The Charlatans have made their new album 'You Cross My Path' available as a free digital download on Xfm.co.uk website. - Source

By now, a good deal of you may have stumbled upon the hilarious (and quickly ubiquitous) site, Stuff White People Like. With categories such as 'Modern Furniture', 'Oscar Parties' & 'Co-Ed Sports', I must draw attention to SWPL #70: 'Difficult Breakups'. Check out this smile-inducing passage: *The majority of white person art is created after a difficult breakup; films, indie music, and poetry are all kicked into high production during the end of a relationship. This helps train white people to prepare for the pain that is coming.Once breakup proceedings have been initiated, a white person is immediately thrust into the center of attention in their circle of friends. During this time, they are permitted to talk at great lengths about themselves, listen to The Smiths, and get free dinners from all of their friends who think "they shouldn't be alone right now..." Source

Nine Inch Nails identity Trent Reznor is now injecting steroids into the Radiohead, name-your-price sales model. - Source

Justice once again enlist the artwork services of So Me a.k.a. the man behind those Gummy winning magic tees for "DVNO," a video so nice we decided to work on Saturday for it. As Mehdi Pinson sings, Mr. Me illustrates the lyrics in his pop art style (particularly loving the old-school HBO logo treatment of DVNO), with the help of Machinemolle on motion-design. It's okay if you don't watch it now, though; history dictates that Kanye will request So Me do a slightly modified, watered down version for himself in a few months. - Source

Up until now we were unsure if Elbow's latest album, The Seldom Seen Kid, was going to receive a US release, but finally that issue has been resolved. Their follow-up to their '05 album Leaders Of The Free World.  - Source

The album will come out this summer, but details remain scarce. The tour, however, is a carefully planned affair. It currently consists of a month of dates across the world this fall, with a fair number of two-night residencies. On the first night of each residency, vocalist/keyboardist Jaz Coleman, guitarist Geordie Walker, drummer Paul Ferguson, and bassist Martin amp;quot;Youthamp;quot; Glover (who you might know from his production work for the Verge and the Orb) will tear through their first two albums-- 1980's Killing Joke and 1981's What's This For?-- in their entirety. The second night will feature the foursome doing the same for 1994's Pandemonium and their singles released on Island Records in 1979 and 1980. - Source

Eighteen months ago, my beloved HOTS called it a day.  Since then, half of the band has begun work a new project.  The result is Palace.  Sample three demo tunes at their MySpace page.  - Source

Ben Gibbard breaks the disappointing news to Spinner: *"It's just not a priority for either of us. So the next Postal Service record may or may never happen. Jimmy and I are still throwing ideas back and forth, but as time goes on, we find ourselves busy with our own music. We have some stuff, but it's been difficult to find the time and the drive to do the record. I'd love to finish it at some point and maybe even do some performances. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."* - Source

'Control' director Anton Corbijn has admitted to being completely stunned by the reaction to his Joy Division biopic. - Source

First thing's first: The full name's "Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band," but the kindly Montreal posse seen previously on LOST don't mind if you use SMZ shorthand. Still, it's fitting that a many-peopled band with such epic tunes would want a name with all that syllabic presence. (Remember, certain members are also in Godspeed You! Black Emperor, another pack fond of largess.) Moniker aside, SMZ's new album 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons is a beaut. It opens with a dozen brief tracks -- 5 to 11 second tonal rings -- before you get to the real meat: Four 13-plus minute angry, soothing blends of booming orchestrations, wicked psychedelia, and folksy constructions via two guitars, two violins, cello, contrebasse, drums, scrap metal, and barreling, choired voices. It possesses the dynamic range we've come to expect from the crew, but bigger. On the album standout "Black Waters Blowed," Efrim Menuck's mesmerizing intonations start off pastoral before lifting into ragged, sweet bellows: "I found a penny where the black waters blow -- / A dagger, a crown, or a home in the snow / And scraps, soil, and sentries for the children below / There's ones that are liars and ones that don't know." Then it rips open. - Source