Not sure if this qualifies as news, but MGMT have announced that their latest record, Congratulations will include no singles. The band encourages fans to take the album in as a whole and not just in singular parts.
Vampire Weekend has become the first independent artist in history of Billboard SoundScan charts to reach number 1 without ever signing to a major. The band's sophomore release, Contra, topped the charts last week.
Paul McCartney was almost a Crooked Vulture. That is right, Macca almost linked up with Them Crooked Vultures, the side project of Dave Grohl featuring Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and Led Zepplin's John Paul Jones. Sir Paul tells UK's Daily Mail that “We went out for a bite to eat…and Dave [Grohl] told me he was starting this band with Josh [Homme]. I asked him who was playing bass and he rather sheepishly told me he’d approached John [Paul Jones]." What a different band that would have turned out to be.
After their current tour of Australia, Vegas rockers The Killers will go on indefinite hiatus. No they are not breaking up, just taking a break.
In a recent interview with NME.com, Shins frontman James Mercer told the magazine/website that he formed his latest project, Broken Bells with Danger Mouse, because The Shins "got too heavy." He tells NME.com "As things started to wind down for me I wanted to try something totally different," It'd had started to feel heavy [in The Shins]. I didn't know what I wanted to do, maybe a solo thing or a new band. And Brian [Danger Mouse] happened to be having the same kind of ideas." Broken Bells debut, The High Road, is out March 9.
Sad news, Franz Nicolay has left The Hold Steady. The handsomely mustached keyboard playing, wine guzzling, live spectacle member sang his last "Whoa!" with the Brooklyn rockers on Thanksgiving. Franz posted on his website today, “You should know: I’ve left The Hold Steady. I told the band I’d be leaving in early September, played my last show with them in Minneapolis around Thanksgiving, and dotted the t’s and crossed the i’s this week." He thanks everyone for the experience. Nicolay released his debut solo record, Major General last year. Take a look at my interview with Franz from October HERE.