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You know how sometimes I get too brutally honest for these ol' reviews I write? Let's talk about solar powered pipes for a moment. They are fancy, sleek silver, and I was introduced to one at Saturday's Simian Mobile Disco/Cut Copy show. After all, it was Earth Week - Source

Coldplay's marketing machine is ramping up for the release of the band's latest album, Viva La Vida. The record will be in stores on June 17, which was produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs - Source

Damon Albarn has revealed that he plans to release a new album in July. - Source

Spiritualized played one of the last ever Acoustic Mainlines shows in the Mojave tent at the Coachella festival tonight (April 28). - Source

Enjoy this weekend's take on 'The Misbegotten' below. Watch the official video here. - Source

Last night marked South's first stop on their 2008 North American trek. The British trio is touring in support of their forthcoming senior release, You Are Here. While the evening focused on the aforementioned LP, South found time to integrate a slew of favorites from earlier efforts (most notably 'Colours In Waves' & 'Shallow') throughout their 60 minute set. It's rather daunting to realize that I've been adoring South for close to a decade. While similar artists that emerged around the same time frame (Coldplay, Doves, Travis) have experimented greatly with their core sound, South has managed to stay true to their original framework. Each album since South's debut record, From Here On In, has been more captivating & gripping than its preceding release. Visit South at the band's official MySpace page. Enjoy a handful of photos, the setlist & an MP3 of 'Better Things' below.Setlist: Up Close & Personal. The Pain. Tell Me. Paint The Silence. Opened Up. Loosen Your Hold. Wasted. Better Things. Colours In Waves. Motiveless Crime. You Are One. Shallow.Encore: Dolphins. - Source

Prince surprised the sold-out crowd at Coachella tonight with a cover of Radiohead's 'Creep', as well as a selection of his greatest hits tonight (April 26) in the Californian desert. - Source

While watching Verve's main stage set last night we found ourselves wondering something we don't usually wonder: What would it be like to live inside the head of Richard Ashcroft for a day? The lanky, impeccably cheekboned vocalist -- who can easily pull off wearing a shirt opened to the bottom two buttons, all the better to make room for his gem-encrusted cross -- has such an obvious god complex (does god swagger?), but manages to channel it in a way that you don't hate him. It's more like, "This man was born to be nothing but a rock star." And we need more people like that. More of that rock pomposity in the age of MySpace and everyone-has-a-band, etc.

He started the set in appropriately dramatic action, giving a "this is music!" shout, before easing into the song of the same name and shifting into "Space In Time" and "Sonnet." They focused on the hits: "Lucky Man," "Life's An Ocean," and "The Drugs Don't Work," among others, but the song that received the biggest crowd swell was a dramatic, starry-sky "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (shooting star just before they hit the stage, true story, recalling "Hyperballad" last year). Ashcroft, who said he was leaving for Las Vegas after the set, dedicated the anthem to Hunter S. Thompson. With beers at a pop and not being allowed outside the Beer Garden, we were way too far from the gonzo new-journalist's mindset, but hey, why quibble.

They also performed the newish track "Sit And Wonder." We stood and wondered why they'd bother with new material, since the crowd clearly wanted the old hits, but gods must create (or as Richard put it "new music is what this band does."). It wasn't horrible, but it felt labored, the bass-line self-consciously funky, and the overall structure less flowing than the rest of the set. It reminded us of Happy Mondays, basically, which in the end offered another opportunity for Ashcroft to prance and primp. Which is why you came to watch 'em. Cue the smoke machine.

Click on for video of "Bittersweet Symphony," and photos of Richard's cheekbones. - Source

The Verve gave their first US performance in 10 years at the Coachella Festival last night (April 25), and NME.COM caught up with guitarist Nick McCabe before their set. - Source

Chain Of Flowers has the scoop: *"Their brand new studio album will be released worldwide on September 13th with 4 consecutive & different singles preceding the LP on the 13th of each month: May 13th, June 13th, July 13th & August 13th. 'The Only One' is the first in this series, and as per the other formats, will be available on CD & 7"