ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN are spending the rest of their summer working on a new album which they’ve dubbed The Garden of Meedin, which early reports say is a return to the spiky/shoegazy post-punk sound that the band helped make popular. The new set, which will serve as the follow-up to their 2009 album The Fountain, is yet to have a release date, but looks like it will show up early next year. PAUL WELLER is taking on a short six-date tour of the U.S. East Coast late in July, with a trio of shows at different venues in NYC (the Apollo on 7.25, Webster Hall on 7.26), and Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on 7.27), plus...

BENICASSIM 2013 is set for July 18-21 at the Benicassim concert venue in Castellon, Spain, with sets newly confirmed from Jake Bugg, Everything Everything, Miles Kane, The Coronas, The Courteneers, and La Roux, among others; the big headliners will be Arctic Monkeys and The Killers. August’s V Festival at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire, England, has been confirmed, too, with its shows taking place August 17-18. The V Fest will include several of the same performers that will be making the rounds at Benicassim, with additions including Kings of Leon, Olly Murs, Beady Eye, Ellie Goulding, The Fratellis, and...

TELEKINESIS (aka Michael Benjamin Lerner) has new music for you, namely his third album on Merge Records, which has arrived in the form of Dormarion. The album’s unusual title stems from where it was recorded, specifically Spoon drummer Jim Eno’s recording studio in Austin, Texas, which is on a road called Dormarion Lane. The album’s first single, “Ghosts and Creatures,” indicates a more minimalist sound for Telekinesis, with careful production and an indie feel. MUMFORD AND SONS’ Marcus Mumford has teamed up with Justin Timberlake to record some tracks for the soundtrack of the new Coen Brothers movie,...

  DIDO is dropping her new album this week, with 11 new songs in all, including a couple which you may have already heard, namely her first official single, “No Freedom,” and her duet with U.S. singer Kendrick Lamar, “Let Us Move On.” This collection, called Girl That Got Away, will be Dido’s first album in almost five years. She recorded it in both London and California (the cover photo, however, was shot in New York), and is calling the set a “big, fun, electronica extravaganza” that will also include production from her brother and former bandmate Rollo Armstrong, plus additional other...

DAVID BOWIE’S new album – out this week and his first in ten years – is certainly hitting fans by surprise, and in fact, Bowie recorded the album under the radar and mostly in secret (except for the help of producer Tony Visconti) for the past two years. While the Thin White Duke did have a health scare back in 2003 or so, he’s as fit as a psychedelic fiddle now, and slyly prefaced the new album, which he’s titled The Next Day, with a single, “Where Are We Now?” which made a big online splash last month. LONDON’S Olympic Stadium is planning to reopen this upcoming summer, making use of the...

ALT-J, Coldplay, Muse, Mumford and Sons, and Emeli Sande are among the top nominees at this year’s BRIT Awards, which will be, well, awarded in a couple of days (February 20) at London’s O2 Arena during the usual big, fancy ceremonial evening. Alt-J are nominated for three awards – Best Brit Album, Brit Group, and Brit Breakthrough Act, and are competing with Mumford and Sons in the middle category (Mumford are also up for Best Brit Live Act and British Album of the Year for Babel.) Muse, Coldplay, and Olly Murs each snagged two nominations, while other nominated artists this year include fun., The Killers, The Script,...

THE BLACK KEYS are making some big plans for this year – they’ve got three Grammys to their credit as of last night, and they’ve already headed back into the studio and are working diligently on their next album. They’ve committed to performing at both Lollapalooza Brazil and Lollapalooza Chile (in March and April, respectively), and are also hitting the road for a short run of tour dates in April and May. The Keys will be making stops in Pittsburgh (4.30), Atlanta (5.2), and Nashville (5.3), among other stateside shows. iTUNES continues its march toward world digital music domination, launching in a whopping 56 new...

MOGWAI have crafted some more new soundtrack music, but as a side project from their own recording pursuits – this set is specifically for the French show Les Revenants. The music itself is set to be released as a full album this week on the band’s own Rock Action Records, but you can get a sneak listen via the French TV channel Canal – check out the whole show if you can speak French, and if you can’t, just listen for Mogwai’s music. THE GRAMMY AWARDS are set to hit U.S. TV next week, Sunday, February 10, to be exact, when the show will be broadcast from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles. Performers at this...

JOHNNY MARR’S debut solo album is his newest venture, showcasing Marr’s desire to “not be in anyone else’s band anymore.” In addition to his landmark work with The Smiths, Marr’s also worked with The Cribs, Modest Mouse, and The The, among others – now it’s his turn in the direct glare of the spotlight with his album The Messenger, which drops this week. Recorded in Manchester and Berlin and mastered in London, the set features Marr himself on vocals, guitar, and percussion. THE HIVES are on the road as you read this, having just started a tour this month following their December appearance on...

MORRISSEY is currently on the road, having kicked off his rescheduled North American tour in Greenvale, New York, with Patti Smith set to make a special appearance at Morrissey’s March 1 show. Included on the former Smiths frontman’s schedule are shows in Minneapolis (1.25), Chicago (1.26), Nashville (1.29), Austin TX (2.13), Los Angeles (3.1), and Seattle (3.6) before he makes at stop at the Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City in March. JAMIE LIDELL has been working his electro-soul magic on his upcoming new album in his own studio in Nashville, where he relocated from previous places in New York and his homeland of England....