On Tuesday,  original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward announced that he would not be joining Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler for the highly anticipated reunion tour. Ward cited issues with the promoters for his decision.

The statement read:

“I am sincerely passionate in my desire to play with the band, and I’m very, very sorry that it’s fallen to this,” Ward wrote.

He continued:

“I know in my heart I couldn’t have done these concerts by agreeing the terms suggested,” the singer added. “I made a solemn vow after the last European and Ozzfest concerts that I would never again enter into what was, in my opinion, a totally unsatisfactory contract. I have to stand for something, and as painful as it is, I’m doing it.”

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Despite adding little to the original PC release, the Xbox 360 version of cult indie-legend Minecraft has reportedly broken 1 million downloads just one week after its launch on the Xbox LIVE Arcade, breaking all previous digital release records.

This success can likely be chalked up to the new, more easily reachable fanbase that the Xbox’s online and multiplayer capabilities offers. Whereas online play on the PC involves being somewhat tech-savvy, with the purchase or creation of a web server, the Xbox version introduces local split-screen multiplayer and more streamlined online capabilities – players already racking up an impressive 2.4 million hours on these modes.

Time well spent? Yes, as far as I’m concerned.

The game’s creator, Markus ‘Notch’ Persson offered a typically lighthearted assessment of this newfound success through his twitter, stating ‘Uhhhh, Microsoft just sent out a press release saying Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has sold a million copies in five days. Wow.’ He went on in a later tweet to regret that he is ‘not quite iron man rich yet.’

If you’d like to see what all the fuss is about yourself, you can grab a download for 1600 MS Points and get hooked – though I wouldn’t recommend doing so if you plan to leave your house in the next few months.

Donna Summer died this morning after a battle with cancer, reports TMZ. She was 63 years old.

Summer’s publicist released the following statement:

“Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith,” a family statement said. “While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”

Born LaDonna Andrea Gaines, Summer was the reigning Queen of Disco in the 70s and 80s,  releasing a string of hits including “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff,” “Bad Girls,” “She Works Hard for the Money” and “Love to Love You Baby.”

TMZ reports that Summer, a 5-time Grammy winner, was keeping her illness under wraps while working on a new album.

What was your favorite Donna Summer’s hit? Let us know in the comment section.

While The Avengers had no shortage of stars, some of them arguably more desirable than Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner each received the relatively typical sum of $2-3 million; with Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlet Johansson making up to twice as much.

Downey’s success in the previous, massively popular Marvel outings of Iron Man no doubt had some bearing on this inconsistency, but the main reason comes with clever negotiations from the actor’s representatives. The exact details are anyone’s guess, but it is known that, rather than a salary, Downey instead receives a certain percentage of Marvel’s profits – and among news that The Avengers is, itself, a billion dollar movie, these figures aren’t surprising.

This means that, ultimately, while I’m sure many will be quick to bring up the economic crisis in the face of such high-paid stars, Marvel isn’t the one paying Downey 50 million – we are. You will have to decide for yourself if you’d rather live with that or (spoilers) face not seeing Iron Man nuke alien motherships in the first place. I certainly know my choice.

Earlier today, indie rockers The Spinto Band released the video for “The Living Things,” the final track on their recently released Shy Pursuit. This is the fourth video created for the album, the others being “Take It,” “Cookie Falls” and “Jackhammer.”

If you’re not familiar with the Spinto formula for videos, think along the lines of Hot Chip and OK Go videos. Yeah, they’re that funny/innovative. Check out both “The Living Things” and “Take It” below.

Shy Pursuit was released May 1st and is available now.

Hesketh is currently in the process of finishing her as yet untitled second album; the follow up to 2009′s both commercially and critically successful, Hands. The recording process for her sophomore release has clearly been a careful and well thought out process, with the singer having discussed the long awaited second album in interviews as early as 2010, describing the album as more raw, and “a bit more down-to-earth.”

Though the singer has released various pieces of new material of late, including the tracks Shake, the lead single from her new record and Every Night I Say A Little Prayer, a special release for this years Record Store Day, material from the new album has been much under wraps.

Speaking to Q Magazine earlier this week, Hesketh said:

“The album will definitely be released later on in the year. I’m not sure when exactly but we’re just putting the finishing touches to it and I can’t wait for it to all be completed! I’m really excited!”

Listen to the new track, Headphones below:

Singer-songwriter PJ Harvey took the top prize at this year’s Ivor Novello awards for Let England Shake, fending off competition from Adele’s 21 and Kate Bush’s second album of 2011, 50 Words for Snow.

The win is one of many for the critically acclaimed album, which also won the 2011 Mercury Music Prize, the Q Magazine award for ‘Best Album’ and the Uncut Music Award.

Harvey was unable attend the awards, so the Novello statuette was presented to Dan Lloyd Jones of EMI Publishing, who said:

“PJ is truly sorry she couldn’t be here today, but this is a great honour for her.”

Despite failing to take the prize for best album, Adele still emerged triumphant with two prizes: PRS for Most Performed Work and Songwriter of the Year. Others winners included a surprise victory for veteran rocker Siouxsie Sioux, who got handed the Ivors Inspiration Award in recognition of her over 30 years in the music industry, Lana Del Rey who was given the award for Best Contemporary Song. While Take That and Ed Sheeran also came out on top, winning awards for Outstanding Contribution and Best Song Musically & Lyrically respectively.

Watch a video for ‘The Last Living Rose’ by PJ Harvey below:

My TST editor passed along a mystery package to my inbox yesterday with the odd, short message “not sure who this is” that was the extent of text in the message. I got past my seconds-long suspicion of downloading a virus on my work laptop and unwrapped the mystery package. My fears were abated when I discovered music files, but excitement of the unknown was still strong, because the file contained two songs with only their names: no performer, band, artwork or label provided.

I clicked the title “Jianni’s From Australia (She’ll Get By)” with total uncertainty what was coming. I’ll be damned if the voice didn’t stop me in my tracks and require my full attention. It was British for sure – a British folk songwriter. And within seconds my mind was flooded with comparisons to some of my favorite folk songwriters of all time – Paul Simon, Nick Drake and, yes, Dylan. Kids of the ’80s (as I am) and ’90s either adore Bob Dylan or have zero use for him. I’m shamelessly, wholeheartedly in the former camp. I spent entire years listening to Dylan and The Beatles following their output chronologically, obsessing. I know I’m not unique in that respect. There are many, many music lovers, idealists and old-soul youth who have done the same. It’s a rite of passage for some of us; it’s a passage some of us choose to reside in to further influence the remainder of life for others.

This confident, strikingly poignant and pretty male British folk voice had me hooked, and clearly was coming from the same broken-in loves and outlook as me.

It’s astounding when you can piece thoughts like that together within a minute of hearing a new band or artist for the first time, and you do it helplessly where your ears are consciously listening and your mind’s running sprints subconsciously. I Googled “Jianni’s From Australia (She’ll Get By)” and returned with hits for something called LA Salami. I clicked the home page and discovered L.A. Salami. He looks strikingly like an early ’60s Greenwich Village Mos Def. His site photos are shots of him (black-and-white for greatest effect) strolling perpetually overcast London looking effortlessly cool and debonair in a vintage beat demeanor, constantly decked out of oxfords, scarves, plaid and stylish jackets, with a poised, serious hint of a smile.

His name is Lookman Adekunle Salami, but you can call him L.A. He’s a young Brit, soul-stirring classic folkie, not in your local coffeehouse vein but in the classic coffeehouse way, like The Gaslight in the ’50s and ’60s. His first love was film (Speilberg and Godard) and his music poet heroes are Dylan (obviously), Leonard Cohen, Joanna Newsom, Ginsberg, Bukowsi and Shakespeare, to name a few.

If you’re inclined to the classics, particularly folk storytelling with flashes of brilliance and wit played against seemingly simple arrangements with strokes of pure artistry, give L.A. Salami a listen. If there is any part of you that has ever adored The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan or get gut-punched by each ballad on Blonde on Blonde, you’ll be thankful you’ve discovered L.A. Salami. Likewise, if, like me, you just can’t seem to get enough of The Tallest Man on Earth, take a chance on this man. I think you’ll be pleased to find Kristian Matsson is no longer the lone purveyor of timeless, powerful folk songs.

Check out: “Jianni’s From Australia (She’ll Get By)” and “We’ll Solve It After” by L.A. Salami

Eric Cannata, guitarist for Young the Giant, talks to TST on running down a dream, getting trashed by Pitchfork and doing it all in good spirits with the company of best friends.

TST: Eric, first off, I just want to say thank you very much for taking the time out of your afternoon to do this for a few minutes.

EC: Oh no, thank you. I’m just hanging out at home.

TST: I guess I’ll start by being a bit vulnerable by saying I was a little late coming around to you guys. I never saw the VMAs until recently and must have been in a radio black hole for a time, but I can tell you the moment you guys stuck me for good was at Austin City Limits Festival last year. Now, I’ve read a bit about how the band has fond feelings of that set with the 100+ temperature and the rain that seemed to come down miraculously during your set. I understand regards that set well? Do you remember that show at all?

EC: (Laughs) Yeah, honestly that was probably the best show. We love Austin. We love a lot of cities, LA, New York, but that one was special.

TST: I actually wasn’t at your stage. I was over on the small center stage in the center, but I remember you guys coming out and hearing your energy and the crowd’s energy, and at that moment I looked to see who was over there. I looked at the schedule and saw Young the Giant, a name I recognized but didn’t know, and I said I “alright, that’s them. I need to check them out.”

EC: “Yeah, we came out at soundcheck and there were maybe a hundred people in the field. And we tooled around for a minute and went backstage for awhile to get ready.”

TST: You played at about 2:00 or so, right?

EC: Yeah. We were the first band on that stage and there were maybe a hundred people, and then we came out and there 30, maybe, 40,000 people out there and we couldn’t believe it. Seeing all those people and having them there to hear our music was a really great experience. You just get up there and realize how lucky you are to be doing it.

TST: You guys and your on-stage energy seem born for festivals. You’re getting ready to play a litany of them again this summer. You’ve got Party in the Park in Atlanta on Saturday, Hangout in Gulf Shores on Sunday, not to mention Bonnaroo and a sold out Central Park Summerstage. What do you think it is that makes you guys such a perfect band for festivals?

EC: We love playing festivals. I think it’s because we find importance in playing live together. We’re young, and when we recorded the record we did it live, and we just go out and try and emulate that sound from the record. But we were really young when we put it out. Our live performance has gotten better as time has gone on and we play more and more. When we’re up there, I think people notice how much we love playing live and how much better we’ve become as live players. We try to bring more energy with every show, because we’re lucky to be doing this for a living and have people come see us.

TST: Speaking of the live show and people coming to see you, in the winter, I believe, you guys sold out 46 straight dates on your last tour at some impressive venues with a thousand, two thousand or three thousand capacity. What does that mean to you?

EC: It was a blast. That tour was before that. It was our first ever headlining tour and we didn’t know what to expect and just feel very, very lucky. We started doing this at a young age, because we all love music and wanna have a good time playing songs together and being on stage.

TST: I read recently about your band, as far as social media goes, that Paste Magazine, I believe it was a week or two ago, voted Young the Giant the #1 band to follow on Instagram. I was looking through some of your shots on the European tour you did recently, and some of them are truly astounding. There are probably a dozen in a row where you’re playing live in theatres and there are three tiers and just thousands of hands raised with great energy. And then you have shots on the bus, and I think that you guys more than other bands seem to give people a true glimpse into your lives and that you’re just normal guys that love playing music. Is that accurate?

EC: Yeah, we realize more than anything how important it is to love what we’re doing. You get up on stage, and you have a problem beforehand or whatever goes on in your daily life. We have fights just like anybody else but we’re great friends and we know how to let things slide, but then you go on stage and see the crowd and see how so many people are there to see you. You can’t help but feel lucky. How can you have one negative thought when you get up there and see that? You just let it slide and remember that all these people paid money and are happy to be having a good time. We’re just very lucky.

TST: Speaking of paying money to see you guys, with the recession and lack of discretionary income in today’s environment, I would imagine you feel blessed getting the crowds that you do and people coming night after night.

EC: Oh with the recession for sure, we realize that we are extremely, extremely, extremely lucky to get to play to make a living. We know people hit by the recession. We have friends that struggle to make it work who can’t pay for gas and just try to live and get by. I have friends over in Italy where it’s maybe even worse. We played a show over there on Labor Day in a courtyard in Rome, and you realize it’s worse over there and all these people are paying 20 bucks to see you.

I grew up in an era when people are downloading music. I understand it to a degree. I see a little of the benefit and using it to discover new bands and artists. I get that. It’s a tough time. That’s why we try and make our show worthwhile for the money. You see these bands that have a hit on the radio. People come to their shows and then they play that one song that everybody knows and you see people leaving. Our goal is to bring an energy and love of playing that the audience gets. We want to be able to keep getting better live for them. We love seeing our fans. They come to have a good time, stay for the whole thing and know every word of every song. We want to make it worthwhile for them. I love hearing about people who say they saw Young the Giant at a small club years ago, and then they see us at The Wiltern or whichever venue we played last night, and they love the show now even more than they did the first time they saw us at the small club.

TST: Hearing you talk about that stuff I just want to address something before I forget. Something that comes across from every member in the band in every interview I’ve read or stuff I’ve seen about you guys is how transparent your modesty is, how immediately likeable you guys are in print, and that’s a testament to you guys. Do you think that is because you guys have been friends since high school and before and have lived together for your years now?

EC: Well, it works for us to live together. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it for every band. I know there are plenty of bands where that just wouldn’t work. But, we’re constantly trying to write when we’re at home. We’ve been living together for the last three or four years on and off the road. By now, we know exactly what ticks each other off. I mean we’re all best friends, brothers. We know how to look at something and let it slide. We’ve spent so much of the past couple years on the road, and we’re looking to record a new album soon.

TST: Did I read September? I know you’re touring a lot up until then, but a second record around then?

EC: We’re playing off and on until then. Not consistently, but a lot of one-off shows and festivals. No, we’re looking to start recording in September and then a new release next year, probably in spring. In August, we’re planning to move into a new house together in L.A. We’re really eager to get started writing and recording. On the last one, we recorded it live and would like to do it again. We write and put it altogether as a group, each of us contributing equally. For this second record, we’re definitely gonna get a place and just be with each other all the time constantly writing and playing.

TST: So I want to ask you this, but I want to make it clear up front that I’m not coming at it from a negative angle. I just want to present something to you that I haven’t seen any of you guys really touch on in an interview, and I’m curious your feelings on it. I wanted to talk about Pitchfork and your band’s popularity in the time since the record came out. I read in an interview you gave recently about your love of Paul Simon. I was thinking about Paul Simon and Graceland in particular, and then I read Pitchfork‘s review of your album which it gave (pauses) which was pretty negative (2.7/10). I noticed they reviewed your album in February of 2011 and less than two months before, they named Vampire Weekend‘s album the best album of 2010. See, I don’t think you guys are so far removed from them as far as sounds and genre and influence go. I think about Paul Simon and the Graceland feel of their albums and their fans and I think of it with you guys too. Were you concerned releasing your first record and seeing a tastemaker of that size – the tastemaker, really- giving you a bad review right at the start. Does it give you guys some David versus Goliath sort of satisfaction to see how well everybody else has responded to you in the time since?

EC: I’ll admit I’ve read Pitchfork plenty, just like anybody else. I read that review when it came out, and I’ll say this: yeah it was negative, and yes they trashed it in ways that I found (pauses) I’ll say they tore a lot apart, but I do have to say I understand some of the points. It was our major label debut, and I definitely liked it and am proud of it. The thing about Pitchfork is this though:  people use Pitchfork as a tool to find out about new bands. They (Pitchfork) try to keep people interested, you know, get the shock factor. But I saw reviews where they knocked bands if they thought they might be popular, and they’d say it’s not any good because it’s trying to make money or make a commercial. They have given some really good reviews to a lot of (pauses.) They have trashed a lot of bands and music that I really enjoy. With that said, they’ve also said some good things about people I really like, but for a lot of music they rave about it just doesn’t seem to matter for long. People like it because Pitchfork said to like it, and then they move on to the next thing Pitchfork says is good.

EC: I love that record and when I look back on it, and I’m sure they have a point here and there. You can’t let it get to you though. It bothered some of the guys, but you really can’t worry about it. You can read it and you’re like, “Fuck Pitchfork!” I could go “I wish I did this, I wish I did that,” but we were really young. Even the way we play now, with far more confidence and energy, and we’re still young. When we made the record, we had never gone on a full national tour. We had just done our first tour with Minus the Bear, and we were still very much learning. We’ll have maturity and growth this time around. So when I think about Pitchfork now, I really don’t care. We get a lot of pretty great reviews; Pitchfork wasn’t one of those great reviews. So what. Honestly, if we got a great review in Pitchfork, we’d probably be completely broke right now and having less fun doing what we’re doing.

TST: I was reading an interview with Francois, I believe, where he talked about you guys all having families that are still together, girlfriends and fostering deep-seated, nurturing relationships. When you spend between a hundred and two hundred days on the road and are living together writing and recording other than that, how do you keep those deep-seated relationships strong? Do you mainly get that from your time around each other and having a strong bond with the band?

EC: We do place a lot of importance on our family and friends and girlfriends. We’re lucky though, because we do spend a lot of time at home around Los Angeles. A lot of our friends are in Los Angeles. All of our families are in Orange County, which is about an hour south of L.A. We see them all the time when we are here, and when we’re on tour, with technology how it is now, you can still be able to interact and keep in touch with your family and friends through Skype or phones or whatever. We grew up in Orange County, and we’re very lucky for that. When he come home from touring, we know we have people here. That never changes. So to us, yeah, family is very important and keeps us sane.

TST: Before I let you go, I just wanted to get one more thought out of you. I was reading an interview you did where when you were asked about your dream collaboration, and you answered you would like to play with Tom Petty, The Band or Fleetwood Mac. I’m a Midwestern kid from Indiana, and I loved hearing those influences. Those are the bands I was talking about when I said listening to their music for twenty years down the road. I think you guys have the kind of fans where you could be that sort of band to them. I wanted to pick one of those bands, so I picked Tom Petty, because I’m a young guy from Indiana that he just speaks to. I was looking for a fitting song, and I landed on “Runnin’ Down a Dream.” That song has the line “It felt so good like anything was possible. Workin’ on a mystery wherever it leads.”

Do you feel like that could be a fitting description of your whirlwind last year or two with Young the Giant?

EC: Yeah, definitely. Tom Petty is one of my favorites. He’s one of my dad’s favorites. We’d listen to him together. My dad is a huge fan of Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, all those guys. Yeah, it does feel like a mystery in this lifestyle. We really have no idea what’s going to happen next. We’ve put out one album and toured. A lot of it was a mystery to us with how to go about doing it all. We were kids and doing it because we love playing together. You’d show up at soundcheck, and you didn’t know if people were going to show. You tried to book a show, and you’d find out you’d already booked that date. It’s still a mystery to us, because we’re getting ready to make a second album, and we don’t know how people will react to it. We’re
excited and lucky to be doing it though. It’s definitely a dream of ours, and we’ll do it until we can’t do it any longer. And then we’ll probably still keep making music, because it’s what we love.

TST: Thank you again so much, Eric. I can’t wait to see you guys- well, officially see you guys- when stop here in Indianapolis in July.

Tim Tebow’s lawyers shot off a cease and desist letter to the website cubbytees.com, demanding that the website stop selling their “My Jesus” t-shirt, which dons a logo similar to that of the Tebow’s new team, the NY Jets.

The shirt does not mention Tebow by name, nor does it use his likeness, but the shirt’s design was enough to make the quarterback get his lawyers involved. The website’s description of the short does state that Tebow has nothing to do with the product, saying the shirt “is not officially endorsed by New York’s backup quarterback or the Son of God, but plays off the themes of Tebow’s faith and his new team – borrowing from the J-E-T-S to promote J-E-S-U-S, with a fish for a football, and “MY” replacing “NY” with a color scheme that will be familiar to Jets fans.”

Despite the threat from Tebow’s lawyers, the cubbytees refuses to stop selling the shirts, telling TMZ the product “shares nothing with Mr. Tebow except for promotion of a common Lord and Savior.”

Do you think Tebow has a case? Maybe the NY Jets have a better one considering the design does come dangerously close to their logo?

For more updates follow us on twitter and on facebook.

Lead singer of The Dandy Warhols, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, has just announced he will be “designing” his own limited edition wine in the near future.

In a post on the band’s official website, Taylor-Taylor said:

“Ok everyone I’m going to be designing a wine and doing a limited run (prolly less than 100 cases).
I’ve been collecting wines of the world for years now and so I guess its about time. That and I was asked to. I’m going to have the actual blending/tasting/mixing on the afternoon of the Brooklyn show so I’ll be trying wines along the way and sending you my tasting notes and photos of bottles.”

He added that the main reason for making his own wine was to “CREATE A BLEND MAINLY FOR THE VERY TRICKY INDIAN AND MEXICAN CUISINES”, so that a drink could be found to suitably compliment them

Surprisingly enough there is precedent for musicians making their own beverages, with pop group Hanson producing their own beer, “Mmmhop”, and British melody-mongers Elbow doing the same.

Watch the promo video for ‘Good Morning’ by The Dandy Warhols, below:

I’m sure you’re out there – the dwindling minority of the record buying public that doesn’t own a copy of either 19 or 21 by Adele. I’ve written this article with you mind – you’re not alone, guys!

Let me start off by saying “fair play” to the woman. Very few recording artists alive today – and even fewer dead ones – can say that they have sold more LPs than any other person in the world and universe (citation needed). I don’t begrudge her the success at all…well, maybe I do a bit.

Just because an artist is a huge financial and charting success, it doesn’t mean that one and all must worship at their churches unrelentingly. Here are three reasons why you can look at your music collection and feel satisfied that there is neither hide nor hair of the grating chanteuse:

Reason #1: Poor, poor lyrics

Old friend, why are you so shy? Ain’t like you to hold back and Or hide from the light I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited But I couldn’t stay away I couldn’t fight it I’d hoped you’d see my face And that you’d be reminded that for me It isn’t over

A chunk of lyrics there from the gazillion-selling number one single “Someone Like You.” What strikes me is that Adele sounds like she’s a bit unhinged, a bit…crazy? The last thing a guy needs from his ex-partner is for them to turn up uninvited at his mother’s 70^th birthday party and starting crying into the hummus, shouting that you should take her back because she knows all your credit card PINs. Okay, I exaggerate a little, but if you actually read the lyrics to “Someone Like You,” it seems like it was written by a manic-depressive Sophie Kinsella. Did Emmeline Pankhurst really go through all she did for this?

But I set fire to the rain, Watched it pour as I touched your face, Well, it burned while I cried, ‘Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name.

This is the song that especially grinds my gears: “Set Fire to the Rain.” You can’t set fire to rain, because it’s water. I understand that there’s an abstract metaphor in there somewhere about: “well, it’s like, you know – all to do with relationships and stuff.”  But it’s a rubbish metaphor, full of contrived imagery and pseudo-amorous intent. Leave it out.

Reason #2: “She’s SOOO Down To Earth!” – No, She Isn’t

A cheery cockney accent does not instantly make you “down to earth.” Last year, Adele complained in an interview with Q about having to pay a £4,000,000 tax bill:

“I’m mortified to have to pay 50%! I use the NHS, [but] I can’t use public transport any more. Trains are always late, most state schools are shit, and I’ve gotta give you, like, four million quid – are you having a laugh? When I got my tax bill in from [the album] 19, I was ready to go and buy a gun and randomly open fire.”

It’s very well and good complaining about tax like the rest of us, but I would wager that most of Adele’s fans are not likewise high earners. Four million is 50% of eight million: that’s probably how much about 2,500 of Adele’s fans earn combined – maybe even more. So moaning about such a massive amount of money when a venue full of people don’t even earn that much is probably not the best thing to do.

And wanting to “buy a gun and randomly open fire?” You might want to reconsider those words when you want people to consider you “down-to-earth.”

Reason #3: There Are Better Artists Out There

Kate Bush. Siouxsie Sioux. PJ Harvey. Melody Gardot. Anna Calvi. Patti Smith. Joni Mitchell. The list could go on and on, really.

If you haven’t bought a copy of an Adele album, then I suggest you spend the money you had reserved for it on an album by one of those above.

Hounds of Love by Kate Bush is one of most erudite and creative pieces of pop to ever written. Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea by PJ Harvey encapsulates the feeling of love and loss better than any Adele song ever could (see: “You Said Something” or “A Place Called Home”). Alternatively, you could go for Horses by Patti Smith, Ladies of the Canyon by Joni Mitchell or perhaps even The Rapture by Siouxsie & the Banshees. Hell, get Rumours by Fleetwood Mac if you want.

All of these albums have something that neither 19 nor 21 have: spirit, soul and genuine emotion.

Have a listen to ‘Dancing Barefoot’ by Patti Smith:

So, next time you walk into your nearest reputable music-selling store, take a moment to look at Adele’s tortured brow on the front cover of 21, then just walk on by – you don’t need to follow the rest of the world. If I can do it, you can too!

If anyone deserves an award for juggling two careers, it’s Rhett Miller.

When he’s not busy touring with his alt-country outfit Old 97’s, Rhett Miller spends his downtime promoting and recording for his solo act. In the gaps where many would normally stop for a breath, Miller is out playing shows all over the States. Last night, he made his way to Nashville and performed at Mercy Lounge, an upstairs bar/venue nestled in the southern section of downtown.

Although normally backed either by Old 97’s or his solo band, The Serial Lady Killers, we got to see Miller in a completely vulnerable state: alone on stage equipped with nothing more than an acoustic guitar. As part of a small strand of dates prior to rejoining his Lady Killers, Miller has taken to the road all by his lonesome, fueled by the support of fans and his apparent passion for performing.

Prior to the show, I would have told you exactly what I was expecting: a toned-down alt-country crooner belting out a handful of hits and calling it a night. I was quickly surprised, however, when Miller took to the stage with heavy-hitting and blisteringly fast guitar work, punching out the hard-edged lyrics of Old 97’s’ “504.” From that point on, my predictions for the night were shattered, leaving me to watch a high-spirited artist without any preconceived disposition.

His energy was infectious, even pulling stereotypical rockstar moves that shouldn’t have worked, but they totally did. Whether he was headbanging to the slowest of slow jams or paying homage to Pete Townshend’s windmill method of picking, Miller was able to secure the audience’s attention regardless of what he was doing. During “Like Love,” in an effort to clear the stage-turned-dance-floor, he even punted a guitar stand, but quickly apologized for the violent action. His personality filled the open room, and his musicianship did an equally good job of blanketing the fact that there was no one else on stage helping him.

During the songs we were greeted by a tour de force; the in-betweens felt like conversation with an old friend. The only difference between Miller and your friends, however, is that your buddies don’t have stories about hanging with legends such as Waylon Jennings and Pixies’ Frank Black. Regardless, his personable nature and concern for everyone having a good time (the second half of the set was all audience requests) created a newfound intimacy in the already cozy venue.

The setlist ranged from Old 97’s hits to new tracks off The Dreamer, which comes out June 5th. Over the 90-minute set, the audience went from somberly sitting in chairs to wildly dancing and singing along to hits such as “Fireflies” and “Come Around.” Miller didn’t lose the crowd’s attention for a second, which was made obvious by the building roar of applause with each passing song.

Whether he’s playing with a full band or alone, Rhett Miller is a poster child for artists who give their all every night. From charismatic monologues to makeshift dance moves, the show was energetic, intimate and, most importantly, entertaining.

Setlist
504
Champagne, Illinois
The El
Broadway
Like Love
Stoned
Sleepwalking
Barrier Reef
Lost Without You
Singular Girl
Four-Eyed Girl
Over the Cliff
World Inside the World
Question
Designs on You
Fireflies
The Other Shoe
Jagged
Come Around
Out of Love
Four Leaf Clover
Our Love

Encore
W-I-F-E
Big Brown Eyes
Time Bomb

Guerilla Union’s world-class hip hop festival Rock The Bells boasts one of this year’s most diverse concert line ups. On Tuesday night at Los Angeles’ House of Blues (Sunset Strip), Guerilla Union held a press conference to announce the performers. In true Rock The Bells tradition, freestyle rap champion and festival host Supernatural announced all the acts via freestyle rap.

Supernatural ft. DJ Quik – Rock The Bells 2012 Freestyle (via BallerStatus)

Known for juxtaposing acts from a variety of hip hop sub-genres and markets, this year’s Rock The Bells headliners will include Kid Cudi, Wiz Khalifa, J. Cole, ASAP Rocky, 2 Chainz, Tyga and Kendrick Lamar. Also performing will be popular 90s artists Missy Elliot & Timbaland, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Dipset, Salt-N-Pepa, Method Man and Redman. Hip-hop veterans Ice Cube, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Naughty By Nature, Nas and others will be there as well. Wu-Tang Clan’s the RZA will be curating his own “36 Chambers” stage, while Los Angeles hip hop veteran Murs will be curating the “Paid Dues” stage during the festival.

Festival founder Chang Weisberg addressed the possibility of a possible performance featuring hologram technology, but went on to say that while he respects Coachella and Dr. Dre’s revival of Tupac, this festival is focused on living artist.

This announcement comes just a couple of months after Guerilla Union’s very successful Paid Dues Independent hip-hop Festival, which monumentally brought supergroups such as Wu-Tang Clan, Hieroglyphics, Living Legends, Odd Future, Dipset, Boot Camp Clik, Doomtree and many others together on the same stage for the first time.

Going on its 9th chapter, Rock The Bells 2012 will be making two-day stops at Los Angeles (August 18 + 19) and Mountain View, CA (August 25 + 26), along with an east coast stop in Holmdel, NJ (September 1 + 2) and a special Haitian benefit show later in December.

Visit RockTheBells.net for pre-sale tickets and further information.

Happy with the lineup? Let us know in the comment section and follow us on twitter and on facebook for updates.

TST Media is currently seeking editorial and marketing interns to work remotely.

Marketing intern responsibilities include:

- Coordinate online marketing and advertising campaigns and update Web sites
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Editorial interns will work closely with editors and assist in copy writing on a variety of subjects, including music and film. Internships are unpaid but applicant may be eligible for college credit.

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In a recent interview on Ellen alongside Cameron Diaz in support of their forthcoming film, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Jenny from the Block hinted at some surprising news. After two years of serving as a judge on the hit show American Idol, Lopez seems uncertain whether or not she will be able to go for round three.

“Now this is my second year — I don’t know if I can go for a third year. I miss doing other things. It really does lock you down, which was nice the first year with the babies being three, but now they’re getting more mobile, they’re about to go into school … So I just don’t know.”

Since season 10, Lopez has worked alongside Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson. What do you think about this announcement? Is it time for J.Lo to move on to other projects or is American Idol a safe place for her to remain? Let us know in the comment section below!

A documentary film about “the nature of happiness” will feature two new tracks by veteran singer-songwriter PJ Harvey, according the singer’s official Facebook page.

Titled What Is This Film Called Love?, the film is described as as:

“…a passionate 77 minute poetic documentary about the nature of happiness. Filmed in Mexico over three days, it begins as a film about the soviet director Sergei Eisenstein, and then, using his ideas, opens up to look at memory, landscape and the pleasures of walking. The film draws from a range of filmmakers and writers – principally Chris Marker, but also Virginia Woolf, Frank O’Hara and others – but aims to touch on themes that are relevant to a wide range of people – where joy comes from, the emotions involved with travel and homecoming, and the nature of solitude.”

As well as “To Bring You My Love” being featured, new songs “Horse” and “Bobby Don’t Steal” will also get their first airing.

A preview of the documentary will take place at this year’s ATP festival in London on Sunday 27th May, which will be curated by Mogwai (Music & Cinema) and Louis Theroux (Cinema).

Watch the official promo video for ‘Good Fortune’ below:

Documentary film maker and presenter Louis Theroux will curate the cinema at next weekend’s All Tomorrow’s Parties event, I’ll Be Your Mirror, at London’s Alexandra Palace on May 25-27.

Theroux will be choosing the films on Sunday (May 27), while independent London cinema the Prince Charles will be curating the cinema on Friday night (May 25), and Mogwai will be curating both the cinema and the musical lineup on Saturday (May 26). Last year’s lineup was curated by Portishead.

Slayer, Mogwai, The Afghan Whigs, The Make-Up, Melvins, Mudhoney, Dirty Three and Yuck are just some of the bands playing the three-day festival. As well as previewing his latest documentary Twilight of the Porn Star, Theroux will be  screening the 2005 Max Carlish documentary, Stalking Pete Doherty.

Here are the full cinema listings and also for the just-released set times for the weekend’s bands.

Friday May 25

4pm – Doors

Great Hall:
6.30pm-7.30pm – Melvins
8.15pm-9.15pm – Sleep
9.45pm-11.00pm - Slayer

West Hall:
4.30pm-5.15pm – A Storm Of Light
5.45pm-6.30pm – Yob
7.30pm-8.15pm – Wolves In The Throne Room

Cinema curated by Princes Charles Cinema:
4:00pm-5:33pm – They Live
6:00pm-7:25pm – The Monster Square
7:45pm-9:53pm – Se7en
10:00pm-11:24pm – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Saturday May 26

12pm – Doors

West Hall:
12.30pm-1.15pm – Umberto
1.45pm-2.30pm – Floor
3.00pm-3.45pm – Harvey Milk
4.15pm-5.00pm – Chavez
5.30pm-6.15pm – Codeine
6.45pm-7.30pm – Mudhoney
8.00pm-9.00pm – Dirty Three
9.30pm-11pm – Mogwai

Panorama Room:
2.00pm-3.30pm – The Music Of Can
3.45pm-4.45pm – Antoni Maiovvi
5.15pm-6.15pm – The Soft Moon
6.45pm-7.45pm – Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat
8.15pm-9.15pm – Balam Acab
9.15pm-11.00pm – DJs

Cinema curated by Mogwai:
12:00pm-1:22pm – All Tomorrow’s Parties (picked by ATP)
1:30pm-1:55pm – The Meaning Of Style
2:00pm-4:17pm – The Lives Of Others
4:30pm-5:50pm – Tales From A Hard City
7:00pm-8:18pm – Rec
8:30pm-10:32pm – The Exorcist

Sunday May 27

12pm – Doors

West Hall:
12.30pm-1.15pm – Forest Swords
1.45pm-2.30pm – Blanck Mass
3.00pm-3.45pm – Demdike Stare
4.15pm-5.00pm – Thee Oh Sees
5.30pm-6.15pm – Archers Of Loaf
6.45pm-7.30pm – Yuck
8.00pm-9.00pm – The Make-Up
9.30pm-10.45pm – The Afghan Whigs
11.15pm-12.00am – El-P

Panorama Room:
2.00pm-3.30pm – DJs
3.45pm-4.45pm – Tall Firs
5.15pm-6.15pm – Siskiyou
6.45pm-7.45pm – Sleepy Sun
8.15pm-9.15pm – Tennis
9.15pm-11.00pm – DJs

Cinema curated by Louis Theroux:
12:00pm-1:40pm – American Movie
2:00pm-3:36pm – Don’t Look Back
4:00pm-6:00pm – What is this film called Love? w/ Mark Cousins Q&A
6:00pm-8:00pm – Twilight Of The Porn Stars w/ Louis Theroux Q&A
8:00pm-8:55pm – Stalking Pete Doherty
9:00pm-10:37pm – Knuckle
10:45pm-12:00am – King Of Kong

A rare photograph showing walking ‘backwards’ across Abbey Road will fetch up to £9,000 (around $11,000 U.S.) at an upcoming auction.

The photo, taken by the late photographer Iain Macmillan, shows the band walking right to left across the zebra crossing outside the London studio where they made their 1969 album – this is the opposite direction of the picture which eventually became the cover of the Abbey Road album.

There are other noteworthy differences; including the fact Paul McCartney is wearing sandals rather than bare foot. The cigarette he’s holding on the album version is also missing.

The print is among a set of 25 being sold by a private collector. Sarah Wheeler of Bloomsbury Auctions in London explained the shot was composed in ten minutes while Macmillan was up a ladder.

She told The Guardian Newspaper,” The photo has been called an icon of the 1960s. I think the reason it became so popular is its simplicity. It’s a very simple, stylized shot and is a shot people can relate to.”

The picture will be auctioned on May 22.

Citing safety concerns, Indonesian authorities have refused to issue a permit for Lady Gaga’s June 3rd show in Jakarta.

Conservative Muslim groups have protested Lady Gaga’s appearance since it was announced. Since 2008, there have been successful campaigns targeting concerts by Mötley Crüe, N*E*R*D, Rihanna, Akon, 50 Cent and Avenged Sevenfold.  Salim Alatas, from the Islam Defenders Front called Gaga a “a vulgar singer (who) wears only panties and a bra when she sings and she stated she is the envoy of the devil’s child and that she will spread Satanic teaching.”

Although Indonesian religious groups have protested against western artists in the past, this is the first time police have denied an event permit. A police official told the Jakarta Post, “We haven’t done a similar thing before.” The degree of concern is unprecedented.

Indonesia may be a secular state, but it is also home to the world’s largest Muslim population.

Lady Gaga hasn’t issued a statement on the decision.