Acclaimed producer J Robbins has posted a lengthy and comprehensive rant about the current state of music mastering on his website. Specifically, citing the the tendency of many engineers to produce music louder in attempt to push the effect as higher quality.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to want your record to leap out of the speakers; far from it. But I am saying by playing into “the loudness wars” you are allowing people you’ve never met – the prime movers of the highly expoitative mainstream music industry, who are deeply invested in the logic of dick-size comparison – to define what “leaping out of the speakers” means, and often to the detriment of your music and the degradation of the hard work you and your colleagues have put into it.

You can check it out here. We’ve seen the issue of over-compression and the “loudness wars” discussed recently in a campaign launched by Britain’s leading studio engineers.
Source Continue reading J Robbins on today’s production techniques →

Beastie Boys have launched a full album stream of their new, instrumental full length. The record is titled The Mix-Up and is due out June 26, 2007. The trio has not released new studio material since 2004’s To The 5 Boroughs but in the interim released both their second hits compilation, Solid Gold Hits and the guerilla-filmmaker style live DVD, Awesome: I Fuckin’ Shot That! DVD.

You can check out the whole thing right here.
Source Continue reading Beastie Boys: “The Mix Up” →

Darkest Hour have posted the first video from their upcoming full length for Victory Records. The record is titled Deliver Us and is due out July 10, 2007. It is the follow up to 2005’s Undoing Ruin as well as their rarities compilation, Archives which was released in 2006.

The album’s artwork was designed by John Baizley who also produced art for the upcoming record from Pig Destroyer.

Source Continue reading Darkest Hour: Demon(s) →

Influential songwriter and performer, Elvis Costello has launched a new ten-part podcast series. Costello will talk candidly “one on one” about the first ten years of his career through the series. The first two episodes are already available online, and new episodes will follow every Tuesday until August 21st.

You can check out individual episodes or subscribe via this iTunes link.

The series coincides with the recent compilations with track listings supervised by Costello himself. The Best of Elvis Costello — The First 10 Years rounds up 22 songs from the period.
Source Continue reading Elvis Costello launches ten-part podcast series →

Andrew W.K. will be releasing his previously Asia-only album, Close Calls with Brick Walls domestically in the US. The label tapped to produce the vinyl, Load Records, explains:

“Close Calls With Brick Walls” is Andrew W.K.’s third full-length record and unifies the experimental forays of his earlier career with the over-the-top rockulism he tackled on his “I Get Wet” and “The Wolf” albums.

Packaging on this release is over-the-top as well, featuring a 10-inch full color booklet paired with a deluxe 2-LP gatefold. The artwork features many new photos and designs. Additionally, this release features five all new bonus tracks (23 songs total):

Andrew W.K. released the live DVD titled Who Knows? last year.

Source Continue reading Andrew WK will finally release an album domestically →

Fearless has announced the signing of Marysville, MI-based Every Avenue. The quartet will be releasing a new EP titled Ah! on August 14th.

You can find some music and summer tour dates on their myspace page.
Source Continue reading Fearless signs Every Avenue →

In what must be an attempt to make the guys at Pitchfork seem less jaded, a MSNBC rock critic has assembled a list dubbed The rock ’n’ roll hall of lame. The column takes some of the most influential and beloved bands – including The Clash, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Doors and others – and declares them “overrated.” It isn’t necessarily what you think, however, since he wrote this about The Clash:

It’s not so much their music that irritates as it is the chorus of hosannas that, 30 years later, still follows them around like a car alarm that won’t shut off.

Amusingly, Sonic Youth also makes the list, but the column confesses an inability to find fault with them:

[Just] about every rock critic thinks they’re incredible. So there’s got to be something wrong with them. I just can’t see it because I’m blinded by love.

You can check out the column here.
Source Continue reading MSNBC columnist declares Clash, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Beatles overrated →

In preparation for the release of their Sire Records debut, Against Me! have announced plans to release a limited edition 7″ with pre-orders at select retailers. The 7″ will include the album track “Thrash Unreal”, along with an unreleased b-side, “You Must Be Willing”. The pre-order special is available at both Interpunk and Smartpunk.

New Wave hits stores July 10th.
Source Continue reading Against Me to release limited 7″ with album pre-order →

Three Hellcat acts will be venturing up to Canada over the next few months. Time Again will be touring on The Stories Are True in five major Canadian cities. Static Thought will be supporting In the Trenches with a lengthy tour in August and Society’s Parasites will be supporting their recently released self-titled album with a tour kicking off this month.

Source Continue reading Tours: Hellcat bands in Canada (Society’s Parasites, Time Again, Static Thought) →

Blue Meanies are looking to gather various memorabilia and footage in the hopes of using it in an upcoming documentary. The band explained:

We […] are looking for some more video footage, pics, flyers, posters – anything that any of you may have that is Meanies-related – for possible inclusion in the documentary that our good pal Andy Ramsey of Transit Studios is working on.

But that said, we’re really trying to hunt down stuff from the late 80s and early and mid 90s, if we can scare more of that up. Any video footage on older formats like VHS can be forwarded to us, copied and sent back to you – same thing with old flyers or posters.

No promises on when such a thing could or would be released…one step at a time, ya know…

The Chicago favorites reunited last year for a special appearance at Riot Fest.
Source Continue reading Blue Meanies looking for memorabilia, fooage for possible documentary →

Acclaimed hardcore act Modern Life Is War has posted the first two songs from their debut for Equal Vision. The record is titled Midnight in America and is due out August 21, 2007. It was produced by J. Robbins and is the follow-up to Witness which was released in 2005.

You can check out the songs on their myspace page.

The band, which calls Marshalltown, Iowa their home, will be touring this summer with He Is Legend and Maylene & The Sons of Disaster. They will be joined by House of Fools on the first half of the tour, and Paulson on the second.
Source Continue reading Modern Life is War post two new songs from “Midnight in America” →

This week, DJ Rossstar will be playing host a number of guests. Silverstein and The Trademark will be interviewed tonight. Tomorrow’s program will feature My American Heart and Ross’ 25th Birthday.

The show runs from 7-8pm PST on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The stream will be available from here and questions and comments for the band can be sent via this link.
Source Continue reading Silverstein, The Trademark, My American Heart on Rossstar →

Cartel has completed work on their upcoming album. The self-titled release is due out July 24th. They made the announcement earlier this week:

I’m sitting here at sterling sound in beautiful new york city. We just finished mastering the record. Holy crap. I gotta say I’m really excited about this…best stuff to date. Just thought I’d let all you wonderful people know that we’re officially “done” and the next step is getting it into your hands.

The band had recorded the release in a giant, transparent bubble in New York City. It burst earlier this month.
Source Continue reading Cartel completes album →