MTV Newsroom › Music

Rage Against The Machine Aren't Making A New Album After All

Posted 5/5/11 2:17 pm EST by in Music


By Zachary Swickey
Rage Against the Machine have finally spoken up regarding rumors of a new album. After an interview between vocalist Zack de la Rocha and a Chilean newspaper got lost in translation last year, rumors quickly spread that the band were in the writing stage and about to hit the studio. We had our hopes, but through an interview with the Pulse of Radio, Tom Morello has put the rumors to rest with some rather buzzkill news:

"Right now there are no … You know, the band is not writing songs, the band is not in the studio," he said, while making his guitar go WICKY-WICKY-WAAAH (not really). "We get along famously and we all, you know, intend to do more Rage Against the Machine stuff in the future, but beyond sort of working out a concert this year, there’s nothing else on the schedule."

Read More...

Tags ,

Neil Young Sings About 'Love And War,' In The Shadow Of Bin Laden Killing

Posted 5/4/11 4:09 pm EST by in Music


CINCINNATI — I'm not sure what I was expecting. I've seen Neil Young probably a dozen times over the years and I know the rock legend isn't one to toss out emotional statements at his shows ... beyond the ones he makes with his trusty, fuzzed-out black Stratocaster and high and shaky voice, of course. The words and music are more than enough when your catalog includes everything from "Ohio" to "Rockin' in the Free World."

But when he touched down here on Tuesday (May 3) night for his first show since the killing of terror mastermind Osama bin Laden by U.S. Navy SEALs on Sunday, I thought maybe old Neil would need to get some things off his chest. Touring in support of his excellent new solo album, Le Noise, Young silently took the stage in a pair of comfy Levi's, a black T-shirt, a white linen jacket and a beat-up straw fedora. With minimal staging aside from a giant cigar store Indian, a few Tiffany-style lamps over his baby grand and upright pianos and his favorite pump organ, I knew the night would be a minimal affair.

As much as I hoped he'd stray from the set list of chestnuts and new tunes and bust out his Todd Beamer-inspired 9/11 anthem "Let's Roll," or something from his 2006 war protest album Living with War, Young opened gently with a trio of acoustic gems: "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)," "Tell Me Why" and "Helpless."

Read More...

Tags ,

J.Lo Contemplates 'Love' (And Love?) Through The Years

Posted 5/3/11 5:23 pm EST by in Music


By James Dinh

From Diddy to Ben Affleck and the many men in between, it's no secret that Jennifer Lopez's past was full of romantic woes. But even with her six-year (and counting) marriage to Marc Anthony, J.Lo still questions the many facets of love on her appropriately titled new album Love?, which hit stores today. "You still have questions. There's still so much to learn and that's why the question mark," the singer recently revealed on the "Today" show. "Love is the answer, but it's a question too. I think we always have to be challenging ourselves to be better."

Like many artists, Jenny from the Block has been singing about the ups and downs of love ever since her musical debut. In honor of her brand-new LP, we decided to take a look back at some of the entertainer's earlier perspectives on this oh-so-complicated topic.

"If You Had My Love" (1999): On her debut single, Jennifer confronts her admirer with a number of ground rules before they begin their relationship. "Now if I gave you me, this is how it's got to be/ First of all I won't take you cheatin' on me/ Tell me who can I trust if I can't trust in you/ And I refuse to let you play me for a fool" she sings on the Darkchild-produced number. It seems like the pop star lets her insecurities get the best of her in this one.

"Love Don't Cost a Thing" (2000): In addition to birthing the public persona known as "J.Lo," this track is also the tale of a materialistic relationship (full of credit cards and lavish gifts) on the lead single to her sophomore effort. "Think you gonna keep me iced, you don't/ Think I'm gonna spend your cash, I won't/ Even if you were broke/ My love don't cost a thing," Lopez sings during the chorus. Rumor has it that the tune was about her high-profile relationship with Diddy.

"Baby, I Love U!" (2002): Leave it to J.Lo to turn the somber music of John Barry's 1969 "Midnight Cowboy" score into a blissful (and kind of cheesy) tune about being a hopeless romantic. "What I wanna know is/ Are you willing to try?/ Can you love me for a lifetime/ In just one night?" she sings. R. Kelly also got into the mix of things when he hopped on a remix of the track. Cue the Bennifer references.

"I, Love" (2005): On this trippy mid-tempo Rebirth cut, Lopez tries to convince her lover how much she really does care for him, despite his ignorance. Suggesting that their chemistry is "not pretend" or "make believe," the pop star goes as far as saying she'd die before hurting her lover.

"Como Ama una Mujer" (2007): Love is a universal thing and J. Lo was eager to explore it in Spanish. In this track off her first Spanish-language album of the same name, Lopez sings about listening to her heart's instinct, regardless of the outcome.

"(What Is) Love?" (2011): After all these years, Jenny Lo still finds herself singing about her struggles with the search for her true love. From blind dates to church boys and even musicians, Lopez admits she's tried it all. While a part of Love?, this fan favorite was originally attached to her 2010 romantic comedy "The Back-up Plan."

What is your favorite J. Lo love-themed tune? Share your comment below.

Tags , ,

Smashing Pumpkins Drop Happy Teargarden Track, Tease More To Come

Posted 5/3/11 4:31 pm EST by in Music


Zach Swickey

The Smashing Pumpkins have treated us to yet another new tune from their 44-track behemoth endeavor Teargarden by Kaleidyscope. Song number 10 "Owata," which is streaming now on LAWeekly.com, is a departure from the usual dark, melancholic feel that the group is known for (this is a band who dubbed an album, Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, after all). Deriving its peculiar name from the past tense Japanese term for "to finish" or possibly a play on the lyrics, "Oh what a beautiful night!," the song opens to some fun, bouncy strings that catch the listener off-guard.

Singer/mastermind Billy Corgan sounds upbeat with the keyboards adding the audio equivalent of the sun's rays. The chugging drums contrast against the smooth plucks of the acoustic guitar, and the song can't help but force you to crack a smile as you bounce along to this newfound positivity. While the group has fallen short of their "one song a month" goal for Teargarden, it is hard to complain when the music is free.
Read More...

Tags ,

Beastie Boys' 'Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two': The Reviews Are In!

Posted 5/3/11 4:12 pm EST by in Music


Zachary Swickey

Who would've thought that three Jewish white boys could rap? All right, so MCA, Mike D and Ad-Rock – known to the music world as the Beastie Boys – proved that 25 years ago with the release of Licensed to Ill, a sample-heavy album that probably helped contribute to our current copyright laws.

But who would've thought that three Jewish boys could still rap in their mid-40s?

Well, the Beastie Boys have done just that with the recent release of Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two, the sequel/retooling of the album we never heard due to Adam "MCA" Yauch's cancer diagnosis back in 2009. Following two lackluster releases, Part Two may just be the best work the group has brought us in the 21st century. Since our ears have had time to get acquainted with the new tunes, we took a look at what the music world at large has to say about the album.

Rolling Stone magazine seems to be the biggest proponent of the Boys' eighth record and views it as a return to form: "We get the sound of master musicians in their comfort zone, doing everything their own way. Nobody would want to hear the Beasties try anything else."

The publication also credits the group's self-production skills and points out that the Boys could care less about their age with Ad-Rock proudly boasting, "Oh my God, just look at me/ Grandpa been rapping since '83!" (4/5 stars) Read More...

Tags , , , ,

Kid Rock: The Confederate-Flag Flying NAACP Hero?

Posted 5/2/11 5:29 pm EST by in Music


By Zach Swickey

It has been a while since Kid Rock was considered "controversial" by the music world, but that changed with his acceptance of the Detroit NAACP's Great Expectations Award. At Sunday night's annual Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner, a small group of about 50 people took to picketing outside the Cobo Center — not due to Rock's questionable lyrics or the hard-partying lifestyle he promotes, but rather due to his common use of the Confederate flag, which the protesters promptly set on fire to further illustrate their frustrations. Attended by nearly 10,000 people, the annual fundraiser was an opportunity for the Michigan-native to defend himself.

"I love America. I love Detroit, and I love black people," Rock said on Sunday night, according to The Associated Press.

Rock's selection as an honoree had been criticized from the beginning by some who feel the Confederate flag remains a symbol of oppression and racism, which conflicts with the ideology of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Read More...

Tags

Metal's Big 4 Coming to Yankee Stadium: What Other Big Fours Should Tour?

Posted 5/2/11 12:03 pm EST by in Music


It was the heavy metal throwdown nobody thought would ever happen. Until it did. And in light of the rapturous reviews for the recent Big 4 gig in Indio, California, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax and poised to give East Coast metal heads a good thrashing.

As promised, the badass quartet will do it all over again with a September 14 gig at Yankee Stadium in New York.. Tickets go on sale this Friday (May 6), and though we're super-stoked for another shot to see the one-of-a-kind meeting of the metal minds, it got us thinking about other awesome "Big Four" combos that could fill stadiums.
Read More...

Tags , , , , , ,

Modest Mouse And Big Boi's Team Up Has Us Thinking

Posted 4/29/11 2:42 pm EST by in Music


Big BoiBy Zachary Swickey
We’ve been longing for a new Modest Mouse record for a while now, and it appears our cries have been answered through Twitter (truly the the hotspot for collaboration reveals these days.) Sir Lucious Left Foot himself — aka Big Boi of OutKast — is keeping this fad alive by tweeting about his trip to the studio of the indie icons:

"Been camped out in the Lab with Modest Mouse all week, workin on the new mouse LP, coolest cats ever. Long Live the Funk."

Long live the funk, indeed! That’s all the evidence we have for now (not even a Twitpic, Daddy Fat Sax?!?), but any of sign of a new Modest Mouse record is well-received by us. And while this collaboration may sound pretty out there to some music fans, rap/rock collabos of the WTF-nature are abundant in years past. Here’s four that might have you raising your eyebrows:

"Judgment Night: Official Soundtrack"
Helping Emilio Estevez establish some street cred, this ’93 soundtrack is chock full of — what were considered at the time — to be positively groundbreaking collaborations. Cypress Hill team up on two tracks with Sonic Youth and Pearl Jam. Ice-T's epically awesome Body County join forces with Satan's favorite minions, Slayer. Helmet get together with House of Pain, Mudhoney get down with Sir Mix-A-Lot, Living Colour spazz out with Run-D.M.C. ... nearly 20 years later, this album still rules.

Chef Aid: The 'South Park' Album
A 1998 "South Park" episode featuring a music benefit for character Chef (voiced by the late Isaac Hayes) spun off a soundtrack of its own. "Nowhere to Run" features electronic outfit the Crystal Method providing the music and DMX, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Ozzy Osbourne providing the growl. "Will They Die 4 You" features the unlikely tandem of System of a Down and Diddy (not to mention Mase and Lil' Kim). Oh, and somewhat fittingly, the whole thing was produced by Rick Rubin.

Read More...

Tags , ,

Hey Modest Mouse, Rage Against The Machine: Get Back In The Studio!

Posted 4/28/11 3:02 pm EST by in Music


By Jett Wells
Chances are, if your favorite band is AWOL because of hiatus, retirement, boredom, or buzzkill bickering, you don't care about them resolving their issues as much as you just want more music. Let’s be honest; we don’t have to be reasonable when it comes to this subject. Recently, news broke that Swedish duo noir the Knife were in the studio working on their new album, an announcement that had to give fans of the group reason to rejoice. So why stop there? There are plenty of acts that need to put down the tequila smoothies, make a cup of coffee and hit the studio again, because they’ve all been gone too long. Here's a look at some of them. And as for you, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, we'll talk about this so-called "retirement" another time.

Passion Pit
Sure, they’re still considered a "new" band, but in the two years since their breakout Manners LP, 2009's "It band" has done zilch. And while we'll admit they've earned the right to sit around some more, there's no time like the present to form a legacy. That is unless they suffer from the recurrent sophomore slump.

Rage Against the Machine
Arguably one of the most innovative and exciting bands to come out of 1990s, Rage Against the Machine ended at the top of their game a decade ago. Of course, even their most fervent of fans will have to admit everything that happened in the 2000s — Zack de la Rocha's departure, Audioslave, etc — has been a bit of a bummer. Recently, there have been rumblings of a new album, which is definitely a good thing ... because these days, we need Rage's, well, rage more than ever.

Read More...

Tags , , , ,

'American Idol' Castoff Stefano Langone Answers MTV News' 10 Questions

Posted 4/27/11 6:42 pm EST by in MTV News, Music, Television


By Alex Mohr, with reporting by Jim Cantiello

Stefano Langone sang his heart out to be a finalist on "American Idol"; however, number seven did not prove to be so lucky for him. Last Thursday, Stefano's rendition of "Closer" resulted in him getting farther from the "Idol" title. A few days after his elimination, Stefano stopped by the MTV News studio to answer some hard-hitting questions (and by hard hitting, we mean completely ludicrous).

Stefano may not have a record deal like recent castoff Pia Toscano is rumored to have, but that doesn't mean he's going to stop trying to win over the hearts of America. He revealed to our own Jim Cantiello that his debut album would be named Right Path, and we can't help but root for Stefano to find that path and make it his own. After all, his favorite show on TV right now is "Survivor"; surely he's picked up some techniques throughout the past 22 seasons.

Hidden in between the serious questions Cantiello had to ask, we did manage to squeeze in some ridiculous queries, like "Would you rather have pancake batter shoot out of your navel or sweat sweet tea?" We highly recommend watching if you think this is not "The End of the Road" (snort) for Stefano.

Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Tags ,

26272829303132333435