If you recall, last year we reported that Liam Gallagher intended to produce a film about Apple Records, excluding The Beatles. “The Beatles aren’t going to be in this film,” he stated. “There’s going to be no one auditioning for John, Paul, George, Ringo. It’s about the characters behind-the-scenes.” Since then, there’s hardly been any movement. But now The Playlist reports that Gallagher has tagged acclaimed filmmaker Michael Winterbottom to direct the picture, currently titled, The Longest Cocktail Party.

Winterbottom, best known for his work on 2002′s 24 Hour Party People, which focused on the explosive Manchester scene of the late ’70s and ’80s, will direct from a script written by Jesse Armstrong (Four Lions, In the Loop), who based the story around Richard DiLello’s 1972 book, The Longest Cocktail Party: An Insider’s Diary of the Beatles, Their Million Dollar Apple Empire and Its Wild Rise and Fall. Given the background of the two players, this could be one unconventional film.

Co-Producer Andrew Eaton told The Playlist he considers this “one of [his] passion projects,” and said working alongside Gallagher has been “inspiring”, stating, “Liam’s great to work with, because he wants everything to happen tomorrow. Because he’s not from the film business, he’s basically going ‘Why can’t we do it right now?’” Unfortunately for Gallagher, he’ll have to wait awhile longer, as Eaton claims negotiations over rights with Apple Records has stalled the picture. He adds: “We’re doing a bit of a dance at the moment, we haven’t really found a way to make it work.”

We’ll keep you updated when it does.

“I mean we’ve all written songs like Creep, y’know, them classic songs. Karma Police is alright, but it’s The Beatles, innit?”

– The always quoteworthy Liam Gallagher shares his thoughts on Radiohead to Q Magazine. This one’s too easy, folks.

Last week, Liam revealed that he had filed a suit against Noel for libel; basically, the former disputed the latter’s claims that Oasis had pulled out of a 2009 gig at the V Festival Chelmsford because Liam had a “hangover,” and that the band’s actual breakup “followed a massive row in which he claimed I demanded to advertise my clothing range Pretty Green in the Oasis tour program.” Liam added that the lawsuit wasn’t about money, but instead he wanted an apology. “I am used to being called all sort of things by Noel and I have in the past said things about him, but what Noel has alleged this time went way beyond rock-and-roll banter and questioned my professionalism.”

In a Facebook webchat this past Monday, Noel admitted that he had lied, explaining that Liam was suffering from laryngitis when the band canceled their performance at V Fesival. He then added, “If he gets offended by my opinions on such things then, you know, I apologise. But it’s all getting very silly and a little bit out of hand and it’s not very cool. But there you go.”

Now, The Sun reports that Liam has decided to drop the lawsuit. Says a ‘source’: “Liam had spoken to his mum Peggy and she was upset by the whole episode. That was playing on his mind, then he had a moment of realisation that Noel wasn’t being vindictive – he was just being cheeky. It was an anger that had built up over two years because he was so angry Oasis was over…In the cold light of day he realised his brother was actually being quite calm about it all, and decided a legal battle was a bad idea. Hopefully that will draw a line under it all and everyone can move on.”

Maybe Mom can get the band back together, too. Until then, let’s remember the glory days:

Oops, I meant these glory days:

“I have taken legal action against Noel Gallagher for statements he made during the Electric Cinema press conference on July 6th during which he claimed Oasis pulled out of the 2009 V Festival Chelmsford gig because I had a hangover,” Liam said in a statement. “That is a lie and I want Oasis fans, and others who were at V, to know the truth.”

“Noel also falsely stated that the demise of Oasis followed a massive row in which he claimed I demanded to advertise my clothing range Pretty Green in the Oasis tour program. The truth is there was no such discussion or row between us. There are many reasons why Oasis split. But it had nothing to do with my clothing range.”

Liam added that the lawsuit is not about money. Rather, he’d like an apology. “I am used to being called all sort of things by Noel and I have in the past said things about him, but what Noel has alleged this time went way beyond rock-and-roll banter and questioned my professionalism.”

Sounds like the beginning of a great film script. We’ll keep you updated.

Oh, and just for kicks, here’s what it looked like in the moments immediately following their break-up.

The fight between the Gallagher brothers, in their ongoing quest for musical supremacy, continues. No less than a week removed from Noel’s solo album announcement, Liam’s Beady Eye have announced another round of U.S. tour dates in support of their debut LP Different Gear, Still Speeding. After knocking out a slew of appearances in Europe and Asia to wind down the summer festival season, the band will launch the eight-date trek in Vancouver, BC on November 29th. Peep the band’s complete itinerary below.

Tickets for the newly announced dates go on sale beginning Friday, July 15th and you can find complete on-sale information at the band’s website.

Beady Eye 2011 Tour Dates:
07/12 – London, UK @ Somerset House
07/14 – Hultsfred, SE @ Hultsfred Festival
07/16 – Berlin, DE @ Melt! Festival
07/17 – Berne, CH @ Gurten Festival
08/13 – Tokyo, JP @ Summer Sonic Festival
08/14 – Osaka, JP @ Summer Sonic Festival
08/18 – St. Polten, AT @ Frequency Festival
08/20 – Belfast, UK @ Belsonic Festival
08/21 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands
08/23 – Bochum, DE @Zeltfestival Ruhr
08/26 – Reading, UK @ Reading & Leeds Music Festivals
08/27 – Leeds, UK @ Reading & Leeds Music Festivals
09/03 – Seoul, SK @ Ax Hall
09/05 – Tokyo, JP @ Zepp Tokyo
09/06 – Nagoya, JP @ Zepp Nagoya
09/08 – Osaka, JP @ Zepp Osaka
09/11 – Tokyo, JP @ Zepp Tokyo
09/12 – Tokyo, JP @ Zepp Tokyo
10/07 – Rome, IT @ Atlantico
10/08 – Padova, IT @ Gran Teatro GeoX
11/05 – Sao Paulo, BR @ Planata Terra
11/29 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
11/30 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
12/02 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
12/03 – Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
12/05 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
12/06 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave Ballroom
12/08 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
12/09 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5

Beady Eye, the post-Oasis band of Liam Gallagher, made their U.S. television debut with a doubleheader at the Ed Sullivan Theatre last night. First, the band played a full set as part of the Live on Letterman webcast series, which you can watch a replay of by moving your eyeballs upward. Later, Liam and co. served as the musical guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, where they performed “The Roller” from their recently released debut LP, Different Gear, Still Speeding. Via  The Audio Perv, check out video for that performance below.

The absence of Noel Gallagher, arguably a true source of talent in Oasis, is all too noticeable. Many of the lyrics on this album seem very forced, as if only written to make sure a rhyme takes place. “Four Letter Word”, the album’s opener and second single, stumbles with this problem. It’s a great track to open with, because, musically, it’s a lot rougher, more raw than Oasis. It even gives a little hope that this is truly a different band. However, the lackadaisical chorus and forced bridge (“You’ve had enough/It feels like you’ve blown a 50 amp fuse/It’s gonna be tough/The more you have, the more you can lose”) make this track a little hard to digest. Even Liam Gallagher himself said recently he doesn’t know what any of his lyrics really mean. Well, it shows, pal.

Originality aside, it does have some pleasurable listens. “The Roller”, the softest and best of the three singles released so far, opens with an eerie intro that truly could have been made by Lennon 40 years ago. “Kill For A Dream” sounds like a B-side off of Oasis’ last album (to date), Dig Out Your Soul. On the whole, though, the songs that work best for this album are the slower tempo tracks. Not to discredit guitarist Gem Archer’s talent, but his stale riffs here, much like Liam’s lyrics, come off as forced. You can point to at least one track on every Oasis album and hear how Noel raised the bar for not only himself, but the band around him to keep up. “Rock  ‘n’ Roll Star”, “Roll With It”, “Falling Down” , etc.  are all stellar performances yet are no stand outs that will make you say, “Oh, Noel couldn’t think of that.” Then again, some people might not feel the need for comparisons.

To look at the task at hand, you basically have the exact same band, minus the talent, trying to create something completely different from what they had done for well over a decade. This is not an easy feat and, honestly, doesn’t work. In fact, the ones that stick to the band’s legacy are the most enjoyable tracks, while the others are forgetful, and, in some cases (“Millionaire”, “Beatles And Stones”), almost embarrassing.

Beneath it all, there lies “The Beat Goes On”, another Beatles-esque tune, which happens to be the hidden gem on this album. “Still life remains/Somewhere in my heart the beat goes on,” Gallagher sings sweetly, though his voice is much more beaten up than it was in his younger days. This possible reference to his former life is a bright moment, though a tragic one, as he seems to feel that particular life is over. No fear for the Liam-enthusiasts, as he makes it quite clear that he wants to continue to make music and will do so, no matter who backs him. You can’t fault the guy for that.

So, sure, Beady Eye’s first effort is worth a listen. It’s not a throw away by any means, and has its keepers, but it does come with its share of faults. The band will have to take a step back to see what worked and what didn’t. Hopefully they’ll be able to improve, or at least reach the heights Gallagher had  set for himself. Chances are this isn’t the last we hear from the group, but hopefully the next listen will be a little more memorable and far more substantial.

With a steady chunk of European tour dates, along with a stop in Japan, Lima Gallagher’s new band Beady Eye will spend the next few months introducing themselves to the rest of the world. North American’s turn will come in June when Gallagher and co. hit the states for three dates in support of Different Gear, Still Speeding‘s March 1st release. The trio of shows will take place June 18th in Chicago, June 20th in Toronto, ON, and June 23rd in New York, NY, with tickets for each date available sale March 11th through their respective venues. After that, it’s back to Europe for a summer of festival appearances.

Find all the band’s upcoming tour dates below.

Beady Eye 2011 Tour Dates:
03/09 – London, UK @ Troxy
03/10 – London, UK @ Troxy
03/13 – Paris, FR @ Casino De Paris
03/14 – Cologne, DE @ E-Werk
03/16 – Milan, IT @ Alcatraz
03/18 – Madrid, ES @ La Riviera
03/19 – Toulouise, FR @ Le Bikini
03/21 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
03/22 – Brussels, BE  Ancienne Belgique
03/25 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall
04/11 – Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
04/12 – Liverpool, UK @ Guild Of Students
04/14 – Dublin, UK @ Olympia
04/15 – Dublin, UK @ Olympia
04/17 – Belfast, UK @ Ulster Hall
04/18 – Edinburgh, UK @ Corn Exchange
04/20 – Newcastle, UK @ O2 Academy
04/21 – Leeds, UK @ O2 Academy
04/23 – Newpoirt, UK @ Centre
04/24 – Wolverhampton, UK @ Civic Hall
04/26 – Southampton, Guildhall
04/27 – Brighton, UK @ Centre
05/06 – Osaka, JP @ Zepp Osaka
05/07 – Nagoya, JP @ Zepp Nagoya
05/09 – Tokyo, JP @ Zepp Tokyo
05/10 – Tokyo, JP @ Zepp Tokyo
05/12 – Tokyo, JP @ Zepp Tokyo
05/15 – Seoul, SR @ Ax Hall
05/29 – Jelling, DK @ Jelling Musikfestival
05/30 – Hamburg, DE @ Grosse Freiheit 36
06/12 – Newport, UK @ Isle of Wight Festival
06/18 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
06/20 – Toronto, ON @ The Sound Academy
06/23 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
06/30 – Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
07/01 – Arras, FR @ Main Square Festival
07/05 – London, UK @ The Roundhouse
07/07 – Bilbao, ES @ Bilbao BBK Live
07/10 – Kinross, UK @ T In The Park
07/14 – Hultsfred, SE @ Hultsfred Festival
08/18 – St. Polten, AU @ Frequency Festival

“I don’t know what any of my tunes are about, they’re just out there,” Gallagher told Mojo magazine for their March issue (via Sydney Morning Herald). “I’m not good with words. I just say the first thing that comes into my head.”

Making up one half of the Brothers Gallagher known for their role in leading the brit-rock band Oasis to the top of the charts in the 90′s, Liam is now musically split from his brother Noel and is set to launch his career afresh with his new band Beady Eye. When asked about the band’s new single “Wigwam”, Liam offered his insight: “Fuck knows, I haven’t got a clue, man.”

If you are interested in the pointed agnosticism Liam Gallagher aims for in his lyrics, you can look to his two more famous Oasis songs “Little James” and “Songbird”, or check out the latest Beady Eye drop.

Different Gear, Still Speeding, the debut record from Beady Eye, hits U.S. shelves March 1st and will include the aforementioned “Wigwam.” Credit is due to Gallagher for saying what a lot of artists are just too afraid to admit: “That’s words, that’s all, that I think sort of go together. There’s a bit of something … people might see it as being a bit of beating up someone on the booze a bit. But it’s nothing to do with a wigwam. Or as some Japanese girl said the other day ‘what is it about, a man with a wig?’. I don’t know.”

Forgive us, but in rare circumstances it’s only appropriate to recycle a previously used introduction. So, without further adieu…

Countless UK publications call Oasis’ 1994 debut, Definitely Maybe, one of the country’s greatest albums. Hell, in a 2006 poll, the album was even ranked ahead of Sgt. Pepper’s and Abbey Road as the best of all time. But according to Liam Gallagher, Different Gear, Still Speeding, the forthcoming debut from his post-Oasis outift Beady Eve, is “as good as Definitely Maybe, if not better.” We’ll have to take Liam’s word for it until the album drops February 28, 2011 via Beady Eye Record, but in the meantime, check out another new single, “The Roller”, in the above video.

For more clips of what’s possibly be the best music ever, click here, here, and here.

Countless UK publications call Oasis’ 1994 debut, Definitely Maybe, one of the country’s greatest albums. Hell, in a 2006 poll, the album was even ranked ahead of Sgt. Pepper’s and Abbey Road as the best of all time. But according to Liam Gallagher, Different Gear, Still Speeding, the forthcoming debut from his post-Oasis outift Beady Eve, is “as good as Definitely Maybe, if not better.” We’ll have to take Liam’s word for it until the album drops February 28, 2011 via Beady Eye Record, but in the meantime, check out its latest single, “Four Letter Word”, in the above video.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee is still waiting for Noel to arrive.

“Bring the Light” will be one of the 13 tracks included when Beady Eye (aka Liam Gallagher’s post-Oasis band) debuts their debut album, Different Gear, Still Speeding, on February 28th via their personal imprint, Beady Eye Recordings. Steve Lillywhite (U2, Dave Matthews) oversaw production of the album, which was recorded in London’s RAK studios.

In support of the release, Beady Eye will tour the UK and Europe in March. Find confirmed tour dates, as well as the album’s tracklist below. The artwork is posted above.

Different Gear, Still Speeding Tracklist:
01. Four Letter Word
02. Millionaire
03. The Roller
04. Beatles and Stones
05. Wind Up Dream
06. Bring The Light
07. For Anyone
08. Kill For A Dream
09. Standing on the Edge of the Noise
10. Wigwam
11. Three Ring Circus
12. The Beat Goes On
13. The Morning Son

Bead Eye 2011 Tour Dates:
03/03 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland
03/04 – Glasgow, UK @ Barrowland
03/06 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
03/07 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
03/09 – London, UK @ Troxy
03/10 – London, UK @ Troxy
03/13 – Paris, FR @ Casino de Paris
03/14 – Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall
03/16 – Milan, IT @ Alcatraz
03/18 – Madrid, ES @ La Riviera
03/21 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
03/22 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Beligique

If you were one those those (like myself) who thought Beady Eye, the new band from Liam Gallagher, would sound like a Oasis sans Noel, then you (and I) were wrong. Actually, as per the band’s newly unveiled first single, “Bring The Light”, Liam has crafted a throwback, 1960s inspired bar stomper, complete with a driving piano and passionate choruses that all clocks in under two minutes. So, yeah, way to defy expectations, Liam.

Beady Eye’s debut full length is due out in 2011. Stay tuned for updates.

After months of turmoil, speculation, aggrandizing, and arguably egregious soundtrack producing, we’ve got the name and first (fish-eye) view of ex-Oasis front-man Liam Gallagher’s new band: Beady Eye.

The band, comprised of Andy Bell, Gem Archer and Chris Sharrock, all former members of Oasis, is currently in the studio working with Steve Lillywhite, who has previously worked with U2, The La’s, Morrissey, et al. No release date or tour dates are available at this time, but we will keep you updated.

The band released one little statement (via Mojo)., saying that they’re “working on their way of looking at the world.” Which, apparently, they’re also watching a lot of old pro skateboarding movies.

Noel Gallagher has thus far remained silent, though it appears that the Brothers Gallagher will have to be sharing custody of Gem Archer for their respective side projects, as Noel previously stated that Archer will be touring with him. We’re sure they’ll reach an amiable compromise, as these two lovable brothers are wont to do.

In a typically cantankerous interview with the Guardian, Gallagher said, “My new band‘s going to do the soundtrack. We can recreate that sound like that, you know what I mean? I think it will be more exciting if you have a sound that reminds you of that era, instead of the obvious, going, ‘Oh, there’s ‘Let It Be.’”

As if recreating the sound wasn’t a dicey enough proposition, the Fab Four won’t even appear in the film. “The Beatles aren’t going to be in this film,” he said. “There’s going to be no one auditioning for John, Paul, George, Ringo. It’s about the characters behind-the-scenes.”

Well at least we can see Gallagher’s foray into acting, right? Wrong. He told NME he won’t appear in the movie either. His explanation: “I’m too good-looking.”

So, to sum up: Liam Gallagher is making a movie about the Beatles’ record label. This movie will not include the Beatles, the Beatles’ music, or Gallagher himself. Sounds like a real winner.

It won’t be hand-picked like 2006′s Stop the Clocks; rather, this one will be a career-spanning singles compilation. Every U.K. single from the band’s 16-year career, save for 2000′s “Sunday Morning Call”, is on this 26-track compilation (did they exclude a track out of respect for The Beatles’ 27-track 1 compilation? Probably over-analyzing this). There will also be a deluxe version featuring all of the band’s music videos and footage of a July 21, 2009 performance at the London Roundhouse. The retrospective is titled Time Flies… 1994 — 2009 and comes out June 1st 14th (via Big Brother).

Meanwhile, the other Gallagher’s new group — featuring everyone in Oasis not named Noel, plus the current Gorillaz touring guitarist — has an album in the works. According to Digital Spy, it won’t be released this July as previously announced; instead, we can expect a couple of singles by year’s end and the album by the summer of 2011.

Is it just us, or is Oasis in the news far more now that it no longer exists?

Time Flies… 1994 — 2009 Tracklist:
01. Supersonic
02. Roll With It
03. Live Forever
04. Wonderwall
05. Stop Crying Your Heart Out
06. Cigarettes & Alcohol
07. Songbird
08. Don’t Look Back in Anger
09. The Hindu Times
10. Stand by Me
11. Lord Don’t Slow Me Down
12. Shakermaker
13. All Around The World
14. Some Might Say
15. The Importance of Being Idle
16. D’You Know What I Mean?
17. Lyla
18. Let There Be Love
19. Go Let it Out
20. Who Feels Love?
21. Little by Little
22. The Shock of the Lightning
23. She is Love
24. Whatever
25. I’m Outta Time
26. Falling Down

As for 2009? Well, the Dirty Projectors became a household name, as did Twitter, Girl Talk turned into a gimmick, Kanye continued to be an asshole, online music streaming got big (and bought), and the sales of digital and vinyl releases continued to increase, while the Virgin Megastores and Sam Goody’s of the world went bye bye.

And that’s not even scratching the surface. Before we turn the page on the 2000s, we wanted to take one more look at the year that was the last 365 days. Music, here was your 2009…

Top Albums of 2009

As selected by the CoS Staff…

01. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion

02. Passion Pit – Manners

03. The Avett Brothers – I and Love and You

04. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love

05. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

06. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz!

07. Kittens Ablaze – The Monstrous Vanguard

08. Wale – Attention Deficit

09. The Antlers – Hospice

10. The Dead Weather – Horehound

Click here for #11 – #100

Top Songs of 2009

As selected by the CoS Staff…

01. Phoenix – “1901″

02. Animal Collective – “Summertime Clothes”

03. Passion Pit – “Sleepyhead”

04. Grizzly Bear – “Two Weeks”

05. Phoenix – “Lisztomania”

06. Wale – “Triumph”

07. Jay-Z – “Run This Town” (feat. Kanye West and Rihanna)

08. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Heads Will Roll”

09. Girls – “Lust for Life”

10. Animal Collective – “My Girls”

Click here for #11 – #50

Headline Grabbers

There is always a few particular artists who seem to appear in the headlines more than others. Take these three for example:

Lil Wayne appeared on ESPN, began work on a rock ‘n’ roll album, talked gangsta with Katie Couric, won some Grammys, released the worst song ever, pushed back the release of his rock ‘n’ roll album, pushed back the release of his rock ‘n’ roll album again, told kids to stay in school, teamed up with Madonna, collaborated with Kanye, Eminem, and Drake, promised two albums before the year was out, plead guilty to weapon possession, released a stellar mixtape, watched his mom get a TV show, had his rock ‘n’ roll album mistakenly leaked, and got arrested again, all while actually failing to release any studio albums at all before the year was out. And to cap it all off, he’s going to prison in February!

For a band that didn’t release an album in 2009, Radiohead sure managed to grab quite a few headlines. Capitol Records reissued their discography, Thom Yorke debuted a new song, as well as contributed to the New Moon soundtrack, Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway collaborated with Neil Finn and Wilco, the entire band got together to release a tribute song for Harry Patch, the last surviving World War I combat soldier, Thom Yorke covered Mark Mulcahy’s “All for the Best”, the entire band got together again to release a track titled “These Are My Twisted Words”, Thom Yorke offered a secret 12″, Thom Yorke formed a new band and played some shows, the entire band got together for a third time to begin work on a new studio album, and Thom Yorke became really pissed about climate change.

You either loved or hated the amount of U2 present in 2009. Bono and crew got on their boots, played the Grammys, resided on Letterman, released a new album, teamed up with Brandon Flowers and Chris Martin, started talking another new album, took to Fordham University for a secret show, embarked on the first leg of their claw-featuring global 360 tour, tapped Muse as an opener, wrote a Broadway musical about Spider-Man, pissed off David Byrne, got reviewed in Chicago, reissued The Unforgettable Fire, apparently made no money, played the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall-of-Fame anniversary, titled their next album, wanted to be like The Beatles, plotted more tour dates for 2010, played a free Berlin Wall concert behind the backdrop of a different wall constructed by MTV to prevent those without tickets from watching U2 play a free Berlin Wall concert, teamed up with Jay-Z, got tapped for Glastonbury 2010, and announced a remix album.

Music Festivals

Despite a recession which saw a number of mid-tier summer music festivals call it quits, the big boys were as grand as ever. Coachella rounded up McCartney, Bonnaroo brought The Boss and Phish, and Lollapalooza finally saw Perry using his festival to his advantage. What’s more, Outside Lands proved once again that its a festival to be reckon with, while Sasquatch! demonstrated that Washington state can also rock hard. Hova was able to save All Points West from a mud filled weekend, Pitchfork continued to serve as a hipster’s wet dream, and the Virgin Mobile Festival reminded us that some good things can be free. Finally, Consequence of Sound hit South by Southwest for the first time, celebrating with events featuring the likes of Astronautalis, Gringo Star, Shad, 13ghosts, Kittens Ablaze, Catfish Haven, and Blueblood. Oh, and did we mention we have already begun planning for next year?

Supergroups

By the time December rolled around, there were as many supergroups in existence as there were non-supergroups…

Dave Grohl + John Paul Jones + Josh Homme = Them Crooked Vultures, Conor Oberst + M. Ward + Jim James = Monsters of Folk, Jack White + Alison Mosshart + Jack Lawrence + Dean Fertita = The Dead Weather, Thom Yorke + Flea + Nigel Godrich + Joey Waronker + Mauro Refosco = ???, Phil Lesh + Bob Weir = Furthur, Coldplay + Mew + a-ha = Apparatjik, Supergrass + Radiohead = The Hot Rats, Joe Budden + Joell Ortiz + Royce da 5’9″ + Crooked I = Slaughterhouse, King Khan + Black Lips = The Almighty Defenders, New Order + Blur = Bad Lieutenant, Sammy Hagar + Michael Anthony + Joe Satriani + Chad Smith = Chickenfoot

Reunions, Hiatuses, and Nothing at All!

Two 2009′s biggest themes were bands reuniting and bands calling it quits (or announcing extended hiatuses). And then there were those that couldn’t make up their mind at all.

Blur began its reunion, The Stooges revived Raw Power, Pixies gave it another go, Creed came back!, No Doubt did too, Faith No More hit Europe, Phish returned, The Murder City Devils reunited for Coachella, Sunny Day Real Estate returned for some grunge, Deadheads got the best Christmas present ever, Blink-182 got back together for the kids, Spinal Tap released a new album for the first time in 17 years, Sublime played a show and then got sued, Eminem reunited with D12, Simon and Garfunkel became friends, Limp Bizkit dusted off the red cap, Three members of the Velvet Underground got together for a discussion, Orbital celebrated its 20th anniversary with a reunion, Jawbox made its first live performance since 1997 on J-Fal, Faces reunited without Rod Stewart, while Take That did reunite with Robbie Williams, John Lydon moved on to Public Image Ltd., Cee-Lo got back together with Goodie Mob, The Jayhawks reunited, as did The Gories, and Ben Lee resurrected Noise Addict. Oh yeah, and some band named Pavement announced plans for a busy 2010.

On the other hand, Blur also ended its reunion, The Verve broke up again, Oasis had a fight, Flight of the Conchords called it quits, Music journalism died, Nine Inch Nails said goodbye, as did Harlem Shakes, The Broken West, and Pela, and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters, Blitzen Trapper, Bon Iver, Lily Allen, Deerhunter, and TV on the Radio all announced lengthy hiatuses.

Plus, we learned an At The Drive-In reunion apparently wasn’t a possibility, nor was the rumored Stone Roses comeback, Spacemen 3 got an offer, but declined, The Kinks kept thinking about it but still didn’t do anything, contrary to Courtney Love’s comments, Hole didn’t reunite, Pulp teased and then unteased, and Swans thought about it and didn’t. And not surprisingly, The Libertines, The Smiths, and Neutral Milk Hotel all continued to tease to no fruition, while Led Zeppelin continued the suspense.

Soundtracks with benefits

There’s nothing like a nice movie soundtrack or benefit album featuring some of our favorite musicians. 2009 exemplified this fact to the max…

Grizzly Bear, LCD Soundsystem, Badly Drawn Boy, Arcade Fire, Karen O and friends, Daft Punk, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Beck, Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard, British Sea Power, Dengue Fever all provided sounds for the silver screen, as did the inane number of musicians appearing on the New Moon soundtrack.

Ben Gibbard, Fleet Foxes, and The Cave singers contributed to the Give Seattle charity album, while Tom Waits, Pete Seeger, and Jim James lent their talents to Preservation, an Album Benefiting Preservation Hall and Its Music Outreach Program. Our friends at Ear Farm rounded up Tom Tom Club, Sean Bones, tUnE-yArDs for their pro-Xmas Do you EAR what I EAR?. Peter Bjorn & John, Juliette Lewis, and White Rabbits helped fight malaria. The Climate change benefiting Rhythms Del Mundo Classics saw contributions from The Killers, The Rolling Stones, and Amy Winehouse. Stars (like Yorke and The National) collided for Mark Mulcahy. Hot Chip, The Hold Steady, and Lily Allen shared reinterpretations on War Child Heroes. And let’s not forget about Dark Was The Night, the tantalizing 31-track effort featuring the Dirty Projectors with David Byrne, Feist with Ben Gibbard, Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket, and more, all in benefit of The Red Hot Organization and AIDS awareness.

Our Most Memorable Features

In addition to everything else that went down, 2009 also saw Consequence of Sound further expanded our feature stories. The following are some of our favorites/most memorable:

We brought you interviews with Pavement, Ms. Consequence of Sound herself, Regina Spektor, Tom Jones, Passion Pit, Slayer, Ben Kweller, The Gaslight Anthem, Flogging Molly, Anti-Flag, Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, Hot Water Music, The Von Bondies, The Screaming Blue Messiahs, The Antlers, Boots Riley, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and Fleet Foxes’ J. Tillman. Oh and we talked with Los Campesinos! not once, but twice.

Our Editor-in-Chief Michael Roffman gave us the entire story of The Thermals, contributing writer Alyssa Spiel spoke with 311 about its 20th anniversary, and the one and only Cap Blackard spent the day with Astronautalis.

We listed everything from the Top 11 Influential Minds of Industrial Metal and Top 10 Grunge Albums to the  Top 10 Fake Bands and Top 10 Sleepiest Albums. We did some Audio Archaeology, dusted off some ol’ classics, shared our guilty pleasures, introduced you to some great new bands, and continued teaching Rock History 101.

As for the most commented posts of the year? That honor goes to Laina Dawes’ review of 311′s Uplifter.

The Year’s Most “Unique” Moments

We thought we’d close on a light note, as in this year’s stories and moments that, well, left us scratching our heads the most…

Bill Corgan wrote a song for the Super Bowl, Bruce Springsteen apologized for selling music through Walmart, Live Nation and Ticketmaster merged, Mandy Moore married Ryan Adams, Lil Wayne released “Prom Queen”, we wrote a post about the Jonas Brothers, Crystal Castles had a meltdown, Santogold had to change her name to Santigold, Manu Chao pissed off Mexico, Chickenfoot was actually real, Prince released a $2,100 iPod, Billy Corgan made a wrestling promo, Tupac revealed he might still be alive, Creed released a new album, Billy Corgan hired a 19-year-old drummer, Kanye West helped kids stay in school, Ron Artest paid homage to Michael Jackson, Reading Music Festival banned flags, Kidz Bop covered Kanye West, Ryan Adams became a video game reviewer, R. Kelly forgot to title his new album, Oasis broke up, Liam Gallagher formed Oasis 2.0, 30 Seconds to Mars and Kanye West released a song together, 7-Eleven reissued The Beatles, Snoop Dogg got himself a new name, Rivers Cuomo was interviewed by a dog, Diddy appeared on the Home Shopping Network, Morrissey and Johnny Marr emailed, Marilyn Manson got swine flu, Radiohead didn’t break up, Elvis Presley’s grandson scored a record deal, Starfucker changed its name, Fall Out Boy formed a metal band, and Pete Doherty sang a Nazi song.

Thank you!

Before we end our 2009 recap, we would just like to take one last moment to thank the individuals who have helped Consequence of Sound become what it is today. Thank you to the publicists who work hand-in-hand with us each and everyday, thank you to the festival promoters who continue to work with us despite the fact we ruin your lineup announcements, thank you to the message boards which provide such a bevy of information, thank you to those who email us news tips and music submissions, thank you to our fellow bloggers, thank you to our amazing and tireless staff, and thank you to our readers who have put trust in us and our the reason we keep at this 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

2009 was an amazing year for Consequence of Sound, but 2010 will be even better. Stay tuned for a number of brand new features, including that much needed change we’ve all been eagerly awaiting.

In a recent interview with MTV Italy (via NME), Gallagher revealed that he and fellow ex-Oasis members Gem Archer, Andy Bell, and Zak Starkey (basically, everyone except Noel) will team up in December to begin work on a new album. However, as was the case in an interview with Billboard last month, the musician went on to emphasize the fact that this outfit will not be a continuation of Oasis.

“We’ll do it in a different kind of way now,” Gallagher explained. “I’ll try and reconnect with a new band, new songs and I’m feeling confident about the songs. I’m feeling a million per cent confident that they could be better than Oasis.” Talk about confidence.

If all goes as planned, Gallagher said the yet-to-be-titled band’s debut LP could be out by July of 2010. There are also plans for some “gigging” but those details are still forthcoming as well.

“Getting away from the whole Oasis thing is going to be a good thing I suppose,” Liam explained. “I don’t want to do anything solo. I want to be in a band. But we can do things a lot differently these days. It’ll definitely be rock ‘n’ roll.”

He continued, “For now, I’ll be relaxing at home, just getting out of music for a bit and then I’m going to start up something maybe after January, do something different, see where it goes. But I’ll be having a breather from the music for a bit without a doubt.”

Well, that sounds nice. And if it fails Liam could always fall back on his recently launched fashion line… or an Oasis reunion.

Speaking with The Times of London, in an interview which was supposed to be about his new clothing label Pretty Green (seriously), brother and ex-bandmate Liam Gallagher officially declared Oasis dead.

“Well, Oasis is no longer. I think we all know that. So that’s done,” Gallagher explained. “It’s a shame, but that’s life. We had a good run at it. The thing about Oasis is no-one… we ended Oasis. No-one ended it for us. Which was pretty, kind of… cool. I’m thinking of what the next step is musically, which is all my mind’s on.”

And while he did not outright say it, Gallagher did go on to convey the idea that he would continue with his Oasis bandmates while Noel pursues a solo career.

“People will be able to buy his records. People will be able to buy our records. So everyone’s happy.”

For the rest of Liam’s comments, which are most ramblings about fashion and this season’s collection (it’s exclusively black and white but next spring the palette gets more adventurous), hit up The Times.

Compelling to say the least.

So, let’s play catch up, shall we? Here’s what you may have missed…

• R.I.P. DJ AM

• Radiohead’s Thom Yorke will reportedly release a “secret,” limited release 12″ on September 22nd. Included will be two new songs, titled “Apart By Horses” and “The Hollow Earth”.

• Oasis’ Noel Gallagher got in a fight with bandmate and brother Liam, causing the former to realize he can no longer work with the latter.

• Naked Raygun played a secret show in Chicago on Saturday night.

• The Misfits are going on tour.

• Outside Lands Music Festival 2009 went down this weekend (click here for complete coverage), as did Street Scene 2009 and Virgin Mobile FreeFest (complete coverage forthcoming).

As of last Friday the 28th August, I have been forced to leave the Manchester rock’n'roll pop group Oasis.

The details are not important and of too great a number to list. But I feel you have the right to know that the level of verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades has become intolerable. And the lack of support and understanding from my management and band mates has left me with no other option than to get me cape and seek pastures new.

I would like firstly to offer my apologies to them kids in Paris who’d paid money and waited all day to see us only to be let down AGAIN by the band. Apologies are probably not enough, I know, but I’m afraid it’s all I’ve got.

While I’m on the subject, I’d like to say to the good people of V Festival that experienced the same thing. Again, I can only apologise – although I don’t know why, it was nothing to do with me. I was match fit and ready to be brilliant. Alas, other people in the group weren’t up to it.

In closing I would like to thank all the Oasis fans, all over the world. The last 18 years have been truly, truly amazing (and I hate that word, but today is the one time I’ll deem it appropriate). A dream come true. I take with me glorious memories.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a family and a football team to indulge.

I’ll see you somewhere down the road. It’s been a fuckin’ pleasure.

Thanks very much.

Goodbye.”

– Noel Gallagher (via oasisnet.com).

In other news, Oasis reunion rumors will begin next week.