In an interview with Billboard, The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne confirms that the band is aiming for a late summer release for their new record, which will be a double album, the first of the band’s career. Coyne explained and spoke a bit about the record’s sound so far:

“Somewhere along the way it occurred to me that we should do a double album, Just this idea that you can kind of weave a couple of themes into there and you can sort of sprawl a little bit. Our past couple of records we’ve always had this little dilemma, like how many songs do you put on? How many instruments do you put on? What’s the focus?

“And some of my favorite records – thinking Beatles ‘White Album,’ Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti’ and even some of the longer things that the Clash have done – part of the reason I like them is that they’re not focused. They’re kind of like a free-for-all and go everywhere. It’s not necessarily because we’re prolific, I think we always stay in a sort of perpetual panic of like we never have more songs than we need and we always wonder if any of them are any good to begin with. I do think we probably work best in a panic, so maybe it’s best that I planned it this way.”

The band last released At War with the Mystics in 2006.
Source Continue reading The Flaming Lips to release double album →

San Francisco, CA’s Wolves And Thieves have posted two new songs. “Another Thespian” and “94” will both appear on the band’s upcoming self-titled full-length, due out in June via Swagger City Records (CD) and Lorelei Records (digital).

Check out the songs at the band’s myspace page.

The band last released a split 12″ with Bastards Of Young in 2008.
Source Continue reading Wolves And Thieves: “Another Thespian”, “94” →

Converge is currently recording a new album at Godcity Studios. Frequent updates on the album’s progress are available through the band’s Twitter.

No Heroes, the band’s last formal release, hit stores in 2006.
Source Continue reading Converge enter the studio →

Our stream today comes from Scranton, PA-based The Menzingers. We’ve got a stream of two songs from the band’s new digital EP/7-inch, Hold On, Dodge.

You can check it out on their Punknews.org Profile
Source Continue reading The Menzingers: “Hold On, Dodge” →

HORSE the Band have joined Roadrunner Records for international territories. While the band remains on Vagrant Records in the United States, the deal will provide distribution for New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

The band recently hit the studio to begin recording their debut for Vagrant and Roadrunner. The band is recording at White Buffalo Studios in Los Angeles with producer Noah Shain and are aiming for a mid-Summer release.
Source Continue reading Horse the Band join Roadrunner (for Australia/Japan) →

Doomriders has completed its new album Darkness Come Alive. Artwork and a release date for the album are forthcoming.

The band released a split [7 Inch] with Disfear last year through Deathwish.
Source Continue reading Doomriders complete new album →

Minus The Bear have entered the studio to begin work on their highly anticipated fourth studio album, still untitled. The band has enlisted with Grammy Award-winning producer Joe Chicarelli (My Morning Jacket, The White Stripes) and are planning to self-finance their new album, “giving them full control in an evolving industry.” The band plans on releasing their new album on a yet to be announced record label.

The band released Planet of Ice in 2007 and are aiming for a fall release for the sequel.
Source Continue reading Minus the Bear hit the studio, look to fall release →

Long Island, New York-based This Is Hell will be announcing a new 7-inch/digital EP via Think Fast! Records. The album will precede their next full length, which will also be their first album since leaving Trustkill Records.

Guitarist Rick Jimenez had the following statement:

People can expect the same energy and intensity any This is Hell release has had, with some new elements. Some of the new stuff we’ve been working on is a bit more metal influenced than before…old Metallica & Anthrax, Cro-Mags & Leeway…almost crossover-ish stuff. Playing with and incorporating those new elements has been so much fun and has reinvigorated me on writing and releasing a new record, so we’ll be putting some of that onto the EP. A surprise cover or two may surface as well.

The band will be hitting The Outpost in early June with Jim Siegel (Blood For Blood, Dropkick Murphys, Have Heart). Shortly thereafter, expect to hear pre-order information, as well as a preview of the new record.

The band’s last album, Misfortunes, was among one of our editors’ best of 2008.
Source Continue reading Think Fast! Records to release This is Hell 7″ →

The Daily Swarm is reporting that resolution has finally been reached in the lawsuit launched by Fucked Up and Xiu Xiu against Camel cigarettes (R.J. Reynolds tobacco) back in December of 2007.

The suit accused both the cigarette company and the magazine of engaging in “despicable conduct” that was “illegal under settled, unambiguous California statutory and common law.” The lawsuit demands Rolling Stone publish an admission that the artists’ names were used without consent in a spread equal in size to the original ad, as well as seeking actual and punitive financial damages. (Under California law, this could conceptually amount to $750 per issue of Rolling Stone, per band, or a whopping $195.3 billion You can find the original news story here.

According to the court report, the judge ruled against the company saying that R.J.Reynolds must now run a “youth oriented anti-smoking advertisement” in the magazine in the next year or pay a sanction of more than $300,000. You can find more details here.
Source Continue reading F*cked Up, Xiu Xiu successfully sue Camel / RJ Reynolds →

Have Heart will call it quits after its world tour with Shipwreck A.D..

According to the band:

Once the Fall rolls around, we can’t really do this band the way we would prefer to anymore. Knowing this deadline of ours and having a whole world tour already booked, we’d like to take advantage of the chance to say goodbye to all the people we have met around the world over the years.

So, please come check us out in the remaining months on our little trip around the globe. So far Asia has been a wonderful experience and we’re very happy to have had the chance to meet so many kind people and look forward to the rest of Asia.

It’s been a nice 7 years and we’d like to thank all the unique hardcore kids and bands we have encountered. And in the words of DFJ, thanks to all the shit talkers for all the material to get off on. But, really….we have met so many wonderful people who we’ll just never forget.

The band’s last show will take place Oct. 17, 2009, National Edge Day.

Have Heart leave behind three releases: 2004’s What Counts EP, 2006’s The Things We Carry and, most recently, 2008’s Songs to Scream at the Sun. Their final album was voted among the best of 2008 by Punknews.org readers.
Source Continue reading Have Heart (2002-2009) →

Hit The Switch have posted two songs from their upcoming full length. The record is titled Observing Infinities and is due out May 30, 2009.

Check out “Eat your Death” and “Me and My Friend Radical” at the band’s myspace page.
Source Continue reading Hit the Switch: “Eat Your Death”, “Me and My Friend Radical” →

The recently reunited Teen Idols have announced some shows bookending their upcoming performance at Insubordination Fest. The band will be sharing the bill with The Leftovers beginning June 25th.

Source Continue reading Teen Idols / The Leftovers →

Classics of Love, the new band from Jesse Michaels of Operation Ivy and Common Rider, were the unfortunate victims of a theft at their show in Southampton, UK on May 6 when a guitar was apparently stolen from them. The band had this to say about the incident:

“Last night we lost a guitar and believe it was stolen. Obviously we are hoping it was something more innocent but you know how it goes. If you happen to have been to the Southhampton gig at Talking Heads and know anything about this give us a shout so we can try to work it out. If you stole it and give it back we will take it without any recriminations. This is obviously a ridiculous long-shot, but what the hell.”

The band also mentions that after their current tour they plan to “start writing an album right away”. Their debut EP, Walking in Shadows, will be released by Asian Man Records on June 23, 2009.
Source Continue reading Classics of Love robbed in the UK, plan album →