The Century of Self is what they’re calling the sixth LP from bombast bringers …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The 13-song, Chris Coady-produced disc follows up to 2006’s So Divided and is due February 17 from the band’s own Justice Records imprint Richter Scale.

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A number of senior executives at EMI and the label’s owner, private equity firm Terra Firma, have left the company, the Telegraph has reported.Numbered among the departing executives are Chris Roling, the managing director of portfolio business at Terra Firma and a senior director at EMI for the last 16 months. Roling was regarded as a “key player” at both firms and was focused exclusively on EMI since August.

Ashley Unwin, Terrra Firma’s managing director of talent, has also taken leave. Since 2007, Unwin served as EMI’s CEO for UK and North America.

Francois van der Spuy, another director at Terra Firma, who had been exclusively tasked to EMI since August, has also reportedly left.

Additional exits may be in the offing, including Stephen Alexander, Terra Firma’s operations manager and and finanncial managing director Ruiz Punja. Alexander had been overseeing EMI’s recorded music catalog since March ‘08, and Punja had overseen several major acqusitions for Terra Firma, including EMI and Odeon.

The departures are likely related to the new CEO at EMI, Elio Leoni Sceti, who, according to the Telegraph, is keen to bring in some fresh blood after EMI posted losses of more than $1.2 billion dollars last year, almost 3 times the losses posted the previous year.

A scathing report issued by Maltby Capital, a Terra Firma-owned company, chalked the losses up to high operational costs, including executive salaries and “poor” operating performance. “EMI Music had a history of signing great artists but had not adapted sufficiently to the changing consumer market for music,” the reported noted

Source: Encore

 Rock guitarist Joe Satriani has sued British band Coldplay, accusing the Grammy-nominated stars of plagiarizing one of his songs.

Satriani’s copyright infringement suit, filed on Thursday in Los Angeles federal court, claims the Coldplay song “Viva La Vida” incorporates “substantial original portions” of his 2004 instrumental “If I Could Fly.”

The 52-year-old guitar virtuoso is seeking a jury trial, damages and “any and all profits” attributable to the alleged copyright infringement.

Source: Reuters

Congrats Trevor!  

After a scuffle with the paparazzi and brief arrest, Kanye West fires back on his blog.

WHO’S WINNING, ME OR THE MEDIA?
REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH LIGHT I PUT OUT, THERE ARE PEOPLE WORKING JUST AS HARD TO ONLY DELIVER DARKNESS. IF YOU LISTEN TO MY MUSIC, HOW COULD I DELIVER SO MANY POSITIVE UPLIFTING MESSAGES AND BE THE MONSTER THAT THE MEDIA PAINTS. PAPARAZZI GIVE REAL PHOTOGRAPHERS A BAD NAME. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, THEIRS ARE WORTH A THOUSAND DOLLARS…

LET US NOT FORGET THE PAPS KILLED PRINCESS DIANA. WHEN WILL THERE BE A LAW PASSED THAT SIMPLY ENFORCES THAT SOMEONE HAS TO ASK TO TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH OF YOU. THAT WOULD SEEM LIKE COMMON COURTESY. RIGHT NOW THE PAPS ARE ABOVE THE LAW AND THE PEOPLE THEY SHOOT ARE BELOW IT. WHAT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL IS PICTURES TAKEN WITH THE INTENT TO SELL….LIKE DRUGS WITH THE INTENT TO SELL… OR CROSSING CUSTOMS WITH ENOUGH MERCHANDISE TO HAVE THE INTENT TO SELL. THE EXPLOITATION OF MY IMAGE IS THE PROBLEM. IT PRODUCES A “BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY” BEHAVIOR THAT CAUSE THE PAPS TO DRIVE RECKLESSLY ON FREEWAYS, JUMP OVER FENCES AND INVADE PRIVACY ALL IN AN EFFORT TO GET THAT “MONEY SHOT.” YOU SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO SELL A PICTURE OF ME WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. AFTER THIS LAW IS PASSED, WHEN YOU ENTER A PUBLIC PLACE LIKE A BASKETBALL ARENA ETC., THERE WILL BE A SIGN THAT READS…”ALL PHOTOS TAKEN HERE ARE PUBLIC DOMAIN AND CAN BE USED AT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS DISCRETION.” OBVIOUSLY RED CARPET EVENTS WHERE PEOPLE SHOW UP TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED WILL ALSO APPLY. THE PERSONAL PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THE PAPS IS WHEN THEY TRY TO CATCH YOU BEING A REGULAR PERSON. I AM NOT A CELEBRITY. I’M A NORMAL PERSON THAT’S JUST FAMOUS. I REFUSE TO SNEAK IN AND OUT OF BACK DOORS AND KITCHENS OF HOTELS ETC….

I AM PROTECTING MY PERSONAL SPACE SINCE THERE ARE NO LAWS TO PROTECT THAT FOR ME.

I PUT MY HAND UP TO THE CAMERA IN SELF DEFENSE!

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED…WHEN I LEFT THE CLUB, I WAS ENCOUNTERED BY A THIRSTY PAPARAZZI AS USUAL. HE FELT HE HAD MORE RIGHTS TO MY SPACE THAN ME, SO I PUT MY HAND UP TO PREVENT HIM FROM TAKING MY IMAGE. I DIDN’T ASSAULT HIM BUT MERELY PUTTING MY HAND UP TO COVER HIS LENS. MY SECURITY YELLED, “GET THE CAMERA OFF HIM.” I GUESS IN ALL THE COMMOTION THE CAMERA SCRAPED HIS NOSE.

THREE HOURS LATER I GET A KNOCK AT MY HOTEL DOOR. THERE WERE FIVE POLICE OFFICERS IN FRONT OF MY ROOM AND I HAD NO IDEA WHY. I HAD MY SECURITY GO SPEAK WITH THEM. THE COPS WERE VERY CORDIAL BUT TOLD ME THEY HAD TO ARREST ME BECAUSE A COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THAT WAS THE BOGUS PART. THEY PLACED ME IN HANDCUFFS AND DROVE ME TO THE STATION. THEY SPOKE ABOUT HOW THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY A PUBLICITY STUNT BY THE PHOTOGRAPHER BUT THEY STILL HAD TO GO THOUGH THE MOTIONS. WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE HOTEL THERE WERE PAPARAZZI HANGING OVER THE BRIDGE ABOVE THE HOTEL TRYING TO GET A SHOT OF ME GETTING OUT THE POLICE VAN. EVEN THOUGH I WASN’T CHARGED, THE DAMAGE WAS DONE. SURE ENOUGH THE NEXT MORNING, PLASTERED ACROSS EVERY MEDIA OUTLET… KANYE GETS ARRESTED. IT DIDN’T MATTER THAT I WASN’T CHARGED OR THE FACT THAT I HADN’T ASSAULTED ANYONE. ALL THAT MATTERED WAS THAT I WAS ARRESTED.

SIDEBAR, THEY QUOTED ME AS SAYING…”GET THE CAMERA OFF HIM!” LIKE I WAS TALKING IN THIRD PERSON. HE TRIED TO MAKE ME SOUND LIKE A CRAZY PERSON AND PEOPLE BELIEVED HIM. WHAT MERIT DOES THIS GUY HAVE THAT HE CAN SAY SOMETHING ABOUT ME AND PEOPLE TAKE IT AS LAW? THE FACT THAT HE COULD GET ME ARRESTED OFF A MERE COMPLAINT BUT I CAN’T ASK HIM TO STOP TAKING PICTURES OF ME IS VERY LOPSIDED.

WHO’S WINNING, ME OR THE MEDIA?

Source: Kayneuniversecity.com

In support of the release of their long awaited film Christmas on Mars the Flaming Lips launched a really bizarre online game. I’ve only made it up to the second level and the premise so far is that you have to shoot down floating Wayne Coyne heads with brains. Try you luck here http://game.flaminglips.com/

Some of the first new Bon Iver music to hit since Justin Vernon released his brilliant debut LP what seems like forever ago is coming our way shortly. Woo!

The Blood Bank EP oozes into stores in the UK/Ireland January 19 and the U.S. January 20, all thanks to Jagjaguwar. The four song set will be available on either CD or download-coupon-boosted 12″, with the vinyl getting a little pre-release action at the merch tables at Bon Iver’s forthcoming December dates.

In addition to Vernon & co.’s previously reported run next month, they’ll tape an appearance for the David Letterman television program December 11 to be aired on or around that date, and make their way to Australia to ring in 2009.

Source: Paul Thompson Pitchfork

It wasn’t hick-hop but real hip-hop at the CMA Awards as Lil Wayne joined Kid Rock onstage during country music’s biggest night in Nashville, TN

Kid Rock brought the prolific and best-selling rapper on stage Wednesday as he performed his hit “All Summer Long.”

But Lil Wayne didn’t rap: In fact, he didn’t say a word.

Instead Lil Wayne, wearing a Tennessee Titans jersey that matched Kid Rock’s, simply remained in the background, strumming on a guitar as he mimicked playing the instrument alongside the musician’s real guitarist.

It may have been the first time a true rapper appeared at the CMAs: While Cowboy Troy performed during the CMAs in 2004, the self-proclaimed “hick-hop” artist was a country act, not a rap one.

Lil Wayne is known for hits like “Lollipop” and “A Milli.”

His album “Tha Carter III” is the year’s best-selling disc so far with 2.6 million copies sold.

While having a rapper appear at the Country Music Association’s awards show may seem like a culture clash, for Kid Rock, it was a reminder of his roots: Although he has had strong success on the country charts, he got his start in hip-hop.

This is not the first time the pair have appeared onstage together at an awards show: They also performed at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Kid Rock’s CD “Rock ‘n Roll Jesus,” released last year, remains one of this year’s best-selling albums and has sold more than 2.3 million copies.

Dear Science, TV on the Radio’s follow-up to 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain– a dense and textural album with an optimistic core– is catchier, but thornier than its predecessor. Musically, it’s an instant grabber: Handclaps crack like fireworks. TVOTR’s horns, courtesy of the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, sound punchier and brighter than ever before. Vocalists Tunde Adebimpe and guitarist/singer Kyp Malone thrive as dual frontmen: They’re sexy when they’re angry, and even sexier when they’re not. And David Sitek’s production is shiny and urgent, while his harsher synths and doo-dads hang back like a commentary track.

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