When it came about that Dave Grohl was working on a sitcom for FX, we asked if there was anything he can’t do. As if winning five Grammys didn’t prove there in fact isn’t, the recent trailer for his upcoming Sound City documentary seals it. The fact that the Foo Fighters frontman filmed a doc about the famed and now defunct eponymous L.A. recording studio of the title is intriguing, but the list of names contributing to the project is the real kicker.

According the the recently revealed trailer, Grohl has gathered a veritable pantheon of musical icons: Trent Reznor, Joshua Homme, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic, Cheap Trick, Lars Ulrich, Stephen Pearcy, and Rick Springfield are just some of the names involved. So why are so many familiar faces joining Grohl in this endeavor? “That place was like a church,” he explained in a recent interview on Sound City (via CraveOnline). “The list of people that recorded there is like a virtual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We recorded Nevermind there back in 1991. That funky old place had the best drum room in the world. The drum sound at the beginning of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit?’ That’s Sound City.”

The trailer for the movie, which Grohl says is “about that feeling when you put five guys in a room, hit ‘record’ and the hair on the back of your neck stands up,” can be viewed below. No release date is currently available, so stay tuned.

The nominations for the 2012 Academy Awards were announced today, and Trent Reznor is nowhere to be found. The winner of last year’s Best Original Score had made the Oscar shortlist for his latest effort, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. However, Reznor is not among the five finalists in this year’s category. Instead, nominees include John Williams (The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse), Ludovic Bource (The Artist), Howard Shore (Hugo), and Alberto Inglesias (Tinker Tailor Solider Spy).

Other notable omissions include The National, Zooey Deschanel, and Jónsi, all of who were on the shortlist for Best Original Song. Also missing from that same category is the Golden Globe Winner for Best Original Song, Madonna, whose song “Masterpiece” was ineligible due to a technicality. As it turns out, only two songs were nominated for Academy Awards: “Real In Rio” by Siedah Garrett (Rio) and “Man or Muppets” by Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie (The Muppets).

You can find the complete list of nominees at the Oscars’ website.

The Internet has found itself a new ally in its ongoing fight against SOPA and PIPA. As Billboard reports, Trent Reznor, MGMT, The Lonely Island, Nada Surf’s Daniel Lorca, and OK Go have all co-signed an open letter to Congress expressing their opposition to the legislation. The letter was also signed by comedian Aziz Ansari, fillmaker Lloyd Kaufman, MythBusters‘ Adam Savage, and other members of the entertainment industry.

“We fear that the broad new enforcement powers provided under SOPA and PIPA could be easily abused against legitimate services like those upon which we depend. These bills would allow entire websites to be blocked without due process, causing collateral damage to the legitimate users of the same services – artists and creators like us who would be censored as a result,” the letter reads.

“We are deeply concerned that PIPA and SOPA’s impact on piracy will be negligible compared to the potential damage that would be caused to legitimate Internet services. Online piracy is harmful and it needs to be addressed, but not at the expense of censoring creativity, stifling innovation or preventing the creation of new, lawful digital distribution methods.” You can read the letter in its entirety below.

As Billboard also reports, a number of musicians have also voiced their opposition to the legislation via their personal websites and social media platforms. Peter Gabriel blacked out his website for the entire day on Wednesday, while Radiohead posted an Anti-PIPA bar across the top of their website. Others including The Roots’ ?uestlove, A-Trak, and Theophilus London have voiced their opposition on Twitter.

In wake of these protests, a number of lawmakers have withdrawn their support of SOPA and PIPA, according to The Washington Post. Representative Darrell Issa has also formally introduced an alternative piece of legislation titled OPEN, which would call on the International Trade Commission (ITC) to handle overseas “rogue” Web sites rather than the Justice Department, reports PCMag.com.

“OPEN is a targeted, effective solution to the problem of foreign, rogue Web sites stealing from American artists and innovators,” Issa said in a statement. “Today’s Internet blackout has underscored the flawed approach taken by SOPA and PIPA to the real problem of intellectual property infringement. OPEN is a smarter way to protect taxpayers’ rights while protecting the Internet.”

Stay tuned for more on this story as it develops. The aforementioned letter is posted below:

An open letter to Washington from Artists and Creators

We, the undersigned, are musicians, actors, directors, authors, and producers. We make our livelihoods with the artistic works we create. We are also Internet users.

We are writing to express our serious concerns regarding the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

As creative professionals, we experience copyright infringement on a very personal level. Commercial piracy is deeply unfair and pervasive leaks of unreleased films and music regularly interfere with the integrity of our creations. We are grateful for the measures policymakers have enacted to protect our works.

We, along with the rest of society, have benefited immensely from a free and open Internet. It allows us to connect with our fans and reach new audiences. Using social media services like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, we can communicate directly with millions of fans and interact with them in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.

We fear that the broad new enforcement powers provided under SOPA and PIPA could be easily abused against legitimate services like those upon which we depend. These bills would allow entire websites to be blocked without due process, causing collateral damage to the legitimate users of the same services – artists and creators like us who would be censored as a result.

We are deeply concerned that PIPA and SOPA’s impact on piracy will be negligible compared to the potential damage that would be caused to legitimate Internet services. Online piracy is harmful and it needs to be addressed, but not at the expense of censoring creativity, stifling innovation or preventing the creation of new, lawful digital distribution methods.

We urge Congress to exercise extreme caution and ensure that the free and open Internet, upon which so many artists rely to promote and distribute their work, does not become collateral damage in the process.

“I think it’s safe to say that he is my generation’s most talented musician-producer-songwriter.”

– In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl digressed on his respect for Trent Reznor Later into the interview, Grohl offered a short story about working with Reznor on 2005′s With Teeth, adding, “He can do everyone else’s job better than they can, so you have to be good. And that pushes you to be great.” Do you hear that, Oscar?

For the second year in a row, Trent Reznor has earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. Following last year’s nod and eventual victory for The Social Network, Reznor and collaborator Atticus Ross have been nominated for their soundtrack to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Other finalists in the category include John Williams (War Horse), Abel Korzeniowski (W.E.), Howard Shore (Hugo), and  Ludovic Bource (The Artist).

Also worth noting are the 2012 Golden Globe nominees for Best Orignal Song: Chris Cornell for “The Keeper” (Machine Gun Preacher), Madonna for “Masterpiece” (W.E.), Mary J. Blige for “The Living Proof” (The Help), Sinead O’Connor for “Lay Your Head Down” (Albert Nobbs), and Lady Gaga and Elton John for “Hello Hello” (Gnomeo and Juliet).

The 2012 Golden Globes will air Sunday, January 15th on NBC.

It’s a wonder Fincher hadn’t worked with Reznor and Ross on soundtracks prior to their Academy Award-winning score to The Social Network. Fincher did feature a remix of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” during the opening credits to Se7en and directed the video for “Only” a few years ago, but after the Tattoo soundtrack, it’s hard to imagine Fincher going to anyone else from here on out. He’s found the Herrmann to his Hitchcock, the Williams to his Spielberg. The latest collaboration is an exercise in the kind of deep, dark storytelling both Fincher and Reznor have embraced over the past 20 years.

Without giving too much away, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo tells a story of secrets coming to the forefront after years of being kept in the dark. The combination of disturbing truths and lost innocence is orchestrated brilliantly in the score. Reznor and Ross use chimes that sound as though they’re coming at the listener directly from a child’s music box, only to be underscored with foreboding synthesizers. “While Waiting” and “Millenia” even feature angelic voices, before the menace creeps in during their conclusions. “The Seconds Drag” incorporates a ticking clock throughout, with that aforementioned chime and light tap layering over it from moment to moment.

The score isn’t solely for fans of slow tempos, though. Oftentimes, the music revs up in a jarring fashion, a tactic Reznor has used to great effect in other works. “A Thousand Details” begins with piano, before upbeat rhythms and distortion overtake it completely. “Oraculum” is a flurry of electronic drumbeats that builds and builds until dying out in the end. Beeps and bleeps are accompanied by slashing guitar noise and synths in “Infiltrator”. It isn’t hard to picture the heroes of the picture finding out the truth or taking action to any of these selections, and it is here Reznor and Ross find much success. The music paints the picture perfectly.

Two cover songs bookend the nearly three hours of instrumentals. The covers aren’t obvious in any way, with the first a reframing of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”. Reznor hands lead vocals not to a Robert Plant soundalike, but to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O., who is more than up to the task. Her band’s last album placed them in a new direction, so she fits in quite comfortably over the electrified beats and hard-hitting synths. It’s the second cover, however, that’s truly out of left field. How to Destroy Angels’ cover of Bryan Ferry’s “Is Your Love Strong Enough” is a complete makeover. Mariqueen Maandig, Reznor’s wife, sings delicate lead before Reznor’s voice makes an appearance near song’s end, without a hint of the 1980s to be found. Whoever predicted a cover song written for Ridley Scott’s Legend would make its way onto a David Fincher soundtrack, you may collect your winnings.

Reznor and Ross don’t seem interested in creating one piece of music for future play in trailers. The main themes from Superman or Star Wars don’t face competition from a single track here, but that isn’t the point. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is all about mood and atmosphere, and the duo have provided more than enough. Fincher’s film will be criticized for its timing (a highly successful Swedish adaptation was released only two years ago), but the music truly stands on its own.

Essential Tracks: “While Waiting”, “Immigrant Song”, and “A Thousand Details”

As previously reported, Trent Reznor closes his 39-song soundtrack to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo with a cover of Bryan Ferry’s “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” by Reznor’s band How to Destroy Angels. Right now, you can stream the track on the band’s Tumblr.

The soundtrack is available digitally today, while the CD version will be released on Tuesday, December 27th. The deluxe package will ship on Monday, January 23rd. Order your preference of choice via Reznor’s own Null Corporation.

For a further taste of the soundtrack, you can download a six-track sampler by typing your email address into the widget below.

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.

Well, Trent Reznor pushed the button, and with it came details pertaining to his soundtrack to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. According to the website for Reznor’s label, Null Corporation, the soundtrack will see digital release next Friday, December 9th. Right now, however, anyone who pre-orders one of the release configurations through Null Corporation will receive an instant download of a free six-track sampler.

The result of 14 months of work between Reznor and longtime collaborator Atticus Ross, the entire soundtrack spans three hours and a mighty 39 songs. The opening track is a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O, which was first previewed in the film’s teaser trailer. The full track is being offered as an immediate download to anyone who pre-orders the soundtrack through iTunes. The closer is a cover of Bryan Ferry’s song “Is Your Love Strong Enough?” by Reznor’s band How to Destory Angels. You can find the entire tracklist below.

Along with the digital release, the soundtrack will be available as a three-CD digipack and a massive vinyl deluxe package. The latter, limited to just 3,000 copies, comprises six LPs, a deluxe book package with metal cover in a hard plastic “ice” slip cover, an exclusive custom 8gb metal razor blade USB pendant containing the full album in high-fidelity 96k audio, and a fold-out poster by Neil Kellerhouse. In addition, each copy comes signed by Reznor and collaborator Atticus Ross.

The digital album will be delivered on Friday, December 9th and the CD will ship out on Tuesday, December 27th. The deluxe package will ship out on Monday, January 23rd. As previously reported, Null Coporation will release the soundtrack in North America, while Mute Records will handle the release elsewhere.

If all there weren’t enough, an exclusive eight-minute trailer for the film is streaming on iTunes. According to Reznor, “we scored this trailer separately from the film.”

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is set to hit theaters on December 21st.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo OST Tracklist:
01. Immigrant Song
02. She Reminds Me Of You
03. People Lie All The Time
04. Pinned And Mounted
05. Perihelion
06. What If We Could?
07. With The Flies
08. Hidden In Snow
09. A Thousand Details
10. One Particular Moment
11. I Can’t Take It Anymore
12. How Brittle The Bones
13. Please Take Your Hand Away
14. Cut Into Pieces
15. The Splinter
16. An Itch
17. Hypomania
18. Under The Midnight Sun
19. Aphelion
20. You’re Here
21. The Same As The Others
22. A Pause For Reflection
23. While Waiting
24. The Seconds Drag
25. Later Into The Night
26. Parallel Timeline (Alternate Outcome)
27. Another Way Of Caring
28. A Viable Construct
29. Revealed In The Thaw
30. Milennia
31. We Could Wait Forever
32. Oraculum
33. Great Bird Of Prey
34. The Heretics
35. A Pair Of Doves
36. Infiltrator
37. The Sound Of Forgetting
38. Of Secrets
39. Is Your Love Strong Enough?

As you can see above, Trent Reznor‘s soundtrack to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo now has itself some artwork.

What it doesn’t have (yet) is a release date; however, Reznor has announced that his own Null Corporation will release the soundtrack in North America, while Mute Records will handle everywhere else.

According to Reznor, “a lot more information” will be revealed on December 2nd. We’ll of course keep you update.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the film, is set to hit theaters on December 21st.  Check out the trailer below.

“People call me a director, but I really think of myself as a sound man.” -David Lynch, quoted in Michael Chion’s David Lynch

David Lynch‘s electro-pop album Crazy Clown Time has left a lot of music fans and critics scratching their heads. But, looking back at the filmmaker’s long history of re-purposing pop music in his films and other work, it’s possible that Crazy Clown Time is one of the least strange moves that the veteran film director, meditation guru, coffee entrepreneur, and amateur weatherman has made in his entire career.

This isn’t intended to be a complete list of David Lynch’s musical ventures, as a number of music videos, Lynch-penned compositions, and other collaborations have been left out. Rather, consider it a smattering of some of Lynch’s strangest, presented in chronological order.

Feature artwork by Cap Blackard.

“In Heaven” from Eraserhead (1977)

Lynch’s history both as a musician and as a feature filmmaker begin here with Eraserhead. Following several mostly animated short films, Lynch received a small grant from the American Film Institute to begin what would become his first full-length movie. Filmed piecemeal from 1971 to 1976, it was met with mixed reactions at festivals, but early championing from famous fans including David Bowie and Charles Bukowski helped Eraserhead become one of the midnight circuit’s most popular movies.

The various musical performances in Lynch’s debut come courtesy of the Lady in the Radiator, a charming, tumor-cheeked woman who appears to Henry in visions at several points in the film. The most famous of these is her performance of “In Heaven” (famously covered by The Pixies), a simple, yet creepy, little song written by Peter Ivers at Lynch’s request. (In another segment, The Lady in the Radiator performs a memorably stomach-turning dance where oversized sperm creatures drop from the ceiling and are squished under her feet.)

Sting’s scantily clad space prince in Dune (1984)

“I met David [Lynch] and I loved him. He’s a madman in sheep’s clothing, and I just felt I had to do the movie because I know he’s going to do something extraordinary.” -Sting in Rolling Stone Magazine #403, September 1983

“I didn’t even like the film, I don’t have a clue what it was about, it was very confusing.” – Sting to The Courier Mail, July 1985

Following the cult success of Eraserhead and the critical acclaim of his Academy Award-nominated Hollywood debut, The Elephant Man, Lynch was pegged to direct a big-budget adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic, Dune. (Lynch had recently declined George Lucas’s offer to direct Return of the Jedi.) Lynch’s grandiose vision for Dune would have resulted in a three-plus-hour film, which the studio cut down to a still-grueling 137 minutes. While more than a few distinct Lynch-isms survived the chopping block, the film that arrived in theaters was a convoluted mess and wound up being a huge commercial and critical flop.

Sting, fresh off the mega-success of The Police’s Synchronicity, appears in the film as the evil heir of the film’s villain, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. Sting appears in just a limited number of scenes, neon orange-coiffed and delightfully hamming it up in one of the film’s most memorable performances despite having to work with some questionable lines and even more questionable costumes.

“In Dreams” from Blue Velvet (1986)

Lynch bounced back from Dune with the smaller, more personal Blue Velvet. A mystery set against the dark underbelly of small-town America, Blue Velvet earned David Lynch his second best director Academy Award nomination and resurrected Dennis Hopper’s career with his turn as Frank Booth, the movie’s unforgettable gas-huffing villain.

Teenage sleuth Jeffrey Beaumont finds himself in way over his head when the dangerously unpredictable Frank Booth takes him along for a wild ride. Frank takes him to the home of his “suave” drug dealer, Ben, who lip-syncs Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” into an electric light. This sends Frank down an emotional roller coaster and prompts one of the most terrifying scenes in the movie.

“Blue Velvet” from Blue Velvet (1986)

Though far less disturbing than Dean Stockwell’s performance of “In Dreams”, Isabella Rosselini’s nightclub performance of Bobby Vinton’s “Blue Velvet” has become one of the film’s most iconic scenes. With her sensual allure and an evening of song, beleaguered nightclub singer Dorothy Vallens pulls the young Jeffrey Beaumont irrevocably into her dark world.

David Lynch initially brought in Angelo Badalamenti to serve as Isabella Rosselini’s voice coach for this scene, but wound up finding one of his most frequent collaborators in the composer. (Badalamenti appears as the piano player in this scene.)

Julee Cruise - Floating Into the Night (1989)

Rights issues prevented David Lynch from using a This Mortal Coil cover of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren” in Blue Velvet. Unable to find another song that conveyed the same feelings, Lynch penned the lyrics to “Mysteries of Love”, which composer Angelo Badalamenti set to music. Lynch asked for a singer with an “ethereal” voice. Badalamenti suggested Julee Cruise, whom he had met in a theater workshop. The results play in Blue Velvet over a sweetly emotional dancing scene.

David Lynch and Badalamenti were so impressed by “Mysteries of Love” that they signed on to produce Cruise’s debut album, Floating Into the Night. All of the album’s lyrics were penned by Lynch, with music by Badalamenti. The album (which charted on Billboard in 1990) featured several songs that would later appear in Twin Peaks, including “Falling”, a wordless version of which became that series’s theme song.

Industrial Symphony No. 1 (1989)

Following the success of Blue Velvet, The Brooklyn Academy of Music approached David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti to produce a 45-minute stage production to open their New Wave Music Festival. The pair agreed and put the entire show together in just two weeks, creating imagery to pair with several of the songs they’d written for Julee Cruise.

Presented only twice in November of 1989, the original production starred Cruise, as well as Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern, with whom Lynch was currently filming Wild at Heart, and Michael J. Anderson, who would go on to fame as the diminutive, backwards-talking Man From Another Place in Twin Peaks.

“Love Me” / “Love Me Tender” from Wild at Heart (1990)

David Lynch juggled a wide variety of projects in the late 1980s, perhaps the quickest to get off the ground being Wild at Heart. Within six months of being given a copy of the Barry Gifford novel that served as the film’s source material, Lynch had wrapped shooting on an adaptation that strongly showed the filmmaker’s bizarre stamp and contained more than a few less-than-subtle allusions to The Wizard of Oz.

Starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as Sailor and Lula, outlaw lovers on the lam from both law enforcement and a contract killer, Wild at Heart calls back to Elvis Presley’s acting career without once actually vocalizing the singer’s name. Nicolas Cage musically breaks into songs made famous by Presley at two points in the movie: first in a version of “Love Me” that Sailor sings to Lula after pummeling a kid senseless in a bar fight and second (and even more bizarrely) in a rendition of “Love Me Tender” that’s sung under the credits.

“Mairzy Doats” from Twin Peaks (1990)

The TV series Twin Peaks, which ran for only two seasons on ABC, would wind up being one of Lynch’s biggest cult successes. Though initially based around the central mystery of who murdered teenager Laura Palmer, the small logging town of Twin Peaks and its many bizarre inhabitants quickly became the star attraction, week after week. Twin Peaks explored the same weird American underbelly seen before in Blue Velvet, but mixed the extremely dark and often supernatural elements with a surreal and twisted sense of humor.

Leland Palmer, father of the murdered Laura, spends much of the first season a grieving mess. His first appearance in season two, however, is a different (and surprising) matter. “Mairzy Doats” was a vintage World War II-era novelty song based around a seemingly meaningless tongue twister that becomes clear when you speak the lyrics slowly.

“Just You And I” from Twin Peaks (1990)

It’s not surprising that two of the strangest musical moments in Twin Peaks come from David Lynch-directed episodes. Early on in season two, James and Donna, friends and classmates of the late Laura Palmer, and her near-identical cousin, Maddie, gather to record a ’50s-style pop song. The song isn’t mentioned before this moment and isn’t referred to again, making the almost-random, three-minute performance one of the most inexplicable, yet surreally sweet, scenes in the show.

David Bowie in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

Ratings for Twin Peaks took a serious plummet in the second season, as a move to a Saturday evening time slot and the resolution of the central “Who killed Laura Palmer?” mystery caused viewers to lose interest. Following the show’s cancellation, Lynch announced he’d signed a three-picture deal with French company CIBY that would include a spin-off prequel. The world of Twin Peaks would live on for one more feature film, despite several of the show’s lead actors declining to be involved.

David Bowie, an early fan of Lynch’s Eraserhead, appears in a very brief cameo as a disappearing special agent with a laughably terrible Southern accent. Bowie filmed his role in just a few days while rehearsing for his Tin Machine tour, and only this scene survived into the film’s final cut.

“Sycamore Trees” / “Questions in a World of Blue” from Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me was a critical and commercial flop in the United States, perhaps because of its near incomprehensibility, particularly to those who hadn’t invested almost 30 hours in the TV show’s many threaded plotlines. To fans of the director, however, it could be seen as his most hallucinatory and surreal film since Eraserhead.

Many of Lynch’s trademarks are quite visible throughout, including his penchant for including on-screen singing. The first is a short appearance by “Little” Jimmy Scott, a jazz vocalist with a distinctively high voice caused by a rare genetic disorder that prevented him from reaching puberty, singing “Sycamore Trees”, a new song by Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti.

The second is an in-film performance by Lynch’s frequent musical collaborator, Julee Cruise, singing the Lynch and Badalamenti composition “Questions in a World of Blue”, which would later appear on her sophomore album, also produced by Lynch.

“The Mr. Peanuts Song” from On the Air (1992)

On the Air was one of two short-lived television shows from David Lynch and his Twin Peaks co-creator, Mark Frost, following the success of that series. Starring several of the smaller-role actors from Twin Peaks in the lead and filmed with much of the same crew, the old-timey throwback to 1950s live variety programming flopped in the ratings with only a handful of episodes making it to air.

While possibly one of the least Lynch-esque projects he’s attached his name to, On the Air played in the same world of innocent nostalgia that was turned on its head in films like Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive. Several pieces of music are fit into the show-within-a-show’s variety format, one of the most memorable being “The Mr. Peanuts Song”, sung by one of the show’s leads, coming to the aid of a disgraced puppeteer.

Michael Jackson’s Dangerous teaser (1993)

David Lynch directed the introduction to Michael Jackson’s Dangerous: The Short Films collection, and as far as 90-second pop music commercials go, they don’t get much Lynch-ier than this. Featuring flickering lights, industrial noise, and a dancing dwarf, this little-scene video packs a lot of directorial trademarks into a small amount of time.

This was the only collaboration between the director of The Elephant Man and the rumored purchaser of the Elephant Man’s skeleton.

Bill Pullman’s lunatic jazz saxophone performances in Lost Highway (1997)

“A 21^st Century Noir Horror Film” reads the screenplay for Lost Highway, which Lynch co-scripted with Wild at Heart writer Barry Gifford. After spending several post-Peaks years out of the spotlight directing TV, releasing a book of photography, and in various producer roles, Lost Highway was Lynch’s gritty return to form as a feature filmmaker.

Centered around a jazz saxophonist’s delirious breakdown after the murder of his wife, Lynch uses a wide variety of methods to convey the character’s crumbling mental state. One of the most effective is the frantic and claustrophobic way he films the character’s sax performances (though it may be hard now to watch Bill Pullman’s crazed solo without thinking a bit of Ron Burgundy’s jazz flute in Anchorman).

Marilyn Manson and Twiggy Ramirez as porn stars in Lost Highway (1997)

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor had reached out to Lynch previously to direct one of his music videos but was unable to pin down the filmmaker. Impressing producers with his work on the Natural Born Killers companion soundtrack, Reznor was approached to reprise that musical compiler role for Lost Highway as well as composing a few original pieces of music for the movie. The final result was released on CD in advance of the film’s opening and featured tracks by Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, David Bowie, Rammstein, and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Soundtrack contributors Marilyn Manson and bandmate Twiggy Ramirez have brief, almost-background cameos as porn stars in a snuff flick that’s viewed by the characters in one of the movie’s skeezier scenes.

“Llorando” in Mulholland Drive (2001)

“The music has to marry with the picture and enhance it. You can’t just lob something in and think it’s going to work, even if it’s one of your all-time favorite songs. The piece of music may have nothing to do with the scene. When it marries, you can feel it.” -David Lynch in his book, Catching the Big Fish

Initially conceived as a TV pilot that was later rejected by ABC executives, Lynch went back and shot additional scenes to turn it into one of his most critically acclaimed feature films, Mulholland Drive. The unusual production history of the film and the open-ended narrative structure, as well as Lynch’s typically surreal style, make viewing the film a hallucinatory and dreamlike feeling.

In all of the scenes listed here, Rebekah Del Rio’s Spanish, a capella performance of Roy Orbison’s “Crying” (retitled “Llorando”) may be the most haunting. Lynch had originally intended to use this song rather than Orbison’s “In Dreams” for Blue Velvet, but used it here instead after hearing Del Rio’s cover. At a critical point in the film, lovers Betty and Rita visit the mysterious and mostly empty Club Silencio. “No hay banda,” a performer announces; there is no band, yet we hear one. Any further description of this scene would be spoiling it for those who haven’t yet experienced it.

BlueBob (2001)

BlueBob is the musical collaboration between David Lynch and musician John Neff, Lynch’s sound engineer on several projects. The duo recorded and released a single self-titled album, a rough and dirty rock disc that had Lynch playing guitar upside down and backwards through a chain of effects pedals that could rival Thurston Moore’s.

A music video was released for “Thank You, Judge”, which featured appearances by Naomi Watts and Eli Roth, as well as both Lynch and Neff.

“Sinnerman”, “Imaginary Girl”, and “Ghost of Love” from Inland Empire (2006)

Shot without a script over the course of more than two years with a stable of Lynch regulars, Inland Empire remains Lynch’s most recent film. Here, for the first time since Wild at Heart, the filmmaker saves the weirdest musical moment for the end credits. The film closes with a Lynch-esque dance number set to Nina Simone’s rendition of “Sinnerman”, including a few of the director’s recurring thumbprints, from the blinking lights to a log-sawing lumberjack.

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David Lynch makes his singing debut (without heavy distortion filters) for the soundtrack of Inland Empire, singing two original songs: “Ghost of Love” and “Imaginary Girl”.

Moby’s “Shot in the Back of the Head” music video (2009)

It doesn’t seem that unusual that electronic artist Moby and David Lynch would be email pen pals. As Moby describes it, he would occasionally send Lynch pieces of music that he thinks he would like. In the case of “Shot in the Back of the Head” from 2009 album Wait for Me, Lynch sent the song back with visuals attached to it.

Lynch’s animated music video interpreted Moby’s song as a surreal narrative involving a love affair between a man and a woman’s severed head.

Dark Night of the Soul (2010)

Dark Night of the Soul was a collaborative album written by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse and featured a wide cast of indie rock luminaries in guest appearances, including Wayne Coyne, Iggy Pop, Gruff Rhys, Jason Lytle, James Mercer, Black Francis, Julian Casablancas, Suzanne Vega, Nina Persson, Vic Chesnutt, and Scott Spillane. It included some of the last recordings by Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous and Vic Chesnutt before their respective suicides.

A limited-edition version of the set came with a book that included more than 100 pages of photos taken by David Lynch. The filmmaker sang in two of the songs, including “Star Eyes”, which is below set to his accompanying photographs.

In closing…

“Sound is almost like a drug. It’s so pure that when it goes in your ears, it instantly does something to you.” -David Lynch

In the end, when put into the context of a long and idiosyncratic career that’s included its fair share of left turns, an electro-pop album from David Lynch really isn’t a surprising move. Popular music has long played such an integral role in Lynch’s creative output that it may just be the logical next step.

Enjoy Crazy Clown Time, and try to have a good day today.

A new four-minute trailer for David Fincher’s upcoming film The Girl With The Dragon has hit the web and thus there’s another four-minute preview of Trent Reznor’s score for for the film. Much like the seven-minute clip that hit the web last month, we’re dealing mostly with dark, pulsating soundscapes in the same vein as Reznor’s Oscar-winning score for The Social Network, but with a more intense and alarming feel. Check it out below.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is set to hit theaters on December 21st.

The teaser trailer for David Fincher’s forthcoming The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo brought us one hell of a collaboration between Trent Reznor and Karen O. Now, Antiquiet points us to an apparent 7-minute preview of Reznor’s score for the film. The sounds pick up where his Oscar winning efforts for The Social Network left off, with dark, ambient noises coming together to form eerie soundscapes. Check out the stream below (via 107.7 The End).

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is set to hit theaters on December 21st.

Each week, Cluster 1′s Sami Jarroush provides a video recap of the week’s biggest headlines. This week, Jarroush discusses Gil Scott-Heron’s tragic death, Trent Reznor and Karen O.’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song”, new albums from Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks and The Rapture, Blink-182′s upcoming summer tour, and the 2011 lineup for Rock the Bells.

Please be sure to check out all the other goodness posted on Cluster 1, featuring over 30 music videos, several short films, and other nifty clips, all crammed together in one non-stop barrage of visual and aural stimulation. Also friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. It’ll be worth your while.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are set to follow up their Oscar-winning score for The Social Network by providing the sounds for another much-anticipated David Fincher flick, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. And it turns out Reznor and Ross’ latest effort won’t just feature some spooky, industrial soundscapes.

The film’s trailer premiered on Thursday night and according to The Playlist, it included what appeared to be a Reznor-sounding cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” featuring the vocals of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O. Pitchfork has since confirmed the wickedly awesome collaboration as indeed real.

Update: Check out the trailer below (via Antiquiet).

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is set to hit theaters on December 21st.

Enjoy the following recap, and get ready for what’s sure to be another packed week.

– Arctic Monkeys fans rejoice. In addition to announcing tour dates, the group revealed plans for their fourth LP.

– It’s officially official: Beastie Boys’ reworked and retitled eighth studio album, Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, will finally receive release on May 3rd.

– The Chemical Brothers have gone the route of Daft Punk and scored a film. Preview their musical contributions to Hanna right now.

– As for Daft Punk, you can sample Legacy R3CONFIGUR3D before it hits stores on April 15th right now.

– Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold dropped three new solo tracks.

– You think winning an Oscar would be enough to satisfy Trent Reznor. Nope. Now it seems like he’s busier than ever.

– Former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr passed away at the age of 44.

– Langerado Music Festival is back.

– The National have an awesome new video out.

– Red Riding Hood, like most would-be blockbusters these days, has a pretty trendy soundtrack, which includes a contribution from Fever Ray. 

–The U2 Spider Man musical saga continued.

– Jack White‘s record store on wheels (yes, you heard correctly, on wheels) is set to debut at South by Southwest.

– What else? Even more Record Store Day releases to look forward to.

– Thom Yorke delivered a surprise DJ set in LA.

– Foo Fighters: Back and Forth, Foo Fighters‘ documentary, will receive its national premiere early next month, just days before Wasting Light is scheduled for release. Can’t wait for either one? Here’s the video for the single “Rope.”

– Need another excuse to get excited for TV on the Radio‘s new record? Well, here you go.

– “Ice Cream”, Battles‘ first post-lineup change single, hit the airwaves.

– The original Beach Boys‘ Smile LP is officially scheduled to be released later this year.

– And speaking of pleasant surprises, how does new material from Kate Bush sound?

– Or what about the long-awaited second LP from Justice?

– American Idiot, Green Day‘s over-the-top Broadway musical, will close next month.

– The ever-elusive Lauryn Hill extended her “Intimate Playdates” tour.

– Charlie Sheen found something to laugh about. OK, you’re probably wondering what he’s doing on this site, but just click on the link. You won’t regret it. Trust me.

– We announced no ordinary CoS Giveaway, or, as Michael Roffman put it, ” the Revenge of the Sith of giveaways.”

– Justin Gerber reviewed Collapse Into Now, the latest offering from alt-rock kingpins R.E.M.

– Chris Coplan offered his thoughts on Lupe Fiasco‘s notoriously delayed Lasers.

– Whether or not you can make it down to Austin next week for South By Southwest, check out our guide to this year’s festivities.

– Daniel Koran caught up with Meric Long of The Dodos.

– Winston Robbins spoke with Cut Copy mastermind Dan Whitford in the latest installment of our quickie interview series, The Call Up.

“Don’t believe everything you read. As it turns out, I WON’T be working on (acting or scoring) ALVH after all,” Reznor wrote. “There’s no juicy story here, it’s just that when the news mysteriously leaked out about my involvement I hadn’t made up my mind completely, because various aspects of the project were changing. I felt the need to say something earlier this week because my inbox was filling up with speculation, and at that moment I thought I would be doing it. Confused yet? Apparently I am.”

“Bottom line, I wish them the best with the film and I’m sure it will still be great.”

But where there is bad news there is also good: Reznor closed his note by adding that he’s “still fully engaged” with his Year Zero mini-series. As previously reported, the long rumored HBO miniseries is based on Nine Inch Nails’ 2007 concept album Year Zero. In a September 2010 interview with Hero Complex, Reznor revealed that the project was being produced by Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, An Inconvenient Truth) and Kevin Kelly Brown (Roswell) and written by Daniel Knauf (Carnivàle).

News:

Cluster 1 Update: Sami Jarroush has information on Trent Reznor &  Nine Inch Nails, the Arctic Monkeys, Langerado Music Festival, bassist Mike Starr of Alice in Chains, and info on our SXSW party. A lot can happen in a few days!

Live:

-Brazilian group Telepathique brings to you a live version of their song “Chicken”. While the band sounds like a stripped down Depeche Mode, their female singer, jaunting synthesizers, and dark beats definitely set them apart. The video mimics their musical style perfectly, starting out from grainy black and white, and then switching to panning colored shots, with different colored lenses.

-A Cluster 1 Premier! Kentucky’s Cage the Elephant has had a great past few years, and when you see live clips, such as this rendition of “Rubber Ball”, you know why. The track comes from their recent effort, Thank You, Happy Birthday, and the performance was pulled from a recent private show in Tennessee. With its child-like strumming and nature, it seems like a very ironic choice for a room full of drunken adults.

Animation:

-Animator and musician Professor Soap brings you his latest project, “Spirit Quest Journey”. Join his creatures as they wander across a crater-filled, lunar landscape. As the journey continues, more creatures join the group, each one stranger than the last. The high-pitched keys and odd flutes go perfectly with the visuals making this surreal journey a memorable one.

Music Videos:

-Be sure to check out this voodoo masterpiece from X-Ray Eyeballs entitled, “Crystal”. The Crystal that they refer to is a voodoo doll that undergoes plenty of torture throughout the clip, all leading to an ending that’s wicked, gory, and visually stunning. FYI: The video also contains members from the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. If you like the track, be sure to pick up the album it’s off of: Not Nothing. Be forewarned, if you see any witches eyeballing it in the shop, let them have it.

Yesterday’s Videos…

Documentary:

Take Away Show #100 – Soema Montenegro – Part 1

Vincent Moon’s Take Away Show is a series of profiles on musical artists all over the globe, filmed by many different directors. They have been airing since 2006 for La Blogothèque and have appeared there ever since. The episodes are always intimate, with focus placed on creation and display of the music. It’s not about what they create; it’s about how they create.

This one hundredth episode, directed by Moon himself, turns the focus on shamanistic Argentinian musician, Soema Montenegro. Not much is said with words; almost everything comes from the operatic voice and gentle guitar patterns of Soema herself. After a brief performance with her boyfriend, Jorge, in her kitchen, they talk briefly about how the music was what brought them together. Rather than discussing her work, Soema decides to play again instead. One more haunting tune later and you’re left waiting for part 2, but you can view the entire 30-minute plus documentary here.

Music Videos:

-The video for “Miss Mermaid” by Writer is for anybody who used to fantasize about Ariel’s dream come true. You have a semi-nude mermaid, sea critters all around, the ocean, and nice music to boot. What more do you want?

-In the new video by Parenthetical Girls entitled, “The Common Touch”, we watch as the band masters a fluttery yet tightly choreographed dance. The track comes from the band’s most recent EP, Privilege Part II: The Past, Imperfect. Side note: The band numbers all their EPs in another member’s blood…rad or gross?

Another Round:

- The Smashing Pumpkins – “1979”: What was so great about this video? Find out.

Don’t Forget….

– Want a constant stream of musical goodness? Check out our Channel, featuring over 30 music videos, several short films, and other nifty clips, all crammed together in one non-stop barrage of visual and aural stimulation.

- Social networking is a way of life, so follow us at @cluster1tv and on Facebook

As for the other two columns, Reznor revealed that, contrary to reports, How to Destroy Angel’s debut full length has not been finished. “We’ve been working since last summer on it and are due to mix it this summer for a fall release. We’ve spent a lot of time experimenting and finding our own sound and identity this time around and we’re very happy with the results.”

On the film side, Reznor also cleared up last week’s big internet rumor that he had engaged in talks to score and star in adaptation of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

“I am friends with Timur Bekmambetov. He’s an interesting and very talented director that caught my attention with his film Night Watch (check it out if you haven’t). He asked me if I was interested in scoring his new film he’s doing with Tim Burton entitled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I was familiar with the book, read the script and it felt like an interesting challenge as a composer — very different from the Fincher films. While discussing the film with Timur he started gently pressing me to play a small role in the film. The idea was a cameo-esque role that would be kept under wraps and be a surprise around opening night. I was considering this when I awoke a few days ago to the news I am now STARRING in ALVH (which is obviously not true). Fuck. We both apparently forgot the internet existed AND THERE ARE NO SURPRISES anymore.”

“So… do me a favor and act surprised, OK?”

While Reznor did not specify the role of his cameo, according to TwentyFourBit, it would be in the form of  “the vampire who kills Lincoln’s mom.” Last week, a spokesperson for 20th Century Fox confirmed Reznor was in talks for the gig, but had not yet come to terms.

Add this to Reznor’s already announced plans to score David Fincher’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and you have one busy artist at hand. Dude never sleeps.

Yeah, I guess we don’t get much of a break here after all.

So why do we put ourselves through all of this?

You know what they say, oftentimes it’s the things that you care about the most in life that drive you up the wall.

So with that in mind enjoy this recap post. Brush up on last week’s major events so you can prepare yourself for what’s guaranteed another incredibly fast-paced week.

– Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won a freaking Oscar. An Oscar! Sorry, we’re still not over that.

– It was all about The Strokes this week. Not only is there a new track for us to hear, there’s also a video to watch. Plus, they made Saturday Night Live somewhat watchable.

– Jack White and NPR will come together for an interview series.

– Interpol lost their bass player… again.

– The video for “Born This Way”, Lady Gaga‘s suspiciously Madonna-sounding single, made its debut. So did a track called “Government Hooker.” No joke. That’s actually the title.

– More of Nick Cave‘s plans came to light, including new reissues and a project with UNKLE.

– Some of the biggest names in rock right now will pay tribute to Ronnie James Dio.

– System of a Down expanded their 2011 comeback tour.

– Hip-hop upstarts and all-around oddballs Odd Future collaborated with Funny or Die.

– You now have even more reasons to scrimp and save for Record Store Day.

– R.E.M. offered fans a taste of their soon-t0-be released LP, Collapse Into Now, along with a couple new clips.

– Daft Punk‘s original score for Tron: Legacy is up for the “remix treatment.”

– My Morning Jacket detailed their forthcoming LP.

– We’re sponsoring a showcase at this year’s South By Southwest. Be there. You know you want to. And if you don’t,  then you should really get your priorities straight.

– The Pitchfork Music Festival announced its lineup. So if you want to get sweaty in Union Park this July with thousands of your new best friends, get your tickets quick.

– Phil Collins decided to call it quits.

– No,  Arctic Monkeys haven’t put out a new record yet. However, if you’ve been hankering for some new material, you’re in luck.

– While we’re on the subject, a lot of other artists put out new material this week. Eminem and Yelawolf united, Death Cab for Cutie shared a track from their latest effort, and a new M.I.A. single dropped. All in the same week. Wow.

– Proof that life goes on. Battles will tour this spring, and former member Tyondai Braxton is hard at work on a large-scale orchestra piece.

– Ever wonder what the world’s smallest album might sound like? Just take a look at what Chromeo did.

– Proving that they’re as prolific as ever, Of Montreal detailed their latest EP. (See, and I didn’t mention their forthcoming album once!)

– The Strokes‘  long-awaited fourth album won’t be available until later this month, but we’ve got an early review to tide you over until then, courtesy of Michael Roffman.

– Philip Roffman managed to catch one Bright Eyes‘ first shows in…well, a long time. You can read his review by clicking here.

– In the wake of the recent LCD Soundsystem ticketing fiasco, Jeremy D. Larson asked “who’s burning whom” in our latest edition of Insight.

Less than 24 hours after winning the Oscar for Best Original Score, Trent Reznor is passing off the good vibes (yes, he is capable of feeling those) and giving his fans more reason to celebrate. In an interview with Billboard the day before his Oscar win at the Society of Composers & Lyricists’ annual pre-Oscar shindig , Reznor said that himself, collaborator Atticus Ross, and and  ife Mariqueen Maandig had recently finished the next How to Destroy Angels project. Reznor did not offer much in the way of specifics, but he did claim that it’d be out in the fall and the group would once again release everything online for free at a low bit rate while charging for higher quality recordings. The project should be available just before Reznor’s next score, The Girl With The Dragoin Tattoo, which hits theaters in December.

Charlie Sheen would be proud; Trent Reznor keeps on winning. Moments ago, the Nine Inch Nails figurehead and his longtime co-collaborator, Atticus Ross, were awarded Best Original Score at the 83rd annual Academy Awards for their soundtrack to The Social Network.

Their victory seemed a lock the moment they took home a Golden Globe, but an Oscar for Best Original score is nothing to take lightly. Reznor and Ross now join a winners circle that includes legendary composers like John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Alex North, and Alfred Newman, and judging from their upcoming calendar, it looks like the two will have plenty of work in the future. In fact, as previously reported, Reznor and Ross have already confirmed their next project: they’ll renew their collaboration with Social Network director David Fincher when they score the soundtrack for his forthcoming film, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, due for release December 21st, 2011.

-The face of Cluster 1 and CoS News, Sami Jarroush, has a bunch of new updates, including show information on the Big Four of Thrash (Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth), Trent Reznor and the Oscars, some information on The Strokes’ new album Angles, and a tour involving modern hip-hop heavyweights Lil’ Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross! You can check that out here!

-Remember the days when you used to bust moved on your Yomega Fireball or Duncan Butterfly? In the new video from Fujiya and Miyagi, entitled “Yo-Yo,” they show us some unbelievable moves in a very Expressionistic looking talent show. But, don’t try to steal the spotlight from this video’s yo-yo wizard.

-Some things are too good to be true in the Kickdrum’s new video, “Perfect World”. The Brooklyn duo think they have found the coolest illusion ever from a street magician in a back alley of NYC, all while rocking out to a very catchy song. But remember, never trust magicians that you meet in back alleys, especially the ones you rob.

-Also, don’t forget to check out the other music videos from this week by artists like Warm Ghost, Bastard Lovechild of Rock and Roll, and Noah and the Whale, as well as the director’s cut of the John Grant video for “Chicken Bones.”

-We also had an exclusive live debut this week; a sneak peak at Matisyahu’s new DVD Live at Stubb’s Vol. II.

-You can always submit videos to us as well. If we like it, we’ll play it, but you can also remake videos as well. Check out this remix of Sami Jarroush’s “What is Cluster 1?” redone by Xtranormal.

– Want a constant stream of musical goodness? Check out our Channel, featuring over 30 music videos, several short films, and other nifty clips, all crammed together in one non-stop barrage of visual and aural stimulation.

-Follow our station with @cluster1tv and on Facebook.

There’s no doubt that a large portion of the population enjoyed watching The Social Network, but if you close your eyes and take a look past the tale of deception and betrayal that unfolds in the storyline, what you actually hear is the sound of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross blowing your mind away.

Their sonic contribution to the film helped it snag one of its four Golden Globe Awards earlier this month, and now it looks as though Reznor and Ross are set to do it again. The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nominees for the 83^rd edition of the Academy Awards and The Social Network is in the running for eight, including one for “Best Music (Original Score).”

Hans Zimmer is also nominated for his contribution to Inception, and while seeing the flick sweep is an intriguing possibility, we’re just glad the duo are receiving some well-deserved credit.

Check out the complete list of nominees here, and don’t worry if Reznor doesn’t hoist an Oscar – we’ve always got The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to look forward to anyway.

The Oscars air Sunday, February 27th on ABC.

Reznor will extend his award winning collaboration with Fincher when he scores the soundtrack for the forthcoming remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, due for release December 21, 2011.

Unlike in Social Network, in which he utilized electronic oriented sounds, Reznor said that the score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will be performance based, featuring string elements. He used words such as “ice” and “frozen” to describe the project’s inspiration (via Filmonic).

Along with the score, Reznor confirmed plans for the forthcoming release of How to Destroy Angels‘ full length debut and “some greatest hits bullshit” that Nine Inch Nails owes its former label, Interscope Records. As for the future of his celebrated projected, Reznor did not rule out future material and touring under the NIN moniker.

Update: Antiquiet has an extensive recap of the evening. Reznor also discussed the long-awaited reissue of 1999′s The Fragile, as well as whether we’ll ever hear more from his well-documented collaborations with Zach de la Rocha and Maynard James Keenan.

We’ll try to post video of the full interview if and when it becomes available.

Due for release on April 5th via 429 Records, How To Become Clairvoyant will mark Robertson’s first solo album in over a decade. The record consists of 12 tracks, which Robertson co-produced with Marius de Vries. You can preview the album track “When The Night Was Young” here.

How To Become Clairvoyant Tracklist:
01. Straight Down The Line
02. When The Night Was Young
03. He Don’t Live Here No More
04. The Right Mistake
05. This Is Where I Get Off
06. Fear of Falling
07. She’s Not Mine
08. Madame X
09. Axman
10. Won’t Be Back
11. How To Become Clairvoyant
12. Tango For Django

Before he was nominated for a Golden Globe, Trent Reznor spearheaded one of rock’s greatest outfits — Nine Inch Nails. And before that, he was, well, like many other unknown musicians, pitching his demos to anyone who had a connection to the industry. Per TwentyFourBit, a cassette demo of NIN’s eventual debut album, 1989′s Pretty Hate Machine, landed in the hands of drummer Martin Clive Atkins (Public Image Ltd., Pigface, Nine Inch Nails), who is now selling the one-of-a-kind cassette on eBay for charity.

But for those who can’t match the $1k bid currently on the item, The NIN Hotline has made available streams of two minute-long snippets of “Terrible Lie” and “Sin” from the cassette, which you can check out below.

“Terrible Life” (Demo)

“Sin” (Demo)

A Golden Globe nomination opens one to new opportunities, such as the chance to sit down on Tavis Smiley’s La-Z-Boy. Case in point is Trent Reznor, who celebrated the day in which his Social Network score was nominated for the prestigious award by chatting with the PBS interviewer on everything from how he almost declined the project to his sobriety. He also threw a few shots at the country’s various music awards when discussing the importance of the nomination. All in all, some pretty fascinating stuff.

Watch the full interview above, via The Audio Perv.

Trent Reznor is a lot of different things, including a Golden Globe nominee. As announced this morning, Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score for The Social Network has been nominated for the prestigious award. Winners will be announced January 16, 2011, and Reznor faces some stiff competition: Hans Zimmer and Johnny Marr’s Inception score — which featured our 42nd favorite song of 2010 — is also a candidate, as is The King’s Speech (Alexander Desplot), Alice in Wonderland (Danny Elfman), and 127 Hours ( A. R. Rahman, who won previously for Slumdog Millionaire).