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XL Recordings has finally announced a March 22 release date for the stellar debut full-length from Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. Yeah, we know. But trust us, it might just be THE album to beat in 2005 - it's THAT good. The record was initially penned in for a February release, but was held up due to legal issues with clearing the samples on the record. The track, "U.R.A.Q.T.," found on album advances and promos, will now NOT appear on the US version of the disc, due to an uncleared Quincy Jones sample. The same week that "Arular" hits stores will also see M.I.A. making some rare Stateside appearances. We've got 'em on our TOURS page.

Last week, the legendary Easley McCain recording studio in Memphis was pretty much totalled by an electrical fire that swept through the studio from two sides at once. The studio -- once known as the home of the Bar-Kays and more recently the birthplace of Pavement's "Wowee Zowee," Jeff Buckley's ill-fated final sessions, and Loretta Lynn's breaktaking 2004 album, "Van Lear Rose" -- is said to be a complete loss. Worse still was the news that master tapes of the forthcoming SILVER JEWS record were inside the studio at the time, awaiting to be mastered. Initial press reported that the tapes were destroyed... but Pitchfork is now reporting that the master tapes have turned up safe. The record remains on the Drag City schedule for release later this year.

Okay, that was my stab at an NME-esque headline -- did it work? So by now, we've all seen ZIA MCCABE of the Dandy Warhols nekkid. Whether it's on a stage or on some liner notes, the girl's got a penchant for exhibitionism. Now it's officially been taken to a new level, as the surprise girl of the day on the love-it-or-hate-it SuicideGirls website is the fabulous Zia herself. The bigger surprise of the full-frontal set: McCabe was VERY pregnant at the time (she recently gave birth to her first child, Matilda Louise.) McCabe swears she'll be reading everyone's comments to her on the SG website,

EDWYN COLLINS, former frontman of legendary Orange Juice, has suffered a brain hemorrhage. Collins, who shot to fame in the States a few years back with the quirky "A Girl Like You," was rushed to hospital where doctors are currently attempting to stabilize his condition. Information and updates have been promised via the message board at edwyncollins.com.

UPDATE 3/5/05: Edwyn's site is now confirming that on Wednesday, Collins suffered a SECOND hemorrhage and had to undergo emergency surgery to fix the problem. The site is reporting that his condition has stablized somewhat since the surgery and that "every day gets better." Hang in there, Edwyn.

KASABIAN are easily one of our favorite bands of the past year. Any record that makes our 2004 poll as one of the year's best has to be good... the fact that Kasabian managed to do it without a US release is even more impressive. Finally, that situation is rectified. The record's out in the States on March 8 (at a reduced price!), and the band is embarking on their first US tour opening for The Music. We were EXTREMELY excited to have our Shane sit down with Kasabian bassist Chris Edwards for a chat just prior to the tour's East Coast kickstart. Just expand this article by clicking "READ MORE" to check out the interview.

"Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men's reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final."

- Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, 1937-2005

We may be down one legend, but the struggle carries on.

BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB have signed a new record deal with The Echo Label in Europe. They have been without a home since Virgin dropped them almost a year ago. They will keep their imprint, "Abstract Dragon" and future European released will be under Echo/Abstract Dragon. They are currently finishing up their third album with a working title, "American LP".

On February 28, SWERVEDRIVER's going to release a compilation called, "Juggernaut Rides". It's a 2CD set with some favorites, some b-sides, and a couple of unreleased tracks. There are also some tracks that have previously only been available on vinyl so I'm really looking forward to owning a clean copy of "Why Say Yeah" and "My Zephyr".

Regarding the two new songs, Adam Franklin (lead singer) was quoted in an old interview:

"There was a song called 'Just Sometimes' that I wanted to re-name 'Song of Laughter & Forgetting' which has all the instruments and melodies going round in cycles, a song called 'Neon Lights Glow' which is ten minutes long, has a string section on it and is a cross between 'Neon Lights' by Kraftwerk, 'Rumble' by Duane Eddy and 'Signed DC' by Love, and 'Ennio II' which has an Ennio Morricone feel but is really just a strange little instrumental. None of these tracks are available as far as I know, but what do I know?"

Everyone's favorite Danes, The Raveonettes, are back at it, but this time with a little less fuzz but just as much buzz. Their new record "Pretty In Black" has been given a US release date of May 3... and they've already booked a tour (with Autolux) to coincide. There are two ways to snag a preview though... "Love In A Trashcan" (the first single) is available now through the iTunes store and should hit the radiowaves a month from now. Or, you can pop down to Austin next month to catch Sune and Sharon on stage during the SxSW festival during the Crunchy Frog showcase with Danish labelmates Epo-555 and Powersolo.

Just when we get far enough into 2005 that we think we might have FINALLY escaped all the 2004 "Best Of" lists... Pazz & Jop comes hurling our way. It probably won't shock too many people that the annual Village Voice sponsored critic's poll called out Kanye West as creating the best record and Franz Ferdinand with penning the top song. The Top 40 Records and Top 40 Singles lists do contain a few surprises though (and not just spotting the Excellent members who voted this year). Editorial Note from Liz: Like Annie getting #31 & #32 for single of the year with *very few* crossover votes!