music – News Stories About music - Page 54

NEW RELEASE

Dec 6, 2007 10:09 AM CST

Cat Power Grows Up

Always talented, Chan Marshall gains confidence

(Newser) - Singer-songwriter Chan "Cat Power" Marshall, has always been talented, but over time she has developed the confidence to be masterful, writes New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones. Frere-Jones traces Marshall's career from the mid-'90s to the present, when "now that she knows better who she is, perhaps she’...

Rapper Pimp C Found Dead in Hotel Room

Dec 5, 2007 3:20 AM CST

Rapper Pimp C Found Dead in Hotel Room

No sign of foul play in mystery death of UGK star

(Newser) - Rapper Pimp C, half of the chart-topping duo UGK, was found dead in his Los Angles hotel room yesterday, and authorities have found no signs of foul play. Paramedics responded to a 911 call yesterday morning to discover Pimp C, 33, dead in bed, fully clothed. No drugs or related...

Heirloom Harmonicas Head Overseas

Nov 27, 2007 3:15 PM CST

Heirloom Harmonicas Head Overseas

Late entertainer's sons plan to share dad's legacy with troops

(Newser) - The twin sons of the late entertainer Herb Shriner, after finding 400 antique harmonicas among their dad's effects, have a morale-boosting plan: They want to send them to US troops overseas, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "It beats sending them tubas," said son Wil, the actor/director. "They're...

Jackson Five May Reunite in '08

Nov 27, 2007 10:35 AM CST

Jackson Five May Reunite in '08

Michael will take part, says Jermaine

(Newser) - The Jackson Five could be touring again as early as next year, according to Jermaine, and Michael will take part. "We feel we have to do it one more time," the third-oldest Jackson brother told the BBC. "We owe that to the fans and to the public....

New Trend May Have Fans Shout, 'I Want My ITV!'

Nov 26, 2007 2:41 AM CST

New Trend May Have Fans Shout, 'I Want My ITV!'

'Interactive video' changing way users view music videos online, experts say

(Newser) - MTV just may become a thing of the past, thanks to a new wave sweeping the Net called “interactive video.” Encouraged by the popularity of music videos online, but frustrated by poor web quality, producers are allowing users to create their own video-viewing experience. Indie favorite Arcade Fire...

'Idol' Alums Clean Up at AMAs

Nov 19, 2007 7:12 AM CST

'Idol' Alums Clean Up at AMAs

Online voting puts Underwood, Daughtry on top

(Newser) - In their 34th year, the American Music Awards looked suspiciously like the American Idol Music Awards. Idol alums Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry each won three times, and winners were determined, for the first time, by Idol-esque fan voting. Host Jimmy Kimmel, a WGA member, mostly idled in the wings,...

MTV Launches New Arabic Channel

Nov 18, 2007 11:45 AM CST

MTV Launches New Arabic Channel

Music videos and Arab rap try to woo a huge under-30 audience

(Newser) - How do you say "pimp my ride" in Arabic? Fans will find out when they tune in to MTV Arabia, a new channel launched yesterday in Dubai. The youth brand hopes to deliver its sassy programs to an Arab world, where two-thirds of the population is under 30, without...

Keys Finds Her Groove

Nov 17, 2007 3:29 PM CST

Keys Finds Her Groove

Singer/songwriter's third studio album showcases a simpler, more confident Keys

(Newser) - Alicia Keys is an undeniable talent, and Entertainment Weekly finds ample evidence of that on her third and latest studio album As I Am, out this week. Whereas previous efforts showcased her mastery over a panoply of styles—hip-hop, soul, classical—those elements have been folded this time around into...

Microsoft Finally Makes a 'Pretty Good' Media Player

Nov 12, 2007 2:12 PM CST

Microsoft Finally Makes a 'Pretty Good' Media Player

PC World 's qualified praise for the new Zunes

(Newser) - Microsoft released its latest Zune portable media players today, garnering approval from PC World. "This latest generation of Zunes should finally provide some real competition," declared the reviewer. The magazine praised the players for high sound quality and good extra features, but pointed to improvements to the Zune...

Sigur Ros' Film Stirs, Tunes Safe

Nov 8, 2007 3:20 PM CST

Sigur Ros' Film Stirs, Tunes Safe

Icelandic rock gods' Hvarf/Heim is an awesome doc, even if music underwhelms

(Newser) - Icelandic rock gods Sigur Ros look stunning in their gorgeous new documentary Heima, which followed the band on last year’s whirlwind homecoming tour. The wilderness provides the perfect backdrop to their experimental post-rock and "homespun laissez-faire philosophy,” says LAist’s glowing Joshua Pressman, and "their national-hero...

Grizzly Bear Makes New Friend

Nov 6, 2007 11:55 AM CST

Grizzly Bear Makes New Friend

Band's new EP isn't just an encore, critic says

(Newser) - At first glance, Grizzly Bear's new EP, Friend, appears to be a reworking of material from the band's well-received Yellow House. Not so, writes Pitchfork Media critic Ryan Schrieber. Although the new disc contains old songs and covers, these are thoroughly transformed, making Friend "a very well-disguised, 31-minute mini-LP...

Justin Time: Duran Duran
Nets Timberlake

Nov 3, 2007 9:20 PM CDT

Justin Time: Duran Duran Nets Timberlake

'SexyBack' singer pitching in on band's 12th album

(Newser) - An ’80s British rocker, his supermodel wife and a US musical superstar walk into a bar. This is no joke, the Times of London reports: It’s the launch of another Duran Duran comeback. Four-fifths of the rockers who made girls swoon nearly three decades ago get some help...

Clapton Recounts Pain, Triumph

Oct 28, 2007 1:01 PM CDT

Clapton Recounts Pain, Triumph

Addictions, death of son brought guitar legend to his knees

(Newser) - "Slowhand" takes up a pen in Clapton: The Autobiography. Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll—it’s all there in guitar legend Eric Clapton’s memoir. There’s also the death of a child and more than one journey to sobriety. Vanity Fair excerpts the poignant tale of...

Sweden
Serves Up
a New Pop Sensation

Oct 27, 2007 2:30 PM CDT

Sweden Serves Up a New Pop Sensation

Jens Lekman is the real deal, raves Slate critic

(Newser) - Get ready for a new Swedish invasion—Slate writer Stephen Metcalf says pop musician Jens Lekman is about the best thing ever (and his 4-year-old daughter thinks so, too). Lekman is strongly influenced by Stephin Merritt, Morrissey, and Belle and Sebastian, but he is still "a different bird,"...

'Gripping' Album Tops Doherty
Tabloid Drama

Oct 24, 2007 4:11 PM CDT

'Gripping' Album Tops Doherty Tabloid Drama

Babyshambles' latest draws thumbs up, thumbs down

(Newser) - Kate Moss' ex, Pete Doherty, may have a rep as a “tawdry drug monster,” but detractors' opinions are sullying his band's great music, says Uncut, giving 5 of 5 stars to Babyshambles’ new release, Shotter’s Nation. The band's previous effort succeeded on “flinty spectrality,” but...

Reggae Star Gunned Down

Oct 19, 2007 12:45 PM CDT

Reggae Star Gunned Down

Lucky Dube killed in front of children during carjacking

(Newser) - Lucky Dube, South Africa’s best-selling reggae singer, was shot and killed in front of his children during an apparent carjacking last night outside Johannesburg. The murder sparked calls for a national crackdown on violent crime, Reuters reports. “The circumstances surrounding his murder again illustrate that violent crime in...

Young's Latest Wanders

Oct 16, 2007 4:27 PM CDT

Young's Latest Wanders

(Newser) - The tracks on Neil Young’s new Chrome Dreams II alternate between “bursts of earnest declarations” and “epic, slow-burn rockers”—including the 18-minute “Ordinary People,” says the Boston Globe. Some show the bravado of last year’s barnstormer, Living With War, but Shakey sometimes ends...

Labels Team Up to Bruise iTunes

Oct 12, 2007 2:12 PM CDT

Labels Team Up to Bruise iTunes

Universal leads effort against Apple's control of prices; new store part of plan

(Newser) - Universal Music is acting on industry-wide anger toward iTunes’ policies, teaming with Sony and potentially Warner on a new subscription service that could make music essentially free. Still a prototype, Total Music would charge makers of music players $5 a month, PC World reports; they would then offer unlimited downloads...

Fogerty Comes Home on Revival

Oct 2, 2007 12:37 PM CDT

Fogerty Comes Home on Revival

Or maybe the CCR frontman never left

(Newser) - Heartland rock legend John Fogerty is finally reclaiming his Creedence Clearwater Revival youth with an excellent new solo record, aptly titled Revival. The release marks a major turning point in the CCR frontman’s story, as he’s back with original label Fantasy Records and is finally discussing his old...

Irish Smoking Ban Good for Lungs ... of Instruments

Sep 29, 2007 12:36 PM CDT

Irish Smoking Ban Good for Lungs ... of Instruments

Musicians benefit from clean pub air

(Newser) - The air isn’t the only thing that’s cleaner in Ireland’s pubs these days. Since the country stubbed out pub smoking in 2004, musicians have been getting clearer sounds out of traditional Irish instruments. It’s a lot easier to keep clean bellows-driven devices such as accordions and...