Hear Big Boi's Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Next Tuesday, Big Boi of Outkast will release his awesomely titled Def Jam debut, Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. The album features guest appearances from George Clinton, T.I., Joi, Too Short, Janelle Monae and many others. If you are curious to hear the album now, Big Boi's Myspace page is streaming the entire album. As this is being written, I am listening to the album and will say this, there is very little you could be doing at the moment that should prevent you from listening to this album...very little.

Melvins/Totimoshi (Double Door - June 25, 2010)

On a warm Friday night in June, a nearly sold-out audience packed into the Double Door to watch cult legends, Melvins, perform a double set of songs spanning their nearly 30 year career. Coming off a Bonnaroo performance earlier this month and the release of their new album, The Bride Screamed Murder, Melvins showed no signs of lightening up on their musical assault as each note gave way to the one behind it in a way that would make most heavy bands jealous.

Rated R Celebrates A Decade With A Reissue

Has it really been 10 years since I first heard the line "Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ecstasy and Alcohol"? I suppose it has been that long since discovering the band that provided some of the greatest songs to the soundtrack of my 20's thanks to one small blurb in Spin. With that said, on August 3, Queens of the Stone Age's sophomore album, Rated R, will celebrate its 10-year anniversary with a special edition, two-disc set. In addition to the album, the reissue will feature a second disc of b-sides, including the Romeo Void and Kinks covers, and a live performance from the 2000 Reading Festival. Check out the tentative tracklist (via The PRP) after the jump as well as videos for the album's singles

Interview: Katy Young of Peggy Sue

Peggy Sue is a British band who combines folk music with a variety of other influences and sounds through a multitude of instruments. Their debut album, Fossils and Other Phantoms, was released stateside earlier this month to critical acclaim and the band recently wrapped up a U.S. tour. I recently spoke to vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Katy Young via e-mail to discuss the band's origins, recording with members of Blood Red Shoes and Mumford and Sons and the band's sound. Thanks to Marni at Sneak Attack and Yep Roc for setting up the interview.

Hear The Roots' How I Got Over

Tomorrow, The Roots' newest album, How I Got Over, will arrive in stores. The follow-up to 2008's Rising Down features such guests as John Legend, Joanna Newsom, Monsters of Folk, longtime collaborator Dice Raw and members of Dirty Projectors. The only thing better than those guest spots and waiting less than a day for their new album is hearing the stream of it on their MySpace page. After the jump, check out The Roots performing Dear God 2.0 with Yim Yames of Monsters of Folk from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this past Friday as well as the video for it and the album's title track.

Interview: Buzz Osbourne (King Buzzo) of Melvins

For almost 30 years, Melvins have been one of the most distinctly original bands around. Their sound is as recognizable as vocalist/guitarist Buzz Osbourne's giant afro and their influence can be heard in bands like Mastodon, Isis, Big Business (who, now, make up half of Melvins' lineup) and many other bands. It was with great honor that I, recently, had a chance to speak with King Buzzo about the band's new album, The Bride Screamed Murder, as well as their current tour with Isis and Totimoshi and the very elaborate, limited edition 13 CD boxset being sold on the tour. This interview was recorded on June 17, 2010. Thanks to Monica from Speakeasy for setting this up.

Peggy Sue (Schubas - June 14, 2010)

The true test of a collection of songs lies within the live performance. The same can be said about a band as some bands tend to excel more in a live setting that in a studio. In their second Chicago appearance, Peggy Sue proved that their songs are just as impressive live as they are in the studio, probably more so after witnessing how the pieces, band and instrumentation, come together.

Rock Band...Now With Keyboards & Real Guitars

I am sure that you have heard any and, possibly, all criticism from older musicians about how music games are "the devil" and how kids, these days, should be playing real guitars and learning how to play real music. Harmonix agrees and Rock Band 3 will do just that as well as add keyboards, three-part harmonies and Huey Lewis and the News. In addition to these elements, there will be 83 new songs to perform, new scoring features, a pro mode that will essentially teach you the song and, did I mention, keyboards. This means my dream of rocking out to Bohemian Rhapsody will finally come to fruition just like on the season finale of Glee. Yes, there will childbirth, dancers and Sue Sylvester as a judge. After the jump, check out a list of a few of the new songs featured in Rock Band 3 as well a couple of videos explaining some of the new elements to this edition.

Wendy Peppercorn Is My Lifeguard (June 2010)

Side A: The Picnic Starts At 12 Sharp
01. June by Pete Yorn
02. Hot House by X
03. Cool Places by Sparks
04. Carnival by The Cardigans
05. Surf Wax America by Weezer
06. The Cruise by The Rentals
07. Plastic Beach by Gorillaz
08. The Fourth of July by The Incredible Moses Leroy

Side B: The Last Hurrah For Fireworks
01. August by Rilo Kiley
02. Kim's Watermelon Gun by The Flaming Lips
03. Sunshinin' by The Vines
04. Possessed to Skate by Suicidal Tendencies
05. Brooklyn Zoo by Ol' Dirty Bastard
06. Ice Cream Man by Tom Waits
07. Swimming Song by Kate and Anna McGarrigle
08. Lemonade by Blind Melon

Once Gone, Donnis Is Now Fashionably Late.

(courtesy of myspace.com/donnismusic)

One name that you will definitely hear this summer is that of Atlanta rapper Donnis. After being named as a member of XXL's Freshmen 10 for '10, a major label bidding war and a single on Fools Gold, the MC is set to release Fashionably Late on June 22. The up-and-coming rapper made his name with last year's Diary of an ATL Brave mixtape and has found his way onto various hip hop blogs. From there, Donnis continues to build his following with each video, single and mixtape he releases. Furthermore, he references things like Carl Winslow from Family Matters to Star Trek's USS Enterprise over some of the slickest, layered beats. He's a rapper that you will definitely hear about this year and is worth checking out. Check out a couple of his videos and a recent interview with DJ Reflex after the jump.

The Big Four Of Thrash Are Coming To A Theater Near You

Definitely one of the biggest music stories in recent months was the first ever tour of the big four of thrash. For the uninitiated, the big four consists of Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica and Slayer, all of whom have helped shaped metal for almost 30 years and have, in some capacity, have played with each other in various pairs and at different festivals. This, however, makes the first time that all four bands would actually tour with each other as they will tour Europe from June to August.

The Shins Squeeze Levi's

Yeah, that was bad. The Shins covering Squeeze's "Goodbye Girl" for Levi's Pioneer Sessions, however, is far from bad. As a fan of the song, it is great to hear the band give it their own spin which, to a degree, shows a bit of a Squeeze influence when you listen it. It is a very cool cover of a very cool band by another very cool band. I realize that I sound like Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder being "a dude portraying a dude disguised as another dude" and I do not care one bit. Download the song here and check out a video of James Mercer (also of Broken Bells) discussing "Goodbye Girl" after the jump.

My Morning Jacket Performs First Five Albums In Entirety For Charity

   (photo by Aaron Fish/mymorningjacket.com)

If you plan to be in New York between October 18-23, might I suggest you purchase a ticket to see My Morning Jacket. In late October, MMJ will perform their five studio albums in chronological order beginning with 1999's The Tennessee Fire to 2008's Evil Urges with one album performed each night in addition to a variety of other numbers from the band's career. Best of all, a dollar from each ticket sold will be donated toward a local charity. Tickets for the event will have a pre-sale on June 14, which includes a package to all five performances, and to the public on June 18.

New 7-inch Releases From Japandroids And The Coathangers

On July 20th, Canadian duo Japandroids will release the second installment of their limited edition 7-inch series. Like each of the 7" in the collection, it includes an unreleased recording from their full-length debut, Post-Nothing, on one side and a cover on the other side. The newest outtake is called "Younger Us" and is accompanied by a cover of X's "Sex and Dying in High Society. You can order the 7" for Younger Us/Sex and Dying in High Society here and listen to "Younger Us" at Pitchfork.

2010 Lollapalooza Schedule Released

Do you have a ticket to Lollapalooza? Are you planning to attend the event? If the answer is yes to either one of those questions, then start planning your day now. The performance schedule for the 2010 Lollapalooza was released today and provides the concert attendee with some interesting decisions to make. For example, would you rather end the weekend by watching Soundgarden or Arcade Fire on Sunday night. Better yet, it's a Friday afternoon, are you more into Devo or The New Pornographers? Make your decision by viewing the performance schedule after the jump.

The (Free) Sounds Of Summer

Summer is here and that means bikinis, speedos, tanning, grilling, late nights with friends and a wide variety of summer activties. Of course, for every great summer activity, the music should be equally as great. While there are plenty of new releases to choose from and plenty of concerts and festivals to attend, there is also a nice variety of free mixtapes and samplers to choose from.

June...She Is A Mighty Good Month.

A new month brings new releases from hard rock veterans (Melvins, Ozzy Osbourne), imported acts (Oasis, the Futureheads), the return of big name acts (Sarah McLachlan, Christina Aguilera, Eminem, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and new acts destined to make a big impact throughout the year (Drake, Peggy Sue). Here are just a few of the artists releasing new albums this month.

Trent Reznor Offers Free Download of How to Destroy Angels' Debut EP

How to Destroy Angels is the name of the collaboration between Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor, his wife Mariqueen Maandig and Nine Inch Nails collaborator and producer Atticus Ross. The group's self-titled debut EP is now available as a free, 320 kbps MP3 download by clicking on the widget below. The band is also offering the EP in a higher quality FLAC format for $2 or as part of a package deal with a poster, sticker or t-shirt. A physical edition of the EP will be released on CD on July 6 while, as of this post, there is not a release date set for a vinyl edition. Download How to Destroy Angels by using the widget and watch the video for "The Space in Between" after the jump.