Subscribe:

Followers

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Doors Release 'She Smells So Nice,' First New Track in 40 Years

Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
2012 has been proclaimed "The Year of the Doors" and will be celebrated with a series of releases. Kicking the whole shebang off is 'She Smells So Nice,' the first completely new and unreleased song from the band in 40 years. The track was discovered when the album's co-producer Bruce Botnick was reviewing the 'L.A. Woman' session tapes for an upcoming reissue.

'She Smells So Nice' is a fleet-footed shimmy with roots in rhythm and blues. The next release from the Doors will come on Jan. 20 when there will be a one-time screening of 'Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of L.A. Woman' at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The album would be the Doors' last with Jim Morrison, as the frontman decamped to Paris upon its completion and passed away several months after its release.

Shins Unveil 'Simple Song,' Preview Long-Awaited Fourth Album

Douglas Mason, Getty Images
In the half-decade since the last Shins album, singer James Mercer has parted company with every member of the 2007 lineup, recorded an album with Danger Mouse and even done a bit of acting. Clearly, a lot has changed, but now that the band is streaming the brand-new 'Simple Song' (listen below), it seems one thing remains the same: Mercer still isn't writing simple songs.

Taken from 'Port of Morrow,' the band's long-awaited fourth album, 'Simple Song' is classic Shins: catchy yet convoluted. This one's a little less ambiguous than, say, 'Phantom Limb,' the lead-off single from 2007's 'Wincing the Night Away,' but even as Mercer seemingly aims for straightforward statements about love and hope, he can't resist the urge to get a little weird.

"When I was just 9 years old, I swear that I dreamt your face on a football field," he sings early on, "and a kiss that I kept under my vest, apart from everything but the heart in my chest."

Elton John: AIDS Epidemic Book Will Feature Freddie Mercury

Elton John AIDS book SNAPPER/bauergriffinonline.com
Elton John will pen a personal account of his life during the AIDS epidemic with proceeds going to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

According to Reuters, 'LOVE IS THE CURE: Ending the Global AIDS Epidemic' will be published by Hodder & Stoughton and will be a "very personal story of Elton's life during the AIDS epidemic, including his agony at seeing friend after friend perish needlessly." An audio book version will also be released with John providing the voice for it.

The book, which will be published this July to coincide with the 2012 XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C., will include his relationships with the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury who died from AIDS-related illness in 1991.

At the Drive-In Reunite After 11 Years

Martin Philbey, Redferns
For the past several years, chances of seeing highly celebrated post-hardcore band At the Drive-In reunite have been slim -- until today. The blogosphere is jumping from buzz created by the defunct rock group's newly minted Twitter account, which told fans that they were breaking their silence after an 11-year hiatus.

At the Drive-In have not yet fully committed to a reunion, and many unanswered questions remain. Since their dissolution in 2001, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Jim Ward, Omar Rodríguez-López, Paul Hinojos, and Tony Hajjar have created two separate bands: Sparta and the Mars Volta. Founding member and guitarist Jim Ward has been busy lately with a series of solo acoustic EPs while still maintaining membership in Sparta with Hinojos. Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala went on to create the massively successful prog-rock outfit the Mars Volta.

Coachella 2012 Lineup: Radiohead, Black Keys, Dr. Dre & Snoop Headline

Thom YorkeShirlaine Forrest, WireImage
At long last, Coachella has announced its official 2012 lineup, revealing that the Black Keys, Radiohead, and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg will be headlining the two-weekend event, which takes place April 13-15, and April 20-22.

Coachella leaked the official lineup via Twitter earlier today, offering concertgoers a glimpse at the highly anticipated 2012 lineup poster, which includes many expected names, some newly reunited legends, and a few surprises.

Radiohead Add US Tour Dates, Will Play West Coast Before Coachella

Getty Images
Radiohead have added four additional dates -- three of them on the West Coast -- to their upcoming tour, the NME reports. In the days leading up to their April 14 and 21 appearances at Coachella, the enigmatic British rockers will play Seattle on April 9 and then head to California for shows in San Jose and Santa Barbara on April 11 and 12.

Three months later, on July 25, Thom Yorke will twitch and mumble to the delight of fans at Taiwan's Nanang Exhibition Hall in Taipei.

Radiohead had previously announced 10 U.S. shows -- a run of dates starting in Miami on Feb. 27 and ending on March 15 in Glendale, Ariz. -- and the group is also slated to headline Portugal's Optimus Alive festival and Spain's Bilbao BBK festival in July.

k.d. lang and Partner Jamie Price Ending Domestic Union

Jamie Price and K.d. LangDimitrios Kambouris, WireImage
k.d. lang and her partner Jamie Price are ending their relationship. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the singer has filed to dissolve the couple's domestic union. In the state of California, a domestic partnership allows same-sex couples to share property rights, spousal support and make health care decisions for one another.

lang and Price have been an item since 2003, and no explanation has been given for why the relationship has ended.