Music News & Notes

Taproot: New Album Artwork Unveiled

Michigan-based hard rock quartet Taproot will release its fifth album, "Plead The Fifth", on April 13 via Victory Records. The CD was recorded on farm in Sullivan, Michigan with producer Tim Patalan.

Taproot guitarist Mike DeWolf recently told AOL's Noisecreep that "Plead The Fifth" will sound closer to the band's 2000 debut, "Gift", than 2008's "Our Long Road Home", which was progressive in nature.

"We're definitely making it as heavy as possible and aggressive while still keeping a lot of the beautiful melodies and just the general beauty of things in it," he said of the forthcoming disc. "We're using a lot more of our baritone guitars, which was sort of the signature of the 'Gift' and 'Welcome' [2002] years, so that immediately makes things a lot heavier."




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GOD.FEAR.NONE: 'Over Black Clouds' Artwork Revealed

Greek death metallers GOD.FEAR.NONE will release their new album, "Over Black Clouds", later in the year. The CD contains 11 new songs of technical and melodic death metal, plus three re-recordings of songs taken from the "Vultures" album, which was released in 2007 (available only through iTunes and Uppercut Music). For more information, visit www.myspace.com/godfearnone.








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Rare Brazilian Psychedelic 45s Released on New CD

'Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas: Tropicalia Psychedelic Masterpieces 1967-1976' is the title of a newly issued compilation CD containing 16 extremely rare recordings from the heyday of early heavy Brazilian rock. Released on Tropicalia in Furs Records, the collection, compiled by Joel Stones, includes what is described in a press release as "some of the rarest and best examples of fuzzy, funky Brazilian psychedelia," all of it previously un-reissued and newly remastered.

The package also includes a 36-page full-color booklet stuffed with detailed annotation (in both English and Portuguese) and vivid images. In addition, also included is an enhanced CD, 'What are Fuzz Bananas?,' a documentary on the making of the album. A vinyl two-LP gatefold edition includes a 48-page booklet and 3-D glasses. Examples of the artwork can be found here and the album in either configuration can be purchased here. (http://www.stonesthrow.com/store/album/various/brazilian-guitar-fuzz-bananas)

The gatefold 2LP comes with an oversized 12x12” full color booklet with all of the liner notes and photos from the CD and contains original artwork on the inside (3D glasses included in the first pressing).

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SEVENDUST: 'Cold Day Memory' Artwork Unveiled

Atlanta, Georgia's SEVENDUST will release its new album, "Cold Day Memory", on April 20 via the band's own 7Bros. Records through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. The CD was recorded at Groovemaster Studios in Chicago, Illinois with producer Johnny K (DISTURBED, STAIND, MACHINE HEAD). "Cold Day Memory" marks SEVENDUST's first studio recording with the band's original lineup since 2003's "Seasons".

SEVENDUST's new single, "Unraveling", was released via iTunes on March 2 and is available to stream on the the band's MySpace page. (http://www.myspace.com/sevendust)











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Harvey Milk Ready New Album

Athens scuzz-rock survivors Harvey Milk cranked out Life... The Best Game in Town in 2008, which was a crushing slab of bottom-heavy, generally unfriendly metal that landed them Pitchfork's Best New Music section. On May 18, they'll follow that late-career triumph with a new full-length, A Small Turn of Human Kindness, via Hydra Head.

That ominous-looking photo above is the album's cover art, and below, you'll find a list of the album's seven songs, arranged sequentially. And yes, the album really does lead off with a song called "*"; that's not a typo. The other titles read something like a very sad short story.

Harvey Milk will spend their spring touring North America with fellow eardrum-abusing veterans like Converge and Coalesce.










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Nada Surf Covers LP

Nada Surf have a new covers album called If I Had a Hi-Fi. On June 8, Nada Surf's own Mardev Records will release the album, which includes their takes on tracks from Spoon, Kate Bush, Depeche Mode, and more. Until then, you'll only be able to buy it at the band's shows. Holly Miranda and Calexico's Martin Wenk make guest appearances.

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Rolling Stones To Record New Material 'This Year'

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has said he expects that the band will record new material before the end of 2010. The band's future has been uncertain since they completed their Bigger Bang world tour in 2007.

But in an interview with Rolling Stone, Richards said: “There’s no definite plans, but I can’t see any of them stopping.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we did some recording later this year.”

However, Richards, who is currently writing his autobiography, cast doubt over the Rolling Stones' future as a live act.  He said the group may consider scaling down any future concerts, despite the success of recent stadium tours.

“Maybe we’ll search for a different way for the Stones to go back on the road,” Richard said.

“Maybe not the football stadiums anymore. Maybe something different. You can’t go around there in lemon-yellow tights forever.”

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Sean Lennon Defends Yoko Over Controversial Advertisement

Sean Lennon came to the defense of his mother, Yoko Ono, over her perceived "selling out" of John Lennon's memory by licensing old footage for a Citroen D3 advertisement.

Lennon took to Twitter even before he had viewed the commercial, writing "She did not do it for money. Has to do w hoping to keep dad in public consciousness. No new LPs, so TV ad is exposure to young."

He then evidently viewed the actual commercial (see below) and added "Having just seen ad I realize why people are mad. But intention was not financial, was simply wanting to keep him out there in the world."

I agree to disagree here, Lennon would have never thought that this would be a way to keep him relevant. You would think that his music would be enough......Any other thoughts?