four-piece first making waves at last year’s CMJ on the back of an EP, they’ve had fans (which includes Jack White) waiting with bated breath for their debut LP, Boys & Girls (out 4/10 via ATO Records). Whether it’s the bands earnest, emotional performances or retro-tinged sound, the Shakes could reach that next echelon if they kill it at the Gorge. Then again, they may not even need the bump in the first place. -Chris Coplan

Hey Marseilles

As one of many Seattle locals on the bill, Hey Marseilles come in with an impressive history. Their stylized indie folk has been around since 2006, but over the years they’ve built up quite a following in the Pacific Northwest, catching eyes and ears from the likes of NPR and the Seattle Weekly. They’ve yet to follow up their 2008 debut To Travels & Trunks, but in November they released an exceptional split single featuring new tracks “Elegy” and “Cafe Lights”. There’s a lot to bank on from this still young act, so catch ‘em as they perform essentially in their big ol’ backyard.

Yellow Ostrich

This New York-Wisconsin trio is ready to fly in 2012. After spending most of 2011 on the road with Ra Ra Riot and the Antlers, Yellow Ostrich now returns in March with its sophomore LP, Strange Land. Self-produced and engineered by Beau Sorenson (Death Cab for Cutie, Sparklehorse), the new record takes Alex Schaaf’s bedroom project and turns it into a full-fledging indie rock act. Sometimes you gotta get out of the bedroom and get some fresh air. For Yellow Ostrich, they found a Gorge. Check out a clip of the band performing the new record’s lead single, “Marathon Runner”, below.

Hey Rosetta!

When your album makes the short list for Canada’s Polaris Music Prize, it usually means you’re doing something right. For Hey Rosetta!, they’re scoring high As. In their seven year existence, they’ve garnered nominations and awards for each of their records. Yet somehow they’ve never really crossed over into America. Still in support of their third LP, last year’s Seeds, which found its way on that aforementioned shortlist, this Canadian indie rock troupe has all the right ingredients for a perfect mid-day set at the Gorge. And given all the Canadian love Sasquatch! receives, one should expect a crowd. Bottom line: Take advantage of this export. -Michael Roffman

Said the Whale

It’s 283 miles (or 455 kilometers for our Canadian friends) from Vancouver, BC to George, WA. May as well be the Moon for Vancouver-based folk-pop act Said the Whale. The group won the 2011 Juno Award for New Group of the Year and were even the subject of the CBC documentary Winning America. However, they’re still working on the actual winning part, with their stock yet to truly rise anywhere south of the border. Their blend of music, intimate and jagged with large helpings of explosive musical joy, could at last hit big stateside with a smashing set at Sasquatch! Either way, at least it won’t be a long drive home. -Chris Coplan

Sacasquatch! isn’t the only music festival to have scored a performance by Jack White. As a press release now confirms, the former White Stripes frontman will also headline the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama on May 18th.

Tickets for Hangout Festival go on sale Friday, February 10th, while tickets for Sasquatch! go on sale on Saturday, February 11th. White will play Sasquatch! on May 26th.

In addition, White will be performing at Radio 1′s Hackney Weekend 2012 on the weekend of June 23-24th in London. Tickets are free, but quanitites are limited. Registration for tickets begins at 8:15 am GMT on Monday, February 6th via the BBC’s website.

As previously reported, White will release his solo debut, Blunderbuss, on April 24th via Third Man/Columbia. Below, you can listen to the album’s lead single, “Love Interruption”. It’s available now digitally and will be released on vinyl on February 7th. Third Man Records has also produced 300 limited edition Tri-Color vinyl 45s of the single and will be selling 100 copies at their Nashville storefront and select independent record stores on Feb 14th. Additionally, 50 copies of the Tri Color 7″s will be inserted into random mail orders through both White’s website and Third Man’s website.

Yep, it’s Friday again. And you know what that means: 10 of the week’s bestest, freshest songs arranged for your listening pleasure in descending alphabetical order. Today, we’ve got new material on deck from Jack White, Orbital, and M. Ward among others. TGIF, indeed.

- Möhammad Choudhery
Staff Writer

Beach Fossils – “Shallow”

At the beginning of February, it seems strange to embrace the warm, sunny sounds of Beach Fossils, but that’s why it’s great! There’s a major shortage during this time of the year of jangly surf pop, which makes this track stick out all the more. There is no sophomore album announced at the moment, but the Shallow single will be out 2/24 via Captured Tracks. -WR

Beach Fossils – “Shallow”

Daniel Rossen – “Silent Song”

Grizzly Bear is one of the most fascinating acts today. Altogether, the dynamics of each individual member are barely noticeable, but when one steps away, you can immediately pick out what that person adds to Grizzly Bear. In Rossen’s case, it’s some twangy melody and a high, straining set of pipes. You gotta go to Rolling Stone to hear it, but I promise it’s worth the trip. The Grizzly Bear off-season has been very fruitful thus far. Rossen’s debut solo EP, Silent Hour/Golden Mile, arrives March 20th via Warp. -WR

Jack White – “Love Interruption”

This past Tuesday, Jack White finally announced the news we’ve been half-expecting for years now, detailing the release of his long-awaited debut solo record, Blunderbuss. The album’s spare lead single, “Love Interruption”, finds White in a surprisingly candid mood (sample lyric: “I want love to roll me over slowly, stick a knife inside me, and twist it all around.” And that’s only the first line.) over sparkling keys and backing vocals, courtesy of fellow Nashville singer-songwriter Ruby Amanfu. Blunderbuss is out April 24th on White’s own Third Man Records. -MC

M. Ward – “The First Time I Ran Away”

You know those rare mornings when you wake up and you’re just instantly and naturally ready to go? That’s exactly what the first offering from M. Ward’s upcoming Wasteland Companion (out 4/10 via Merge) feels like. It takes off at a sprint, like these songs are hankering for sunshine, as if they’ve been sitting in some dusty corner of M. Ward’s brain for far too long. Bodes well for the album, that much is certain. -WR

M.I.A. – “Bad Girls”

Just a few days off from her scheduled performance with Madonna at this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, M.I.A. dropped this gem of a track, the first she’s released in awhile. A Danja rework of the “Bad Girls” that appeared on her Vicki Leekx mixtape last year, it’s the first we’re hearing of her soon-to-be-released fourth LP, out this summer on Interscope Records.  -MC

Maffew Ragazino feat. Das Racist – “Jackson Pollock”

While he’s not the first MC to sample Grizzly Bear’s “Two Weeks”, that goes to Gambino, Maffew Ragazino brings a whole new swagger to the track, one that arguably blows Gambino’s track out of the water. And once Das Racist joins the party, it’s with more passion than their usual lazy, stoner mantra. It’s the kind of rapping, in fact, where you’re so riveted by the verses that it’s easy to forget you were listening to Grizzly Bear. - WR

Nite Jewel – “Visions” (Stevie Wonder cover)

Don’t be worried, you didn’t miss Nite Jewel’s new album, that’s still scheduled for a March 6th release. This track is just a one off, and for a good cause. The 7″ single is available now via Yours Truly’s Bandcamp and each order comes with a $1 donation to the Lauren Abramson Memorial Fund. Romona Gonzalez (aka Nite Jewel) sticks to the basics on this track resulting in a hollow, gorgeous cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Visions”. -WR

Nite Jewel – “Visions” (Stevie Wonder cover)

oOoOO – “NoWayBack (feat. Butterclock)”

Chris Greenspan’s debut EP as oOoOO last year was one of the best parts of Tri Angle Records’ hallmark 2011. Greenspan looks to follow it up this spring with another equally creepy-looking EP, Our Loving Is Hurting Us. The first single is “NoWayBack”, which features hazy guest vocals from Berlin up-and-comer Butterclock. It’s a striking first impression of Our Loving Is Hurting Us, out April 10th on Tri Angle Records. -MC

Orbital – “New France (feat. Zola Jesus)”

This year, British electro pioneers Orbital look to make their triumphant return with Wonky, their first album of new material in eight years. Produced by Flood (of Violator, Achtung Baby, Pretty Hate Machine fame) and featuring goth-pop standout Zola Jesus on vocals, “New France” is exactly the sort of huge, timelessly brilliant dance track we’ve come to expect from the brothers Harnoll. Wonky is out April 3rd. -MC

POND – “Moth Wings”

Better known as half of Aussie psychedelic-ists Tame Impala, Nick Albrook and James Watson have, to date, also cut three stellar records as POND. “Moth Wings” is the meaty, wah wah-ed out second single off of the pair’s forthcoming fourth full-length, Beard, Wives, Denim, out March 6th on Modular Records. Check out the track here. -MC

The 11th annual Sasquatch! Music Festival runs May 25-28th at the Gorge Ampitheatre in George, Washington. Topping this year’s lineup are Jack White, Beck, and Bon Iver, with Pretty Lights, Tenacious D, The Shins, Girl Talk, St. Vincent, Feist, and Silversun Pickups, among the other heavyweights.

Also playing are Spiritualized, Childish Gambino, Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, M. Ward, tUnE-yArDs, Wild Flag, Mark Lanegan Band, Shabazz Palaces, The Walkmen, The Head and the Heart, Metric, The Joy Formidable, Little Dragon, SBTRKT, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Alabama Shakes, Kurt Vile, Zola Jesus, The War on Drugs, araabMUZIK, and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists.

The bill also boasts Nero, Wolfgang Gartner, Deer Tick, Cass McCombs, Shearwater, The Helio Sequence, Gary Clark Jr., Apparat, THEESatisfaction, Dum Dum Girls, The Cave Singers, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Purity Ring, Active Child, Com Truise, Starfucker, Cloud Cult, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Grouplove, I Break Horses, Trampled By Turtles, Said The Whale, Hey Rosetta!, Gardens & Villa, and Craft Spells.

This year also marks the return of a comedy lineup with a live performance of Portlandia, in addition to Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Todd Barry, Beardyman, Rob Delaney, Pete Holmes, and Howard Kremer.

Check out the complete lineup at Festival Outlook.

Festival passes go on sale February 11th at 10:00 AM PT via the festival’s website.

It’s about time: Jack White has announced his first-ever solo album. As his new website points out, Blunderbuss will arrive April 24th via Third Man Records/Columbia.

Produced by White and recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, Blunderbuss has been described by White as “an album I couldn’t have released until now. I’ve put off making records under my own name for a long time but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas,” according to an issued press release.

The album’s lead single, “Love Interruption”, will be available to stream at some point today (members of Third Man’s Vault can hear it now.) Update: Stream it below! It will be released digitally tomorrow and on 7″ vinyl on February 7th (pre-orders are ongoing). The single is backed by a non-album track called “Machine Gun Silhouette”.

Photo by Ben Kaye

We first got wind of blues rock act Alabama Shakes at last year’s CMJ Music Marathon and have been anticipating details of their debut full-length ever since. Today, we got ‘em.

Entitled Boys & Girls, the 11-track effort was self-produced and mixed by the band in The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, Tennessee. The end result will be released by ATO Records on April 10th. As an early taste, the lead single, “Hold On”, is streaming below. The album’s tracklist is after that.

In addition to the album, Alabama Shakes have teamed with Jack White for a two-song 7″ single, due out in late January on Third Man Records.

Both releases will be supported by tour dates in both the U.S. and UK, as well as an appearance at South by Southwest. You can find their current itinerary below, as well.

Boys & Girls Tracklist:
01. Hold On
02. I Found You
03. Hang Loose
04. Rise To The Sun
05. You Ain’t Alone
06. Goin’ To The Party
07. Heartbreaker
08. Boys & Girls
09. Be Mine
10. I Ain’t The Same
11. On Your Way

Alabama Shakes 2012 Tour Dates:
01/19 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
01/20 – Houston, TX @ Continental Club
01/21 – Austin, TX @ Continental Club
01/24 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
01/25 – Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
01/26 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
01/28 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
01/29 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
01/31 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Room
02/02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
02/22 – London, UK @ Boston Arms
02/23 – London, UK @ Boston Arms
02/24 – London, UK @ Boston Arms
03/10 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
03/23 – Tuscaloosa, AL @ Baba Theater
03/29 – Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s
03/31 – Birmingham, AL @ Workplay Theatre

History Channel’s American Pickers follows Mike Wolfe and Frank Fitz as they travel the United States searching for antiques and collectibles. On Monday night’s episode, the duo were in Nashville, Tennessee, where local hero and noted taxidermist Jack White bargained a few items found in his Third Man Records headquarters in exchange for a stuffed elephant head. Ah, the life of a bachelor. Watch the highlights at 5min.com.

Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s Rome is as much about the visual as it is about the music, which explains why director Chris Milk is using the project to “underpin” an upcoming film. For a sneak peek at what Milk and collaborator Anthony Francisco Schepperd have planned, the duo directed a music video for the Jack White-featuring track “Two Against One”. The hand-drawn cell animation clip uses stark black and white imagery to tell the story of a hunter and his lifetime or regrets. It’s equal parts bizarre, psychedelic exploration of the human psyche and a cartoon-ish spin on something as emotionally profound as loss. Check it out below (via NPR).

According to Milk, the video serves as a precursor to a live action adaptation of the Rome score he is developing with producers Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine) and Megan Ellison (True Grit). “The music video is essentially the fever dream of the antagonist of the story. It’s mostly his backstory, his life before the tale we see in the movie.”

For a further sneak peek, Google Chrome users can head to www.Ro.me, where they can watch an “interactive lucid dream” of the protagonist. According to Milk, these pieces are “sort of narrative breadcrumbs that lead you to the eventual larger story.”

As always, stay tuned for more on the film as it’s announced.

Jack White has revealed his latest strange bedfellow and it’s none other than 71-year-old singing legend, Sir Tom Jones. According to this month’s MOJO Magazine, Jones is the latest participant in Third Man Records’ infamous Blue Series, which has previously offered releases from Stephen Colbert, John C. Reily, and Insane Clown Possee. For his part, Jones recorded a rendition of “Jezebel” from his 2002 album Mr. Jones, along with a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Evil”. As White notes, “He impressed the shit out of everybody.” Update: The 7″ single will be released on March 5th.

White also told MOJO that he has struck a deal with iconic blues imprint Document Records to remaster, redesign, and reissue a number of their albums on high-quality vinyl. Established in 1990, the label compiles music from pre-1943 artists, in chronological order. The partnership with Third Man begins in early 2012 with Volume 1 compilations featuring early 1900s blues greats Charlie Patton and Blind Willie McTell, as well as 1930s guitar and fiddle group the Mississippi Sheiks.

White previously covered McTell’s songs “Your Southern Can Is Mine” and “Lord, Send Me an Angel” with The White Stripes. He also covered Mississippi Sheiks’ song “Sitting on Top of the World” for the film Cold Mountain. You can find streams of all three covers below.

The White Stripes – “Your Southern Can Mama” (Blind Willie McTell)

The White Stripes – “Lord, Send Me an Angel” (Blind Willie McTell)

Jack White – “Sitting on Top of the World” (Mississippi Sheiks)

Two decades from now, how do you think 2011 will be remembered? As the year we lost Amy Winehouse? How about the year three of music’s most iconic outfits – The White Stripes, R.E.M., and LCD Soundsystem — all decided to call it quits? Maybe Lana Del Rey will prove a sustainable force and then we can all tell our children about the great collagen debate of 2011. Or try to explain to them how two rock and roll hall of famers came together to create the worst piece of music imaginable.

Yeah, 2011 was a fucking weird year. Like, a total mindfuck. We lost some great ones, both literally and figuratively, and we wrote or read about them in between stories about Wayne Coyne’s gummy fetus and Nick Oliveri’s standoff with a S.W.A.T. team. Along the way, we were presented with a legal way to listen to a jazilion songs for free, watched that dude from Nine Inch Nails win an Oscar, and witnessed the return of not just Kate Bush and Tom Waits, but Jeff Mangum as well. Yet, at the end of the day, Lana Del Rey’s collagen lips and Odd Future’s misogynistic tendencies won the award for stories with the longest shelf life on my Twitter feed.

Then again, four weeks from now it’ll be 2012′s turn and who knows what that year has in store. Maybe some scientist will be able to revive Jim Morrison’s frozen head so that we can have a true collaboration between The Doors and Skrillex. Whatever the case may be, Consequence of Sound will be here, 24/7/365, ready to bring you all the major headlines. Until then, though, we remember the last 12 months, categorized by themes, in the pages that follow. And, as always, thanks for reading.

– Alex Young
Publisher

R.I.P.: The Ones We Lost in 2011

Amy Winehouse (1983-2011): The soulful, sultry songstress was the first British female to win five Grammy awards. Unfortunately, she also became a member of the infamous “27 Club” when police found her dead in her London home on July 23rd. An autopsy later confirmed her death as the result of accidental alcohol poisoning.

Clarence Clemons (1942-2011): Founding member and saxophonist of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Clemons was a larger-than-life figure, and he’ll forever be remembered for his solos on “Jungleland” and “Born to Run”. Clemons died on June 18th from complications caused by a stroke. He was 69.

Bert Jansch (1943-2011): Acclaimed Scottish folk singer who was both a celebrated solo musician and member of the band Pentangle. Jansch died on October 5th following a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He was 67.

Gil Scott-Heron (1949-2011): A celebrated musician, poet, and author who was largely credited as one of the leading influences of hip-hop and neo soul. Scott-Heron died on May 27th. He was 62.

Heavy D (1967-2011): The founding member and leader of Heavy D & the Boyz helped bridge the worlds of hip-hop and R&B in the ’90s before transitioning to a career in film. Heavy D (born Dwight Arrington Myers) died on November 8th reportedly from complications of pneumonia. He was 44.

Nate Dogg (1969-2011): West coast crooner collaborated with Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Snoop Dogg. Nate Dogg (born Nathaniel Hale) died from complications of multiple strokes on March 15th. He was 41.

Poly Styrene (1957-2011): The former singer of X-Ray Spek was described as the “archetype for the modern-day feminist punk.” Styrene died on April 25th following a battle with breast cancer. She was 53.

Trish Keenan (1968-2011): Founding member and singer of British electronic band Broadcast. Keenan died from complications with pneumonia on January 14th. She was 42.

Hubert Sumlin (1931-2011): Legendary guitarist and longtime collaborator of blues icon Howlin’ Wolf is ranked at number forty-three in the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Sumlin died on December 4th. He was 80.

Cory Smoot: (1977-2011): Guitarist for the shock rock band GWAR was the longest-serving member to play the character Flattus Maximus. Smoot was found dead on the band’s tour bus on November 3rd; as of December 5th, his cause of death is still unknown. He was 34.

DJ Mehdi (1977-2011): French hip-hop and electro producer was a member of Ed Banger Records and collaborated with Chromeo, Cassius, and Carte Blanche. DJ Mehdi (born Mehdi Favéris-Essadi) died on September 13th when the roof of his Paris home collapsed during a friend’s birthday party. He was 34.

Michael “Würzel” Burston (1949-2011): The former Army corporal served as guitarist for Motörhead from 1984-1995. Würzel died from complications of heart disease on July 9th. He was 61.

Mike Starr (1966-2011): The founding member and bassist of Alice in Chains contributed to two studio albums — including the 1992 classic Dirt — before departing in 1993. Starr was found dead on March 8th, with an autopsy later finding traces of drugs in his system. He was 44.

Suze Rotolo (1943-2011): The former girlfriend of Bob Dylan inspired many of the songwriter’s early love songs and appeared on the iconic cover of his 1963 classic, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. Rotolo died of lung cancer on February 25th. She was 67.

Gerard Smith (1974-2011): The TV on the Radio bassist appeared on the band’s celebrated albums Return to Cookie Mountain, Dear Science, and Nine Types of Light. Smith died from lung cancer on April 20th. He was 36.

John Barry (1933-2011): The Academy Award-winning composer soundtracked 12 James Bond films between 1962 and 1987 in addition to Born Free, The Lion in Winter, and Out of Africa. Barry died of a heart attack on January 30th. He was 77.

Mikey Welsh (1971-2011): The former Weezer bassist appeared on the band’s 2001 The Green Album. Welsh was found dead on October 8th. He was 40.

Welcome Back: 2011′s Reunions

Photo by Colin Athens

While 2011 was a particularly harsh year for band breakups (see the next slide), at least Pulp came back. Long a dream on festival message boards, the legendary UK outfit finally reunited in the summer of 2011 for their first live performances in nine years. Our own Frank Mojica was at the band’s comeback show at Barcelona’s Primavera Sound and declared it “an explosive set that cemented Pulp’s status as the essential festival band of 2011 and will be remembered as fondly and regarded as definitive as their Glastonbury 1995 performance.”

However, Pulp wasn’t the only celebrated outfit to return in 2011. Buffalo Springfield — the folk rock supergroup comprised of Richie Furay, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young — reunited after 43 years for a brief West coast tour and headlining performance at Bonnaroo. Wrote our own Carson O’Shoney of their Bonnaroo appearance: “Even those who weren’t familiar with the band’s work were surely impressed. Seeing Neil Young wail on guitar is simply one of the better things in all of music. But the final three knockout punches of ‘Broken Arrow’, ‘For What It’s Worth’, and ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ were what really solidified it as one of the best sets of the weekend.”

Other 2011 reunions:

After inciting a riot during their first live performance in five years at South by Southwest, hard-hitting Canadian outfit Death From Above 1979 played any and every summer festival, including Coachella, Sasquatch!, Quebec City Summer Fest, Lollapalooza, FYF Fest, ACL, and Treasure Island.

Post-punk icons New Order reunited after five years with a pair of benefit shows in Europe.

Mazzy Star unleashed a two-song single, their first pieces of new music in 15 years.

Ben Folds reunited Ben Folds Five for their first new material in a decade.

UK glam rock outfit The Darkness reunited for their first live performance since 2006 at UK’s Download Festival.

In celebration of their 45th anniversary, The Monkees hit the road for their first live performances since 1997. Unfortunately, the final eight dates of their trek were canceled “due to internal group issues and conflicts.”

Chicago’s own Hum delivered their first performance in a decade.

San Diego-based post-hardcore outfit Hot Snakes reunited at ATP’s Nightmare Before Christmas in December.

Austin, TX, noise rock pioneers Scratch Acid toured extensively for the first time in over two decades.

NYC punk band D-Generation hit the road in the fall for their first performances since 1999. A new album is also in the works.

Mexico City rock band Caifanes reunited after 15 years for a performance at Coachella.

The End of An Era: 2011′s Breakups

Bands, like trends, come and go. Some last for decades with deep catalogs, and others only survive a couple years with an album or two. Their presence has a lasting impact on our lives and ears, and thus their disbandment has the same. To the greats we lost this year: Thanks for the tunes. -Ben Kaye

R.E.M. (1981-2011): Seminal, legendary, and unequaled, Georgia’s alternative rock icons ended their career after three decades. From their 1983 debut, Murmur, to their 2011 finale, Collapse Into Now, to the world’s first GIF album cover, the band exemplified how to be successful, innovative, and cool while remaining uncompromising. Their legacy will be felt for decades more to come.

The White Stripes (1997-2011): One of the greatest bands of the era, this garage blues-rock duo left an indelible mark on music with six albums. Jack White will continue on in his myriad of forms, but The White Stripes will be remembered as the band that started it all and his most widely celebrated triumph.

LCD Soundsystem (2001-2011): These modern dance-punk virtuosos left us with three full-lengths and a year-long swan song, culminating in a finale at Madison Square Garden. And we still wish we were getting more.

Rilo Kiley (1998-2011): Fourteen years of indie rock ended rather unceremoniously. Regardless, their sophomore full-length, The Execution of All Things, will go down as one of the best albums of the last decade.

The Stills (2000-2011): These Canadian indie rockers released three albums over 10 years. They will likely be best remembered for 2008’s Juno Award-winning Oceans Will Rise.

The Academy Is… (2003-2011): These Warped Tour regulars dispersed while in the process of recording album #4. At least they got to tour with KISS before it ended.

Dear and the Headlights (2005-2011): Two full-lengths and extensive touring proved too much for this Arizona indie pop rock band. Scared by all the lights.

The Felix Culpa (2003-2011): Unsung heroes of the Midwest post-hardcore scene. Despite the success of last year’s self-released sophomore effort, Sever Your Roots, there will be no more happy mistakes.

Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon (1984-2011): Founding members of Sonic Youth and godparents of indie rock. What the power couple’s separation means for their iconic band is yet to be seen, though side projects abound.

Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel (2009-2011): This pair of indie darlings split after only two years of marriage amidst heavy work schedules for each. While separations are always sad, we can’t help but swoon over the idea that Deschanel is technically available…

Digital Takeover

On July 14, 2011, millions of music fans sighed in relief: Spotify hit U.S. shores, and the end of the war on music drew closer to its end. Now, that’s not entirely true – the labels still aren’t too happy, neither are the artists – but the idea that “music is free” has never been more agreed upon until now. Thanks to Spotify, users can legally check out a variety of new releases in addition to a fully digestible catalog that spans everyone from ABBA to John Zorn, at any time — even on their phones, though that option will cost them. But it’s a price that many will pay, simply because it’s the way of the future.

It’s the death of the mp3 and the dawn of the truly, strictly digital age, where music listeners can immerse themselves in digital clouds of music. This year, Apple, Amazon, and Google Music all introduced similar formats, asking users to upload their collections into digital lockers, where they’ll always have access. Anywhere. Anytime. Where else can you go from there?

How about interactivity? Online forums evolved this year, too. “You should check this band out” is so passe. Instead, online users are opting for more media savvy formats, where they can turn their textual suggestions into aural delights. Through a service like Turntable.fm, which surfaced earlier this year, users now create rooms, throwing online soirees, where they DJ their own stations. All of this comes at little to no price and with zero trouble (although, there are always exceptions). So, it’s been a pretty transitive year in the music industry. A game changer, if you will. -Michael Roffman

An Odd Future, Indeed.

There’s that wonderful exchange at the end of Batman Begins, when Lt. Gordon digresses on The Caped Crusader’s influence over Gotham City, calling attention to like-minded criminals with a “taste for the theatrical,” stating plainly, “You really started something.” So true of the internet. Most of the time, you’ll find a chunky, melting pot of deep-seeded opinions, but sometimes, just sometimes, they all come together to agree on something. That’s when true change is had. And it can happen overnight.

Case in point: Odd Future and Lana Del Rey.

Controversy played a big role in the successes of these two – the former because of obscenities, the latter because of collagen – but, really, it only fueled it. The real credit, however, goes to the blogosphere. It’s the classic “she tells her friends” routine – only to an ungodly nth degree. One blog hypes a track, one site swears by another, and all of a sudden you’re trending on social networks nationwide, then worldwide, then… yeah, it sort of stops there. It’s nothing new. That’s the true nature of a fad (see: Trapper Keepers, Pogs, LA Gear). But, it’s never seen extremes such as this.

And as polarizing as these acts may be – “Aren’t they being misogynistic?”; “She’s not real! Her real name’s Lizzy Grant! OMFG, hate her!!1!” – it’s the way they came to fruition that’s far more interesting. It reveals a true power within the internet, one that may or may not be good. Regardless of its moral worth, though, it’s here to stay. As the Joker, essentially a by-product of Batman, ominously declared in the film’s follow-up, “There’s no going back. You’ve changed things… forever.” Yep. Deal with it, folks. -Michael Roffman

The Return of R&B

Some guy somewhere jokingly called it “PBR&B” and that gained traction for a little while — R&B for “hipsters.” If we take one thing away from this, let it be this: The resurgence and strength of R&B in 2011 had nothing to do with “hipsters,” a word I apologetically use here (and if I had two wishes for Christmas this year, it would be that I never hear that word again). The strength of The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, The-Dream, How To Dress Well, Active Child, and tangentially Drake this year was born from little else than a defibrillator to a dormant art form using a bit of indie sentiment.

The Weeknd’s sudden and (not so) mysterious arrival drew the highest peak in the EKG chart with the hedonistic, dripping-wet jams of his House of Balloons mixtape, sampling Beach House and Siouxsie and the Banshees, which of course reached across the aisle to white tumblrites more ostensibly than Aaliyah and R. Kelly ever did in the 90’s. From there, Frank Ocean bowed out of producing pop hits for Biebs and made known his association with OFWGKTA for his Nostalgia Ultra mixtape, a damp and druggy confessional. Kanye took a liking to him, as well.

The cross-cultural movement was just as strong for Active Child’s choir-boy jams and How To Dress Well’s shrouded pangs, both of whom collaborated with each other on the song “Playing House”. There are many more artists working with these tools: production rooted in current trends, voices like butter, beats like woah. Perhaps the response to the hidden vocals of last year’s genre de l’année Chillwave is that these artists are putting the spotlight back on the soul of the human voice.  -Jeremy D. Larson

The Return of the Legacy Act

It’s been seven years since Tom Waits released his 23rd album, six years since Kate Bush released her 9th, and 13 years since Jeff Mangum (as Neutral Milk Hotel) released his second. Not all acts that resurface have to have page-long catalogs, and like Mangum, not all comebacks have to include new material, but these three artists made the biggest impact in 2011 after some time away from the spotlight.

Not even just away from the spotlight, but in some cases purposefully reclusive. Before this year, Jeff Mangum appearances were becoming lore, like seeing the face of Mother Mary in a Crunchwrap Supreme. Mangum only did some one-off shows in barns or was seen looming backstage at some gig. But last January, he announced his reemergence for ATP New Jersey at the “I’ll Be Your Mirror” event — a festival! He went from barns to a major festival in like a year! He then went on a small U.S. tour and released a career-spanning Neutral Milk Hotel box set, and there are no signs of him stopping with tour dates already stretching into 2012.

For Kate Bush, pace is the trick. With 10 albums in over 30 years, we’re running on her press cycle — releasing her babies into the world only when they’re ready to leave the nest. With a flurry (ahem), she dropped two albums in 2011 — her self-explanatory Director’s Cut and her acclaimed new studio album, 50 Words for Snow. With no tour or late-night performances, Bush is still staying out of the limelight for now. But it’s not like she needs the press.

And then there’s the categorical Tom Waits, doing his thing for the 24th time with not a hint of phoning it in. Bad As Me is another trophy for his buckling shelf and his most commercially successful album to date, peaking at #6 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Twenty-four albums in 37 years with rarely a misstep or an eye roll, soundtracking movies, musicals, German surrealist plays, and with his release this year, he’s only further cementing himself as an American cultural icon. We await for “Waitsian” to be added to dictionaries. -Jeremy D. Larson

The Return of Radiohead

Photo by Nate Slevin

It’s a predicament: A member of Radiohead posts something online (e.g. new track, obscure art, a haiku-like blog entry, et al.), and you’re a.) out at lunch, b.) four hours into a deep sleep, or c.) at your own wedding. Whatever the situation, you’re finding the closest computer and fast. That sort of conundrum plagues every blogger’s life annually, but especially in 2011. As of today, Consequence of Sound has 10 pages of Radiohead-related news for this year alone. Quite a lot. To think, it all started in the eye-tweaking, early morning hours of February 14th, 2011. That’s when the group announced the release of their eighth LP, The King of Limbs, set to deliver only four days later. Naturally, the ‘net exploded soon after; in fact, as one reader put it that morning, “I just pooped my pants.”

That reaction turned sour (or just downright polarizing) when the LP eventually surfaced. Some complained about its length (a copious 37 minutes), speculating on a second part (which never materialized), while others wondered where the band went, calling it a Yorke-centric effort. A week after it was announced, Consequence of Sound awarded the album four stars, hailing it as “one of their most absorbing efforts to date.” (Currently, the album has a Metacritic score of 80.) Despite the general acclaim, critics everywhere levied their slight disappointment between their words.

But that hardly stalled the group. Since 2007′s event release of In Rainbows, the UK collective has stayed ahead of the curve, and this year was no different. Things just got weird. They issued a free newspaper, their “Lotus Flower” video sent dance enthusiasts on edge, and Yorke started hitting the DJ scene hard. But, on the other hand, they struck all the right nerves by releasing an exclusive Record Store Day 7″, “surprising” festivalgoers at Glastonbury, endorsing an album of remixes, and media blitzing NYC for a week (which included stops at Fallon, SNL, The Colbert Report, and two sold-out nights at The Roseland Ballroom). It doesn’t look like it’ll end for 2012, either, what with another LP and a proper tour on the way. That’s okay, though. Our stomachs, sleep schedules, and loved ones won’t appreciate it, but hey, more Radiohead, right? As the old adage with this group goes, “Stay tuned.” -Michael Roffman

The Day Trent Reznor Won An Oscar

When first approached by director David Fincher to score his film about the founding of Facebook, Trent Reznor had just wrapped up Nine Inch Nails’ lengthy farewell tour and was planning to take time off. However, as Reznor later explained, “When I actually read the script and realized what he was up to, I said goodbye to that free time I had planned.” Undoubtedly attracted by the film’s sentiments on isolation, greed, and entitlement (all familiar issues to the Nine Inch Nails frontman), Reznor graciously accepted his new role as film composer.

Teaming with longtime collaborator Atticus Ross, the duo would go on to create a masterpiece of “alternative-rock infused ambient electronic music” that as our Drew Litowitz writes, “mimics the anxious ambivalence that Sorkin’s script and Fincher’s direction convey so similarly.”  The score amplified the angst and turmoil that accompanied the success of Mark Zuckerberg. For a movie with no ostensible “action” sequences, the score built tension to great heights alongside Aaron Sorkin’s signature verbose script. One question remained: Would movie critics give praise to an outside artist who once sang, “God is dead and no one cares/ if there’s a hell, I’ll see you there”?

With 15 nominations for Best Original Score, it seemed Reznor and Ross had created a score that struck an international cord. Even after winning the Golden Globe, skeptics wondered if The Academy would give Reznor and Ross the Oscar over perennial favorites Hans Zimmer and Alexandre Desplat. All doubt dissipated when Nicole Kidman and the all-too-pleased Hugh Jackman called the duo up to accept each one’s first Academy Award. “Wow, is this really happening?” Reznor asked during his acceptance speech.

Reznor’s now working on the score for the Fincher-directed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Will he need to make more room on his trophy shelf? Plus, with an alt-rock artist taking home the coveted award, might Reznor’s win, combined with the efforts of Daft Punk and The Chemical Brothers, be incentive for more contemporary artists to try their hand at composing film scores? We’d like to hope so. -Derek Staples

Who is Arcade Fire??!!?

Sunday, February 13, 2011. Talk about a tumultuous 24-hour news cycle: Hours before Radiohead resurfaced to wreak havoc on the ‘net with The King of Limbs (see page nine), Arcade Fire walked home with a Grammy for Album of the Year for their 2010 album, The Suburbs. As Win Butler & Co. cooked up an impromptu cut of “Ready to Start” over the ceremony’s closing credits, fingers raced across keyboards, mouses clicked, and emotions ran wild. Some praised the news – Kanye West tweeted, “#Arcade fire!!!!!!!!!! There is hope!!! I feel like we all won when something like this happens! FUCKING AWESOME!” – while others, many others, updated their Facebook and Twitter accounts in utter confusion. Thus, one of 2011′s most popular internet memes came to fruition: Who Is Arcade Fire??!!?

For days following the Grammys, the widely celebrated Tumblr account reposted countless social media updates from users everywhere, all of whom had no clue who these Canadian indie rockers were. Some were angry, some were frustrated, and some felt victimized – as if the Grammys robbed Lady Antebellum, Eminem, Lady Gaga, or Katy Perry of a truer win. Naturally, as with anything this insubstantial to normal, everyday life, the wake calmed and most of the anger turned to curiosity. This partly speaks for the thousands upon thousands of fans that arrived in droves to catch them headline festivals, or take over their nearby venues. Creation through chaos, so to speak.

So, while recent Grammy-nominee Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver) might think otherwise, the Grammys proved that they do still hold some weight, turning an indie rock icon into a household name. Admittedly, you might not appreciate your mother keeping The Suburbs on rotation with Taylor Swift, but hey, it’s an improvement, right? Yep, Jimbo: “Strange days have found us.” -Michael Roffman

Lulu and more WTF collaborations

We’re generally all for unique, head-turning collaborations, but some instances of teamwork insanity in 2011 really had us going “WTF?” For instance, just last week director Darren Aronofsky glorified Lou Reed and Metallica’s Lulu, which our own Jeremy D. Larson so bluntly described as ”a complete failure on every tangible and intangible level of its existence,” with a music video for “The View”. But not even a video by a top-notch director can save an album doomed by its concept and only further hindered by poor production that awkwardly abandons Reed’s vocals on top of the mix

If Metallica and Lou Reed would have spent a bit more time exploring other odd collabos of 2011, they possibly could have avoided their joint tragedy all together. Back in July, SuperHeavy, the supergroup made up of Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Dave Stewart, A. R. Rahman, and Damian Marley, dropped their first single, “Miracle Worker”. The bloated, inorganic track felt stapled together, with many critics and listeners calling it a marketing ploy by Warner Music Group.

Then in August, profanities flew left and right when we were presented with this picture of Jack White and Insane Clown Posse. If the pic wasn’t awful enough, whoever chose to listen to the White-produced “Leck Mich Im Arsch” and “Mountain Girls” were subjected to ICP at their crudest and most bizarre. Once again, we were left with two very important questions: Was this some maniacal plan each shared during their days in Michigan, or was this collaboration the strange payoff of a backroom bet?

Arguably, Re:Generation takes the prize for most “WTF”-worthy collaboration. Presented by the Hyundai Volster, the concept of Re:Generation was to explore jazz, R&B, country, classical, and rock through the eyes of five modern DJ/producers. Pairings included the Crystal Method and Martha Reeves, Pretty Lights, Leann Rimes, and Ralph Stanley, and the most noteworthy, Skrillex and the remaining members of The Doors. All that bass resonating from “Breakin’ a Sweat” had Jim Morrison rolling in his Parisian grave.

Here’s hoping 2012 finally brings us that Celebrity: Apprentice-inspired boy band featuring Meat Loaf, Lil Jon, and Mark McGrath. -Derek Staples

The Year of the Gummy Fetus

This past January, the often-unconventional Flaming Lips did something decidedly conventional: re-sign with Warner Bros. Records for a multi-year deal. However, with the deal came a newfound level of creative freedom, which Wayne Coyne and co. used to build their wildest and wackiest year to date. Seriously, some weird stuff’s ahead.

The band’s 2011 was marked by decidedly gimmicky ploys to sell music. If they weren’t schlepping tunes inside of gummy skulls or gummy female anatomy, they were creating songs that were six and 24 hours long (though proceeds from those massive, massive “songs” did go toward charity). That, or the group was busy crafting tunes about copulating blobs with the use of YouTube. Some of their releases, like where they wrote people’s name into songs, were decidedly hokey (even if, once again, they were for a good cause). If there were any legit music-making endeavors, like collabos with Prefuse 73, Neon Indian, and Lightning Bolt, not to mention super-shows with Weezer and Yeasayer, they were outshined by graveyard gigs and playing human Whack-A-Mole with SUNY students. If it made headlines while generating mass confusion this year, The Flaming Lips were undoubtedly behind it.

There’s no way to catalog these decisions and projects as true artistic exploration. If anything, nearly everything the band did this year were either jokes and goofs or absurd, almost harebrained marketing schemes. But when someone gives the inmates the keys to the asylum, should anyone be surprised when they smear the walls in green paint and dress up like penguins? We, for one, applaud Wayne Coyne and company for doing what they do best: entertaining us with their increasingly batshit hijinks. Here’s to the kooky things the band will cook up in 2012. -Chris Coplan

Stage Collapses

In the span of two months between July and August 2011, a freak trend hit the music world. Four stages in three separate countries collapsed, killing a total of 11 and injuring many more. The first collapse occurred on July 17th at the Ottawa Bluesfest, where strong winds caused the festival’s main stage to implode 20 minutes into Cheap Trick’s set. Gusts blew the stage backwards, which pushed the scaffold to teeter under the force. Three people were reported injured, and the remainder of the fest – one headlining spot by Death Cab for Cutie – was canceled.

Then, just weeks later on August 7th, a similar occurrence befell Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Brady District Block Party. Moments before local heroes The Flaming Lips were scheduled to go on, a lighting rig was struck by wind and fell into the stage. Though the stage was evacuated beforehand, preventing injury to fans, band members, and road crew, some $800,000 worth of the Lips’ equipment was damaged or destroyed.

The summer festival circuit’s worst incident occurred six days later during country duo Sugarland’s set at the Indiana State Fair. A massive gust of wind toppled the stage, sending steel scaffolding, lighting, and sound equipment into the audience. The destruction of the stage had come just minutes after organizers had announced the storm and outlined evacuation plans. Seven people died as a result of the collapse, with another 44 receiving treatment for various injuries at nearby hospitals.

The fourth and final collapse took place on August 18th at the Pukkelpop festival in Hasselt, Belgium. As Chicago-based indie rock band Smith Westerns were playing on The Chateau Stage, bursts of wind uprooted trees and collapsed several festival tents. The band was evacuated offstage just prior to its collapse. (A second construct, the Shelter stage, was also damaged by weather.) Four people were killed, with another 75 reported injured. The festival, scheduled to run until the 20th, was canceled Friday morning (August 19th).

Late last month, in the aftermath of the incident in Indiana, 51 individuals connected to the collapse sued Sugarland, concert promoters, and those who built the stage for breach of reasonable care. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. A state-sponsored investigation of the collapse will be completed before the case moves forward.

On a more positive note, following the tragedies, fans, musicians, journalists, and festival promoters alike have all emerged to sound the call for increased safety measures, demanding better crowd accommodation and weather preparedness. While festivals will always contend with X-factors, better preparation can only benefit subsequent summer festival seasons. -Chris Coplan

And the Rest…

Clearly, as you’ve just read, a lot of things happened to the musical landscape in 2011. Some occurrences, though, were so darn awesome, head-turning, or just downright strange that they can’t be classified anywhere else. So, here they are, the rest of the biggest news stories of the year. -Ben Kaye

Kanye: The Musical: Ya know, this was probably bound to happen. Students at Australia’s Sydney University told the tale of Ye, from making beats for Jay-Z to his solo ascension, in this September production “about a guy who took a shot at the throne and didn’t miss.”

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks hold a “blowjob” contest: Seems the lyrics to “Senator” weren’t exactly FCC-approved. The line “I know what the senator wants/what the senator wants is a blowjob” needed a rewrite for the radio, so Malkmus reached out to fans for help. Turns out the senator actually wanted a corndog (who doesn’t?).

Bon Iver Day: Even a perfunctory listen to Bon Iver’s music reveals Justin Vernon’s strong affections for Wisconsin. That love was returned on July 22nd when Milwaukee’s Mayor Tom Barrett christened the day “Bon Iver Day” in celebration of Bon Iver’s WI ties, musical accomplishments, and the beginning of their world tour.

Beavis and Butt-Head: America’s favorite slackers/social commentators returned to MTV this year for all-new animated episodes. With a whole new slew of modern musicians and pop-culture to mock, this news… hee… errm.. uhh huhuhuh… rules.

2011: A Rock Odyssey featuring Jack White: For three epic nights, Stephen Colbert joined Jack White at the musician’s Third Man Records. The goal was to revive Colbert’s “music career,” and it ended up giving us three awesome segments, a Catholicism-off, and a duet of The Star-Spangled Banner.

Nick Oliveri arrested after S.W.A.T. standoff: When his girlfriend called the police, ex-Queens of the Stoneage/current Kyuss Lives! bassist Nick Oliveri refused to let her leave the residence or let the cops in. Four hours and a L.A. county S.W.A.T. team later, he was arrested for felony domestic violence. While the case awaits trial, Kyuss still lives, though Oliveri, out on $100,000 bail, won’t be joining them for any international tour dates.

Mic Todd arrested for armed robbery: On tour with Soundgarden, Coheed and Cambria bassist Mic Todd went out and robbed a Walgreens in Attleboro, MA, by telling the pharmacist he had a bomb. He was arrested that night at the Comcast Center on charges of armed robbery and unlawful possession of prescription narcotics. A month later, he was looking for a new band.

Courtney Love dates SALEM’s Jack Donoghue: So, Courtney Love thinks Dave Grohl is a dick, but witch-house is sexy. You know, sometimes I just don’t understand that woman.

Metallica Monopoly: Because nothing says “metal” like family game night.

Luther Campbell runs for mayor of Miami-Dade County: Admittedly, it takes some cajones to choose the eighth-most populous county in the country as your first foray into politics. Probably takes more to try to tax strippers. He lost, by the way.

Joe Jonas says he’s influenced by Daft Punk: The middle Jo Bro cites Daft Punk’s Tron: Legacy work as an influence on his solo debut. So, in essence, you’re saying this led to this.

As previously reported, Jack White has teamed up with actor John C. Reilly for two two-song singles, due out as part of Third Man Record’s big holiday bounty on November 29th. Right now, you can hear one of the single’s A-sides, a cover of Ray Price’s “Ill Be There If You Ever Want”, featuring Lavender Diamond’s Becky Stark at EW.com. The other A-side, a rendition of The Delmore Brothers “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar”, featuring Tom Brosseau is available in 30-second sample form below.

Pre-orders for both singles are now ongoing at Third Man Records’ online store.

If you couldn’t tell from the obnoxious commercials and rampant sales everywhere, Christmas is on its way. Or, to be politically correct, “the holidays are here.” One store getting in on the fun is Nashville’s Third Man Records. As usual, they’ve announced a bevy of solid releases, dubbed a “winter bounty”, all for the inner Jack White enthusiast in us all.

First up are four reissued singles from The White Stripes: “The Big Three Killed My Baby” b/w “Red Bowling Ball Ruth” (TMR117); “Lord, Send Me an Angel” b/w “You’re Pretty Good Looking (Trendy American Remix)” (TMR118); “Candy Cane Children” b/w “Reading of the Story of the Magi”, “Silent Night” (TMR071); and “Hello Operator” b/w “Jolene” (TMR067). It should be noted that the first single has been out of print for over a decade, and its B-side is exclusive to this single.

Also included in this bounty is a 45 of actor-playwright-poet Edgar Oliver (“In The Park” b/w ” Hunger and Light” (TMR121)), in addition to two singles by John C. Reilly: “Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar” b/w “Lonesome Yodel Blues #2″ (TMR112) and “I’ll Be There If You Ever Want” b/w “I’m Making Plans” (TMR113). The former sees Reilly working alongside Tom Brosseau, while the latter has him paired with Becky Stark. Both cuts feature Jack White, The Black Belles’ Olivia Jean and Fats Kaplin. Very cool.

And because it wouldn’t be a holiday wish list without some electronics, Third Man has also unveiled its custom designed Revolution compact turntable by Crosley (pictured above). With USB capability for both PC and Mac (y’know, so you can rip the audio on your computer), a belt-driven turntable, 33 1/3 and 45 RPM speeds for 7inch or 12-inch records, a headphone input, and an FM transmitter with full range stereo speakers…really, what more could you ask for?

Check out Third Man Records for more information regarding release dates and pricing. But, above all, start amending that list of yours. Now.

Jack White’s Third Man Records has cultivated and released music from a wide variety of artists (including an auctioneer), but no act in White’s stable may be more interesting than The Black Belles. The band — comprised of basisst Ruby Rogers, drummer Shelby Lynne, synth player Lil’Boo, and guitarist/vocalist/organ player Olivia Jean — create a dark blend of ’60s garage rock and soul with a modern twist. And that’s without mentioning their Hocus Pocus clothing sytle.

The Black Belles first came to our attention when Third Man put out their debut, White-produced single in January 2010. A record contract soon followed, as did more singles and a White-directed music video. If you recall, they also served as the musical accompaniment for Stephen Colbert’s recent musical venture.

On November 8th, Third Man will release the band’s self-titled full-length. Leading up to that release, CoS is streaming the entire 11-track effort in full for the next seven days. Featuring production from White and all songs written by the group. We’re diggin’ the tracks “The Wrong Door” and the single, “Honky Tonk Horror”. Check it out below and pre-order your copy of the album here.

Jack White loves to spread the musical love. In addition to using his Third Man Records imprint to put out releases by everyone from rappers to an auctioneer, White is now paying tribute to one of his earliest influences by reissuing North Carolina rockabilly band Flat Duo Jets’ seminal 1991 album Go Go Harlem Baby. Wait your turn, Blind Willie McTell.

The reissue will be released October 18th on standard vinyl, with 75 limited edition black & white split colored LPs also available on the day of release at the Third Man Records store. Can’t make it to Nashville? Pre-order your copy here.

The White Stripes covered album Flat Duo Jets tracks “You Belong to Me” and “Apple Blossom Time” on several occasions (White also talked the band up in the documentary It Might Get Loud). TMR wrote that the songs on the record are “genuinely important in the pantheon of American music. Out-of-print on vinyl since it’s original issue 20 years ago, Third Man Records worked solidly for a year-and-a-half to make this record available again.”

Flat Duo Jets, the brainchild of Dexter Romweber, released a slew of albums and singles from their formation in 1983 until their 1999 break-up. Romweber has since gone on to a solo career, touring with the likes of Cat Power and Neko Case.

For the uninitiated, check out the original version of ”You Belong to Me” below.

Go Go Harlem Baby Tracklist:
01. Flat Duo Jets Anthem
02. The Dainty Song
03. Go Go Harlem Baby
04. You Belong To Me
05. Frog Went A Courtin’
06. No Greater Love
07. I Don’t Know
08. Harlem Nocturne
09. Wild Trip
10. Rock House
11. Stalkin’
12. Don’t Blame Me
13. Love Has Its Joke Sometimes
14. TV Mama
15. Apple Blossom Time
16. Ask Me How I Live

On October 31st, U2‘s highly acclaimed 1991 LP, Achtung Baby, will be reissued. To celebrate, Q Magazine has put together one hell of a tribute album, featuring everyone from Depeche Mode to Patti Smith to Jack White offering covers off the album. Today, White’s inclusion of “Love Is Blindness” debuted on BBC Radio 2, and true to the man’s style, it’s layered in Delta blues bliss, leaving little evidence of everyone’s favorite Irish arena rockers. Give it a spin below (via Interference).

And for context’s sake, here’s what the original version sounds like:

AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered Tracklist:
01. Nine Inch Nails – Zoo Station
02. U2 (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) – Even Better Than The Real Thing
03. Damien Rice – One
04. Patti Smith – Until The End Of The World
05. Garbage – Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
06. Depeche Mode – So Cruel
07. Snow Patrol – Mysterious Ways
08. The Fray – Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World
09. Gavin Friday – The Fly
10. The Killers – Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
11. Glasvegas – Acrobat
12. Jack White – Love Is Blindness

The tracklisting has been unveiled for Q Magazine’s upcoming tribute album to U2′s landmark album Achtung Baby and it’s looking mighty fine. In addition to Jack White, Depeche Mode, and Patti Smith, AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered will also feature contributions from Nine Inch Nails, The Killers, Garbage, and Glasvegas, as Rock It Out! Blog points out. You can find the entire tracklist below.

The album will be included free in the magazine’s October 25th issue, which you’ll eventually be able to pre-order at this link (which is not yet live). As for other Achtung Baby-related items, the album’s new documentary, From The Sky Down, will air on Showtime on October 29th at 9pm EDT, while the 20 Years of Achtung Baby reissues are due out on November 1st via Island.

AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered Tracklist:
01. Nine Inch Nails – Zoo Station
02. U2 (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) – Even Better Than The Real Thing
03. Damien Rice – One
04. Patti Smith – Until The End Of The World
05. Garbage – Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
06. Depeche Mode – So Cruel
07. Snow Patrol – Mysterious Ways
08. The Fray – Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World
09. Gavin Friday – The Fly
10. The Killers – Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
11. Glasvegas – Acrobat
12. Jack White – Love Is Blindness

In a far less shocking decision than, say, collaborating with the Insane Clown Posse, Third Man Records founder/occassional rock star Jack White also recently tapped fellow Nashville, TN rockers JEFF the Brotherhood for a Blue Series single. Out yesterday (10/4), the effort is comprised of the six and a half minute jam “Whatever I Want” b/w a cover of Tiger B. Smith’s “Everything I Need”.

Striking while the iron is hot, the droning “Whatever I Want” gets a video that matches the track’s capability to drill into one’s skull. Directed by Jo McCaughey (wife of White’s Raconteurs/Dead Weather bandmate Jack Lawrence), the clip sees the duo playing the slow cut while bizarre and disheartening things happen to pretty girls. We hate lamps and visits to the doctor too!

JEFF the Brotherhood is also set to hit up Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tomorrow (10/06). Their latest album, We Are The Champions, is out now.

Rome, the spaghetti western-inspired collaborative project of super producer Danger Mouse and composer Daniele Luppi, has now inspired a film. As Variety reports, the duo’s recently released album, which also features the talents of Jack White and Norah Jones, “underpins” a forthcoming film by director Chris Milk. If you recall, Milk was the force behind Rome’s interactive video for “3 Dreams of Black”, in addition to clips for Kanye West, Arcade Fire, and Modest Mouse.

According to Variety, the film centers on a “girl born into a post-apocalyptic world who must survive by her wits while finding moments of simple joy.” The story itself will be based on Alden Bell’s novel The Reapers Saw The Angels. 

There’s no title or release date for the film, but Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Megan Ellison (True Grit) are serving as producers. In a statement, the producers said “Chris Milk is perhaps the most innovative creative voice working in any art form today, and the ‘Rome’ project criss-crosses at least a dozen of them, including music, animation, live performance, film, web, literature, musicvideos, and graphic novels.”

Below, you can watch a making of video for Rome’s Milk-directed clip, “3 Dreams of Black”. The actual video can be viewed here, though you’ll need to be on Google Chrome.

Speaking of Bob Dylan, the next project from the legendary singer-songwriter comes in the form of The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams. As previously reported, the 12-track effort sees Dylan, Jack White, Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams, and Sheryl Crow, among others, finishing unreleased lyrics and song ideas found in the late country star’s ‘lost notebooks’. The end result will be unveiled this coming Tuesday, October 4th via Columbia.

Right now, you can stream Dylan and Jones’ contributions, titled “The Love That Faded” and “How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart?”, respectively, at NPR.org. 30-second samples for the album’s other 10 nine tracks are up for grabs at Amazon.com. Update: You can now hear the full-length recording of White’s track, “You Know That I Know”, at RollingStone.com.

“Mountain Girl”, the twangy B-side found on Insane Clown Posse and Jack White’s collaborative 7″ single, has made its way onto the web. Enjoy!

And if you somehow managed to miss the single’s A-Side, the Mozart-featuring “Leck Mich Im Arsch”, it’s right here:

ICP and White’s 7″ single is out now via White’s Third Man Records. In much better news, The Raconteurs are back.

So you read Carson O’Shoney’s review of The Raconteurs’ comeback concert at Nashville’s Third Man Records on Wednesday night and instantly scrambled to YouTube yearning for more. And then you didn’t find anything other than a pair of videos recorded in some guys pocket featuring semi-decent audio of the band performing “Broken Boy Solider” and “Many Shades of Black”. It was still enough to get you hot and bothered though — at least it was for me.

“Broken Boy Soldier”

“Many Shades of Black”

So good news: the Jack White-led outfit played their second show in as many days (and years) at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last night and this one seemed a lot easier to record. Below, we have video of the band’s nine-minute rendition of “Carolina Dreams”, which served as the set’s closer.

Update: We now have clips of the band playing “Consoler of the Lonely”, “Salute Your Solution”, and “Steady As She Goes”.

We’ll edit it more clips as soon as they pop up. Also, if you’re Michigan, New Orleans, Orlando, or Atlanta, you should go see them live in the coming months:

The Raconteurs 2011 Tour Dates:
09/17 – Brooklyn, MI @ MI Fest
10/30 – New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Experience
11/12 – Orlando, FL @ Orlando Calling
11/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle

This time around, it all started with a single tweet. On August 26th, Third Man’s official twitter feed posted “The Raconteurs live at Third Man Sept. 14th!!!” with a link to buy tickets – which went on sale immediately. Only 150 tickets were released to the public, and only half of those were available online that day. The rest were sold at the store the following Tuesday. Needless to say, this became one of the hottest tickets in Nashville extremely quick. Tickets were going for hundreds of dollars on StubHub and Craigslist as soon as people had bought them. All of this only added to the already momentous amount of hype for the return of The Raconteurs. On Wednesday, they finally arrived.

Fans started lining up before noon for the 7 p.m. show – not out of the ordinary for something relating to Jack White. The Third Man store opened up at 5 p.m. to sell the badass limited edition poster (see above) designed by Rob Jones, along with various other Raconteurs merchandise. By 6pm, the line was about as long as it was gonna get, then came the waiting game. The 7pm start time came and went (which is to be expected at Third Man – not that anyone’s blaming them) and all the fans were still waiting in the alley beside the building. After a short delay, we were eventually led into the blue room in the back of Third Man – which, if you’ve never been, is a thing of beauty – and the show started at 8:15 p.m.. Opening the show was St. Louis’ Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three, who were quite a revelation. Pokey and his band were of another time – a time when an upright bass was standard, there was no such thing as electric guitar, and harmonica was the thing. If they stepped into a time machine bound for the 1920s, no one would bat an eye when they stepped out. Their infectious old-tyme American music worked because there wasn’t a trace of irony, yet they had a good sense of humor about them. If you have the chance to see these guys, I strongly reccommend you do so.

The crowd was genuinely appreciative of Pokey LaFarge, but we all knew what we were there for. After a half an hour setup, a Third Man employee stepped up to thank the crowd for being there before cutting to the chase with “Ladies and gentlemen… the Raconteurs!” The acclaimed group then walked on the tiny stage to rapturous applause before ripping straight into “Consoler of the Lonely”. White – the obvious star of the show – kept his back turned until it was his turn on the mic, which just made the crowd go even more wild when they finally did get a glimpse of the recently appointed “Nashville Music City Ambassador“. Right off the bat there was no rust, no dust . Three years later, they still don’t skip a beat – at least on their own terms.

From the opener they tore through “Salute Your Solution”, “Hands”, and “Old Enough” before having to take a short break while they switched the reels in the control booth (every show at Third Man is recorded straight to vinyl). While they waited, White told the story of how he met Brendan Benson (“Which one is Brendan again? The blonde one?”) back in the day in Detroit – the first of a few amusing anecdotes. Everyone was in good spirits, even White, which was comforting considering he usually looks a tad too serious. Throughout the evening, his emotions ran wild. He flashed a few grins, cracked a couple of jokes, and even appeared to shed a tear on “Blue Veins”. Maybe it was just sweat, though.

The material sounded just as fresh, too. New arrangements for “Consoler of the Lonely” and “Broken Boy Soldier” surprised many attendees – the latter now stretched from its original three-minute album counterpart. Although nothing new for The Raconteurs, a horn section tagged along, which was oddly entertaining, given the size of the stage. The section had to set up shop along the side-stage stairs because it was literally the only place they could have gone. Nevertheless, they played strong (and loud) through solid cuts of “Many Shades of Black” and “Switch and the Spur”, the latter of which led to the brilliant rendition of set closer “Broken Boy Soldier”. After a short absence, White & Co. returned to the stage – again to deafening applause – and broke into their “hit”, “Steady as She Goes”.

Let me take a moment here to pay tribute to the temple of music Jack White and crew have built here in my hometown of Nashville. This was my fourth or fifth time being in the back “blue room” of his Third Man building, but every time I walk in I’m wowed. The room has prestine acoustics – it has to, since it’s where Third Man does a good bit of their recording. The stage is elevated far above the rest of the room, giving the Raconteurs (or whoever else is playing) a larger-than-life feeling – a fact that Jack took full advantage of on Wednesday. Half of the room is blue wall curving into a blue floor – the very spot where the label shoots the covers for their “Blue Label Series” 7-inch records. Top it off with a full bar and a photobooth, along with great lighting on the stage and off, and you’ve got yourself a hell of a room – I’m sure Jack White wouldn’t have his in-house venue any other way.

The final song of the encore was no surprise – “Blue Veins” has been a staple to close Raconteurs shows in years past. It works so perfectly because it provides a perfect outlet for White to wail on his guitar like everyone wants to see him do. This night was no exception. The crowd just stood in awe as the former White Stripes frontman churned in emotional solos through most of the 10-minute-long jam. By the time they walked off for good, they had only been playing for an hour. Naturally, I can see how some people could be disappointed in this, but as I mentioned earlier, every Third Man show is recorded to vinyl so they don’t have much flexibility time-wise. Oddly enough, there were no new songs and no surprises. However, over one 10-song set, the band confirmed one thing: The Raconteurs are back, and they’re better than ever.

Setlist:
Consoler of the Lonely
Salute Your Solution
Hands
Old Enough
Top Yourself
Many Shades of Black
Switch and the Spur
Broken Boy Soldier
Encore:
Steady as She Goes
Blue Veins

Along with a massive box set and documentary, U2 will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their landmark album Achtung Baby with a star-studded covers album. Announcing the news at a press conference in Toronto this afternoon (via Rolling Stone), Bono explained that the project is being commissioned by British music magazine Q, and will see Jack White cover “Love Is Blindness”, Depeche Mode tackle “So Cruel”, Patti Smith take on “Until the End of the World”, and Damian Rice play “One”. “It just goes on. And it’s strange, because when I hear the album, when U2 do it, all I hear is what’s wrong with it. But when I heard all these artists doing it, I thought, ‘It’s really good,’” Bono explained.

Bono also added that artist Damien Hirst recently completed a video for “Even Better Than The Real Thing”. “He made a very special art work, which has only been shown once and probably won’t be shown again, because [it was for the] Glastonbury festival and it’s an extraordinary work of art.”

There’s no ETA for either project, but Slicing Up Eyeballs reports that the covers album may be included in the aforementioned box set, which is due for release on November 1st. We’ll keep you updated.

A couple years back, our own David Buchanan wrote about Insane Clown Posse (ICP), to which several – if not hundreds – of you expressed your deep hatred at the group, and how disgusted you were with the coverage. Suffice it to say, Mr. Jack White of Third Man Records was not one of those people. In a release that’s likely to make heads spin (literally, metaphorically, what have you), White has produced a track that not only features ICP, but also, and get this, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

We’ll let the press release explain that one:

Back in ’82, ahem, 1782, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote a piece that’s been left out of the spotlight ever since. The title of the piece is “Leck Mich Im Arsch” or literally translated to English as “Lick me in the arse.” Understandably this piece has figuratively been swept under the rug. So who better to give this piece it’s due respect than the wildly successful, much misunderstood, and divisive Southwest Detroit rappers Insane Clown Posse?

To bring the track up-to-date, White tagged Nashville rock band JEFF the Brotherhood, who dusted off Mozart’s classic melody (complete with operatic German vocals), all for ICP’s taking. Basically, just get ready for your head to melt.

But, why stop there? In addition to “Leck Mich Im Arsch”, there will also be a B-side titled “Mountain Girls”, which “finds Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope telling tall tales about a shotgun wedding, meth problems and moonshine…all pretty common-fare for a twangy country song birthed in Nashville.” So, how do you hear this madness?

The Mozart medley is streaming below now, but to hear the other song, you’ll have to wait until September 13th, when the entire single will be available as an iTunes digital download. However, in typical Third Man fashion, it’ll also be available as a 7″ single, though limited to one hundred tri-color copies, available only at the Third Man Rolling Record Store at the MI Fest in Brooklyn, MI which goes down September 17th. Another 50 copies will be randomly inserted into mail orders via Third Man Records. Yeah, good luck.

Mark your calendars, folks. The world officially ends today. Not with a whimper, nor a bang, but with facepaint and some maniacal laughter. Kudos.

“Leck Mich Im Arsch”

And here’s the amazing teaser trailer:

A half decade ago, Bob Dylan acquired the notebooks of the late, great Hank Williams. In them contained many unfinished lyrics and song ideas. Since then, he’s been working on a star-studded tribute album that sees himself, Jack White, Sheryl Crowe, Norah Jones, and more completing said lyrics and turning them into full-fledged songs. According to Rolling Stone, the end result of their efforts will finally see release on October 4th via Dylan’s imprint Egyptian Records.

Titled The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams, the tribute album features 13 tracks in all. Rolling Stone also reports that the full story of Williams’ notebooks will be told in the album’s liner notes, which were penned by Michael McCall of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Below, we have the tracklist.

The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams Tracklist:
01. Alan Jackson – You’ve Been Lonesome, Too
02. Bob Dylan – The Love That Faded
03. Norah Jones – How Many Times Have You Broken My Heart?
04. Jack White – You Know That I Know
05. Lucinda Williams – I’m So Happy I Found You
06. Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell – I Hope You Shed a Million Tears
07. Patty Loveless – You’re Through Fooling Me
08. Levon Helm – You’ll Never Again Be Mine
09. Holly Williams – Blue Is My Heart
10. Jakob Dylan – Oh, Mama, Come Home
11. Sheryl Crow – Angel Mine
12. Merle Haggard – The Sermon on the Mount

Jack White‘s Third Man Records has released efforts from an assortment of acts during its tenure, from Seasick Steve to Stephen Colbert and even an auctioneer. Now, though, the Nashville, TN label tackles its first hip-hop release with a single from Detroit-based rapper/producer Black Milk.

Recorded back in April, the two-track effort features White strumming guitar on the A-side “Brain” and heading behind the kit on the B-side “Royal Mega”. White also co-produced both tracks, each of which hark back to jazzier offerings from a latter-day White Stripes.

Right now, you can stream both cuts at Some Kind of Awesome. The record is available beginning today (July 12th) as a 7″ vinyl and a digital download via Third Man Records.