Harkening back to the externalized lyrical schematics of Happy Hollow, Cursive has just released a brand new digital single benefiting the American Indian College Fund. The orphaned, post-Mama I’m Swollen song blasts the way the United States has treated the American Indian Community with caustic, no holds barred lyrics. It’s slightly over the top, but lead singer Tim Kasher has never exactly tip-toed through his subjects over the years.

The band is currently on tour with Alkaline Trio (*):

03/08 – Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights *
03/09 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre *
03/10 – Harrisburg, PA @ The Abbey Bar
03/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero *
03/12 – New York, NY @ Nokia Theatre *
03/13 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom *
03/14 – Providence, RI @ Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel *
03/16 – Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre *
03/17 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southend *
03/18 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm *
03/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *
03/20 – Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird Live *
03/22 – Orlando, FL @ House of Blues *
03/23 – FT. Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution *
03/24 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Moon (Florida State Univ.)
03/25 – New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues *
03/26 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live *
03/27 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom *
03/28 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s *
03/29 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
03/30 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee *
04/01 – San Diego, CA @ House Of Blues *
04/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ House Of Blues (Sunset Strip) *
04/03 – Las Vegas, NV @ House Of Blues *

Dakota Fanning performs “Cherry Bomb” as Cherie Currie in The Runaways biopic along with Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett on guitar. Both Stewart’s and Fanning’s voices are used on the film’s soundtrack, and, I’ve got to say, they don’t sound half bad. With regard to this clip, I think Gawker’s Maureen O’Connor said it best: “Somewhere, Taylor Momsen is seething with envy.”

The Guardian’s Dr. John Briffa deconstructs the health benefits (or lack thereof) in the Gorillaz’ rider.

Murdoc’s rider

• A magnum of Dom Perignon 98 – love this mixed with orange juice

• Rum – Murdoc home-brew special. Must be at room temperature

• Malibu x 2 large bottles – beats having to climb coconut trees to brew my own

• Juicy, genetically modified chicken – legs and breast only – because I’m a genetically modified kind of guy!

• Heavily seasoned, tinned star-fish tuna

• Coconuts – I live on a plastic island in the middle of nowhere, coconuts are my life now!

• Diamante-studded bananas – what else would a member of Gorillaz eat?

• Green tea – for its detoxing properties, but also to keep my skin nice and green

• Lemon and jam sandwiches – bitter and twisted, like my ex-girlfriend

• A bowl of Maltesers with the chocolate sucked off

• Container of hot and spicy salsa

• Jar of self-righteous organic peanut butter

• 1 bottle of 100mg vitamin C

• 1 large bottle of Viagra

Gorillaz’ Plastic Beach is out this Tuesday, March 9 via Virgin. Watch the band try to escape Bruce Willis in the video for the first single, “Stylo.”

From the makers of my favorite album of 2008 comes “Spanish Sahara”, the first taste of Foals‘ sophomore record, Total Life Forever, due out May 10 via Sub Pop. “Spanish Sahara” reveals the band utterly transformed. The progressive dance-punk of Antidotes is nowhere to be found here. Instead, the band has moved into a much moodier, complex, and layered template. Granted, this may or may not be indicative of the album as a whole, but I think it makes a strong statement in that it doesn’t inherently cater to Foals’ fanbase. The video suits the song’s sprawling melody and textured effects. It grows on you as it builds. To download a remix of this song for the price of an email address, go here.

“On 22nd March Domino Records will be re-issuing the three Galaxie 500 studio albums on vinyl (with download voucher) and double CD packages.” (via)

Her voice is haunting.

Despite the Enya vibe I get from this, I love it. (swiped from Tug, who shares my love of JJ

Well, you’re going to be super-stoked because not only is INXS putting out a new record, it’s also kinda/sorta simultaneously putting out an old record but with new singers on old songs. Sound awesome? Or more like a desperate attempt to drum up some business, using the cheapest, most shameless means possible? Well, it gets better. INXS has ditched realitygameshowelvisimpersonator singer JD Fortune, the grand prize “winner” of Rock Star: INXS, for the likes of Ben Harper for “Devil Inside” and Brandon Flowers for “Beautiful Girl.” The low point will surely be Rob Thomas’ Spanish rap version of “Original Sin.” INXS’ original and long-dead lead singer, Michael Hutchence, has rolled over in his grave so many times at this point that he’d probably auto-asphyxiate himself all over again with this latest news. I know I would. Rob Thomas? Ack. I just can’t get over this band’s gall. Flogging a dead horse is an understatement. LET IT GO, GUYS. Surely to God you’ve saved up enough money at this point to relax on a beach somewhere. Is it really necessary to dig up the corpse of your past glories to try and squeeze out a few more shekels? I know you didn’t have the most credibility in rock’s pantheon to begin with, but some of your early stuff was passable, if not pretty good. This is just desperate and sad. I can’t think of a band with less integrity at this point.

With its first new album in two decades launching this April, Devo is poised to prove to the world that Devolution is real, looking only slightly rounder for the wear. The band played during prime time at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver two nights ago with a smattering of classics like “Uncontrollable Urge” as well as its new single “Fresh”, which you can download at Club Devo for the price of an email address. While you’re there, you can participate in Devo’s corporate color study (I’m a red). Devo has re-signed with Warner Bros., it’s original home, for a 360 deal to cover the new album, reissues, and touring. The band will play this year’s Coachella festival to celebrate the new record’s release.

Came across this interview/cover of the Peter Gabriel song by Stephin Merritt. Part of a project of covers. Odd. Not One of Us. Interesting to hear Stephin’s comments.

Seriously?! Already on Letterman?

This album has grown on my ears like a fungus. So good, but so not my style. Something about Beach House harkens back to Red House Painters for me. No idea why.

I give in. This is good. (via Tug3000, twice)

Love them or hate them, Vampire Weekend know how to polarize and confuse an audience. The band’s new video for “Giving Up the Gun” features Joe Jonas, Lil John, Jake Gyllenhaal, and RZA. The WTF-iness of it all is a spectacle in and of itself, but the video is nothing if not amusing. Surreal is probably a more apt description. But it’s beautifully shot and the bizarro cast gives great performances. I’m not sure about Ezra Koenig’s headband, though.

Universal Studios is finally moving forward on the Kurt Cobain biopic with Oren Moverman set to direct and supervise the screenplay. Having written the screenplay for Denis Johnson’s novel-turned-film Jesus’ Son and having directed last year’s critically lauded The Messenger, Moverman has a level of credibility that shows that Universal is at least taking this somewhat seriously. These rock star biopics can cheese up in a hurry, turning into laughably embarrassing caricatures of everyone and everything portrayed. Val Kilmer’s turn as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s The Doors springs to mind. But, hopefully, Anton Corbijn’s respectful and artful handling of the Ian Curtis story in his film Control will set the standard from which this Cobain project can learn. Casting will also be the sink-or-swim variable here, as the actor chosen will actually sing the Nirvana songs heard in the film, which will be no small feat. [via Rock Daily]

After a somewhat acrimoniously worded letter of departure some 14 years ago, Alan Wilder has returned to Depeche Mode for a one-off show at London’s Royal Albert Hall benefiting the Teenage Cancer Trust. The keyboardist and occasional drummer (and probably the most natural musician of the group) took to the stage to play piano on the Martin Gore-penned classic “Somebody.” Wilder told NME that singer Dave Gahan reached out to him and assured him that the entire band was welcoming of the idea. A fan captured the reunion on his phone, so the quality is somewhat lacking:

There is no word on any future plans for the quartet to work together again. The last album the band completed as a foursome was 1993’s Songs of Faith and Devotion.

The “reunited” Hole (which is actually just Courtney Love with some random session musicians suffering through watered down Grunge 4.0…in 2010!) performed a new song, “Samantha”, on BBC TV show Friday Night With Jonathan Ross last week. Playing live has never exactly been Love’s strong suit, but what is? Not singing. Not typing. Not motherhood. Drug-taking and self-aggrandizement? Sure. She’s good at a few things.

Well, according to Molly Ringwald, he did. Writer David Kamp’s recent tribute to John Hughes, the godfather of 80’s teen-angst for film, was a feature spread in Vanity Fair, which also included a few sidebar interviews with some of the actors synonymous with Hughes’ films. In Ringwald’s segment, she talks about her teenage obsession with The Cure (which still stands to this day) and playing the band’s uncharacteristically jubilant single “The Lovecats” for the late director, who then began a screenplay. Hughes even showed Ringwald his ideas for the soundtrack, which, inexplicably, featured lots of Dave Brubeck tunes and, even stranger, a Bob Dylan song.

The Cure song that inspired it all: