I have ebbed and flowed with regards to listening to Public Image’s music ever since I was turned on to them around the time The Flowers of Romance was released. Over nearly 30 years, I have heard the band called Public Image, Public Image Limited, and P.I.L. (with each letter pronounced). I had never heard anyone non-mistakenly refer to the band as Pil (pronounced “pill’). That is until I heard this album’s opening title track. Lydon screams “This is Pil!” over and over as if he’s re-branding his own band with a different name. Or maybe it’s just Lydon’s snide way of telling us we’ve been pronouncing it wrong all these years.

The album’s initial single “One Drop” (no relation to the Bob Marley track) contains perhaps some of the effort’s most dub-like elements (all of which reappear later on tracks like “Lollipop Opera”), components of P.I.L.’s music since its beginnings, but something Lydon now feels he must defend with lyrics like “I’m not a vulture, this is my culture.” Perhaps it’s because today’s audience is filled with people more familiar with the sounds of dub as expressed via dubstep/brostep artists like Skrillex rather than the true roots of dub via the hands of Mad Professor or Lee “Scratch” Perry, that Lydon feels he must declare he isn’t on a bandwagon. But there was a time when Lydon wouldn’t have defended anything he did to anyone.

P.I.L.’s early work has been regarded as some of the most innovative music in post-punk, helping to define the movement. That, however, was due in large part to the band, not just Lydon. Early Public Image featured Jah Wobble on bass and guitarist Keith Levene, both of whom left by the band’s fourth album. On this new album, the only major aural throwback to Wobble’s loose and fluid bass appears on “Human”. It’s an odd irony that if anything is really redeemable on This Is PiL, it’s the band, who hold it together enough to create strong rhythm sections but not enough to help give the album any real life.

Throughout This Is PiL, there are other hints and allegations of crimes past beyond simply including dub effects or a loose bass. On “The Room I Am In”, effectively a spoken word piece of Lydon’s drug issues surrounded by the band noodling about on their instruments, the minimalism is vaguely reminiscent of the experimentation heard on First Edition and Metal Box/Second Edition but in a far less acerbic or electrified manner. Possibly the darkest toned track on the album,“It Said That” opens up slightly to reveal a guitar line akin to a more proggy and twisted “Disappointed” with the darkness carrying over to later track “Fool”. With “Deeper Water”, the backing chorus refrains the titular phrase and shimmering guitar line, arching towards classic tracks like “Bodies”, which helps make this song more palatable..

The obligatory factoid regarding this album is that it’s the first P.I.L. album in 20 years. It might as well just be said that it’s the first album of any significance by John Lydon in 20 years. P.I.L. is John Lydon now, and vice versa. Gone are the days when Public Image was an actual band and not just a vehicle for Lydon and whomever he brought along for the ride. Fans learned not to expect the same old, same old from Lydon (especially after Wobble and Levene left) but they did expect consistency, an obtuse, yet well-honed delivery, a particularly sneering attitude, and, most certainly, challenging material willing to push and break barriers. Sometimes it was amazing as on Metal Box/Second Edition; sometimes it was bland and faceless as on Live In Tokyo, an album recorded by Lydon and hired guns just playing the parts, with no emotionality; other times, as with Album or 9, it simply coasted along. For the most of its play time, the songs on This Is PiL lack any lyrical adventure and refuse to take any risks. The music is not as soulless or artificial as on Live In Tokyo, but it’s a far cry from the band’s classic first two albums. There is better in Lydon. I just hope I don’t have to wait another 20 years to hear it.

Essential Tracks: “Deeper Water”

Photo by Paul Heartfield

As previously reported, John Lydon has returned to Public Image Ltd., and the UK collective will release THIS IS PiL, their first new effort in 20 years, on May 28th via PiL Official. Already we’ve heard a healthy chunk off the album, thanks to the band’s Record Store Day EP (specifically, “One Drop”, “Lollipop Opera”), but now Rolling Stone has a stream of another cut, ”Deeper Water”. Working off some moody synths and alarming guitars, the thing patrols around more than it rocks.

For the premiere, Lydon discussed the latest track with the magazine, stating, “It was an improv, done in one take. We made it up as we went. But there is a great deal of thought that goes in before you do that. It’s about bad influences, bad information, bad leadership. There’s ‘bristled bastards that will lead you to the shore, dash you on the rocks.’ Don’t follow the liars. It’s a very difficult thing for me to trust people.” Don’t we all know that. Stream it now over at RollingStone.com.

For Record Store Day, John Lydon and Public Image Ltd. will release One Drop, a four-track EP containing their first new music in 20 years. We’ve already heard the title track, and today the band reveals “Lollipop Opera”, which you can stream below (via Slicing Up Eyeballs).

Following the EP, PiL will release a new LP, This Is PiL, on May 28th via their own imprint PiL Official. You can find tracklists for both releases below.

One Drop EP Tracklist:
01. One Drop
02. I Must Be Dreaming
03. The Room I Am In
04. Lollipop Opera

This Is PiL Tracklist:
01. This Is PiL
02. One Drop
03. Deeper Water
04. Terra-Gate
05. Human
06. I Must Be Dreaming
07. It Said That
08. The Room I Am In
09. Lollipop Opera
10. Fool
11. Reggie Song
12. Out Of The Woods

As reported, John Lydon’s post-Sex Pistols project Public Image Ltd. has recorded new music for the first time in two decades. We’ve already heard “One Drop”; now comes details regarding the rest.

According to the band’s website, “One Drop” will be packaged in a four-track EP to be released on Record Store Day 2012 (April 21st). Their new full-length record, entitled This is PiL, will follow on May 28th. Both the EP and the LP were self-funded by the band and were recorded at Steve Winwood’s Cotswolds, UK studios.

Re-stream “One Drop” and check out the EP’s tracklist below.

This is PiL Tracklist:
01. One Drop
02. I Must Be Dreaming
03. The Room I Am In
04. Lollipop Opera

Public Image Ltd. is back with its first new music in 20 years, as Slicing Up Eyeballs points out. The first single from the band’s long-in-the-works ninth LP, “One Drop” was premiered today on BBC Radio. Stream the replay below.

According to Slicing Up Eyeballs, “One Drop” will also be released in four-track vinyl-only EP for Record Store Day (April 21st.) The LP will reportedly follow in May or June.

Much like the UK-based Reading and Ledes Festival, the Tokyo and Osaka components of Summer Sonic takes place simultaneously, with acts playing one city the first day and then the other on the second day. That’s with the exception of Primal Scream and Public Image, LTD, however; the former, who will be playing their 1991 classic Screamadelica, will appear only in Osaka, while the later will stick to Tokyo. So choose wisely.

Additional acts are still forthcoming, but you can stay completely up to date by bookmarking our Festival Outlook.

Ticketing information and additional festival details can be found on the festival’s website.

For one, Primavera has brought Sufjan Stevens out of his long-perceived anti-music festival shell. They’ve also added the equally stellar likes of PJ Harvey, Interpol, Big Boi, Battles, Public Image, LTD, Simian Mobile Disco, of Montreal, and The Tallest Man on Earth.

Set to run from May 26-28, the festival will also feature Explosions in the Sky, Girl Talk, The Black Angels, The Monochrome Set, DJ Shadow, Kurt Vile, M. Ward, James Blake, Smith Westerns, Warpaint, Matthew Dear, Avi Buffalo, and Odd Future. Plus, London DJ Kode9 will play two sets, including one with the acclaimed Burial. For a full list of all Primavera’s confirmed acts, click here.

Festival passes are priced at 155 €, but will rise to 170 € on February 5th. Visit the festival’s website for complete details.

“Yes. They are a strange bunch of people but I like them; they share the PiL philosophy. They have raised the money to film a documentary of our US tour. Can you think of anything better playing on your TV or in your movie house? Me on stage. Me in my underpants on a bus. Ha! It will be inspirational … to all those with a mind to be inspired.”

– Public Image, Ltd. frontman John Lydon makes the surprising revelation (via The Guardian) that James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem are the ones behind the Public Image, Ltd. tour documentary currently in the works. And yes, to quote Murphy, really, this is happening. As previously reported, the Alex Mar directed film was recorded at the band’s May 19th performance at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Details currently stop there, but we’ll update you when we learn more details about the project and/or why LCD Soundsystem chose to throw their weight behind it.

The film, directed by Alex Mar, hasn’t got a lot of details, but what we do know is that those in attendance at PiL’s May 19th performance at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg will be a a part of history. Plus, if you were a sucker and got tickets for the May 18th performance at Terminal 5, fret not; just respond to a Ticketmaster email by May 7th and you can transfer your ticket over. Finally, that lucrative film career you’ve always dreamed of! Still not swayed? DJ Justin Miller of DFA Records opens up the whole shebang. What more do you want?

And as if one late night disaster weren’t enough, the band is also scheduled to play Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on May 17th. Here’s hoping they bring their cinematic A-game a little prematurely.

More news on the documentary as it’s announced.

Public Image LTD. 2010 Tour Dates:
05/07 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
05/08 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre L’Olympia de Montreal
05/11 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
05/12 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
05/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
05/15 – Atlantic City, NJ @ The Borgata Music Box
05/16 – Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
05/18 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
05/19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Musical Hall of Williamsburg
07/10 – Zottegem, BE @ Rock Zottegem
07/11 – Liege, BE @ Les Ardentes Festival
07/17 – Benicassim, ES @ FIB Heineken Festival

The performance, once again their first late-night gig since ’92 on The Dennis Miller Show, could be what some might call shaky. Sure, the song, which was a single off their 1986 aptly titled effort Album, was around before seemingly most of the audience was alive, but they showed promise. John Lydon was as angry and crazed as ever, shredding through a song with vocal touch of a madman whacked out of his mind, but that’s always been a part of the charm of the former Mr. Rotten. Plus, who else can pull off a collared shirt and athletic pants? It’s not going to knock your socks off, but if you’re an old fan, at least you can say Lydon has never lost what little he did have.

Enjoy the performance below. The band kicks off their tour on April 16th at Coachella and will wrap up on July 17th in Spain. Snag tickets here.

Public Image LTD. 2010 Tour Dates:
04/16 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
04/17 – San Francisco, CA @ Grand Ballroom
04/20 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
04/21 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
04/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
04/24 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
04/26 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
04/28 – Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
04/30 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
05/02 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
05/04 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
05/05 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
05/07 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
05/08 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre L’Olympia de Montreal
05/11 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
05/12 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
05/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
05/15 – Atlantic City, NJ @ The Borgata Music Box
05/16 – Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
05/18 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
07/10 – Zottegem, BE @ Rock Zottegem
07/11 – Liege, BE @ Les Ardentes Festival
07/17 – Benicassim, ES @ FIB Heineken Festival

Essentially, Lydon plans to use the band’s upcoming tour dates, which include an appearance at next month’s Coachella Music Festival, to fund the group’s first new record since 1992′s That What Is Not.

“We’ve got no backing — no record company, no sponsors, nothing like that,” explained Lydon to Billboard. “The only way we can make money is the touring, and then we can make a new album. It’s sort of like the old days of PiL, when the [Sex] Pistols went kaput; I had to scrimp and scrape out of my own pocket. Not much has changed.”

If the project does come to frution, Lydon expects that it will be recorded in Los Angeles, where he currently lives. He cautioned, however, that new material will likely not be debuted during the upcoming tour. Instead, Public Image Ltd. will stick to last year’s game plan, in which the recently reunited band played a two-and-a-half hour set of greatest hits during a series of concerts at London’s Brixton Academy. Live albums of those performances have since been released, so check them out for an early preview of what’s to come.

Find a complete list of upcoming tour dates below. For your purchasing pleasure, visit Ticketmaster.com. And finally, we should also note that Public Image Ltd. is also scheduled to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday, April 7th.

Public Image LTD. 2010 Tour Dates:
04/16 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
04/17 – San Francisco, CA @ Grand Ballroom
04/20 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
04/21 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
04/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
04/24 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
04/26 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
04/28 – Pontiac, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
04/30 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
05/02 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
05/04 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
05/05 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
05/07 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
05/08 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre L’Olympia de Montreal
05/11 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
05/12 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
05/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
05/15 – Atlantic City, NJ @ The Borgata Music Box
05/16 – Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
05/18 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5
07/10 – Zottegem, BE @ Rock Zottegem
07/11 – Liege, BE @ Les Ardentes Festival
07/17 – Benicassim, ES @ FIB Heineken Festival

Atoms for Peace (Thom Yorke & Friends):

What: Dates for New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Santa Barbra, CA

When: April

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

“Hole”:

What: Tour date for Los Angeles, LA

When: April 22nd

Tixs: $32.50

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM PST

Pavement:

What: Tour date for Kansas City, MO; St. Paul, MN

When: September 11th & 12th

Tixs: $35.50 – $36.50

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM CST

Public Image Ltd.:

What: Dates for North American tour

When: April – May

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM EST

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers:

What: Tour date for Milwaukee, WI (Summerfest)

When: September 11th & 12th

Tixs: $33.00 – $105.00

Buy: Ticketmaster.com at 10:00 AM CST

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!!!

The Roots Picnic:

What: One day festival in Philadelphia, PA featuring The Roots, Run-DMC, Vampire Weekend, and more

When: June 5th

Tixs: Price not listed

Buy: Livenation.com at 10:00 AM EST

Are we missing anything? Let us know in the comments below!!!

Following a performance at Coachella on April 16th, Lydon and friends will immediately head to San Francisco for a gig at the Grand Ballroom the following evening. After that, it’s on to cities across the western and mid-western portions of the U.S. before the band ultimately wraps things up by hitting Canada, the U.S. east coast, and concluding with a set on May 18th in New York City.

Tickets for the tour go on sale March 5th and 6th via Ticketmaster.com.

Public Image LTD. 2010 Tour Dates:
04/16 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
04/17 – San Francisco, CA @ Grand Ballroom
04/20 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
04/21 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
04/23 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
04/24 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
04/26 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
05/02 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
05/04 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
05/05 – Boston, MA @ Royale Boston
05/07 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
05/08 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre L’Olympia de Montreal
05/11 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
05/12 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
05/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Zoo
05/15 – Atlantic City, NJ @ The Borgata Music Box
05/18 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5

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.

Thanks to Drowned in Sound and XFM London, we’ve learned that Lydon is taking The Damned’s Lu Edmonds and Slits drummer Bruce Smith to reunite Public Image Ltd. — after a 17 year hiatus — for a five-show tour around the UK in December. The band will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the November 1979 release, Metal Box. This will be the band’s first tour since supporting 1992′s That What Is Not.

“We’ll see where we can go,” Lydon said of the reunion to the Guardian. “Some things may be quite similar, some may not.”

Originally, the band featured Jah Wobble, Keith Levene, Magazine’s John McGeoch, and a few other punks, who all first came together after Lydon’s failed attempt at becoming Devo’s lead singer following the Pistols break up in 1978.

Tour dates and a taste of the new PiL are below. Stay tuned for updates if the former Mr. Rotten decides to take the boys into the studio.

Ticket go on sale at 9 am (BST) on Friday, September 11th.

Public Image Ltd. 2009 Tour Dates:
12/12 – O2 Academy @ Birmingham, UK
12/16 – O2 Academy @ Leeds, UK
12/18 – O2 Academy @ Glasgow, UK
12/19 – Academy @ Manchester, UK
12/21 – O2 Academy @ Brixton, UK

Public Image, Ltd. or PiL was the pet project of Lydon from the late 70s till the middle of the 90s and when it began, it pushed the limits of experimental music in the mainstream and in general scared people. The band would go on to change its sound on every album and either alienate or lose their previous fans–again pretty scary move.

The Order of Death was released in 1984 after the fall out with ex-Clash member Keith Levene over the direction of the band. It features gothic, almost religious-styled music and for anyone listening to it, a creepy feeling. The steady drums combined with the repeated lyrics of “This is What You Want…This is What You Get” also add a very weird repetition to the nearly 5 minute song.