Crowded House singer Neil Finn’s is set to release a solo album sometime next year. Some guest on Finn’s new album will include former Smiths‘ guitarist Johnny Marr, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway.
Marr, O’Brien, Selway along with multi-instrumentalist Lisa Germano were all guest on Finn’s last solo album, 2001’s ‘7 Worlds Collide‘, and will all return again for the follow-up.
According to the Crowded House‘ official website, other confirmed guests include, Wilco members Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche and Pat Sansone, KT Tunstall, along with NZ musicians Liam Finn, Don McGlashan and Bic Runga.
The Hives have announced they have collaborated with singer Cyndi Lauper on a forthcoming Christmas track.
The song, ‘A Christmas Duel‘, will be released as a free download on November 28 and will also be made available for purchase on December 2nd.
In a post on their website, The Hives wrote: “The Hives have recorded a Christmas tune that might be out in time for the Holidays. The song is waiting to be mixed but people who have heard it are raving about the greatness of the track.
The song is a duett with Cyndi Lauper and we can hear her and Howlin´ singing their hearts out for Christmas time.”
Babyshambles‘ frontman Pete Doherty has entered the studio with Blur guitarists Graham Coxon to collaborate on the frontman’s forthcoming new solo album.
The collaboration was pretty much confirmed by Babyshambles‘ drummer Adam Ficek who told XFM that although he was not allowed to give any details about the forthcoming album, he can say that Doherty is working on the album with a guitarist whose name rhymes with “Layham Hoxon”.
The Black Keys and ZZ Top’sBilly F. Gibbons are teaming-up in Los Angeles over the weekend for a songwriting session to develop material for ZZ Top’s forthcoming album.
The duo are headed for LA this weekend to meet with Gibbons and producer Rick Rubin and try to write songs for the album, which is being produced by Rubin, reports Billboard.
Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach spoke to Billboard about the collaboration.
“Billy came to our show in Columbus, Ohio, and played us some new songs, but this will be the first time we’ve gotten together in a musical way,” said Auerbach.
We previously told you about the planned collaboration back in August, in which Rubin’s revealed to Billboard that their was already some new material which came off a 15-day studio session he did in May.
Peaches recently stopped by Aussie radio station Triple J and revealed that she is currently working on the follow-up to 2006’s ‘Impeach My Bush‘.
The singer also revealed that the forthcoming as-yet-untitled album would include collaborations by Simian Mobile Disco, Digitalism and Canuck Gonzales.
“It sounds fantastic. It’s amazing. It’s like a big variety show,” said the singer.
“I recorded a lot of it in London with Simian Mobile Disco. I’m finishing off a track now with Digitalism. I decided to just collaborate with everyone. I did a lot of writing with Gonzales, which is great because we never actually got to write anything for Peaches albums before.”
The new album is slated for release early next year.
Bjork has enlisted the help of Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke for a forthcoming single.
Yorke has provided backing vocals for Bjork’s new single ‘Nattura‘, due out October 20 via One Little Indian.
Although the single and collaboration has been confirmed by the Bjork camp, Billboard is reporting that Thom Yorke’s management is saying the frontmant hasn’t recorded anything new with Bjork.
The Arctic Monkeys are teaming up with Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme. Speaking to NME Homme said he is set to enter the studio next month with the Arctic Monkeys to produce songs for them. The Arctic Monkeys will be heading over to Joshua Tree, California to record the new material with Homme. Homme told NME he was unsure if the collaboration would be released as an album or single and that it was in the early stages. “They want to submerge themselves in a place that’s the opposite of where they’re from and what they’re used to. I think we’re just going to start by doing a couple of tracks. No pressure. The goal is to make something that they dig so much that everyone else can too,” Homme told NME.
Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks are getting some friends to appear on their forthcoming music video. The video for “Gardenia” off the album ‘Real Emotional Trash‘, will include guest appearances by Weezer’s Brian Bell, The Cribs‘ Gary Jarman, Mudhoney’s Steve Turner, Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse, Gregg “Girl Talk” Gillis and Ratatat. Also making an appearance is Portland, Oregon’s mayor Sam Adams. The video reportedly features all the above mentioned artists lip-synching and playing air guitar throughout the tune. According to Spin.com the “Gardenia” clip premiered in Portland over the weekend to the likes of Spoon’s Britt Daniel, The Jicks‘ Janet Weiss and the Thermals who were all in attendance. The video is expected to debut, for all to see, very soon.
As ZZ Top prepares to enter the studio with producer Rick Rubin to begin work on their latest album they may be joined by The Black Keys. Guitarist Billy Gibbson said his band may team up with The Black Keys for some writing and possibly recording. The two bands were introduced to one another by Rubin and Gibbson checked out the band for the first time during a fall 2005 show at New York’s Irving Plaza. “I’m such a big fan of those guys … it makes total sense [the collaboration] and that’s pretty down and dirty, which is good for ZZ Top.” According to Gibbson their is already some new material which came off a 15-day studio session he did in May. Gibbson described the new material as “everything from a black church gospel ballad to updated versions of ‘Rollin’ and Tumblin’.”
