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by Sheila Quinn

Open blender, insert: General Public, Billy Idol, The Kooks, Foxboro Hot Tubs and The Clash. Blend. Break blender. Throw blender down stairs. Not following me here? With furious garage band bravado, Howler’s playful grit, chorded-out head-boppin’ release America Give Up is a mosh-worthy line-up of titles out of a Lord of the Flies boys’ room, Beach Sluts, Too Much Blood, Wailing (Making Out) and Free Drunk to name only a few. Any self-respecting music fan will wonder at the other-era feel, dirty-leather-jacket-and-Chucks thrum of Howler’s hand-claps and kitsch powered by a bunch of barely shaven boys out of Minneapolis. Born of boredom in 2010, at Howler’s helm is Jordan Gatesmith (lead guitar and vocals), Brent Mayes (drums), Ian Nygaard (guitar), Max Petrek (keyboard), and France Camp (real name Jay Simonson, bass). Howler is a boy-your-mother-warned-you-about of bands, making no promises, leaving you in your bobby socks begging for more.

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The trailer for DIE ANTWOORD’s new album TEN$ION just surfaced online and it’s everything you could have hoped for! It’s a vomit-inducing, nightmare creating, eyebrow-raising mess! (What, that isn’t what you were hoping for?) The trailer is all for 37 seconds and in that brief, but perhaps far too long, time span you are forced to witness a freaky kid staring into your soul and Yo-Landi Vi$$er dig into a monster’s body with her hands, pull out its beating hear, and then start eating it. Yeah, they managed to fit in as many cringe-worthy moments into the trailer as a full Odd Future music video. That’s saying something. Watch the clip, set to the song I Fink U Freeky, right here.

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Could it be that all other Odd Future members strive to reach the levels of controversy of Tyler, The Creator? The newest video for group members Syd the Kyd and Matt Martian’s solo project The Internet would be good evidence of that point. In the clip for Fastlane, Syd and actress Jasmine Flemings pull a Bonnie and Clyde act, rob a few establishments and hijack a car, while leaving a trail of bodies. Two video’s two characters shoot a few people in cold blood, smiling all the while, and giggling as they take a kill shot. Then they kiss, you know, because it’s a really romantic setting. The Internet has just released its debut album Purple Naked Ladies. You can watch Fastlane here. The video is a quasi-prequel for their other video Cocaine, which has a few drug-related fun moments as well. Watch that here.

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One of the biggest voices in the music business, Etta James has lost her fight with leukemia and passed away today at age 73. The legendary soul singer had only recently been released from hospital and taken off a breathing machine following complications during the holidays. It was revealed in mid-December that she was battling incurable leukemia and, despite 24-hour home care, it was clear the singer’s condition was worsening. Born in Los Angeles, James made the transition from singing at churches and local radio stations to singing in concert halls, on television shows and on albums during a very impressive over fifty-year career. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, the powerful voice is probably best-known from songs Tell Mama, and of course, At Last. So why not listen to a little At Last, and remember the woman that was.

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If you haven’t already heard (which seems unlikely, considering how many of us stream shows online), massively popular file-sharing site Megaupload was shut down today by federal prosecutors with an indictment claiming they have cost copyright holders $500 million in revenue. Well, internet hacker/activist/watchdog organization Anonymous was none-too-pleased. Since Megaupload went down, the group has launched online attacks on Universal Music Group and the Recording Industry Association of America, as well as the Department of Justice and the Motion Picture Association of America. All four of the websites have been “having problems,” problems caused by a bunch of internet-savvy people who weren’t ready to lose a massive file-sharing site without offering some repercussions. The Megaupload take-down came about without SOPA or PIPA, a clear illustration that, publicly supported or not, there’s an online war a-brewin’, and musicians, labels and music organizations are bound to be affected.

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If you don’t yet know who Azealia Banks is, the well-paid executive advertisers at Universal Music will definitely be working in the coming months to get you familiar with her. Banks announced the news on Twitter initially in underwhelming fashion, literally tweeting “I am now officially signed to Universal Music.” But she followed it up with some fun tweets, like “Wow I just wanna drink a million bottles of champagne and do a million bell kicks right now.” A young artist from Harlem, Banks is anything but typical. Her now well-known single 212 bluntly discusses sexual acts, harsh insults and includes a verse of “I will ruin you cunt,” which puts the label in a unique situation. Picture Banks as a female version of Tyler, The Creator, bringing about controversy wherever she goes. It will be interesting to see if the biggest label in the world follows through. For now, here’s some 212.

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It has already been about eight months since Death Cab For Cutie released Codes and Keys, so it’s about gaddamn’ time they went on a serious tour. The (recently single) Ben Gibbard and company will be doing four months in transit starting in February, making stops in New Zealand, Australia and East Asia along the way. The majority of the dates are closer to home though, with essentially all of April and May dedicated to U.S. concerts and two lone Canadian dates with Magik*Magik Orchestra offering a fancy accompanying eight-piece string section and Youth Lagoon acting as openers. Death Cab will be closing out the long trip with weekends at the Primavera festival in both Barcelona, Spain and Porto, Portugal. Have a peek at the dates below and see if any dates, perhaps the concert in Montreal for example, would accommodate your smooth indie needs. (more…)

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Taking a break from their independent music careers, television show, and countless controversial actions and comments, the Odd Future crew will actually be releasing some music together this coming March. The follow-up to their 2008 mixtape, The Odd Future Tape, will be released on Odd Future Records March 20th and will be called, get this, OF Tape Vol. 2. The whole crew is back (except for Early of course): Tyler, Frank Ocean, Hodgy Beats, Left Brain, Domo Genesis, Syd Tha Kyd, The Internet and Mike G. The mixtape will be accompanied by a 10-city US tour, at which fans will also get to view the Odd Future television show Loiter Squad, which is sure to offend at least a few dozen groups in North America when it airs starting March 25th. And not too long after the mixtape drops, Tyler, The Creator’s next LP, Wolf, is also expected to hit shelves. It’s going to be an odd, offensive spring. Get excited.

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The SXSW festival keeps secretly inserting more artists into the already pretty stacked mix. So in case you hadn’t heard, new additions to the lineup at this year’s festival include a strong group of up-and-comers. Among them are Lana Del Rey, Kreayshawn, A$AP Rocky and The War on Drugs. Other new additions include Dan Deacon, of Montreal, John Mayer and Zola Jesus. These names have been put on a register that already included The Magnetic Fields, Parlovr, LIGHTS, Metric, Stars, Andrew W.K., Japanther and many, many others, making SXSW even more enticing. As if you didn’t already wish you were going. To keep yourself updated with the steady slew of new additions, you can see the full lineup on the SXSW website. This year’s festival is to be held in Austin, Texas from March 13th to 18th, if you’re inclined to, you known, spend your hard earned money on what could possibly be the best week of your life.

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In 2009, when Trent Reznor announced the hiatus of Nine Inch Nails, many people understandably said he was taking a break from music. But with a Golden Globe and an Oscar to his name for the film score of The Social Network and another Globe nomination for the score to David Fincher’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, it now feels more appropriate to announce that Reznor is going to be taking a break from film. The musician told Billboard this week that in 2012 Nine Inch Nails was going to once again become the focus of his creativity. “I’m going to be writing for Nine Inch Nails this year,” Reznor said in the interview. “[I don't] have any particular goal in mind other than… my voice as a songwriter feels like it needs to speak up or at least work out a little bit to not atrophy. I think I have something to say that feels unique to who I am right now, and that’s when it tells me it’s time to do something.” Reznor went onto say that he considered writing music under another name but that he chose to return to NIN as it was a challenge he enjoyed, advancing and modifying that “brand” and “identity” to match his own development. That said, NIN fans shouldn’t wait with bated breath for a new album, as Reznor seemed to become less certain of himself as the interview with Billboard continued. “It’s all kind of hypothetical right now. When I sit down with a notebook and a little mini-recorder is when my bluff will be called, and then it might not happen at all.” Well, in case it doesn’t happen, the musician firmly stated that his other music project with his wife and Atticus Ross, How To Destroy Angels, would definitely be releasing a full LP in 2012.

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We knew that Weezy was writing music while he did his eight-month stint in prison, considering I am Not a Human Being was released while he was inside. But apparently he was writing a diary as well. That diary is to become Lil’ Wayne’s first memoir Gone Til November, to be released via Grand Central Publishing next fall. The rapper’s memoir will be based on the diary entries of the rap star, entries that Ben Greenberg, an editor at the publishing house, said were revealing. “He kept detailed journals of his inner and outer life while he was on Rikers Island, and they certainly tell a story. They are revealing,” Greenberg said in a statement. Wayne said in an interview last March that he would retire from music at age 35. Maybe if this memoir goes over well, he’ll drop the mic and pick up a pen full time?

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We may have some concrete evidence here that Lou Reed’s collaboration with Metallica didn’t prove to be very fruitful. Reed and fellow Velvet Underground member John Cale have launched a suit against The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts today. The suit is based on their accusation that the oh-so-famous banana image that graced the cover of The Velvet Underground & Nico was used by the foundation on iPad cases, sleeves and other accessories. The musicians also accuse the foundation of trying to “deceive the public” into thinking their iconic band was behind, or sponsored the product. Despite being managed by Warhol and having an extremely close relationship with the late artist, according to the New York Post in their suit they claim “Members of the public, and particularly those who listen to rock music, immediately recognize the banana design as the symbol of the Velvet Underground. It is not merely the graphic reproduction by Andy Warhol of a piece of fruit: it is the ‘iconic’ VU banana.” So in summary, the band that used Warhol’s image on their album cover is suing the Warhol foundation for using the image which Warhol initially took from an advertisement and never copyrighted. The judge is going to have a fun time with this one.

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Justin Vernon’s been a busy boy lately. Between juggling the controversy regarding his GRAMMY comments, the success of his latest self-titled album and a whole array of rumoured collaborations, the Bon Iver frontman has found the time to officially launch his long-planned label, Chigliak Records. The label has been in the works for a while but now we have some tangible details to wrap our heads around. Chigliak, the name of a character from an American TV show from the 1990s called Northern Exposure, is an imprint of Vernon’s own label Jagjaguwar. In addition to having a snazzy website, which for now only features the label’s native art-inspired logo, Rolling Stone reports that Chigliak will focus on putting out music that was never before released commercially, or never really outside of Wisconsin at least. For example, Vernon told Pitchfork a while back that the label’s first release would be something by Amateur Love, a band from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, whose record sold “like 500 copies” but that the frontman said exhibits quality songwriting.

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Living in Montreal, or any part of Canada really, the yearly announcement of Coachella’s line-up is usually a painful experience; painful because the reality is so few of us have the means to make our way down there and live the ridiculous festival and its six days of madness. This year, the line-up feels especially painful. Headliners include The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Other acts include Bon Iver, The Shins, David Guetta, Arctic Monkeys, La Roux, Beirut, The Weeknd, Justice, Florence and The Machine, Explosions in the Sky, M83, Cat Power, Swedish House Mafia, Miike Snow, Jeff Magnum, Frank Ocean… yeah, you get the idea. Lots of bands you’d love to see, all clumped into Indio California for six days of magic that you most likely won’t see. IF you want to put yourself through a little more torture, the full list is available here. For the first time in 2012, Coachella will be taking place over two weekends, April 13th-15th and April 20th-22nd.

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You know what you don’t often hear in the music news? Nickelback’s point of view… on anything. Nobody seems to care much about what Nickelback thinks regarding why they’re one of the most hated entities in North America, perhaps because it would ruin the fun of hating them? Either way, the Canadian band that nobody likes took to Twitter with a surprising response to some of their most recent bashing: The Black Keys’ drummer Patrick Carney calling them shit and blaming them for the state of the music industry saying in Rolling Stone that “Rock’n'roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world.” Ouch, right? Well the band took to Twitter and showed a little guile, a little cunning, and tweeted “Thanks to the drummer in The Black Keys calling us the Biggest Band in the World in Rolling Stone. Hehe.” You have to hand it to them, it takes a certain level of confidence and spunk to keep going, and even make light of all the ridicule they receive.

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Leave it to Kanye West to completely ignore the whole 72-character aspect that acts as the foundation of Twitter, and go on a rant of epic proportions. The rant starts off fittingly with “I used to blog all the time an fit was a way to get my opinion out…” That tweet was followed by “Dr. Dre redesigned headphones and made more impact off of one product.” If you thought that transition was random, Kanye immediately segues into three tweets with information about a new design company he is launching and announced yesterday called DONDA. “I am assembling a team of architects, graphic designers, directors musicians, producers, AnRs, writers, publicists, social media experts, app guys, managers, car designers, clothing designers, DJs, video game designers, publishers, tech guys, lawyers, bankers, nutritionist, doctors, scientists, teachers.” According to the 50+-tweet, two-hour rant, DONDA will have 22 division, one of which will apparently be health (can’t wait to see this one). In addition to tons of information about DONDA, Kanye revealed that he may be involved in a film adaptation of The Jetsons, he has a contract with Nike that allows him to develop a sneaker line every two years, that he and Spike Jonze are considering launching a specialized summer school and that he hasn’t bought a new car or piece of jewellery in two years (oddly, probably the most far-fetched of the bunch). And this is the tip of the iceberg. Read the rant, and if you can bear it, follow Kanye here.

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The Weeknd may just be the most successful mixtape musician after his fellow Torontonian Drake and now you have the chance to be part of that success… that is, if you’re musically talented. The R&B artist’s growing popularity means he’ll soon be hitting the road, and for that task he’ll be needing a bassist and a guitarist. The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, posted on his Facebook page that he was “looking for a professional guitarist and bass player in or around the Toronto area to travel and perform live in concert.” Not too many opportunities like this present themselves in Canada, so do not hesitate you talented strummers and pluckers. To apply for the gig people are being asked to email theweekndband@gmail.com with their “name, age, instrument, and a photograph if possible. Any additional YouTube video footage, credentials, etc. of performer is welcome.” You have until Sunday, Jan. 8th. Start recording those solos, and here’s a little Weeknd for inspiration. Listen to Same Old Song off his recently released mixtape Echoes of Silence.

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Pop music often reaps the scorn of the religious community in North America, for its sexual content or foul language, among other things. But it’s a rare situation to see the reverse, pop music being criticized by the atheistic community, among music fans in general. This is what Cee Lo Green managed to cause, however, during his New Year’s Ever performance in Times Square this past weekend. While covering John Lennon’s Imagine for the show, Green changed the lyrics to the iconic song from “and no religion too” to “all religion is true.” The reaction was immediate. Twitter blew up with criticism of what many called a “bastardized” version of the track. Many also commented about how if all religion was true, what happens with the religions that say they were the only true religion? Anyways, Cee Lo responded curtly on Twitter, writing “Yo I meant no disrespect by changing the lyric guys! I was trying to say a world where u could believe what u wanted that’s all.” He also allegedly responded to people’s tweets “at” him in not the most respectful manner. But, as is often the case, he then seemingly had a change of heart (or was advised by his Republican lawyer?) and deleted the tweet. Yes, it was a cover and he took artistic liberty, but some songs you just don’t change the words of, and Imagine is one of those songs.

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It was an extremely difficult holiday season for legendary vocalist Etta James, but she has some, slightly, good news heading into the new year. James has been taken off the respiratory machine she was placed on, on Christmas Eve and is breathing on her own. If her condition is maintained and the vitals stay good, James may soon be released from the California hospital she is currently staying in. The singer has a doctor providing her 24-hour care at home for her terminal leukemia, but her son, Donto James, told CNN he still did not want her to be released from hospital yet just to ensure that she is completely stable before she heads home. At 73, James has been suffering from poor health for a few years now. It was revealed in mid-December that she was battling incurable leukemia and the collective music world has since been crossing their fingers for the icon’s health. The contribution of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and the voice behind classics like At Last and Tell Mama, to the music world cannot be understated.

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Although 2011 saw the arrival of many major records, we found ourselves a little disappointed in the level of quality that the release pool offered at times. However that doesn’t mean there weren’t albums that resonated with audible strength during this past colorful year. That being said… Following two gun fights and a stabbing, we’ve managed to maturely decide who made it on cornershopstudios’ list. So without further delay here’s the Top Ten Albums of 2011.

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What’s 20 Odd Years amongst friends when it comes to homebred hip-hop acolyte Buck 65? Well, its this year’s audio triumph. From ocean to ocean Richard Terfry saw only success thanks to this incendiary collaboration, boasting appearances by Gord Downie, Olivia Ruiz, Hannah Georgas and Islands’ Nick Thorburn. Standing tall with stimulating underground perfection, I give you cornershopstudios’ album numero uno for 2011… 20 Odd Years.

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Step aside Kanye there’s a new pop-hop weirdo on the block, and he’s knocking our socks off. Donald Glover’s alter ego Childish Gambino came to us in the debut form of a popping rhyme reel that shocked listeners with its polished sense of writing and underground sense of geniality. Sitting pretty at 2011′s number two spot is Childish Gambino’s Camp.

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Hailing from The City of Roses, these folk-rock explosionists took 2011 to hit number one on the US Billboard, execute countless North American shows, beat cancer, and release a beautifully agrarian effort that would leave mouths agape and ears yearning for more. After recording for six months in a barn, this year’s big number three is The Decemberists’ humble sparkler, The King Is Dead. (more…)

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If you needed more proof that celebrities get away with far too much, Freddie Gibbs was apparently allowed on a plane while the authorities were fully aware he had weed. We say apparently, because the news comes from a tweet Gibbs made yesterday accompanied by a photo. The tweet read “The TSA found my weed and let me keep it. They just left me a note. “C’mon Son” . Lol” The accompanying photo, is a photo of a notice of baggage inspection, with the aforementioned “C’mon Son” written on it, and a few baggies of weed. While we have no way of proving that it actually happened, the TSA, Transportation Security Administration in the U.S., announced today it would be taking the incident very seriously. Speaking with the Daily News, a spokeswoman said “Should the claims be substantiated, TSA will take appropriate disciplinary steps and refer the alleged possession of an illegal substance to law enforcement.” Someone’s getting fired!

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It’s no secret that the Arcade Fire love to dance around all over the stage in live shows. Spreading that desire to dance is the goal of a new video project from the band. For their single Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), the band has created two separate video options. First, a regular clip directed by Vincent Morisset and starring Régine Chassagne listening to some tunes and dancing around the city, including a big football field dance party that may just give you a headache. But the second visual is the interesting one. The band decided to creative an “interactive” version of the clip, in which your body movements or mouse movements control the action on screen. All you need to participate is a webcam and a location where you don’t mind waving your arms around. Essentially your movements, depending on their speed, control a reel of images featuring Chassagne dancing around. You can experience both versions here. There’s also a video invitation to participate that features a group of Haitian invidiuals dancing with Arcade Fire heads on. It’s good for a laugh.

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Many guys would probably still lean towards the buxom blond in the skirt and blouse, but music fans probably wouldn’t mind having Jeff Tweedy forecast their weather on the morning news, as he did this morning on WGN Morning News in Chicago. Wilco was in studio to perform on the morning news show, but Tweedy obviously felt he hadn’t worked hard enough. So he go in front of the green screen, didn’t really tell anyone anything about the weather, talked a lot about his hair and then told the audience at home “you can read, at least I hope.” And that was it. Short and sweet. The video of Tweedy tackling the sun, rain and clouds in the near future is available on the WGN website here.

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