Music News & Notes

Incubus Greatest Hits Collection Release - 'Monuments And Melodies'

Incubus' "Monuments and Melodies" started out as "a contractual obligation," according to guitarist Michael Einziger, who tells Billboard.com that he and his bandmates "weren't really excited at first" about putting together a best-of collection. But they eventually changed their tune.

"It was almost like we were trying to come up with an excuse to go on tour for the summer," Einziger explains, "and we started really thinking about the idea of putting out a greatest hits album and having that as the excuse to accompany the tour we were planning. And then as we started planning it, it became really obvious that greatest hits records are really important to the legacy of any band. I was introduced to most of the groups I grew up listening to -- artists like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley and the Doors -- through their greatest hits records.

Monuments and Melodies" includes one disc of hits from Incubus' six studio albums as well as two new songs, "Black Heart Inertia" and "Midnight Swim," recorded in Los Angeles during Einziger's last winter break from Harvard University, where he's been "just taking courses for personal enjoyment." The second disc features rarities, including a newly recorded cover of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy." The set is also available on four vinyl LPs, and copies of the album come with a unique code that will allow buyers to access a new section of exclusive music, photos and other material at a special section called The Vault on the enjoyincubus.com web site.

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Turbo Fruits celebrate vinyl release

The former members of Be Your Own Pet haven’t done much laying low since the Nashville punk success story called it quits last year.

Singer Jemina Pearl and drummer John Eatherly, now based in New York, have been finishing a new record up north; founding drummer Jamin Orrall and brother Jake continue to record and tour as Jeff the Brotherhood; and guitarist Jonas Stein’s side project-turned-main project Turbo Fruits has a new vinyl offering, courtesy of respected blues/blues-rock label Fat Possum.

The Turbo Fruits celebrate the release of that new Fat Possum 7-inch vinyl release (“Mama’s Mad Cos I Fried My Brain” backed with “Lotta Lotta Ladies,” which take Be Your Own Pet’s punk grit and add some bluesy swerve and an appealing ’50s-pop sensibility)

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Destroyer Takes on "Bay of Pigs" on New Release

Dan Bejar's songwriting outfit drops its Bay of Pigs release Aug. 18 from Merge Records. The two-song cut's been tipped as an EP by the label, mostly because of its long running time: Both tunes clock in at more than 20 minutes of music, combined. The EP/single is only being released on vinyl, so sorry modern music fans.

Bay of Pigs' track listing is:

Bay of Pigs
Ravers

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Rapper Jay-Z close to a deal with Sony

Rapper Jay-Z is close to signing a deal that will bring his future recordings to Sony, sources told Billboard.

The deal, which will link Jay-Z's Roc Nation releases with Sony's Epic Records for distribution, "is 95% complete," according to people familiar with the negotiations. A formal announcement is expected in the coming weeks.

Just last week, Jay-Z confirmed his departure from longtime label home Def Jam, where he was once president and CEO. His split from the Universal Music Group-owned label reportedly cost him $5 million, but left him in control of his future master recordings. Jay-Z's eleven solo records (including the live "Unplugged" album) and collaborations with Linkin Park and R. Kelly have sold more than 29 million units according to Nielsen SoundScan.

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Rodgers To Write New Material

Now that his stint with Queen has ended, Paul Rodgers is just waiting for the end of his current Bad Company gig to spend the rest of the year relaxing and writing new material for a solo project.

"Frankly, I have a fantastic happy home and I overlook the lake. And I actually want to spend some more time creating the music. Y'know, one of my dreams was always to have a piano -- a room with a piano overlooking the ocean or a lake. Well, I have that and I'd like to spend some time on it if I may, please. So that's what I plan to do this year."

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Beyonce Helping Her Fans

Good news in the concert arean as Beyoncé is said to be offering fans a bargain-basement price on some tickets to her summer tour: $20. One thousand 20-buck tickets will go on sale tomorrow, May 29th, to all North American shows on her “I Am … Tour” except for her Vegas gig at the Encore. Well done!