Music News 01 2006

Lilys, Queensryche, Morrissey, Lacuna Coil, Weezer, Luke Haines, The Streets, Bloc Party, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Lilys new album

by: Marco Gandolfi

American shoegazing stalwarts Lilys are gearing up to release Everything Wrong Is Imaginary in early March on Manifesto Records.

Head Lily Kurt Heasley, possibly one of the tallest men in indie rock, has assembled a new cast of characters for the forthcoming opus Everything Wrong Is Imaginary. The band has had many musicians periodically join its ranks but the glue has always remained Heasley and his seductive songwriting skills.www.myspace.com/thelilys.

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=8936

Queensryche get new deal:

The progressive metal band Queensryche is announcing it has signed with Rhino Records.

Rhino is scheduled to release 'Operation:mindcrime II' in January 2006. This is the eagerly awaited sequel to Queensryche's groundbreaking 1988 concept album 'Operation:mindcrime.'

"'Operation:mindcrime II' is about revenge and what it does to people -- their emotions and the situations they find themselves in," says Tate, who conceived the sequel's direction last year while working on a screenplay based on the original album.

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Morrissey on New Album:

Describing the sound of his new record - which is expected for release on March 27 - Morrissey revealed: "If you hear the new album you will notice a marked difference in sound, principally due to both (band-mates) Michael Farrell and to Jesse (Tobias). Personally and musically, Jesse has made a big impact - 'You Have Killed Me', 'The Youngest Was The Most Loved', 'In The Future When All's Well', 'I Just Want To See The Boy Happy'... these songs, especially, fully release the hounds."

He added: "There are no Boz (Boorer - guitar) songs on this album, but strangely, it is the album on which Boz has been most involved and had such a massive input. Boz is 24-hour non-stop, and if impetus lulls, Boz steers everyone back on track."

'Ringleader Of The Tormentors' will be preceded by the single 'You Have Killed Me', but an exact release date has yet to be confirmed.

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=8946

Lacuna Coil new album:

Century Media Records has set an April 4th world-wide release date for Lacuna Coil's upcoming new album ''Karmacode."

The album's lead track, "Our Truth," will receive its worldwide debut on the Underworld: Evolution soundtrack on January 10th.

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=8953

Weezer New Material:

Weezer have been working on new material for the follow up to 2005's 'Make Believe'.

The band were rumoured to be close to quitting due to the fact that lead singer/songwriter River Cuomo is set to return to Harvard University in February to complete his degree in English Literature.

"It's not going to be entirely quiet on the Weezer 'hood not by a long shot," a posting on the bands official site reads. "Everyone is planning on writing music and indeed a good deal of the songs have already been created while the band was still on tour this fall. Rivers returns to college this spring and everyone...continues to work towards a musical future... Only time will tell when the Weezer machine will get back into full gear."

The band also are planning to release a live DVD of their recent Japanese tour, culled from their three night performance at Tokyo's Studio Coast.

"We've got the footage; now it's a matter of putting it together. I don't have any info as a projected release time yet, but it will happen in '06 for sure," the statement continued.

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=8957

Sonic Youth Eye 2006 Release:

Sonic Youth have been working on a new album - with a planned 2006 release date.

The as-yet-untitled album will be the follow up to 2004's 'Sonic Nurse'.

In a posting on the band's official website, they revealed they had been recording at Sear Sound Studio, where they had put together 1987's 'Sister' and 1994's'Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star'.

New songs recorded include:

'Pink Steam'
'Do You Believe In Rapture?'
'Or'
'Sleepin Around'

http://www.music-news.com/ShowNews.asp?nItemID=8958

Luke Haines Solo Album:

Luke Haines has announced details of a one-off show set to take place in London later this month.

The singer will be appearing at the Islington Academy on January 25 with a full band and playing a career-spanning set.

The gig is also likely to include the former Auteurs frontman debuting material from his new solo album - rumoured to be called 'Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop' - due for release in May.

Potential tracks from the LP include 'The Walton Hop', 'Freddie Mills Is Dead', 'Leeds United' and 'Bad Reputation (The Glitter Band)'.

Haines' last release - a retrospective CD box set entitled 'Luke Haines Is Dead' - was released in July last year and featured solo work alongside tracks by The Auteurs, Baader Meinhof and Black Box Recorder.

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The Streets New Album in April:

The Streets have revealed that their new album will be called 'The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living'.

The album, due for release on April 11, is also loosely based on Mike Skinner's life after the success of 2004's 'A Grand Don't Come For Free'.

'It isn't a narrative,' Skinner told NME. 'But to be honest I don't think I could write an album without feeling like there are plots going on. Actually this album is a true story. After 'A Grand Don't Come For Free' I was like, 'What am I going to write about?' I can't moan I've got no money any more, but then it gradually dawned on me that my life is so crazy! You'd never believe some of the stuff that's happened to me along the way in countries far away.'

Skinner spent the summer recording his third album at home and then he went to New York in October to finish the tracks. He worked with an engineer who would email over the sounds Skinner requested and The Streets frontman would put the pieces of the record together.

Skinner revealed that he wanted Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani to appear on the new album. He said: 'I've spoken to loads of people - it could prove difficult. Maybe on the next album we'll do it, but it's definitely an idea I'd like to pursue.'

He also revealed some unlikely influences. 'I love The Smiths, but to me it all sounds quite similar - I want to be more like The Who. Every album I make I want to move the sound on. The first one was grungey garage, the second was really slow and dark. This album is going to be a bit more polished and bit faster, hopefully exciting.'

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Bloc Party back in the studio:

Bloc Party are set to return to the studio this month and begin working on the follow up to 'Silent Alarm'.

Kele Okereke told NME.COM that he is keen to get into the studio and start putting down the tracks for the follow-up to their debut.

He mentioned that the new album with be more considered than their debut.

He said: "With 'Silent Alarm' I wanted to talk about how it felt being a 20-year-old in the western world. I think a lot of kids, me especially, just kind of felt in their 20s that they had all this passion, and it was very hard to find a focus. And that's what I want 'Silent Alarm' to represent.

"I don't want things to be as brash as they were. Slightly more considered: that's where the next record's going. But that's not to say we're going to turn all MOR!"

He added: "There are some great songs on 'Silent Alarm' that I'm really proud of, and with the next record we're looking to explore those ideas more fully. I think 'Silent Alarm''s a great album but I know now from the things that we've seen and heard throughout this year that we have it in us to make better records."

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RHCP Name New Double Album:

Red Hot Chili Peppers spoke to NME.COM about their new album 'Stadium Arcadium'.

The double album, set for release in April, is produced by long time collaborator Rick Rubin, and was originally intended as a trilogy, released six months apart.

Singer Anthony Kiedis said: "The third record made it interesting for us, because two records have been done in different configurations. System [Of A Down] did it. Guns N' Roses did something similar, but three seemed sort of special, and we really got behind this idea until we realised that the third record wouldn't really be coming out for two years. It was like, 'This music needs to be heard now,' and two years from now we'll have new songs."

The first single from the album will be 'Danni California', named after a character who also featured in their single 'By The Way'.

He continued: "She makes a new and more profound appearance on 'Stadium Arcadium'. It's kind of the last chapter of this young girl's life, but it speaks of a cultural death on the west coast of the USA, a certain death and a rebirth in a way, out with the old, in with the new, from specifically the state we hail."

Other songs slated for inclusion are 'Charlie', 'Desecration Smile' and 'Hard To Concentrate'. A tour is also in the planning stages, with UK shows in spring.

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