Quick News

Coldplay are officially confirmed to headline the Saturday of Glastonbury this year. No other acts have been named yet, but rumors are that it could be The Rolling Stones & U2 to play the spot they had to pull out of due to Bono's emergency back surgery.

Speaking of U2, according to Amazon in Germany, they will release their latest record in May. No confirmation from the band, but Amazon.de has not taken the album down since it was posted earlier last week.

The Libertines are flirting with the idea to play more gigs again after a successful reunion run last summer. Pete Doherty mentioned on his blog, Albionrooms.com that he has "Some offers for Libertines gigs" for this year. No word if they will actually happen. But Pete, Carl, John & Gary if you are reading this - Please come to the US!

Speaking of flirting with reunions, it looks like Blur are really ready to record again. Guitarist Graham Coxon took to twitter this week to say "Now off to see the Blur boys and have coffee and maybe switch a tape recorder on!" All we can say is.. YES, THANK YOU and FINALLY!

Also turning the switch back on are the Avett Brothers. The folk trio will head back into the studio to work with Rick Rubin again to record the follow up to their massive I & Love & You.

Metallica are also ready to record again and follow up their massive return from 2008's Death Magnetic. Lars Ulrich talked to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet and said "In the past, we would be fed up with Metallica whenever we returned home after a gigantic world tour, but this time it's different." The band are harnessing a "good vibe" right now and they hope to return to the studio by March or April to begin working on new material.

The latest effort from The Go! Team, Rolling Blackouts maybe their last. Team member Ian Parton told BB6 Music that "We don't want to do a Jay-Z and say that and then three years later we'll be, 'Hey!' again. But it may well be… the last The Go! Team record. It might be the last year we're touring, certainly, the band."

Returning from hiatus, The Kaiser Chiefs are currently recording their new album for a possible June release.

If anyone saw the Coachella line up that was announced a few weeks ago, you saw that Candian electronic outfit Death from Above 1979 have returned. Taking to their website, Sebastian Grainger said "It's been five years since Death From Above 1979 played a show," he wrote. "10 years since Jesse [F Keeler, bandmate] played me the first demos and 11 years since we sat in his parents basement and played so loud we knocked the china off the shelves upstairs. [..]So why not say yes? Why not say yes to Coachella? Why not say yes to playing the music we designed to be an undeniable source of power? Jesse and I have decided that what we can do together should not be denied. Together again, as was always the intention, as a collaboration. The collision of two different worlds."

Interpol on Conan

The dapper gents of Interpol went on Conan this week to perform "Lights" off their latest self-titled album. Take a look.

Holy Ghost & About Group Cover & Track Listings

DFA darlings Holy Ghost are set to release their new album on April 12. The band's infectious dance and electronic heavy sounds are sure to send a sonic pulse to any dance floor. Take a look at the cover and track listing below.

1. do it again
2. wait and see
3. hold my breath
4. say my name
5. jam for jerry
6. hold on7. it’s not over
8. slow motion
9. static on the wire
10. some children

Now this is a British supergroup for the ages, Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor, Spiritualized guitarist John Coxan, This Heat drummer Charles Hayward and beatmaker Pat Thomas are About Group. They are set to release their second disc in April, which was recorded in one single afternoon at Abbey Road. Wow! Take a look at the cover and track listing of About Group's Start and Complete.

1. Married To The Sea (a)
2. Don’t Worry
3. With Each New Day
4. Repair Man
5. Lay Me Down
6. A Perspective
7. There’s a Way To End This Run of Doubt
8. A Sinking Song
9. Nothing But Words
10. You’re No Good
11. Rough and Smooth
12. Start and Complete
13. Dreamt I Saw You Late Last Night
14. Married To The Sea (b)

Boxer Rebellion on Letterman

England's The Boxer Rebellion made their US TV debut on Letterman last night. Take a look as to why they are all the rage by home!

The White Stripes Split

In a statement on Third Man Records website, The White Stripes have alerted the general public that they are breaking up. The dynamic and brilliant duo that was Jack and Meg White, have been on hiatus since 2008, with only reissues, live albums and b-sides surfacing on Jack White's Third Man Records, fans were eagerly anticipating a follow up to 2007's Icky Thump. This will come no more. The duo who were together for 13 years, said in a statement that:

"The reason is not due to artistic differences or lack of wanting to continue. Nor any health issues as both Meg and Jack are feeling fine and in good health. It is for a myriad of reasons, but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way. Both Meg and Jack hope this decision isn't met with sorrow by their fans but that is is seen as a positive move done out of respect for the music that the band has created. It is also done with the utmost respect to those fans who've shared in those creations, with their feelings considered greatly."

The Stripes, who's final performance was on Conan O'Brien's series finale on Late Night with Conan O'Brien where they performed a stripped down version of "We Are Going To Be Friends," were looking to "start fresh" as Jack told Vanity Fair recently as he hinted that he and Meg would get back into the studio. Jack who has been working with his band's The Racountours, Dead Weather and producing and touring with Wanda Jackson and running his Third Man Records company has proven to be the busiest man in music this side of the Atlantic right behind Damon Albarn. Meg, who has battled mental health issues during the band's success has kept a low profile since the band's hiatus.

This band has meant so much to so many people around the world, including everyone who writes for this site. It is with great sadness to report that they are calling it quits, though Jack will release more unreleased material through Third Man Records, it will never be the same. We don't need anything unreleased, we just need them. Every once in a while a band comes around and stirs everything around them and helps define a generation, for this generation, for my generation, it was The White Stripes. They came during the height of the garage rock movement of the early Millennium and swept the rug out from everyone around them. They seized the moment in time and ran with it. Their basic style of drums, vocals, piano and guitar gave way for bands like The Black Keys, Blood Red Shoes, The Kills and various garage rock bands to exist with purpose and break the rules of conventional rock and roll style. The White Stripes came in with old school rules of rock and roll gimmicks of using just black, red and white to color the band as well as using the number 7 and 5 as a mysterious undertone that they kept from fans, they told the press they were brother and sister while they were actually married. They played tricks on us so basic and clever that we admired them for it. They gave us six glorious albums, one of which, 2003's Elephant was named our "League of Their Own" (the title was given before this site was created while I was hosting a radio show on WQAQ). They will be missed...

In the final part of their statement Jack and Meg said:

"The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore, The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful."

The National Live on Letterman

Take a look as Richard Reed Perry of Arcade Fire backs up The National on guitar as they return to Letterman to play "Conversation 16."

Rising Artist - Dylan Fox & The Wave

The White Stripes may have come and gone but their legacy will be felt in every rock and roll duo that just uses drums, vocals and guitar. Band's such as The Black Keys, The Royal Chains, Blood Red Shoes and so on. One of those band's who's influence can be taken from anyone of those bands but they are making it all their own in their own unique style. For California duo and brothers, Dylan and Sean Fox who make up Dylan Fox and the Wave, the dynamic duo are taking garage rock mixing it with surf and fuzz and are showing the West Coast how to get down. They just released their EP, the Fuzz EP two months ago and are ready to make a big splash in your ears. They are one of those acts that even though there may just be two of them, they are making more than enough sound to fill a room and have it moving.

Peter Bjorn & John on Conan!

Sweden's favorite goofy rockers Peter Bjorn and John hit up Conan this week to perform two tracks off their forthcoming Gimme Some. Take a look at PB&J play "Second Chance" and "Dig a Little Deeper."

Underrated Classic - Radiohead "Amnesiac"

Eight months after Radiohead blew the minds off everyone in the music world with Kid A, they still had another card up their sleeve. In June of 2001 they released Amnesiac, an album which seems more like Kid A B-Sides than a full collective, yet whatever the songs maybe, it still is an impressive body of work. With Kid A having hardly any singles, Amnesiac was not that far behind, releasing only two songs "Pyramid Song" and "Knives Out," the tracks were anything other than radio friendly. The album at first seemed to just be for the die-hard fans and severe music lovers rather than the masses. I for one, hated the album when it was released, it took me nearly six years to fully understand its brilliance and what it has to offer. If these were children, Kid A would be the very popular and acclaimed older brother to Amnesiac's hidden, timid and subtle brilliance. The Oxford lads may have entered new territory with Kid A, but they were living in this new space with Amnesiac. Bending sounds, using loops and various production tricks to achieve a sound so fresh and original, Radiohead would be the only band that could craft anything like it. Still as it turns a decade old, Amnesiac is the forgotten record of the craft band's career.

Thursday Cover & Track Listing

On April 12, New Brunswick, NJ post-hardcore hero's Thursday will unleash their sixth album, No Devolución. The album will hear and see the band in a new sharp turn in both style and sound. Singer Geoff Rickly tells Spin "There are definitely going to be at least a few fans that are like, 'This isn't what I want from Thursday. Half the reason we picked the album title is because it means, in Spanish, 'no returns.' As in, 'No returns, cause if you buy it, you got it!'" The band who has not only taken their influence from hardcore bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Fugazi, Ink and Dagger has also taken their influence from The Cure, Joy Division, The Smiths, Jesus and Mary Chain - this album will focus more on those bands rather than the loud and aggressive influences. Take a look at the cover (above) and the track listing:
Fast to the End
No Answers
A Darker Forest
Sparks Against the Sun
Open Quotes
Past and Future Ruins
Magnets Caught in a Metal Heart
Empty Glass
A Gun in the First Act
Millimeter
Turnpike Divides
Stay True