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Happy Birthday Beck!

Posted 7/8/11 1:15 pm EST by in Music


Friday (July 8 ) is the 41st birthday of one Bek David Campbell, the multitasking musician/producer/artist/amateur Gutenberg better known to the world as Beck. This is somewhat shocking for several reasons, chief among them the fact that he doesn't look a day over 12.

And though his musical output has dwindled some in recent years (aside from, you know, his ongoing "Record Club" series and production work for Thurston Moore and Steven Malkmus ... like we said, dude's a multitasker), we here in the MTV Newsroom remain unabashed Beck fans, and we anxiously await the day he returns with the follow-up to 2008's moody Modern Guilt. Or, better yet, the spiritual sequel to '99's Midnite Vultures.

In fact, the mere mention of those two albums — and the musical disparity between them — pretty much sums up why we love Beck so much. He truly is a man for all seasons (and styles), capable of churning out ethereal fare like "Chemtrails" one minute, ass-flaming party starters like "Sexx Laws" the next (to say nothing of "Debra," the white-boy slow jam to end all white-boy slow jams). Simply put, there isn't a genre out there that he hasn't tried his hand at, or, for that matter, totally made his own.

So in celebration of Beck's birthday, here's a look back at his epochal 1994 appearance on "120 Minutes," where he tears up a finger painting included in a first-pressing copy of his A Western Harvest Field By Moonlight LP (a shame, since it's probably worth big bucks now), destroys a telephone and plays some noise on his trusty portable tape recorder ... and that's just in the first segment. So, enjoy, and make sure to send Beck a happy birthday message. We're sure he'll enjoy reading it ... wherever he is these days.

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R.E.M.'s Collapse Into Now Continues Bold Tradition Of All-Video Albums

Posted 3/7/11 2:30 pm EST by in Music


By Amber Colson

In the rock world, it's difficult to stay relevant for five years, let alone stay vital for 30. But R.E.M., the band who essentially invented indie rock, have done just that, and they're about to take another bold step through the 21st century with their new album Collapse Into Now (which hits stores on Tuesday, March 8th). This time around, the band has a bold plan in place for the new album: They plan to release a video for every single song on the album in the coming months. Frontman Michael Stipe announced that 2011 Oscar host James Franco will be directing a pair of clips, and other collaborators include filmmaker Sam Taylor-Wood (director of the John Lennon biopic "Nowhere Boy") and documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (the man behind such classics as "Grey Gardens" and the Rolling Stones concert film "Gimme Shelter").

But while Stipe's project is pretty ambitious, it's not the first stab at making an album's worth of music videos. Rob Zombie released full-length videos for each song on his 1998 album Hellbilly Deluxe, while Beck released a DVD with homemade videos for each song from 2006's The Information (most of which were incredibly low-fi and shot for only a few dollars). Former System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian also released music videos for each song off his 2007 solo album Elect the Dead.

The trend won't stop with R.E.M. in 2011 either, as both Foo Fighters and Drowning Pool have talked about embarking on a similar project for their forthcoming albums. As for R.E.M., they have already begun the process of rolling out their clips with an electric clip for Collapse Into Now's first single "Mine Smell Like Honey," which was directed by Dominic DeJoseph (who is also responsible for R.E.M.'s "Bittersweet Me" and "New Test Leper" videos).

What band would you like to see make a video for every song on an album? Let us know in the comments!

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'The Social Network,' 'Scott Pilgrim' And The Rest Of The Best Soundtracks Of 2010

Posted 12/22/10 1:30 pm EST by in Music


At some point over the past 20 years, movie soundtracks went from being well-curated mixtapes that served as companion pieces to the actual films in question to a simple conglomeration of throwaway hit singles and up-and-coming artists that labels are desperate to promote. So when a great movie soundtrack comes along, it feels extra special when compared to the developments of recent history. The MTV Newsroom Blog takes movie soundtracks very seriously, which is why we've been keeping close tabs on the developments in the soundtrack universe over the past 12 months. And while 2010 wasn't as great as, say, 1999 (the year that the accompanying albums to "Fight Club," "The Matrix," "Go" and "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut" all delivered exceptional results), there were still some excellent soundtracks this year. In no particular order, here are the five best movie soundtracks of 2010.

"The Social Network"
In addition to putting out the excellent debut EP from their new band How to Destroy Angels this year, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross also spent a bulk of their time scoring David Fincher's "The Social Network," crafting desolate soundscapes that provided the perfect compliment to the critically-acclaimed film. Reznor and Ross' music is never showy but does enough to remind you that it's there, and it somehow manages to express an awful lot despite its oft-minimalist qualities. It even manages to sound cold, which is an ideal compliment to Fincher's visual approach.

"Tron: Legacy"
Part of the excitement surrounding "Tron: Legacy" was the fact that Daft Punk would be releasing their first batch of original music since their awesome 2005 album Human After All. And while some may have been disappointed by the lack of dancefloor-shakers on the album, their futuristic approach to orchestral score (which is delightfully lush) turned heads in an all new way. "Tron: Legacy" proved that Daft Punk clearly have a lot more up their sleeves, and that's just as thrilling as "Derezzed."

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse"
Say what you will about the quality of the "Twilight" series, but the soundtracks have all been roundly excellent, featuring a good cross-section of tracks from the outer reaches of the rock world. Though "Eclipse" may have been the least commercially visible of all the soundtrack albums so far, it was also the most consistently great. The two singles (one by Muse, the other from Metric) are both fantastically sharp tunes, and the contributions from Vampire Weekend, the Dead Weather, Cee Lo Green, Bat For Lashes and the Black Keys (among many others) are all top-shelf and worthy of being centerpieces on their own albums.

"Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World"
"Scott Pilgrim" may have been the most music-centric flick of 2010 (the protagonist was a heroic bass player, after all), so it shouldn't be surprising that the accompanying soundtrack was clearly put together with a great deal of affection for the material. The borrowed songs are incredibly well curated (including Frank Black's "I Heard Ramona Sing," T. Rex's "Teenage Dream" and the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb"), but the true joys are the tracks by Pilgrim's fake band in the film (the most important of which — Sex Bob-Omb — is actually just Beck).

"Jonah Hex"
Sure, it was one of the worst-received movies of the year, but "Jonah Hex" did have at least one thing going for it: Mastodon, the progressive metal band who provided a bunch of new music to underscore the nightmarish tale of an undead something-or-other doing something-or-other. And here's the kicker: Apparently, the original soundtrack the band wrote was much heavier, but it unfortunately had to be scrapped because it accompanied scenes that were excised from the movie.

What was your favorite movie soundtrack of 2010? Let us know in the comments!

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Nicki Minaj Joins Foo Fighters And Ludacris Among VMA Pre-Show Luminaries

Posted 9/3/10 2:30 pm EST by in VMAs


The action at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards is certain to head up early, as Nicki Minaj will be helping to kick things off by making her solo television debut when she performs on the pre-show. She'll be rolling out her hit single "Your Love," and what's more, Minaj will be Minaj will be hosting a Twitter contest in which 10 fans will win a front-row seat to watch her performance (follow both @NickiMinaj and @MTVTJ for more details).

Minaj will be continuing on a tradition of high-profile artists who are able to use the VMA pre-show to make a big impression on the music world at large. A number of artists have used the VMA pre-show as a coming out party. Performances were first integrated into the pre-show in 1995, which saw Silverchair perform two songs ("Tomorrow" and "Pure Massacre") from their post-grunge debut Frogstomp. The following year, No Doubt and Beck both played the pre-show, establishing that being the opening act for the MTV Video Music Awards was a spot reserved for only high-profile and most buzz-heavy artists. Other future VMA regulars playing the pre-show include Rihanna, Blink-182, Ludacris and Fall Out Boy.

There was even an historic moment in rock history during a performance at the VMA pre-show. During the 1997 show, Foo Fighters guitarist Pat Smear announced that said show would be his last, and he was replaced for their second song by replacement ax man Franz Stahl (who was later replaced by current guitarist Chris Shifflet; Smear has since rejoined the band). Will there be any game-changing moments at this year's pre-show? You'll have to tune into the pre-show live on Sunday, September 12 at 8 p.m. on MTV.

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12 at 9 p.m. ET.

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Ready For The Scares Of 'The Last Exorcism' With Avenged Sevenfold, Beck And Kyuss

Posted 8/27/10 1:30 pm EST by in Music


If you are in the mood for a trip to the cinema this weekend, you have a handful of options. If you're looking for an excuse to return to Pandora in all its 3-D glory, the expanded edition of "Avatar" is back for your viewing pleasure. Want to indulge in a sexy-looking crime fantasy starring some of your favorite music stars? Join T.I., Chris Brown, Paul Walker, Zoe Saldana and Hayden Christensen in "Takers." But if you're looking to get the drop on some big scares in anticipation of the fall horror season, then there's only one option for you: "The Last Exorcism," a low-budget horror flick presented by "Hostel" director Eli Roth that follows an exorcist on his last job. It takes the "found footage" approach, often looking like a documentary gone awry (the man holding the camera becomes something of a character in the movie) and adds a whole bunch of scares, shocks and unnerving images for a fresh, fun take on the genre.

In order to properly prepare yourself for "The Last Exorcism," we have put together the playlist below. It's full of both the devil's music (Rob Zombie's "Demonoid Phenomenon," Children of Bodom's "Smile Pretty for the Devil," Deicide's "Homage for Satan") and songs about old Beelzebub himself (Viva Voce's "From the Devil Himself," The Colour's "Devil's Got a Holda Me"). There's also Avenged Sevenfold's "Nightmare" and Interpol's "Evil" (because of reasons should be self-evident) as well as Beck's "The Devil's Haircut," just for fun.

But we begin with an homage to exorcists everywhere with Kyuss' "Demon Cleaner." Enjoy all the clips and keep clicking, because an idle mind is the devil's playground

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Happy Birthday, Beck!

Posted 7/8/10 3:30 pm EST by in Music


By Rya Backer

On July 8 of every year, Beck (born Bek David Campbell) celebrates his birthday. This year, he turns the big 4-0. This is a big deal for a number of reasons, mostly because 40 tends to be a seminal age in a man's life and also because Beck is probably my favorite singer of all time.

When I was a teenager, I was so obsessed with Beck that I celebrated his birthday every year. There was no serious fanfare — it would usually involve getting a slice or an ice cream and saying something to the effect of, "This is for you, future husband! Happy happy!"

This morning, I celebrated by listening to his most perfect work: 1996's Odelay, an album I loved so much growing up I burned through three copies of it on cassette. (For the kids in the audience, those were like mini VHS' that were ... oh, you don’t know what VHS is? Never mind.) It's the gold standard for a perfect album, as very seldom do you want to skip a track, and all the songs sound fitting next to each other.

But my favorite Beck video of all time is probably "Sexx Laws" from my second favorite album of his, Midnite Vultures. I came home early from school to watch him debut the video on "TRL" and he had no idea he was there for the short's premiere. He kept on spoiling its concept until Carson Daly cut him off. So here's Beck and his band and a wind machine and a Jack Black cameo and some first-class dance moves!



What's your birthday wish for Beck? Let us know in the comments!

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Prince Says Internet Is 'Over,' But Radiohead, Trent Reznor And Others Beg To Differ

Posted 7/7/10 5:00 pm EST by in Music


Perhaps more than any artistic industry, the music business is deeply affected by the continuous evolution of technology. New recording processes are constantly being invented, formats are always shifting and people are regularly experimenting with new forms of distribution and marketing. Plenty of artists have embraced the Internet as a means of spreading their work around and creating a more intimate network of fans.

Prince is not one of those people. Yesterday, he told the U.K. Daily Mirror that that he thought the Internet was "completely over." In fact, he seems to be allergic to most all modern technology. "All these computers and digital gadgets are no good," he told the newspaper that will be giving away his next album 20Ten. "They just fill your head with numbers and that can't be good for you."

But there are a handful of artists who would disagree with Prince.

Radiohead
The platinum selling U.K. band shocked the world in 2007 when they released their seventh album In Rainbows not only as a surprise digital download but also under a "pay what you like" system. Listeners could pay however much they thought the album was worth, and they still managed to move several hundred thousand copies when the album was released in stores later in the year. Though the band have said that In Rainbows was merely an experiment they probably wouldn't ever return to, it should certainly be considered a successful one.

Trent Reznor
The man behind Nine Inch Nails loves the Internet and has been an early adopter of just about every major piece of digital technology introduced in the past two decades. Read More...

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'The Last Airbender' Soundtrack Playlist: Jordin Sparks And Hilary Duff Play With Fire

Posted 7/2/10 10:30 am EST by in Music


For anybody not interested in the three-way romance between a vampire, a werewolf and a sullen girl from the Seattle area has an alternative at the cinema this weekend in the form of "The Last Airbender." The M. Night Shyamalan-directed adaptation of the hit Nickelodeon show follows the ongoing war between four tribal nations in a fantasy universe. Each one is governed by a particular element: Air, Earth, Fire and Water. The evil head of the Fire tribe is on a quest for world domination, but in order to do that he has to dispatch all of the members of the Air tribe who can manipulate their element of choice (these people are called "benders"). It's a fantasy film based on a kid's television show, but it also is a flashy, effects-enhanced action flick of epic proportions.

Like any epic, it'll need a proper soundtrack for preparation. Hence the video playlist below, which pays tribute to each of the elements across a wide range of genres. If you side with Fire, there's Dragonforce's "Through Fire and Flames," Rage Against the Machine's "Sleep Now in the Fire" and Dev's "Fireball." For you Water types, check out PJ Harvey's "Down by the Water" and the Walkmen's "On the Water." Are you more of an Airbender? There's Jordin Sparks' "No Air" for you airbenders out there, and B. Dolan's "Earthmovers" should satisfy Earth tribe enthusiasts.

But we begin with Hilary Duff, whose "Play With Fire" is as fine an entrance as any to the world of elemental manipulation.

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Is The 'Eclipse' Soundtrack The Best Of The Series?

Posted 5/13/10 5:30 pm EST by in Music


On Wednesday (May 12), the soundtrack to "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" unfurled slowly over the course of seven and a half hours (which you were able to conveniently follow on the MTV News Twitter feed @MTVNews). When the dust finally settled and all 15 of the soundtrack's songs had been revealed, we were left with a pretty impressive lineup of delightfully indie-centric artists contributing what will probably be their coolest, iciest tunes. The headliners include Muse (who have the soundtrack's first single), Metric (who have the film's title track) and two intriguing collaborations (U.N.K.L.E. & the Black Angels, Beck and Bat for Lashes).

The soundtracks to the other two "Twilight" movies have been roundly excellent, mixing mainstream rock and fantastically indie fare. The first soundtrack featured Paramore, Linkin Park, Iron & Wine and Muse (again), while the songs accompanying "New Moon" included Death Cab for Cutie's "Meet Me on the Equinox," Muse's (again!) "I Belong to You" and Thom Yorke's "Hearing Damage." Plenty of bands have attempted to get onto these soundtracks, knowing that there's no greater chance for exposure nor a reflection of the culture than the inclusion in a "Twilight" movie. It's the "Dawson's Creek" of its era, and everybody wants in.

While we haven't heard what the tracks on "Eclipse" sound like just yet (though there is a snippet of the Muse tune, which is the album's first single), it does have an incredibly impressive lineup of stars (we're especially excited about the Dead Weather). So we put the question out there: Which of the soundtracks is the best? Vote in the poll below and leave your thoughts about the "Twilight" soundtracks in the comments!

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Prepare For 'The Losers' With Beck, Poison And P.O.D.

Posted 4/23/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


Last week's action-packed comic book extravaganza was "Kick-Ass," and this week Hollywood brings you "The Losers." Packed with explosions, bon mots, car chases and a scantily-clad Zoe Saldana, "The Losers" follows the lives of a government-funded special forces unit (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Idris Elba and Columbus Short) that is betrayed by their handler (Jason Patric) and forced to go underground to try to clear their good name and stop some baddies in the process. It's an action-packed adventure directed by Sylvain White ("Stomp the Yard") and written by Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt (the team behind "The Rundown," one of the most underrated action flicks of the past decade).

Like any good adrenaline-pumping shoot-'em-up flick, "The Losers" requires a handful of excellent tunes to get you into the mindset of an elite squadron of soldiers running from the American government. Hence the video playlist below, which has plenty of homages to things that go boom (Uh Huh Her's "Explode," P.O.D.'s "Boom," Damageplan's "Explode"), some salutes to action itself (Poison's "I Want Action," Toby Keith's "A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action") and a few nods to going rogue ((hed) pe's "Renegade," Halford's "Betrayal").

But the most important tracks on this week's playlist are the paeans to loserdom itself. There's "Loser" by 3 Doors Down, two tracks called "Creep" (one by Radiohead, the other by Stone Temple Pilots) and a new video from Meat Loaf called "Los Angeloser." Of course, you can't have a playlist about "The Losers" without Beck's "Loser," which kicks things off with a bang.

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