I Still Like Posting in my Own Free Time~

It may not be for homework anymore, but I like posting~

Muse has made their autumn tour official! On March 24, the band made an announcement on their website that they will indeed be touring as planned during the second half of the year, and will even be guest starring in several of U2's North American shows! I have also heard a collaboration they have done for their new album with a man named Mike Skinner (also called The Streets), but its got two issues: number one, it's a rap song, and number two, Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy does not sing in any part of it, it's all Skinner vocals. Two big fat nails that just nail the lid on the coffin in my opinion.

Also, keep an eye out for the Silversun Pickups' second album, Swoon, due out April 14.

Here and There

Silversun Pickups' to-be-realeased album, Swoon, has seventeen tracks. Had to share that just because I know you're curious.

Also, Ray Luzier is a full-time band member of Korn now! Luzier was formerly a back-up drummer, but as of the new year he is an official member.

Did I mention before that Korn will be working on a new album? After Ohio's Rock on the Range festival in May, Korn will be headed to a recording studio to get some work done. The theme for this album is organized religion.

Coheed and Cambria is also busy at work! In December of 2008 they had been playing an event they called Neverender: a four-night concert in which each of their albums were played each night, one album per evening. The scheduled March 3 release of a DVD set of the Neverender performance, titled Neverender: Children of The Fence Edition, has been postponed until March 24.

Yaaay for New Music~

The Silversun Pickups have released their first single for their new album, Swoon! Titled "Panic Switch" (click here to listen), the single was first released on March 6 on the Silversun Pickups' Myspace page, and then released to radio on March 9. Overall I think the song is a winner, I enjoy the maybe over-extensive intro filled with just pure Silversun Pickups jam, followed by typical lyrics and melodies from the band frontman, Brian Aubert; the tune is catchy and I need to listen to it more than once to get it out of my head, not complaining though! This definately makes up for my disappointment over Muse, but not completely. Excitement!

Also, I never noticed a zillion years ago that The All-American Rejects released a single for their 2008 album, When the World Comes Down, which is called "Gives You Hell". The only reason I actually got around to noticing it is because it's being played on radio stations like (103.5 FM) Kiss, and not only that, but it's hitting top ranks on that station's music lineups, such as their Top 40.

Kiss plays music from people like Britney Spears or Kanye West. So it's no wonder that "Gives You Hell" caught my ear, it being from an alternative rock group and all.

Okay, you're probably falling asleep asking, "What's so news worthy about this piece of old news?" I'm not sure, it's ranked as #5 in places like the Billboard Hot 100 and iTunes, although it did reach #1 on iTunes at one point too, making it The All-American Reject's most successful song ever! It was also released in the UK earlier in February and is creeping its way up the UK Singles Chart, currently at #18.

I like having new tunes to listen to, it's very refreshing~ (click here to listen to "Gives You Hell")

Shed a Tear

Apparently I have misinterpreted an interview conducted with Muse about their new album. Matthew Bellamy, the amazing frontman of the band, told BBC Radio that with the new music on the album, "We will be knocking on Classic FM's door, you know." Also in the interview, it is said that the formerly alternative rock threesome will be abandoning rock for classical music entirely, making the new album I was so excited about being released in September a bust. I really hope that this isn't a permanent change for Muse, or I might just have to kidnap Bellamy and his fellow bandmates and force them to make rock music and release it all myself. I will not stand for an all-classical formerly rock group forever. Cry with me, please.

Now that I am totally depressed about my most cherished rock group of my life, My Chemical Romance (MCR) is going to be releasing "¡VENGANZA!" on their website. On March 9 MCR claimed to have nine never-before seen videos from the encore set of the Mexico City show from October 2007. The scheduled release for these videos is April 10, along with some exclusive photos too. And I have not gotten a chance to see Watchmen yet, so I can't tell you if MCR's cover of Bob Dylan's "Desolate Row" is any good for now. I would advise that you find out for yourself, if you are or have in possession an adult over the age of 18 to buy you into theaters. Watchmen is rated "R" as in "Restricted", otherwise no one admitted under the age of 17 without a parent or guardian.

And I noticed that Seamus has posted that No Doubt is reuniting! Sorry Seamus, just had to let everyone know that I am a follower of No Doubt, but I also have recently discovered that the band will be going on tour minus their frontwoman, Gwen Stefani, who is busy making white rap music. What a killjoy. I will admit that I like some of her new music, but overall I think Stefani was stronger with No Doubt.

Anticipation, Anticipation!

Muse, Muse, Muse, Muse! Love that threesome. As of February 25, they are halfway done with their new album, and want to release it right at the end of summer! I'm not sure if this means that they are going to be releasing it before the projected September release they were expecting, but we all know that April wants them to get it out in the open as soon as physically possible!

Also, I know this totally doesn't apply, but shame on you Rihanna. Don't reward Chris Brown for what he did to you. Get your butt in a recording studio and sing us some more music, don't waste your time with a man that is so neanderthal-like that he'll hit a woman.

In even more unrelated news, Lil Wayne is going to be featuring the guitarist and bass players of Korn as backup in his new "rock" song, Prom Queen, which is airing March 3rd (tomorrow!). Lil Wayne is definately not a rock artist and he shames us all by making fun of rock music in his latest releases, but Korn is a very godly rock group and deserves some attention. So when you hear this new terrible song from Lil Wayne tomorrow, think of Korn and let all the built-up rage for Lil Wayne slide. Just this once, though.

And to top it all off, I just want to thank Wikipedia for being my best friend. Sorry I'm too insecure to use Google, but you have what's going on recently in the lives of my favorite bands, so I'm going to stick to you, my friend~ I'm so lame. Ha ha.

I Can't Think of a Title for This One.

I'm probably the saddest person on the face of the earth for digging bands you'll only find in sorry places like Rock band or Guitar Hero. But I'm excited anyways when I say that the Silversun Pickups are releasing an album, Swoon! On February 11 they announced the release date to be April 14 for the U.S. and Canada, April 13 for the U.K. And yes, I discovered Silversun Pickups from Rock band 2 with their song, "Lazy Eye". I'm going to get away with it too. Click here to hear "Lazy Eye". In case you are unfamiliar with the band, yes, that is a guy singing.

On a side note, here's a list of bands to perform at Rock Fest this year so far: (this isn't a specific order) the Steve Miller Band, Korn, Seether, Whigs, Shinedown, Lifehouse, Blackberry Smoke, Sheryl Crow, and the Barenaked Ladies.

Also While I Was Away

I just keep digging up more news from my favorite bands. I can't believe that I missed the release of Lonely Road, a new album by Red Jumpuit Apparatus (RJA) on February 3! Probably best known for their single "Face Down", I love RJA because of their catchy vocals and thematic lyrics, or maybe just because they give me shivers. Anyways, I haven't gotten to actually listen to anything on their new ablum yet, but the album has already reached 14 on a U.S. album chart. (click here to listen to "Face Down")

Korn is planning to start recording again this year! Although just a rumor, the band is hoping to get to a recording studio in May to release an album by November. On February 12, Korn was also chosen to play at the Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin!

Another random piece of information: Buckethead released an album titled Slaughterhouse on the Prairie on January 30. I'm not sure if you would consider a solo guitarist like Buckethead to be alternative rock, but he works for me. According to the reviews, Slaughterhouse on the Prairie is overall a decent album. It contains a couple of excellent tracks, but loses in its overall rating because it contains several disaster tracks. I love Buckethead, he's such a character. I love him so much that here's a little backround on him:

Buckethead is a solo guitarist who always appears wearing a KFC bucket with an orange sticker containing the word "funeral" in bold black letters and also wearing a white mask. His character is described as a man raised by chickens and who also feels that the chicken products sold in fast-food chains are victims of a chicken holocaust. Buckethead plays a variety of instruments but is best known for his guitar works, which won him the #8 spot on GuitarOne magazine's Top 20 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time. I was first introduced to him by his song "Jordan", which was featured on Guitar Hero II for Playstation2. (click here to listen to "Jordan") Yes, I am introduced to a lot of artists from video games such as Guitar Hero, if you haven't already noticed. Lately Buckethead's bucket no longer has the KFC logo on it.

While I Was Away~

Oh my oh my, I must have chosen the wrong time to slack off, because Muse is recording music and I didn't know until now! As of February 3, Muse is in the studio working on some tunes they are scheduling to release in September this year! I

f you haven't been following this blog, you wouldn't know that Muse is my most favorite band of all time. But now you know!

Muse's frontman, Matthew Bellamy, has also mentioned the new album will be including a piece of music that he has been working on for an extended period of time. Bellamy has called this piece of music the "hardest song ever", which it must be since it's in three parts. This "hardest song ever" is planned to be the finale of the album, and Muse is known for having epic finales. The finale to their last album, Black Holes and Revelations, was "Knights of Cydonia" (click here to listen), which was so epic that it made it into Guitar Hero III. Bellamy has also said that in this new album the band is trying to incorporate more orchestrated music. Planned for after the album release is a tour of Europe, starting in France. This is going to be Muse's fifth album, I'm so excited!

My Chemical Romance (MCR) has also been busy while I was away! The Warner Bros. film, Watchmen, is due out this year. On February 1, MCR released a new single which is featured in Watchmen as the ending credits track! And guess what else is featured in Watchmen? Muse's previously released song, "Take a Bow" (from their fourth album, Black Holes and Revelations)! Anyways, MCR's new single is titled "Desolate Row", and is also a cover of Bob Dylan's song of the same name. I'm still not sure if this means that MCR will have the cover of "Desolate Row" on any future albums, but we all know that the single will be on the soundtrack of Watchmen.

Prince is a busy man too! Here's the old news: on January 3, a new website was launched to follow Prince's new song releases, on which songs such as "Chocolate Box", "A Colonized Mind", and "All This Love" have been posted. Here's the moderately recent news: on the above website, Prince released two more songs, "Disco Jellyfish", and "Another Boy". Not shabby for a 51-year old music legend!

Snippets

My most favorite band ever, Muse, is going to release an album either this year or next year! Yes, these are the guys who are featured in Twilight with their song, "Supermassive Black Hole", which made the UK top-ten singles list at #4! Other popular songs by Muse are "Knights of Cydonia" (featured on Guitar Hero III), "Starlight", and "Bliss". Muse is made up by three band members: Matthew Bellamy on guitar, piano, and vocals, Christopher Wolstenholme on bass, and Dominic Howard on drums. While Muse is still being nebulous about the release of this album, they have stated in an interview that they are aiming to release it in the second half of 2009 or in 2010.

Also looking to be releasing an album in mid-2009 is Good Charlotte! During an interview in December 2008, the new album, titled Cardiology, currently has 20 tracks on it.

Flyleaf is another band to be looking at for new music. Their new album (to be released in March or April!) is expected to have 12 tracks, including the songs "Again" and "Have We Lost", which have been performed live but never recorded.

I never noticed that Flyleaf is composed of all-Christian members! However, they believe that because they are Christian it does not necessarily mean they are a Christian band. But they do admit to being influenced by their faith. As a fan, I can't say this changes my opinion of them because I am also Christian. However, Flyleaf was featured on Guitar Praise, a knock-off of Guitar Hero, which is a little much for me.

MCR's New Album

My Chemical Romance (MCR) is to release a new album titled TBC by then end of 2009! But speculations have already begun to appear. Frontman Gerard Way is to be a father, which might change the band's music style. MCR wants to return to what made them famous, but with the impending responsibilities of fatherhood, perhaps Way will change the attitude of his lyrics, or make the music softer than their original punk style. Also, guitarist Frank Iero seems to have his own side-project going on with another band, Kerrang!. With all of these distractions, it may be impossible for MCR to go back to punk-rock until all of it's members can focus on their music and nothing else.

Not only is MCR producing music this year, but Prince is also a very busy man! In an interview, Prince stated that he wanted to release three new records without the help of a record label! Although the names of these records may not be final, as of January they are titled "MPLSOUND", "Lotus Flower", and "Elixer", in which artists such as Q-Tip are featured.

My thoughts: how old is Prince?

Prince was born on June 7, 1958, making him almost 51-years old! Age is obviously not slowing down this ambitious musician. Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and has recieved awards such as Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and making number 28 on the list 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Damon Albarn and Blur

Thank you, Seamus, for bringing my attention to the busy, busy Damon Albarn.

Damon Albarn is the name of the vocalist whose cartoon identity is 2-D from the previously mentioned band, Gorillaz. Not only is he a vocalist, he is also a songwriter and overall musician.

The question was, will Damon's upcoming project with the band Blur inhibit the production and release of the rumored new album coming out this year from the Gorillaz? It is my opinion that Damon has bitten off just enough to chew. The band (Blur) is planning to perform their first show since 2002, and is scheduled to play on July 3, 2009. Damon Albarn is the singer for the band. But Blur isn't the only thing on Damon's agenda: earlier this month he opened a new opera titled Monkey: A Journey to the West, and is still planning on working on the rumored Gorillaz album. Damon's plans also include traveling to Syria in March.

The answer to the question: although not definite, I would say that Damon Albarn wants to keep busy before he performs with the rest of Blur, which means that the Gorillaz are still going to have a new album this year.

There is also a rumor going around about My Chemical Romance (MCR)! On January 18, they posted on Twitter, saying, "heading to a recording studio". In December 2008, it was said in an interview with MCR that "we are going to be getting together this month (December) to discuss and arrange the new album. After the new year we will begin writing". Perhaps the year 2009 will be the year that rock bands will get together and release new tunes!

About and Go

Welcome to Love of Rokk!!! To start things off, this blog is about many of my favorite alternative rock bands. Alternative rock is defined as a rock music genre descended from punk style music that was popular in the 1980s and 1990s. Other names for alternative rock are alternative music, alt-rock, indie, and college rock, as found on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock).

One of my favorite bands, Gorillaz, released three demos on January 14, 2009. On September 17, 2008, the band had announced they would be working on a new album while also altering the characters in the animation used in many Gorillaz videos. The three songs aired on BBC Radio 1 are titled "Broken", "Binge" (also known as "Stylo"), and "Electric Shock". For those of you unfamilliar with the Gorillaz, the band of four never appears in person, even when performing live. Instead, each band member has their own cartoon version of themselves (the cartoons are gorillas, as fitting to the band name). The vocalist's cartoon is named 2-D, the guitarist is Noodle (also the only woman in the band), the bassist is Murdoc, and the drummer is Russel (http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2009/01/damon_albarn_de.html). Plans for the new album are still nebulous, although it has been stated that work for the album officially starts within the month.