The Alternative Nation News Report 02.15.09: Welcome to the Fold

Posted by Taylor Martin on 02.21.2009

Nine Inch Nails may call it a day, new music from Sonic Youth and Silversun Pickups, Guitar Hero: Metallica update, and DLC of The Week!



Column Start

Well, the streak is over. I missed last week but hey, shit happens.

What time s it?

NEWS TIME!


News N' Stuff

Silversun Pickups have officially announced the tracklisting and release date for their sophomore album, Swoon. The album will see a release date of April 14th in the US and Canada and a day earlier in the UK. The tracklisting is as follows:

1. There's No Secrets This Year
2. The Royal We
3. Growing Old is Getting Old
4. It's Nice to Know You Work Alone
5. Panic Switch
6. Draining
7. Sort Of
8. Substitution
9. Catch and Release
10. Surrounded (or Spiraling)

The first single, "Panic Switch", will hit iTunes and radio next month. Also, in a bit of interesting news, the band will release "Panic Switch" and "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone" as downloadable content for Guitar Hero: World Tour, along with "Well Thought Out Twinkles" from Carnavas. The band is set to return to the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April with a full tour expected to follow.


This makes me a sad panda: Nine Inch Nails will reportedly tour for the final time with Jane's Addiction. Trent Reznor had this to say about it:

Towards the beginning of my career in Nine Inch Nails, our biggest break came in the form of an invitation to perform a series of shows with Jane's Addiction. These performances essentially created and defined the term "alternative" rock in the US, created an ongoing festival franchise that is still thriving (Lollapalooza), set the stage for Nirvana to shift popular taste a few months later, and were really fucking FUN to play and attend - truly the best times I've had. The shows were epic. So epic, they propelled NIN to the "next level" (whatever that means), but caused Jane's to implode. The band broke up at the end of that tour.Fast forward to the present. Corporate rock STILL sucks. A friend tells me they saw the original Jane's lineup play a tiny show in LA that was unbelievable. I break out my Jane's records and am amazed by how vital they sound. These guys were the real deal and in this current climate mostly dominated by poseurs and pussies it was refreshing to hear something that sounded dangerous, volatile, beautiful and SINCERE.Emails were sent, phone calls were made, dinner was arranged, ideas were discussed and the next thing I know we're in the studio experimenting. We laugh, we get to know each other, we cry, we yell, we almost quit, we record LOTS of guitar solos, we discuss, we actually begin to all communicate, we yell some more, we become FRIENDS, we laugh again and we do some great things. I get to see first hand why they broke up all those years ago but I also get the chance to see four distinct personalities that become an INCREDIBLE band when they're in the same room.In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases. I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while. Last year's "Lights in the Sky" tour was something I'm quite proud of and seems like the culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year. The approach to these shows is quite different from last year - much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted. Fun for us and a different way for you to see us and wave goodbye. I reached out to Jane's to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing. Will it work? Will it resonate in the marketplace? Who knows. Is there big record label marketing dollars to convince you to attend? Nope.Does it feel right to us and does it seem like it will be fun for us and you? Yes it does.Look for tour dates soon and I hope to see you out there.Trent

Well, I've never experienced NIN live. So I'll have to go to one of these shows. From what I've heard though is that it's one of the best live shows and Reznor pulls off pretty amazing feats of endurance.


2009 is looking to be a great year for alternative rock. And no one does it better than the kings (and queen) of alt-rock, Sonic Youth. The title, The Eternal, has been common knowledge for a while now, but that was all we knew about it (well, that and it was going to be their first album for Matador Records). Well, the band had provided us with a little update consisting of the release date and tracklisting:


1. Sacred Trickster
2. Anti-Orgasm
3. Leaky Lifeboat (for Gregory Corso)
4. Antenna
5. What We Know
6. Calming the Snake
7. Poison Arrow
8. Malibu Gas Station
9. Thunderclap (for Bobby Pyn)
10. No Way
11. Walkin' Blue
12. Massage the History

The album drops June 9th.


Quickies!

- Guitar Hero: Metallica just got better: Lemmy will be an unlockable character in the game. AND DON'T FORGET THE JOKER!!

- Simon and Garfunkel reunited last week, when Art Garfunkel joined Paul Simon onstage in New York. Whoever was at that show is now my sworn enemy.


DLC of the Week

Rock Band:

The following songs are in the Alt-Country Track Pack:

Drive-By Truckers
"3 Dimes Down"

I'm not familiar with DBT's music, but I have heard it is good.

Lucinda Williams
"Can't Let Go"

Same with Lucinda Williams.

Neko Case
"People Got a Lot of Nerve"

I have heard Neko Case and I like her music, so I'll recommend this.

Old 97's
"Time Bomb (Live)"

Holy shit, that's awesome. Total recommendation.

Steve Earle
"Satellite Radio"

I'm not familiar with Steve Earle.


And finally, something I've wanted to see for a long time:

Jimmy Eat World
"Futures"
"Sweetness"
"Lucky Denver Mint"

I'm a huge Jimmy Eat World fan, so this excites me. Recommended.

Guitar Hero:

Bob Seger
"Old Time Rock and Roll"
"Her Strut"
"Get Out of Denver (Live)"

Bob Seger is pretty cool and "Old Time Rock and Roll" is finally in the game after months of those commercials. Recommended.

The Greatest Albums of My Life

…will be back next week. Sorry!

Column End

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week, same bat time, same bat channel.

Bye forever.