Music - Albums - Videos

Those two famous UK summer festivals not named Glastonbury went out and got Radiohead.They win.

Both Reading and Leeds– which feature the same bands playing different days between August 28-30– will include headliners Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, and Kings of Leon, along with plenty of other bands that are way better than Kings of Leon like Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Fall Out Boy.

If you’re looking for an excuse to watch the “Nothing Compares 2 U” video here we go: Sinad O’Connor’s breakout 1990 sophomore LP I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got is the latest album to get the reissue treatment from Capitol/EMI in the label’s effort to make a little money off their catalogue while CDs are still something that exist.

But we’re not too mad about this one. The double disc set is out April 21 and features a 10-song bonus disc with B-sides, live cuts and two previously unreleased tracks, including a cover of John Lennon’s “Mind Games”.

CD1:

01 Feel So Different
02 I Am Stretched on Your Grave
03 Three Babies
04 The Emperor’s New Clothes
05 Black Boys on Mopeds
06 Nothing Compares 2 U
07 Jump in the River
08 You Cause as Much Sorrow
09 The Last Day of Our Acquaintance
10 I Do Not Want What I Havent Got

CD2:

01 Night Nurse (Gregory Isaacs cover, produced by Daniel Lanois) *
02 My Special Child (1991 single)
03 Damn Your Eyes (B-side to “Three Babies”)
04 Silent Night (long version from The Ghosts of Oxford Street soundtrack)
05 You Do Something to Me (from the Red Hot & Blue Cole Porter tribute album)
06 Mind Games (John Lennon cover, produced by Daniel Lanois) *
07 What Do You Want (B-side to “The Emperor’s New Clothes”)
08 I Am Stretched on Your Grave (Apple Brightness Mix) (B-side to “The Emperor’s New Clothes”)
09 Troy (recorded live in London; B-side to “Three Babies”)
10 I Want Your (Hands on Me) (BBC In Concert 5/25/90, recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon)

Kanye West totally has energy! You ever watch that guy? He’s all over the place! Unfortunately, though, Kanye got famous after the great rapper energy drink boom of 2003, so he’s never had his own energy drink. Until now! Kanye will “create” a new energy drink for Guru, the “100% natural and organic” beverage that Pitchfork News Editor Amy Phillips assures me is “pretty good.” I’m almost certain this won’t mean Kanye will actually sit in a lab somewhere experimenting with chemical flavors, but I can dream.

Here’s what Kanye has to say about the partnership in a press release: “I express myself through music, fashion, art, and design, and that’s why I am excited to collaborate with Guru; because the brand values what I value, and I can put what inspires me into this new product.” He can put what inspires him into the product! It’s hard to wrap my mind around what that could possibly mean.

It’s been 15 years since Kurt Cobain died on April 5, 1994. Sometimes it doesn’t feel that long ago; sometimes it feels like ancient history. As the time passes, Kurt and Nirvana seep further into the realm of myth a violent and exciting myth about upending the mainstream and boosting indie culture just before major labels began their long decline.

Many fine tributes and remembrances to Cobain were published this week, but instead of focusing on his tragedy we’re taking a more lighthearted approach to his legacy. Cobain had a wicked sense of humor, so he might have taken pleasure in the overflowing and diverse covers of his most enduring song, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Below are six wildly different versions of the song from Paul Anka to a beat box-only take that celebrate one of the finest pop songs ever written. And, even after a million listens, there’s always the genuine article.

* Pre-Pubescent Virtuoso Guitarist: Practice makes scarily perfect.

* Paul Anka: Wonderfully tan crooner turns angst into finger-snapping glee.

* Japanese Beatboxer Dokaka: Bjrk-approved eccentric recreates the track using nothing but his mouth.

* The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: Markedly better than Strummin’ With the Devil: Bluegrass Tribute to Van Halen.

* Mario Paint: Refreshingly lo-fi and to the point in the age of “Rock Band”.

* Shock G aka Humpty Hump: He once got busy in a Burger King bathroom.