Soikatron's Journals

Miley Cyrus Aiming to 'Breakout' of Photo Controversy With New LP

On the heels of some suggestive-photo controversy you might've heard about, Miley Cyrus is set to release her new album, Breakout, on July 22. [cut=More.]

Unlike with her previous albums, the teen pop star will be putting out the new music under her own name, not Hannah Montana. The change may signal that she's leaving her squeaky-clean image behind once and for all.

Following the relatively racey Internet pics, more suggestive images surfaced of Cyrus from a recent Vanity Fair shoot, which upset some fans. Madonna and Haley Williams of Paramore came to Cyrus's defense, and the singer herself apologized to her fans. But despite the backlash, Cyrus hasn't shied away from her public profile. She has stuck to her touring schedule and used her public appearances to thank fans for their support. And apparently, the backlash hasn't deterred her from releasing new music.

The first single from the new album, "7 Things," was met with heavy airplay when it hit radio last week. The track was produced by John Fields, and written by Cyrus with collaborators Antonina Armato and Tim James. Between the two of them, they've worked with Cyrus on Hannah Montana material and with the cast of "High School Musical."

Judging by the lyrics of "7 Things," Cyrus doesn't seem too affected by the controversy around her. She's just trying to get over an ex, who won't offer a "sincere apology."

-Soikatron[/cut]

Vampire Weekend, Cat Power to Play Picnic

On July 20, Rogers Picnic will take place at historic Fort York, and you can look forward to sharing your packed lunch with Vampire Weekend, Cat Power, Chromeo and more. [cut=Get the scoop.]

The festival is hardly the only one happening this summer: Indie rock will find its way into some pretty scenic locales, including a farm (Bonnaroo), the mountains (Pemberton), red mountains (Red Rocks), and now a big lawn overlooking Toronto.

Not familiar with Rogers? According to the festival's Web site, Rogers is a cell phone company, which might seem like an odd choice as far as sponsors for indie festivals go. But when you consider the massive events that Virgin Mobile and London's O2 arena are hosting this summer, it seems like a natural pairing â�“ or at least, that's what the Rogers people are counting on while you watch Tokyo Police Club, Animal Collective and Born Ruffians tear it up.

Most of the bands in the line up will be promoting recent releases, including Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power), who will be performing on the heels of the forthcoming Beck album, which she reportedly guests on. Tentatively titled Modern Guilt, the Danger Mouse-produced record is rumored to drop as early as June.

As for Vampire Weekend, Rogers marks yet another festival appearance for them. Speaking of which, click on the pic below to check out our photo coverage of the happy-go-lucky rockers at Coachella.

[Click on the picture above for more shots of Vampire Weekend at Coachella.]

-Soikatron[/cut]

Radiohead Apologize to Flooded-Out Fans

For a lot of diehard Radiohead fans, only an act of God could keep them from seeing Thom Yorke and company live. Unfortunately for the fans in and around Bristow, Virginia, it may have come to that this past weekend. [cut=What happened?]

On Sunday, the band performed at the Nissan Pavilion, despite torrential rainfall. Some ticketholders made it in, but as the Washington Post reports, many missed the group due to rained-out roads and traffic jams, leaving fans stranded miles from the venue. Reportedly, many fans say they were directed by the venue to drive around in circles for hours.

On the night of the show, Radiohead did what they could to appease the stranded â�“ which wasn't much, sadly. Yorke dedicated "Fake Plastic Tress" to "those who missed the show because of the rain and traffic," according to the Post.

The next day, however, the 'Head's Colin Greenwood addressed the weather in a post on the band's Web site, saying, "To everyone who made it ... thank you so much for braving the deluge."

Those who didn't make it got some love the following day, after public outcry had mounted. A message appeared on Radiohead.com apologizing to those who fell victim to the rain and what may have been poorly handled traffic, and urged them to contact the venue with their grievances.

Live Nation, the company that runs the Nissan Pavilion, is addressing ticketholders' complaints on a case-by-case basis, according to Billboard. In exchange, they're offering tickets to any other Pavilion show, or passes to Radiohead's August 12 concert at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey (quite a drive from Bristow). No word on whether the company will offer refunds.

â�“Soikatron[/cut]

Madonna Defends Britney Spears, Opens School in Africa

Madonna has come to the defense of Britney Spears, saying the singer's erratic behavior is a result of "being under a microscope since [she was] a teenager." [cut=More!]

Madonna told BBC Radio that the pop star and mother of two has been judged unfairly: "She didn't get to grow up and make mistakes privately and try things out and just be a kid and be innocent."

No stranger to early fame herself, Madge has made recent headlines by speaking out for teen pop stars. Last month, she defended Miley Cyrus, who endured some controversy when suggestive photos of her surfaced on the Internet. "She's going to probably show her knees next â�” watch out!" Madonna joked.

But protecting her younger counterparts isn't the only cause Madonna has taken up lately. She's also pushing her new album, Hard Candy, which debuted at #1 on Billboard but slipped to the #3 slot this week, thanks to the resurgence of "Sweet Caroline" crooner Neil Diamond.

In related news, Madonna is spearheading a movement to set up a girls' school in the African country of Malawe (the home country of her adopted son, David Banda), according to multiple reports today.

As for her own kids, the Material Girl isn't too worried that they'll carry the burden of fame, Ã la Britney. "They come to the rehearsals [for her tour], but they're sort of over it. They like to skateboard around."

Looks like they'll have plenty of time to perfect their skating skills â�” Madonna is also gearing up for a huge world tour!

- Soikatron

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Coldplay, Pussycat Dolls Clawing Their Way Onto MTV Movie Awards

On the heels of their massively downloaded new single, "Violet Hill," Coldplay will make an appearance at the MTV Movie Awards on June 1. [cut=Get the 411.]

The awards show prides itself on irreverence, which is why it has paired the melancholy Brit rockers with The Pussycat Dolls as their musical guests. Shenanigans are guaranteed to ensue.

For their part, Coldplay will add a touch of class when they perform "Hill." The performance is sure to stir up anticipation for the group's first album in three years, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, which will drop a couple of weeks later. The band's "Violet Hill" single has been downloaded more than 2 million times from Coldplay.com since it dropped in late April.

Hosted by Mike Myers, the Movie Awards will honor such categories as Best Fight and Best Summer Movie So Far, as well as more Oscar-esque areas like Best Male and Female Performance. "Superbad" lead the nominations with five, and Michael Cera, who stars in the movie, received nods in three categories: Best Newcomer (for "Superbad"); Best Male Performance, for which he is pitted against Denzel Washington; and Best Kiss with Ellen Page in "Juno."

Coldplay will follow their MTV Movie Awards appearance and new record with an extensive world tour, which kicks off June 29 in Philadelphia and ends November 22 in Salt Lake City.

Coldplay tour dates:

6.29 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center
7.2 - Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
7.3 - Hartford, CT @ XL Center
7.5 - Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
7.6 - Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
7.8 - Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
7.9 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
7.10 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Ford Center
7.12 - Phoenix, AZ @ Jobbing.com Arena
7.19 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
7.21 - Sacramento, CA @ ARCO Arena
7.24 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
7.27 - Pemberton, BC @ Pemberton Festival
7.29 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
7.30 - Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome
8.1 - Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
8.3 - Omaha, NE @ Qwest Center
8.4 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
10.20 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
10.21 - Ottawa, ON @ Scotiabank Place
10.26 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
10.29 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
10.30 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
11.3 - Boston, MA @ TD Banknorth Garden
11.11 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
11.18 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
11.19 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
11.21 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center Arena
11.22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Energy Solutions Arena

â�“ Soikatron

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Tegan and Sara Likely to Work With Death Cab for Cutie Guitarist on LP

Twin sisters Tegan and Sara, who are currently touring and are set to perform as part of this year's True Colors Tour starting May 31, have even more on their plate: a new album. [cut=Get the deets.]

[Click the image to see pics of Tegan and Sara playing Coachella last month.]

"Tegan and I are both writing furiously for the next record," Sara Quin recently told Spinner.com. "I have always felt like I was squeezing songs out of me slowly, but lately I've been writing a lot. We recently played a show with Death Cab for Cutie, where we talked with [guitarist/producer] Chris Walla, who worked on our last record [2007's The Con]. We're pretty much signed up to work on our next record with him again."

The sisters also revealed that they're planning to put out another DVD â�“ their third to date â�“ this summer. "Instead of shooting a live concert, we'll do something lo-fi and kinda punk rock â�“ doing stripped-down versions of the songs â�“ in an environment with lots of questions and answers, probably at the end of June in a secret Canadian city," Tara said. "We're hoping that we can release it along with an audio CD of all The Con demo versions that Tegan and I recorded by ourselves. It'll be very directed at fans but hopefully very cool."

As for the True Colors tour, expect Tegan and Sara to be significantly shaking up their set and tailoring it to the tour's crowd.

"We're gonna strip it all down and do pretty much alternative versions of everything," Sara said. "It could end up being really cool or a disaster. I want to give this crowd a different look at us â�“ to have people hear the songs in a different way."

Tegan and Sara tour:

5.12: New York, NY @ Terminal 5
5.24: George, Washington @ Sasquatch Festival
6.13: Manchester, Tennessee @ Bonnaroo Festival

True Colors tour dates:

5.31: Boston, MA @ Bank of America Pavilion
6.1: Wantagh, NY @ Nikon
6.3: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
6.4: Toronto, ON @ Molson Ampitheatre
6.6: Mashantucket, CT @ Foxwoods Casino
6.7: Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
6.9: Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Theatre
6.10: Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
6.11: Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
6.13: Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Hotel
6.14: Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center
6.16: Atlanta, GA @ Chastain Park Ampitheatre
6.17: Atalanta, GA @ Chastain Park Ampitheatre
6.18: Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
6.19: Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Sinatra Theatre
6.21: Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion
6.22: Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
6.23: Okalahoma City, OK @ Zoo Ampitheatre
6.25: Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
6.27: Alpine, CA @ Viejas Casino
6.28: Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
6.29: Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
7.1: Seattle, WA @ WaMu Theatre
7.2: Vancouver, BC @ Deer Lake Park
7.4: Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Ampitheatre
7.5: Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Ampitheatre

â�“Soikatron[/cut]

Jenny Lewis, Built to Spill and a 'Mountain' of Others on New DVD

The most â�“ and probably only â�“ indie-rock show for little kids, "Pancake Mountain," is releasing its fifth DVD. M.I.A., Jenny Lewis and Built to Spill are just a few of the names guesting on the disc, which contains episodes nine and 10. [cut=Who else is on it?]

When your favorite indie stars appear on "Pancake Mountain," they don't just turn out their typical live performances. They sing and dance while surrounded by groups of happy, crazed children â�“ and puppets. Did I mention there are puppets?

For the uninitiated, "Pancake Mountain" is the brainchild of filmmaker Scott Stuckey. The show has featured an impressive roster of bands, including Bright Eyes, The Arcade Fire and The White Stripes, among others â�“ all of whom are interviewed by the superhero puppet Captain Perfect and his foil, Garnett. The show is hosted by none other than Rufus Leaking, a goat puppet.

For the dudes in Built to the Spill, the appearance is just another colalboration with a wacky TV show. They also showed up this week on Awesome Record, Great Songs! Volume One, the soundtrack to the absurd-fest "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!"

If you're craving more than just kids' stuff from these bands, however, you can check out Lewis on the road with her more grown-up collaborators, Rilo Kiley. Her tour coincides with M.I.A.'s. See the dates below.

In the meantime, check out Jenny Lewis getting down on "Pancake Mountain" here.

Rilo Kiley tour dates:

5.15: San Diego, CA @ Concerts in the Park
5.19: Denver. CO @ Ogden Theatre
5.20: Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
5.21: Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
5.22: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
5.23: Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theatre
5.24: Chicago, IL @ The Riviera
5.25: Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
5.26: Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
5.28: Toronto, ONT @ Phoenix Theatre
5.30: Worcester, MA @ Palladium
5.31: Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
6.1: Northampton, MA @ Calvin Theater
6.2: New York, NY @ Terminal 5
6.5: Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
6.6: Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
6.7: Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
6.8: Richmond, VA @ Toad's Place
6.10: Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
6.11: Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
6.12: Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Farm
6.13: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
6.15: Dallas, TX @ Palladium
6.16: Austin, TX @ Stubb's

M.I.A. tour dates:

5.9: Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
5.12: Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
5.13: Myth Maplewood, MN
5.14: Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
5.17: Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
5.18: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
5.23: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
5.27: Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Centre
5.28: Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
5.30: Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
6.2: Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
6.3: Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
6.6: Brooklyn, NY @ McCarren Park Pool
6.14: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo

â�“Soikatron[/cut]

Vampire Weekend, Black Kids, Band of Horses to Play Accelerator Festival

Following Coachella and many other multiple-day extravaganzas, Vampire Weekend are set to play Sweden's Accelerator Festival on June 24-25. They'll be joined by Band of Horses, MGMT, F--- Buttons and Stars. [cut=More, yo.]

This is Accelerator's second year, and despite stellar lineups, the festival has remained mostly under the radar ... at least when compared to other big-name European events like Reading and Glastonbury. But it's likely to raise its profile this year by including VW and fellow hype machines Duffy and Black Kids â�” who are riding a wave of success ever since signing with Columbia Records.

Accelerator will find Vampire Weekend in the middle of a massive tour, which has them traversing both Europe and the U.S. for most of the summer.

Vampire Weekend European tour dates:

5.9: Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy 2
5.10: Minehead, UK @ Camber Sands
5.12: Portsmouth, UK @ Wedgewood Rooms
5.13: London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
5.17: Brussels, Belgium @ Orangerie
5.18: Koln, Germany @ Luxor
5.19: Paris, France @ Le Trabendo
5.20: Amsterdam, Holland @ Melkweg
5.21: Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
5.22: Berlin, Germany @ Maria
5.23: Munich, Germany @ Kleine Elserhalle
5.26: Rome, Italy @ Circolo degli Artisti
5.27: Bologna, Italy @ Bologna Rocker Festival
5.28: Zurich, Switzerland @ Mascotte
5.29: Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound Festival
5.30: Porto, Portugal @ Porto Casa da Musica
6.24: Arendal, Norway @ Hove Festival
6.25: Stockholm, Sweden @ Accelerator
6.27 - 28: Glastonbury, UK @ Glastonbury Festival
7.3: Werchter, Belgium @ Werchter Festival
7.4: Paris, France @ Solidays Festival
7.5: Belfort, France @ Les Eurockeennes Festival
7.8: Turn, Italy @ Turn Spaziale Festival
7.10: Lisbon, Portugal @ Alive Festival
7.12: Naas, Ireland @ Oxegen Festival
7.13: Kinross, Scotland @ T in the Park

While you're at it, don't miss these pics of Vampire Weekend and Duffy at Coachella â�” click each image to see the full gallery:

-Soikatron [/cut]

The Shins, Built to Spill Set to Appear on 'Awesome' Soundtrack

Cartoon Network's late-night hit "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" is leaving your television and coming to your stereo â�” and it's taking indie-rock all-stars The Shins and Built to Spill along for the ride. [cut=Toon in to more news about the soundtrack.]

Williams Street, Cartoon Network's merch store, is releasing the absurdist sketch show's first soundtrack, aptly titled Awesome Record, Great Songs! Volume One.

Awesome Record contains an impressive 43 tracks, inspired and taken from the wacky comedy program. The Shins (no strangers to soundtracks, having appeared on the one for the "SpongeBob" movie), have recorded their version of the, um, classic Tim and Eric song "Wipe My Butt." Meanwhile, Built to Spill offer their take on the karaoke track "Come Over." Joining the hijinks are funny guys David Cross and Bob Odenkirk (of "Mr. Show"), and a guest appearance by Aimee Mann.

The show debuted on Cartoon Network last year and has featured a host of notable guests, including Dave Navarro, Rob Zombie, "Weird" Al Yankovic and more. The show has fared well in the network's late-night Adult Swim lineup, which also features the equally absurd and hilarious, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Robot Chicken."

Awesome Record track list:

"Sports!"
"I Sit Down When I Pee"
"Doo Dah Doo Doo"
"Beaver Boys"
"Salame"
"Time Travel"
"Rolo Tony"
"Poke On"
"Petite Feet"
"Sit on You"
"Father and Son"
"My Sister's Cute"
"Hamburgers and Hotdogs"
"Pumpers Tumblers"
"Pizza Boy" (featuring David Cross)
"Come Over"
"The New You" (featuring Maria Bamford)
"Hearts" (featuring Aimee Mann)
"Beach Blast"
"Stay in School"
"Dirty Socks"
"Horse and Buggy Ride"
"The Snuggler"
"All of My Life"
"Raz"
"Long Legs"
"No Sunsets"
"Shrimp and White Wine"
"Marcama"
"Here She Comes" (featuring Bob Odenkirk)
"Casey's Lost"
"Lost in the Wheel"
"Love Slaves"
"Wipe My Butt"
"Together Forever"
"Awesome Show Theme" (DJ Douggpound Remix)
"Wipe My Butt" (cover by The Shins)
"Together Forever"
"Come Over" (cover by Built to Spill)
"Where's My Chippy?" (DJ Douggpound Remix)
"One for My Pep Pep" (Flying Lotus Remix)
"Sports!" (Sports Bar Remix)
"Sports!" (Dance Club Remix)
"Come Over" (A to Z)

- Soikatron
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M.I.A.: Cops 'Were Trying to Shut Me Down' at Coachella

Prince, Portishead, and Roger Waters may have grabbed the most headlines at this year's Coachella, but M.I.A.'s politically charged set was one of the most memorable.

Amping up her already over-the-top live show, the Sri Lankan-born artist nearly brought the crowd to a riot. Crowdgoers had packed tight into the Sahara tent, but there were loads more outside who were trying to cram inside. A flurry of police responded, along with ambulances.

M.I.A. described the intense experience in a recent interview with Spinner: "The cops tried to shut [my show] down," she said. "They were on the back side of the stage, and they were trying to shut me down, and I was singing, 'Cops don't work, they just make it worse.' I was really thinking about the situation in New York."

The situation M.I.A. was referring to was reportedly that of Sean Bell, the unarmed 23-year-old black man who was gunned down by officers outside a New York strip club in 2006 the night before his wedding. The accused cops were acquitted of criminal charges the day before M.I.A.'s set at Coachella.

But the singer, who was banned from MTV for her controversial lyrics and artwork, also said that performances like the one she held at Coachella is allowing her to more closely connect with fans.

"Playing right now in America, during the election times, I feel more and more connected with my fans," M.I.A. added. "They cheer when sh-- happens or boo when they don't agree. It's amazing, getting people to be interactive."

You can get in on the action if you're lucky enough to catch one of the shows on her current tour:

5.8: Detroit, MI @ Fillmore
5.9: Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
5.12: Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
5.13: Myth Maplewood, MN
5.14: Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
5.17: Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
5.18: Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
5.23: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
5.27: Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Centre
5.28: Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
5.30: Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
6.2: Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy
6.3: Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
6.6: Brooklyn, NY @ McCarren Park Pool
6.14: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo

[Click on the image to see pics of M.I.A. at Coachella.]

Did you miss Coachella? Check out Buzznet's coverage of day one, day two and day three.

- Soikatron