Music news is back, whether you like it or not

Music news is back...It's something TK and I started over at Pajiba, and it's something the team as a whole will be continuing here at TMITM. Let's get it started...

The reunited duo of Slug (Atmosphere) and Murs (Living Legends), who go by the group name FELT, will release their third album November 17th. Felt, Vol. 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez was produced by Aesop Rock. It is the follow up to 2005’s Felt, Vol. 2: A Tribute to Lisa Bonet and 2002’s Felt Vol. 1: A Tribute to Christina Ricci. The single "Protagonists" is available for free download on their Myspace page. -Felicia

When Activision, makers of Guitar Hero 5, recently released footage of a fully-playable Kurt Cobain in the game mouthing along to Bon Jovi, everybody, including Courtney Love and even Dave Grohl and Krist Novaselic, lost their shit. Activision says they have a signed release from Love to use Cobain's likeness (not to mention photos and videos of Cobain that she gave them). But, in a statement that shouldn't surprise anyone, Love claims she "dragged [her] ass" and never signed the papers. SO, once again, either Courtney Love was actually that lazy in signing legal documents, or she's lying/forgetting about something important involving her dead husband. Heroin's a hell of a drug. We'll probably update everyone when this whole thing gets settled. -Christian

Rhythms del Mundo Classics, a non-profit collaborative album, was released in July. It is a follow up to the 2006 release Rhythms del Mundo. The latest album features covers by The Killers, Cat Power and Jack Johnson, paired with various Cuban musicians. Proceeds benefit Artists Project Earth, a UK based charity that works for climate change awareness and helps victims of natural disasters. Click here for the track listing, and here is Keane's cover of "Under Pressure." And yeah, it kind of sucks. -Felicia

In other Activision-made music video game news, the company has pulled a major coup in the creation of their new game DJ Hero. Rolling Stone reports that, after already gathering tracks from DJ Shadow, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and DJ AM (plus an endorsement from Jay-Z), they've now gotten Daft Punk to not only create 11 exclusive new tracks but to also use their likenesses as playable characters in the game. Most of the new tracks are mashups, and only 8 have been announced so far. You can find them, and more geeky electronic news here. -Christian

The Beatles music catalog on iTunes announcement never came during the Apple press conference in San Francisco last week. I was a little disappointed, even though I feel like The Beatles are best when listened to on vinyl. If the rumors are true, the announcement will come sooner than later. In the meantime, The Beatles’ remastered albums came out last week, which we reported over on Pajiba a few months ago. -Felicia

We mentioned on Pajiba a few weeks ago that the former Death Row Records, now WIDEawake Death Row, re-released Dr. Dre's The Chronic last month. Now they will be releasing Snoop Dogg's The Lost Sessions Vol . 1 on October 13th. The never before released tracks is WIDEawake's attempt to reinvigorate the Death Row label and pay homage to their stars. A possible new TuPac release will follow. -Felicia

And with that, here's your Monday Playlist.

TK: One of the most criminally unrecognized hip hop acts of the early 90's were Philadelphia's The Goats. I stumbled upon them on a compilation album I got for free from a record store, and promptly ran out and bought their stellar first album, Tricks of the Shade. There are so many standout tracks on the album, it's hard to pick a favorite, but on the basis of the hook alone, I'm going with "Whatcha Got Is Whatcha Gettin'." Sadly, they wouldn't be able to capture that same lightning in a bottle again, later releasing the fun (though not as smart, clever or politically charged) No Goats No Glory. But in 1992, there were few better hip hop groups out there.

Chris: I've always found Mount Eerie interesting. In fact I've always found Phil Elverum's musical endeavors worth a listen, whether it be under his own name or the Microphones moniker or whatever. Plus the fact that he books almost exclusively All Ages shows is impressive and honorable. But despite all this, no song of his has really clicked with me. Like truly made me fall in love with his style of doomy yet winsome anti-folk. That is, until I heard "Lost Wisdom Pt. 2" from the new Mount Eerie album Wind's Poem. It's simultaneously destructive and endearing, like his music in general, but with a certain kind of unforgettable punch that digs into the skull and never burrows its way back out.

Sean: I needed to wash the memory of a recent mistake from my ears (check back tomorrow) and remind myself that there is some decent music out there that falls under the silly label of "emo." To that end, I went back to The Classic Crime. It's thick and slick rock, with a lot of production behind it, but also with quite a bit of heart and talent. It almost feels like arena rock, but with a bit more originality than most of the garbage that finds its way onto mainstream radio. Hey, at least their influences reach past Fall Out Boy and Justin Timberlake. From The Silver Cord, this is "5805." I'm a sucker for this kind of thing.

Caspar: Laura Gibson, 'Nightwatch'. This wonderfully lilting song, taken from her very excellent album If You Come To Greet Me, is deceptively simple: the piano and violin give it a sort of lullaby feel, but there's a lot of craft in this song, and so much depth of feeling. I love so many different things in it: the quiet chap who harmonises with her; the way she intones 'bring you back' like a hopeful mantra; the opening note of the violin when it comes in; and, especially, Gibson's beautiful phrasing - the way she dwells on a word and savours its sounds, cloaking her sentences with a husky loveliness.



Enjoy your week, folks. We'll be around.